Kapil Dev Joti’s nolina flowered after 21 years. An exotic beauty one may ask? Yes, definitely, but with a root and ponytail to boot!

Confused? Well it all began like this. In 1982, Joti along with his family moved to the city and decided to plant a nolina (Beaucarnea recurvata) in his little garden. The plant grew and today stands at a lofty 12 feet. What is interesting though is that it flowered but only after 21 years, last year. “It was only a single bloom then, but this year there are two beautiful blossoms,” smiles Joti.

The flowers look like large bottle-brushes but are pale yellow and perched right on top of the plant. Buzzing with bees, tip-toeing in and out of the swaying flowers, Joti says it is only in the last day or two when the buds opened that the bees rushed in. In any case he says the flowers are on their way out, what with them lasting only for three weeks.

The nolina also known as the Elephant’s Foot or Ponytail Palm, it is not really a palm at all. A member of the Lilaceae (lily family) it has earned the name ‘elephant’s foot’ because of its bulbous base.

Joti’s formidable specimen has a girth of eleven-and-a-half feet – so no mean feat this one! “I think it is probably one of the biggest in the city,” believes Joti. While there is no proof in any real terms, it sure found an admirer in the form of the owner of the Durga Nursery from where this plant, as a small shrub, began its sojourn.

Says Vikas Mahajan of Durga Nursery, a fully-grown plant can store water for a whole year, quite like a camel, and does not require too much attention.

So what did Joti feed it, we ask? “Love and affection” he smiles. While he does not talk to his plants, not yet, he certainly admires and enjoys his vegetation and yes they do respond, by growing leaps and bounds like his nolina did.

As for Joti, who runs the pro-shop at the Chandigarh Golf Club, life moves in tandem with his garden and his golf. Today, he is an avid fisherman, too, but life started as an army commercial pilot, followed by a stint in tea in Assam, a period in Mauritius with the Tea Development Authority there, a stretch in Calcutta on his return and then a settled base in Chandigarh thereafter.

While his backyard serves as his winter resort complete with big bonfires, his petite garden in front, his pride, provides all the happiness of a summer retreat. Life’s a garden of roses. Oops, we mean a shady bough of nolina blossoms!

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Ebony Studio Ivory has come out with its Spring Summer Collection showcasing stylish clothes that are perfect for dressing down and weekend wear.

Bright colours flirt with textures and bold cuts to create a vibrant, yet relaxed look.  Most of the clothes are stylish, practical and comfortable. Studio Ivory forecasts red, ivory, black, yellowish green, silver peony, opal gray, green sheen indigo, mauve, and café crème for the season. Tunics are back in fashion with a bang. So are short puff sleeves. For the hep look, choose from tops with empire waistlines. The ultra feminine look is in and a one-piece flowy dress is a must have. The studio range includes, apart from apparel, selected pieces of jewellery, handbags and scarves. — TNS

The Band of Boys and rock group Nexus have come together to form a new group called Xenabob, (pronounced as ‘zen-abob’ ; xen being the opposite of NEX from Nexus and ABOB for A Band of Boys) bringing an  amalgamation of digital and acoustic club music. Also known as IDM or Intelligent Dance Music, the group is the first of its kind in India.

“Music is continuously changing, and we as musicians and singers always look for new ways to stimulate ourselves. It was on a boring evening in the nightclub, that we started singing different songs to different tunes, like old Hindi numbers to the grooves of Prodigy and U2; and thus was born Xenabob.” Sangeet Haldipur (of Aasma fame), Sheldon D’Silva, & Gino Banks (son of Louis Banks) form the Nexus. Does that mean that the Band Of Boys is dissolving? “No way. We will continue with our old stuff too,” they say.

— Dharam Pal

Electrolux introduces a fresh new range of ACs with ‘Oxigenerator’ technology. The new models in its range of split ACs, window ACs, cassette ACs, and tower ACs generate rejuvenating anions, which deactivate dust particles and preserve clean air. This feature helps to create a pollution free zone to give you a clean, fresh breath of air.

Cropped pants, city shorts, feminine layered-effect tops, flowery dresses with thin straps, denims, generously cut tops for a clear silhouette; this is the style for the month of May by Esprit. Fabrics in glittering, sand washed look and copper pinstripes add interesting highlights; while foil prints in a matt broken gold affect give a rich bright and glamorous look. The collection is a mix of both formal and casual dressing. The season starts with lot of bright colours and soft pastel shades of green, beige and lots of white. A combination of blue, green and yellow conveys the beach look with fresh orange, striking cobalt blues and fiery red providing refreshing highlights for the summer.

Fedders Lloyd Corporation Limited has forayed into consumer electronics and home appliances segment with the launch of brand “Lloyd”. A futuristic and revolutionary range of Lloyd Microwave Ovens, they are available in six models of Solo, Grill and Convection models of capacity between 17 to 30 litres in price range of Rs 3,290 onwards. The crystal wave technology in the ovens retains the nutritional value of food while cooking evenly. Besides, the ovens also comprise Quartz Grill Convection Heater, a convection cooking feature that makes cooking up to 25% faster. 

A three-day exhibition of multi-hued crochet apparel range is on at Fabindia. The range has an Indo-western touch with halter tops for children and spaghettis for adults. Contemporary style and comfort, which is the hallmark of Fabindia, is visible in the crocheted dresses. A part of the summer collection included an exquisite range of Lucknavi chikankari and chanderi kurtas. The crochet kids-wears are priced at Rs 360 while spaghettis at Rs 565.

There is a wide range kurtas, kurtis, skirts, tops and dupattas with bakhiya and khatau stitches in white and pastel colours.

In display here are traditional saris in Banarasi silk available at Rs 2,600 in mild rust and pastel green shades. Beaded tops and dupattas with mokaish works are also on display.

Another attraction is the new range of contemporary furniture, made of seasoned wood and finished off with linseed oil polish. On display are dining tables, benches, stools and shelves. — TNS

Our knowledge of mime begins with Charlie Chaplin and ends with him. But according to K. D. Chattopadhya, one of the pioneer mime artistes from Kolkata, the Charlie Chaplin act is just a tiny fraction of this art of silence. And, he is here to show the other facets of mime — mostly the traditional type – that was pioneered by Marcel Marceau.

“Mime is an art that involves gestures, movements of the body, hand, feet, eyes and fingers,” says Chattopadhya, at present preparing for a show with Zulfiqar Khan’s Theatre Age children.

Chattopadhya, a scientist with CSIO, came to the city way back in 1981. “When I left my home town, the mime movement in Kolkata was at its peak. Though it was started in the late fifties by Jogesh Dutta, it picked up momentum under the guidance of Arunav Mazumdar and Niranjan Goswami in the 80s. I was associated with the Calcutta Street Theatre and mime was an integral part of it,” he says.

After migrating to the city, Chottapadhya tried to propagate mime here, but could not make much impact. “I became part of the Bengali association here and performed a few times, but unfortunately I could not propagate this art form the way I would have liked to,” he says.

But now, he feels, the time is ripe. “The last couple of years have seen cultural organisations like Alliance Francaise de Chandigarh and Pracheen Kala Kendra inviting artistes from outside to perform. Now the stage is set,” he adds.

With the slum children of Theatre Age, Chattopadhya has taken up issues like casteism and other man-made invisible partitions. Power game is another aspect. The entire show has about seven to eight sub plots and all 16 children and Zulfiqar get to act in it. He plays a power-hungry politician unable to resist the magnetic pull of the chair and ultimately dies in it.

Since Chattopadhya is focusing on the traditional type of mime, the costume will also be what the Indian genre prescribes – a black dress with white socks, white gloves and face painted white. “Painting the face white is crucial. The neutral colour acts as the base for facial expressions,” he says.

It is difficult to hold one’s attention with just expressions and body movements for a long stretch of time, but looking at the enthusiasm the kids have mastered and knowing their penchant for the stage, one can safely say that this will be a show worth watching!

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Pampering your skin is not a huge task, investing a little time in exfoliating to buff away the dead skin cells weekly is necessary for that glowing look.

There are various scrubs in the market today, most popular ones are exfoliating mud masks, peeling masks, exfoliating gels, micro-bead face scrub lotions etc. Most scrubs contain naturally coarse ingredients – such as oatmeal, cornmeal, crushed almond and salt minerals to polish the dull, flaky skin. Once the dead skin is removed, a layer of new, supple, fresh-looking skin is exposed from underneath.

Aloe Vera and Allantoin are excellent for softening and smoothing. Glycolic acid exfoliates the top layers of the skin, taking care of fine lines. Lactic and glycolic acids encourage clarity and brightness by dissolving skin cell build-up. Salicyclic acid is known to clear deposits and oily residues that can clog pores and encourage pimples and bumps.

I have dry and sensitive skin. I use face scrub everyday. It leaves my skin tender and red. Where am I going wrong?

While exfoliating is vital to healthy skin and can be used on a daily basis but using the right one for your skin is important. Exfoliating gets the circulation going in your face and prepares it for toning. For dry skin, a special re-hydration programme must be followed directly after you exfoliate. Keeping your skin moisturised after the removal of dead skin is important. As you have sensitive skin, use exfoliators that contain no alcohol, no artificial fragrances and no petroleum products.

I read somewhere that exfoliation is helpful for men in their shaving routine. Is that true?

Yes, that’s true. Men can keep skin in peak condition all year round and improve their shaving comfort and results. Exfoliating opens follicles and raises bristles for a closer, smoother shave. It helps with in-growing hair and also prevents razor bumps. Use gentle exfoliators every other day and soon you will forget what it was like to suffer with a problem skin and skin impurities.

Take care of your skin religiously and you will get the complexion that you desired!

Think Mediterranean food and images that come to the mind is a cool yogurt soup from Syria, Greek octopus salads, Catalan seafood stews, and if that is killing your appetite, then dried fruits from Morocco!

Well, this is the image we had the other day when we walked into Elevens to sample the fare of the ongoing Mediterranean food festival. Our imagination was fuelled by the décor at the entrance, white lacy drapes interspersed with strings of glittering sequence, a scene right from the Arabian Nights, minus the belly dancers.

Mercifully, the décor of the main hall did not turn out to be so dramatic, in fact quite elegant with brick floor and sturdy wooden chairs. The only thing that had the Mediterranean touch was a huge boat with straws at both ends.

Though, most of the names in the menu turned out to be unfamiliar (most of them were quite a mouth full too), we asked for assistance. Sammir S. Gogia, director of the outlet, was happy to oblige, “This is the first time we are offering Mediterranean food, but we have taken care to serve only those dishes that would appeal to the Punjabi taste buds,” he explains. The cook, Ravi Naik from Delhi-based SALT catering company has been brought in to prepare the dishes.

It was at Sammir’s insistence that we try Gazpacho, a tangy cold vegetable soup and Minestrone Alla Verde, a traditional Italian vegetarian soup which turns out to be a tomato based thick soup. While eating, rather gulping it down (for both the soups are quite thick and heavy) we learn that in the Mediterranean countries soup is called Zuppe.

After Zuppe, comes Insalata, salad in simple English, a vegetarian salad with lots of lettuce and our familiar bread crumbs. Though the soup and salad section offers quite a limited choice, it is the Primo Piatto (read appetizer) that comes as a delight. We settle down for a portion of Grilled Tenderised Fish, served with chilli orange sauce, which could be from any of the Mediterranean countries, Souvlanki, a Greek dish that comes with two pieces of grilled chicken served with zatziki dip, a kind of tangy sauce. For the vegetarians there was Mezze Platter.

Well, by the time we are through with our starters, we come to one conclusion — Med food is tangy, which is only reinforced as we moved on to the main dishes –Lebanese Mix Grill, a combination of chicken, lamb and kofta. The combination is interesting, particularly if you have a strong set of teeth, for it is quite an effort to tear the grilled lamb. But, the oriental rice and grill chicken steak, which comes from another dish, Costolette Di Pollo Puttansesca makes one’s day. For vegetarians there are Vegetable Stew with Cous Cous and Imam Bayildi to try out from.

Like all good things come at the last, here too the best part comers in form of the dessert which comes with a name Smuggled Hutch Back Chocolate, a rich chocolate cake dipped in chocolate sauce and served with mash mellows and other fruits.

You come out satiated and a quite a few hundred bucks poorer for nothing comes for less than Rs 150 (except for the soups) and mind you a single plate serves only one person.

A word of advice —go with plenty of time in hand, for each course takes about 25 minutes to be served. And while you are waiting for your food, it’s Harbhajan Mann on Big FM with his Lalli Lal Duppte Vargi sees to it that you do not get too carried away with the Mediterranean waves. On till May 28

Wine trails and wine clubs have certainly been doing their bit to raise the bar for wine lovers in the country. And the wine lounges and bars that keep popping up every other day too are uncorking more choices for the connoisseurs.

But what of the uninitiated? Are you among those who can’t tell a Chardonnay from a Sauvignon Blanc? Well, cheer up. Here are some handy hints that can make you into a swirl sophisticate, too.

First, some elementary wine facts. There are about 1000 types of wine grapes, but international wine producers generally use only 50 of these. The grapes determine the aroma, colour and flavour of each wine. Certain countries make better wines, with France, Spain and Italy leading the pack, while USA, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand too can boast of some good wines. Compared to them, the wine culture and industry in India is still in a nascent stage.

While most table wines have alcohol levels between 12 and 13 per cent, the German wines limit the levels to 7.5 per cent and the Californian ones have an alcohol level as high as 16 per cent. However, the alcohol level in itself is not a sign of quality.

Mango chutney, mango fool, mango panna, mango mousse, mango slush, mango sherbet, mango sorbet… the possibilities are mind-boggling, and I’m sounding like a record stuck in a groove. Only, this time it’s The Mango Grove!  Let’s frisbee the calorie-counter out of the window and succumb to the sunny fruit beaming at us from road-side rehris, beckoning us to take them home! My mango-trilogy will be complete today with mango-based desserts taking the final bow.

Mango Towers

3 ripe mangoes, diced

1 ½ cups sugar

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

1 ½ tbsp gelatin

125 ml hot water

1 tsp each, vanilla & mango essence

350 ml cream

A pack of biscuits (digestive or Marie)

Method

With the mercury heading northward, what better to keep up the spirits than soothing, silky wines for parched throats? Here’s a checklist of the hot picks on the wine racks straight from the hills.

The wines available in Himachal are top favourites among Chandigarhians, for they are not only locally made, fruity and tasty, but can be got at prices lower than those in the tricity.