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The Silent Crusaders No shrill protests or sitting in dharnas, today’s tech savvy generation believes in raising its voice calmly & quietly through the World Wide Web. These cyber groups may not be making the politically correct noises, but they are for sure making one and all aware of their duties and responsibilities. Purva Grover chats up some of local cyber activists Pure hard rock is the music that plays and rules when they drive uphill for a drink with friends. Saturday night they swirl and twirl to deafening metal rap. They are noisy brats in college and vocal colleagues at workplace. The thunderous generation may be partying hard and loud, but when it comes to making their opinion heard they prefer doing it rather quietly and peacefully. They don’t sit in dharnas or shout slogans outside the ministers’ office, neither do they hold violent rallies or make earsplitting promises at huge public gatherings, rather they gather in the virtual world and get to work! SMS, SNSs (social networking sites), blogs, websites, online chats and communities, these are the Gen Y’s tools for gathering support from known and unknown people alike. We logged on to the work of a few of the ‘quietly active’ cyber activists and got hooked to their online passion. We, the volunteers
In January’07, around 10 of them met and pooled in Rs 100 each. And since then, the group called We Volunteers meets each weekend and work, sing and play with slum children. Rakhi celebrations, puppet shows, painting, they do it all with them. In August, they took it further with the concept of Yuva Parliament. The concerns of this open house parliament vary from eve teasing to smoking.
Called: www. wevolunteer.blogspot.com We, the leg pullers
Says founder 28-year-old Akhil Verma, “As we talk, more than 150 crore people are online, of which majority are youngsters.” The site will let users make fun of any celeb, baba, politician, businessman or government department by starting a leg puller and pull the leg on the scale of 1-10. Want more? Leave your comments on the Dharna Fatta, a virtual notice board on the portal. Says creative editor Poonam, “We are also planning to send the feedback with statistics to authorities concerned.”
Called: www.legpullers.com We, the protectors
And five years back in 2002, he formed a NGO called Arrive Safe and created his own portal called www.wearrivesafe.org. “Every automobile company may claim of bringing out one million cars a year but none talk about safety on road,” says Harman. His site lists more than 50 road situations, traffic signs, research papers on road safety and more. And, well his mission of road safety is doing quite well for Harman was the protagonist of a documentary aired on BBC and other channels during the UN road safety week this February.
Called: www.wearrrivesafe.org We, the dreamers
The site’s aim is to spread awareness on social issues and they work through a medium of letting visitors sign petitions. Their latest petition condemns the barbaric violence being unleashed in Nandigram. Also, they make people aware of the use of PILs and RTI. Their current issue of concern is global warming, for which they have collaborated with Greenpeace and Global Oneness Project. What’s more they’ve even managed to get a couple of ads from Google for their site.
Called: www.utopaindreamers.com
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Fair weather couples A couple of days of sunshine & the lovebirds are out in the gardens again!
The flight of affection is taking off at the usual time. Correct! With the skies somewhat clearing up and visibility kind of improving, lovebirds are departing for the happy hunting grounds in the mornings daily. Oh yes, the bleak cloudy weather, the dull hard bitterness of cold and the inconsistent drizzle had grounded the consistent chirpers for a few days early this week, but they are now running dot on time, gaily and merrily. If you haven’t seen them in full control, travelling hand in hand to attain new heights of sheer bliss, just land in one of the city gardens in the morning hours. Rose Garden, Rock Garden, Shanti Kunj, Leisure Valley or even the Panjab University campus grounds — the choice is yours entirely. You can go to Sukhna Lake also. For, the scene is not very different there. Wait. Look behind the dense camouflaging bushes. And, you will find them there all fuelled up, enjoying their high-altitude solo voyage together to an all-new world! Your disturbing presence is just not a deterrent as the bud of fondness blossoms amidst the dahlias, the poppies and the chrysanthemums. Undeterred, his burly arm moves around her fragile shoulders. She smiles as his exploring hands encounter no defence and her giggles give way to laughter. Ask them and they say the weather is just right for undertaking the journey of life in the gardens. “The sun pushing aside the blanket of cloud after snuggling all the way through the night; the rays filtering the leaves and little drops of dew on the ground magnifying the beauty of winters — it’s all so perfect here,” says a young college student. “And, so romantic!” Of course, she and her guy, sitting together in Panjab University-14, have no intentions of being identified. On the strict condition of anonymity, she whispers: “The cops too are not a problem here, though they are omnipresent. In fact, they do not throw a spanner in the way of lovers for bringing them down from great heights.” And to top it all, you really do not have to pay anything for the getaway. “City restaurants and fast food joints are pretty expensive. Even if you feel like sharing love over a cup of cappuccino, you got to pull out something like Rs 50 from your wallet. Once in a while, it’s okay. But daily makes love an expensive affair,” the guy says. “Stu-C… well, it’s too open and crowded. So the gardens are actually the only option.” Well, folks you cannot help but let the birds of the same feather flock together in the sun!
saurabh@tribunemail.com |
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Telly Tales The weekend that was: Losing, winning, swirling, twirling, mocking & more as stars entered our living rooms in a big way! IT was a busy weekend on the idiot box. Three consecutive evenings in the company of stars — the semi-final of Nach Baliye 3, the grand finale of Jhalak Dikhla Ja, Jalwa 2007... Some ducked party invitations saying ‘I have a cold’, like yours truly, others made sure hubbies, kids and Bruno had been fed and put out of the way. Win and a loss IT was like our worst fears come true – mince-no-words Sandhya Mridul lost out to the demure Ekta Kapoor prodigy, Prachi. The judges, except Jeetendra of course, were aghast. Urmila and Shiamak were quick enough to crown the spunky Mridul "their winner". Best of all – the runner-up was amazingly composed – shaken, not stirred to tears. A wonderful relief from the sob fests these reality shows have been reduced to. As for Prachi, good for her she won. Rakhi & beau and Sanjeeda & beau pipped Kashmeera & beau to the final. Sanjeeda and Aamir are quite a hit with two of the judges, so will this show too end up the JDJ way? Don’t think too much, we’ll find out soon. Jumpy, as ever Three cheers for Jeetendra! Energetic, sporting and sixty-five, he set the stage on fire, first with the mummies from BoogieWoogie and then with Sudha Chandran, Mini Mathur and Sonali Kulkarni during the grand finale. The man with the white dancing shoes took us back to the days of elaborate sequences, colourful clay pots, dozens of extras and Bappi da’s electronic music... Realistic etc. The shows also saw the 36-26-36 brigade busted. The actresses dumped their well-endowed look (and stilettos) for practical purposes. Ronit Roy finally got to play hero, albeit for a few minutes as he danced to Dard-e-disco. And, he did do a decent job of it. Had these shows happened in his day and age, he probably wouldn’t be doing a Mihir... The new Mrs? Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar were there on the sets of Jhalak Dikhla Ja to promote their film Welcome. Me thinks rumours of the Katrina-Sallu split are so not true. After all, why would the leggy lass wear a churidar under a sexy black evening gown? Yeh hai Jalwa Jalwa 2007 sparkled with stars, though most of whom seemed to have come there in their house clothes! The Bachchans sat through the entire show. Ash could have put any of Ekta’s bahus to shame as she sat there demurely in a loud red saree with her usual just-back-from-the-temple look – sindoor, tikka et all — flanked by Big B and his baby. SRK entered with the cast of OSO towards the end, almost like lagaoing haazri. The entire cast shook a leg on Dard-e-disco. Sonam and Ranbir need to make some friends. And Urmila, you can do better than Tusshar Kapoor or are you hopping on to the Balaji bandwagon too? Saif and son Ebrahim seemed to be enjoying every bit of the show. The eight-year-old cool dude who will be debuting as Saif’s son in a Yash Raj production has all the makings of a Pataudi, looking slick with his gelled spikes. When Kareena came to dance to a Don number, our chhote nawab couldn’t stop blushing, smiling and clapping, looking even more dapper in his trademark pink shirt. Ebrahim was a bit lost, perhaps not very impressed with his would-be-mommy’s number, who by the way does not have even 100 grams extra flesh. Comedians Raju Srivastava and company cracked jokes on everybody from Ranbir Kapoor to Big B, but the stars were not amused. (This column appears weekly)
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Slice of the past An exhibition showcases over 550 lithographs from times of yore
Never mind if Udaipur becomes Oudeypoor or Hindustan becomes Hindostan or Qutub Minar becomes Qoutob Minar, the forms captured by famous artists like John Luard, Emily Eden, Williams Daniel and G. F. Atkinson can light up the feeling of patriotism even in the most detached soul. The exhibition called Lithos for Life, which is being organsied by People For Animals at the Government Museum and Art Gallery-10, presents about 550 lithographs by known and unknown artists that are around 100 years old. Starting from the maps of The East India in 1773 to Hindostan in 1811 to the head dresses worn by both Indian and British soldiers, swords and buttons on their dresses, you get to see whole lot of kings and queens, forts and monuments and social and cultural elements in their former glory.
Daniel, who introduced India to the art of lithographs in the 17th century, besides capturing landmarks of India had extensively worked on ordinary people and their lives. His entire series is in black and white. Atkinson who painted around 1859 also concentrated on the society. His works come with interesting captions — Our bedroom, Our bath, Our agriculturist, Our theatricals — and so on. One can see, the black and white era in times of Daniel gave way to yellow tinted lithos in Aktinson’s time. Another artist Solovyns found Brahmins and the rituals of Puja interesting enough to work on. Emily Eden, known for her works on Punjab (which included Afghanistan and N.W. Frontier), had beautifully captured both the regal and the rustic side of the area. Emily’s works, both in colour and monochrome, have great historical as well as artistic value. With the price tag of Rs 40,000 for her print on A Zimindar or a Farmer and A Puthan, a Perfect Wrestler, she happens to be the highest priced artist among the lot. However, not everything is so expensive. The lower range starts from Rs 1,100. But, then this exhibition is not about money. For someone, who loves to own a slice of the past, it is a small price to pay!
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Adrenaline
on the track 23-yr-old Karun Chandhok recently zipped on the Catalunya circuit near Barcelona EVEN over the long distance telephone lines, Karun Chandhok’s voice comes laced with euphoria. Understandable, considering that this 23-year-old from Chennai has just seen himself racing at Catalunya Circuit near Barcelona along with Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard. This was his first test drive session for the Red Bull Racing team. “Fantastic, a dream come true,” is his first reaction, followed by some racing logic like how after his successful season at Grand Prix 2, which is one step short of Formula One racing, this was the ideal step for him to take. “Well, the difference was not as big as I had anticipated but it was exhilarating driving something which goes that fast.” An experience that still gives Karun goosebumps. “The first time I took the car down pit lane to go out on track was a special moment. I was a bit nervous yes, but the Red Bull team prepared me well.” If the F1 test has been icing on the cake of a very productive year for Karun, the foundation was laid a long time ago when he was only nine years old. “My grandfather used to race and then my father followed him. It was only natural that I follow the genetic path.” But racing at the age of nine? “Well, I did it on the private tracks, so no harm done,” he says. Karun had it easy because of his background. But what about other youngsters who want to get into racing? “True, it is not an easy sport to get into. But in India we have JK Tyre Junior Cup that provides a platform to youngsters at the entry level,” he says. This is how in fact Karun made his entry at the circuit, through the J.K. Tyre National Championship in 2000 when he was just 16. He has come a long way since then. With a contract with I Sport for GP 2 series and participation in the developing programmes of Red Bull lined up, 2008 is a year to look forward to. “Hopefully it won’t be long until I find myself a race seat of my own in Formula 1,” he concludes. We too keep our fingers crossed. parbina@tribunemail.com
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Aussie pop princess is all set to relaunch her acting career by using the Doctor Who Christmas special show. It had been reported that Kylie Minogue had been cast as a sexy cyber woman in the Christmas special called Voyage of the Damned. However, Doctor Who boss Russell T. Davies denied it. The show’s chief writer and executive producer added that Minogue misses acting and wants to be in the same discipline once again. Love goes sour Supermodel Kate Moss has contacted her attorneys in bid to prevent ex-boyfriend rocker Pete Doherty from discussing about their romance in a documentary titled Kate And Pete: A Love Story. Kate is furious with Pete over the whole thing. She has contacted her lawyers and plans to get an injunction to stop the production, a source said. The plans for the documentary have not been firmed up but sources have revealed that it would be released on television in January. A network insider said: "If Kate tries to gag Pete, it will come as a blow to the production. Hopefully, we can work something out with Kate and her lawyers." The source added that the rocker would lose a million dollars if the deal does not go through. — ANI
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A recent study published in British Medical Journal has shown that common medical beliefs such as drinking eight glasses of water a day is essential or reading in dim light can damage eyesight, are unproven and false. American researchers picked up seven common medical myths and looked for evidence to support or refute each of these claims. The findings revealed that all the medical beliefs were untrue. Researchers suggested that drinking eight glasses of water a day was not required as the adequate fluid intake is often met by consumption of juice, milk, and caffeinated beverages. The conviction that we only use 10 per cent of our brains was contradicted by studies of patients with brain damage that suggested damage to almost any area of the brain had specific and lasting effects on mental, vegetative, and behavioural capabilities of a person. Brain imaging studies also showed that no area of the brain is completely silent or inactive. — ANI
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Soaps: Child’s Play VVF Ltd., a leading manufacturer of personal care products, re-launched its Doy range of soaps, enriched with the goodness of Olive Oil, exclusively for children with exciting new packaging and graphics. The new packaging comes in vibrant colours of green, yellow pink and blue with attractive animal graphics specially designed to match the shape of the soap. VVF has created a unique colour space behind the package and is offering a special free colouring kit to go along with each soap. Doy Kids range of soaps that are currently available in three exciting shapes, Mambo (Elephant), Samba (Lion) & Princess, has now added a new shape – Teddy (Bear). Mens only: Great Chance On December 22, Arrow brings a special once-in-a-lifetime offer – ‘The Race Against Time’. Shop at any of Arrow’s exclusive stores across the country between 7 and 11am and you get Arrow cash vouchers equal to your purchase value. Shop between 11am and 4pm and you get cash vouchers worth 75% of your purchase value. Shop after 4pm until they close and you get Arrow cash vouchers worth 50% of your purchase value. And what’s more you can redeem these vouchers between January 1 and 15, 2008, giving you yet another reason to enjoy a brand new wardrobe in the New Year! Fashion: Party Wear Madame, a brand synonomous to women fashion wear, encapsulates its ever-changing sense of style with an exquisite collection of party dresses that further echo the luxury rock and roll feel of the Fall/Winter collection currently in store. The collection is bursting with an array of must have items from pretty and soft dresses, sparkling jewellery and chunky knits. It comprises Tunics, Twin Sets, Woollen Tights and Formal Leg Wear. Vibrant shades of maroons, silver, gold and bronze, with hints of rich burgundy, shiny black & Pearly White are in for the season. Price for the collection ranges from Rs. 1,299 to Rs. 2,499. Technology: All in One Panasonic Asia Pacific Pvt Ltd. has launched its new revolutionary range of laser all-in-ones. The new models include the 7-in-1 KX-FLB882CX, the 5-in-1 KX-MB772CX and the 3-in-1 KX-MB262CX. Panasonic’s MB series is its first in the printer category. These new laser all-in-ones are in high demand especially amidst small-to-medium corporate, educational institutes, public sector undertaking (PSUs) etc, who do not want to own four different machines (printer, copier, scanner and fax) for four different functions. These are priced at MRP Rs 25,999 (KX-FLB882), Rs 15,999 (KX-MB772) and Rs 10,999 (KX-MB262) respectively. Cereal: High Fibre Bagrrys India unveils its all-new range of fruit ‘n fibre mueslis, in five variants. This high-fibre breakfast cereal comes in five delicious flavours of Apple, Strawberry, Banana, Pineapple and Mixed Fruit. It brings together the goodness of oats, wheat, corn, almonds, raisins and honey with healthy combinations of your favourite fruits. Fruit ‘n Fibre Muesli is one of nature’s most nutritious and wholesome breakfast cereals made with pure and real fruit concentrates, bits and crush. These fruit-laden mueslis provide natural vitamins, minerals and proteins with zero cholesterol. — TNS
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On the menu is the best from South-East Asian Cuisine in combination with wines from France, Italy, Spain, Chile and of course India. Each dish comes with a suggestive wine, courtesy a sommelier from Mumbai. They’ve even got a chef, an expert in seafood preparation, from Delhi for the festival. Talk starters and you will be tempted to bite into crab salt and pepper and Indonesian prawns satay. The latter tastes best with white wine. Pick from the fave Hardy’s Nottage Hill or Chardomnay. In soups there is seafood Beijing soup, tom yam or a fish ball soup. Meal for two: Rs 1100 onwards Wine:
Rs 170–195 per glass Desserts: Chocolate spring rolls, fried ice cream or litchi wontons Next, lobsters go perfect with red wine; choose from the must haves — lobster in Xo sauce (Rs 1,575), lobsters in butter garlic sauce (Rs 1,500) and lobster in chilly garlic sauce (Rs 1,500). In red wines, you have Grover’s La Reserve and Cabernet Sheriz. And, there is more to the variety in sauces like sweet basil sauce, yam sauce, Hong Kong sauce or chilli bean sauce. As for noodles, there are Yakudion noodles from Japan, which are as thick as spaghetti. Or go in for the pan-fried noodles. Rice lovers can bite into steam rice with green curry prawns. Or prawns in black bean, nonya curry or white sauce. Crabs in sambal sauce, whole fish pomphret or a red snapper, squids in cherry sauce are other yummy options. What will follow next is a Japanese live cooking festival — Teppanyaki. Till then, go ahead, wine and dine in style. — P. G. On till December
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Egg lovers with a heart condition need no longer fear their favourite food. A Coimbatore-based company has introduced a designer egg fortified with Vitamin E and Omega 3 acids, whose yolk, the company says holds 24 per cent less cholesterol than normal table eggs. Suguna Poultry Farm Ltd, based in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, has also introduced another branded egg fortified with Vitamin E, organic selenium and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an essential fatty acid present in breast milk. — ANI
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Ideally while sitting the lower back should touch the backrest of the chair. The use of lumbar roll above the belt line i.e. in the hollow of the back facilitates adherence to correct posture. —
Dr Ravinder Chadha |
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After a New Year’s Eve (‘06) bash at Goa, Preet Arjun Singh returned home with a resolution to do his bit for the society. “I felt I had to do more than partying,” says Preet, studying at PEC. He opted for the cheapest and easiest option, an SMS that required like-minded individuals to contact him. And, replies flowed in from different colleges in the city and soon they formed a community on
Orkut.
This is going to be a retaliation of one of its kind. They call it virtual dharna and say their support system will give competition to the rallies held at Matka Chowk. Their JAVA applet — www.legpullers.com — allows you to register a protest online under the dharna tent area i.e. a virtual space.
The strong feeling to ensure nobody else has to go through the mental and physical pain that he underwent, got Harman Singh Sidhu thinking. Harman had an accident in 1996 that left him bed-ridden for two years. A computer gifted to him by his brother got him hooked to web designing and after a year of learning, he made a website for a local doctor.
It began this June, when Navjyot Kaur began to blog to speak her heart out. (www.grandioselive.blogspot.com) A good and sensible writer, her friends encouraged her and three months later, Navjyot, a final year student of electrical engineering now, convinced her elder bro Harjyot to provide her a platform. So, in September’07 was launched www.utopiandreamers.com. Now, Harjyot who is preparing for his IAS looks after the technical aspects and gathers support for their venture, while Navjyot does the writing bit.
Here is your chance to view vintage India through European artists. Albeit the names of places or people may sound a little exotic, coming out straight from the British tongue, the vision they captured in their lithographs is purely Indian. 
Attention all non-vegetarians: This feast is strictly, tastefully and delightfully for only you! Lobsters, jumbo prawns, squids, crabs, pomphrets, red snapper and much more await at Purple Rice-35. The eatery’s ongoing Sea Food Festival, a blend of exotic dishes and drinks, is the place to indulge this Christmas season. What’s more you can even enjoy a candlelight dinner, for floating aroma candles welcome you here.