The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

Drugs rule the party scene
Sahil Makkar

New Delhi, December 25
Alcohol and sex are passé. Drug cocktails and rave parties have become new mantra of celebration for urban youth with fat wallets, thanks to numerous job opportunities. This year too, they endorse the same pattern for the festive mood.

India’s GenNext is ready to welcome this season of revelry with music and buffet of drugs. Their plans of where to party and which drug to enjoy have already been rolled out well in advance.

“Alcohol is history. Man/Woman drinking alcohol is largely considered middle-class and losers. Now people who draw mammoth salaries are pushing themselves for something more and new that can drive them crazy. They quickly want to catch up with the western lifestyle,” said a 25-year-old call centre executive.

“Some only indulge so that they are not branded ‘losers’ among friends and colleagues. People are adopting whatever is considered good in well-to-do societies. They want to make their presence felt with drugs, and are falling prey to it. ‘Toddlers’ (newcomers) too try their hand at it,” the executive, who similarly got spooked by heroin a year ago, told IANS.

Adds an advertising executive: “This is the reason why you witness spurt in such parties and more drug consumption during the festive seasons. Christmas and New Year are just the perfect occasions, when work pressure is less and people don’t have much to do. They just party—party hard with cocktail of drugs.”

The advertising executive said for such dark parties, everything is pre-planned. Only a very select group of people is invited and the ‘stuff’ (drugs) for such occasions is stocked well in advance as drugs get costlier due to high demand and less availability during the festive season.

According to officials, rave parties and consumption of synthetic drugs, popularly known as party drugs, are emerging as the latest trend and a new threat to India. It touches an all-time high during festivities.

“Though there is no specific data, it has been observed that consumption of party drugs— Ecstasy, heroin, cocaine, hash, LSD, codeine, Ice, ephedrine and marijuana—go up significantly during the festive revelry,” Rajiv Walia, a top official of UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) here, told IANS.

“The problem of synthetic drugs such as Ecstasy is simmering in India and we have to be extra cautious about it. This is not an epidemic yet but an emerging threat to India,” Rajiv Walia said.

In parties among the elite, a group walks into the bathroom and comes back minutes later with bright euphoric eyes, all charged up.

Drugs are served just like exotic cuisine and partygoers get their “high” depending on the music that sets the mood for the party.

If the Disco Jockey (DJ) belts out heavy metal numbers, it’s a cue for them to order Ecstasy. But if he is playing blues, it’s time for hash.

Since Ecstasy, heroin and cocaine are more aggressive drugs, they are consumed when rock or retro music is being played at the party. Marijuana and hash are taken when the DJ plays country music or jazz.

Youngsters party all night, cocktailing on drugs like cocaine, Ecstasy, acid and speed, reach home in the early hours of the morning, pop Valium pills to sleep, then struggle back to work in the morning—waiting for the next opportunity to party again.

Cocaine or Ecstasy—preferences seem to vary with age. College kids do Ecstasy, at Rs 300 to Rs 400 a tablet, with an “ecstatic duration” of five to six hours (ideal for a party).

Cocaine, at Rs 3,000-Rs 5,000 a gram depending on the quality, is usually snorted by a slightly older generation that starts at the late 20s and moves through to the mid-30s.

“Sometimes youngsters have a cocktail of drugs to keep pace with the changing music. Mixing of drugs can be very dangerous and it should be avoided at any cost. In fact, people should not take drugs in the first place,” a senior police official said.

According to Walia, these drugs are a combination of psychoactive drugs that have stimulant and hallucinogenic qualities and are similar to other street drugs known for causing brain damage.

They also damage the body by raising its temperature, which can cause muscle breakdown and heart and kidney failure.

A senior official of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), who keeps tabs on such parties, says: “We know that such parties are being organised in large numbers in the Capital. But we do not have much information about people who run drug rackets,” he said.

Officials say those who are not part of the secret parties, just throng pubs, discotheques, lounges and bars that have mushroomed in satellite towns near the Capital and are popular haunts for many youngsters. — IANS

Christmas celebrated with carols and candles
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 25
A large number of devout flocked churches across the National Capital territory of Delhi for midnight mass on the Christmas eve. They lit candles and sang carols.

Churches, including the oldest Sacred Heart Cathedral in the capital, were decorated with twinkling lights and Christmas trees.

About 15,000 people, including a large number of children, teenagers and senior citizens, attended the midnight mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral at Gol Dakhana.

After the prayers it was a day of fun and feasting today. Dressed in their best, a large number of Christians visited their relatives and friends and exchanged cakes and hugs.

Many families taking advantage of the warm weather thronged the various parks and gardens for picnics. Hotels and restaurants across the Capital offered special cuisine and shows to mark the occasion.

The celebrations were not limited to the Christians alone. Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs joined their Christian friends to exchange greetings and generally have fun.

Meanwhile, AerenR Enterprises focused on the underprivileged children. The company organized a special show of ‘Santa Vs.

The Snowman’, a 3-D animation movie, at IMAX Theatre, Pacific Mall ,Ghaziabad . The show was attended by 200 children from the home run by the Salaam Balak Trust.They were also given a free lunch and gifts.

Dr. Rajesh J Aeren, promoter and vice-chairman, AerenR Enterprises, was also present.

Footloose India parties with fatter wallets
Madhusree Chatterjee

New Delhi, December 25
Have you set your party rules this season? If not, then better get cracking. Party planners in India say there are 60 ways to let your hair down this time.

Get drunk, go wacky, try the offbeat, indulge in one of Delhi’s chic themes—which are colourful and exotic—or dance with the hot bods from Bollywood. These are just a few.

In the elite party zones of Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, the last six days of December are an endless round of bright lights, music, dance, food and revelry. Never mind the grinding poverty outside.

Delhi’s party purse is fatter this year. The estimates, according to event managers and party planners, range from Rs 500,000 to Rs 1 million.

The parties in the Capital can be grouped into two categories—private or open bashes hosted in hotels. A conservative estimate puts the number of open parties in the Capital at 300—which includes those in star properties, exclusive eateries and nightspots.

The yearend dos in the Capital this year stand out for their exotic themes. Almost every party has devised its own colour code.

The Radisson MBD, a high-end resort on the outskirts of the Capital, has chosen gold and black as its shades. The colours, say resort officials, represent positive energy and glamour.

Tabula Rasa, an upend restaurant in Saket, a new entertainment hub of the Capital, is sporting a black-and-red look for its “Red Hot Spicy” New Year party. Its motto: If it ain’t hot, it isn’t happening.

The colours, said restaurant owner Sohrab Sitaram, are all about fun, glitz and decadence. “I will wear black and red myself and so will my staff. The eatery will be redone in black and red, from the cutlery, upholstery and even walls, but I cannot vouch for the revellers.” The spread is Continental—a mix of Spanish, Mediterranean, Italian and of course Oriental and Indian.

Dilip Cherian, a communication honcho and owner of Perfect Relations, an interface firm in Delhi, is going “red and green” for his party at the Lodhi Restaurant, next to the Lodhi gardens in the Capital.

“Red and green are the shades of Christmas,” said Cherian, who has invited a select group of friends to the party. “I am more concerned about the food I serve. I supervise it right from the stage it is cooked till it is laid out on the table,” he laughs.

He is one of the few who believe that the truly deluxe set in the Capital and the country is moving away from “artifice”.

“Themes are so last-year. People are tired of being in other’s uniforms, putting together an image just because they want to have a good time,” Cherian said. His dress code is “comfort” so long as it flashes a bit of red and green.

However, the bulk of Delhi’s party-hoppers still swear by esoteric themes. “I am going Italian this year. My party is themed La Dolce Vita (Italian for The Sweet Life) after the 1960 Federico Fellini classic. It will be held in my Jaunapur farmhouse,” said Diljeet Titus, owner of the legal firm Titus & Co, and a visible Page 3 face. He is known for his exotic theme parties.

Last year too, the lawyer brought an Italian marketplace to the sprawling lawns of his farmhouse.

Themes are as varied as “American, Scottish, Turkish, Greek and Royal India”.

Last week, exporter and heritage hotelier Jamil and Amu Saidi organised a mujra to ring in the Yuletide spirit. A few weeks ago, a Delhi-based businessman with substantial business stakes in London recreated Scotland in his farmhouse on a Sunday afternoon. There were pipes from Scotland, authentic Scottish liquor and food.

“Prices are going up, but it really does not pinch as Indians have more disposable incomes. They can splurge,” says page three veteran in the Capital, giving a rough break-up of party expenses this year.

“Kiran, the mujra artist, for instance charged Rs 500,000. Add to it the food for nearly 700 guests. It costs Rs 5,000 per guest, which includes the cost of ambience, seats, food, entertainment and professional hostesses, who escort guests to the venue from the parking lots,” he said. All of it adds up to nearly Rs 10 million. — IANS

Now sweet-scented bed linen for newlyweds
Shweta Thakur

New Delhi, December 25
Lemon, aloe vera and ginseng too—newlyweds can now get cosy in varying fragrances all night along with aromatic bed linen.

In an attempt to cash in on the country’s burgeoning wedding market, city-based brand Maishaa’s Collection is offering bed sheets, pillows and duvets in the three distinct fragrances.

The material used is Egyptian cotton. The delicate scents are inbuilt in the fabric and last for 20 washes.

“The line titled Fragrance Collection has been created keeping in mind fashion-conscious brides and grooms to be,” Amandeep Singh, director of A.K Retail Inc. that owns the label, told IANS.

“Newlywed fashion freaks who want to carry their best with them are our target customers,” he said.

The range has self-prints in colours ranging from earthy hues and soft pastels to bright contrasting tones of berry, volcanic sand, rich gold and silver.

Experts believe aromas lead to wonderful effects on newly wed couples.

R.K. Srivastava, consultant psychiatrist at Max Hospital, said: “Pleasant fragrances accentuate good moods and emotions, improve sexual relationships and most importantly reduce anger.”

A single bedsheet costs Rs 2,595, king size sheet Rs 4,195, standard pillow Rs 750, king size pillow Rs 845 and duvets begin at Rs 7,000.

Apart from the scented line, the label also has two other collections in its bridal range— Softmante and Aijin.

The USP of the two collections is that they are made of Sofin, a microfilament manmade fibre famous for softness.

The Aijin line is designed especially for gifting purposes. It includes four pillows, two cushions, inner linen and bed linen and a duvet, and the price starts from Rs 45,000.

“Our products of both these lines are four times finer than silk and eight times lighter than cotton. In fact all our products are germ free, odour free, wrinkle free and are good for health,” said Singh who is upbeat about the future of his brand. — IANS

CM opens housing block for poor
To build four lakhs houses
Tribune News Service

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit interacts with people after handing over 32 flats to the NDMC employees on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

New Delhi, December 25
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said the Delhi government would construct four lakhs houses for the weaker sections of society and this would help Delhi become a slum-free city before the beginning of Commonwealth Games 2010.

Inaugurating a new block of Valmiki Sadan at Mandir Marg, Dikshit said that the government would construct low-cost houses for the poor families in various parts of the Capital. These houses would be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 2 lakh per house.

The houses with ownership rights would be allotted to the families of the weaker sections. The units would have two rooms, one bathroom and one kitchen.

Each allottee would be entitled for grant of Rs 1 lakh under JNNURM and the rest of the money would be arranged through bank. They will be offered easy loan at lowest rate of interest.

The amount would be refundable in 15 to 25 years with monthly installments between Rs 800 to Rs 1000, which would be somewhat equal to monthly rent.

She said that in the first instance, the Delhi government is constructing houses in Bawana area. The similar houses would come up in another 11 localities.

The new low-cost houses would be non-transferrable as these would be registered jointly in the name of husband and wife.

The Chief Minister added that the large-scale construction of low-cost houses would ensure benefits to the poor. Low-cost houses would improve living standard of poor families.

She congratulated Delhiites on the occasion of Christmas and said that this was an auspicious occasion to hand over new houses to the NDMC employees.

Due to shortage of staff quarters for its employees, the NDMC took initiative to meet the requirement of its staff by constructing of more quarters preferably near the work place. She also asked the NDMC to renovate Type-II and Type-III quarters in the areas.

The NDMC chairperson Parimal Rai informed that the new block consisted of 32 quarters, Type-I have been constructed at Valmiki Sadan, Mandir Marg at the place where previously double-storeyed welfare centre existed.

The newly constructed quarters are in the heart of the city and give aesthetic look with all the modern essential infrastructure. The work of construction has been completed in two years at a cost of Rs 1.50 crore.

Nursery admissions
Criteria differs from school to school
Charu Singh
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 25
Parents across Delhi stay confused as they face admissions for tiny-tots in nursery. “We really do not know what to do. My son is four years old and he is due for admission into nursery class,” says Mridula Pandey.

“Different schools seem to have different criteria for admissions. Some are holding interviews and others are not. School admissions are becoming more of a gamble.”

Despite the apex court’s recent decision allowing interviews for admissions to nursery, parents stay confused.

Further, many schools are exercising their autonomy in laying down the parameters for admissions to nurseries across the Capital.

Meanwhile, harassed parents have to deal with the confusion and trudge on with the admissions business.

“Admissions at any given time are a difficult affair in the Capital,” says Deepak Jha, “this time it’s my younger son’s admission and we thought we were prepared but the situation in the Capital has taken us by surprise. Different schools are laying down different priorities for admissions. For some it is neighbourhood and siblings within the school which is an important factor, for others admissions are more interview based.”

Many parents complain that they have to prepare children for the ordeal in different schools in diverse manners and this gets extremely confusing for the child and the parents.

Earlier in the month, the Supreme Court had stayed the Delhi government’s regulation requiring prior approval from the Directorate of Education (DoE), NCT for admissions to nursery classes by private schools in the Capital and also allowed schools to interact with parents.

JNU students to protest against Nandigram violence
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 25
Jawaharlal Nehru University is believed to be a politically sensitive campus where students react to all the major national and international issues. Nandigram remained one of the most contentious issues last year.

Student leaders have once again made it clear that the remains of Nandigram are not going to fade soon at the JNU campus.

“The protests against the Nandigram killings are going to resume soon after the university re-opens in January,” said Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) office bearer Shefalika.

Amid walls plastered with posters against the West Bengal government, JNU campus has been heating with protest marches against the violence in Nandigram ever since.

Student organisations again geared up to corner the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) on the Bengal crisis.

Some students even claim it to be one of the basic reasons for SFI’s historic defeat in the recent JNUSU election.

“The students’ union has got a mandate on several issues effecting the students on campus. If they want to concentrate on just one issue, then they are trying to evade their other responsibilities,” said Rajeev, secretary, JNU unit SFI. “People have returned to their houses in Bengal.”

Not only right wing student organisations but also ultra left organisations have been sending their independent committees to judge the situation in Nandigram.

“We sent a committee comprising students and social activists last year in December to the violence-ridden areas,” said Abhishek, executive committee member, All India Students’ Association (AISA).

Democratic Students Union (DSU) one of the most aggressive students’ outfit with its Naxalite backing has sent clothes to the effected people. A team of students has also been sent to Bengal.

Though SFI promises to concentrate on issues related to the university in the semester starting in January.

“We need to focus on hostels, gender sensitisation, caste discrimination and other issues effecting the daily lives of students of university,” said Rajeev from SFI.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union is also going to take the struggle for minimum wages forward.

Overall it is clear that all the students outfits are ready to take on the next month with their independent priorities.

Five years on, Metro takes Delhi places

New Delhi, December 25
It was 6.21 a.m. exactly five years ago when the first train of the Delhi Metro left Shahadra station.

The day did not go well—trains broke down, ticket counters were not open and escalators stopped midway as a million people crowded in, turning the coaches into packed cattle wagons.

Five years on, the story is very different. A still relatively clean Delhi Metro has expanded to three lines with a total length of 65 km, 56 stations and a daily load of over 600,000 passengers.

From the initial sense of awe at the shiny stations and seamless operations, citizens of Delhi have taken travelling in first-world standards a la Metro as part of their daily commute, even though the rest of transport infrastructure in the Capital, especially the bus system, have not just failed to keep pace with demand but are rapidly falling apart.

According to a study conducted by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), the metro system would have saved Delhi over Rs 20 billion (approx $507 million) by the end of this year. The amount was calculated by quantifying various indicators like the amount of fuel saved, reduction in the commuting time and cost of maintenance of vehicles.

Further, the report released in June mentioned that the Delhi Metro would save 1.6 million vehicle kilometres, with its consequent cutback in emission of almost 4,000 tonnes of poisonous gases by the end of 2007.

The completion of Phase I means that an average passenger has saved 66 minutes daily, which translates into the removal of 40,000 vehicles from the road.

The impact of the Delhi Metro is usually felt during big-ticket events, like the annual India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan, which attracts nearly a million visitors. Since the opening of the metro station inside Pragati Maidan, the recurrent traffic snarls on the Ring Road outside the fair complex have reduced substantially, with people preferring to travel in comfort in the underground system, rather than brave the hard-to-get parking spots.

Delhi Police’s joint commissioner (traffic) Qamar Ahmed told IANS that the introduction of the Delhi Metro had “helped a lot in traffic management”.

According to experts, any new public transport system for commuting not only has to be successful in shortening the transportation time for passengers but to also be an effective engine for economic growth.

Like elsewhere in the world, in this the metro has been one of the major reasons for the spike in real estate prices in previously depressed suburbs of Dwarka and west Delhi.

The rise has been especially phenomenal in Dwarka, which has witnessed over 80 per cent increase in prices—a sharp contrast to the previous decade when rows of multi-storeyed apartment blocks remained empty without any buyers in the southwest Delhi suburb.

Similarly, when phase II extends to Noida by 2009, property developers hope for a significant rise in the real estate prices by almost 30-40 per cent.

However, there is still some distance to travel in dovetailing the metro system, with its limited reach, with rest of the city.

“We have not fully utilised the Delhi Metro primarily because we do not have enough feeder services. Connectivity to all metro stations is not sufficient,” union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy acknowledged in June.

There have been several initiatives to increase feeder services, but they have still not fulfilled the demand. A recent unique project introduced was a ‘hire a cycle’ scheme introduced at the Vishwavidyalaya station. — IANS

Bear shelter turns five

Agra, December 25
The world’s most successful bear rescue centre in Agra is five years old on Tuesday. The Agra Bear Rescue Facility (ABRF) is a collaborative project between the Wildlife SOS and Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.

It gave shelter to the first rescued dancing bear on the Christmas eve 2002, to put an end to the age-old practice of bear dance in India.

The Rescue Centre at the Keitham Lake on the Agra-Delhi highway is now a major tourist attraction.

The state government has already announced plans to develop Keitham Lake (Soor Sarovar), which is now popular bird sanctuary, into a tourist resort.

Vasudha Mehta, an official of the Rescue Centre, told IANS: “The rescue centre was conceptualised by Wildlife SOS (WSOS), an Indian NGO, after a two-year investigative survey into dancing bears in India.

“The centre is run with support from its international partners, the International Animal Rescue (IAR), Free the Bears Inc. Australia, One Voice Association France and HSI Australia.”

Mehta said Wildlife SOS has rescued over 420 bears till date. The Agra Bear Rescue Facility, a few kilometres from the Taj Mahal, is the single largest such facility in the world for rescued dancing sloth bears.

Wildlife SOS has set up bear rescue centres in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka in collaboration with the state forest departments, using the Agra Rescue Centre as a model.

Christmas eve 2007 marks a major milestone in the campaign to bring an end to the cruel practice of dancing bears in India.

There are about 350-400 dancing bears performing on the streets of India. Wildlife SOS hopes that this practice will end by 2010, Mehta added.

S.P. Yadav, DFO, Agra said, “The Bear Rescue Centre in Agra boasts of a state-of-the-art Wildlife Veterinary Clinic complete with a dental suite, operation theatres, radiology unit and an in-house laboratory. Special environmental enrichment is provided to each and every bear, based on its special needs to stimulate and amuse the bear’s natural senses.”

Many bears lose their eyesight due to malnutrition or careless use of a whip or a stick by their handlers.

Recently, wildlife SOS was given a special award by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department for rescuing all dancing bears from the tourist routes around Agra and Fatehpur Sikri.

Life has turned a full circle for six bears that came to the centre on Christmas eve five years ago. “ Bijli” a young female bear, was abused by her “kalandar” handlers and took over a year to overcome her fear.

She was under trauma when she arrived at the centre. Today, she is a picture of good health and a bundle of joy —one of the happiest bears with a glossy coat and a forgotten past. — IANS

Woman’s body found from lodge
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, December 25
The body of a 32-year-old woman has been found in locked room of Bhasker Lodge, Ghaziabad. The man with whom she checked in had given his name as Sameer Goyal and her Shahin Goel from Amul Patti, Debrugarh in Assam.

The couple was living in room number 112 in the Bhaskar Lodge since 12 December. They would daily go out in the morning and return by the evening.

On Monday, Sameer left in the morning, but Shahin stayed back. When house keeping staff knocked at 11.30 a.m, there was no response.

When a staff peeped from the window, he saw Shahin lying on the bed face down. The lodge manager informed informed the police.

The police broke open the door and found her dead. Her body has been sent for post –mortem examination. Sameer has been absconding

S.P. City Vijay Bhushan said the couple had told the lodge manager that they worked in a call centre in Noida.

They used to leave by 8 a.m. and would return at 9 p.m. They were often heard quarreling with each other.

Bomb hoax in hotel
Our Correspondent

Noida , December 25
The Delhi Police alarmed the Noida Police bombs were suspected in the Redisson Hotel and in the Centre Stage Mall in Sector-18 ,Noida.

The police searched the mall and the hotel without herding the public out. A two- hour search yielded no explosives. According to SP City Paresh Pandey, the Delhi police had sounded the alarm at 4 pm.

Within 10 minutes the Sector-20 and Sector-24 police and local intelligence units were in the mall and hotel. The police searched the other three malls in Noida.

Citizens donate blood to save Yamuna
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 25
Inner Wheel Club, Mayur Vihar Phase I and Nirmal Yamuna, an NGO working for the Yamuna, today organised a blood donation camp at Ram Mandir in Mayur Vihar Phase I.

People of all age groups turned up to donate blood and show their solidarity with the cause of saving the river from threats of all kinds, including pollution and constructions on the riverbed.

People resolved to join hands to further oppose the ongoing constructions on the riverbed.

Speaking on the occasion, president of Nirmal Yamuna S K Kapoor said such blood donation camps in association with various public service organisations would be held in the city from time to time.

“Such camps provide an opportunity to people to express their solidarity with noble causes like saving the Yamuna and also do their bit by saving a life,” a press release by the NGO stated.