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workathon! Scene 1: It’s 2 a.m. A 20-something, bespeckled young man’s hunched over his computer, eyes glazed and heavy (with the sleep he’s deprived himself of). The phone rings and he immediately gets up, running from his room to another, where his cell’s getting charged. A brief verbal exchange (yup…ok…nope…bye) with a colleague later, he almost falls asleep. A sudden jolt wakes him, and he’s back to where he was, in front of the computer, working. Scene 2: Announcing the early morning, the doorbell is ringing (courtesy the doodhwala), radio’s playing morning ragas and yup, alarm’s ringing too! However, Raghav sits silently, engrossed in something. No, he’s not on an easy chair, with a thick bundle of rustling papers in one hand and a steaming cuppa in another. He’s rather planted himself on a commode, and the first thing his bleary, tired eyes are falling upon is an official report he prepared last night! In case you’re a workaholic similar to those mentioned above, welcome aboard. And if you aren’t exactly that kind, worry not. For, if you’re putting 2-3 family-hours in work regularly, skipping meals, replacing dates and dos of board meetings and have your laptop and cell on for 24x7, you can qualify for the club. The club, that’s fast expanding with more and more of city’s Gen -Y professionals falling prey to ‘All Work No Play Syndrome’. So, out of the window go socialising and family outings and in enter PCs, cells and brains that refuse to get switched off! Chronic Climbers
“Brickbats or bouquets, there’s no way you can turn back from the trend of working 24x 7 today,” laughs Priyanka Bhati, deputy manager with the Centurian Bank, Panchkula-11, adding, “Though our working hours are from 10 to 4, we often work post office hours to meet targets. Though it does affect our family lives, there’s no way to climb up the success ladder without putting in these hours. Adds Vikas Monga, working with the ICICI Bank-Mohali, “Our official hours are meant for customer dealing. But whatever planning, strategising and discussion we do, are post these hours.” What’s more, youngsters in town are actually flaunting the workaholic tag. Beams 27-year-old Himmat Singh, relationship manager, Allegro Capital Advisors-9, “My daily timings are 9.30-7.30, but I get free around 9 p.m. I’m into financial advisory and portfolio management and hold most of my client meetings post office. Since a lot of my work is done online, I love to take work home. And what’s the harm? In fact, I get a great high by accomplishing targets and meeting deadlines.” But won’t all this affect his family life once he’s married? “A little, I guess, but then, I know I’ve to grow tremendously and one has to sacrifice for that. Anything for a motivating work environment and a fat pay packet,” he laughs. Cocooned in Comfort
Well, with offices boasting of swanky glass and chrome structures, spread over multiple floors, state of art features, round-the-clock security, excellent in-house facilities (everything from gyms and cafeterias to art galleries and more), offices also remain the favourite hangout for many city youngsters. “I know I’ve to work hard for success, but work here is combined with handsome salaries and partying hard at office. No doubt, my office remains my second home and I enjoy it to the hilt,” smiles Raminder Kaur, working with Dell-Mohali. However, psychologists see 24x7 work culture as a threatening trend. Reasons Neera Bindra of Performance Enablers – a local corporate training and HR solutions company, “Forget relationship stress, pressures of raising children and financial concerns. Workplace stress is rather the demon we are all battling at this point. Lonely, exhausted after long hours of work, young professionals today are getting confined in their own cocoons. There’s practically no time for the spouse, leave aside bonding with kids, family and friends. It’s quite a bad societal trend as the ‘nuclear’ concept is getting more pronounced and social networking is replacing socialising. In the absence of de-stressing social and individual activities, we are getting more stressed and alienated.” Agrees practicing psychologist Rajshree Sarda, “It’s the classic case of means being confused as the end. While work is just one of the means to achieve the end, which is happiness, it’s become the end itself. In the process, our happiness enzymes are not being activated. Moreover, our relationships are getting disgruntled and we are getting more vulnerable to divorces, extra-marital relationships, lonliness and stress.”
Adds fitness and nutrition expert Rangoli Sodhi, “Pressure jobs combined with a heady rush of money flowing in have people hitting the bottle. People are working post-office hours and so are giving up exercise, and all forms of physical activity. No wonder, there’s increasing obesity, heart problems, high blood pressure and spondylitis.” The solutions? Suggests Bindra, “Companies should vouch for flexi-timings, balanced division of work, 5-days-a-week, tournaments and de-stressing activities, counsellors and on-the-job socialising activities. On their part, professionals should get more demanding, not just in context with their work, but leisure and personal life as well.” Agreed, work has gravitated to a thrill-chill-pill. However, remember to balance it out with leisure. For, no amount of moolah and status can bring back your health, mental tranquility and most importantly, happiness.
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Take a Vow A
campaign for a national pledge festival and a book called My Call for guidance. Behind both lies the brain and ten years of effort of a man from Orissa named Biraja Mahapatra. Why do we need a national pledge or a festival when we have already two national festivals — Independence Day and Republic Day, you may ask. But before coming to that, we wanted to know how the idea germinated. And the answer we got is a problem so many non-Hindi speaking people face, when they come to live in the North. Mahapatra too was one of them, pointedly told by a writer that if he didn’t know how to speak Hindi, he had no right to live in the North, when he migrated to Delhi as a PTI correspondent. This was point that made him think about promoting Indian-ness amongst Indians. Finally, he arrived at the conclusion that if we have a national pledge and a festival along that line, it would make impact. Till then, he didn’t know that many other countries do have their national pledges. “Yes, we do have national festivals, but unfortunately, they are too official. When I talk about a festival, its starting should be from people’s kitchens and reach out to the masses with some noise like the drum beats,” says Mahapatra, whose efforts got result when his Build India Group kicked off the campaign with the pledge that he’d penned down on January 19. This campaign was subsequently followed up by a few schools and groups on January 26. His book My Call was released on February 16. The divide between India and Bharat kept nagging him wherever he travelled. “I felt the lack of emotional integration and so I became convinced that we do need a pledge to bind us together,” says Mahapatra. Besides writing the book, I formed the seven-member Build India Group to generate awareness,” he says. The book has 10 chapters, making an emotive appeal to all Indian leaders to decide about the contour of a national pledge that should be taken by people of all faiths in unison. It also deals with issues like how important is it to be a part of politics, corruption, terrorism and the factors ailing the country, which he derived through SWOT analysis. The pledge says,“We the people of India today do solemnly pledge ourselves to the service of our nation with honesty, sincerity and commitment, keeping our nation’s interest paramount in all that we think, do or say for the greater glory of this land.” Nicely put, but would it be able to serve the purpose being written in English? “It can be translated into vernaculars. But when it is said in unison all over the country at the same time, it’ll have a binding effect,” he reasons. True. After all it is emotion that binds, not
language!
parbina@tribunemail.com |
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Present Imperfect So the manuscript section of the library got a boost by her generosity. After the 900-page Persian manuscript called History of Khalifa’s, these are prized possessions for the library. But it does not make the librarian G. S. Thakur a happy man. He’s apprehensive about how much care he’d be able to take of them, with the financial crunch hitting the library hard. “We have the most amazing collection when it comes to gazettes and records of historical events, right from the Sepoy Mutiny till Independence. Besides, we stock this rare collection of books that Lala Rajpai Rai read from this library when it was established in 1921 in Lahore. We’ve also preserved his bloodstained kurta and a host of other clothes like pyjama, achkan and the jhola. But the sad part is that we don’t have the money to buy showcases to display his memorabilia,” says Thakur. So the fantastic collection of historical documents and books lies in the dingy hall, the pages turning brittle and yellow in colour. The process of restoration is on with the fund generated through membership money and donations. The process of digitalisation, which started in 2005 when the library authority received Rs 2lakh from the administration, has remained incomplete as the fund got exhausted in 2007. “We had to discontinue the services of the man who was doing the digitalisation because the money was over,” says Thakur, offering his honorary service to the library after his retirement from the Panjab University library. It comes as no surprise that the library has been able to attract only research scholars from PU and the neighbouring universities as members. Even the children’s section on the first floor wears a deserted look at most times. Can’t blame the readers entirely. Because when one has the choice between the new-age libraries like Book Café and British Library, bustling with smiling faces and sunny ambience and the traditional Drawka Dass Library, the lure
of the former is definitely hard to resist. |
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Tale of Innocence HE was not a writer, not even a poet to start with. But the day one 11-year-old girl looked up to him and gave him an innocent smile, Arun Syal turned into a poet and years later, a novelist. We do not know what happened about the poem he wrote on the girl he called Muskan, as for his novel Whispers from the Mountains it is for all of us to read. The lead character of course is the girl who left an impact on his life through her smile.
The story is based in Matiana, a small sleepy town in Himachal, and one can view its natural beauty and culture, and the love and hospitality of its people through an outsider — John Anderson’s eyes. Muskan accompanies John during his stay in the town and takes him through a journey into the heart and soul of Himachal. The narration sometimes come in form of John listening to the extraordinary experiences of the people he meets and sometimes, through innocent yet thought-provoking comments and gestures of his little companion. “I didn’t adopt a philosophical approach to writing because I knew it would be boring for the readers. All I wanted to do was to capture various aspects of human relationships, the conflicts of mind, the logical reasoning of the brain and the loving gestures of the heart. The idea was to drive the point that love has no barrier. My writings have a little spiritual touch though,” says Syal, who is busy preparing for the official launch of the book on February 25. “Originally I thought of calling it Innocent Love but later changed it keeping in view the wider realm of love that I am trying to capture in my story,” says Syal. Enthused by the sense of achievement after penning down the emotions he had carried for years, Syal, a businessman, is all set to write his next book. “This one will also be based on relationships and the problems that one faces and overcomes in life,” he reveals. As he continues talking about his newfound passion of writing, we cannot help but wonder about the Monalisa smile that ignited all of these in him.
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youth speak PEER means one who is equal, but in today’s lingo it has come to mean those of same age group who make our primary friends. Peer pressure then is the circle of influence that they exert on our thinking and behaviour. For centuries, society has exerted pressure on individuals to conform to rules and discouraged different behaviour by rigid controls and taboos. This indeed is the period of great individualism. The main cause for this is the breaking of the smallest unit of society, namely family. With this break up, the hold that society exerted over the individual has slackened a great deal making the individual rudderless. What does an individual do in this situation? He turns to his peer group to help him. Unfortunately, this situation is akin to the blind leading the blind. For, your peers are people with the same amount of knowledge and experience as you. For a teen, friends tend to become the centre of the universe. Traditions and beliefs inculcated in us by our elders are the sum total of experience of generations. And if traditions have to be replaced, it is better that they be replaced by principles than by peer pressure. The core of beliefs is principles and they never become outdated. “It takes faith to live by principles, especially when people close to you get ahead in life by lying or cheating. What you don’t see, however is that breaking principles always catches up to them in the end.”
Feel strongly about something? If you are under 25, this is the forum for you. Mail us your views in not more than 300 words along with a passport photograph at lifestyletribune@gmail.com
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Big break WHAT unites or divides the students on the campus? Nah, not samosas at huts, rajma chawal at Stu-C, sohni kudis or gabhru munde! It’s the annual campus festivals that bring the student fraternity together to give their best and compete with and outdo each other. Come February and the campus gets draped in varied hues – of love, studies and festivities. In the midst of the Valentine celebrations and fear of approaching exams, the students put up their annual festivals. At present, the campus is running high on action. Here’s an update on what all you missed and what all to expect in the coming days. Chemically Yours NOW the chemical reactions that this annual festival sends across include fun, excitement and energy. Organised by the final year students of the Department of Chemical Engineering for eight years now, Cyanide is undoubtedly the most awaited fest. This year, the theme for the fest is No Smoking. It kickstarted with a blood donation camp on Tuesday. Road shows and street plays, spreading awareness on the harms of smoking, followed. Fashion shows, literary activities and games are the other activities of the four-day fest. Not to be missed is the DJ night on Friday, which will see DJs of Warehouse, Score, Antidote and Silver create the finest of music. So, put on your dancing shoes and get ready to swirl and twirl. Echo @ the loudest They may no longer be on the Sector 14 campus but the reverberation of their activities can be heard from the Sector 25 campus too. The UIET department’s annual fest Goonj is in its fourth year and is as fresh as ever. Around 800 students of the department have put up Goonj that revolves around technical, academic and cultural activities. This year, the fest will tentatively take place in early March and the students will be pulling the crowd to their new campus for the second time. So do they miss on anything? They echo,” Using campus resources like the Law Audi or the Gymnasium hall.” But that’s just a minor hurdle in their way to make Goonj the top fest of North India. Spiritual Connect This one is minus the frills and promises religious enlightenment. The three-day event may not get a fancy coverage in city supplements but it strikes a spiritual chord. Called the Prakash Utsav, the three-day event holds an Akhand Paath for the students. Organised by Sarbat Seva Society, a society formed by the university students, the Utsav has been held for over ten years now. The event concluded on Wednesday, with an open langar catering to over 2,000 people, including students and staff. Well, while it saw the girl students cook up the langar, the boy students collected donations of sugar, flour etc from the canteen contractors. Jhankaar Beats Say Jhankaar and you know this is the event of PUSU. Well, this annual festival is organised by the Students Council and being a PUSU event, it’s Jhankaar (as the event was so named by PUSU). Last year, SOPU called the same festival Sinm. The event brings together around 10,000 students, 4,000 members of the administrative staff and 200 members of various committees. Starting from March 3 this year, the event will see many activities, including folk dance, western dance, bhangra, gidda, declamation, essay writing, clay modelling, painting and more. As for the star nights or special guests, the organisers are guarding the surprise. And what’s going to keep the council busy till then? Chasing the sponsors! Well this is just the beginning of unabated entertainment that’s in store for you. So get set to soak in more fun purva@tribunemail.com |
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Sidelanes WOMEN, whose children have either flown the coop or are in boarding school, can create a financial upheaval. The bitter/ better halves went off for golf, leaving Charu and me to our own devilish devices. We first hit Expressions and bought some woolen clothes for the winter of 2009. The blurbs said “50% off” but the prices were over the top for most items. It takes suckers like us to make “Sales” succeed. Shopaholics can convince themselves of the worth of anything! As it was the last day of the Dog Show, we decided to have a dekko. There were packs of dogs on display and dozens of puppies for sale. Alsatians, Daschunds, Pomeranians and Spitz are out of fashion. Neopolitan Mastiffs, Rotweillers, Great Danes, St. Bernards and Basset Hounds are in. Only the competition area was covered to keep the judges cool. Puppies of all shades and well below the legal age of saleability, lay around in the sun in bird cages and cardboard cartons. They were frightened, dehydrated and dirty. Can you imagine the injury caused by a bird wire floor, over which tender paws are cut and splayed? The event managers ought to be ashamed of their shoddy arrangements and ignorance of finer, animal friendly details. As usual ribbon cutting, speeches, photographs, macho behaviour and romantic giggles are more important than the unfortunate creatures on display. My sons and dots-in-law have been very keen that Oz and I keep a dog. We have been against it ever since Stella, our 7-year-old Pointer died four years ago, a victim of diabetes. She was very intelligent, loving, a tease with a great sense of humour. Since the youngest son left for New York in 2006, the nest has been empty, the atmosphere a bit vapid, conversation a wee bit strained. As we cooed over scruffy little bundles of fur and walked towards the Out Gate, we saw a carton with four chocolate, two black and white, and one biscuit coloured Spaniel. I held the biscuit coloured one as the one eyed farmer gave his sales spiel in thet Panjabi. Papers? None but they could be “made” (no problem) at the next stall. Age? A month and a half but our vet confirmed she was only five weeks old. We wondered about the rules and regulations that the Dog Show officials had spelt out or enforced. I did hear someone repeatedly telling visitors to report to him if they got bitten by any one of the entrants. If there were proper stalls, such a need would not arise. The farmer demanded Rs 3,500 but grabbed the Rs 2,300 we rustled up between us. For the farmer the latest cash crop was proving lucrative. Stelli Minelli came home wrapped in my Pashmina shawl. She refused milk, longed for beer and fried chicken, got the loosies and settled for Pedigree pellets that she takes hours to chew. She seems street smart, a born survivor who fights hard for scraps of food. No milk still! The nights are longer as Oz and I march out every two hours for those famous “relieving moments.” February is cold after dark, so Minelli caught her first chill and is on antibiotics. She has put on 200 grams. A 4” tall, 8” long bag of fur, bones and fleas has invaded the house. Life will never be fair or free again but it is so much more fun.
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Exhi-Watch
At the exhibition at Panchayat Bhawan-18, you can get all those rajasthani prints and also
chikan. Cotton fabric ranging from dress material to bed sheets and quilts with traditional rajasthani designs are available. If you are looking for something new with same rajasthani touch, brass is what you have. Things like stools and mirrors are available in brass. Wooden mirrors with same traditional features are on offer. Pieces of art in leather are another attraction. All the things are available at a price ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 5,000. On till February 28
Labour of Love
And what they do is for everyone to see. The exhibition at Aroma -22 brings an array of bed linens with hand embroidery with a price tag that starts from Rs 751 and goes up to Rs 1,500. Also on display are bed covers from Kuroor that come along with a set of two pillow covers for Rs 1,300. The familiar Bombay Dying towel sets of two and four are stitched with embroidered bands. A set of two towels is priced at Rs 280 while a set of four costs about Rs 564. Apart from that the exhibition also offers a huge variety of hand-knitted sweaters, table clothes, runners and a number of books by Arpana Publications. On till February 23 — TNS |
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AS Nicole Kidman eagerly awaits the arrival of her first biological child with hubby Keith Urban, punters have already started betting on the name of their kid. An Irish betting agency, Paddy Power, is a taking bets on what name will the couple give to their soon to be born baby. The names that top the list with odds of 10-1 include Antony and Janelle - Kidman’s parents’ name. While some hope that Kidman would pay homage to her hometown by calling her child Sydney, others hope that she would be naming it after her friends such as Russell or Kylie. The probability of naming the kid Baz, after Kidman’s Australian director Baz Luhrmann, remains at 50-1, while Satine, Kidman’s character in Moulin Rouge, comes in at 66-1. Some suggested names like Prince or Princess reflecting Kidman’s status in the industry. |
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Avoid Low Back Pain by awkward lifting of an unusual heavy load like a TV set, a child or a large dog by a quick stooping movement. — Dr Ravinder Chadha |
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TAROT TALK
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THE exhibition is called ‘Stitches of Love’ and rightfully so. Artistically executed, these stitches on household linen, garments and towels have been empowering the rural women of
Haryana. For those who do not know about this service-oriented
organisation, Arpana is located in Madhuban-Karnal and comprises 70 volunteers from diverse backgrounds. One of the most important programmes undertaken by Arpana is imparting handicraft training to poor women. In the past three decades over 3,000 women have benefited from this
programme.
ARIES:The Moon takes you through a difficult karmic situation. A promising week for relationships. Doubts diminish and many go in for long-term commitments. Your partner may show desires of wanting more out of you. Either ways, things would change and bring stability in your life. Lucky Colour: Red. Tip of the week: Save money for rainy days.
LIBRA:
Nine Golden Cups greets you happiness. Fun-filled activities would fill this week. You would have a nice time with family and colleagues. Money matters would not bother, as long as you take care of investments. Work may be demanding. Lucky
Colour: Silver grey. Tip: Be firm and stand your ground.
TAURUS:
The karmic Wheel of fortune turns in your favour. At work, discard judgments about others based on office gossip. At home, prioritise things better. Review your investments. Lucky
Colour: Lotus pink. Tip: Don’t read too much into ordinary situations.
SCORPIO:
The Sun would endow you with confidence. Developments at work would affect you significantly. In relationships, you would be expressive. There may be some unforeseen expenses. Lucky
Colour: Fiery red. Tip: Remember never to fall for rash promises.
GEMINI:
You draw Two of wands to invoke mental power and intelligence. Pay attention to your health. Work to reduce expenditure. Don’t engage in speculation on the 25th and don’t sign important papers till after the 26th. Love life may be turbulent. Number 8 would be lucky. Lucky
Colour: Dark red. Tip: It would be unwise to tip the scales. 
SAGITTARIUS:
You draw Seven of Swords. Sagittarius women would make the most of this week. There may be some changes at office and this would have a significant bearing on your future plans. Expect favourable news from an unexpected source. Travel would be fun, though business trips may not yield profits. Lucky
Colour: Green. Tip: Your own aims and opinion matter a lot. 
CANCER:
Two of wands spins in speculation luck. A good time to travel, however, don’t be reckless. Good time to work on your career goals. Ensure that your investments are secure. The weekend would be enjoyable yet you may have to iron out differences with your partner. Lucky
Colour: Cherry. Tip: Do not overspend.
CAPRICORN:
You draw The World, and the good that you have done in the past bears fruit. Finances would be problem-free as long as you avoid partnerships. At work, it is vital that you act only after you get all the information. Some may contemplate a job change. Lucky
Colour: Grey. Tip: Avoid frictions with business partners.
LEO:
The Princess of Cups reveals this is the week when you need to take quick decisions. Confidence will be enhanced by the presence of Jupiter. Move forward at work. Use positive energy to realise your goals. Lucky
Colour: Peacock green. Tip: Leave things open ended for best results.
AQUARIUS:
Four of cups interprets this would be a week to focus on
professional goals. Some may be a part of important meetings and
that may change your current role in the organisation.
Relationships would move to a higher level and some may decide to
commit to marriage. Lucky Colour: Blue. Tip: Don’t be
enthusiastic in finalising a particular deal. 
VIRGO:
The Queen of Wands allows you sense of intuition and you would be receptive to sentiment. A good time to bond with people who appeal to your senses. Some may play the role of mediator in the middle of the week. Rethink your goals on the weekend. Lucky
Colour: Scarlet. Tip: Be straitjacketed about your approach.
PISCES:
The Lovers inspire you for plenty of change. Some of you may have to be assertive at work to be taken seriously. On the domestic front, you would have to tackle additional responsibilities and also balance expenses with income. Single Pisceans may form associations with the opposite sex. Lucky
Colour: Rose. Tip: Avoid frictions with business partners.