You just can’t get enough of these itsy-bitsy, big-bold, black-white, bubblegum pink-electric blue, fun-playful, simple-unadorned, POLKA dots! No wonder, everything from apparel & accessories to footwear and even upholstery is actually going to the polkas!
It’s all about dots!
Anandita Gupta

Baby dolls rejoice! For here’s some 70’s fashion you’ll love to get drenched in. Bold, vibrant n’ cutesy, yet quirky, the dot brigade is once again dancing on dresses to woo you. And when we talk polka dots we mean a lot more than Deepika’s Hema Malini yellow polka dress in OSO. These circular balls are dotting our town on everything be it glam dresses, knee length tunics, funky footwear, clutch-me-tight handbags, crisp cotton bedsheets, designer ceilings and more. Here’s riding the dot wave and crash-landing back with a lil’ bit of their magic.

March into any hip fashion hub in town and grab a slice of these dots. While the likes of Ten West-10, Waga-10, Micky Chhabra-10, Samsaara-17, Whistles-17, PlusS-17 and Just Casuals-9 stock fitted lycra tops, crisp cotton skirts, flairy chiffon and georgette tunics with big and small polkas (Rs 350-1,000), Shelly’s-8 has the more glamorous variants – spaghettis, halters and tube tops (think ice-rink smooth backs!) with polkas in lemony greens, tomato reds, grape purples and smiling yellows. “Though polkas come in varied bright hues, the classic black and white combo remains the season’s flavour,” says Shelly, adding, “Another hot combo is multi-coloured dots on a white base.”

“Polka dotted skirts and dresses (Rs 900 onwards) rule the style roost this summer, though tops and tunics flaunt them too,” says designer Payal Saboo, who has named her fashion store Polka-8. “The motif is so playful and fun. And it’s been hanging around in the fashion street since god knows when,” chirps the woman, who’s recently rustled up a fusion wear collection with the print. “For me, polkas doesn’t restrict itself to age-group or fabric,” she says. That explains Saboo’s recent creations —zari shirts, gathered harems and churi pants (in satin and lycra) with polkas, besides of course, bags, sandles (with a satin bow) purses and belts in the feisty print. “Polka dots in crystal bindis and paints are shining on nails too,” says Jaspreet Duggal, nail art expert and manager at Iris-9.

Then of course, there are Satya Paul and Shoba De’s cocktail saris (Rs 8,000 onwards) sporting flowing, fluttering polkas and psychedelic dotted motifs. And dudes fret not, for you can lay hands on Satya Paul’s polka ties and designer linen shirts with biggie dots by Stanza and Cavili. Girlies can go ahead and grab the designer’s chiffon scarfs with the motif. But in case, you’d hate to blow something like Rs 2,000 on a scarf, get your wispy pick from the rehri markets for Rs 25, that’s it!

And when apparel’s looking so dotted, can accessories be far behind? “Polkas are everywhere, right from chunky plastic bangles, interesting neckpieces and floaters to leather belts and bags,” smiles Anil Gupta from Pink n Peach-19, adding, “ Soft leather handbags in colours like electric blue, bubblegum pink and leafy greens are flaunting polkas.” Polka stocks transparent bags with polka pouches (Rs 595-onwards) and feisty floaters with chunky dots, Tit-bits-19, Jewels-11 and Dewson-11 have plastic loops and clips (Rs 20-100), broad headbands (Rs 25-110), clutchers (Rs 50), stockings (Rs 60-150), fabric belts (Rs 200-700) and plastic wrist bangles (Rs 50-200) with cutesy polkas.

And when fashion takes the lead, interiors closely follow. So we’ve got our denizens doing up their homes with fancy dots. Besides Bombay Dying-17, Portico and Splash (available across various furnishers), Fab India-9 has colourful fuller dots lining up their cotton bed sheets, runners and tablemats. And of course, there are hand and bath towels in happy colours like fuchsia, purple, blue and reds with yellow polkas shining on them. (Rs 60-400). Ceramic bowls, Bon China coffee and tea mugs, serving dishes and even dinner sets in melamine and plastic around town are donning the dots.

Stores like Ebony-9 and crockery stores in Sector 19 and 18 are brimming with them. AJ Stores-19 has an interesting array of polka printed dinner sets (32 pieces for Rs 900-1,800), quilted cotton ticosies (Rs 80), plastic tablemats (Rs 175), wooden trays (Rs 125-300) and block shaped salt and pepper strainers (Rs 65-100). Art D’inox-17 has interesting stainless steel flower vases with crystal-studded polka dots at their center. (Rs 1800-2300)

Smiles interior stylist Nitun Bhatia of Graffiti Wall Art-15, “We are exporting quite a few polka-dotted wall papers from Germany, Belgium and France. The black and white combo remains a favourite for ceilings and bathroom tiles.” As far as the boudoir goes, polka bean bags (Spazio-34 and Easybag-17) and cushion covers (F& F, Ebony) are the latest style enhancers.

And well, town’s baccha brigade too can enjoy its share of polkas. Besides those itsy bitsy teeny weenie bikinis for lil’ girls (Rs 800 onwards), there are birthday cakes with polkas made of gems and choco chips. And gifts (not just for kids’ birthdays but anniversaries and weddings too) are fast getting wrapped in dotted wrapping sheets.

Polkas are hot faves for theme-décor at cocktails too. Like recently, there was this pre-wedding cocktail in town, where everything from the ceiling of gazebos to acrylic bar and revolving mirror balls had big, bold polka dots on it! Now, if these doesn’t make your eyeballs pop, what else will?

anandita@tribunemail.com 

Telly Tales
Tulsi makes a comeback

Bringing alive the hopes of millions of Tulsi fans, Smriti Irani is returning to Kyunki Saas Bhi…after a break of over a year. Set to become a part of Virani household from next week once again, she said,” Kyunki is a irreplaceable in my life.” As for Ekta she is all smiling. And what about Gautami? Well, she did try hard to create a new identity for Tulsi.

In bad taste

PETA is furious on seeing the latest advertisement for Amul Macho Innerwear. The ad shows an orangutan wearing Amul Macho underwear, hanging from a creeper, falling from a treetop, grinning, etc. The orangutans are made to wear make up and ornaments and are seen wearing the underwear. They say orangutans wouldn’t willingly do so in their natural environment and that their training to perform, involves great apes being taken from their mothers at birth and a regimen of pain and suffering. Terrible! Anyway, whom is the humourless ad targeted at?

Fashion blunders

Mauli Dave

Mauli Dave who shot to fame as the Maiyya Maiyya girl when she participated in Sa re ga ma pa Challenge 2007 is now hosting Zee’s Rock N Roll family. However, the poor girl is being criticised for her hideous clothes on the show. The last episode even saw judge Kajol bluntly remark, “Mauli you are finally looking good”. Apparently the show’s dress designer Narendra Kumar Ahmed is so busy with Lakme Fashion Week that he is neglecting Mauli’s outfits.

Animals talk Hindi

Celebration of nature, love for classic wildlife, understanding complex animal behaviours, interesting animal soap operas, now get all this and more. Keeping in mind the interests of Indian viewers, Animal Planet can now be watched in both English and Hindi. Some of the India-centric programmes include Riding the Cobra Express with Jeff Corwin, Tigers of the Sunderbuns, Ghost of the Ganges and Chasing Nature.

Heartbreak at Umeed Bhavan

Lead actors of Ek Packet Umeed on NDTV Imagine, Rupali Ganguly and Rakesh Bapat, are disappointed that producer J.D. Majethia has asked them not to bring their friends on the set! Rakesh has been bringing his huge labrador Eve to the sets every day to keep him company between shots. Rupali has adopted mongrels Rani, Bunty and Babli at the studio. She gets dog food for them everyday and makes sure they are well looked after. Well, well, we wonder if the other artists are heaving a sigh of relief!

Saat Samundar Paar

Ashlesha Sawant, the very lovable Tara of Saat Phere, was in the city recently. The Pune girl who started her career with Balaji’s Kyunki… loves to travel. Being the daughter of an Air Force officer, she already has travelled the length and breadth of the country but yearns for more. The unconventional looking actor also has a boutique in Delhi and would someday like to start her own clothes label! And what if she hadn’t been an actor? A fighter pilot, pat comes the reply!

Namaste South Africa

Indian music’s golden boy Sonu Niigaam has headed to South Africa for a three-city tour once again and this time around he will not only be singing songs from his movie hits of 2007 and 2008, but the fans will also get a treat of his songs from his album Classically Mild. Says Sonu, “It is very exciting to be visiting South Africa again. The fans over here are superb and the ambience they create is a singers delight. Even though I last performed here in 2004, it just feels like yesterday.” We wish Sonu luck!

Chak De with Raveena

There is a lot of young talent in the country and helping it tap is yet another Bollywood celeb. Raveena Tandon, the celeb judge on Gini & Jony Chak De Bachche on 9X is all excited for the show brings both small town and big town kids on one platform. She said, “Kids at this age are so innocent, that I feel I am completely in a different world.”

Taare Zameen Par

Ajay Devgan is modesty personified. Known to maintain a low profile, this is the piece de resistance. At a time when the entire world is obsessed with Jaguars and Land rovers, Ajay has been often spotted riding a Maruti Swift to the sets of his dance show. This despite the fact that he owns a Maserati Quattroporte! However, show anchor Sharad Kelkar can’t stop ogling at the Quattroporte. Last heard, Ajay was worried kahin nazar na lag jaye! Another grounded guy is Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari with a fan following from Lucknow to Ludhiana and Bihar to Delhi. When approached to play host in a reality show, he immediately agreed. And when an excited fan in Varanasi on knowing of his TV debut bought five set top boxes to view the channel in their village, the superstar was moved to tears.

(This column appears weekly) 

Finer points
Parbina Rashid

This book owes its origin to a slap, which D. P. Sabharwal received from his father for calling a street vendor oye when he was 9. It was a word, according to Sabharwal, neither abusive nor derogatory, but indecent. So, when he conceived A Finer You, his 15th book and the most recent one (yet to be released formally), it started with basic mannerisms and etiquette.

But it just did not stop there. One thing led to another and after two years of effort, it came out as a volume which has a little bit of everything — how to carry on a conversation at a party to how to make a toast or defining one’s personality to how to enjoy a holiday abroad. That’s not all. It has one chapter that discusses the geography of the world besides acquainting one with earthquakes and tsunamis, drugs and therapies.

“The book actually evolved with chapters being added as I felt the need. For instance, if you look at the corporate sector, basic ethics are missing. I felt the need to do something on that. My book is an effort to infuse the values in today’s cut-throat competitive world,” says Sabharwal. And most of the input for the book comes from his personal experiences, and the rest from related books and the Internet.

Sabharwal, actually Wg Cdr Sabharwal, took voluntary retirement from the Indian Air Force to answer to his ‘true call’ — teaching and writing. Teaching, he had already done even when he was in the Force as faculty at Air Force Technical College, Bangalore and Post-graduate Institute of Armament Technology, Pune. Presently a visiting professor at two engineering colleges and an MBA institute in city, Sabhawal is now more into writing. His previous 14 books were mainly on aviation related subjects and quiz books.

So what’s next, a science fiction? “No, my ability does not extend towards writing fictions. But I have already completed a book on 41 recipients of Bharat Ratna awards which is being published by Rupa,” he informs.

How does one manage to do so much within 24 hours? ‘Time management. In fact, I keep myself free for two hours in the evening and during this time, I am ready to do household chores too.” A fine man indeed! 

Step Out
Eating well on camping trips is essential & possible with a bit of proper planning & packing
Outdoor kitchen
Yana Banerjee-Bey

Too often I have seen hikers not paying enough attention to the food they pack and take along on camping trips. They try to make do with instant noodles, chocolates, biscuits and bread-and-jam sandwiches. As a result, their enjoyment of the outdoors experience is diminished.

You need nutritious, warm, cooked meals when you are ravenous after strenuous outdoor activity. Apart from filling your concave stomach and giving you a feeling of satisfaction, the food will also replenish the body’s reserves that you have used up. So please pack some decent food even if you are going on a short trip. Pre-cooked dishes, which come in foil packets and tins, are nutritious and convenient. Throwing some packets of Maggi into your rucksack is definitely not the way to be!

Of course, instant noodles are very convenient and you can plan one or two meals of these. I prefer Wai-Wai and Cup O’Noodles. Wai-Wai can be eaten out of the pack if cooking is a problem and Cup O’Noodles includes pieces of dehydrated vegetable and chicken and so is better than plain noodles. And cooking it is easier because you just have to pour boiling water into the cup and eat from the cup itself. However, please do repack the empty cups and plastic bags and bring them back to the roadhead for disposal.

When we pack for long mountaineering expeditions or multi-day, self-supported trekking and rafting trips, lots of food is packed into cartons that are carried by porters or mules. However, most of you go on short, camping trips and carry the small quantity of food yourself. For such trips, use zip-lock bags to carry rice, dal, milk powder, sugar, salt, tea leaves, and spices. These bags are easier to carry in your rucksack than bottles. Even jams and sauces can be packed in these, but don’t overstuff.

When it comes to tinned food and cooking oil, always carry in the original packaging. Buy tetrapacks of cooking oil (choose a size according to the length of your trip and the group size).

To cook, you will have to carry a camping stove and gas cartridges. Gone are those days when trekkers would use local wood or buy kerosene from villagers. Environmental awareness is seeping into trekkers. Many of them still say it is okay to use dead wood. It is not. The dead wood must be left on the forest floor. It will turn into compost and provide nourishment to the living wood.

And the reason we no longer buy village kerosene is that the community needs the stock. Their supply comes at intervals. If they have sold their stock to you, they will then turn to the forest and deprive it of both dead and living branches for firewood. So, if you still use kerosene stoves, please carry your own kerosene.

As for utensils, many people prefer mess-tins. Camping utensils with folding handles are not yet widely available in India. If you don’t have a mess-tin, take small steel utensils from your kitchen but remember to carry along a pair of pincers.

How do you carry what is perhaps the single most important item for meals – matches? You may have with you the most expensive and delicious camping food but if you cannot light the stove to heat and boil water, you will taste a depth of misery that you will not wish on your worst enemy! A foolproof way to keep matches dry is to carry the matchsticks and the masala strips from the matchbox in the plastic containers in which film rolls are sold. Some people prefer lighters but they can malfunction.

Next time: Camping recipes

(This column appears fortnightly)

The writer has authored India’s first handbook of adventure sports and is available at y.bey@excite.com 

Summer styles to get you high-on-attention
Hair & How!
Anandita Gupta

Come summers and ‘makeover in everything’ is what we’re all looking for. From airing out our shopping bags to fill them in with cucumber cool colours and breathe-easy cottons, stocking our refrigerators with refreshing, juicy fruits, setting on a sharbat-making spree and getting our décor uncluttered to stashing away those full-length denims for capris and shorts, aren’t we practically changing everything about our look and lifestyle?

And when talking about looks, can hairstyle be far behind? Moreover, with summers bringing in everything that’s playful and chic, yet low-maintenance, hairstyles too ought to be fun, flirty, and above all, cool. Here, we visit our scissor-savvy stylists and make them spill the beans on summer hairstyles that are manageable, sexy and fun…

Stylists have come to realise that hair is the ultimate expression of an individual’s uniqueness. So, the season’s trend-setting styles reflect the mood of today – individuality. “Shaped with a strong profile, disrupted by texture, injected with color, daring or demure, this year’s hairstyle trends cut across all lengths of hair, be it short, medium or long. So, we have bold, extreme fringes, layered bobs, internal layering and soft curls,” says Melroy Dickson, education manager, Matrix. As far as colours go, it’s browns and coppers ruling the crowns, while golden highlights are also in. “Whites and silvers are out, giving way to chocolates and luxurious tones of browns and reds,” informs Melroy.

Informs Zahid Khan of Makeover Signature Saloon-8, “Bobs are hot this summer. Women get photos of celebs flaunting these bobs.” And well, no prizes for guessing the most popular celebrity is Bips with Princess Diana and Priyanka Gandhi following closely. Women are flaunting a below-the- ear-bob with many different layers that create a shaggy yet sexy look. These are being enhanced with light blond highlights to give a sun kissed look.

And what about girls with Repunzel-long tresses? “They are actually flaunting the Repunzel look. Poker straight hair is out and women are getting their long, flowing hair set into spirals and soft curls. Yesterday’s springy tight ‘perm’ curls have been replaced by smooth natural hair till mid-lengths, with softer, full bodied curls towards the ends.”

Rewa Dharni from Personna-Swastic Vihar cues us in to yet another style for long hair, “Internal layering is very common, as it removes extra body, while maintaining length on top. The razor technique here gives a unique random texture. This is a versatile cut that gives the wearer many styling options, from loose waves to scrunch dry to the pulled back party looks. A combination of layering and waves also creates a soft, romantic look and is being preferred by girls for parties and discs. For our men-manes, it’s the spikes and Amir Khan’s Taare zameen Par hairdo that’s doing the rounds of city saloons.”

However, Pramod Diwan of Head Masters likes to differ, “Though cuts and hairstyles change worldwide according to the season, it’s not so in town. People here are not adventurous enough to carry off a makeover every season. So, we believe in framing faces with styles according to their shapes and not season, while colours according to ones age and skin-tone. Nontheless, shorter bobs (swinging from extended bubblebacks to loose tousled waves) and fringes with invisible layering remain the season’s flavour.” 

Beauty Studio
Nail It!
Pammy Kaul

Did you know a manicure is as good as buffing and filing your nails? This is the natural way to smoothen and shine your nails and a beautiful alternative to paint. It smoothes ridges on your nail plate and improves circulation while filing gives a shape and protects your nail from flaking.

Buffers are generally of two kinds: Ones used with polish creams and synthetic ones. Those used with buffing creams are used with chamois leather or muslin. Chamois leather is not hygienic whereas muslin can be used and thrown away. The cream used with chamois leather is slightly abrasive and carries tin oxide or pumice powder. It does not have nutritients though. The synthetic buffer is designed to use and throw.

A buffer is made with pressed sponges and carries three or four grits on each side for different purposes. The coarsest is to level imperfections such as nail ridges or yellow nails, the smooth surface brings the nail to matte shine, and the third one is for the final polish. You can make your nails gleam almost every week with the smoothest side. Buff from matrix towards the tip. If you have had a manicure with buffing, leave the paint out for a couple of days. Enjoy the shine and let your nails breathe!

Buffer Zone

Stay away from rough buffers as they are not
meant for natural nails.

Buffing nails more than once a month will thin your nails.

You can use the smooth side of buffer almost every week.

Avoid filing or buffing nails straight after your bath as it can cause nails to flake.

Buffer should be lifted with each stroke as it can build up heat with friction. Minimum of 20 strokes per nail is needed in order to get the circulation and gloss going. 

These are the cool places where you would
surely want to be seen!
Just Chill chill!
Anandita Gupta

As the sun plays the lovable rogue (at times delighting while at other times repelling us with its sudden benevolence!), we know for sure it’s summer time. The time when gehri-gangs are all geared up to set the city streets sizzling in ganjis, purani jeans (or faded, do we say?), bold sunglasses (remember Saif and Bips in Race?) and roaring bikes.

And well, also the time when city’s young n’ restless beat the heat by frequenting cool joints. After all, aren’t summers all about chilling out through night and light? So friends, what are you waiting for? Just join us as we hop around the haunts that are ‘heavens’ for the city’s youngtons.

Post-pathshaala

If your enjoyment’s all about high-octane excitement minus the side-effects, check out Mr Beans-9 and Mocha-26. The flavoured hookas here remain hot faves, but their shakes stand unrivalled. Our youngsters don’t vouch for Mocha’s coffee, but are simply floored by its desserts and shakes.

“Strawberry blueberry shake and eggless desserts like choco slab and chocolate avalanche are indeed the best bets at Mocha,” chip in Abhay Dogra and Mayank Diwan from PEK. And so, where are our school goers hanging out? “Noodle Bar, Oven Fresh, Copper Chimney, Pizza Hut and even Nik Bakers,” chirps Aakash Sharma from Saint Kabir.

Paisa Vasool

Don’t expect to find the preppy crowd here. But Citco joints in town (Drop In- 34, Sukhna Lake and of course Stop n’ Stare-10) are the places reserved for the uncombed, t-shirt wearing students who don’t always look for great music and air-conditioned environs. Smiles Gautam Sharma, pursuing his Mass Communications from PU, “Sitting on those log benches and savoring snacks and the view used to be my favourite pastime during college. But since joining the univ, Stu-C has become my most preferred hangout.” We agree, for when we talk of sasta food and great outdoors, served sizzling hot with campus tadka, Stu-C, University Sweets and Punjab Sweets can’t ever be far behind.

Bean Bazaar

‘Let’s meet over a coffee’ might have become too clichéd a statement. Chai bars may be becoming the in thing nationwide. But city youngsters haven’t had enough of their ‘bean’ share. Still very much in love with coffee, our younglings vote for Café Coffee Day, Barista-11, Java Daves-10 and even Java Green-35 as their favourite chill out zones. Informs Abhir Tewari, a student of PEC, “Sipping a frothy coffee amidst air-conditioned environs, soothing music and a peppy ambience will always be happening. Though Barista and Café Coffee Day are in 35 too, the ones in Sector 11 and 10 remain most popular, being on the gehri route. Here, one can enjoy great music, excellent coffee and of course, bump into friends and a hip crowd.

Now, that’s all about the chilling-out zones in town. However, youngsters like advertising professional Aakriti Sharma lament, “Though the city’s brimming with great hangouts, most of these are exorbitantly priced. Professionals won’t mind shelling Rs 50, say for a coffee, but how about the students? Aakriti has a point for sure. Hope somebody’s already conceptualising a hangout that’s ‘the place to be, and yet doesn’t hurt the wallet!” 

Diamond dreams

You’ve been eyeing that exquisite diamond dazzler for decades (ok, days!) but the price tag’s made your heart sink. On every birthday/ anniversary, your beau disappoints you by not gifting you this eye-candy either (the price made him snort too). So what do you do? Well, stop fuming and head to the Orra Diamond boutique- 17. The store announced it’s annual anniversary sale this Friday from April 7 to May 11. Model Saru flaunted the exquisite range of diamond jewellery.

Health Tip

Massage results in relaxation of muscles and is useful in treating migraine, headache, muscular spasm, back pain and for relieving stress. When body is massaged, blood flow increases bringing oxygen and nutrients. Lymphatic drainage also increases, thereby removing waste products responsible for inducing pain. Massage reduces pain producing chemicals like histamine, bradykinin etc.

Techniques: Effleurage or Stroking is a massage performed by running the hand over the skin surface from distal to proximal end of the body like ‘toes to groin’ or ‘hand to axilla’. In Petrissage, the skin and underlying tissue are kneaded and lifted to improve tissue mobility, relax muscle and promote circulation. Friction is deep pressure movement of the superficial soft tissue against the underlying bone, muscle etc. However, use massage to ‘rub away’ pain and not for weight reduction. — Dr Ravinder Chadha