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Leaving on a jet plane
WE’VE craved for mountains and deep seas. Dreamt of free falling from 10,000 feet above sea level, driving a bike along rugged tracks, climbing up rocks (like Spidey) and escaping the claustrophobic office cubicle. Now, with vacations a skip and jump away, travel bug sure has bitten us. And travel agents around are keeping our travel tempo at an all-time high with the customised lucrative holiday packages. As Kapil Malhotra from Ekido-8 puts it, “The trend is of customised packages, where everything from destinations, airline, hotel partners, tour directors and value-added services is chosen as per the client’s preference.” We rejoice, and instead of listing the usual packages, capture the feel, flavour and colours of some beautiful holiday-journeys for you. Family Getaways YOUR child’s summer hols are almost here, electricity cuts are getting frequent, home’s turning an oven, wifey dear’s leafing through travel mags and your laptop suddenly seems heavy. It’s time for your family to take that much-needed break. Hot
destinations: Reserved strictly for kids (and kids at heart), these are places where the entire clan bonds and has masti unlimited. Informs Sandeep Malhotra, AM Travels-9, “Southeast Asia, particularly, Singapore, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Thailand are ideal family destinations, where shopping, sightseeing, eating, entertainment and adventure sports are galore. Must-visits include Singapore’s ‘Little India’ and musical fountain at the Sentosa Islands, besides the world’s premier zoo night safari with over 1,200 animals of 110 exotic species. Don’t forget the Duck Tour, a ride in an amphibious military craft. In Malaysia, head to Genting for gambling legally and experiencing Genting Skyway — Southeast Asia’s longest cable car. Experience chill-thrill rides at the famous Outdoor Theme Park here. At Penang, Malaysia visit temples with the largest reclining Buddha statues. Hong Kong’s another hot hub, thanks to its very own Disney Land and Superstar Virgo! Price
Range: Starts at Rs 35,000 per person, including return airfare. USP: A perfect chance to be with family, topple over each other noisily and dive into absolute fun. Going Solo THE charm of being out at a new place, away from the mundane stands unrivalled. Especially, if you’re a woman embarking on this journey all by yourself, it’ll give you unlimited ‘me-time.’ Imagine spoiling yourself silly – lazing 24x7, star gazing, hogging, wearing itsy-bitsy clothes and of course, dropping dead shopping! Hot
destinations: Advises chief executive Shaurya Travels Ajit Sehgal, “Backpack solo to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand or Dubai. If a first-timer, prefer popular (even if crowded) places to isolated locales. Singapore’s a shopper’s paradise during its annual May-June sale season. In Bangkok, shop at Pratunam, popular worldwide among bargain shoppers. Also check out Thailand’s tallest building Baiyoke Tower, glittering Buddhist temples and palaces. At Pattaya’s Safari World, enjoy the ride through the picturesque African wilderness setting. Get a serene view of the sunset from Pattaya point, shop at the world’s biggest gem gallery and enjoy an exotic experience of a traditional Thai massage. In Dubai, besides splurging on gold, go for a desert safari. Drive through the golden sand dunes, enjoying belly dancing and BBQ dinners enroute. Taker for cultural legacies? Visit Cairo’s (Egypt) Great Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, with the world’s largest collection of Paranoic antiquities. Head to London to catch a glimpse of SRK at Madame Tussauds’. Besides, breathtaking castles, visit Bath for amazing excavations of the Roman baths. Another hot destination is our neighbour China, get a glimpse into their cultural heritage and shop till you drop. Must visits are Great Wall, the only manmade structure visible from space, Temple of Heaven and famous waterfront Bund. Shoppers can head to Chenghuangmiao, with 100 shops selling everything from electronics to souvenirs. Price
Range: Rs 30,000 onwards. USP: Better money-management and planning, increased self-reliability and 100% freedom. Adrenaline Rush Forget over-crowded touristy locales and pushy agents. If holiday packages and classic travel routes aren’t your call, opt for climbing mighty rocks, predicting weather, doing survival cooking and lighting up bonfires. Hot
destinations: Suggests adventure sports enthusiast Yana Banerjee-Bey, “Manali’s ideal for tandem paragliding, zorbing, skiing, rafting and horse riding. Spiti’s Chumurti horses here have smooth movements and are a pleasure to ride (even for the first-timers). Besides, one can go for daylong treks to Beas or to Bhrigu Lake in Manali. Elaborates VP MakeMyTrip.com Amit Saberwal, “Phuket, Thailand is heaven for water sports lovers. Mauritius too abounds with action-packed water sports, chopper tours and underwater exploration. At Queenstown, New Zealand, experience net boating, bungy-jumping, white-water rafting. Domestically, Garhwal, Kumaon, Chamba, Manali, Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu and Kangra valleys are popular trekking destinations. Billing (HP) and Solang are renowned paragliding sites. For river rafting, head to Rishikesh.” Price
Range: Rs 600-1000 per sport per person (Manali) USP: Bubbling endorphins, popped eyeballs and salivating tongues. Rekindling Romance EXOTIC locales, windy afternoons, breathtaking sunsets, a luxe suite, royal cuisines and just the two of you! Sure to make you flip and fall in love all over again. Hot
destinations: Suggests Ashish Kishore, business head Yatra.com “Mauritius is honeymooners’ paradise, offering sun-kissed beaches, beach-side barbecues, buzzing casinos and breathless blue skies, besides Chamerel’s seven-coloured earth. Kapil Malhotra of Ekido Holiday Tours enlists other exciting romantic hubs, “Get seduced by the spectacular scenic beauty of Bali, criss-cross canals in gondolas at Venice or hold hands in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Or visit Rome’s classical antiquities, towering medieval structures, magnificent churches and fountains. Domestically, succumb to the magic of Goa or Ananda, Rishikesh — country’s only hill-spa resort with unlimited luxury and tai chi massages.” Price
Range: Rs 26,000 onwards USP: A relaxing holiday and not just a whirlwind tour of sightseeing options. lifestyletribune@gmail.com |
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E-mpowered!
FANCY reading Charles Dickens online? For the Gen Past, the feel of a copy of Arabian Nights or Great Expectations is as savoury as reading it, but for those who have grown up on Pokemon or Power-puff Girls and cannot fathom life without an iPod or a laptop, reading a book online is the way of life. So, an article in one of the leading English dailies that electronic books are likely to make traditional paperbacks as obsolete as cassette or LPs in the near future set us thinking.
Even the news that Harper Collins is leading the digital revolution with the launch of a service that allows people to download the first 10 pages of the first two chapters of forthcoming books onto the Apple iPhone also fell in the line of expectation. But it gave giving impetus to the argument — whether e-book has divided the publishing world, with some predicting ‘the death of the book’ and others arguing that the traditional printed version will remain the favoured format. No, digitalisation is not going be the death knell for the publishing houses, assures Harish Jain of Unistar Books Pvt Ltd. “For the reason that putting a book online will help generating awareness about the book. You may not be a potential buyer, but you become a brand ambassador for it,” he adds. Jain has already made a website www.unistarbooks.com for the Punjabi section in which he has uploaded at least two pages of each book. His plan includes extending the same facility to the English section too. “In fact, I am planning to upload the entire book, both English and Punjabi and those who wants to download it will have to pay $1 dollar each. It is a win-win situation for readers abroad because it takes a minimum of $ 4 to ship a book to America.” Supports Kaplish Mehra of Rupa and Co, “The pleasure of reading a book in its physical form will remain unparalleled. But technology can help generating greater awareness and hence work hand-in-hand for the betterment.” And this is exactly what Kaplish has been doing, the man who had introduced mobile services on the latest publications for the first time in the country. Even city booksellers do not feel threatened by this trend. Browser, library and bookstore, which has made a lead in having their website that gives total info about the latest books available, is not thinking about adding e-books to their website. “We are not thinking of doing that simply because of the general feedback we are getting from our readers. Except for a few younger ones, nobody is interested in reading a book on the computer. Firstly, because most of us have had enough of sitting in front of a monitor during the office hours and secondly nothing beats the pleasure of holding a book and reading it at one’s convenience,” says Jagdeep Kaur, who is the chief operation officer at Browser. Says Ajay Arora of Capital Book Depot, “Electronic versions can be only an alternative, not the real thing,” He adds, “E-books have been around for sometime but it has not so far made a dent in our sale figures,” he adds. His statement echoes the statement made by Jeff Gomez, the senior director for online consumer sales and marketing for the Penguin Group in the US, — ‘far from causing the book industry’s downfall, free access to electronic versions of novels has the potential to be its saviour’. Well, if technology shakes hands with tradition in the right spirit, the outcome is always positive!
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Wordly Wisdom
WHO hasn’t had trouble at work? The difficulty in identifying the fine line between a friendly and a flirtatious colleague. The burden of extra-responsibility versus the bonus of the peers. Balancing cut-throat competition with congeniality. Drinking to please the bosses and then staying sober till they leave. The list is long. But well, we aren’t talking of petty issues, we are talking of the trouble that stirs, courtesy the words you utter! Yes, the golden, insane, magical, wisdom, sympathetic, almost anything you say could bring you under the spotlight. We took help from a few employees in the city, from those suffering from workaholism to work anorexia, know-it-alls to good-for-nothings, real to fakes, geeks to bonkers, efficients to excuse-makers, and complied a list of the words banned at the workplace.
Forget how your appointment letter described your job profile; instead accept that anything and everything at your workplace now falls under your job responsibility. So no vocalising It’s not my job! If your boss asks you to make coffee, think cos’ your hands have magic or if he asks you to make a PPT that he has to present, think cos’ you are better than him. As for colleagues seeking help, we like to call it social service with foresight. Comes a suggestion from Sameer working at an insurance firm, ”A boss likes the sound of yes and then helping colleague is a good idea. You might need them to stand by you someday.” You hate the person in the next workstation. For all he does is chat the whole day long, and if he commits a mistake, bingo it gives you a chance to complain — Sir, It’s not my fault. Says Isha working at ICICI, “I had this habit of identifying the culprit first and then solving the issue, this irritated my boss.” Well, if you stop finger-pointing and seek solutions instead, you’ll boss will value you more. Now, what if that same colleague gets a raise and you don’t, what do you do? Listen to Priyanka, an MBA with specialistation in HR, “Asking for a raise because of how long it’s been since your last one is like directly saying I want more money. Instead, talk of your achievements and prove how you need to be given more money.” Honesty, politics and gossip — the dangerous pillars of the corporate world. “Stay away from gossip,” advises Simpy who works at a call centre. “Even if you’ve overheard that Mr XYZ is going to be fired or have had a chance to look through the boss’ salary slip, keep the juicy bits and pieces to yourself,” she says. Well, you know once such secrets are out, they travel faster than the speed of light! At the same time don’t begin a conversation with To be honest with you… “It’s better to say the truth flat than coat it with an I swear or Why would I lie to you,” tells Sanjeev working with a telecom company. Now admit it or not, you know it too well if you want to or will be able to do the task. So don’t force a smile and utter Yeah, no problem. Says Gurpreet working with an IT firm, “There can be nothing worse than promising followed by ditching. Why give others a chance to call you unreliable?” Chips in this guest relation manager at a city eatery, “I hate people who make the excuse I just didn’t have enough time for that. Come on, everybody is busy these days, so why not learn to mange time better.” So well, if personal experience hasn’t taught you to keep your mouth shut, then perhaps this piece would have probably taught you the needful! purva@tribunemail.com |
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first day first show
He becomes Arjun, a gambler, who is obsessed with money. A chance meeting with a sultry siren, Zoya (Sonal Chauhan), fuels his ambitions further and he even breaks the glass case of a jewellery shop in a mall with his hand to get a diamond ring she is eyeing but can’t buy. Love blossoms and the small-time card player becomes a cricket bookie. All for the affections of a woman whom he wants to give every material comfort. But is it possible to get heaven on earth, especially in India? Arjun doesn’t think so. Did someone say South Africa? Why not? After all, Saif Ali Khan and Abbas-Mustan discovered swarag only after ‘racing’ to that country. So, the caravan of the betting expert lands there. The kissing machine now becomes a cricket match-fixer. But he is a fixer with a difference. He has a sixth sense, mind you. But the path to success is full of potholes. His beloved won’t have anything to do with his ill-gotten wealth, police officer Shekhar (Samir Kochchar) who once tried to reform him is out to nail him, and mafia don, Abu (Javed Sheikh) won’t let him jeopardise his match-fixing business and go back to his woman. Coming as it does in the midst of the IPL extravaganza, the movie’s topic may generate some interest. Some of the dialogues ridiculing jobless cricketers have the potential of creating a controversy and may not go down well with the cricket fraternity. Though it was claimed before the release that the film was inspired by the mysterious death of coach Bob Woolmer, there is hardly any evidence of that. It is only somewhere near the end that a coach is shown to be shot accidentally when he catches the captain of his cricket team and two strangers exchanging money in a hotel room. There are many incongruities in the narrative. Even after breaking the glass, Hashmi suffers no injuries on his hand and is shown entering a police station without a bandage in the next scene. Samir Kochchar is depicted as an assistant commissioner of the CBI whereas the premier investigating agency has no such post. But then everything is possible in Jannat, especially when it is of Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt. Showing at: Fun Republic, Suraj, Piccadily
Of lions & icy witches
Though the first three movies of director Andrew Adamson, Shrek, Shrek 2 and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, raked in more than $2.1 billion at the box office worldwide, the second installment in the C.S Lewis’s series which was shot extensively in New Zealand, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Poland is speculated to gross $300 million. An awe-inspiring talking lion, a gigantic icy witch, a funny mouse and a gentle dwarf are among the several mystical creatures who help the Pevensies and the Prince oust the tyrannical ruler and restore peace. Though the emerald green landscape, stunning battle sequences and robust performances will delight the kids, the fable’s inordinate length (147 minutes) may put off some viewers. — R. K. Showing at: Fun Republic,
DT Cinemas
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He is a tailor with no affinity for the needles. But then, who will after spending almost 30 years with threads and needles for company? So, Hem Raj invented a new trick, put together a garment without a single stitch. Well, it is possible, if you have the ingenuity of the master tailor. The shirt he is wearing these days, is being put together by strips of reversible tape.
“The idea came to me when I was using the tape in the hemline of a coat. All you need to do put it behind the folds and press it with a hot iron. It holds the pieces together,” he demonstrates. And the aim is not just to make a short within an hour and a half but also to put his name in the Limca Book of Records for his invention. ‘I have not approached anyone yet, but I will,” says Hem Raj, a resident of Ram Darbar, who works as a tailor in the Raymond in Sector 17. “I have already washed this shirt quite a few times and the tapes are still holding it good,” adds Hem Raj with a smile, happy that his experience has clicked. —
TNS
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I am a 25-year-old-girl with a low self-esteem. I do not have the confidence to go out and meet people. I feel people will make fun of me behind my back. Even their good intentions seem loaded with some ulterior motive to me. I think it comes from an overbearing mother and a father who was an alcoholic. I did not have a happy childhood. I would like to make friends. My only comfort is food and good movies. Is there any way I can be confident and be happy?
Reshma,
Ambala You need to let the child within you a chance to grow. You cannot spend your life saying ‘my parents treated me badly’. Give yourself love and respect. Low self-esteem comes from insecurity. Keep telling yourself ‘I am safe and secure and can do what I want in my life’. Loving yourself will give others the signal to love you as you will be emitting some easy vibration and not caught up in a round of negativity. Let the past not cloud your present or the future which is yet to come. I am 42, working in a bank. I have two kids and my wife is a school teacher. The problem is that I have developed a relationship with a girl who works in the same bank. She is only 28 but very interested in me. We are family friends now. She says she would like to marry me but I seem to see no reason to leave my wife. Actually I have even spoken to my wife about my feelings. She seems quite comfortable with the situation. It is only me who is guilty. I feel very strongly for her. What should I do? Ashok Sharma,
Chandigarh I think you want to have your cake and eat it too. It sounds very convenient — I want my happy family on the side and I want a happy girlfriend on the other. Now that is too good to be true but I suggest you check yourself out. Do you think you will be able to pull off this emotionally balancing act? Also do you think you are respecting your wife if you are two-timing her? It’s all very exciting but you must remember you have a responsibility to your wife and kids. We cannot always allow our heart to run away with us. To live life fully, we have to create our own inner balance. I am a 29-year-old woman, in a relationship with a man who is also my age. We both are in the same profession, share similar interests and enjoy each other’s company. The problem is he does not want to make a commitment. He says he would like at least two years as he has had a bad experience with his last relationship. Initially, I was okay with his decision but recently I am wondering whether he is making a fool of me. He is short tempered and overbearing. Yet when we are alone and he is gentle caring and very understanding. I am just not being able to handle the situation. I don’t want to give up. Advise. Romi Madan,
Chandigarh Ask yourself — are you a love addict? Sometimes we are so addicted to the idea of love that women take any amount of abuse to just keep it going. A man who is emotionally abusive will never change. You need to make yourself strong and step out. And if you think you are being denied the basic fundamentals of a relationship, I don’t understand what is keeping you in it. Learn to love yourself and you will naturally shed off these kind of suckers. People in relationships take advantages of the emotionally weak one. Be strong. (This column appears weekly) |
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Little Interview
FORMER Ponds Femina Miss India and 2005 Miss World Tourism, Sonal Chauhan has made her foray into the big world of cinema with
Jannat. She’s beautiful, but what is making filmmakers notice is the oodles of talent she possesses. The Bhatts were so impressed by her talent and professionalism that they made a three-film contract with her! All this even before her first film hit theatres. That speaks for
Sonal, who strongly believes that actions speak louder than words. The Meerut lass spoke to Life Style about the film, debuting opposite Emraan
Hashmi, working with Mahesh Bhatt and more.
Director Kunal Deshmukh approached me when I was modelling. Then Mukesh Bhatt narrated the story and my role and I just could not resist.
I play a sweet, homely, middle class but bold girl named Zoya. The movie is a boy-meets-girl love story.
Yes, absolutely. I put my heart and soul into it.
Besides a Telugu film Rainbow, I have also signed three more films.
— Dharam Pal |
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Chandigarh Tribune had a very passionate response to the Save Our Sukhna campaign. Residents and non-residents offered valuable suggestions, technical remedies and their views on initiatives to save the jewel of
Chandigarh.
While people have deliberated on the real dangers – silting and rainwater flow as well as commercial exploitation of the lake, I have some inane observations to add to the growing list of complaints. I have had many bizarre conversations about the policemen on duty there about the hazard of stray dogs. I am not a dog hater. I am no Maneka Gandhi either. Walking in the morning by the beautiful lakeside while having a huge stray dog cling to my jacket pocket in search of food isn’t something particularly beatific to me. Encountering entire packs of stray dogs biting each other, spinning around furiously and sprinting madly is also not something that calms my nerves in the morning. How come no one is willing to do anything about that? There is a great expanse in the water at the end of the walking trail, where summer water lilies bloom abundantly. Just the sight of the pearly white lilies undulating in the morning wind over a large pool of water is worth walking the entire trail for. These days, I see people, apparently morning walkers – who are carrying some of those lilies home. Why invade the lily pool? The lake is also a sorry sight on Monday mornings, after the weekend revellers have liberally thrown around the remains of the food consumed and the packets the food came in. Why cannot we pass a simple ban on littering? A meager fine of even Rs.50 will stop most people from thinking that the bed of Cosmos is a good place to throw the potato chips packet into. And what about feeding the ducks? Hordes of people get off the vehicles and descend the stairs to feed the water fowls white bread, rotis and biscuits. I thought the water fowls are a self-feeding species! And the plastic wrappers of bread float away in the lake marking an ugly end to a kind deed. We also have an auto-stand right next to the lake. If we are unwilling to let the hawkers sell their wares on the footpath in sector 17, why are we letting the lakeside be abuzz with phut-phuts of the autos spewing sooty diesel smoke? I always boast about how Chnadiagrh is the only city in India where real city improvement projects are initiated and the citizens actually get to enjoy the benefits of those in their lifetime. Roads get broadened, traffic lights get installed, dividers get built and even new trees get planted on public roads. However, Sukhna is thought of as ‘not city.’ If Sukhna dies – Chandigarh will become the Happy Prince without his eyes. (This column appears weekly) |
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Caring Bond
He sets hearts racing with his style but it seems like the handsome 007, Daniel Craig’s rough and tough looks are not the only reasons behind his impressive personality. His ‘caring’ nature has left newest Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko completely smitten.
The Ukrainian-born actress revealed that she struggled with the fear of heights while shooting action sequences for the spy’s new movie Quantum Of Solace but Craig gently talked her through it, according to a report. “We did this very difficult scene on a boat, Kurylenko said. “I was scared. He said to me, “After watching it, you’re gonna be so happy you did it by yourself’. And he was right,” she added. Kurylenko said the Casino Royale star was very supportive during the shoot of the film. —
ANI
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Charlize Theron is so offended with reporters calling her ‘ugly’ for her recent roles that she does not want them to comment on her looks anymore. While the actress insists that she did work hard on looking unattractive for her Oscar-winning role in Monster, she was just in a no make-up look for her other recent roles, for which she is dubbed ugly.
Also, the 32-year-old actress was upset with people saying that she chooses ‘ugly’ roles to win awards and favour as a serious actress. —
ANI |
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They gave him carte blanche to go on a smooching spree in their films. He, too, thought he would kiss his way to the top. That, his endless intimate scenes with femme fatales will make him the ultimate lover boy of Bollywood. How wrong he was! His movies sank without a trace and he perilously came close to kiss his career goodbye. What he thought would be a road to paradise turned out to be a highway to hell. After languishing in narak for a long time (read 10 colossal flops), Emraan Hashmi now desperately needs Jannat. 
Summer is here and so are Hollywood blockbusters. With an awesome array of special affects, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which was released worldwide this week sees the four Pevensie siblings, Peter (William), Susan (Anna), Edmund (Skander) and Lucy (Georgie) leave London and go to the magical kingdom of Narnia to help Prince Caspian (Ben) battle his evil uncle, Miraz (Sergio), and restore the land to its former glory.
