This is what the city has been waiting for, especially the women. A space completely for themselves. And here it is. Seven Seas Spa-8 promises to rejuvenate the body and refresh the senses with chants and mantras. Inaugurated by cricketer Yuvraj Singh on Friday, the spa takes us into a world of eco- friendly therapies without burning a hole in the pocket.

Offers Munish Bajaj, Tress Lounge executive director, “We wanted a wing only for women and the spa offers a variety of exotic therapies from Mediterranean to European and ayurvedic.”

A soothing ambience that spells elegance, choose from a specially crafted repertoire of treatments to relax and heal the body, mind and soul. Spa specialist Jyoti Vaidya says: “Be it the body, face, hair, feet or hands — we have a treatment for every body part. There are also body massages, masks and scrubs to better circulation and improve immunity.”

If these are treatments you have already had a taste of, how about hot stone therapy, herbal powder bath, foot reflexology or potli massage?

Jyoti, who has worked with the spas Jaipur branch, says: “There are specailised packages for a particular body type. We suggest the treatment after discussing the client’s lifestyle.” The spa also has a membership scheme. So, what are you waiting for? Just take a day off and rejuvenate for as little as Rs 500!

jasmine@tribunemail.com

EVERY job you take up is a signature moment. Wrapped in ups and downs, success and failures, the ‘Kodak moment’ of your life is the day when you get your first salary cheque. Conjuring umpteen reactions, for some it’s an ecstatic shout, others go numb for a second contemplating what they’ve done to deserve it and the rest go into a ‘planning mode’ the minute they see the figures. I-pod, a new dress, Nike sneakers, a smart mobile hand set, necklace for girlfriend, cigarette lighter for boyfriend, suit for mommy, Gucci handbag for sister and so on.

All said and done, the point is how people splurge their ‘first’ salary. Is it saved or every penny blown to the core? Over to the people who share their ‘first salary spending’ experience.

“For three days, I didn’t know what to do with my first salary. The amount wasn’t something that couldn’t be handled, just Rs 4,000. But it did put me in a fix,” Ravinder Singh fondly remembers. “Eventually, I ended up blowing the entire amount on Reebok sneakers. In fact, I had to put in an extra 300 bucks,” tells Ravinder.

This is just the beginning — you have to read on to believe the interesting and touching ways in which people have splurged their first salary.

Stuti Sikand, vividly remembers how she spend those first Rs 15,000. “It was a huge amount and there was so much to be done,” smiles Stuti, who prepared a list of things she wanted to buy with her first salary. “It was an endless list, and till date I haven’t been able to buy anything on that list that included a Vichy kit, a Nokia cell phone, a Lucknawi suit, a cocktail dress,” reads out Stuti.

“I had borrowed money from my sister and the minute she heard about my cheque, she staked a claim to it.”

Indeed, first salary can be a moment of joy for the receiver and also for the near and dear ones and not to forget close enemies. But, it was definitely a moment of celebration for Cheetan Sharma, who donated a good some of his salary to an orphanage. He recalls, “I was standing at the traffic lights when a small girl came running to me. She asked for Rs 50 because she and her two sisters wanted to have lunch. I don’t know how, but I gave the money and she blessed me saying, bhagwaan kare teri naukri lag jaye. Believe you me, I got a call from Tata Motors the very next day.” Voila!

On the other hand, 19-year-old Shaheen bought a gold ring for his girlfriend from his first salary. “It was a hard choice, I wanted to buy a suit for my mother and something for my girlfriend,” tells Shaheen with a puckish grin. “I managed pretty well, lipstick for mom and gold ring for girlfriend!”

No matter how and where you spend your first salary it is an emotional moment for all, a moment that will go down in the history of your life.

THE monsoon is a season of discontent for many of those involved in popular adventure sports. The sea becomes very rough, so divers and snorkellers travel to other oceans to pursue their sport. Whitewater enthusiasts whose usual playground is the Ganga, Bhagirathi, Alaknanda, Beas and Sutlej have to leave these rivers alone because they are dangerously swollen. But they don’t have to travel overseas – they can go rafting and kayaking on the Indus and Zanskar in Ladakh, which is untouched by the monsoon. Those who do paragliding, zorbing and bungee jumping have to wait for gaps in the rain to take their equipment outdoors for quick sessions. Worst affected are rock climbers. Wet rock is unclimbable and the proliferation of vegetation, snakes and insects at this time makes rock faces strictly off-limits.

Mountaineers and trekkers are better off. Though dry Ladakh is the best climbing and trekking destination now, it is possible to climb and hike in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. You do have to walk in the rain sometimes, or be confined to your tent and the dining tent for a day because of bad weather, but it is possible to have enjoyable expeditions because, apart from the wet days, the overall temperature is warmer than it will be at the end of the monsoon and all the pre-monsoon snow has melted on the slopes of the peaks.

But there is one bunch of dedicated, hardcore adventure athletes for whom the monsoon months do not mean a forced break. These are the sport climbers who climb on artificial walls. For them, it is the searing heat of the pre-monsoon period that is the biggest hurdle in training and practice. Once the rains arrive, it is cooler and, if rain in the morning prevents practice in the first half of the day, it is bound to stop and enable a stint on the outdoor climbing wall in the evening. Many of these climbers also have small indoor walls for practice and training in their homes or clubs or covered outdoor bouldering walls in public places.

As I wrote in an earlier column on the sport (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071027/ttlife1.htm#3), Delhi has several decent walls open to the public, Chandigarh and Shimla have one each — though they are private walls — while other towns and cities in this region have none. There is a need for educational and sport institutions as well as youth organisations to build walls and appoint instructors. Once the infrastructure is in place, a climbing culture will sprout.

It is an adventure sport particularly suited to youngsters, requiring extreme agility and minimum investment. Until a sport climber reaches an advanced level, the only cost is a monthly fee for use of the wall, and a personal pair of climbing shoes (“PA shoes”, named after the French rock climber, Pierre Attain, who designed them). Snug shorts and a tee do very well by way of clothes. Every other piece of equipment – chalk bag (a pouch of magnesium carbonate hung at the back of the climber’s waist into which s/he dips sweaty hands before grasping holds), harness, rope, carabiners and belay devices can be shared.

Another factor is that artificial wall climbing is among the safest adventure sports. Until you reach an advanced level, you will always be top-roped. After that, you will lead but you will hook into the pre-placed protection as you progress up the wall. Should you fall, the last bolt that you hooked into will stop your plunge.

(This column appears fortnightly)

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

IT’S yet another challenge, which S. D. Sharma has tackled successfully — to build a convention centre that is iconic and yet blends with the existing building of the campus. So, what does he do? He creates a futuristic auditorium using locally available stones, which is now the pride and joy of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow. This time he brings a fair amount of joy to the city too; by winning Archi Design Award for Excellence in the category of Best Institutional Building Design-2007 in the Northern Region.

“It’s every architects dream to design something outstanding for which they have to use modern technology and the material available. But, one has to make sure that environment friendly material is used so that the creation gels well with its surroundings,” says Sharma.

Sharma, who has already designed auditoriums at Carmel Convent School-9 and NIPER, finds designing auditoriums pretty stimulating. “Everything has to be taken care of, right from the seating arrangements to the acoustics,” he says. His latest creation can seat 250 people along with a balcony to accommodate 250. He has used locally available red sandstones and Dholpur stone for external finish, which brings in the environment-friendly angle to his creation.

Fame is not new to Sharma, a devout follower of Le Corbusier. A winner of Babu Rao Mhatre Gold Medal-2001 for lifetime contribution to the field of architecture, Sharma’s dream is to carry forward the spirit of Corbusier through his works. “The spirit of his works has an universal ring. I believe that space should inspire man living within it and this is what I’ve been following throughout my life,” he adds. And he sounds sincere to the core because or him architecture is above all forms of art, even himself. For, men perish and so do other arts, but monuments remain forever.

SKIN changing and age relate to each other like cause and effect. No one is surprised when the skin changes with age, it is more or less accepted as a way of life. The skin over the years becomes less tight and elastic as the production of collagen and elastin goes down and also for the fact that the cells beneath the top layers of skin disappear. Correct skin care steps will give you a younger-looking skin, provided there is on your side determination and professional assistance to help you out.

With so many brands coming to India and each product claiming that it is the ultimate solution to your ageing skin. Well, that’s not true. It stands to reason that it is absolutely necessary to determine your skin type and also follow the cleaning and protection procedures. This is the only way your skin will repay you with a nice, young look and also will be reluctant to change with age.

The speed of ageing depends on a variety of factors — daily regime, nutrition, occupation and so on. Don’t wait for your young days to die and then you wake up to the necessity of preserving it. The major skin care steps are far from being complicated. Just follow the simple steps:

n Determine your skin type: To ensure the efficiency of the skin care methods or products you are using, it is important to know your skin type. You must stick to the skin care line that is recommended for your skin type.

n Protecting the skin from harmful UV rays of the sun can help prevent aging. Sun is a known enemy for wrinkles, dryness, skin texture change and tanning. Always protect your skin with the SPF (at least 15) and remember to reapply when out for long in the sun.

n Avoid smoking. It is the only reason for wrinkles around lips and eyes.

n Cleanse, tone and moisturise always. These are necessary skin care steps to follow. Use good quality products of reputed trademarks.

I am told nutrition plays an important role in maintaining collagen and elastin. Is that true? If yes, please guide me on my daily diet?

— Lovleen Kaur via email

Yes, nutrition plays an important part in production of collagen and elastin. It is a known fact that products containing large amount of vitamins and proteins slow down ageing. It is desirable that you eat more raw vegetables and fruit. Reducing your intake of fat and starch will certainly reduce the number of visible signs of ageing. Remember, it is wise to implement the old saying ‘prevention is better than cure’.

(This column appears fortnightly)

Pammy Kaul is a UK-based beauty therapist. E-mail queries to lifestyletribune@gmail.com or write to The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh

TWO designers, Poonam Sood and Nidhi Vij unfold a tale of chic designs and tinkling trinkets through a two-day exhibition cum sale of apparels and silver jewellery at Episode-9. Presenting an array of accessories and attire the duo designers have displayed some great looking stuff.

Exhibiting her collection of designer wear suits, kurtis and tunics, Poonam has dished out a variety of garbs. Embroidered, kurtis and tunics come layered with appliqué work, leather patchwork and loads of sequin and beadwork. Presenting a stylish designer wear collection, the suits are done in ribbons, laces, beads and stonework. The clothes are priced between Rs 1,500 to Rs 7,500.

Nidhi, who has displayed her collection of silver jewellery says: “I do traditional, contemporary and fusion jewellery, but women prefer fusion to traditional wear.”

About the latest fashion jewellery, she says: “These days fashion comes as a blink, but if we talk of charms then precious and semi-precious stones are here to stay. The fashion circuit is flooded with them. Emerald, ruby, black onyx and turquoise sell like hot cakes.” And, when it comes to designs what does the trend spell, “Victorian designs are out, instead Rhodium polished silver jewellery in contemporary designs is in.” Ask her about the good old chain that was a must have and she says: “It’s the long beaded chain that’s in fashion these days. Gone are the days of plain chains with a pendant. Women like to wear stone pendants now.”

On display are pendants, chains, rings, earrings, bracelets embedded with stones and can be used as rakhis. These are priced at Rs 200 and goes up to Rs 3,000.

YOU hear them 24X7 playing nice music for you. Not only this, they lend an ear to your sob stories. And now, they are trying their hand at a one of its kind Radio Olympiad. Beginning Friday, RJs from 36 BIG 92.7 FM stations are battling it out for the ultimate endurance test – 100 hours of non-stop Rjing, a record that will catapult them into the Limca Book of Records.

From Chandigarh, RJs Anubhav and Pankaj will be participating in the Olympiad and will be heard live for 100 hours beginning Friday. Tells the duo about preparations for the ‘daring’ feat: “We have been taking yoga classes and doing some exercises to help us sail through the marathon,” tells Pankaj. Both have also been given a go-ahead by Fortis.

Adds Anubhav, “We got a check up done by an ENT specialist as we have to stretch our vocal chords for four long days. In addition to this, we have also been given a special diet chart and are following it.”

“The idea is not only to participate in the marathon, but also make Chandigarhians aware of the spirit of Olympics,” says Pankaj. “We want to sound fresh, alive and meaningful for four days and we want the listeners to support us in this endavour.” — TNS

Khayyam saab, who graces the seat of mahaguru as a guest felt insulted by the gurus (read Himesh, Shankar, Pritam and Aadesh). When Prachi Shah of Ahmedabad gets eliminated, a heady debate flares up between the judges and the mentors. The invariable point of disagreement was, ‘are we looking for a different, unique voice tonal quality or are we concentrating on sur taal and lai’. When the mentors showed their disregard on Khayyam saab’s decission, he flared up and got into a heated argument with Pritam. Though Himesh, tried to pacify, but Khayyam took this conversation to a different level. He said, “I’ve have been given the mantle of mahaguru, so please pay heed to what I say. You must have attained fame and popularity but that does not mean you disrespect me or my decission. I will not tolerate such nonsense.” Innumerable apologies from Pritam and countless efforts from Himesh proved futile. Had it not been for Kavita Krishnamurthy, things would have gone far more worse.

(This column appears weekly)