Ice maidens

From tobaggoning in Beijing during the Olympics to ski stunts, city women are proving to be the real khatron ke khiladi, writes Ashima Sehajpal

How often were you left breathless after seeing stunning stunts by the haseenas in Khatron Ke Khiladi (KK)? If daring and intrepid are the words you associate with them, then the city women who love the feel of adrenaline running in1 their veins, also deserve their share of applause. Trekking at some 10,000 feet, river rafting or skiing on snow-clad mountains is just another form of recreation for them. They have been doing it for years and are always game for some adventure. And what makes their adventures more hazardous than KK is the fact that there are no harnesses and just a few safety measures.

Anu Saboo, a businesswoman, has done every possible stunt, shares the experience, "One of the craziest things I have done is sledging from the 2800-feet-high St Mortiz in Switzerland. Initially, I thought it is going to be an ordinary experience but half way through my heart sank, as it was extremely scary." But she overcame her fear by attempting it once again. Anu, along with her husband, recently visited Beijing to watch the Olympics but did not miss out on adventure there too. "We did tobaggoning from the Great Wall of China which left us with goose pimples." She has also done paragliding but the most thrilling experience of hers is a freefall in water, which she made from a 20-feet high cliff in Rishikesh, "I was the only woman to try out that adventure then and a feeling of triumph swept over me after I did it successfully."

Cliff Hanger : Anuja Lath Gupta

The other khiladi has been into adventure since the past eight years and began when she was at school. Amanpreet Kaur Ahuja, 19, makes it a point to go for trekking, rappelling and camping with her friends at least twice a year. "Trekking at the height of 16,500 meters makes me feel close to nature," she avers. So, where all has she trekked? "I have scaled the Pindari glacier and other areas of Lahual-Spiti." Why does she go trekking in areas where there is no habitation? "It gives one a sense of achievement traversing desolate areas where there is no network and link with the rest of the world. Surviving in these tough conditions makes me feel confident."

Anuja Lath Gupta, COO of an IT firm, feels adventure tests your strength. Her areas of interest are river rafting, trekking and driving in hilly terrains. About her experience, she says, "I suffered from hydrophobia and to overcome it, I thought the best way was to go for water sports and so river rafting has certainly helped." Driving a jeep to Leh-Ladakh during an 18-day trip is another adventure she has enjoyed. "It just felt amazing. to realize that I drove the jeep on a track where only trained drivers have the guts to do so. My longest stretch of driving was 14 hours."

Anant Mann, an architect, is into adventure sports, for she believes that they bring her closer to nature. Other than trekking in the Himalayas and river rafting, she has done some more exciting things. "Para sailing was a great experience and it gave me butterflies in my stomach, but the best thing has been a freefall from a 10-storeyed tower in Kuala Lumpur where I was tied with a harness. One has to experience it to believe how scary it is."

ashima@tribunemail.com

Lake Lustre

The Sukhna Lake not only draws a charmed circle of old loyalists, who haven't skipped their daily date with it for years, but also techies and other professionals, writes Mona

NATURE'S nest, Venus Venue, Walkers' Way or Enchanted Island - Le Corbusier's greatest gift to the city, Sukhna, was created for the 'care of the body and spirit' of its residents. The lake, fringed by a golf course to the south and the famous Rock Garden to its west, swarms with people of all ages, classes and from all walks of life. A few of them have been coming here every morning for the last many decades. For these die-hards, the water haven is an inseparable part of their life.

"We are coming to the Sukhna for the last 30 years. A walk along the lake is purely addictive. Come rain, heat or cold, we never miss our date with our pool of joy. If it's raining, we carry umbrellas, if it's cold, we layer ourselves. But we can't skip our daily ritual," says Harish Gupta, a resident of Sector 33. The man and other lake enthusiasts like him have even formed a body, Morning Walker's Association, to share their passion.

But what is it that draws them to the calm waters? "Peace, serenity and greenery is what I crave for, and here I get these all," quips Vas Dev Sahni, the eldest member of a group that has people from diverse backgrounds.

The Sukhna is especially popular for its tranquility that is preserved through the curbs on the plying of motorboats and vehicular traffic. One can see people relaxing, chatting, exercising and meditating. "The calmness is intoxicating," says Devinder Rukreja of Sector 27, who celebrated her 50th anniversary with the lake this year. The woman has been a lake regular since 1958. "I have travelled across the globe but the sense of belongingness you get here is unparalleled. Listening to nature's melodies is an enriching, soulful experience," she adds.

Agrees Santosh Bidani of Sector 18. "I come everyday with my hubby. While he does some breathing exercises, I take a walk and then we sit by the lake, watching the small waves being formed and listening to the classical music being played through numerous speakers installed at various points. Believe me, nothing else is more relaxing," says the woman whose affair with the lake dates back to 1965. Do you take out time in the evening too for the lake, we ask. "No. We feel quite out of place in the evening. You see it's a walkers' lake at dawn and lovers' haven at dusk," she says with an impish grin.

It's not only the senior brigade that is gung-ho about the water body. Youngsters too are in love with Sukhna. "I strictly adhere to my twice a week running regime. It's a complete workout," says Dhruv Thakur, a software engineer from Mohali. Why come all the way from Mohali? "I like the long uninterrupted stretch. Besides seeing others running fires one up," he adds.

Also, on the run, were seen a brother-sister duo Rohit and Monika Sharma from Sector 35. The young professionals, who work in Gurgaon, make sure to come for the morning walk whenever they are in the city. "We used to come here as kids. Watching the changing colours of the lake with the morning sun fascinates us. The lake has a different appeal every time you see it," says Rohit.

The protected national wetland is especially popular in winters as it turns into a makeshift home to a large number of migratory birds like the Siberian duck, storks and cranes. Besides these exotic beaks, ducks are a permanent feature at the lake. Says Sector 44 resident Bhim Sen, who comes here every Sunday morning along with his daughter Chakshu and son Himanshu to feed the ducks: "I want to inculcate values of love for nature and respect for life in general."

That's not all. The serene waters of the Sukhna have a lot more to offer. Those with an adventurous streak can hit the waters for surfing, skiing and kayaking. The lovebirds can go for a cozy shikara ride.

First day first show
Band Aid

How often were you left breathless after seeing stunning stunts by the haseenas in Khatron Ke Khiladi (KK)? If daring and intrepid are the words you associate with them, then the city women who love the feel of adrenaline running in1 their veins, also deserve their share of applause. Trekking at some 10,000 feet, river rafting or skiing on snow-clad mountains is just another form of recreation for them. They have been doing it for years and are always game for some adventure. And what makes their adventures more hazardous than KK is the fact that there are no harnesses and just a few safety measures.

Anu Saboo, a businesswoman, has done every possible stunt, shares the experience, "One of the craziest things I have done is sledging from the 2800-feet-high St Mortiz in Switzerland. Initially, I thought it is going to be an ordinary experience but half way through my heart sank, as it was extremely scary." But she overcame her fear by attempting it once again. Anu, along with her husband, recently visited Beijing to watch the Olympics but did not miss out on adventure there too. "We did tobaggoning from the Great Wall of China which left us with goose pimples." She has also done paragliding but the most thrilling experience of hers is a freefall in water, which she made from a 20-feet high cliff in Rishikesh, "I was the only woman to try out that adventure then and a feeling of triumph swept over me after I did it successfully."

The other khiladi has been into adventure since the past eight years and began when she was at school. Amanpreet Kaur Ahuja, 19, makes it a point to go for trekking, rappelling and camping with her friends at least twice a year. "Trekking at the height of 16,500 meters makes me feel close to nature," she avers. So, where all has she trekked? "I have scaled the Pindari glacier and other areas of Lahual-Spiti." Why does she go trekking in areas where there is no habitation? "It gives one a sense of achievement traversing desolate areas where there is no network and link with the rest of the world. Surviving in these tough conditions makes me feel confident."

Anuja Lath Gupta, COO of an IT firm, feels adventure tests your strength. Her areas of interest are river rafting, trekking and driving in hilly terrains. About her experience, she says, "I suffered from hydrophobia and to overcome it, I thought the best way was to go for water sports and so river rafting has certainly helped." Driving a jeep to Leh-Ladakh during an 18-day trip is another adventure she has enjoyed. "It just felt amazing. to realize that I drove the jeep on a track where only trained drivers have the guts to do so. My longest stretch of driving was 14 hours."

Anant Mann, an architect, is into adventure sports, for she believes that they bring her closer to nature. Other than trekking in the Himalayas and river rafting, she has done some more exciting things. "Para sailing was a great experience and it gave me butterflies in my stomach, but the best thing has been a freefall from a 10-storeyed tower in Kuala Lumpur where I was tied with a harness. One has to experience it to believe how scary it is."

ashima@tribunemail.com

From a ruthless Naxalite to a sophisticated killer who falls in love with a modern city girl, it’s a transformation that can take place only in the Hindi cinema. But it also deprives "Chamku" of its chamak. A narrative about a child who sees his parents being shot in the head and is brought up and trained as an outlaw only to be used later by government agencies to eliminate anti-national elements becomes a pedestrian fare when it starts meandering in the mean streets of Mumbai.

What initially promises to be a gripping tale of a child ’s world torn asunder by the traumatic events in his life gets reduced to a potboiler with needless song-and-dance sequences and relentless bloodletting. Bobby Deol shows promise while playing a Naxalite with special combat expertise. But the moment he morphs into a suave sharp-shooter who indulges in political assassinations, things go wrong. As if this was not enough, Priyanka enters the scene and queers the pitch further. Playing a teacher who falls in love with the assassin, she flits in and out, leaving the audience wondering about the necessity of her role. That holds true also for Ritesh Deshmukh and Rajpal Yadav who looks childish while essaying the role of an informer. Irrfan Khan and Ninad Kamath as secret agents ordering the executions look convincing. Though the first half is watchable, the second is disjointed and executed hastily. Something not expected from a talented director like Kabeer Kaushik, who held us spellbound with his gritty story-telling in "Sehar."

Wish
Sridevi, Madhuri were younger

ACTOR-turned-director Sajid Khan is looking for a heroine for his second directorial venture Housefull and says he would have cast Sridevi or Madhuri Dixit if they were younger.

"Actually, I would love to cast either Sridevi or Madhuri for the role, but I wish they were younger. They don't suit the role with their age now," said Sajid.

The multi-starrer romantic comedy is Sajid's second film after his successful directorial debut Heyy Babyy. The stars he's roped in include Deepika Padukone, Jiah Khan, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and Boman Irani.

Sajid is yet to zero in on an actress to play the third female lead. "I still haven't been able to choose anyone. Whoever she will be will have to be extremely gifted. I want a quality actor whose comedy timing is great."

Master talker

AT the moment, Sajid is basking in the success of his celebrity talk show Sajid's Superstars that airs every Saturday on Colors.

He says the biggest surprise on the show is yet to come. "Akshay Kumar's episode is the most superb episode of my show. It is yet to air and has a huge surprise." Sajid, who digs out the deepest secrets of stars with a pinch of humour on his show, is quite content with the response to the programme. "Sajid's recipe to make the show a hit is to have "no script at all". "I don't do much research on the actors except for pre-selecting the video clipping that I want to show and that's all," he concluded. — IANS

Eva's desperate days

Daddy stay out!

Write to Renee

at lifestyletribune@gmail.com or Life Style, The Tribune, Sector 29-C, Chd

Yours is the predicament of many a youth in our country. The youth obviously with their high exposure levels, can relate to everything, but it is very difficult for the older generation to adapt so ever so quickly the changing scenario. Be patient with the attitude of your parents. Just do not allow it to hamper your mental equilibrium. If you have made a plan, you have a goal, just keep working towards it diligently. Try and make your parents see the light. Explain to them that you have an agenda for the future, you want to come back and work for the betterment of your country and your family. Make them feel secure about your love for them and your culture. Once you have done this, your life will definitely seem more joyous.

Do not try and jump to unnecessary conclusions about what could happen. Fear is a very terrible emotion. Enjoy your present status of things, just do so. Do not allow your fears to over rule your life. Life is too precious. Each moment must be lived to the utmost. Try and concentrate on your training. Once you qualify with flying colours, your family will naturally feel you need to use your skills purposefully. Just have faith in yourself and in God, all will turn in the right direction just for you.

You need to realise that you have the capacity to go beyond those family’s limitations. You need to let go of all the beliefs that could hurt you. After all we all do need our space from our loved ones and it is not that we love them any less when we feel this way, it is just our own way of growing and evolving. We basically need to be in touch with ourselves and when this happens then this desire of wanting space normally does not arise. Find a nice focus for yourself something that gives your inner self a sense of nourishment. It will allow you the freedom to let go of your inner cycle of pain, anger and resentment. Enjoy your husband’s love and also your wonderful life.

(This column appears weekly)

Matka Chowk
The Lake that cried murder
Sreedhara Bhasin

Chandigarh is the only city to brandish a Gold-Medalist in this Olympics. A friend of mine on her first visit to Chandigarh - exclaimed -'Oh, what a lovely city to raise kids! So much of open green spaces and so little pollution!'

When I arrived in Chandigarh for the first time, I exclaimed: 'Oh, here is an Indian city where I can actually drive!' These days, when I drive, I am often seized by homicidal thoughts. I often wish I was driving a lorry like Jitender in a 70's movie. The older movies portray a joyful Hindi movie hero singing away a happy tune and dispensing wisdom to an idiotic and genial sidekick. In my thoughts that reflect suppressed desires (I guess), the modern hero of Chandigarh is bearing down in a lorry, spreading fear in the hearts of all who think clipping, squashing, overtaking from the wrong side and jumping red lights are 'chalta hai.'

There was a time when my cousins in Delhi would point to a mushroom like halo encasing the street lamps at night. That was vehicular emission. Delhi has gone the CNG way and we can breathe the Capital air now. The Chandigarh air seems to smell more like diesel and less like air these days. What are we waiting for?

Traffic lights have cropped up in most of the chowks. There was a time when I thought the chowks symbolized the pristine Chandigarh - free, elegant and distinctive. Now, they are merely a vehicular roundabout requiring forcible regimentation.

The pressure of people is palpable. But, no one seems to worry about city planning, sewage, electricity and other logistics. Are we relying on a forthcoming miracle?

One morning I saw a group of runners on the road. Apparently there was a mini marathon going on. I was very impressed. The sponsors had built booths on the side of the road and were dispensing water to the participants. My elation turned to dismay, when on the way back I found the entire side of the street littered with plastic water cups. The runners were gone - so were the organizers. Bringing a garbage bin was obviously not part of the plan and not even an afterthought. What are we running for?

The death of Sukhna may not be imminently apparent - but, the garbage floating on the sides of the bank is not from the future. An old television film called The Woman Who Cried Murder depicted the real-life account of a young woman in New York whose murder was witnessed by fifteen of her neighbours who did nothing to help. If Sukhna could cry out - her screams would curdle our blood.

Why do we all seem to suffer from the 'Bystander Syndrome?'

(This column appears weekly)

Hear for good
Parbina Rashid

Once upon a time... It was perhaps the favourite sentence we had heard during those growing up years. It denoted not just a story, but a full-fledged drama, with the storyteller using a little bit of facial expression and a little bit of voice modulation to keep us engaged till they lived happily ever after...

And that child in us refuses to die. We may have outgrown those fairy tales but not the drama. So, how would it be to listen to someone narrating the story of your favourite book, say Paulo Coehlo’s Brida with the same fervour as your grandmom once did?

What started as the imagination of an idle mind, became a quest once we heard a colleague narrating his experience with an audio book when veteran journalist Rakshat Puri gifted him a cassette about 15 years back. "It was like listening to a film, thrilling and educating at the same time," he gushed.

Taking a cue from him we rush to Capital Book Depot to find an audio-CD of the novel. But well, the bubble of enthusiasm bursts as we’re faced with real facts. There is no Brida in the audio format. And even if there were one, it would lightened our pockets by Rs 600 to Rs 800. So, we settle for a paperback instead!

But our search for audio books continues and we knock the door of Browser-8. "We get books in the audio format from time to time, but when it comes to popularity, it’s mainly the self-help variety that is selling well," says Pankaj P. Singh, chief executive of The Browser.

Ajay Arora of capital Book Depot agrees with him. Browser alone has just sold 10 CDs of Rhoda Byrne’s The Secret, even though one CD is priced at Rs 1,000 approximately.

Though we do a double take upon hearing the price, a true connoisseur takes it in his stride. "It depends on how much value it holds for you," says Jagmohan Chowdhry, a senior high court advocate. "Listening to books is a habit I picked up when I visited England and I often listen to various self-help books when I am alone," he says. The latest CD he picked up is ‘The Secret’ and he did not mind paying Rs 1,000 for one, because ‘the experience of listening to it is so lively that it’s worth it."

Dr Salil Singh, a radiologist with Gyan Sagar Medical College, has a different reason altogether for listening to them. "When we read a book, sometimes we interpret it in a way which may or may not be in tune with the way the author thinks. But when you are listening to a book, the tone of the narrator and the background music sets your attitude right immediately," says Salil.

Now you have all the reasons to pick up a CD from the nearest bookstore or download your favourite author from the Net like super cop Kiran Bedi does. And maybe her words will inspire you to just do that, "It’s been almost 10 years since I am listening to books, mostly self-help or inspirational ones by authors like Deepak Chopra and Anthony Robins and also religious discourses which I download on my I-pod. I am now addicted to it and do it anywhere and everywhere, whether I am driving or walking." And the most recent ones which she has added to her enviable collection is The World is Flat and The World History.

Are you game to hearing your favourite tales than reading it?

Talking tomes

The British Library has an interesting collection of Talking Books. Here in a package, you get a book and also an audio of the same book. The idea is to read the book and listen to its audio version at the same time so that you get your pronunciation right. So, if you are a member pick up a copy of The Man From Nowhere or The Lady in White or some Sherlock Homes and roll your R’s as you enjoy the murder mystery

.parbina@tribunemail.com

Weaving sensibilities
S.D. Sharma

Quoting the celestial thespian Bharat Muni, ‘theatre is an imitation of emotionally rich actions and conducts of people in different situations presented on stage with an amiable profuse of music, dance, narratives, acting spells and light sound effects,’ Delhi -based playwright poet Dr Narender Mohan sees theatre as a life size art. Credited for authoring over 52 books on poetry, drama and critical appreciation, Dr Mohan earned his doctorate from PU Chandigarh in 1958. He has been bestowed with top literary awards including, Punjab government’s ‘Sahit Shiromani, Haryana Sahitya Akademy award, and awards from UP & Delhi government. In city, on the invitation of Chandigarh Sahitya Akademy for recitation and interactive preview of his new play Hadd ho gayi yaaron, Dr Mohan shared his views with Tribune Lifestyle on the play and contemporary theatre scene in the Northern region.

"With the spurt in television channels, majority of theatre practitioners, especially the ambitious crop of professionals emerging from newly institutionalised drama schools had opted to work in TV serials for better monetary prospectus," he says. Adds Dr Mohan, "Devout theatre addicts still keep the theatre tradition alive in the North despite any patronage from the government or from the corporate world."

Talking about his play Hadd ho gayi yaaron, which is almost a fantasy of farcical movements, Dr Mohan claims that it is a oblique dig on the socio-political life that runs through engaging moments. The play is structured along an olden autocratic rule of a Raja, a hairdresser (nai) close confidant of Raja, Swami, a rich religious patriarch and math chief. These characters created as metaphors for power absolute, psychophancy, religious exploitation and others form the systems of governance and the ruled public.

Later, he made`A0a dramatic narration of his play before the city thespians and art lovers at the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademy. The function and interactive session was presided over by Manju Jaidka, chairperson of the akademy.

Health Peg
Treadmill exercise can reverse stroke damage