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Red Hot Why would someone give up the joy of being with their family on a day like Holi? Why would the idea of having a blast with friends not entice? We thought the Kalioon ka Chaman girl, Meghna Naidu, could answer. “You bet. I haven’t been able to play Holi for the past six or seven years now. I am always away from my family. Earlier, I would go mad playing Holi,” says Meghna, in the city to perform at Fun City. “You have to hear this out,” she adds with a puckish grin, “Whenever I have to perform at Holi, I tell myself, Meghna here are the people who have paid to see you rock. This gives me some joy and covers up for the fact that I am not splashing colours with my family members unlike rest of the audience.” Dil ko behlaaney key liye yeh khayaal acha hai Ghalib…. The idea is to be happy, and how. Well. Each to his own. “I feel the same,” screams Meghna. “People ask me about my non-conventional sexiness, given my size. They advice me to reduce weight, so that I can fit into the size zero category. However, I don’t see myself going on crash diet. I am comfortable and happy in my skin,” says Meghna. “All the same, I believe in being fit and I work out for it. Other than this, I am okay with my body.” Hey, we just saw a streak of wisdom in this girl. Hopefully this isn’t a put on. “How long can I put on a mask,” she questions. “Each one of us has to come to terms with reality,” says the daring girl, who fought her fear of water (hydrophobia) in celebrity Fear Factor. “I take each day as it comes. I choose to see the positive aspect of everything, something that keeps me going,” offers Meghna. Projects in the pipeline? “A new album, It’s Hot and lot of live shows,” she adds. “I am getting offers, but I want to do some sit up and worthy performances. I have done great stuff down South. I wish to do it here as well.” Till the time some of her ‘great’ projects materialises, it’s live performances for Meghna. “I love to perform,” she smiles and gets back to what she likes doing the most— dancing. jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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Unfit for
a verse
It rises above the chatter of unknown, unfamiliar and incomprehensible jumble of voices and music booming out of miniature speakers of mobile phones held loosely in fragile-ringed fingers. The pleasant breeze blowing soft across the trees framing the open-air fast food joint in Sector 10 apparently carries it, as if the weighty statement is wispy and feathery. But it is not the tone that makes the necks crane and the heads turn at an easy, or seemingly difficult, angle, depending upon the position the onlookers find themselves in at that moment. It is the tenor of the intonation, for sure. So, the blessed orator is a pretty young thing with a wrap of sophistication around her in a mode of spaghetti top over stiff denim shorts that casually ride well above her knees. What is the damsel talking about, after all? Her gang looks perplexed too. The Laila-Majnu fable is suggestive of unification in an end being a solution to a life of segregation; something akin to John Donne’s assertion in The Canonization: We can die by it, if not live by love, And if unfit for tomb or hearse our legend be, it will be fit for verse. The two had died. They shouldn’t have. No one should die for love; because of love. But in the process, they had let death put a stamp of authenticity and legitimacy on their relationship. There can be no second thoughts. Is her assertion evocative of loss of credibility in Laila’s legendary capabilities of reciprocating the love Majnu denounced the material world for? As if answering the poser doing the rounds in your head, the dame waves her hand in front of her face, seemingly to combat the thoughts from cowing her down before asserting: No one digs for permanence anymore. Equally shocking! Feelings wear away even before you exhaust your mobile recharge coupons nowadays. But it’s not always what you want from life. Eternalness has its own charm. So to say, transience is almost always preferred over intransience. This is carrying things a bit too far, isn’t it? Another beauty without brains? “Tch… tch…,” she says, dismissing with the shake of her head all voices of protests her group generates. “What makes Freida Pinto so attractive? Have you ever wondered why even guys who haven’t even seen Slumdog Millionaire are going ga-ga over her? It’s just because she has dumped her guy”. The ensuing silence makes you think. It makes sense, folks. Her role in Slumdog Millionaire brought her acclaim, undoubtedly. But stunning Freida’s ceremonious act of ditching Mumbai PR agent Rohan Antao actually launched a thousand smiles. That also explains why “moving ahead” of Dev D’s Paro does not call to mind a feeling of repugnance. All flings and no clings! Love grows! And anything that grows, changes, and decays. It cannot be perfect. So, imperfection and change are positive values. It all reminds you of what all Venus says in Donne’s The Indifferent: Poor heretics in love there be, Which think to stablish dangerous constancy. But I have told them, ‘Since you will be true, You shall be true to them who’re false to you. saurabh@tribunemail.com
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Side Lanes
Bani tells me with awe, “He is not from this world!” As I watch Patrick encourage this lovely Chandigarhite, suffering from MS, onto the dance floor, tenderly protecting her stubborn, frail body within the circle of his arms, I see a miracle in the making. She does not think of her crippling illness, but of that one shining moment that has made her as normal as all the other dancers. Patrick, a qualified doctor, CA and faith healer, infuses courage, confidence and hope in those he meets. Tall, reed thin, with piercing all-seeing eyes, long hair and a unique exuberance, he is completely at ease amongst strangers. His humour, practical horse sense, and brilliant repartee, draw all towards him. He is like a magnet, without the polar tugs, a honeycomb without the cloying gumminess of honey. Patrick lives in Goa but travels three weeks in a month, healing people in various cities and towns. From a congregation of 6000, he can only see 400, but assures the rest he will return within the month. Peoples’ frailties dictate his ministry. His community work focuses on schools, health centers, tube wells, agricultural advisories, orphanages and old peoples’ homes. The last two function as family units of two adults caring for six orphans. One of his first patients was a man who had three massive strokes and only a few days to live. Where medicine failed, Patrick succeeded and the long, winding queues began. Ten years ago he brought the Rajmata of Patiala out of a health crisis. He can change platelet counts through his curative energy. He concentrates on a patient and pinpoints the medication being given or required. He ascribes his powers to universal energy and says we too can grab it and use it, provided we give up negative emotions like gossip, anger, jealousy, envy. He operates through free workshops where extempore questions and answers flow. His helpers run into thousands and work themselves to the bone, fuelled by love. Some Patricisms: The Essence of the Bible: Love and Mercy. Science: Proven therefore it is history, so please move on! Be happy and you will provide joy and kindness. Don’t dole out charity for it is not yours to give. Shraddha is to open a new school on the banks of the Yamuna because the one she already runs is functioning perfectly. She has surrendered herself to Patrick’s ministry. As the name of the organisation implies, Samarpan is a total surrender of the self to break barriers and let in others. It achieves the ultimate goal of becoming one with the universe. No religion can sully its purity. Those who are cured pay their tithes by helping school children towards higher education and jobs. The circle of healing and love never ceases. As we dance through the night, our inhibitions collapse. Our bodies sway to a compelling rhythm. A shared and very vibrant energy flows through the assembly. Patrick will start his healing the following morning. Perhaps it all began on the dance floor. Ozzie and I feel free and young. Patrick has created a cocoon of well being amongst everyone present.
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OBJET D’ART The origin Though fans have been used since prehistoric times, there are no written records about their origin. Some of the earliest surviving fans are the gold and ostrich feather fans from Tutankhamen's tomb (2nd century BD), woven side-mounted fans from Chinese tombs (2nd century BC) and circular Roman fans (250 AD). Folding fans originated from Japan in the 6th century. Fan fun During the Elizabethan era, from 1558 to 1603, people in Europe practised a secret language of fanology whereby they could converse without speaking. The code used made it possible to spell out where a secret meeting might take place. The number of blades displayed the suggested time. Fan as an objet d'art? Even I would have laughed at the idea had I not met artist Jatin Das, who asked me if I had ever seen a hand-made ivory fan from Majuli, the largest river island of the world located in Assam. I answered him in the negative, showing ignorance about fans in general, which I thought only as a device used to induce an airflow for the purpose of cooling or refreshing oneself when electricity goes off, not something as a collector's item. Well, a slide show by the artist atlered my opinion. Jatin Das developed this fascination for pankhas when he was still living in Orissa. He started with collecting the huge Alakh Baba palm-leaf fans from Dhenkanal. One thing led to another and now his collection boasts of more than 6,000 hand fans from all over the world, making him undeniably one of the largest collectors of this kind. Traditional antique hand fans or hand-pulled ceiling fans, fixed or revolving, made of palm leaves, cane, silver, feathers, silk, satin, leather, beads, barks and ivory. Ritual temple fans of silver and brass, khus fans from Rajasthan and Kerala, ancient phad fans from Kerala, khajur fans dressed in satin and zardozi, wedding fans from Hyderabad and Pakistan. You name it and he has it all in his collection. Much more than the beauty of each piece he has so painstakingly collected, it is the pride of preservation and conservation of Indian culture that drives him to do that. Each fan brings out a little of the culture and heritage of the region it comes from and also the natural resources available there. For example, the Majuli bisoni which was once woven intricately in ivory is now being made with bamboos. parbina@tribunemail.com |
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Folksy and filmy Dressed as a sweeper with a broom in my hand as I was sitting under a tree inside the Ferozepore Jail, concentrating to get into my assigned role of Baru the jail sweeper, a senior jail officer on routine visit shouted at me. As he ordered me in an authoritative tone to go and start work, all actors dressed as prisoners had a hearty laugh. Soon he realised his mistake and joined us. But it sure was a compliment, recalls Rupinder Singh, aka Rupi, about his debut film Shaheed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh. With incredible achievements in folk dances (Bhangra, Dhola and Jhumar), over a dozen Hindi and Punjabi films, six tele serials and documentary, as many as 17 plays in his kitty, Rupi is known for popularising Punjabi culture to all states of India through North Zone Cultural Centre and Punjab State Cultural programmes. Though even the small but memorable roles have won him popularity but the folk-based musical ballets and theatre is his first love. "We see our own culture in folk dances and the myriad shades of life in theatre which is a life-size art," claims Rupi. "About the filmy glamour and conduct of cine stars people hold divergent views and I too carried with the same notion but working with great actors like Shah Rukh Khan I have to change my perception. The King Khan gave me affectionate regards during my cameo role of a bus conductor in Veer Zara. Similarly, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan and Vipul Shah hold junior actors in good esteem," says Rupi, relating his experience in working with them in Lodon Dreams where he played a contractor. Playing diverse roles in films has improved his acting skill. A village panch in Singh is Kinng, the character of a Pakistani national in a Hollywood movie The Partition, a school principal in Pind di Kudi besides roles in Dil Apna Punjabi, Mehndi Waale Hathh, Mjajan, Mera Pind, My Home, just to name a few. Playing a negative in Gurdas Maan's Waris Shah was encouraging as it happened to be first Punjabi film nominated for the Oscars. With all his dedicated efforts for the promotion of rich Punjabi heritage, the state award eludes him though he had been nominated twice. But Rupi is not complaining. In tune with his Bhangra beat, he smiles to say "Unka jo farz hai, voh ahle -siyasat jaane, Mera paigaam mohabbat hai, jahan tak
pahunche". |
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Nature’s own Man! This was some exhibition! Well, this is, if asked to put it colloquially. The visitors too could be overheard admiring in hushed tones either the artist or her effort. Wait a minute, where's the artist? A fleeting look around the gallery and the venue hints at a lady standing next to a person just like a pupil next to his teacher. There's a pause at every work and what looks like an exchange of invaluable, unending inputs, continues unabated. The confirmations have just started pouring in. 'Resilience', a mixed-media show by Shivani Sud in various ways stands apart, not just because it's based on women, by a woman and dedicated to women, but because it's straight from the heart. Inaugurated by Shiv Singh, renowned sculptor, also the teacher of Shivani…(now we know!), the collection showcased 22 works in all. He says, "Art is not easy. It requires dedication and passion. The works are really good, especially the treatment of colour." The invite 'My exhibition is dedicated to women, who are the bastion of civilization and culture' though makes it amply obvious yet fails miserably. What words can describe a riot of colours weaved into a riot of emotions against the backdrop of nature? Meanwhile, an overwhelmed lady breaks into a prose narrating the inability of words to express. Back to the exhibition and the artist. "I came up with this collection to celebrate woman, her various facets…I myself have gone through so much, I know a woman is very patient and powerful. They are the only ones who can come out strong out of problems," says the two-exhibition-old Shivani. There's one titled, Romance and something like a haiku reads 'Not to advance is to regress', and another titled Dancing Beauty captures the two women with instruments, while yet another called Staring Eyes depicting faces with large eyes probes to the core. Still another, named Friends, says, 'Women support others and thereby cause others to support them'. Which one's her favourite? She, without a second thought, points to what appears a mesh of shadows and women against the trees and greens. So, this was easy. "Because it portrays the tough nature of women. Nature itself is very powerful and in our male dominated society though women are considered weak, the fact is they are the ones who overcome adversities. This work depicts that." And which work did Shiv Singh like the best? She smiles. We nod. And leave. manpriya@tribunemail.com On at Punjab Kala Bhavan-16 till March 15 |
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Raga & rhythm Known for giving a new dimension and worldwide recognition to the bamboo flute and Indian instrumental music, Chaurasia has made an immense effort to reach the audience and make them fall in love with the Indian classical music. Coming from a family of wresters, Chaurasia had an inclination for music and went against the wishes of his father. Initially, he learnt music in secrecy before getting training from Pandit Rajaram and later Onadit Bhola Nath of Benaras. During his stint with the All-India Radio, the charismatic turn came in his musical career as he fell in the blessed tutelage of Annapurna Devi, the daughter of Baba Allaudin Khan. With his complete control over the flute and the skillful blowing technique, he is admired all over the world. He is an artistic director of the World Music Department at the Rotterdam Music Conservatory in the Netherlands and has composed music for numerous Bollywood films like Lamhe, Faasale, Chandni, Silsila and Darr. As a soloist, the acclaimed tabla maestro Yogesh Samsi will be a treat for art lovers before the enchanting flute recital by Panditji. Yogesh has carved a niche for himself with brilliant performances on the top musical festivals and venues in the world. Having learnt from his guru Pandit Tara Nath, he remained in the tutelage of all-time great tabla wizard Ustad Allah Rakha Saheb for 23 years. His tabla playing styles bears the stamp of versatility and rhythmic perfection for which his Guru was known for. According to HIFA secretary Piyush Kumar the entry to the concert at Kalagram is by invitation cards which are made available at Kalagram and Sai Sweets, Sector-22. Music aspirants can download the invite from www.hifaindia.org. |
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Shining bright From his childhood Sumit had been nursing a dream to be a pioneer in any realm, which came his way. Instead of emulating his father SK Nayyar, an engineer by profession and a social figure, Sumit endeavoured to make his name big in the field of laser engraver. His dedication and spirit to lead not only won him a career but befitting encouragement from the Administration. The Department of Industries, UT Chandigarh, honoured him with the state award for promoting entrepreneurship and outstanding performance in the medium and small enterprise category. Elated at the achievement, Sumit explains the basic concept of laser engraving on any material, other than metals. “It can be used for accurate designing of any object, photograph, landscape or
signage,” he says. Sumeet, a graduate with a diploma in Computer Programming (UK), has been in the field of printing, designing and advertising since 1991. To accomplish his project, he imported the laser engraving machine from Korea in 2005. The working area of the laser engraver is 2ft X 3ft, which is exclusively available at Chandigarh alone for the entire Northern Zone. It is useful for interior decoration as well as exclusive handicraft items with a difference. The signage, logos, name-plates, corporate gift items, photographs, family-photographs, trophies and certificates in any material like wood, MDF, acrylic, mica, leather, granite, paper, mirror, glass, coated metals or plastic is done by Sumeet. |
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Raveena on ramp Showcasing Dongre’s collection, which depicts Indian heritage, Tandon said the creations were for all seasons. “Her (Anita Dongre) creations are very comfortable. Every woman has a comfort zone, and I think, she designs clothes according to moods, whether they are western or Indian. This collection of her’s is timeless,” observed Raveena Tandon “You buy this kind of piece once in your lifetime and it goes on forever. Fashion may come and go, times may change, but this will remain. It has that royal, that every classic, timeless kind of look to it,” she added. On her part, Anita Dongre said that she was preparing hard for the upcoming ‘Wills Fashion Week’ to be held in New Delhi on March 19. “Really busy, just another five days before I go out to Delhi. Just trying to
finish off all the designs that we’ve conceived... and get out in time,” said
Dongre. The Indian fashion industry has lately gained tremendous prominence and today, it ranks among the country’s high growth sectors. In view of the rising disposable income and surging exposure to western media, the overall turnover in the fashion industry is expected to double over the next couple of years.
— ANI |
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Identity crisis
“Wake Up Sid, is a movie about coming off age of a boy. It is directed by Ayaan Mukherjee and stars Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma. The film deals with the predicament that young boys face after passing out of college when they are trying to find an identity of their own,” said Johar. Currently under production, Wake Up Sid is slated to hit the screens by September this year. — ANI
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Koffee break
What is your role? I am playing a college lecturer, with no makeup or glamour. The character is opposite to my image. How did you bag it? Anurag Kashyap met me and narrated the role to me. Initially I was reluctant to play this character. But when he narrated the script, I immediately accepted the offer. How was it working with Anurag? As a director, Anurag is fabulous, grounded and systematic in his method of working. Dev D is the best example of his works which have substance and realistic. Your call — acting or modeling? Modeling is something that I will always prefer to do. Yes, I enjoy acting too. It is not the fame that attracts me because I already have enough of that. I like the creativity involved with acting. What kind of movies are you interested in? Definitely like Gulaal, in which I have an intense role. I would also love to do action movies. Your upcoming films? I am playing a model in Love Khichdi with Randeep Hooda in the main lead. Your hobbies? Exercises and reading are my hobbies. — Dharam Pal
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All the Majnus of the world would have nothing to do with Laila today!” A high-pitched voice affirms. It is the class of voice that is accustomed to blaring to make itself heard loud and clear over the din of sensibilities put forth by others as well in casual conversations. Of course, it is not what you call in common parlance “ladylike”.
Does happiness and zest for life cure our bodies? What about a healer who combines both with his inner strength, humour, compassion and the powers of the universe? Can he garner universal energies and direct them into our fractured, bruised selves to heal and mend us? Can he invoke God through meditation to cause a reversal of fortunes; to lessen pain and stitch wounds, to straighten out mental maiming and societal injustice? The faith healer can do all this and much more. 
And it is still growing. And his plan is all laid out. A Fan Museum at the JD Centre of Art in Bhubaneshwar. "I want to have a museum of hand-made fans and I am working on it," said Das, making an appeal to one and all to help him out with this mission by adding to his collection. 
His collection is valued at several crores but this is one hobby that can be started with only a little amount but a lot of patience, passion and persuasion. Das, who has written a book on the subject Stir the Still Air, motivates one and all to 'collect fans or anything for that matter so that one can contribute his bits in preserving Indian heritage and also endow oneself with knowledge to take pride in it'.
Music is an unending quest, the eternal pilgrimage of any devout art aficionado but a divine art for legendary Padmavibhushan Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, the internationally renowned flutist. Curtsey the Haryana Institute of Fine Arts, Indian Music Association Mumbai, Idea and NZCC, city art lovers will be treated to an enchanting flute recital by Chaurasia at Kalagram on Friday.
In the run up to the Wills Fashion Show, noted fashion designer Anita Dongre used Bollywood star Raveena Tandon as a model for her new collection titled “Timeless Speaking”. 
Bollywood director Karan Johar is getting ready to floor the audience with his forthcoming production Wake Up Sid, which explores the coming of age of a teenage boy trying to find a foothold in the adult world. The film trails the journey of self-realization and self-exploration as the boy tries to find an identity of his own after passing out of college.
Model Jesse Randhawa has been one of the most successful supermodels of her time with many top class ramp shows to her credit. She blazed the silver screen with a dance number in No Smoking. She is in the news again with Anurag Kashyap’s film Gulaal, that opens this Friday. We talk to Jesse who is pinning her hopes on Gulaal.