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Night out to nightmare
Taking this incident into consideration we talk to people and hoteliers on their security arrangements in the city.
"After the Mumbai incident (women molested by men on the New Year eve) the hoteliers association of the city came up with a list of do's and don'ts. Though it's easy to say than implement, but we at out premises have placed 16 cameras across the property to take care nothing untoward happens and if it does we have the footage," says Atul Grover, MD, Hard Rock Café- 43. He adds, "Other than this we have round the clock security that keeps a close watch on people." What about the women staff, what if anyone misbehaves? "Our women staff does not work in night shifts." About the shameful incident Atul says, "These kind of incident should not be brushed aside, but strict action should be taken against the culprits. Six months jail or a fine of Rs 5000 is not enough, these guys should be publicly disgraced." Warehouse director, Karan Wahi says, "We've been having parties for last 2-3 years and we know these kind of incidents do happen, so taking extra care is must. We have not 5 or 10 bouncers but almost 35 -40 bouncers in our club, who make sure there is no nonsense." Ask him what about the security checks and he says, "We have a tight security check, be it then for boys or girls. We make sure not even a match stick goes inside. And apart from that in our club we have no stag entries as it is usually stags who indulge in fights and would do something unpleasant." We guess places like this sure have means to fight hoodlums, but what about open places? Says head constable, Avtar Singh from Police Headquarters-9, "There are number of PCRs that are stationed across the city in the night. Though police is usually on the move but we cannot be present everywhere." Ask him about the security of women and he says, "Chandigarh Police is just a phone call away and mostly the PCR's are posted on places that have night rush." So why this incident went unattended, "Police is looking into the matter." And well, who according to police can act this shameful? "It's usually the drug addicts. No sane person can act this way," says Avtar Singh. Parmeet Oberoi, a businessman of sector-39 who visits Food Street regularly, says, "Such incidents do create a scare but the solution is to have proper security than cry for help." Well, all the restaurants do not have a fleet of bouncers so what do they do? Hardial Singh Bains, F & B manger, Aroma-22 says, "We don't have
bouncers but 4-5 security personals out of whom one is always positioned outside the all-night café. And whenever such incidents have happened outside our 24-hour restaurant, we've called the police. In fact, a PCR gypsy is stationed outside after 11pm." And who according to him are the trouble makers, "Its usually the student crowd who create trouble." Well, whosoever is the troublemaker, be sure you are not a soft target. Raise your voice and find a solution.
jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com
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Hospitality goes for toss! But never mind
This fever doesn't abide by any temperature scale. It surges beyond the maximum; conveniently zips past the boiling point and never drops. Yet, people love being a victim of what we call 'cricket fever' for if they aren't, their life isn't worth it. But now that the IPL has moved out of India to South Africa, it has left many disappointed, including the hospitality sector. And, we got the affirmation from city hoteliers. The Taj-17 will miss the IPL the most and for valid reasons. Anil Malhotra, general manager, Taj-Chandigarh, specifies it for us, "IPL is a two-month-cricket-festival where you celebrate every stroke and run. Last year, we had fans thronging the hotel to have a glimpse of their favourite cricket players, which won't be the case this time." So lesser footfall means comparatively less business? "Everytime there is a match in the city, we allot 40 rooms in total for the cricket teams and concerned officials. This time, we will miss out on it." Figures further denote it; "Revenue generation of IPL in 2008 was Rs 40 lakh, which includes the catering cost to the cricketers." He adds further, "It might cause a marginal difference in the revenue but then, I strongly feel the nation's stability and security is far more important than entertainment this time." Amidst the incessant war of words between the political moghuls, it is cricket buffs who will suffer. A.K. Malhotra, general manager, CITCO, too swears by it but at the same time feels the elections are rather important. "Strategically elections are more significant but for a cricket frenzy country like ours, it is a little difficult to digest it." No denying, it will cause a bit of a financial void, "Looking at the last year's earnings of Rs 20-25 lakhs by CITCO during the IPL season, it becomes apparent how we are going to lose out this year." As he further adds, "It will have a multiplier effect on the economy as the city wouldn't get enough tourists visiting city to watch the matches.” Manmohan Kohli, owner of Aroma-22 and president of the Chandigarh Hotel Association, opines that not just the occupancy of hotel accommodations will be less, also the effect will seep into small businesses like food and transport. He says, "Since, an IPL match is a two-hour affair, people generally don't stay back for the night. But they do dine at different restaurants. Thus the IPL moving out of country will affect peripheral industries too." However, he doesn't forget to make his point, "It is justified not to compromise on elections for the IPL, since they are more important and decide the future course of our country's economy." ashima@tribunemail.com
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Sculpting success
A staunch believer in freedom? One must be talking about an artist. If he talks of commitment, got to be a genius. In between, if there’s an allusion to ‘playing with subjects’, rest assured he’s a legend. When he sports signature black, it has to be Shiv Singh. It was a power-packed morning — power referring to not the people but the occasion; book launch, award ceremony and exhibition rolled into one. “Shiv Singh has one unique identity. Because of his great works and immense contribution to Indian art and culture FaceIndia decided to come up with the book, Works of Shiv Singh,” says Viren, managing trustee, Face India, the foundation for art, culture and education. In the process, Shiv Singh added nth lifetime achievement title to his long list of acclaims, including a national award in sculpture in 1979. Countless and counting! Over to Shiv Singh. “This organisation saw my one or two exhibitions, got inspired enough to come up with full-fledged catalogue book on my works,” says Shiv Singh. So much for the inspiration behind the book! “Sculpting is very difficult, it’s like chewing iron, commitment is one prerequisite.” He adds, “I grew up at a farmhouse where there used to be lots of sand to play with. That’s when my affair with sculpture began. Any body who does not play cannot be an artist.” Who else cannot be an artist? “Freedom is very important. They don’t give freedom while teaching at art schools. Someone can teach you techniques, can tell you how to weave and mould. But art? Art is personal, it’s an experience and it cannot be taught.” Talking of experiences and personal one to be precise, he says, “I grew up amidst sugar cane, corn fields, countryside. Environment has always influenced an artist. These are forces, they attack you.” The metal sculpture alongside resembling a complicated, meandering flower suddenly appears natural. He explains, “When mountain water brings sand along and when that sand dries and breaks, it assumes that shape.” Registering visual experiences of nature while moving about and moulding them is how he approaches his works. Another admirer among the gathering laughs, “He has broken the stiffness of line.” But does he feel enough literature exists for sculpture? He says, “Yes I think so. There are several books available on the subject of sculpture. There is ample literature on renowned sculptors too.” Let’s leave it at that. manpriya@tribunemail.com
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The tricity has emerged as an important Tier II destination, especially for the transit traveler, but in some ways it’s still not viewed as ‘the’ destination for the business traveler. Perhaps, it was owing to this perception that Amritsar, and not Chandigarh, was the first choice when it came to the setting up of the IHHR brand’s Ista business hotel in the region. Says the managing director, IHHR Hospitality Pvt Ltd, Ashok Khanna, “We are looking at Chandigarh, among other cities, for further expansion, but I’d rather wait a while till there’s more IT presence and business looks up.” It was the advantage of substantial religious tourist traffic that made the group look at Amritsar as its first stop in the north, already having Ista hotels in the south, at Bangalore and Hyderabad,says the man behind the ‘Ananda—-in the Himalayas’ spa destination. And the USP of the Ista brand of business hotels are a clutch of lifestyle products and services like its trademark spa and multi-specialty cuisine in the shape of Thai Chi and live cooking counters et al. “The spa has therapists trained from Ananda in a host of ayurvedic as well western treatments like Thai and Swedish massages, etc,” adds Khanna. What gives Ista Amritsar a unique look is the Golden Temple-inspired interiors, with replicas of the shrine adorning the suites as well as lounges. The proximity of an upcoming mall, located bang next doors, may be an added attraction and of mutual benefit to both parties concerned. — CKB
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Being Lushin
The Durga Das Foundation as part of its regular theatre presentations is bringing yet another interesting play to the city — Salaam India. Directed by well-known theatre personality Lushin Dubey, the play has received rave reviews in Delhi and Mumbai. Inspired by writer Pavan Varma’s bestseller, Being Indian, it has been adapted for the stage by Nicholas Kharkongor. It has music by the highly talented and acclaimed Louis Banks and choreography by Ashley Lobo. The play looks at how Indians have come to question their identity through the ages while still holding on to resilience and hope. It gives a panoramic view of a youthful democracy that is 61-year-old and the manner in which it has kept in touch with its roots, while at the same time finding its rightful place in a globalised world. In an interesting narrative, the treatment of the play is such that it allows four central actors to portray 16 characters in different situations, bringing the audience face-to-face with slices of life that are funny, contradictory, serious and thought provoking. At the central level the play is about hope and aspirations; of how whether it is our culture, history or structure of our society, we have held on to what is our core set of values and beliefs. The four actors Shena Gamat, Ashish Paliwal, Andrew Hoffland and Lushin Dubey have convincingly played out their parts. — TNS On April 3 at Tagore Theatre
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A student of Class VIII, Pragati worked in Veer Zara, Dosti, Nalayak, Sadiyaan and Mummy Ji. She also appears in two movies to be released this weekend Heaven-on-Earth and Ek-Power of One. She has acted in serials Apne Paraye, Kaun Banega Star and Sarprast telecasted on Doordarshan and Star Plus. “Apart from acting, I want to work for woman rights. I would love to work in movies that bring meaningful change to society,” she shares. Recognising her talent, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, awarded her a silver medal in 2007. — TNS
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The exclusive Certified Organic Cotton store’s wide range of knitwear includes organic cotton T-shirts, Polo shirts, lounge wear, Bermudas and inner-wear for men. — TNS
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Parenting bites
Prerna, Panchkula based software engineer and food consultant says, “Healthy foods and drinks can also be presented in as attractive a way as possible. An example might be making nutritious drinks with milk and fruit, placing slices of fruit around the rim of the cup or glass and providing brightly coloured straws to drink from.” Children can be encouraged to help choose the food for meals and must be involved in preparation such as washing, cutting and presenting. Children, who would normally never eat vegetables, will happily eat a bean sprout salad if they have been involved in sprouting the beans and making the salad. It is not just children who like unhealthy food , adults do as well, and since we naturally want to show our love to children by giving them nice things, we can fall into the trap of giving the children the food that we enjoy. There are no healthy and unhealthy foods. Even chips contribute nutrients to our diet. However, there are foods, such as those high in sugar , fat and salt that should make up a small part of our diet. Burgers and chips will not harm us if they are eaten occasionally, adds Prerna . Some times it is best not to persist with offering children foods that you know they dislike. There are usually a range of foods that will provide the same nutrients, so if your children dislike carrots, for instance, they might prefer sweet potato, which also contains high amounts of vitamin A. Some children are fussy eaters, eating very little from a restricted list of food that they like. Children should be encouraged to choose what they want on their plate, from the food that is available for that meal. It may be that all they want, is a spoonful of rice, but they should be encouraged to taste a very little of something else as well. Parents usually claim that their children eat nothing all day, when in fact the children are filling up with sweets and snacks , so eat nothing at meal times. Parents can also worry the their children eat too much and that they are overweight or obese. Instead of worrying Versha Uppal, a teacher, Chandigarh suggests, “One must look at the activity of the child. It is likely that they spend most of the day sitting at a desk at school, watching TV, or playing with the computer. It is essential that there is time set side for outside play and for exercise and sports.
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Relatively
speaking Kids’ exams will be over very soon. Keeping them occupied during the break is a daunting task for parents. How can parents make this time productive? Fun time
With a thrust on productivity these days one needs to make sure summer holidays are fun and entertaining along with being creative for kids. Parents should take care of their children’s interest while choosing an activity for them. The option are many—swimming, playing tennis, basketball, painting, dancing, gardening, candle making and pottery. There are many schools and small institutes that provide such courses. Such outdoor activities should be encouraged among kids as they make kids fit and healthy. Furthermore parents should realise that with all the schoolwork and tuitions kids hardly get time for any fun activities. So these holidays should be utilised to provide stress free environment before the gruelling schedule of the schools starts. Rashmi Anand Take out time
Opinder Kaur Sekhon Let them be
Exams are over, and children buzzing with energy need an outlet to transform it into creativity. Parents are a troubled lot, thinking of ways and means to keep them occupied. The easiest route adopted is to put them in summer camps, dance and music classes or a sports academy to keep them occupied. Here is the catch. Children remain occupied but the creativity suffers because child is seldom asked what he would really like to do. Parents dream becomes child’s nightmare. Best way to keep children occupied is to let them be themselves. Observe and encourage their inclination. Motivate them to participate in public speaking contests. Confidence so gained, stands good in facing job interviews, and finding the right place for themselves in this competitive world. Harinder Mohan Singh Encourage art
I am in strong favour that children should be introduced to various forms of art like painting, sketching or writing during their holidays. I accept that sports are necessary and they are good for health and growth but art is the only most effective and efficient way of sublimating the suppressed desires. Nowdays life has become very fast and stressful. At such times art becomes a precious gift because it gives a lot of pleasure. So I would suggest parents to make their kids learn something new. Charanjeet
Singh Games coupled with family time
Avtansh Behal Lifestyle invites responses from readers on the following issue: The daily grind of life leaves little time for couples to spend together. How can they best utilise the summer holidays to bond better? Please email the responses to lifestyletribune@gmail.com or mail on Relatively Speaking, Lifestyle, The Tribune, Sector 29,
Chandigarh. Only the best few responses will be published. |
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Home is best
He admits that the condition of film technicians in India is 'pathetic', but Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty says he would still prefer staying and working in the country rather than chase international projects. "Something that is always to be remembered is that it was my work in India that got me an Oscar and not my work in the West. I have no qualms about people (from the West) chasing me now (for projects) but when you go there, the whole dynamics of work change for you and I don't want to be in such a situation," says Pookutty. "I want to live and work here in my own country and pass on whatever I have learnt so far to the next generation. Yes, may be 10 years down the line, if I get an opportunity to head West, I might think about it but not now," he said. Pookutty won an Oscar along with Richard Pryke and Ian Tapp for best sound mixing in Danny Boyle's multiple award-winning Slumdog Millionaire. The 38-year-old, who also won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for his work in the same film, rued the condition of technicians in the country and how the contribution of a majority of them goes "unrecognised". "The condition of technicians in our country was pathetic until before (the Oscars). The technicians in the industry have long been underestimated, as we are used to recognising only glamorous people. They have been denied the public forum since a long time," he said. But didn't the Oscars bring a change in his life? "Yes, there has been a change in my life after the Oscars but only considering the acclaim that 'Slumdog...' has brought in for our country globally. Otherwise I am the same guy and not a celebrity. I do my work the way I used to," he said. "I also don't want people to start expecting a lot from me now instantly. After all, even Sachin Tendulkar doesn't score centuries in every match," the sound designer added. Born in Anchal, Kerala, Pookutty started his career in 1995 with Rajat Kapur's never-released film Private Detective: Two Plus Two Plus One and went on to design sounds for films like Black (2005), Traffic Signal (2007), Saawariya (2007) and Ghajini (2008). — IANS
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Polls apart
"Chirag is a very gifted boy. He's tall and good-looking and ideal hero material. He has also been training hard for a career and is not taking the golden spoon in his mouth lightly. So, yes, as a filmmaker from Bihar I do feel duty-bound to do something with Chirag. However, I'm not launching Chirag. Do I look like the kind of person who'd give in to such arm-twisting tactics?" said Jha. The filmmaker, who is known for his hard-hitting movies set in Bihar, clarified that Chirag was being launched in a film by producer Anuj Saxena. Saxena, said, “Chirag's debut film had three heroines and was currently in the pre-production stage. It's a film entitled 50-50 directed by Tanvir Khan.” — IANS
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Deep sea blues
Even if directing three Bollywood macho men, two sizzling beauties and one Australian pop diva didn't seem a tough bet for debut director Anthony D'Souza, wielding the megaphone for 40 sharks for an underwater action sequence for Blue surely gave him jitters. "The scariest part of Blue was in fact the sharks. Getting them to act in my film was not easy," says D'Souza. The particular scene with sharks has actors Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar and Zayed Khan in the frame and it called for a lot of safety measures. The director explained: "We had shark handlers present on the shoot to make sure that nothing untoward happened. But it was a risky business. Everyone who was around knew that these were living, breathing sharks and that it was their turf." To perfect the scene, D'Souza brought down Hollywood's renowned underwater cinematography specialist Pete Zuccarini apart from getting James Bomalick of Indiana Jones fame to choreograph the action sequences. The film, also starring Katrina Kaif and Lara Dutta, has a special appearance by Grammy award-winning singer Kylie Minogue, who will be seen in a song with Akshay. With such international expertise and glamour, one may expect Blue to be a truly Hollywood experience. However the director, who shot parts of the popular adventure series Ripley's Believe It Or Not earlier, says he has retained the Bollywood flavour. Blue is slated for release in August, on the Independence Day weekend. — IANS
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Survival strategy
Sangeeth Sivan might have earned commercial success with his two comedies Kya Kool Hain Hum and Apna Sapna Money Money but he does not want to be known as a director of the comic genre. Sivan, whose action flick Ek is slated to hit the theatres this Friday, said that comedy films were a "survival strategy" for him. "Since my earlier Hindi films like Zor and Chura Liya Hain Tumne didn't work at the box office, so I switched to comedy. It is very important here to give some commercial hits; otherwise no one takes you seriously. It was a survival strategy to do comedy at that point of time," Sivan said in an interview. Sivan who started his career as a director in the Malayalam film industry, said that comedy films do not give the director much space to exhibit his craft. "There is nothing for a director to do in a comedy film. It is simply a combination of a great chemistry between a group of actors and the written word," Sivan said. The director who debuted in Bollywood with the Sunny Deol-Sushmita Sen starrer Zor said that the tastes of north and south Indian audiences were so different that it took him eight months to adapt the Telugu film Athadu into Ek—The Power Of One. — PTI
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Heart to heart
Despite hailing from a film background, noted Bollywood actor-director Aamir Khan's parents were against his entering the filmdom. "My parents looked after us very well. We had a fairly sheltered life. I mean my parents were really against me getting into films. I come from a film family. My father and uncle were both filmmakers. And I faced hell at home. It was like there's no way you're getting into films," Aamir Khan told CNN's special edition "Talk Asia" to be aired Wednesday 6 p.m. "But I don't usually listen to people. I just do what I feel like. And then when they realised… actually it was more because they were concerned for me, you know. "Every parent is concerned for their children. And they had been through this line and this profession is so uncertain. You know one day you're up there, the next day you're nobody and it's a really harsh profession," he added. Aamir Khan is a son of renowned film producer Tahir Hussain. His uncle Nasir Hussain is also a film director. — IANS
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After earning much acclaim doing varied characters in Malayalam and Tamil films, actress Padmapriya is all set to enter the world of Hindi cinema with Chandan Arora directed Striker. "It is a period movie set in the Mumbai of the 1990s. The movie is based on carom board striker. It has Siddharth (Rang De Basanti), playing the main protagonist and I play a bar owner in the film," Padmapriya told. The film also features Vidya Malvade, Nicolette, Seema Biswas and Aditya Pancholi. Though her first film was Telugu movie Seenu Vasanthi Lakshmi (2003), Padmapriya, an MBA graduate, said she never really worked in Telugu film industry. The actor said she did the movie for a friend because he was "pestering" her for long. It was done at her "convenience" and during the Christmas vacation. "I never intended to make a career in films but after the movie was released, offers started pouring in," she said. Seenu... was remake of a Malayalam film. Her first Malayalam movie was Kaazhcha (2004) directed by Blessy. She was cast opposite Mammootty. In the movie, Padmapriya played the role of a girl's mother who becomes attached to a child orphaned by the Gujarat killer quake, brought home by her husband Mammootty. — PTI
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First love Despite coming from a family of famous playback singers, acting is Neil Nitin Mukesh's first love. "I was fascinated by the atmosphere… huge sets, lights, camera and ...action that I had experienced in my childhood while acting in films like Jaisi Karni Vaisi Bharni and Vijay," the young Bollywood actor and grandson of Mukesh says. Starting acting at the tender age of four is the reason why he chose to become an actor instead of a singer despite the tradition of music running in the family, he says. However, Neil is interested in singing and has sung a song in his forthcoming film Aa Dekhe Zara. "But one thing is clear. Acting is my first choice and it is well supported by my father," he said. About Bipasha Basu, his co-star in Aa Dekhe Zara he says the age difference between them does not bother him. "People are saying the couple is odd in the film but I don't mind...... We love each other on screen and our chemistry is good. So there is no problem," he says. — PTI
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It was just yesterday that we were reading Jigeesha Ghosh's and TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan's murder mystery being solved. Thanking our stars, we were boasting how safe our city is and it's rarely that we hear about any such untoward incident. But jolting our belief came a rude shock - six allegedly drunken hooligans tried to molest a married woman at Food Street-14 on Tuesday night. And going by the news report and eyewitnesses claim, the PCR standing on the spot turned a blind eye towards the incident. What a shame for a city that is said to have an urban and open-mind culture.
The festival, “Thank God Exams are Over” is being organized for families and children at Hotel Aroma from 25th March to 30th March 2009 to, in a way, enjoy an outing, post examinations. The festival has been designed to let the school students who work very hard during the examinations, have the sense of entertainment and relief. During the festival, some special dishes like Sunset Blue, Yellow Charamellow, Summer Breeze, Peach Danish, Chocolate Croissant, Fruit Doughnuts, Crunchy Roll, Sparker Roll, Mouse Cake and Carrot Cake etc. The prices of above food products too have been reasonably discounted. The festival will be on from March 25 to 30th between 6 PM and 11 PM.
—TNS
Acting bug is fast catching up with city youngsters and Pragati Trikha, a student of Sacred Heart-26, is having her fill acting in
various serials and movies.
Ludhiana-based UV&W Products Limited, which is pioneering the trend towards certified organic cotton clothing in the country, today opened its second exclusive store in the city at Fun Republic-Manimajra. This summer the company has introduced ladies tops for the first time for the wellness conscious women. Ladies’ hot pants, leggings, nightwears and inners from the company are next on the anvil.
The biggest challenge that parents face is to be positive role models. Young children learn a lot by looking and copying what they see others do. Same applies to eating habits. If the people they love best in the world are eating healthy food, then kids will too, that is why eating all together as a family is so important.
I feel that it’s parents who need to take out time to make holidays fun for the kids. I am not in favour of enrolling kids in some academy or the other just for the heck of it. Young children need rest, sleep and indoor games at home could suffice. There is so much that parents can teach them at home. These days parents abstain from taking effort to teach them valuable things while playing with them. Teaching young kids little things like value of praying, taking interest in their own small chores can immensely benefit them in the long run.
I guess holidays are the best times to indulge in some kind of physical activity to make up for the lack of exercise during exam days. A game of tennis or cricket would be perfect. Another great thing to do would be have discussion with family members on varied topics like politics, history, mythology and so on. The things learnt in this way can help kids big time.
Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag is all set to enter Bollywood and there were rumours that filmmaker Prakash Jha, who is to contest the Lok Sabha polls on the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) ticket from Bihar, is launching the youngster. The director has rubbished the reports, but said the newcomer had all the qualities of a good hero.