Every theory is futile and meditation a waste, unless it’s practised and applied the way it should be. “That’s the reason I say to the nuns and monks, ‘go out of monasteries, reach out to people and tell them how they can lead a better life’. Mere meditation would help only in the enlightenment of the self but how can it benefit others unless you talk about it,” come the wise words from His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, head of the eight-century-old Drukpa Lineage.

On Friday, he was in town to yet again practice what he has always preached, “Live to love.” In an endeavour to do the same, he will be leading a pilgrimage of 1000 Buddhist monks and nuns from Manali to Hemis in Ladakh. “In the 400-km-long padyatra, we aim to meet as many people as possible, teach them how important education is, preservation of environment and heritage to make their tomorrow worth it.”

‘Say no to plastic bags’ is another campaign that will be launched alongside the pilgrimage.

For all practical reasons, he feels women today have a major role to play in bringing about the change. “The number of nuns in the nunneries is growing and at present, it is 400. There, they are being taught the English language and computers with the intention that when they reach out to the masses, they can impart the same knowledge.” And women need not make any special efforts to serve humanity, “For, they are blessed with versatility and it is in their nature to contribute towards any humanitarian activity. So, even while bringing about change in society, they will prove to be catalysts.

As for the duties of men, “They will follow women and the aims will be achieved.”

In view of their vision to make the world a better to live in, it doesn’t surprise us to know they have supporters in Brad Pitt, the royal family of Britain and the masses throughout the world. “What makes me happy is the fact that many youngsters are joining us to serve mankind. Tomorrow is far more important than today, just as the new generation is. Buddhism is not a fanatic religion; it is a philosophy that doesn’t list any conventions except ‘live to love’, which I believe, is the easiest of all and is thus attracting youngsters.”

The holistic approach of the padyatra will address another important issue, kerosene deaths. With no electricity in Ladakh, people have to use kerosene oil for light and for warming their food, which is also the cause behind a lot of accidents. “We are making efforts to give vocational training to the people of Ladakh so that they can earn their living.”

To reach out to more people, his Holiness is also blogging. All for the cause of “live to love”.

ashima@tribunemail.com

Neither a mystic nor an idealistic dreamer but a stern realistic, the acclaimed Hindi novelist and poet, Manoj Singh, has emerged as an eminent writer of wider sensitivity within a short span. Endowed with a vision, impulse and observant eye to see nature and life in all its manifestations through the medium of sentiment and passion, Manoj has authored five books in varied genres, which has won rave reviews while two novels are in the offing, besides a short story collection Meri Pehchan which will be released on May 24. He shares some of his experiences with Lifestyle.

Why you took to writing so late? Many ideas used to jostle in amazing profusion in my mind which I used to pen down. However, it was only a few years back I took to serious writing. The Nature came out during my stay at Solan. The beauty of the Himalayan region inspired Chandrikotasav.

How novels like Bandhan and Kashamkash happened? To quote Sahir Ludhianvi Duniyan ne tazarbato hawadis ki shaql mein jo kuchh mujhe diya lauta rha hum mein. The thematic content of my novels is not pure fiction but built on harsh realities of life. In Bandhan, the story is based on the delicate realms of family, society and Schizophrenic patients. ‘Kashmkash is about woman’s evolution in society through 34 women characters.

A novelist or columnist?

My columns on contemporary issues became so popular that I had to publish them in the book form — Vyaktitav Ka Prabav.

From Cannes to Chandigarh. Super star and Coca-Cola brand ambassador, Hrithik Roshan, was in the city on Friday to meet the winners of the contest ‘Hrithik Banega Apka Dost’, also launched in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, to give Hrithik fans to give an opportunity to meet the star.

“I am very excited to be in Chandigarh and be a part of this unique initiative by Coca-Cola. Events like these provide me a great opportunity to be with my fans. I am thankful for this opportunity to meet my fans from Punjab,” Hrithik said.

Surrounded by nearly 20 bouncers, he was whisked away from the airport in a Santro. From there he headed for a local hotel for the ‘meet the star’ event.

On the meeting with her favorite Bollywood actor, Ravneet from Chandigarh, said, ‘I thank Coca-Cola India for giving me this wonderful opportunity to meet Hrithik Roshan. I am an ardent fan of his movies, and it’s a great feeling to meet him in Chandigarh.”

It’s that time of the year when travelling is on your mind 24/7. And why not, summer vacations are here and so is the blistering heat. Reason enough to get, set, go. Well, when talking travel, how can the need to eat stay behind?

And when it’s holiday time and you are on a journey, who doesn’t like to munch? But the big pause comes when you don’t want to break the journey, but surely catch something on the way. Yes, we are talking about the takeaway variety of food. And recognising this need, food chains have added some new recipes to satisfy your hunger pangs as you steer the wheel.

Known for their take away variety, McDonald has added a new recipe to lure foodies on a getaway. Called the McNuggets, this chicken dish comes in a smart box and can be easily carried away. Says Chetan Kalia from McDonald’s-35, “We had lots of customers demanding for this no drip snack that can be carried away, so we thought of launching McNuggets. Made from white meat, McNuggets are bite-sized pieces of breaded boneless chicken that come in two mouth-watering dips—barbeque and mustard.”

Well, that’s not all innovation has played its part here too as these nuggets come in four distinct shapes of ball, boot, bell and bone.

For Suresh Dogra, restaurant manger, Nirulas, time is what people do not have. “Constraint of time makes people rush through things. Who has the time to fritter away, especially when traveling? So, they prefer a takeaway to sitting and eating.”

And, is it the usual burger or a pizza they order? “No, we have people ordering for thalis too (A thali has a mix of rice, vegetable, dal, curd and chapatti).” Not staying behind, Nirulas too has added a few things in their takeway menu this summer. “How can we talk of summer without mentioning mangos? For mango lovers we have added mango shakes, ice-creams, puddings and other than that we have the much-liked Rajmah rice also on the menu.”

For this summer season, KFC too introduced, BoxMaster— a complete meal of crispy chicken along with the supporting cast of spicy hash brown, crispy lettuce, fresh and juicy tomatoes, pepper mayo and cheese wrapped in a warm toasted tortilla.

And for janta janardhan, they are definitely in for the takeaway variety. Says Gagan Lakhanpal, employee of Sigma in Manimajra, “When you are travelling, you do not want to halt for a long time as the destination is more important than the journey. And, for people living in the tri-city, nearest hill station is either Kasauli or Shimla and for a journey of four hours one wouldn’t like to halt for an hour, so takeaway variety is the best.”

Last if you didn’t know, Yo China has a separate menu for takeaway food. Says Praveen Singhal, area manager, Yo China, “We have included almost everything in the takeaway menu, but its snacks and noodles that people prefer to take away. And the most-liked takeaway item is our trendy box bag that has noodles and Manchurian for the veggies and chilly-chicken and noodles for the non-veggies.” Talking trend, he says, “Yes, the drift is more towards takeaways and for us May, June and July are high on sales for takeaway varieties.”

Having added a number of mocktails in the regular menu he says, “We haven’t added any new recipes for this summer, but yes we have a variety of new mocktails to offer.”  

jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com 

Food poisoning has ruined Hollywood actress Penelope Cruz's trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where she had gone to promote her forthcoming musical flick Nine. "Tomorrow night is her premiere for her movie. She is getting better and is seeing a doctor right now," People magazine quoted movie mogul Harvey Weinstein as saying. But another report from London said Penelope was forced to flee a Cannes party when she came to know that ex-boyfriend Orlando Bloom will be arriving with his super model girlfriend for the same event.

The 35-year-old Vicky Christina Barcelona star told the organisers that she was feeling sick and made a quick exit as soon as she was informed that Bloom is also expected to arrive, reported Mirror.co.uk.

Cruz had briefly dated the Pirates of the Carribean actor in 2006 after her split from Matthew Mc Conaughey and wanted to avoid any awkward scenes.

The 32-year-old Bloom has been dating Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr for more than a year now, with reports suggesting that the couple is soon to tie the knot. — ANI, PTI