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Wah Taz!
Year 1995: Taz’s first release in India, O’baby don’t break my heart, became a rage. The song has Punjabi beats with undertones of Western music.
Year 2010: The Hollywood flick, Better After Life, for which he has composed music will release. The Western music will now have undertones of Punjabi beats. “It’s an absolute flip, from Punjabi major to Punjabi minor this time,” informs Taz. In any case, Punjabi music persists and that’s what Taz wants us to take a note of. “There’s an undeniable presence of Punjabi music in my work, be it Indi-pop music, jazz, rap, or even a mainstream Hollywood film,” says Taz of Stereo Nation fame, who was in the city on Sunday. A singer-turned-lyricist-turned-music director and now planning to act in one of his upcoming film, Taz is pretty confident that the audience in the West will accept Punjabi music in a Hollywood film. “Punjabi music is universal in real terms. It is infectious, has energy that would make anyone hit the dance floor. It is played in discothčques the US, UK, other European countries and many nations in Pan-Asia.” From his debut album, Hit the Deck to Jambo, Nasha, Laila to the upcoming album, Twist, Punjabi music has been there, the credit of which he gives to his roots in Punjab. And here comes another revelation, something that we have been taking for granted all these years, “Stereo Nation is not the name of a band but of the genre of music that I produced, which is evergreen. I still get to listen to my 20-year-old-songs in discotheques and private parties.” We mention the contrast next, of his evergreen music with popcorn music that some 22,000 claimed singers of Punjab (a figure provided by the Punjab Cultural Society) have come up with, to which he reacts, “Their music is degrading the real talent of Punjab. It’s a mutual admiration between these singers and the Punjabi music channels, who are minting money by advertising them.” A few out of these 22,000, who have made it big don’t give Taz competition. “Because the music of Stereo Nation is a cult in itself that competes with my own work. There is a constant pressure to outdo my own music and songs.” As for his vocation shift from singing to acting, he asserts, “It’s a natural progression for an artiste to explore more talent in himself. Any creative person can’t restrict himself to just one form of art.” He is also writing scripts for Bollywood and Hollywood films. And, he certainly doesn’t consider language a barrier after writing lyrics in Hindi, Punjabi and English. “Creativity doesn’t follow any set measures,” he says. One of the pioneers of fusion music in Punjab, he next has on his cards touring the world with his newly formed international band, Chilli Town. The eight-member band will soon be out with their debut album, Joy Killer and he hopes, “People will appreciate its music just as they did Stereo Nation’s.” And what will make it possible would be his 20 years of singing experience. “Lest I forgot, I started singing when I was one,” he clears the air. Oh, we thought he was much younger and carried the legacy from his last birth! ashima@tribunemail.com |
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Chandigarh Institute of Performing Arts is ready to pep things up again with a five-day Hip-Hop and Jazz workshop in association with Dewsons. And Julia Kleese, international choreographer, singer and actor from Germany, will be teaching the moves and flips, spelling out the funk and the cool with music. “The workshop will have some modern dance techniques combined with jazz exercises and something different like ballet postures,” says Julia. The dancer who came from a visit to Italy and Turkey, where she choreographed the production of Robisons (a famous theatre village) and has traveled worldwide, is excited to be in India on her second trip. “I had come here almost two years back to attend International workshop on folk dances of India and taught dancing to the children of Sikhiya,” she remembers the last time she was in city. Her fascination with Indian culture seems to have grown with time. “The last time I was here, I learnt folk dances like dandiya. And now I am here to teach modern western techniques. Dancing is so much fun in Indian context. Specially, the Bollywood style of dancing, which is really catching up in the West. We have a professional Institute in Munich teaching Bollywood dancing only,” she says. As for her dance, it’s not just about getting the act right, “Dance also means developing a sense of balance, movements, grace in performance and improvising on a routine. If the workshop goes as expected then we might hold a performance on the weekend,” she says confidently. And those who are ready to get started, the workshop will be held at Dewsons-11 in two batches, 4-6pm and 6-8pm. Starting from November 2 to November 6. — Neha Walia
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Victimised? But who’s complaining…
Speaking of which, how did this Punjabi guy transformed into the mehman ji of Bhagyavidhata? “It was difficult. Getting the exact dialect, the look, the mannerism, everything took time to develop. I couldn’t relate to my character, so it was tough for me to live it onscreen, till I got used to it,” he shares. Ask him if his role is negative or positive and he says, “I play the lead, so it has to be positive. He is a guy who loves his family, friends and life. But what do you expect when you are kidnapped and forcibly married off to a stranger?” Well, enough of the television. The guy can’t even say that. “Believe me when I say that daily soap actors have no life. I have to work for long hours, 28 days a month and don’t even have the time to feel exhausted.” So, now that he has come to the city after 10 months, Vishal is enjoying every breathe of Chandigarh air. “Coming back to the city where I have spent the best days of may life, geris, girlfriends and gang outs, spending quality time with my family, its feels refreshing again.” But one thing that has had enough of him is, reality shows. Considering the source of his claim to fame, if he has room for more? “No, save me please. Looking back, Roadies and Splitsvilla were something fun and chilled out. But I am not game for anything else. May be when I am out of work, I’ll try.” Smart talk, there. nehawalia@tribunemail.com |
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You've got email
These are the neglected lot on your mailbox, carrying unnecessary information. Spam mail is the poor, hardly opened icon on the page. How often do you check spam mails, unless you are looking for an important mail that can take an accidental detour to end up in the spam box. For the geeks of course, spam mails are a good-time pass intended to busy people in a foolish and time-consuming activity.
As per Wikipedia, e-mail spam has steadily and exponentially grown since the early 1990s to several billion messages a day. Spam has frustrated, confused and annoyed e-mail users. Even when the amount received by most e-mail users has decreased, because of better filtering. Before we get talking to people on how they have been dealing with the spams, here is what defines spam mail, also known as junk e-mail - it is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email. Even when they are too irksome to have them on your mailbox, there is little you can do about it. "You can do away with the spams," says Sumit Khurana, an avid Internet user from the city. "You can mark the mails as spam, for the email service provider to know that the mails are spam. As a result, the email id will direct the mail to the spam folder instead of the inbox." At the same, the spammers are a smart lot. "They use different software to bypass the system. They wouldn't send the mails from the same ID. They will use a different ID to send the same." As far as the cyber laws for spam mails are concerned, they are restricted to only sending mails and not for receiving. "There is a fixed number of mails that you can send out," adds Sumit. "Most of us don't care to put a check on spams. Who will go through the process of marking spams again and again?" However, it is considered a good marketing strategy, and the absence of understanding of cyber laws, it is going completely unchecked. Sukhdev Singh, a computer science teacher shares that spam averages 94 per cent of all e-mail sent. "It is no big deal for the spammers to send spams. They collect e-mail addresses from websites, and viruses, used to hack information." Sukhdev also complies with the fact that people don't care to take a stern action against the spams. "We delete them, because it doesn't take much to do it." Gunjit D Madra, a class XII student, finds some spams interesting, "Some are interesting, and we circulate them in the friends circle. However, we delete 90 per cent of them without even reading." With lack of awareness about cyber laws spams keep flooding our mails.
Jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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Damage Control
Facebook has won 712 million dollars in damages after a California court ruled against a spammer for trying to get personal information from the users of the social networking website. The court ordered Sanford Wallace to pay Facebook the money after the company complained that he had used the site to induce members to click on messages that appeared legitimate but were actually designed to capture personal information. Writing on its official blog, Facebook said that the decision was "another important victory in our fight against spam". The website pledged to pursue damages from other alleged spammers. "While we don't expect to receive the vast majority of the award, we hope that this will act as a continued deterrent," The Globe and Mail quoted the company as saying. Court documents suggest that Wallace already has judgments against him for more than 200m dollars. In addition to the new financial penalty, the judge barred Wallace from creating or maintaining a Facebook account. — ANI
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GizmOH!
Check that
Mandeep No problem!
Ravi Legally yours
Akhil Sachdeva |
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Geek speak
Nowadays, most of the thefts incidents happen when we leave our homes unattended because we have become more outgoing and social, especially at late nights and weekends. There are many security tasks a personal computer can be used for. The most popular of them is video security equipment. The traditional way to install video security equipment is to connect video cameras to the TV and VCR. The TV screen simply displays the picture that the camera is transmitting and VCR records everything that is shown on the screen. But if we introduce the personal computer into the picture, you can eliminate both the TV and VCR and develop a system that is even more secure. Other benefits
All of the data (video stream) is stored digitally in a compact form. It becomes very easy to examine the recorded video stream. Same benefits apply to the audio systems connected to the computer. Audio stream, in addition to video stream, can also be stored and analysed by the computer. There are many other types of security equipment that you can connect to your computer. For example, your alarm system and motion detection system can be connected to the computer. The software can then send you or someone else an alarm signal or perform some other programmed activity. All the incoming information is stored and can be retrieved at a later time. Other types of equipment can also be connected. Some of the systems are even sold in one big combined computerised security package, I would advice to buy individual webcams because it would cost you less than the complete package, cheap webcam can cost you about Rs 100 to 150 each, a good low cost webcam will cost you about Rs 250 to 500. Anything above Rs 800 means the salesman is ripping you off. And, if you want to use wireless cameras, they would cost you about Rs 700 for a cheap one and Rs 1,500 -3,000 for a good one, I had bought one about three years for Rs 1,400 from Palika Bazaar in Delhi, and it performed pretty
well. amitpalsinghgrewal@gmail.com
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Foot note
Punjabi juttis have always been a craze in Punjab and are both elegant and comfortable. So much so that it has become one of the top choices not just in India but abroad as well. Ranging roughly from Rs 150 per pair, the cost may differ depending on the embellishments. In some cases it reaches till thousands. Earlier, these were decorated with tilla, zari and phulkari but now juttis are adorned with all sorts of decorative material like sequins, beads, ghungroos, pearls and sippis. “Juttis now have transformed into various shapes and patterns. The shape and embroidery on the juttis can differ depending on the occasion. Yougsters prefer simple juttis with kurta pajama or denims. But when it comes to party wear or wedding, one slips into a heavily embroidered pair," says the owner of Patiala Jutti House. Another one from Qila Chowk says, “Girls are very particular about the art work. They want pairs to match their clothes. There is also a demand for heels and strings on juttis. Today, women sport juttis with Westernwear unlike earlier times when juttis were paired only with salwar suits.” Paired with Western outfits, these traditional shoes are a big hit among youngsters. Gagandeep Kaur, a student at the Journalism Department of Punjabi University, says “I prefer juttis over any branded shoe. It’s just that one has be a little careful while choosing the style of juttis because the wrong pattern could mar your outfit.” Even NRIs, like Satwant Bhullar from Germany, are totally in love with this ethnic footwear. “Whenever I come to India I get 2-3 pairs for me because they are very comfortable. Moreover, they are unique when worn there and thus look very trendy. I often buy few pairs for my German friends because they too love the stuff.” |
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Star struck
Students from Satya Bharti Schools who had participated in a literacy drive and taught their own parents and community members to sign their names got an opportunity to meet Shahrukh Khan on the sidelines of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon-2009 held on Sunday. The Satya Bharti Schools aim to provide quality education to underprivileged children in rural India, especially the girl child. From Punjab, the students included Mamta, Sumanjit, Anjali, Komal, Sahana, Karamjeet Kaur, Shanti and Veerpal. All of them were in the age group of 10-13 years and studied in Class 5 of the Satya Bharti schools. The primary occupation of most of families of these students was of daily wage labourers. The interaction with Shahrukh Khan not only provided exposure to these children who are so cocooned in their environment, but went a long way in giving wings to their dreams. A visibly excited Mamta of Ladhowal Village near Ludhiana said, “We were so happy to meet Shah Rukh and found him very friendly. We invited him to our village and he has promised to come to our school. He told us how nothing is impossible if we set our heart on doing something. The kids also put up a dance performance for Shah Rukh. This was just another step taken by Bharti Foundation to help the underprivileged children look beyond the purview of their own village; absorb unique experiences and encourage their holistic development. The curriculum of the schools has also been specially designed to promote all-round development of a child in addition to academic excellence. The programme aims to transform children into educated, well-groomed citizens with a deep sense of commitment to their own society and the country. The Satya Bharti School Program, launched in 2006, is the flagship programme of Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Bharti Group of Companies. Currently 236 primary schools are operational under the program, reaching out to approximately 30,000 underprivileged children across Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Of these 236 schools, 90 schools are located in the Amritsar, Ludhiana and Sangrur districts of Punjab, reaching out to over 8,000 children. — TNS
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Spade work
Love for dahlia is not new. This is one such flower for which there is no confusion and it has to be there in the garden. Even a single bed of dahlia lits up the garden. Otherwise too this is one flower that has immense commercial value as cut flower. Like any other flowering plant, its variation possibilities have been explored. Dahlia is now available in all forms, sizes and colours. Various types can be used for exhibition, edging, colour contrast and as a pot plant. It is not only the bloom size and colour, but variation in the size of the plant that has been well understood. Dahlias are now available from a mere 10 inches high to four foot high to be used as edge plants these are called pigmies.
Dahlia is a free-flowering plant by nature. It has single or multi-layered blooms. Also, the size of the bloom may range from a few centimeters to a foot or more. The bold type blooms are called the exhibition types and the small ones pompoms. In case of exhibition types, the terminal buds are retained and any side bud is removed so as to let the hormones and nutrients work to give bolder bloom at the terminal. The colour range is so wide that you cannot get almost all hues except the blue. There are bicolour blooms too. Some of these have only change of colour at the tip only. Surprisingly the colour at the tip of the bloom is in perfect contrast to the colour of the bloom. Amongst various kinds of blooms, the cactus type dahlia stands apart. In most of the flower shows, it is a sure winner. Those of you who are planning to grow dahlia for the purpose of participating in a flower competition, keep the plant is very good health. Keep a watch for appearance of insects especially aphids, jassids and leaf minor. The aphids appear at the time of bloom formation in the folds of petals too. You may lose all the marks if it so happens. Apply phorate granules (thimet 10-G) in pots or beds to keep various kinds of insects under check. Also take care that no disease spot appears on the foliage. Whatever the size and quality of the bloom may be unless it is supported by good quality foliage it has not much value. satishnarula@yahoo.co.in
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Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor today said only talented actors can succeed on the silver screen, but having a film background certainly helps in the industry. "At the end of the day, only talented actors can succeed in the film industry," said Ranbir, who was in the city to promote his upcoming movie -- Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani. The 27-year-old actor, however, said it certainly does help to have a film background. "There are some advantages of coming from a family having film background," said Ranbir, the fourth-generation actor belonging to Bollywood's illustrious Kapoor family, in an informal chat with the media at a mall here. He was also all praise for Katrina Kaif, the leading lady in the movie. "Katrina is a very talented actor. She has teamed up well with big shots like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar for some real good work," said the four-film-old actor. Katrina too was present on the occasion. Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani is directed by noted filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi and would release on November 6. — PTI
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Gullie cricket boy
"I am genuinely delighted to be owner of Jalandhar Gullies as it also gives me an opportunity to connect with my roots as I am primarily from Punjab," Shergill said. Asked whether he would also like to be attached with the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the pattern of his co-stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty, who were owners of IPL teams, Shergill said, "Yes, who will not like to be attached with IPL. If I get an opportunity, will love to grab it". Close to 896 players from 64 teams would take part in the 10-overs-a-side event. — PTI
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The agency has set up a green corner with a green carpet to promote causes associated with climate change at the film festival. It has been endorsed by a lot of other celebrities like Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Imtiaz Ali, Vishal Bhardwaj, Amol Gupte, Rajeev Khandelwal, et al. Bollywood actor Rahul Bose was the first Indian to become the global ambassador of the international NGO. In 2007, he joined the elite company of actresses Scarlett Johansson, Helen Mirren and singer Annie Lennox who are also associated with Oxfam's green cause. — IANS
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The actor said he would not like to be typecast as alternative cinema's muse as he is keen on big budget projects. "I think every actor's desire is that his film is watched by maximum number of audience. I would absolutely love to work in a Bollywood masala film so that I can reach the masses. I am quite keen on big banner films," the actor said. Purab, who started as a model and VJ on Channel V debuted in 2003 with the film Bas Yuhin opposite Nandita Das and went on to do small roles in films like Vaastu Shastra. The actor finally got noticed with his subtle portrayal of Sanjay Suri's gay lover in the film My Brother Nikhil. "I always wanted to be an actor but it was after My Brother Nikhil in 2005 that I started taking my carrier seriously. Thereafter, I have really judged things and have been consciously choosing script which match my sensibilities," said Kohli. — PTI
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Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ushered in her 36th birthday with family members and close friends. The actress, who has completed shooting for Mani Ratnam's bilingual film Raavana had taken a break for a few days to start work on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzarish with Hrithik Roshan from tomorrow. The former Miss World's other projects -- Action Reply with Akshay Kumar and Robot with Rajnikant (Endhiran in Tamil) -- are almost complete with a song and few scenes remaining. "We have also just brought in Aishwarya's birthday and wished her love and happiness and a long prosperous life. It was just the family," the actress's father-in-law mega star Amitabh Bachchan wrote on his blog posted in the wee hours of the morning. — PTI
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First he was a Roadie, then the Prince Charming who walked away with a princess in Splitsvilla season one (not exactly the context and concept though), then shared pearls of coupledom with his ladylove Shraddha on MTV’s Couplesutra and now he is ruling the television as a ‘victim’ in the women-centric world of daily soaps. His reality and reel-ity may have been changing flavours but Vishal Karwal remains to be a winner. “I am loving every moment of the success. My show Bhagyavidhata, on Colors, is amongst the top five shows on television currently and is going strong with its concept,” says the young actor. As we catch up with him on his personal visit to meet his younger brother, Vishal says that he is now glad to have accepted the offer. “Well, from a experimental concept to the time slot and a new star cast, the serial sure had its concerns. I was a bit skeptical initially, as it got a slow start with TRPs of only 0.6. But gradually it has hit the right chord with the audience,” he says. With a TRPs now standing at 3.1, the rustic Bihari flavour just added to the recipe for success.
I get almost 20 spam mails in a day, but their isn't much I can do about them. However, there should be some laws to check these incoming spams. However, sometimes you receive a few interesting ones. Those interesting ones I forward and the rest I delete without giving a second thought. 
I don't see spam mails as a problem. In fact some are so interesting and they make for nice forward mails. It could be a problem with people who are on Internet 24x7 and who get bugged with the spams. I don't see it as an issue. Even if I get one, I select them in one go and delete them.
I think most of us are not aware of the cyber laws. I don't think in India we follow them, as compared to countries like America, which have strict cyber laws. All the same, each one of us should have understanding about them. 
We live in an era of computers and information technology and there is a direct relationship between information technology and home security. Computers allow us to automate many different aspects of out business activities and personal life. Personal computers and other technological systems can also help in various home security activities and can provide protection for your house. In addition to all of the benefits, a computerised system will save you a lot of time since most of the security related tasks would be done automatically which also means no room for human errors.
There have been many such theft cases that happened while the family was away for a day or just out for a few hours. When that happens to someone close, you begin to think 'wish I had a video'.
A computer monitor can be used for direct viewing. Wireless video cameras will transfer the video stream directly to the computer. With proper software the computer can digitally record either all the video information sent to it or it can activate the recording only when the software detects any movement (recording is started only when there is a change in the video picture). Windows itself also has a video recording software, "Windows movie maker" this software records good quality videos and is lite for the system but this does not have a motion detection function, free Motion detection software are also available (you will need to search deep online) 
There are many other benefits of this type of the security system. For example, multiple video cameras can be connected to a single machine and if one of the cameras fails or breaks down, the PC will detect this and will notify you about this issue right away. If a wireless connection fails, the computer will try to re-establish the connection with the camera and will notify the owner if it did not succeed. 
These days when people have become really brand conscious and are ready to spend a fortune on anything that makes them stand out in a crowd, certain traditional things still rule the market. When it comes to footwear, best brands are available in Punjab, still it is heartening to see that the Punjabi jutti still holds its ground. It presents the richness and the most colourful aspect of Punjabi culture. But more than that, it has now become a style statement for the youngsters.
It is a difficult time for a gardener. The range of winter annuals is so wide that the gardeners get confused as to what to plant and what to leave. Even within species it is difficult to decide about the colour and type. It is purely a matter of choice for him.
Dahlia is not very exacting in its cultural requirements and can be easily grown in the garden. Like any other bulbous plant, it has very showy blooms. It is tuberous plant but unlike potato, it has a body of flesh, which is used as stored food and the crown has a number of buds or eyes. When planted, it gives out various sprouts that can be used as independent cuttings. The cuttings can be obtained from the terminal of plants but care should be taken that it is not hollow. The cuttings are planted in pure sand as in case of carnation and chrysanthemum. It strikes roots in no time and is ready for transplanting in four to six weeks. The plant is also propagated by seeds. But it is mostly done in case of single bloom types. 
Bollywood star Jimmy Shergill has bought the Jalandhar Gullies team in the second season of T-10 Gully Cricket scheduled to be held from December 11 to January 24.
Bollywood celebrities like Gulzar, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol have been tagged 'green hearts' after they signed up for British aid agency Oxfam India’s message on climate change Friday at the 11th annual Osian's Cinefan Film Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema here. The “green hearts” will be voicing their opinions and fighting for various causes of climate change.
VJ-turned-actor Purab Kohli may have won critical acclaim with films like My Brother Nikhil and most recently Rock On! but the actor harbours the desire to work in an out-and-out Bollywood masala flick and win over the masses.