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Movers and shakers
We now understand fully why no reality show can afford to ignore Chandigarh for auditons. They just can’t. We mean look at the quality of contestants the city provides. Even if they failed to win the show, they made more headlines than those who won it. They optimally utilised the screenspace and time they got by fighting, back biting, scheming … Here is an ode to all those most talked about city’s celebrities of the year. F for Fiza, fiasco
If not for anything else, she deserves a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records for holding the maximum number of press conferences for as silly or important a reason as Chand Mohammed loves Fiza, Chand Mohammed deserts Fiza, Chand Mohammed divorces Fiza, Chand Mohammed again falls in love with Fiza….grrr. We finally got a break from the daily drama dosage after Iss Jungle se Mujhe Bachao came to our rescue and flew Fiza to Malaysia. There, she honed her skill of eloquence by picking up fights with Akashdeep Sehgal, Shweta Tewari, Chetan, Aman Verma …grr. Anybody left? Another claim to fame was Kamal Rashid Khan’s movie offer. He displayed the same rare personality traits as hers in the Bigg Boss house, thus bonding was bound to happen. Damsel in distress?
Wish same pinch to Fiza please. The two bonded really well on Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao for the obvious reasons. A drama queen in her own right, Palak, aka Gurmeet Kaur, even mustered the courage to argue with Raghu, the dreaded brain behind Roadies (deserves a bravery award) before she fainted. Yes, we know ‘she really fainted’. ‘Troubled by everybody’ on the show, she ‘never hurled abuses’ and all the poor girl got to say was beep, beep, beep… and loads of beeps. She even displayed her self-invented martial arts by blowing a kick at the other Roadie (imagine how unimportant were the rest of them that we have forgotten their names). Palak’s became immortal. She was then seen Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao making best friends with most of the contestants. Split-second fame
Her reigning or losing Splitsvilla didn’t make as many headlines as the Splitsvilla controversy. Guess it was some kind of a Sakshi spell! Joanna Magee lost to Sakshi Pradhan and later was accused by Sakshi Bhayana of giving favours to Nikhil Chinappa. The MTV authorities defended the casting couch allegations, ‘Sakshi Bhayana was voted out after the first episode itself, so was making stories for publicity’. Now, we really don’t know if she got publicity or not, but Joanna was in news. Love triangles
Hitesh loved Pooja Tandon, Pooja loved hitesh and Hitesh’s mummy loved Pooja too. Then came the twist, Pooja dumped Hitesh, Hitesh married Rumpa and Hitesh mummy loved Rumpa too. Though Pooja was the best bet to win The Perfect Bride, she couldn’t. Reasons offered were, “Hitesh’s mother was forcing me to marry Hitesh. She wasn’t giving me enough space and was very manipulative.” Mother popular
Now we didn’t write about her son Hitesh, winner of The Perfect Bride because she deserves to be written about. Sudesh Rani was the favourite mother in the show and bagged the maximum number of Mother of the Week prizes. Also, she got the highest number of votes every week. Guess her popularity was more then that of The Perfect Bride’s Rumpa. Desi guy
Thank God, at least somebody shined on the small screen for all the positive reasons. The lead guitarist of the local band, De Innovatives, Nirodosh Sobti took the audition for MTV Desi Beats, got through, survived the other bands, became the leader of his band and finally won the contest too. Some relief for sure! ashima@tribunemail.com |
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Name game
The Rock wouldn’t be who he is, if he were Dwayne Johnson. So, what catches your fancy, Muskan or Mistydame? And, who would you like to meet Deepanshu or Daredevil? Not even half the audience would scream The Undertaker if his ring name were what he is, Mark William Caraway. For your information, the magical crooner, Jay Sean is actually Kamaljeet Singh Jhooti. The parents might have racked their brains over something “meaningful, dignified and regal.”
Freak it a bit, tweak a bit, throw your imagination, a wild one, a weird one and what you get is the name you want. Yes, you got it. Looks like there are two schools of name, the real one and the rocking one. Meet Navdeep Singh, student, GC-11from KRU 172. Spell Naughty and the guy is likely to be recognised more readily. “There are quite a lot of reasons for having stage names. First of all, the genre that we’re in regular Punjabi names doesn’t go too well. For Example, if someone were to call on stage Navdeep Singh, the Punjabi Rapper, it wouldn’t have that punch.” That’s all right but why such freaky names? “Simple, it’s to grab attention. Also, so that they are easy to remember as they are a little different.” Snoop Dog couldn’t get more different for a name, nor could Eminem. “It’s all about creating a brand image, when an artiste wants to perform, he wants something that’ll suit his image on stage. For example, if someone’s into gangster music, he’ll have a name that fits in,” Puneet Tandon, a DAV College student, justifies his name. “My stage name is P. Feat which stands for forever alive Tandon, and my crew member Deepanshu’s is Doc D, which is an amalgamation of his first name and his planning to be a doctor.” Stage name for musicians, ring name for wrestlers, credit names for actors, pen names for authors and please don’t even mention Internet. The platform for wacky, weird, wild names extend everywhere, provided you’re ready. “Each and every person has two egos, when I’m on stage my alter ego’s my identity on stage. When I’m rapping I’m not Kamesh, I’m Rob C,” Kamesh Chawla, from the crew Xtremoz Undadawgs, shares. He justifies Rob C, “Rob has been derived from my nick name Robin and C is just the first alphabet of my family name.” He continues, “Every one has a naughty side and a sober side, sometimes they just want to put in everything they have. For example, my fellow crew member Pranjal has kept the name Cash Cards, which is quite wacky for any outside but that’s because he’s obsessed with cash.” Eventually it’s all in the mind; it’s about mentality and all about identity. Is it not? “It’s generally rappers who have individual identities, for rock bands it’s just the whole band that’s called by whatever name it is called,” says Vilphin Vincent, from the band ATM, that’s the abbreviation for Anus the Menace. Scandalized anyone? Laughs Vincent, “I bet if the name were something like Vilphin and Group, nobody would’ve been half as interested. For instance if there’s band that’s called The Ninth Cadaver, it not only commands attention, but also gives you an idea as to what to expect. Their music is certainly going to be death metal and the like.” Well substantiated. Identity, image, alter ego, attention, anonymity…a lot’s in a name. Sorry Shakespeare! |
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How touching!
What amazes about technology is how immediately it comes up with new inventions, and how soon it discards them, only to start with something new. Touch-screen technology is one of the many dish outs of technology, which came with a hullabaloo. Now, whether it plans to stay or rise from pedestal depends on ‘how touch sensitive we are’, given the fact that at we are a nation of hyper sensitives!
Research firm strategy analytic predicts that 40 per cent of mobile phones will incorporate touch-sensitive technology by 2010. Touch-screens are the next big form factor in the mobile revolution and in other gadgets as well. We invite people to share their take on ‘how touchy are we’ about touch gadgets. About 38 million handsets (4 per cent) of all mobile phones shipped in 2006, had touch-screen features. By 2012 it is expected to grow to 90 million units according to iSuppli. “When we talk about touch interface, the first thing that comes to our mind is Apple iphone and ipods, followed by Nokia and Samsung select brands,” shares Aditya Negi, a software professional with Hi-fi Systems, Sector 33. “Consumers are still not sure about the touch-screen technology, be in mobile phones, laptops or other gadgets. One, because we are used to rough handling of gadgets, and two, we have heard mentality. The word that touch gadgets do not work in the long run is given undue importance,” he says. Touch interface has proven to be popular on devices with advanced multimedia features like mapping, web browsing, location tagging, listening to music on the go and creating personalised music play lists. New generation laptops with touch-screen facilities would be making rounds. The Lenovo ThinkPad T400s is one such gadget designed to enhance productivity. It has a simple tap application that allow you double tap anywhere on the notebooks screen to bring up the control panel. Puts in Neha Grover, a fine arts student from Sector 10 does not find the ‘touch’ interface in laptops as a good idea. “ Somehow, the touch thing doesn’t go down well with gadgets, especially laptops. It works well with Nokia’s latest Nokia 5230 and Nokia 5530Xpress Music. We have got used to touch mobile phones. Despite this, we are still cautious about using such touch gadgets. These have to be handled with a little more care that we normally give to our cell phones.” She adds, “The Western world is already using the technology in their daily chores, from switches at home, water taps, refrigerators, washing machines, to all kinds of hi-end gadgets.” And, do we say entertainment is getting touchy. The concept of touch-screen is making things easier. Provides Armaan Kohli, a private computer instructor, who feels that ‘touch’ gadgets will be next big revolution in technology. 2010 will see the market rolling out touch affect gadgets.” jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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Dus ka dum
Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, has exciting plans for the Auto Expo scheduled in Delhi in January 2010. Close on the heels of its Centennial Celebrations, Audi travels to the past, present and future via its tripartite display of a historical car, the Audi India product range and a concept car, symbolising the future at the Auto Expo.
They will summarise the innovations that have determined brand Audi, and announce the new heights that Audi is set to scale. The Auto Expo will witness the unveiling of the further evolution of the four rings. Even more progressive and contemporary than its predecessor, the new Audi logo elevates the brand essence to its key message: Vorsprung durch Technik. The re-designed logo already made an initial debut at Audi’s 100th anniversary celebrations. Here it will add the crowning touch to the Audi colours - white, red and black - at the Audi India exhibition stand, which covers 800 square metres and has been designed to reflect Audi’s characteristic “terminal” architecture. The Audi stand – one of the largest by a luxury car maker will see hosts and hostesses styled by celebrity fashion designer, Manish Arora. “In the last 12 months Audi India has shown consistent growth in sales indicating a greater and wider acceptance of the brand in the Indian market. The visit of senior leadership from AUDI AG is an opportune platform to celebrate Audi’s success in India. It also reflects Audi’s serious intent for the Indian market. Our philosophy of ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ has inspired Audi India to redefine the benchmark for sales and service in the luxury car segment, making the four rings synonymous with progressive, sophisticated and technically superior luxury cars,” commented Benoit Tiers, managing director, Audi India. Year 2009 has witnessed remarkable progress for Audi India through the launch of new models - the new Audi A6, the Audi Q5, the new Audi Q7, introduction of three new engines to the existing range of Audi A4 and the expansion of its footprint across India. Audi India has several new initiatives planned for 2010, which will be kick-started at the10th Auto Expo. The international Audi stand concept will give auto enthusiasts an opportunity to experience the entire Audi product range available in India comprising the new Audi Q7, the Audi Q5, the new Audi A6, the Audi A8, the Audi A4, the Audi TT and the super sports car Audi R8, together with the two international show cars at the Audi stand. |
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Hot Shot
Modern cameras are made to do everything on their own. With a self-timer, a camera can decide when it’s the right moment to freeze time capturing an image. Seriously, today’s cameras are incredibly smart. There has never been a time when getting into photography was so easy, that is assuming you can figure out what all the buttons, knobs, and levers on a new auto-everything camera do.
In some ways, older cameras were less frustrating to work with. New automatic cameras can be a challenge for anyone to figure out. It’s kind of like setting the clock on your DVD player. If you ever take time to learn the steps involved with the process, it’s not difficult. Automatic cameras can be scary at first, but they are a joy to use once you have mastered the controls. The amount of automation found in a pocket camera varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Price is also a factor in the amount of automatic functions a camera performs. I think automatic cameras are like computers; they’re fantastic when they work properly and a pain when they don’t.
I browsed through a sales flyer from a major discount chain store just a few days ago. For less than Rs 6,000 you can buy a 35-mm point-and-shoot camera from a good brand manufacturer the camera has a built-in flash and it sets shutter speed automatically. For about the same price, you can get a different brand of 35-mm camera that offers a pop-up flash (to reduce the red-eye effect in portraits). In fact, it is hard to find a point and shoot without a built-in flash. The model I looked also had a medium-power, zoom. There are even less expensive cameras available. If you move up the purchase-price ladder, you can find cameras with built-in zoom lenses with ranges in the neighborhood of 38mm to 140mm. Some models will imprint your photos with a date and time stamp. Not many professional photographers use pocket cameras as there primary tools, but I know many who use them for quick shots that would evade typical professional equipment. Don’t be fooled by the little cameras, they can actually do quite a lot. For most people, any camera with a megapixel rating of at least 5 is fine for routine use. Many photographers using direct-vision cameras obstruct their lenses accidentally without knowing it until they check their photos. Since the viewfinder on this type of camera is offset from the lens, you can’t see if your camera strap or finger is in part of your picture. Spare Battery
One of the most frequent problems with an automatic camera is not the camera’s fault. It is a dead of dying battery. Get a spare battery for your camera Low battery power can cause a number of difficulties with an automatic camera. A dead battery can put the camera completely out of commission. Rotate batteries frequently when using or storing your camera in cold temperatures. Red Eye
Even if you have never taken a single photograph, you’ve probably seen the handiwork of the red-eye in photos when an on-camera flash is used to take a portrait, it often shows the photography by turning the subject’s eyes bright red. Some pocket cameras offer a red-eye reduction system. Others incorporate a pop-up flash that can help to keep the pic nice and clean. However if the red eye is still their you always have quick software to fix them now days you get this software CD with all cameras Auto Focus and Auto Flash
There is a difference between point and shoot cameras and auto focus cameras. Point and shoot cameras have a set range in which objects appear to be in focus. Auto-focus lenses adjust their focus based on the location of a subject. As good as auto focus lenses are, they can be fooled. As an example, if you were to take a family portrait, using a self-timer, you might find that part of your family was soft and blur in terms of focus, If you were all standing side by side, the auto focus should work well. But, if some of the family is in front of the rest of the family, the auto-focus is likely to lock in on only some of the subjects. This results in a picture with some distortion in it. Automatic, built-in flashes (this irritates me the most) sound good on paper and in advertisements, but they can limit your creativity. They can also fail to meet their minimum requirements. The sensors that trigger an automatic flash can be fooled by light patterns; Lets say that your children have just been chosen to star in a school play. You want to capture the moment with your camera. Hastily, before the mood changes, you position your children in front of a window. There are no blinds or curtains, and natural light is flooding into the room, behind the kids. Quickly, you point and shoot on auto pilot. The flash doesn’t fire. You assume this means flash was not needed. After all, it’s supposed to fire when light levels are low. The natural light behind your children has just fooled the camera. When you review the picture taken, you will find that you have a nice, dark, figure of your kids. So in indoor shots especially in our Indian marriages you should always use forced flash The more automated your camera is, the higher the risk is that something will malfunction. This should not scare you away from the multitalented, easy-to-use pocket cameras. If you stick with a major brand of camera, you should not experience many problems. Keep fresh batteries in your camera. Use common sense on exposures, and choose your camera settings carefully. If you follow these simple instructions, your little gadget should give you good pictures, My little cam has some times overpowered the professional or it could be just
luck. amitpalsinghgrewal@gmail.com
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Device divine
It is fun to reconnect with friends once again. And, social networking sites are the best medium for this, shares Pooja Gaur, Pratigya.of Starplus’s new show Pratigya. More from the gizmo girl.
Socially right: I totally believe that social networking sites are the best way to connect with family and friends. I had lost touch with my friend who was with me in grade five. I was elated to see her on Facebook, we connected again, and now we share school memories pretty often. All the same, it has some drawbacks too. Fake identity is one. Cell is well: I cannot live without my Nokia N 86, fully-loaded with a hi mega-pixel camera. Wacky invention: If I were asked to come up with a wacky invention, I would create a good battery back-up portable and fancy fan and light that I can carry everywhere. |
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On a virtual high
From Theatre fests to literary meets, the year 2009 saw the best of all S.D Sharma Never before had the cultural activities and promotion of performing and visual arts achieved a new high than with UT administration, Haryana cultural affairs and three Akademies leading in organising and sponsoring programmes of merit. Though the crowning achievement remained the involvement of larger audience, which virtually accounts for transforming this pathron ke shehar to a vibrating cultural hub, the artists, art lovers and promoters must share credit. However the amateur theatre groups kept a low profile staging mostly nukkad nataks due to financial constrains. Here we give a brief recount.
Leading the way was administration’s three-days Heritage fest and ten-day National Craft Mela and SAARC fest (in collaboration with the Saarc foundation Delhi) featuring foreign artists for the first time besides regular city Carnival, Weeklong Theatre for Theatre Fest (TFT), literary and Hasya Kavi Sammelan featuring top theatre groups and Bollywood stars. Four plays by Rakesh Bedi, Satish Kaushik, Seema Biswas and live concerts of playback singer KK and Kailash Kher on the invitation of UT administration were a treat to watch. Besides local chapter of ICCR brought artists from Pakistan, Egypt, Mauritius for performances in the city. The Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademy (CSNA) commenced their annual endeavor on a spiritual note with a concert Suno Bhai Sadho by Prahlad Tipniya, which was followed by Kabir by renowned Chitarsen classical dance concerts featuring Shubha Mudgal and Malvika Sarrukai. Besides two plays there was a street theatre festival of four socially relevant plays staged in UT villages, CSNA sponsored Malaharotsav and soirees by vocalist Arvind Sharma and Arti Ankalikar from Pune. The year also saw the coming of famous theatre actor and film director Imtiaz Ali, internationally acclaimed theatre/film actor, costume designer and casting director Dolly A Tewari and renowned theatre actor and lyricist Irshad Kamil. Four films produced by Shabnam Virmani were screened during this festival. CSNA’s Fourth Annual Chandigarh Theatre festival in November with four plays was largely attended. CSNA participated in Chandigarh Carnival involving and enrapturing visitors with singing of old melodies. Leading promoter of Indian classical arts, Pracheen Kala Kendra organised twelve baithak musical and dance soirees of top artists and ten special programmes including the Annual Bhaskar Rao Sangeet Sammelan featuring vocalist Shubha Mudgal, Kahak Vidushi Shovna Narayan, Santoor maestro Tarun Bhattacharya and others. The State Bank of India featured Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, santoor wizard while Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia also performed in the city. Superstar Shatrughan Sinha graced the Rafi Memorial programme at Tagore theatre some weeks back. The Durga Das Foundation, known for promotion of English and contemporary theatre presented Bollywood actors Lillete Dubey in two plays including Wedding Album and Lution Dubey in Salaam India besides another play The day I met the Prince. Similarly the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi (CSA) headed by Manju Jaidka organised the release of four anthologies published by the CSA, poetry recitation function aptly titled A gathering of nightingales, added a new dimension to mushaira traditions. Susheel Kumar a budding writer was sponsored to attend weeklong writer’s camp at Pune. Admirers and artistes in a musical soiree paid legendary Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi rich musical tributes. After Face to Face with Sahitya Akademi award winner, Mitter Sain Meet, a Hasya Kavi Sammelan, Kahani Darbar a National seminar The Author in Search of Audience had a high profile participation of Bollywood actor, director, writer Farooq Shaikh and playwright Mahesh Dattani. Ru Ba Ru’s with them were highlight of the seminar. CSA launched the publication of books, dictionaries and organised annual Hindi Divas celebrations and meet the author programmes with renowned writers. After a literary quiz the latest Meet the Author featured Suesh Seth. CSA is now focusing on their forthcoming International Conference with 250 national and international delegates expected to participate.
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Food for plant
Satish Narula Do not think that now when you have completed the job of planting winter annuals and vegetables that your work is done. There are certain operations that are carried out only during this month, the most important being feeding the plants. So, get ready and do it in a systematic way following the tips given under. Feeding the plants to its requirements is a must. Any malnutrition and you lose both, the yield and quality.
The varieties recommended for this region are heavy bearers and need matching nutrition. The quantity required has been calculated at per year age of the plant. Any deviation may lead either to the laxity or deficiency and that in either case is detrimental for both the plant and its output. There are two more very important considerations, one the farmyard manure that you add should be well rotten and second the application should be proper. When we talk about giving manure and fertilizers, we should be very sure about the way it is applied. Generally speaking, the roots of the plants are spread till its drip area. Applying fertilizers and manures near the main trunk means nothing. It is lost. So one must not complain about the poor performance of the fruit trees in case these are planted on pucca floor, along the driveway or in the backyard in a small thin bed with no provision for proper spread of roots and breathing space for them. In other cases, the fertilizer should be spread evenly in the basin that should be as big as the spread of the tree. It should be thoroughly mixed with the soil and given good amount of water immediately thereafter. Add only those fertilizers that are recommended for this month. Normally, manure and super phosphate and muriate of potash are added in this season. The nitrogenous fertilizers are split in two doses, one to be applied before flowering and the other after fruit set. The fertilizer application is done based on the age of the plant. In case of citrus species plants and mango, the manure is added at 10 kg (one small basket) per year age of the plant. The quantity should be five kg per year age in case of peach, pear, plum, guava and litchi plants. In grapes, the dose can be increased to 15 kg. Ber and loquat are given manure in May-June and September respectively. Mango should be applied superphosphate at the rate of 250 gram per year age of the plant with a maximum of one kg and that is the dose for a full-grown tree too. In case of Pear, add superphosphate at 250 gram per year age of the plant with a maximum of two kg and muriate of potash at 150 gram per year age of the tree with a maximum dose of 1.5 kg. Peach needs 200 gram of superphosphate per year age with a max of 800 gram and muriate of potash at 150 gram per year age of the plant with a maximum of 900 gram to a full-grown tree. Plum needs superphosphate at 100 gram per year age with a maximum of 600 gram and potash at 60 gram per year age of the plant with a maximum limit of 360 gram. Litchi should be added superphosphate at 200 gram per year age of the tree with a maximum of 2.5 kg and muriate of potash at 50 gram with a maximum of 600 gram to a grown up tree. Citrus and guava are given only farmyard manure and no chemical fertilizer during winter. satishnarula@yahoo.co.in
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Foot note
Beautiful feet are always a sight to watch, more so because they are the most ignored part of the body and very few of us can maintain flawless feet. Perfect feet don’t just help you walk, they also say lot about you as a person.
If not taken proper care, the skin on our feet can become dry, itchy, scaly and calloused.
So, it’s very important that you resolve to go the extra mile to take care of your feet especially, when the weather is getting ready to wreak havoc on your poor
delicate feet. Himalaya has developed a unique daily use natural formulation that is effective round the year. Himalaya’s Foot Care Cream contains natural active ingredients that provides intensive care for your feet and eliminates cracks in the skin of the heels to make them soft and supple in three days. It is priced at Rs 40 for 20g and Rs 80 for 50g tube and is available at exclusive Himalaya retail outlets and all major medical and general stores. |
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It looks cool but it is still a concept ,The Nokia BMW Video Phone concept with the brand name of BMW attached to it, you can expect nothing but the best without compromising on its looks and styling, Of course, the price is going to be sky high as well, placing it well out of reach from the working class. Best of all is, this concept handset features a push to open mechanism that enables the owner to rotate the cellphone 90 degrees to activate the camcorder function. Other features include GPS navigation to help you get around.
