Art's traversed through several centuries. Beginning with realism, it entered impressionism then followed post- impressionism to the now prevalent abstract art form. In between, came several more, some accounted, some not. What remained constant in the entire time-period was the purpose of art- a medium to project the world, as it is, until recently when we heard an artist raise a doubt and realised the seething discontent with present day art, abstract and young artists who practice it.

Rajinder Prasad, an eminent artist from Lucknow, set off the debate on his visit to the city in December 2009, "Realistic art should be the foundation for abstract art. Else, majority of the aspiring artists would bait abstract art form for easy success." To confirm the same, we posed the question to Serah G, an artist from Japan, who disagreed, "Realistic art made sense when there were no cameras to capture surroundings. Now, art can be more liberal, project things beyond the obvious, take new dimensions and for that learning realistic art isn't obligatory."

Hence, the debate set off, though not on a common platform, and we tried to draw a conclusion by taking several artists' take. Madan Lal, a city-based artist, who does semi-figurative art, is for the freedom of expression. He believes there are no defined rules to practice an art form. "Like everything else, art too has evolved with time. Art also has surpassed the demographic boundaries," he says. The reason we see Indian art that began with mural, miniatures and sculptures, gradually merging with the world art forms, better known as the modern art. "Abstract art is thus a way of exploring the truth which artists who do real art put plainly."

However, Ravinder Kumar Sharma, another city-based artist, who does realistic and abstract art sides more with his contemporary Rajinder Prasad. He feels, "Abstract is the most powerful form of art that leaves a lasting impact on viewers. So, it should be taken up only after one is expert at realistic art." He rues the fact that abstract is taken for granted, "Young artists usually go by the literal meaning of abstract art. Any art form with no dimensions and definite forms is termed as abstract art, where as a lot of meanings and forms can de derived from actual abstract form." For him, real art is the basic art that has to be mastered before advancing to any other form. As he rightly puts in, "Art should follow the chronological order of illustrating, expressing and then suggesting."

Swarn Prita Anand, a full time artist began her career as an artist by making portraits of her family and then nature. "I used to paint trees, flowers, mountains and everything around before finally shifting gears to abstract art." As per her personal experience, realistic art forms the basis of abstract art, "It's easier to bring out the meaning of what we aim to draw in realistic art, which in abstract art gets complex, thus the basic knowledge of art is required."

In the bid to conclude is exposure to realistic art a must to switch to abstract art, Prita gives us the most precise picture, "Any artist with talent can do any form of art." In this case, no conditions apply.

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Of course, we know we don’t need to wait for a New Year for the market to present state-of-the-laptops, netbooks, mobile phones with upgraded instant messaging and gaming features, hi-speed cameras or new cyber laws. For, technology doesn’t wait for a 2010, to bestow inventions on us. All the same, consumers have something new to look forward to this year, in terms of style, colour, other prominent features, and of course cost!

Raman Kaura from Sector 33, working to outsource entertainment packages, sees every second company, Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, come up with advanced technology. “All these companies will come up with hi-end products that will lure the customers, whether it is the looks, the style or features. The main focus most likely will be on music, messaging and social networking, Internet, maintaining documents, high memory.” As for the prices, Raman is skeptical about it. “It might come down noticeably or go sky-rocketing, depending on the competition in the market.”

Would this mean more walking and talking! You bet. And well, the companies would assure you flaunt the sets while walking. Strikingly bold colours, and more sleek versions are expected to hit the market. Sony Ericsson Satio, the Blackberry Pearl-9100 are some of the models to look out for.

“The major focus will be on sharing photos and Internet and accessibility to social networking sites, foresees Inder Preet Makhija, one of the prominent members of Flickr, adding that the global positing at a city level, navigation and geo-tagging will some other features will take technology a step higher. In addition to this, camera is another feature that catch the interest of the mobile companies.” Now, if you are wondering about the price, well, just wait for a while.

‘Internet speed’ is what most tech-savvy are interested in. Sandeep Dogra, brain behind Webdesignhub, offers that Internet browsing is going to be a big consideration for the companies in 2010. “New Excel sheets, wireless USB, expansive data base, finger print security on laptop is awaited.”

Google is also expected to come with new platform, which will have less spam, better visibility and easy conversation. We also formally see the launch of Facebook Light. Twitter too is expected to gain popularity and rub shoulders with Facebook. Adds Inder Preet, “Marketing activities are also expected to increase on social networking sites. Social media platforms will consume even more work hours this year and that also of a larger number, as more people will spend more and more time on these platforms. We might be losing anything up to 20 per cent of work time depending on person and organisation.

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A recent article in Discovery News has outlined the top ten green technology stories of the year 2009. At number one is automotive researchers looking towards nature for inspiration to build car parts, like coconuts, wheat waste and even root vegetables.

At number two is the report of solar cells becoming cheaper than before, with Australians breaking record with their solar cell production, DIY panels hitting store shelves and the massive Desertec project moving forward. Desertec is a concept for making use of solar energy and wind energy in the deserts in North Africa and Middle East proposed by the Desertec Foundation. At number three is the launch of the first legal “flying car”, developed by Terrafugia. Known as the transition plane, it is a street-legal plane that gets great fuel efficiency, requires a pilot’s license, and could mean less congestion in the skies. At number four is the official launch of the DustCart robot, which has potential to make recycling collection quieter and smarter. At number five is the story of scientists discovering a special mineral in shark teeth called apatite, which could help us determine what ocean temperatures used to be like long ago. At number six is researchers focusing on developing the bike as an eco-friendly tool. For example, a group at MIT made a laundry bike and a group of students from New Jersey fashioned an agribike thresher for sorghum and millet. At number seven is the story of nanotechnology demonstrating its “green” potential.

A superhydrophobic surface crafted by Duke University scientists with carbon nanotubes could shrink power plants, AggraLight nanoparticles promise to lighten up solar cells while improving efficiency, and a nanostructure in algae led to lightweight, flexible batteries.

At number eight is the story of geoengineering becoming real with the University of East Anglia doing a scientific evaluation of the most massive Earth-scale engineering plans out there and the Oxford Geoengineering Institute launching in the fall. At number nine is scientists using manure to generate electricity in a big way.

The city of Oslo in Norway made plans to turn municipal sewage into methane for a new city bus fleet, an aid group in Haiti called SOIL set up dry composting toilets to make humanure, and a sterling engine powered by cow dung was tested. At number ten is the development of smart grid devices in 2009. GE (General Electric) announced that it will start making smart appliances, Google made a smart meter application, and a bunch of competitors collaborated to secure smart grid devices. — ANI

If you’re glued to Twitter and Facebook you may soon find a job, suggest media experts. According to consultant Laurel Papworth there were nearly 350million Facebook users across the world, which made the social networking site the best way to find a job. If someone wanted a job with a particular company they could make an ad on Facebook targeting that company and offer their services to the corporate network.

“It’s easy, cheap and accessible,” the Couriermail quoted Papworth, as saying. She pointed out that Aussie recruiters were already using Twitter to look for employees and also monitoring chat about a job ad topic. Papworth added that even seniors had actively started using Facebook and it was no more confined to youngsters.

However, lawyer Nick Duggal believes there are some negative aspects of social networking. He said, “Just like sports people and celebrities we all have our 10 gigabytes of fame and we are all branded public property if what we do in private time impacts the public brand of a company we work for.” Duggal added that an employer could make a biased decision if he/she recruits using a Facebook since age, race and sexuality are often openly listed on personal pages. — ANI

Sibia, 69 in Sector 5 Chandigarh, belongs to farmlords T S Sibia and Parveen Kaur. This palatial place in white and brick red is designed on the pattern of Sibia's old haveli in Sangrur. Huge arches, big window frames, an open courtyard in the middle, this house spells space.

Hundreds of chrysanthemum bunches greet as one enters the gate. The four kanal plot surrounded by huge litchi and mango tree has lawns on three sides. A gazebo at the front lawn has cushioned wooden furniture. "This is our favourite place in winters to enjoy the sun," says Kanwar Vir, Sibia's son.

The entrance leads to the study-cum-office done in green upholstery has an elegant bookshelf that houses encyclopedias along with other books. The families' active social life reflects in their two living rooms, two kitchens and two dining rooms, each a formal and an informal one. While the formal living room exudes class, informal one is pretty cozy with a fireplace, plasma TV and the grand Gogy's bar Estd 1957 'Where It's Happy Hour Every Hour And The Bar Never Closes'. "This one stop shop is my favourite place of the house," shares Kanwar Vir.

This huge covered area is well-lit courtesy a courtyard that's open to the sky. A Christmas tree occupies the centre of the courtyard and mushroom shaped lamps sit pretty in the corners. Dazzling chandeliers decorate the common spaces that go with the colour of the interiors. Peach chandelier at the entrance, tinged with green in the formal living room and crystal in the dining room to go with the mirror that runs across the wall. Antique pieces of furniture adorn this home that exudes colonial era - a big, heavy wooden chest, a clock as high as six feet and the wall pieces. The ground floor also has two guest bedrooms. The flooring is a mix of marble and wood. Marble stairs take you to the first floor that has the Gurudwara and three bedrooms, each with a sprawling balcony.

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It's out on January 8, at a theatre near you. But before the story, the script, the sketches, it's one film; they've had two press conferences in a span of fortnight. Says Lakhwinder Singh, the lead actor, "Actually, that day we had special conference for Mika and the director, not every character of the film could interact at length. Moreover the other day, the actress who was at the time busy with some shooting schedule down South so could not make it, that's why." So here they were, the hero and the heroine getting a makeover at La Opulence Salon-22 and interacting.

Now about the film. Mitti, a Punjabi flick borders on the issues of youth, politics, farmers, love, friendship, all rolled into one. Shares Lakhwinder, "You can say, proud to be a Punjabi is the motto of the film. The story depicts how today's youth is obsessed with either going abroad or becoming a singer and not as concerned with what's becoming of their lands and nation." He adds, "I play the character of Rabbi Sidhu who's part of the young group of four guys around whom the story revolves." As for the female actor, Kashish Dhanoa, she says, "I play the role of Neeru, and it's me who lends the romantic angle to the whole film, I have quite an intense character."

Cutting the reel or their role talk, what have they done in real life? Says Kashish, "I've done a couple of films down South." Wait, wasn't Punjabi a problem? "No, I was quite comfortable in the language and I know it also. In fact, I'm a Sardarni." But the other lead definitely had language problems. Shares Lakhwinder, "I didn't know Hindi, worked really hard for it, did a couple of Hindi serials before an English film Zoop in India and now this." He adds, "I'm basically from near Nawanshahar, and from a farming background, after graduating didn't want to go abroad, so trained to be body builder and am a trainer." — Manpriya Khurana

Getting queries after every write up is not new for me. But at times the queries are very particular and amazing. Recently, a gardener asked, which plant he should have in his garden so that he gets blue flowers that he wanted for some regular ritual offering. Well, my job is to tell and may be it will be a guiding piece for others.

The colour blue is considered cool. There are very few plants that bear blue flowers. The reader has not told about the kind of plant that he wants. The selection can be made only on the basis of space available. But I will tell about various kinds and you can select the one that fits your location. I will tell you about one tree, a few shrubs and a climber that bear profusely the blue flowers.

In case of space constraint what suits most is the climber and there are two very popular climbers, one the Railway Creeper and the other is Patrea volubilis (commonly called Patrea). The Railway Creeper is very hardy in nature. May be you have sometime noticed it growing wild along the highways, without any attention. The vine bears profusely and has ornamental palm like leaves too. It bears blue flowers almost all the year through. The other climber, the Patrea, however, bears during April and May and the vine at that time is leafless. The star shaped blooms are sparkling blue. There is another blue flowering climber, the Passionflower. It is revered by Christians as it has religious value. The blooms are very beautiful and so are the leaves that are shining and lobed.

The shrubs can also be accommodated in small space. There are a few shrubs that bear blue flowers. Menia erecta is a small shrub that bears deep blue, trumpet shaped bold flowers that look very soft. The flowers have white throat. The shrub is also free flowering. May be you have this problem of shade or semi-shade conditions. You can go in for Dadalicanthus. The shrub bears deep blue flowers on the terminals and the shrub is completely covered at the top with blue blooms. The flowering takes place during winters months starting with mid-January. One blue flowering shrub that was mostly visible only at Solan height was blue Hibiscus. Now it can be easily seen growing in Chandigarh. This is also offered to Goddess Durga. One small bush with blue flowers that has recently introduced is Vinca rosea also called Sadabahar due to its perpetual flowering habit. You must be familiar with the white and deep pink type. Now it is available in deep red and light pink colours too. There is another very good shrub that bears blue flowers, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow also called Francisia. You can see three coloured blooms on the same shrub at any give time. This is attributed to the change in colour of blooms due to aging.

In annuals now you can be choosy and select from a wide range of colours. But if you are particular to have blue then go in for Petunia, verbena, lupins etcetera. In roses however you will not find true blue and the one nearest to blue is Blue Moon that you can get from nurseries.

Space permitting, you can also go in for trees. Who has not seen Nilli Gulmohur? The tree bears deep blue flowers during summers and it is completely leafless at that time.

The modern Indian woman is adding premium skincare products to her shopping list. She's watching her diet and exercising to stay in shape. She knows exactly what to do to fight the signs of ageing. She is the average Indian woman, confidently taking her place among the savvy women of the world.

A study that was commissioned by Kaya Limited, a chain of skin care clinics, covered 809 women in affluent SEC A households, ranging in age from 18 years to 50 years.

Giving top priority to skincare, more than 90 per cent of the women surveyed, stated categorically that they would spend on products that they believe really work, regardless of price. Market trends, too, have shown a steady rise in demand for premium result-oriented products and treatments that promise to fight wrinkles, reduce lines and pigmentation and erase dark circles.

The desire for clear, flawless skin explains itself in another section of the survey, where more than 90 per cent of the women say that a clear skin gives them confidence and definitely gets them noticed. Small wonder, then, that they are willing to invest in products and treatments that seem to show results.

The study further reveals that across cities, worrying about age and its effects peaks only in the late thirties, among Indian women. Moreover, 6 out of 10 of the women surveyed were unafraid of ageing; because they were confident they could fight the ravages of time. Regular skincare tops the list of age-fighting measures, with 85 per cent of the women surveyed believing in it. 77 per cent give credit to anti-ageing technology and 73 per cent of them believe technology can even help them look 5 years younger.

In fact, technology seems to be gaining acceptance rapidly, not only for specialised, high-end treatments, but also for basic grooming services like hair removal. 78 per cent of the women surveyed agreed that hair removal technology can save time in the long run, since hair is permanently removed in a few sittings. 72 per cent of them also believed hair removal technology is cost-effective in the long run.

As important as skincare and ageing, of course, is the issue of weight, especially in these size-zero times. A significant 39 per cent of the women surveyed perceived themselves as overweight. The reasons - 53 per cent of the women confessed to irregular eating habits and 52 per cent put it down to lack of exercise.

'Women need to look at weight loss holistically, to combine a well-planned diet with an exercise regime. Stick to this, and you'll have energy, health and self-confidence, along with a fit and toned body' says a leading weight management expert.

But if the Indian woman can vanquish her facial blemishes, fight age and welcome international advances in grooming, it won't be long before body maintenance, too, is well within her control.