The canvas may spread up to 300 square feet, goes till the height of 40 feet and is the dome of Maurya Sheraton, but art still has to be spontaneous. Blueprints, made initially, failed to mirror emotions what prompt strokes did, instant thought process then helped complete the mural in four years. The result of spontaneity was the projection of Indian society, rituals, nature, people's habits and Krishen Khanna's close friends and contemporaries, Khuswant Singh, Mulk Raj Anand, KK Nayar and Iqbal Malik.

Khanna gives own his face some space too in a dhaba scene that has his friends painted as well, "Everything came in a flow, without any planning. All emotions (he terms as navrasras), parts of mythology and present time was conjured up to portray different scenes," says Khanna, the eminent and acclaimed artist, in the city on Saturday, to share his experience of mural painting in Maurya Sheraton, on the invitation of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi for a lecture-cum-slide show Making of a Mural.

However, the sprint of feelings weren't allowed to overshadow the practical aspects of the grand work. Geometry of space was taken into consideration and measurements from all angles of the three-tiered dome and specifications about every curve were taken in detail. "Plywood was used as the canvas, which was painted in parts in my studio and then pasted on the dome accordingly. One wrong measurement could distort the unity of vision, vital to complete the picture and story," he says.

Most of the mural was done with public art, which he says is important from sociological point of view. "In the late 19th and 20th century, individual became important, as he projected the society." The top of the mural has a temple, with a Shivling and priests praying inside. It's shown to have two entries, one from the top and other from below, which has been artistically done. Also, there is a mosque, with a scene of mourning inside it and Mulk Raj Anand sitting and thinking about the Indian art scene. Birds and animals were also drawn he adds, "They complete the universe."

With artwork like this, Khanna, also known as the Grand Old Man of Art, makes his humour apparent. His eloquence and wit, makes the interaction interesting, as he explains the facets of mural at length.

A few other aspects that represent society in his work are a woman calling out for her husband from her window, who is smoking, a show mender, barber, man playing cards, a dog, who is holding a stick with his teeth in front of his master. "It's similar to the corporate sector, where the employee himself brings the stick to his master to spank him," explains Khanna with wit.

During the lecture, recalling the experience of making of the mural, he confesses, "Now, if asked to do it again, I would refuse, because of the hardwork and energy it required." But if at all, he does, the work would be different from the prior one. "For an artists, perception is ever evolving," which shows in his latest series based on Partition.

His other popular series is on bandwallas, a subject he chose because, "Their job profile saw an unusual change from playing music for British officers to playing in weddings, which is fascinating." Another recent series by him is on trucks that shows truck drivers and works in the same colour in which the truck is. But whatever is the medium, a 2 by 4, 4 by 6 and 6 by 8 canvas or a something in hundreds of square feet, what's perpetual is Krishen Khanna's love for art.

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A supernatural world of benevolent and malevolent spirits, haunted houses, a mysterious lady in white making a regular appearance on the balcony, a 100-year-old Banyan tree with drooping roots giving rise to another small tree (a vicious sign), an old lantern that moves even without slight wind, a cat crying on every Tuesday … each one of us have grown up listening to ghost stories.

We believed in some because our cousins convinced us about the supernatural world they were witness to, and then sometimes friends at the hostel used the 'ghost' as a weapon to settle scores. At other times, ghost stories made for the best time-killing activity.

And well, it still does. Why would you have kids reading Stephen King's the Shining or Hiding the copy of Theroux Paul's The Black House under the Blanket?

"Chetan Bhagat's Two States, Dan Brown's Lost Symbol and Mitch Albom's Have A Little Faith still make for an interesting read across all age groups," says Ajay Arora, manager with Captial Book Depot-17.

A medium that gives an eerie feeling and sometimes sends a chill down the spine, ghost stories manage to lessen the difference between the real and supernatural. And we enjoy it for once, don't we?

A Brother's Funeral, A Gentle Touch, Late Night Apparitions, A Vancouver Haunting and The Deadly Apartment are a few more examples. Harleen Sekhon, a kindergarten teacher, is also of the opinion that kids like horror stories in addition to fairy tales. "Especially, when children are bent upon making your life hell, all you need is to relate a horror tale with the right gestures and noises," she smiles.

"Anything on Phantom sounds interesting to the kids. I somehow feel that they are interested in the paranormal world. They like to see supernatural characters, ferocious animals like wolves etc," she adds.

Nods Pankaj P Singh, chief executive, Browser: "Ghost stories fall in the overlapping genre of supernatural and mystery; something that goes down well with the kids. They like the thrill and believe in the stuff more easily than adults who are likely to make judgments and contemplate."

"Tales of the Unexpected are moderately picked up by adults. In addition to this, Ruskin Bond's Horror Omnibus catches the fancy of kids," adds Pankaj.

Rakhna mere dushman ko slaamat verna, Mere marne ki dua kaun karega or Aie sheikh ji rindon ko kyon karte ho nasihat, sab nek banenge toh khta kaun karega … this is Ustad Munnawar Qayyum of the famous Munnawar -Masoom duo, the qawwali maestros and vocalists of the Mewati gharana, flourishing under the patronage of guru Pandit Jasraj.

Both Munnawar Qayyum and Syed Masoom come from the family of acclaimed practitioners of Hindustani classical music led by Ustad Abdul Gafoor Khan, the father of the duo. While Masoom is based in Mumbai, the Bhopal-based Munnwar had to shuttle between Bhopal and Mumbai for concerts. "Our songs Laage laage .. for film Jeevan Saathi and qawwali Chhap tilak sab chheni .. in BR Chopra's serial Bahadurshah Zaffar and song Mil gye jab kadam in serial Apna Apna Chaman were appreciated for their classical base," claims Munnawar.

Asked about their transition of qawwali genre from the classical background, he attributes to the will of Allah, "With His grace, we have created history in our own right. I was just nine when the HMV made an album of my qawaalis. Now, I have several albums.” In fact, any genre of music needs innovation, he says.

"Folk artistes, especially Punjabis, have turned towards Sufina gayaki drawing inspiration from qawwali, which had the ingredients of romantic poetry of soulful sufina kalaams of sufi saints and compositions weaved in classical ragas and passionate rhythmic patterns," adds Ustad Munnawar and Masoom Syed. 

A brief stint in fashion retailing, whiling away time in his father’s business before he decided to give it up to travel, hang out with friends before he gave that too up for a couple of fashion jobs…. And then came the big switch that changed life for 25- year-old Siddhartha Khanna, winner of UTV Bindaas Big Switch. A well-defined vision, a focused path and the understanding of self, are some of the things that Siddhartha takes back from show besides, of course, the prize money.

We chat up with the winner who likes to live life to the hilt but now it is for a reason. Which is…? “ I want to do something for the betterment of society. I would want to provide education to the underprivileged and help them understand their duties. However, this wouldn’t have been possible without Big Switch,” shares Siddhartha. “Like any other 25-year- old I was also enjoying life, pondering on what to do before I was taken up for the show.” Life will never be the same, feels the bindaas boy. “I see a world of change in my understanding and the way of looking at things before and after joining the show.

On Big Switch I met up with people like Mohita, Adams, Sameer and others who encouraged me and helped me to find a perspective in life.” There is nothing like the feeling of gratification that comes from the fulfillment of a noble cause. “It was like God giving me a mission — to fulfill someone’s dream. I am feeling out of this world. I have, at the age of 25, managed to accomplish Sameer Pagare’s dream.”

A dream accomplished, what next do we see at his end? “I am enjoying the success. I treated Sameer and his friends to dinner last night. Well, now I know which route to take and where will it lead me. I want to do something for the masses. You never know I do it through something the medium of television again.”

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Removal of the gall bladder for stones is one of the most widely performed operations in the country, can now be done utilising a single incision (surgical opening). And, it leaves no visible scar. This is in contrast to four incisions made to accommodate various surgical instruments.

Dr Pankaj Garg, a senior consultant laparoscopic surgeon in Fortis Hospital, Mohali, who recently operated on a patient, says that this new technique not only provides cosmetic enhancement for the patient, it also results in lesser post-operative pain and shorter recovery time.

He says articulating instruments were used and an incision less than one inch was made during the operation. The patient was discharged within 24 hours. At present, this new procedure can be done for selected patients who have had some episodes of pain, and not for complicated cases.

The cost is almost the same as the conventional procedure. This approach of utilising a single incision could also be extended to other abdominal operations performed laparoscopically, says Dr Garg.

Unfortunately, there are just a handful of centres that conduct single-incision laparoscopic procedures in the country. It is due to the lack of awareness, and not many specialists are trained to perform this procedure. Dr Garg, who was trained to perform this procedure in Phoenix, USA, says the initial trend from open to laparoscopic surgery was to use smaller incisions. And at present, it is to decrease the number of incisions necessary to perform minimal access surgery.

With pressures of studies, work and relationships, teenagers and those in their early 20’s have become very susceptible to mental illness like schizophrenia, experts say, adding that the condition is 70 percent treatable. Around 450 million people worldwide are affected by mental, neurological or behavioral problems and the rate is steadily rising, according to NGO Sanjivini Society for Mental Health.

In India alone, around 15 million suffer from severe psychological disorders, of which a large chunk is youngsters facing pressures of study and work life. “Schizophrenia is a psycho-social disability. It is caused due to neuro-chemical imbalances in the brain. Teenagers and those in their early 20’s are the biggest victims. “Pressures of job,studies and even relationships among youngsters is very apparent. When affected the get violent, aggressive and depressed,” said Puneet Dwevedi, a consultant psychiatrist with the Max Hospitals, at a seminar on Understanding Mental Illness.

He added that hardest part in treating the condition especially in youngsters was the acceptance from the victim and family members. He said that critical verbal and non verbal comments from the family was not helpful since the person usually has no clue that he even has a problem. “Normally people are hesitant to reach out for treatment. Since these are neuro-chemical disorders, medication plays an important role. In these cases rehabilitation with proper care giving is essential,” Dwivedi explained. Another mental health expert Ramesh Bijlani called such mental illness “a circumstance with a purpose not of need”. “The family support is necessary.

Denial, lack of information about the illness and misconception surrounding the disease creates a hurdle in the intervention process and complicates things. Delay in treatment can result in irrepairable damage for the patient,” said Bijlani, a psychologist and mind-body expert. Mukul Talwar, a leading Delhi High Court lawyer dealing with mental health cases, stressed that if people hide mental health problems from the outside world, it can also cause problems in marriage or relationships. “Mental illness can be used as grounds for annulling a marriage. But this is when the person hides his condition as it amounts to getting consent by fraud. But if the mentally ill person has revealed all, then the courts tend to favour him,” Talwar said. Experts said what was required was the participation of the civil society and government in recognising, understanding and helping people and families afflicted by mental illness and see it as any other treatable and manageable disease and not as a stigma. —IANS

After her sizzling size-zero waist, Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor's fatless face look is becoming yet another rage with young girls with some of them even taking the surgical route to get that hollow look.

While women have been opting for cosmetic surgery for fat reduction to seek the overall slim look for quite some time now, of late there has been an upswing in the number of girls approaching surgeons to get a "wafer-slim" face. Cosmetic surgeons say the new fad, which was fairly common for Hollywood buffs, has finally come to India. "We have witnessed an increase in this trend in the last few months, I would say only after Kareena's appearance in Tashan," says Dr Amit Gupta, plastic surgeon at Delhi's Divin Cosmetic Surgery. "While earlier women seeking such a procedure came once in a while, now I have been undertaking at least two to three surgeries for fat reduction on the face every month," he says. Buccal fat pad removal is a short but delicate procedure, in which the lump of fat inside the cheeks is removed by making a small cut in the mouth, to give a hollow look on the cheeks. The therapy can cost you between Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000.

On the other hand is liposuction that is extremely safe that costs almost the same and can be done under local anesthesia. Besides, injections of chemicals like PTC, which dissolve the fat in the body, are also popular. "It's not only models or wannabe actresses who show interest in these methods but young college-going girls as well," Gupta says.

Agrees Dr Meenakshi Agarwal, Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon, Director of the Mumbai based 'Face and Figure' clinic, "Yes the requests for such fat reduction procedures have increased in the recent past, and it has to do a lot with increased consciousness among the people".

Dr Agarwal, who has been handling on an average five such cases a month, says women also come up for therapies to follow up their sudden weight reduction. "In line with the zero figure fad, young women lose a lot of weight suddenly and then they come to us for procedures like wrinkle reduction through botox injections and things like reducing the law line". Dr Anup Dhir, Cosmetic Surgeon at Delhi's Apollo Clinic, however, says he always warns his patients against going in for a sudden weight loss. "This can at times be really harmful for the body but there is little doubt that young women are crazy about the hollow look," he says. — PTI

Actor R. Madhavan will for the first time play a character with "grey shades" in Bollywood in Teen Patti. While he is a professor in the forthcoming film, the actor will also be seen sporting six different avatars in the thriller that also features Amitabh Bachchan and Hollywood star Ben Kingsley.

"I have different looks in the film. I'm playing a professor, but when I go to different areas, I'm dressed up as different characters," Madhavan said in an interview. "There's one (scene) with a very suave, high-end party look; then there is one for the low, scum areas. Another one's of a mid-level thug; there is the professor's look of course and all sort of stuff leading to even a Casanova's and an Italian' look," he explained.

"In Hindi films, this will be my first grey kind of character as one who wants everything very fast in life," the 39-year-old added. "In Teen Patti, I'm playing a professor who believes he deserves a lot more than what life is offering him at that point of time. He decides to take certain steps which land him in a web of greed, lust and defeat - and how much of a heavy price he pays for those decisions." The multilingual actor is not apprehensive about the audience's reaction to the transition from his chocolate-boy image. "When the film is wholesome and you are playing a character, they (audiences) will accept you in any case," he said.

"Even Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan and Shah Rukh (Khan) have done that. It's very important to play different kinds of roles and I am very excited about it. I am very keen to see how the audiences will react to it," he added. —IANS

Boys do not become men until they reach the age of 27, says new research based on a survey. Lads do not grow up until they have had their first child by age 29 but would continue to indulge in boyish behaviour.

Girls, on the other hand, become mature at 24 with the average woman swearing until she is 26, suggests the study.“The report proves that men simply don’t grow up as quickly as women. They are still likely to indulge in some sort of immature behaviour,” tsaid the OnePoll spokesman as saying. —ANI