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African beats
For those who’d like to define music syllables, theirs is a traditional modern African culture fusion played in the Jamaican style! The local stars from Senegal check in and here’s a quick sound check for BBC Sound System. “It’s not the British Broadcasting Corporation, it’s stands for Ben Bop Crew, with crew as in we are a crew of four members and Ben Bop means one musical head,” Izm of the four-member crew clarifies. Here on an Alliance Francaise tour as part of the Francophonie week celebrations, the artistes from Senegal talk all things musical. “We are four of us, three singers and one DJ Kessmo. Mao and Kadou know each other since childhood and have been playing music ever since. They are the pioneers and one of the first hip hop band in Senegal,” shares Izm, the vocalist. He adds, “Around twelve years ago, they decided to widen their music and come to France and that’s when I joined them.” They first shot to fame with the release of their first album Thioukouly in 1998. For the last ten years, it’s been continuing with their kind of music, mixing traditional beats with reggae, urban hip hop, exploring African melodies like Tassou ( hip hop music’s origin). “We’ve been traveling around for the last ten years and we’ve so far done 400 concerts. And at places like Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Holland, China, Burkina Faso, of course, Senegal and France,” he says. Continuing with what they’ve been doing; traveling. And here’s the India schedule. Pre Chandigarh arrival, it was playing in Delhi. “We played in Delhi last Friday and it was great.” Did he say it three times? Mao and Kadou nod vehemently. “After Chandigarh we move to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Trivandrum.” In the process of moving, the trio is picking up influences, people and cultures. Says Izm, “When we were traveling by train, we met this girl from Chandigarh who plays really good music and who’s going to join us at the concert today.” What of the Indian music? “No we don’t really know any names in Indian music,” Kadou shakes his head. Adds Izm, “But we’ve heard Bollywood music, a couple of songs and it’s good melody, it’s so catchy.” As for the instruments, laughs Izm, “We work different singers but only one instrument which is our voice. But yes we do produce music with computers.” Back to back home Senegal and choruses the Paris based crew, “We do keep going back there.” Shares Izm, “The music industry in Senegal is not very developed but then I don’t know any country, where it’s easy to be a singer survive.” manpriya@tribunemail.com The concert today at 6pm at Sector –17 plaza
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Reality byte
It is indeed difficult to ascertain whether as child prodigies both brothers learnt to sing or speak first. The drones of tanpura, soulful strains of alaaps formed a perfect musical ambience at their Benaras home- virtually an institute of intense learning and aesthetic excellence. Assimilating and imbibing the best of family musical gharana under the guru shishya tradition Rajan secured a post graduation in Sociology while Sajan Misra graduated from Hindu university. Having learnt from their father guru ( Late) Pandit Hanuman Misra and later uncle Pandit Gopal Parsad Misra they emerged as the top most duo of performing khyal exponents the world over. On gharana and gharanedar gayaki Rajan Misra opines that gharana represents a school of performing music belonging to a house or a family at a particular period having its influence at latest on three successive generations. “We cannot afford to loose the pristine purity of our gharana gayaki, which is replete with spiritual holiness. Our khyal gayaki and style is admired because the audiences get a feel of mystic significance. For those who attempt dilution of traditional purity on the pretext of modernity of khyal , we reserve our comments but you must tell them that even the more rigid and tough dhrupad shaili is catching up in a big way,” nod both the maestros. Asked about the lowest turn out of musicians of merit from the government or aided universities and institutes, they attribute it to the lack of guru shishya pattern. The maestros lamented the lack of accountability in this regard. “Besides, there are no career jobs in this classical realm. Even the Bollywood star singers prefer concerts, which is a discouraging factor,” they add. “The government or those at the helm of affairs must check the cut in airing and broadcast of classical music on AIR or Doordarshan. Also, why are their no reality TV shows for semi classical forms. There is a renaissance of classical musical arts while the revolution is yet to come. Let us hope for the best,” signs of the duo. |
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In pursuit of Happiness
There is seeker in all of us, who wants to unfold the mysteries of life and reach the ultimate goal. Put to practical use, the seeker may find it difficult to even come out in this big bad world, let alone the exploration. The path to spirituality had always been difficult, but it has been made more confusing and more self-centric, thanks to the dozen a dime baba culture in the recent times. “But the law of nature that every sincere seeker will find happiness even if he is looking at the wrong place,” says Swami Swaroopananda, who is in the city to spread the message of spirituality through the Chinmaya Mission. Teaching morality to someone can be a tough job, but since Swami Swaroopananda has been doing it for the past few years now, he feels it’s an east concept. “All your morality issues rest on one concept, do to others what you would want them to do to you. Would you like somebody to gossip about you? Or do you like to be cheated on? The answers are simple, no mater how hard w try to make our questions complex.” His book, The One Undivisible Truth explains the discourses on the Mool Mantra ie, Ik Onkaar and Japji Sahib, verses by Guru Nanak Dev with which the Adi Granth begins. Currently, as the director of the Chinmaya International Residential School at Coimbatore, he believes in imparting value-based education is the best possible way to ease out the pressure put on mankind. His trip to Chandigarh is a part of the concept, by conducting discourses on ‘Solutions to Happiness’ at Vivek High School-38. “We at Chinmaya Mission believe that youth is not useless, it’s just used less. It is a time of temptations, but if our education system inculcates teaching values as a part of curriculum then the growth that we as human beings deserve will follow without any doubt,’ he says. But hasn’t this generation grown up learning that attaining spirituality is the virtue of the rich? “All rich men are not dirty human beings and all poor are not saints. May be it is a sow for them, but spirituality is something that comes to someone who has larger vision and motive in life, irrespective of their status.” And where does the guru come into the picture? “There are dozens of gurus in the market and if you expect them to pick you and show you the right path, then open your eyes. You have religious fanatics forcing their values and then you have people serving the society selflessly. Who would you call a guru? A guru can only help you with the knowledge, means and motivation comes from you.” Taking insight into the problems and anxieties of youth, Swami Swaroopananda emphasizes on the initiatives taken by Chinmaya Mission like opening Bal Vihars and Yuva Kendras where there is no clash between modern education and spiritual knowledge. “Our Yuva Kendras conduct group study sessions, where you can discuss, debate, argue, challenge and learn not just listen to somebody speak and believe them. you decide on your own, what you want from your life,” he shares. Well, there may be thousand of more questions on relevance of religion, but for now, ours seem to have been satisfied. nehawalia@tribunemail.com
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Band of boys
Harmonic Friction
They are the local heroes, four in number and don't like to categorise music. For Sharang, the vocalist, Atul, the drummer, Saurabh, the lead guitarist and Antriksh, base guitarist, it's been close to twenty-five rock concerts for the past one year. "It's a fantastic platform, that is college fests and such concerts. We all know, if you come up with an album, the maximum copies anyone sells is around 2000 and that hardly generates any revenue. So for musicians like us, the college fests and such concerts are a perfect platform and the only source of revenue." What about Harmonic Friction and their genre of music? Shares Sharang, "We are basically a Panchkula based band, have been playing for the past three years." He adds, "We are a rock band but we play and experiment in different genres. For people who like to define music, they can say we are an alternative rock band." As for the evening, what will they be playing, "We will perform a set of six songs, three would be our own compositions and three covers." Indigo Children
They might be from Delhi but this is their fourth college festival. For Delhi based rock n roll band Indigo Children, a college festival is "a really good platform to perform." Shares Nikhil, the bassist, of the three-member band. A nice track name by some artist and that's where the inspiration behind their stage name lies. They'll be entertaining the audience with their own compositions. For the future and on the professional front, an album is on the covers. "We should be recording an album this year and hopefully we'll do so, it's a good time to come out with one." Chapter-I
Something we should have probably begun with and in ambles the Chapter-I, city based four-member band. "We started around one and half to two years back and we've been playing in the north eastern region. Just three days back we won a competition in Tangori where we came first and we've also played at Campus Rock Idols…" Ranbeer, the vocalist of the group, begins with the introductions. A combined love for music and the members Shwetabjo, the bassist, Adamya, the guitarist, Jas Sidhu, the drummer (all students) came together. "We are a progressive groove metal band and quite influenced by The Lamb of God and Meshuggah." For the evening, they'll be playing "a couple of originals and random covers." Adds Ranbeer, "It's a really good experience, it gives you both experience and exposure to be laying in front of a live audience on such occasions." manpriya@tribunemail.com |
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Two beautiful mixed female pups 1 ½ months old, brown color, for adoption. One grayish black kitten, 2 months old, very adorable, need a loving home. Lost & found
Lost one male white labrador dog, 3 years old from House No. 1573, Sec-34/D Chandigarh on 15th Feb around 6:00 P.m If any body has any information kindly contact the PFA Office or call at 9815299500. Lost one male jet black Labrador, eightmonths from House No.2129, Sec-35/C Chandigarh on 23rd Feb around 7:00 pm.
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Sorting out the Junk
If only calories wasn’t an issue! It would have been bliss, a sanction to enjoy food. Pounce over paranthas, gorge on pasta and pizza. Indulge in ice creams, desserts, chocolates. Have as many cola drinks, mocha topped with caramel and cream, but if only there wasn’t anything as calories to scare away the foodie in us. Anyways, the thought of enjoying some extra delights come attached with the problem of adding a few kilos, its better to look for solutions. As Madhu Arora, senior dietician RD, GMCH-32 says, “Junk food has become a part of our diet. It’s not practical to ask youngsters from stop having junk food. The least though can be done is to make junk food healthy. Substitute the unhealthy ingredients with the healthier choices that are easily available in the market.” The base of most of the junk food dishes like pizza and burger is made of refined flour that has a no nutritional value. “Assure that you have such food with the base made of whole wheat. If you can’t make the pizza crust at home, specify that you prefer the whole wheat one in any restaurant,” says Manju Mathur, chief dietician, GMCH-32. Also use the whole wheat bread for a variety of junk foods available like foot longs, burgers and sandwiches. These can be further made healthier by adding many vegetables. “Topping pizza and garnishing burgers with vegetables change the nutritional content of the food. It makes them rich in fibre as well.” A female body requires around 1900 calories a day and a male body needs around 2100 calories. The count of calories suitable may vary from individual to individual. The intake of junk food shoots up the calorie count in the diet. “To avoid the same, it’s advisable to reduce the portion, as in, instead of having the whole pizza, on can have two slices of it,” suggests Madhu. Burgers are unhealthier than pizzas. Besides cheese, they are stuffed with potato tikki, which if deep-fried can be the storehouse of the calories. “In this case, shallow fry the tikki, add lots of vegetables and a wheat bread burger.” What essentially make pizzas and sandwiches unhealthy is the use of processed cheese. Nancy Sahni, Dietician, PGI, says, “It not only is rich in calories, also has a high concentration of sodium, which might affect the blood pressure.” The alternative to the cheese is paste of Semilina (Suji) and milk. She says, “Add some garlic and ginger paste to the same to make it taste as the processed cheese. The calorie content in the paste is two folds less than the cheese used in restaurants.” Cola drinks surpass all food dishes when it comes to calories, “And there is no way to make them healthy. The only option is to replace them with healthier drinks like lemonade and butter milk,” says Nancy Sahni. Game for the healthier junk food? ashima@tribunemail.com
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Spice up
Each hair is made up of concentric layers. The outermost layer, or cuticle, consists of transparent over-lapping scales that contribute to the shine of the hair. It also plays a protective role. Harsh treatments and abuse of the hair can cause these scales to be lifted in an uneven manner, making the hair rough and dull and also causing hair damage. In fact, the damage can be so extensive that the hair can split almost half-way up the hair shaft, or even further. Needless to say, this not only detracts from the appearance, but puts the hair in a fragile condition. The only way to deal with split ends is to cut them off as soon as they start to form. If they are left, the hair can split almost half way up the hair shaft or even more. Start taking extra care of the hair with conditioning treatments and the use of mild shampoos, which have been specially formulated for damaged hair. Stop using brushes for a while. Use a wide toothed comb, especially when it is wet. Allow the hair to dry naturally. If you must use a hair dryer, hold it ten inches away from the hair. Stop drying the hair with the dryer while it is still slightly damp and then allow it to dry naturally. Hot oil treatments will help. Twice a week heat pure coconut oil and apply on the scalp and hair. You can add one-teaspoon castor oil to the coconut oil and then heat it. Avoid vigorous rubbing and massage. Dip a towel in hot water, squeeze out the water and wrap the hot towel around the head, like a turban. Keep it on for 5 minutes. Repeat the hot towel wrap 3 or 4 times. This helps the hair and scalp absorb the oil better. Use a mild herbal shampoo. After shampoo, apply a creamy conditioner, taking less quantity and massaging it lightly into the hair. Apply on the ends too. Leave it on for two minutes and rinse off with plain water. Or, you can apply a leave-on type of conditioner or hair serum. Apply it the same way, but do not rinse off. Specialised shampoos are available. For instance, we have formulated a shampoo called Shagrow, especially for damaged hair. We also have a leave-on conditioner called Shalisma and a hair serum, which impart shine and provide protection. It is applied and left on. If the hair has not been chemically coloured, weekly henna treatments would help to restore the damage. Henna not only conditions the hair, but also prevents hair damage. Natural ingredients like henna do not penetrate the hair, like chemical lotions do. Henna coats the hair and thus, protects it. To condition the hair with henna, add 4 teaspoons each of lemon juice and coffee, 2 raw eggs, 2 teaspoons oil and enough curd to the henna powder, mixing it into a thick paste. Apply on the hair and wash off after an hour. If you do not wish to use egg, add more curd. If the hair is extremely dry, take half-cup yogurt and add one-teaspoon pure glycerin. Aloe vera gel or juice can be added, instead of glycerin. Apply on the hair and specially on the ends. Wash it off after half an hour. This restores damage and adds luster to the hair. For very brittle hair with split ends, you can apply egg yolk half an hour before shampoo, especially on the ends. To add instant shine to dry and damaged hair, mix together 2 tablespoons castor oil, one-teaspoon vinegar, one teaspoon pure glycerin and one egg. Massage this into the hair. Wear a scarf or shower cap, or wrap a hot towel around the head. Leave on for half an hour and then wash the hair. The hair looks shiny and soft. Cover your hair in the sun, because sun-exposure can deplete moisture and dry up the hair. Diet is, of course, very important for the hair. Have a small bowl of sprouts daily and include fresh fruits, raw salads, leafy green vegetables, soyabean and curd in your diet. The hair is like a delicate fabric, so treat it that way. |
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Body wise
One of the most common medical problems found in the workplace is back pain. The cause is often poor posture and body mechanics at the workplace. A supervised program of back protection and exercise may be the key to prevent such problems.
Correct posture and body mechanics play a vital role in preventing back pain because pressure on the discs and strain of the muscles, ligaments and back joints is aggravated by these two factors. Sitting posture
Sitting in a wrong posture is often the greatest cause of back pain. When sitting either in a relaxed position, driving, or while at work, support your lower back. Use a rolled towel, small pillow, or a specially designed seat support. Remove this low back support every half hour for five minutes to give your lower back a change of position. Your head should be positioned so that your ear is in line with your shoulder and your chin is parallel with the floor. Avoid leaning to one side when you are sitting and overstuffed furniture, as it does not offer adequate support. When working at a desk, your chair should be pulled close to the desk. An office chair with short armrests will allow this. Office chairs should also have adjustable height and back rests. The backrest spring should be adjusted so that the backrest moves with you. A seat that tilts forward is a useful feature. Use a swivel chair to enable you to work without twisting your back. Place objects such as fax machines, phones and computers as close as possible to minimise the amount of twisting and turning you need to do. When you lean forward at your desk, bend forward at the hips instead of rounding your lower back. This will allow you to keep your back straight and in a good alignment. Standing posture
If you stand for long periods, rest one foot on a stool or small box from time to time. While you stand, hold reading material at eye level. Don’t bend forward to do deskwork or handwork. Talking on the phone
Holding the phone between your ear and shoulder is a common cause of neck pain. Special phone adapters like the hands free etc should be used instead. After sitting for a prolonged period, it is helpful to straighten your back to an upright position and, if possible, stand and walk for a while. Exercise periodically
Even if you move around a lot on your job or your job requires physical exertion, you still need to exercise. Regular exercise is your best bet in maintaining a healthy back and if done properly will provide the strength and flexibility in the muscles of your legs and back that you need to help avoid excessive strain and possible injury. Some forms of exercise, such as yoga and tai chi, may help relieve or prevent back pain by reducing tension. Some exercise tips
Here are some exercises to strengthen your back, hip and leg muscles. Consult with your doctor or a trained physical consultant. w Stand with your back against a wall and feet shoulder-width apart. Slide down into a crouch with knees bent to about 90 degree. Count to five and slide back up the wall. Repeat five times. w Leg raises to strengthen back and hip muscles- lie on your stomach. Tighten the muscles in one leg and raise it from the floor. Hold your leg up for a count of ten and return it to the floor. Do the same with the other leg. Repeat five times with each leg. w Leg raises to strengthen stomach and hip muscles- Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Lift one leg and hold for a count of ten and return it to the floor. Do the same with the other leg. Repeat five times with each leg. If that is too difficult, keep one knee bent and the foot flat on the ground while raising the leg. You can also sit upright in a chair with legs straight and extended at an angle to the floor. Lift one leg waist high. Slowly return your leg to the floor. Do the same with the other leg. Repeat five times with each leg. kalrasachin@hotmail.com |
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Indian classical music, especially the khyal or dhrupad is always in tune with the celestial serenity. It is the essence where divine and human creation come close to each other.” This is how the duo Rajan Misra and Sajan Misra define , accept and appreciate the grandeur of classical music. In city for a performance at the Bhaskar Rao Nritya and Sangeet Sammelan organised by Pracheen Kala Kendra, the duo shared their views on the contemporary music scene.
It's a perfect platform- where the ones listening are students, the ones organising are students too and the ones playing are almost students. College fests, that is and isn't a rock night inevitable? A couple of band names on the promotional posters and the fests in place as are the bragging rights! Just before the Chandigarh College of Architecture's gala night, the bands keep pouring in one after the other and here's a quick check list before they are let in. 
People for Animals, Chandigarh has the perfect companion for anyone who is ready to be loved unconditionally and just forever
Cute companion
Split ends are the result of dry and damaged hair. The ends of the hair are more prone to damage. Dandruff, excessive sun-exposure, use of hair dryers, wire rollers, wrong brushes, as well as chemical colouring, dyeing, straightening and perming can also make the ends brittle, leading to split ends. In fact, any strain on the hair shaft, like tying the hair tightly with rubber bands, can also cause the hair to split.