We bet we were not talking nineteen to the dozen about Sania Mirza even when she was playing international tennis and winning titles. Not even when she was rumoured to be secretly dating Shahid Kapoor did we bother to dig in! And when pictures of her extra body weight hampering her performance were flashed, we just ignored saying 'big deal, it happens; it is normal'.

But today, when she has openly spoken about her proposed marriage with Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, we just can't help talking, debating about it. Is it the name 'Ayesha' (alleged to have married Shoaib) that bothers? Has the Pakistani thing got to do anything with it? Or, why she is marrying a cricketer the issue at large? We expect different answers.

However, one thing that attracts our attention in the whole debate is the fact that people from the sports community like to get married in their own fraternity. Anju Bobby George is married to Robert Bobby George, former national champion in triple jump and her coach. More recently, Akhil Kumar, Commonwealth Games gold medallist married Poonam, boxing coach at NIS Patiala. "I was always against getting married to a girl from the same field. But with time I realised that no one can understand me better than someone from my profession. Poonam is equipped with theoretical knowledge of the game and I execute it accordingly. It's a good combination," says Akhil.

A conscious decision to get married to someone in sports or is there no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to marriage? We take it from the eligible bachelors.

Sreesanth,cricketer

Sreesanth

"Honestly, I wouldn't want any kind of competition or ego clash at home. There are pros and cons of getting married to a girl from the same fraternity. A disciplined lifestyle is one of the positive points. But an ego clash is also a probability if I get married to someone from the sports fraternity! One of the two in a relationship is expected to sacrifice." So…(Are we expected to read between the lines?)

Vijender Singh, boxer

Vijender Singh

"People in sports can be a bit lazy in terms of taking care of the household. I know my flaws and wouldn't want to marry someone who is capable of carrying those flaws, which is quite possible if I marry a sportswoman. However, all said and done, 'understanding' is the foundation of a relationship, which I can get in or outside sports. I am not looking for a damsel, thodi kam sundar ho toh bhi chaleygi."

Rajpal Singh, hockey player

"If I decide to get married to a girl from my own fraternity, I'll assure that she gets equal opportunity to practice and pursue her game. I bet people who marry in the same profession have an advantage of better understanding. They would know the demands and preoccupations of pursuing a sport".

Deepak Thakur.

Deepak Thakur, hockey player

"Who will take care of the kids and the family if my wife and me are traveling? It goes without saying that pursuing active sports requires time and wholehearted dedication. With due respect to the sportswomen, I think marriage within the same fraternity can somehow disturb the equilibrium of the family."

Saina Nehwal, badminton player

Saina Nehwal

"Who knows where I meet my Mr Right? It could be on the court or at a movie theatre. What is destined will happen. Of course, marrying in the same profession means understanding the demands and problems together. Sports means hectic practicing schedule and 90 per cent of people with a sports background can understand that than anyone else".

Avneet Sidhu, shooter

Avneet Sidhu

"Who will like a daughter-in-law who is involved neck-deep in a sport, practicing, attending camps. You know how the basic mentality works in case of marriages. So getting married with someone in the same field is an added advantage. Nevertheless, it is not mandatory to get married to a shooter only."

jasmine@tribunemail.com

Lessons on 'dharma' or righteousness, divinity, justice and following the path of truth are not easy to learn. Add to that keeping in touch with our spiritual self with ancient texts and manuscripts, tales of supreme consciousness and divine interventions. Tag it boring or too heavy to understand, but mythology has not always been our favourite. But then it's the age of makeovers. And so ancient literature too has taken a contemporary turn!

Set to entertain as well as educate, Karan Vir Arora of Vimanika comics launched their latest graphic comic, Dashavataar, at the Capital book store-17 on Monday.

Comprising tales of triumph of good over evil, each issue will have stories of Lord Vishnu's ten incarnations. "The series is very cinematic in its appeal with graphics being a visual narrative. Each issue will feature two avatars - the first one covers Matsyaavataara - the fish and Koormaavataara - the tortoise," says Karan Vir.

Like its earlier publications, Karna and Moksha, this one too deals with mythological superheroes. "We want to cover every mythological character step by step. Moving ahead from Amar Chitra Katha, these comics require a lot of research." So, having involved people like NS Rajarao, a famous mathematician, historian and archaeologist, and Deepam Chatterjee, expert in mythology, any scope of distortion of facts is eliminated.

The success of 'Moksha', which also won the Golden Cursor Award from the CNBC Tv18 and Animation Xpress, prompted Karan to launch the next edition of comics. "Moksha was the first Indian graphic comic in the US. Now, we sell it in over 1,800 stores in the US and plan to launch in UK, France and Canada as well. Our readership falls in the category of 12 to 35 years, which makes is almost everybody's cup of tea," says Karan.

Add to that the freebies offered and spreading the cause by putting forward a word through his comics. "Moksha had a mention of white tigers and five per cent of the sales went to Mike Pandey's Earth Matters."

Two years into the graphic literature business, ask him how big the Indian market is? "In the next ten years, we will have a turnover somewhere in between 500-1000 crore."

As for his own future plans, Karan's next spiritual superhero will be Lord Shiva. "We are also working on the concept of seven rivers of India. We will soon be available on mobile downloads as well."

nehawalia@tribunemail.com

With younger Indian filmmakers exposed to western cinema and western culture making different types of films, Indian stars will be truly global, much sooner than anyone would expect," says Bollywood's superstar Shah Rukh Khan."The younger filmmakers, I think are completely new-thinking people. They have learned the technique and technology, and writing from the western world," Shah Rukh told CNN in an interview telecast on Sunday. "Youth in our country now is also understanding different kind of cinema, because they're also exposed to because of television, Internet," he said. "So, they're like, OK, we can compare."And somehow Indians at this juncture feel, you know what?

To be really proud, we need to make films which make a mark in the world," Shah Rukh said. Asked if he imagined there maybe a time when Indian stars will be truly global, he said: "Much sooner than anyone would expect, most certainly" even though "all the main standard in the world becomes how much dollar value that finally the business brings, and that's how you're big. But I can see it happening in the next five or six years, very easily," Shah Rukh Khan said seeing the use of Hindi language in Indian films as another problem giving Hollywood "a big advantage" as they speak in English."But the time is coming now, because ...if you see a new Indian film, you'll realise that the language is more Hinglish" he said referring to the use of liberal use of English terms in Hindi films. "You know, we're using, and we don't have to translate it anymore, everyone understands it. And everyone uses it every day."

Shah Rukh also agreed India may soon be able to present its own world cinema. "Absolutely," he said noting that with globalisation "the language as a barrier will start breaking down. Culture as a barrier will start breaking down. So, all that will break down and other cinemas will come over, will come, and they'll use the technology and a lot of technicians from here," he said. "But stories, every country has a story to tell. And once it reaches a certain standard in terms of technique, I think the world would like to watch it." — IANS

Deepika Padukone seems to have a thing for working with actors who, as referred to in industry parlance, are designated 'seniors'.After debuting opposite Shah Rukh Khan, a good two decades her senior, in Om Shanti Om the leggy beauty has worked with Akshay Kumar (Chandni Chowk To China) and Saif Ali Khan (Love Aaj Kal) who are well into their 40s.Now, she would be reuniting with Akshay again in Housefull. But the 24-year-old actor does not mind romancing senior actors onscreen.

"I don't think it makes a difference. What is important is whether the person opposite me fits the role or not. When you come to watch a film, you do not think that 'Oh, this is an Akshay starrer and I am going to see a leading man who is 40-50 years old."For me as an actor, this is what I keep in mind before signing a film, whether I am convinced about the characterisation in the film or not.

 If that turns out to be the case, then the age of co-star doesn't matter because you know that he too will do it all convincingly," said Padukone.Over a period of time, one consistent factor that has been seen in her choice of films is that it is top actors and big banners that seem to attract her most.While low budget 'experimental' cinema doesn't seem to be enticing her much, one wonders if this is the kind of pattern that she has decided for herself in the industry? "No, it is not a conscious decision at all. Now if great banners, good directors and fabulous co-stars are being offered to me, then I would be a fool to refuse them.

 Of course I get other offers as well but if I am getting something so good, I would pick the best out of them," said the actress. She was paired opposite Saif Ali Khan in Love Aaj Kal which was one of the biggest hits of 2009, but says that it is too early to start celebrating as she has a long way to go."It is just a beginning for me and not the end of the road. Hence, it didn't make sense for me to begin celebrating so soon; after all I still have a lot more to achieve. I can't sit down and say that I was satisfied," said Deepika.With each of her forthcoming films like Sajid Khan's Housefull (Akshay Kumar), Ashutosh Gowariker's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se (Abhishek Bachchan), Karan Johar's Break Ke Baad (Imran Khan) and Yash Raj Films' (tentatively titled) Lafange Parinde (Neil Nitin Mukesh) set in different genres. — PTI

Hugh Grant is said to have turned down the chance to star in Roman Polanski's new film The Ghost Writer. Robert Harris, who adapted his own novel 'The Ghost' for the big screen version, admits he originally wanted Grant to play the part of the Prime Minister's ghostwriter.However, Grant refused to play the role after reading the script and the job was given to Scottish actor Ewan McGregor instead.

Harris said the actor wants to concentrate on filming comedies.

"I pushed for Grant because my model was Hitchcock and more specifically North by Northwest, which has an 'everyman' hero that I thought he could play, and it was important to me, too, the film had jokes and was funny," he said.

"He's in the rom-com zone and it's very profitable for him, but this was an opportunity to extend his range a bit," he added. — ANI

Leadership has gone beyond contours of power. It has got rid of conventional adjuncts like - with age comes maturity to lead, education is indispensable to guide people or leaders are required either in politics or the corporate sector!

"Whatever little or major changes have come in the country were initiated by those who could lead. And I am sure not all were old, literate or were managers or politicians," asserts Bhairavi Jani, National Chair, Young Indians. The leaders in India thus are the obvious AR Rahman, Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar, Abhinav Bindra et al.

The list also includes the names of 1,200 farmers who gathered at Hisar in Haryana as part of Young Farmers Network (a programme by Young Indians held two months back). They together strived to learn new agricultural practices to boost farm production. "The farmers are making efforts to bring about change and are leaders in their own right," says Bhairavi.

Such qualities and achievements of young leaders were discussed at the panel discussion on 'Investing in Youth Leadership' at CII on Monday. The other panelists included Dinesh Mongia, Jyoti Kamal, Navita Mahajan, Mohit Chitkara, Manoj Datta and Anupama Arya.

More than 50 per cent members of the Young Indians are farmers. Says Bhairavi, "As is usually assumed, the initiative wasn't taken considering the fact that farming is the primary occupation of 70 per cent of Indian population. It was rather to give some representation to farmers."

She believes that the youth leadership will increase manifold in times to come. "Since youth today is more aware and can take their own decisions, they need not follow their parents instructions blindly while choosing a career or life partner." She adds that there is an increase of 20-25 per cent in the number of youngsters who decide on their own during the past five years.

With leadership comes power and with power comes responsibility. Dinesh Mongia, cricketer and a panelist rues the fact that youngsters are eager to lead but without the baggage. He also feels that it doesn't take much to lead the rest, "Someone on the road can act like a leader too when he drives carefully and is bothered about the security of others on the road." And has IPL brought out leaders in cricket as well? "IPL is a business venture, it has no intensions to produce leaders," he answers.

Bhairavi expects more youth leaders from North India, as the proportion of youngsters is higher in the region. Navita Mahajan, Chairman, YI, Chandigarh Chapter, feels a fresh perspective to everything around can foster changes, which only the young generation can manage. The Chapter has held programmes like vote campaigns and free education for the underprivileged in the city.

Bhairavi's immediate motive remains: "Expansion of youth leadership that is open to new ideas and assure that plans are executed well." Point to be noted!

ashima@tribunemail.com

The erstwhile Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector-35, a 38-years-old educational institution of the city organised its alumni meet on Sunday. The school has produced successful personalities like Vivek Shauq, Chetan Sharma amongst many other from varied fields like civil services, management, successful entreprenuers and armed forces officers, who have done the city proud. A huge gathering of alumni's right from the 1974 to 1991 batches gathered here. Former principals of the School, G. Surjit Singh, A.K. Sandhu and Hardayal Singh who are pivotal in giving the school its present glorious shape were also honoured alongwith other 25 teachers of the school.

The alumni had earlier in the morning played a friendly T-20 Cricket match with the current school team, registering a comfortable win over the young lads. It was a moment of great pride for all ex-students and staff to witness again and celebrate the unique experiences. The school even has its own blog www.35modelchandigarh.blogspot.com . The event was held in true spirit. This alumni meet was possible with the efforts of Atul Pandey and Rajiv Tewari, an officer of Chandigarh Administration. Rajiv Tewari further said that this meet was organised for the first time and will be made an annual feature.

— TNS

The plants should be watered in the morning hours as it follows the hot summer day and that keeps the plants in good health. It's right to some extent, but if you have to then it should only be in the early morning hours. But that should be only if there is some compulsion. Due to water scarcity, however, there is a restriction on watering the lawn or plants in the morning hours. And, it should be strictly followed for humanity sake. Don't worry about the plants as watering them in the evening hours gives them good time to get a good fill and resistance to brave next day's summer stings.

Druckgrafen India Limited has released the 15th edition of Chandigarh Yellow Pages. It is the information guide for Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula. It has given all important telephones numbers of the Government of India, Chandigarh (UT), Punjab Government, Haryana Government and Himachal Government.

Ved Nanda, project director, stated that apart from the above information it consist of telephone numbers of all different business and industries in Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and others business centres in the periphery.

The Yellow Pages 2010-11 is available at all the leading book shops in Tricity. — TNS

Ah finally, you boys can heave a sigh of relief. Finally, you needn't hide the separate SIM card under the Rs 50 note in your wallet or keep it absent-mindedly in your denim pocket and then look for it everywhere.

Finally, you don't have to bother about how to manage more than one mobile. It is right here; the solution lies in the dual SIM card mobile phones.

Nothing can be more liberating than getting to talk with three-four girlfriends without the hassle of changing SIM cards! Dual SIM phones have in a way made life simpler in more than one way. Or haven't they?

Different mobiles phones have different adjustments for dual SIMs. Either you can switch between SIMs via the phone menu or you can select the option to auto switch between SIMs every 1-99 minutes. Some other mobiles like Samsung D880 allow you to use SIM cards in one phone.

"Dual is like two mobile phones in one. The best thing about it is that you can enjoy two different tariff plans in one cell. This comes handy for people who travel a lot," shares Sandeep Saklani, web designer with Webdesigns.

Apart from different tariffs, Sandeep feels two SIM cards also solve the problem of network coverage. "Some mobile companies offer a good network in a particular area, while others are good with some areas and sectors. With a dual SIM you can rule out the possibility of poor network."

Hey, relax, we know technically dual SIM phones are a blessing. But note that the battery life of a dual SIM phone is reduced by about a third when both SIMs are active. On a lighter note, they are the best thing that youngsters can lay their hands on.

Take it from Amandeep Rahi, a businessman who cannot shake off the memories of good old University days. "If such a thing were to be launched when I was studying in the University in 1990, my friends from the law department would have ended up becoming the brand ambassadors."

He laughs, "Do these youngsters really care about network problem. These dual SIM phones give them that 'bright' time to chat up with umpteen girls, and receive calls from others without the fear of being caught. It saves them from the usual nagging question - with whom were you busy?"

You bet; you don't have to blow money to enjoy the services of one of these masterpieces. China-made dual SIM phones are the cheaper options available in the market. iPhone look-alike are the smallest dual SIM phones. Companies like Philips and Samsung offer these phones. However, some users feel that there are limited options in the same. These phones work on one processor only, which can be a hindrance as well. All said and done, these phones are a smart move to counter existing problems of coverage and cheaper tariff plans.

All is well that moves well!

jasmine@tribunemail.com

If planned poorly, travelling any distance can prove a nightmare. But your trip can be made a lot easier with a geek gadget or two and some of the newest ones in the market can definitely be of help.There are a few common problems faced during every journey and one can put them under four broad categories — entertainment, energy, security and safety.

Entertainment: This can make the difference between a tedious journey and a relatively relaxing one. The good news is you are spoilt for choice when it comes to entertainment gadgets. Not long ago if you wanted to watch a film on a long road trip you had to use a portable DVD player, but now you can carry a whole bunch of films on your phone. Books are still a popular choice for any holiday destination. There is nothing nicer than reading a good book while soaking up some sun. The problem with books is that they take up a lot of room in your suitcase. Therefore, e-Books are becoming more popular because you can carry hundreds of books on one single device, which is no bigger than a hardback book. You can also download new books as well.

Energy: No matter how many awesome gadgets you have, they are all useless if they go powerless. Batteries may have gotten better over the years, but so has gadgets' demand for power. As a result battery life has not gotten much better. Until some geek at MIT works out how to use the next generation technologies in batteries, are we stuck with mediocre battery life? Not so, thanks to the latest wave of portable recharging gadget devices. Now you can recharge your gadgets on the go. Some of the newest power gadgets now have solar cells so that you can charge your gadgets whenever the sun is shining. Never again will you have to worry about being away from a power socket for too long.

Security: You are most vulnerable when travelling because you are in an unfamiliar location with people you have never met before, so security is never more important than when you are away from home. Thankfully, there are gadgets out there than can help and you do not have to be a geek to enjoy these. There are clever alarms that can be fitted to hotel doors to warn you of unexpected and uninvited visitors. Some of the more sophisticated ones have built-in smoke detectors and other life saving gadgets that are invaluable.

Safety: Fortunately, there are lots of gadgets out there that can help us stay safe. I cannot recall how many holidays I have heard that were ruined from drinking bad water. Luckily, there is a new gadget that can sterilize water in a matter of seconds. Long gone are the days of putting chemicals into your water bottle to cleanse drinking water. Now, there is a device that emits high energy UV light and when placed directly into water will neutralise any bugs that are contaminating it. The UV light destroys the DNA of any water-borne vectors.

amitpalsinghgrewal@gmail.com