Poverty, hypocrisy, corruption, depleting moral values, child exploitation and drug abuse - problems of the modern society are highlighting in Deepak Khetarpal's collection of poetry Pani Mein Aag which was released recently.

"The title of the book is symbolic. I refer to people as pani (they have become indifferent despite the society facing grave problems) and aag stands for my thoughts through which I want to jolt people out of their comfortable shells," says Khetarpal, chief financial officer, Synergy Telecommunications.

With around 400 poems to his credit and numerous satires published in Hindi and English publications, Khetarpal's love for writing started in 2003.

"My father used to write poems in Punjabi. It was only after his demise that I felt the need to express myself in words," he says. Poem Smritiyan is dedicated the memories of his father: Bus chalti hai, yadon ki tasvir, kaamp uthta hoon, main kar ke yaad, us sham ko, jab kar na saka tha, kuch bhi, aur chale gaye the tum."

Around 78 poems in the collection deal with various aspects of the modern society and the changes needed. Chashmdeed Gawah talks about the death of humanity, Bhukh on corruption, Rakh Ke Dher on bomb blasts and Virasat on poverty.

Considering poetry to be a powerful medium to convey message, Khetarpal along with his friends has a literary organisation Manthan that holds monthly meetings to share poems and promote young talents.

Finding inspiration in Ashok Chakardhar, Om Prakash, Kumar Vikal, Ramesh Kuntal Megh, Khetarpal hopes to reach out to common people with his poetry.

mona@tribunemail.com

Bollywood actor Zarine Khan of the Veer fame will get the Hero to Animals award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for rescuing a cat.

The actor, who is an animal lover, rescued a malnourished cat from the streets of Mumbai and rushed her to a veterinary hospital. She kept a tab on the cat's progress and even walked barefoot to Mahim Dargah to pray for her recovery. Khan has adopted the cat and calls her Softy.

"The rescue of Softy shows that Khan's beauty is much more than skin deep," said PETA campaign coordinator Madhuri Deshmukh.

"We hope that her compassionate action will inspire others to always stop and render aid when they see an animal in distress and to adopt cats and dogs, not buy them," added Deshmukh.

This award comes under PETA's "Proud to Be Indian" campaign which encourages people to rescue animals from the streets or adopt them from animal shelters. — IANS

Hollywood beauty Eva Mendes is not keen on a big wedding and says that she would most probably get married in her basement when she decides to take the plunge.

The Bad Lieutenant star has been dating filmmaker George Gargurevich for eight years but says that she has no plans to start a family in the near future.

"If I were to get married I'd probably do it in my basement. As for starting a family, I'm honestly not there yet, but who knows? I'm not a planner, so if it happens, it happens. I have seven nephews and nieces and they keep me happy on that front," said the actor.

The 36-year-old Calvin Klein model who went to rehab in 2008 for an undisclosed condition, loves therapy and makes time for a counselling session once 
a week.

"I love therapy. There is nothing like going into a room and sitting down and talking to someone who has no emotional investment in your life. Having that person who is only committed to helping you be better, I just love it," said the actor.

Mendes even arranges telephone appointments if she is unable to attend a session in person because of working commitments.

"I go once a week and, if not, then every two weeks. And, if I'm away I phone in. It's so necessary, especially in my business," said the actor. — PTI

Multilingual star R Madhavan, who has become a popular name in the Hindi film industry after films like Rang De Basanti and 3 Idiots, says he worked hard to set his hair for his first meeting with filmmaker Mani Ratnam, but failed to be part of director's film Iruvar.

"Forty minutes to set my hair for my first meeting with Mani sir - storm hit chennai-waded through four feet of water - looked like 'a chicken ready for masala' when we met," Madhavan posted on his Twitter page Saturday.

"Mani sir rejected me after my first audition (for Iruvar)- Prakash Raj did it- he said my eyes looked too young for the role and we'd work together later," he added.

The actor, who later featured in Ratnam's films, including Guru, was in a mood to share trivia about his career with his Twitter fans.

After being rejected for the big screen, he went on to try his luck on the idiot box with shows like Saaya, Sea Hawks, Banegi Apni Baat, Tol Mol Ke Bol and Ghar Jamai, and later made his film debut at the age of 30.

Recently, his Bollywood career has been on an upswing ever since the release of 3 Idiots, where his performance as an engineering student aspiring to be a photographer, was highly appreciated. — IANS

Actor Raveena Tandon, who took a break from Bollywood to get hitched and start a family, feels that the industry has evolved and has more challenging roles for married women.

"I think the industry has changed a lot as compared to past 15-20 years. Today married women are offered challenging roles. We see Shabanaji, Sharmilaji, Hemaji, Aishwarya and others playing varied roles and are part of some fantastic movies," Raveena said.

Married actors were considered a taboo in the industry some time back but the things have changed for better in the past few years, feels the actress. Raveena, who is married to film distributor Anil Thadani, has not acted in films since 2006. Her last film was Sandwich opposite Govinda.

Raveena, who making a comeback in Bollywood, said, "As actors get married they have very little to offer as they have other responsibilities. But industry is more open today." The 35-year-old actor known for her roles in Mohra, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Ziddi, Dulhe Raja and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is looking for challenging roles.

Raveena, who took voluntary retirement from the silver screen as the glamour girl post her marriage, reveals that she was offered loads of script but nothing exciting has come her way till now. — PTI

Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker's credentials as a fashionista are well established, but unlike other Hollywood A-listers the actor prefers shopping at thrift stores over splurging on brands.

The 45-year-old star who played the beloved character Carrie Bradshaw in the cult series, is known for her bizarre yet stylish take on fashion and she gets her one-of-a a-kind ensembles at cheap bargain stores.

"I still believe in thrift stores, they're the one place you can be assured of finding something very unique," says Parker.

And the fashionista, who is also the creative head of the Halston House of Couture, says that she buys versatile pieces that can be worn over the years.

"Beautiful, well-made clothes are what I love. I tend to have pieces for a long time as I don't shop much. I like mixing vintage with newer designers," said the actor.

As a mother of three young children, Parker said that her every-day choices are governed by comfort not style.

"I wear whatever's practical for being a mother. I walk my son to school, and I don't want to embarrass him," said Parker who has three children, James, 7 and 10-month-old twins Marion and Tabitha with husband Matthew Broderick. — PTI

Hollywood actor Jessica Alba has revealed she found it 'hard' to rebel against her family's strict beliefs when she was growing up.

The Killer Inside Me actor admits her Catholic upbringing was quite strict and though her mother and father had views she didn't always agree with, she didn't want to upset them by going on a different direction in her life.

"I come from a religious and traditional family. My mom grew up in the south and she had a southern Baptist upbringing but my father was very Catholic. It's hard to rebel without your family feeling like you're rebelling against them," she said.

"I don't necessarily always agree with certain things and that has nothing to do with how much I love them or how much they love me. Family is the most important thing in the world," she added.

The 29-year-old actor, who has a 23-month old daughter, Honor Marie, with her husband Cash Warren, always knew she wanted to live a different life from her parents from a young age.

"There were parameters and boundaries around me that I always wanted to break from," she said. — IANS

Hollywood actor Mila Kunis has confessed she is addicted to computer games. The actor has revealed she's become hooked on Facebook's FarmVille game.

"All you do is grow wheat. And then you grow blueberries. 

It's so monotonous and yet great at the same time. I'm obsessed," she said.

The 28-year-old star also stops herself from playing poker because of her competitive nature. "I lost an obscene amount of money in Las Vegas," she said. — IANS

Straight out of Bollywood sets…is the impression one gets of Madhu Villa, Chitkara's classy abode in Sector 15, at first sight. Circled by greenery, with open spaces and double height lobby, the house is a beautiful mix of the traditional and contemporary.

Impressed by seeing the houses in Hum Apke Hain Kaun and Maine Pyar Kiya, Madhu got CDs before she set down to plan her house. In an open lobby, a billiards table to the left and a staircase leading to the first floor is just out of Hum Apke Hain Kaun sets!

As the guard from the security picket lets you in, a water fountain welcomes you; two tall palm trees at each corner stand majestically and a row of Ashoka trees mark the boundary. Two murals, one of Ganesha and another folded hands, flank a tall, huge wooden door that opens to a grand, spacious, well-lit, double height lobby.

"This staircase in the lobby in marble is the focal point of the house, which took a lot of planning," shares Madhu. The flight of stairs from two sides merges in a landing and leads to Mohit's bedroom. True to the spirit of the house, the lobby is an open space for grandson Arryan to drive all his cars in.

Supported on pillars with lion carving on top, all the rooms pen to this open lobby. The double height lobby has fibreglass top painted by daughter Mansi. "The pyramid shape fibreglass directs the sunlight to the centre of the house, which is considered positive in Vaastu," shares Madhu. She has incorporated principles of the Vaastu while designing the house. "We have all the water bodies in the north-east; so is the 'puja' room. The mirrors face north and the cooking range is in the centre. Even the colour choice is according to Vaastu principles," she says.

The flooring in marble has beautiful traditional borders and central patterns. "I went all the way to Makrana, Rajasthan, to get marble in different colours for the flooring," says Madhu.

The formal living room is in maroon and gold, as embellished curtains and upholstery give it a royal look. A fireplace in golden is the central attraction and seating arrangement is in semi-circles. A formal dining area in green and golden gives a regal feel even as beautifully carved, heavy wooden chairs add to the grandeur. Full wall cabinets store all fine china and cutlery. Ornate chandeliers also add to the princely touch.

Royal bedroom for a royal couple, Madhu and Ashok Chitkara's bedroom done in golden and brown has four-post bed, a study, a huge closet and even bigger washroom. Daughter Mansi's bedroom reflects her tastes - a floor bed, little staircase leading to a study and a huge music area, different areas split in levels for different pursuits.

A huge kitchen with lots of space to move around completes the ground floor of the house. "Men in the house love to try their hands at cooking. That justifies the open spaces in the kitchen," smiles Niyati, the daughter-in-law of the house.

A magnificent staircase leads to Mohit and Niyati's bedroom, which have a contemporary look. Two recliners in black leather in front of the huge plasma screen, an independent study, walk-in closets and state-of-the-art washrooms complete this area. The walk-in closets reveal their penchant for dressing. Apart from storing suits, saris, western wear and several pairs of shoes, Niyati's closet has one whole section dedicated to bags. The washroom is pretty artistic as a small wall unit in red rose separates different sections. "We have two of each - closets, basins and dressing areas to suit our different tastes," smiles Niyati.

It's Aryan's nursery that's the most colourful part of the house - upholstery in animal print in vibrant colours, yellow tiles in the washroom and colourful toys all around. This floor has three guestrooms complete with a kitchenette. The facade of the house in mirrors has a beautiful 'jhula' carved in wood and brass.

To give guests a five-star feel, Chitkaras have added three more stylish guestrooms. If all rooms open in the lobby on the inside, they open to the garden or a balcony towards the outside. The house has a beautiful backyard with walking path and gazebo replete with fruit trees - mango, guava, litchi, plum, chikoo and pears. Also, it has a swimming pool and a badminton court.

But it's Madhu and Ashok's bedroom's where the family spends most of the time. "My bedroom becomes the regular breakfast and dinner table, the place to chat and fight," laughs Madhu.

mona@tribunemail.com

The peach, plum etc. that we see in the market have arrived from mid hills or beyond. No. Most of these that you find selling in the Mandi or Sector 17, near SBI or CMC are from Punjab plains. The PAU has developed varieties of peach, plum and pear that are suitable for planting and fruiting in the plains of Punjab.

satishnarula@pau.edu

Dance is the most complete form of art," says Prem Puneeta, dancer, choreographer and actor from the city. A judge for Super Star of Dance-2010 that saw 150 students from the Tricity and around organised by Jet Point Immigration Consultancy Services at Government College-11, she shares her musical journey.

"It takes three forms - gayan, vadan and nritya to make dance that involves every part of body from head to toe along with head and heart," she says. A gold medallist from Punjab University in classical dance and a national scholarship holder, Puneeta has given numerous performances in dance.

"Today TV is all prevalent but when I was studying it was live performances that were a crowd puller. Though television proves to be a great platform but live performances like today need to encouraged more. All credit to Ranjit Roy for organising this show," she says.

Puneeta has won President Applause Award for her performance and felicitated by the Chandigarh Administration as well. Her ballet on tsunami won her lots of appreciation.

Judging candidates on rhythm, expressions, costume and make up, shares Puneeta, "This region has immense talent but that needs to be groomed. Dance is an art form that cannot be learnt from CDs. One needs a choreographer if one wishes to perform and a guru if you really want to leant it."

A student of Rajendra Gangani, observes Puneeta, "A hand is a universe in itself for a dancer and on can see that in performers trained under a classical guru." Puneeta is a choreographer and has her own academy in the city but is eyeing Bollywood.

The competition has solo, duet and group dances in different age categories from years three to 25. They danced on the tunes of Punjabi folk, Bollywood hit numbers and Michael Jackson's songs.

Some days ago at a press conference actor Chitrangada Singh had categorically mentioned that the Indian audiences have become smarter. Indeed.

Give them Shah Rukh Khan and oodles of mush, they would lap it up; give them Aamir’s muscles and action, they would clap on every scene or give them a parallel dark movie and they would applaud it.

But give them some sci-fi themes supported by high levels of technology and they would in a day’s time give it thumbs down! Whether it was 2050 Love Story, Prince or Alag, audiences somehow never seem to relate to the mysterious world of gadgets.

Given the fact that India is making rapid strides in the field of technology, this non-acceptance for themes loaded with technology is baffling. We try to find out.

The first unanimous reason is the unbelievable fiction and use of gadgets. “I understand that there can be a concept of a time machine, but how can someone dive into the machine, change clothes, hair style and land up at some discotheque,” wonders Sukhdev Singh, who teaches computer science. Cinematic liberty is understandable, but who will explain the weird gadgets and their use. “Bollywood also makes sci-fi movies wherein they use high-level gadgets, which make a lot of sense. Even if they use technology 10 years ahead of now, they would make it realistic and believable,” he adds.

Gadgets that could make someone vanish like in the movie Fun22sh (Mr India doers fall into this category, but it had a lot of right kinda masala), machines that can change the DNA of human mind, gizmos that make us wonder, wonder and wonder!

Bollywood has a fascination for machines, if only they knew how to execute them as well. As per Ritika Singla, a 21-year-old learning animation, “If only Bollywood can research a little bit more on sci-fi and technology. They create such bizarre themes and objects that a kid would also rebuff it immediately. Spoons flying in the air (courtesy movie Alag) are possible through the laws of physics, but then the director needs to explain how it is possible. Science is interesting and can be aptly utilised in movie-making without making it look like some foolish act put together.”

Back To The Future, Men In Black, Avatar, I:Robot…there are umpteen examples sci-fi movies that have done wonders in Hollywood. But back in Bollywood, we have a long way to go.

“We need to understand the subject to make a movie on it. It is okay to add an element of fantasy, but the movie should be able to logically justify itself. The audiences should at least get the answers,” says actor Manav Vij. “This is probably the reason why movies on such themes don’t go down well with the audience,” he adds.

jasmine@tribunemail.com

A spoofed e-mail is one that misrepresents its origin. A survey by a NGO Anti-Hacking Anticipation Society (HANS) shows that India has crossed the danger mark in cyber crime targeting women and children. Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune reported only a handful of obscene crimes but saw greater incidences of hacking.

A few weeks ago, a case came to light when a student sent an email to a company HR from his friends Email that he will not join their company as he has got a good offer from another company. In response to this, the company terminated a job agreement. When this student’s friend went to the company on the date of joining, he came to know about the entire thing.

According to HANS anyone using email can be a cyber victim, because email spoofing does not require technical skills but this threat can be ceased by basic knowledge of “Full Header”.

This option is default service provided by each email service provider, where you can trace the actual source or sender of received Email.

There are basically two steps involved in the process of tracking an email- find the IP address in the email header section and then look up the location of the IP address.

Step 1- Finding the IP address of an email sender in Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Outlook. 

Google’s Gmail

1. Log into your account and open the email in question.

2. Click on the down arrow that’s to the right of the Reply link. Choose Show Original from the list.

Yahoo Mail Beta

1. Log into your account and open the email (if you’re using Yahoo Mail Beta with the new preview interface, make sure you double-click on the email so that it opens in a new tab)

2. At the top right, you’ll see there is a drop-down option where Standard Header is selected by default.

3. Click on it and choose Full Header.

Microsoft Outlook

1. Open the email in Outlook by double-clicking on it

2. Go to View at the top menu (the menu options for the email, not the main Outlook window) and choose Options.

You’ll get a dialog box where you can set the message options and at the bottom you’ll see the Internet Headers box.

Now the founded IP address can be entered into any WHOIS lookup for finding the actual location of sender e.g. www.who.is . Sometimes, we don’t even require lookup step because generally email spoofing is promoted by countries like Pakistan. So, while digging through email Header if we find country “Pakistan” then one can conclude that this is a spoofed mail. 

After the emergence of dating websites that encourage infidelity in Australia, another one has been launched to encourage cheated women to cheat back. Extra-marital dating website gleeden.com was launched in Europe in December, and its creators believe that the key to happiness for victims of adultery is adultery.

It claims that it has tempted more than 220,000 subscribers in its first four months, with the French, and the Italians as its top followers, and it is being officially launched Down Under this month with 1,600 already registered.

Gleeden is being touted as the ‘women’s answer to matrimonial bliss’, with the service being offered to women totally free, while males can join free but will have to pay to send emails and use the chat tool.

The sites founder Teddy Truchot said a group of women came up with the concept.

“Many women friends complain about their personal life and their marriage,” the Australian quoted Truchot as saying.

“Most don’t want to stop the marriage but they need something new, a new parallel life, a secret garden.

“The website exists for that type of women,” he said.

But Melbourne clinical psychologist Dr Janet Hall has warned websites such as Gleeden make it ‘dangerously’ easy for people to cheat. “It gives them direct permission nothing is so tempting than to get revenge,” she explained.

“Two wrongs never make a right,” she added. — ANI

An expert in online privacy has drawn attention to the five dangers of sharing information on social networking site Facebook. Joan Goodchild, senior editor of CSO (Chief Security Officer) Online, claims marketing efforts by the company often results in a compromise on account holders’ privacy, reports CBS News.

Goodchild noted five risks of using Facebook on ‘The Early Show on Saturday Morning.’ They are: 1.Your information is being shared with third parties 2. Privacy settings revert to a less safe default mode after each redesign 3. Facebook ads may contain malware 4. Your real friends unknowingly make you vulnerable 5. Scammers are creating fake profiles Earlier this week, 15 privacy and consumer protection organisations filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, alleging that the site manipulates privacy settings to make users’ personal information available for commercial use. — ANI

Nowadays, summers are more or less synonymous with power cuts and the first thing that comes to mind in such a situation is alternative arrangements, namely a power inverter.

An inverter is the best solution for home, as it does not pollute the environment like a generator. But inverters should not be used as a back up for desktop computers and a UPS is always a better bet. Inverters and UPS should also not be confused with each other.

An inverter is an electronic unit for converting direct current to alternating current; it can be used in a wide range of applications from a small switch to large electric utility applications depending on the number of batteries you attach to it.

UPS comprises a battery and charger in one unit and is designed to effectively switch from utility power to its own power source instantaneously, which ensures uninterrupted power supply to sensitive equipments. UPS contains SMF (Sealed Maintenance Free) batteries as they are compact is size and once installed they do not need much care.

However, the common factor in an inverter and UPS is that they both need a battery to operate. A battery is the backbone of an inverter and should be purchased with care. There are generally three types of heavy batteries available in the market - automotive batteries, deep cycle batteries and SMF batteries.

Automotive batteries are the ones installed in our cars. These batteries are designed to produce a large amount of current to start and run engines, resulting less charge-discharge cycle, which makes it inappropriate for a power inverter.

Deep cycle batteries are designed to produce sturdy power for a long time and are capable of more than triple deep discharge and charge cycles, making it a perfect battery for inverters.

SMF batteries are superior to conventional ones as they are eco-friendly, don’t produce lead fumes, require very less space and can be used in any position. As compared to traditional batteries, these can be broken in organised recycling plants under much safer environmental conditions. Almost all of the material used for them can be recycled, but the only reason why they have not yet replaced our old lead acid batteries is because of their cost. This leaves us with the tubular deep cycle battery as the winner for now!

amitpalsinghgrewal@gmail.com 

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