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By and B(U)Y
Those who cannot afford an MF Husain or Jatin Das need not despair, for there is now a group that caters to the needs of those who cannot spend a fortune to satiate their love for art. A bunch of young, budding student artists are here to help! A win-win situation for both buyers and sellers. Now, it doesn't come as a surprise when Kuldeep Singh, a second-year BFA student of Government College of Art, tells us that he has sold one of his paintings for Rs 28,000. "I manage to sell three works every month, which helps me earn my pocket money and contribute towards household expenses." Coming from a humble background, the only earning hand being his mother, his role is worth applause. From the experience of noted sculptor Shiv Singh, the average age of artists of his generation who were able to sell their works was 35 years, which he says has considerably gone down now. "Artists who are good at their work start earning during their college days." The trend can be attributed to the increasing number of art connoisseurs and awareness levels. "Be it corporate offices, hospitality industry or homes, people want to have art on the walls. It counts as the status symbol and has become another form of investment," adds Shiv. The market for budding artists is already big enough. Informs Kuldeep, "I also have my work commissioned.” Regular exhibitions in half-a-dozen art galleries in the city have helped the cause of promoting young artists as well. Bharpur Singh, a second-year MFA student, has sold over 150 works in the past four years. He has participated in two group shows and is planning a solo as well. "The exhibitions help popularise the works even if they don't sell on the spot. It's then through word of mouth that art lovers get to know about an artist's
technique and talent," he says. The maximum orders of portraits and illustrations are placed with him. Bharpur also gets orders from various cities in India. "I courier my work to clients in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. I have also sent some of my works to clients in the US.” Besides paintings and portraits, student artists are earning by designing brochures and even wedding cards. "People's interest in art has increased considerably in the past few years. They want an element of art in everything possible," says DS Kapoor, Principal, Government College of Art-10. He feels that the work that young artists are getting is directly proportional to the popularity of art among masses. "We have corporate companies coming on the campus to pick students who can design their brochures, make paintings and sculptures for the office décor." And these young artists also indulge in tattoo-making. Says Jagdeep Singh, a second-year BFA student, "Tattoo designing is an art too. Party organisers in the city call me to draw temporary tattoos on people who demand for one." Coming from Faridkot, he is a Granthi's son. "Given a choice, I would never sell my work because I believe commercial interests make an artist produce art as per the market demand.” On the other hand, Jaspreet Singh, another student, feels he has benefited from working on a professional level. "It gave me exposure to know what people demand from artists. It gives me the freedom to experiment and realise my capabilities as well as limitations. Also when people want it, why shouldn't we deliver? After all, an artist works only to win public applause." The reason why so many student artists are game for it! ashima@tribunemail.com |
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It was a celebration of hope, selflessness and learning to live for others! Ashia, which means life and hope, an event organised by Tamanna, a city-based NGO, celebrated the effort and spirit of those who reached out to others. The event also marked the second anniversary of Tamanna and had a handful of entertaining performances lined up for the evening. Colourful classical and Bhangra performances started the evening, with a touching group singing performance by the students of the Institute and School for the Blind-26. This was followed by a daring Gatka performance by the local artists that left the audience spellbound. Going by the mood of the evening, a hip-hop performance by the underprivileged kids studying at GMSSS-28 was the most appreciated. Tamanna has adopted the school and its volunteers teach various subjects and activities to the students there. A rocking performance by a city-based band, Desert Cry, had the audience The members of Tamanna also staged a short skit. Later, they introduced the team at Tamanna Showcase. The main aim of the event was to honour its volunteers who have been working towards making its events a success. And so, 7-star awards were announced to encourage more support. RJ's Anubhav and Pankaj from 92.7 Big FM too entertained the audience. This show was held in collaboration with the Cultural Department, UT, Chandigarh. — TNS
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Do no good?
The ‘do-gooders’ are not esteemed as friends as one would expect, but alienated from the group. On the contrary, all the selfless acts, rather than winning friends, do not go down well with others!
A recent research at Washington State University states that ‘do-gooder was frequently thrown out of the wider group’. “It doesn't matter that the overall welfare of the group is better served by someone's unselfish behaviour. What is objectively good, we see as subjectively bad,” says psychologist Craig Parks. Seen as rule breakers, ‘do-gooders’ are disliked because ‘they raise the bar’ for everyone else. It’s always difficult to match the selfless attitude of ‘do-gooders’. “It’s not possible to be all good all the time. And then when there is a friend who is always right, always helping, it becomes stressful for others,” says Kanwal Sandhu, a banker from the city. “And then ‘do-gooders’ also have expectations which are hard to match. This leads to a gap, which ultimately finishes off the relationship,” she adds. However, there are others who take inspiration from ‘do-gooders’. “My gang of friends is such a helpful, selfless sort of a group, that I often find myself a misfit there,” shares Dheeraj Suri, a graphic designer. “They do so much that I feel inferior many a times,” he adds. But this has not discouraged him from being friends with his gang. “On the contrary, they encourage me to follow their path and be an achiever in my own way,” he smiles. Similar are the sentiments shared by Aditi Srivastava, president, INIFD Limited. “Do-gooders’ serve as an inspiration for the group not only with their selfless acts but also because they are calm and quiet,” says Srivastava. “However, today when people are skeptical, even selfless acts invite accusations of ulterior motives,” she adds. Animesh, a college-goer had such an experience. “In college, I started working with AIDS awareness projects. My friends found it weird and tried discouraging me,” he shares. “But then I had enough of the share of ‘geris’ and girls. It’s time to make most of available resources and I couldn’t have stopped the good work that I had started. Slowly, I got alienated from my friends’ group,” he says. But there are ways that a ‘do-gooder’ can fit in society. “If one keeps on harping about the good deeds, others feel obligated to do the same. It’s better not to talk too much about the selfless acts,” offers Srivastava. Experts hold the changing trend of the society - from ‘group centric’ to ‘individualistic’ - responsible for the strain. “While society today is becoming individual-centric, there are still a few who have clung to old values,” says Ranjay Vardhan, a sociologist from the city. “It’s difficult for everyone to be benevolent, so ‘do-gooders’ find themselves in minority and at times are not accepted as part of the group,” he adds. But there are ways to tackle that. “Do-gooders’ can find company in the like-minded. It might be a small group, but is worth it,” he adds. mona@tribunemail.com |
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Relatively
Speaking Living in society, we are bound to become members of a community and thus get entwined in a plethora of relationships. As we tread life’s path, situations are spread out in front and life never stops testing us. I matured as an individual with various relationships and withstood through tests of time. And this is what relationships have taught me – when the going gets tough, the tough get going. There are no perfect situations, no perfect people and no perfect relationships. It is up to us to shape them in our own way. My association with people continues to enrich my life experiences. Saravjot Kaur, Chandigarh Best teacher
Life gives us many gifts and friendship is the most precious among them. I realised this even more when I lost my friends. They were the ones who made my world go around, were always there for me whenever I needed them. But when this bond came to an end, I realised the value of relationships in life. Though today I am a bit scared of making new friends, but I am experienced enough to handle and cherish whatever I have. This is what past relationships have taught me. Manpreet Kaur, Chandigarh Life’s lessons
I have always believed whatever we are today is because of our past relationships. There are a few significant lessons that I learnt from my relationships — past should remain the past and shouldn’t be dragged into present. One should be more patient with rejection, people, situations and life itself. Too many expectations kill a relationship. Don’t take anyone for granted and finally, don’t put too much effort in finding love or companionship; let it
find you! Prakash Chand, Chandigarh Please e-mail the responses in around 200 words to lifestyletribune@gmail.com or post along with your photo and contact number to ‘Relatively Speaking’, Lifestyle, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh. The best few responses will be published. |
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No green grass this!
Economic migrants travelling to different shores for greater income could be set for disappointment - because the pursuit of wealth does not equate with happiness. The study, carried out by sociologist David Bartram, is titled ‘Economic Migration and Happiness: Comparing Immigrants' and Natives' Happiness Gains from Income’. He sought to establish whether those people who were motivated by higher incomes in a wealthy country actually gain greater happiness via migration. He also examined whether these economic migrants might have exaggerated expectations about what they will achieve and experience, such that there is some significant disappointment. Bartram, of the Department of Sociology, said: "The study of happiness tells us that people generally do not gain greater happiness from earning higher incomes - which suggests that migrants might be mistaken in believing that they will be better off if they can move to a wealthy country". "The results suggest that economic migrants might well experience disappointment," the sociologist said. "Migrants do gain happiness from higher incomes, to a greater extent than natives - but the relationship is weak even for migrants. In fact, it also works out that migrants are less happy than natives," Bartram said. The probable reason is that they expect to be happier by virtue of earning the greater incomes available in a wealthy country - but they end up wanting even more after they get there: aspirations probably increase at least as much as incomes. "In short, even after an increase migrants find it difficult to feel satisfied with their incomes - just like the rest of us," Bartram underlined. "Many of us are guilty of believing that money is more important for happiness than it is - and this research suggests that migrants are not terribly different in this regard," he said, adding life as an immigrant in a wealthy country can be very hard. The research examined responses from 1,400 people in the World Values Survey (existing survey data). Bartram said that the research might also serve to allay some media fears and people's concerns about being ‘overrun’ by immigrants. — PTI
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NET PAL
Tweens are a lot more adept at using Internet and find it a source of happiness, new research has shown. The Tween Tracker survey showed that almost half of the 1200 children interviewed have Facebook profiles. Social media expert Laurel Papworth describes Facebook as the online equivalent of a "keep out, I mean it!" sign on the bedroom door. "Managing how they connect is a better option than saying 'don't connect at all'," she says. The study also revealed that Internet was a source of a lot of things apart from entertainment - environment, disease, poverty and terrorism were common concerns amongst Internet-savvy tweens. "These kids seem less depressed. Perhaps rather than being preached at how bad the world is, they see more people changing it . . . a chorus of voices speaking out, rather than just the bad news in passive mode," Papworth said. Lola Spence, 7, and Sinead Leahy, 8, said they used it every day and spent up to two hours a day playing computer games and using social networking sites like Habbo. Despite the high importance of socialising online, most tweens still prefer to read books and magazines than surf the web. — ANI
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Renee Writes I am 16 and in a relationship for the past one-and-a- half years. In between, I met someone else. We were good friends to start with but then we both started liking each other. Now I have distanced myself from this new guy but he is very serious about me. I broke my boyfriend’s trust and now he doesn’t behave with me as he used to earlier. I can’t live without him. Please help. Nupur Sharma, Chandigarh You have got your life complicated at such a young age. How can you be seriously involved with two persons? It can get confusing. Spend some time with yourself and think about it. The teenage years are the most valuable in terms of emotional growth. Stabilise yourself emotionally within and give it a serious thought. You have a long life ahead of you with much more than just relationships in store. See which boy appeals to you more. A relationship is a two-way street. It can only survive, blossom and grow if you both feel equally strongly about it. Do not keep your boyfriend in the dark about your estranged feelings. Have the courage to admit and accept. Go along with the guy you like and explain to the other one gently and in a suitable way as to how you feel. Think before you act. Find your true self
I am 28 and lead a life which is a source of envy for many. Yet, between work, a charming boyfriend and lots of travel, I feel totally stressed. I am the third child and was always pressurised to make it to the top. But now that I have everything I desired, I feel ‘where is the joy’. I am sensible, grownup, very organised, doing all the right things and yet even when I party, I find something missing. Why is this happening? Reema Sanghera,
Mohali Having dreams and desires is important, arriving there is better still and yet being in touch with your innerself is the most important part of being human. Experiencing pleasure and satisfaction is the fundamental requirement of a human being. But remember the world’s standards of happiness can never be yours. You are unique in yourself. Learn to accept that and enjoy it. You have probably pushed yourself too hard to arrive. That is why the joy in your achievement is not there. You need to rid yourself of the emotional stress you are living under. Take a good holiday and unwind. Stop thinking about the world for once, sense what makes you happy and go for it. Maintain a balance
I am a 43-year-old woman and going through my second divorce. Apart from that, I have had a serious relationship earlier that did not work out. Why is this always happening to me? I feel very unfulfilled and unhappy. I have an excellent dental practice, get invited to conferences all over the world and I am very popular on a social level. Serious relationships seem to be my main problem. Each time I seem to scare the men away. We always have an amiable parting but somehow I am left feeling sad and lonely. Can you suggest a way I can improve on this. Rukhsana Shani, Delhi It is good to know that you have a career that is steady which means one aspect of your life is well looked after. But in your personal life you definitely need to reach a state of balance. Remember that balance is the key word and for that you need to arrive at state of equanimity within yourself. You are the one who needs to change. I feel you are playing the same pattern in every relationship and that is why your relationships with men go through the same result each time. Give a serious thoughts to your attitudes and perceptions. See what makes your relationships go sour and work at changing yourself accordingly. I am sure that if you are so good in all other aspects of life you can naturally sort out things to find the right relationship. Do not lose heart as this dysfunctional belief pattern is not exclusive to you only. Treat yourself with love and respect and watch men in your life give you the same treatment. You are just allowing your own vulnerability to play on you. Take charge of yourself. |
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Painting a tale
There are a few more challenges. "It require artists to make figures of Radha and Krishna in a certain form. Even the eyes, nose, lips and other body parts have to be in tandem with the set forms." So, even if the Rasleela continues to be the favourite subject of artists, it's not the Kangra School they follow. Another reason for artists to prefer contemporary art to this traditional art form is lack of patronage. "It's not that easy a form of art and requires encouragement in monetary and moral terms from the government as well as the corporate sector." However, that doesn't mean its popularity has dipped. An exhibition of over 200 paintings, out of a total of 5,000, was put on display earlier this year on Holi at the Museum and Art Gallery-10. "The response was tremendous. In fact, we had people asking us details about the art form, artists, colours used and history of Kangra School," says NPS Randhawa, director, Government Museum and Art Gallery. With a lot of artists still working on the theme, more of Rasleela will be seen, though on a different canvas and different genres, whether realistic or abstract. Says, Ravinder Sharma, lecturer, Government College of Art-10, "Characters, love story, events, colour scheme… Rasleela has all the elements to intrigue and appeal artists. In earlier times, artists picked the theme more for its religious connotations. Beauty of the theme was another factor," he says. And the reason behind artists not taking to Kangra School? "People have no time to appreciate the intricate details of miniature paintings, albeit they appreciate the eternal beauty of Rasleela. Painting and admiring Rasleela will always be another way of showing devotion towards Radha and Krishna." That sure will be! ashioma@tribunemail.com
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McDonald's has inaugurated its branch at Paras Down Town Square, Zirakpur. The restaurant is spread across 2322 square feet with a seating capacity for 101 people. The restaurant offers a variety of seating options, which range from cozy two-seaters to warm and comfortable sofa seating. The design and concept of the restaurant has been conceptualised in a way that provides the customers with a comfortable and warm environment even within the premise, yet maintaining the fun and vibrant look that has become synonymous with McDonalds. The outlet at Zirakpur will deliver the same quality of food, excellent service and relaxed ambience, for which McDonald's is known worldwide. Customers can enjoy a wide range of burgers, wraps and fries with an assortment of sundaes, soft serve and refreshing beverages like iced tea and cold coffee, at an extremely affordable price. The Happy Price Menu available with a number of products starting at the price range of Rs 20 (exclusive of taxes) will prove to be irresistible for all. — TNS
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Sony India, one of the most recognised consumer electronics brand in the country, has opened its Sony Exclusive in Sector-17 with an overall objective of enhancing reach to the people of Chandigarh. The unique feature of this Sony Exclusive is that it has the entire Display designed as per Global Standards. The company already has 2 Sony Centers and 1 Sony Exclusive in the City. Sunil Nayyar, senior general manager, sales, Sony India Pvt Ltd, inaugurated the showcase. The store will include various product from Sony, including Bravia, handycam, cyber-shot, Vaio, playstation, walkman, hifi, portable audio, home theater system, accessories and Sony Ericsson. — TNS
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Koffee break Kajol is no doubt the actor of the millennium. Though a definite show stealer, she is doing only selected films now as she is expecting her second child. After playing the lead in Karan Johar's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhie Khushi Kahbie Gham and My Name is Khan, she is back with his team once again with We Are Family, the Hindi version of Hollywood film Stepmom. She is playing the mother of three kids. Lifestyle talks to Kajol on the release of her new film. Has marriage changed you? Not much, honestly. It is only that after marriage I have become quieter, mellowed down a bit, but definitely happier. I am very happy with my daughter Nysa and husband Ajay Devgan. How much do you contribute to Ajay's home productions? Nothing much, really. Of course I am always around and know exactly what is going on. We Are Family is the remake of Stepmom. What do you say? I think that remakes should not be made. But there are some good films, which can be remade and Stepmom is one of them. I assure that the Indian version is a different film from Stepmom. Have you seen Stepmom? Yes, I have seen the film. My character Maya is a very different from the one Susan Sarandon played. There is a lot more to Maya. How did you land in 'We Are Family'? I was offered We Are Family when I was doing My Name Is Khan. When Siddharth Malhotra narrated the script to me I liked it. How was it working with Kareena Kapoor? We worked together in Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham. It was great fun working with Kareena. She is talented and professional and has delivered a great performance in the film. When you sign a film does it matter who is opposite you? No, never. It does not matter who is opposite me as long as my role is good. Ajay Devgan is doing well. That must make you happy? I have known all along that he was really good. — Dharam Pal
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Actor Sandra Bullock has spoken out on her adoption of a baby boy and how she is convinced that she was destined to do so. Bullock, 46, had begun the adoption process four years ago when she was still married to Jesse James, and both welcomed baby Louis into their family in January this year. After she split from the TV mechanic in March, following the exposure of his infidelities, she went public with her baby news a month later. "It was a long process. I did not circumvent. I wanted to do everything exactly the same way everyone else did," the Daily Express quoted her as saying in an interview with the Today show. "He (Louis) was always mine, you know. It wasn't like I felt like someone was going to take him away. But it was nice to have someone say, 'I think you're a fit parent'."Everything works out the way the universe wants it to work out. We had always said that it didn't matter where the child came from."If they had issues that were medical issues, we didn't care. It's like the child that needed us in the home is the child that's going to be placed," she added. — ANI
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Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage is set to star in a new Bollywood gangster movie, according to reports. According to sources, the actor will headline Broken Horses, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and a remake of Chopra's 1989 movie Parinda. "Vidhu is currently in Los Angeles, working on for Broken Horses. Cage has been confirmed for one of the leading roles just a few days ago," a source said. The actor won't need to pick up any new languages for the role-or even travel very far - Chopra recently revealed his latest project will be shot in the US and in English. He said: "In September, I will start shooting Broken Horses in the US. It will be an English film and will be for the world audience. I have done Hindi films, now I am doing English and after this I may do a Hindi film again." — ANI
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We Are Family, directed by debutant director Siddharth Malhotra (Prem Krishen's son) is an official adoption of Chris Colombus's popular 1988 superhit Stepmom. In Indian version storywriter Venita Coelho has changed quite a bit of the story to accommodate the Indian angle to it. Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal play lead roles in this film. The buzz is that it is a different movie from the banner of Dharma Productions. All the lead stars have portrayed their role well. Due to festival season We Are Family will be released on September 2. — Dharam Pal
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For migrants to the UK from India and elsewhere, the grass might not be greener on the other side, a new study from the University of Leicester has found.
Kangra paintings on Rasleela can only be made in natural colours. Handmade paper has to be the canvas and brushes can't be bought. Just these three facts and OP Taak, one of the last representatives of the Kangra School of Art, almost explains why artists are not keen to work on this art form.
Film: We Are Family