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Star attraction
Who can better define luxurious lifestyles than city folks? Expensive cars, expensive clothes, expensive food habits and expensive living… enjoying life comes with an attached price tag here!
The reason Chandigarh has grown in its five-star status as well, in hospitality, we mean. First we had Taj, and then followed JW Marriot, The Lalit Group, Sheraton, Sarovar Group of Hotels and very recently, Chandigarh Ashok. A city where hotel meant only Mountview till not so long ago, is now a hub of proposed five star and luxury hotel chains. While many are on cards, cashing in on the trend, we wonder if it's a win-win situation practically as much as it looks in theory. "Not now maybe, but the prospects are bright. Unlike Delhi, where either there is no space or the expansion goes far off from the city periphery, Chandigarh is a good option for the luxury chain of hotels. It has all the space and serenity required for a five-star experience," says AK Malhotra, general manager, CITCO. And he finds company in Maninder Singh, general manager, Chandigarh Ashok. "It is good that so many hotels and resorts are coming to the tri-city. It's a win-win situation for all. Chandigarh's reputation as one of the best cities in India and the potential for a healthy environment for hospitality industry is the main reason behind such a surge. It's important for corporate as well as tourism growth." With its recent launch, Chandigarh Ashok became the first private franchisee under the ITDC to have opened its hotel under the brand Ashok Allianz. The hotel may have been the first to launch but the frontrunners were JW Marriot, ready with their skeleton structure in Sector 35. Spread over an area of 2.63 acres, the hotel will house 170 rooms, including six suites, two restaurants, banquet halls, lounge, spa, gym and landscaped grounds. In addition, the hotel will also provide a heated roof top swimming pool, two kitchens with automation; one for Indian cuisines and the other for international dishes. And the hotel is just a 15-minute drive from the airport. Unlike Delhi, where either there is no space or the expansion goes far off from the city periphery, Chandigarh is a good option for the luxury chain of hotels. It has all the space and serenity required for a five-star experience
AK Malhotra, general manager, CITCO Gagan Arora,
head of sales and marketing, Hometel,
Chandigarh Then we have Sheraton Chandigarh, which is scheduled to come up at the Industrial Area. It will be spread over 11,000 sq ft, with 178 rooms, including luxury suites, world-class food and beverage outlets, a hanging bar as well as conference and banqueting facilities for more than 1,000 people. A grand atrium, link@Sheraton, a nightclub, a fitness club and an indoor swimming pool are also on the cards. The Plaza promises an ultimate shopping experience with over 20 international brands. Now, Prada, Chanel, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior will no more be miles-effort-away! The Lalit group has its property, The Lalit Chandigarh, underway at the IT Park. Another player to join the race is the Sarovar Hotel Group with their Hometel Hotel in Industrial Area, Phase I. The group has as many as 30 properties pan-India under the brands of Sarovar Premiere, Sarovar Portico, Hometel, Park Plaza, and Park Inn, which include three, four and five star categories. "With the international airport being talked about, the market is going to get better. At this rate, in three more years, we will have 10-15 chain hotels making their presence felt in Chandigarh. People are traveling through the city and it has become a connecting link between major towns of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Tourism is on the rise and corporate players are coming into picture. The standards have been raised as the guests are well travelled and want the best," says Gagan Arora, head of sales and marketing, Hometel, Chandigarh. The numbers may be few, (or call them high by city standards) but the line of thought remains same. "Chandigarh has come out of its cocoon and offering many opportunities. It has amazing connectivity, which is going to get better with a proposed international airport. The growth forecast is spectacular," says Sushil Suri, group chairman, Joy Hotel & Resorts, under which Sheraton Chandigarh is being promoted. And so he doesn't find the Rs 200 crore investment a big risk. "When we announced a Park Hyatt in Goa, people laughed at us saying why would anyone invest in a market already full with luxury hospitality brands. But we did well (with that he means being listed in the Conde Nast Traveller's hot list). Chandigarh is still a budding ground and so there are better chances," he says. But the already established names are not feeling the heat, at least not yet. "We have an edge over others as far as catching the pulse of the city and its guests is concerned. Most of the hotels coming up have international tie-ups and are trying to just cash in on the brand name. The target is the upscale clients or the elite, the NRIs," feels AK Malhotra. "We are located in the middle of the city while others are in the periphery," he adds. Sandeep Makroo, head, sales and marketing, Taj, Chandigarh, concurs. "Everybody will have their share of business. With projects flowing in, it's a positive sign for the industry." The local market though is based on loyalists who would trust a Mountview or Taj (the only five-star hotel in city), but hope remains. "The local segment will look to the restaurant and banquet services, but our emphasis is on the traveling and corporate category. People are excited about trying out new things here," says Gagan. Well, if you are already feeling exhausted by this increasing list of luxury hotels…wait till you experience it!
nehawalia@tribunemail.com |
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They call it the online handwriting recognition, something that can be read straight through the digital pen and doesn't need to go through writing to scanning route. Colloquially explained, that could be bliss where natural writing is the easiest mode of communication, especially for Asian scripts. Practically speaking, he draws a couple of careless strokes onscreen, what the computer translates into the first alphabet of Punjabi after a click of a mouse. Anuj Sharma, programmer, Department of Mathematics, Panjab University, is just demonstrating his online handwriting recognition software. "I did my PhD in this area only and got interested. It's been five years now, including the time of my doctorate, that I've been researching in this field." He adds, "Artificial intelligence was my area of interest, but post studies, I've been working on this software all by myself. But otherwise, research in this field has been going on for 45 to 50 years now. Presently, I'm working on Indian scripts, Punjabi and Devnagari." Back to what he's developed and what it can do… "It recognises the strokes, both high level and low level features. What we write with a digital pen, it recognises and converts it into the script onscreen. It recognises on notebooks and mobile phones." Anything scribbled and remotely resembling the alphabets though will not do. "Errors will come in between but it's being worked upon. But mainly within a script there's a wide range and level of handwriting that it reads." He adds, "I'm mostly working in Devnagari and Gurmukhi because these are mother tongues, so there's a comfort level as I understand the features of the characters." A couple of weeks and he's off to Nagpur to present his paper in November, all the while there are other plans in place too. "I'd like to do this research for mobile phones, where hand write onscreen gets read. May take it further in its application to traffic signals where police forces can use it." He adds, "It can be used in regular life too. Basically, anywhere where natural writing is convenient and easy. As it is for Asian scripts, there aren't very many applications." True that! — Manpriya Khurana
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Lessons from abroad!
With French almost a part of the regular curriculum in every school, German a passé; here are students who go beyond the learnt and heard languages and care to go a little extra, beyond the ordinary. An engineer pursuing a Tibetan language might appear an unlikely progression in the career graph! But Jasbir Chawla, PU student, has his reasons. "When the ancient learning centres got destroyed, a lot of vedas and granths were a part of them. These books somehow reached Tibet from where they were translated in Tibetan languages. A lot of knowledge is trapped in those books. Out of sheer curiosity I'm learning this language." He adds, "Russian and French I know already and they taught me a bit of German at engineering level. This was a rare choice." From the graver to the regular, reasons to pursue a language remain as diverse as the mode of expression of each, with craze for a country running parallel to the popularity of their language. Shrugs Gagan Deep, student, Department of French, "I have no specific reason for learning French, It's my fifth year into the language now and I feel more addicted to it than even English." One for the sheer love of the language! He adds, "Eighty per cent of the people who start to learn this one have no particular reason and majority of them drop out at the end of one year. Next 20 per cent pursue it for career purposes, for that extra mile in the resume." Spell career and options galore! Shares Pankaj Malviya, associate professor, department of Russian, "I have as many as 30 students who are pursuing Russian, it's a mixed crowd and there are different purposes behind pursuing this language. Most are those who want to go in for different sectors." He adds, "For instance, projects in IT, in the Army. There is so much of technology transfer, which makes it imperative for certain defence personnel to learn this language. Employability of this language is more than any other language." Meanwhile is there anyone trying to lisp Japanese or may be Italiano? "Chinese is a very difficult language, a very different language, as I started studying it and a bit of its history, I realised this language doesn't have alphabets, which makes it all the more difficult to learn. Each letter only denotes different sounds," says Deepak Ram, first-year student at PU. While for those who've experimented already, it's a peep into another culture, something beyond just another mode of expression. Gagan Deep chips in his bit with the French, "Their culture is totally different from ours, they are ultra cool people where hardly anything is a taboo. Also I feel it's a good language, very artistic, especially when you compare it with others." There's an echo. Adds Jasbir, "Of course every language helps you grow and each has a beauty of its own, but while learning Tibetan I came to know that a lot of Indians actually helped form Tibetan alphabets." Then there are reasons that cannot be expressed in language, go beyond the constraints in expression posed by 26 alphabets! Nevertheless, nothing's really lost in translation.
manpriya@tribunemail.com
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"Some new findings have identified spots in the brain that respond to literature and art," she said. Previously, scientists, authors and educators met in Cambridge for a conference organized by Nikolajeva to discuss how young-adult books and movies affect teenagers' minds. "For young people, everything is so strange, and you cannot really say why you react to things - it's a difficult period to be a human being," said Nikolajeva. The conference brought together "people from different disciplines to share what we know about this turbulent period we call adolescence," she said. "What we have learned over the past decade is that the teenage brain processes information differently than a more mature brain," said conference presenter Karen Coats. "Brain imaging shows that teens are more likely to respond to situations emotionally, and they are less likely to consider consequences through rational forethought," said Coats. Linguistic anthropologist Shirley Brice Heath of Stanford University said by e-mail: "What neuroscience opens for us is what happens within the brain during specific activities that take place within identifiable emotional or motivational states." Nikolajeva said: "If you look very, very clearly at what kind of values the Twilight books propagate, these are very conservative values that do not in any way endorse independent thinking or personal development or a woman's position as an independent creature. That's quite depressing." Nikolajeva argued that authors have a moral responsibility to include some positivity and hope in works aimed at teens. "If young people read books where there is no hope at all, it's really damaging. We need to be aware of young people being influenced by what they read or watch, the games they play. It all plays a very important role," she added. — ANI
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Brand new tantrum
‘He has been sulking for the last two days just because I did not buy him a hair gel for his upcoming school party. He has refused to attend classes until I do it." This is what forced Avni Singh, mother of a 10-year-old, to seek an urgent appointment with a teacher in a Sector 26-based school.
During the last decade, rapid changes have been witnessed in various spheres of life and 'childhood' has witnessed the worst. Gone are the days when we could sum up this blissful period of innocence with dolls, games, school picnics, grandma stories or chocolates. Today, more than 10 pairs of Nike or Adidas shoes, branded clothing, expensive watches school bags and cosmetics epitomise the spirit of childhood. A walk down any market or mall reveals how children today throw tantrums to buy branded stuff. "The other day we went to a Lacoste showroom and my 11-year-old boy started demanding an expensive wallet just because one of his friends had it and was flaunting it. I pulled him out with great difficulty. He kept sulking for about a week. And now it seems to have become a regular habit with him and I really don't know what to do," says Rahmi Sinha, an IT professional from Sector 35. Things seem more difficult for the parents of young girls, whose general list has additional demands of expensive hair accessories, cosmetics and parlour sittings. Ritu Verma, a housewife, had to go in for professional counselling to deal with the ever-increasing demands of her daughter. "My daughter is in class VIII in a reputed school. Though I found brand consciousness quite justified, since the last one month or so she is after my life to allow her go in for laser hair removal and hair treatment because her classmates call her 'behenji'," she says. The school authorities attribute the problem to greater knowledge of brands in today's children. "Every other day, parents discuss similar problems with our teachers. Increasing materialism is generally cultivated by parents who have no time to spare for their children, and make it up with expensive gifts that put the child into this mad race for material things," says Madhu Bahal, principal, KBDAV, Sector 7. Echoes Atul Khanna, director Strawberry Fields School, Sector 26, "Parents need to sit with children and explain the importance of personality development and values. When a child sees his parents seeking pleasures in materialism, he or she adopts the same attitude. Parents have to become children's ideal to deal with any such problem."
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In the wake of the failure of the traditional violence-prevention programs, parents and schools could play a significant role in stemming adolescent fighting, a new study has suggested. Researchers from the UT Southwestern Medical Center have apparently uncovered new insights on adolescent fighting: what triggers it, and how to stem it. "Our findings tell us that it's unlikely that traditional cookie-cutter violence-prevention programs will be effective for everyone," said Rashmi Shetgiri, lead author of the study. The analysis of more than 4,000 respondents has suggested that violence prevention programs targeted to specific teen populations may be helpful in curbing aggression. The researchers found that Caucasian and Latino teens, who reported either smoking or alcohol consumption, were more likely to fight, as were African-Americans living below the poverty threshold. Shetgiri said that finding is significant because prior investigations have shown that Latino adolescents have higher rates of depression than other groups. "Our study didn't examine why depression might lead to increased fighting among Latinos, but it showed that this mental-health disorder was a significant risk factor among both Latino boys and girls," she said. One of the most important protective factors for Caucasian adolescents was the level of perceived support from their families. Shetgiri said the findings could be extrapolated. "The data set reflects the kind of racial/ethnic diversity of a lot of urban populations throughout the country, particularly in terms of the increasing Latino population," she said. The findings were published in the Academic Paediatrics. — ANI
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Painting the real
In a mere area of 120 X 150 cm, Jayanta Bhattacharya has tried to decode the countless, jumbled thoughts that are cluttered inside a human brain. Expectedly, most of the space is occupied by ideas on how to become rich, which is denoted by a number of currency notes in the painting.
In between, there is some room for other thoughts. MP3 is written in one corner of the canvass. Somewhere in the middle, "condo.." is scribbled, enough to explain the thought! There is a cricket bat drawn, ATM written and some other things added here and there. Everything aptly explains what art stands for - pleasure and practicality. The other 27 paintings on display at the Government Museum and Art Gallery showcases these two aspects. Part of the National Art Week of New Media, organised by Lalit Kala Akademi in collaboration with Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, the exhibition has works in traditional media, acrylic on canvass. Coming back to the purpose behind the paintings. There is a work by Siwanta Jyoti Baruah that has a number of portraits of Mahatma Gandhi spinning the wheel. The idea is to convey the message that an initiative of Gandhiji changed the face of the textile industry during those times. Gandhiji still seems to be a favourite with artists still. A work by another artist Jagannath Pandey shows Gandhiji picking up sand after completing the Dandi March. Amit Kumar's work, Reality Show, depicts pleasure as a function of art, which surpasses practicality. The painting has a figure of a youngster, who has a mike flowing out of his navel. It shows how we start living with our dreams to earn fame and become oblivious to reality. The painting, in fact, takes us away from the harsh realities of life. Another reality can be found in the painting by NN Rimzon; titled House in the Valley, the painting shows a house on the bank of a river. Everything is beautiful in the painting except for the guns and skeletons painted in one corner. Made in just one colour, light brown, it shows how all colours have been snatched away from the valley except for the colour of dust. Real situation in another part of the country, Jamshedpur, is depicted by Mrinmoy Debbramma through his painting titled www. Jamshed Pur.com. The artist has painted American cartoon characters Tom and Donald Duck as US MNC owners who make Indians do all the manual work. Mining work is also painted in the backdrop. It almost seems like a chain of thoughts in the next artwork, The Deer of Desire, by Pushpita Paul. The painting depicts a deer with threads falling off the horns that have things of worldly pleasures attached to them such as an aeroplane, car, even houses. Dhananjay Kanwar's Mind Scape is almost on the same lines, depicting desires of a human being. Pleasure overdoing practicality yet again! ashima@tribunemail.com (On till September 26) |
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NET result
Either we have all the time in the world, or have none. Now, people in the third category strike a fine balance between the two. Despite the hard-pressed schedule they manage to pull out time to do what they have to. Nothing is left to time.
Surinder Mahajan, national badminton coach, Sports Authority of India (SAI), too believes and lives by the moment. So, when he felt the need to write a book that would go a long way in assisting badminton players, he did just that. A never-ending day at work, a family to take care of, friends wanting to have a share of him in the get together's, nothing would stop this national coach on writing a book, which was the need of his 'hour'. The book Modern Trends And Training In Badminton is a result of two and a half years of relentless dedication. "I wanted to write a book on badminton that would help players, and I just did that. And it was only when I received a motivating note from DK Mukherjee, chairman and founder, Chandigarh badminton association praising my book at length that I sat down to review the time I had given to this book," he heaves a sigh of relief and smiles, "Trust me it was worth it." Training players on the court is way different from sitting in front of the laptop and writing notes, compiling experiences. "Indeed a different world altogether. All the same, I enjoy my work, whether it is writing or training students," says Surinder Mahajan, who also trains badminton players from Europe. This by the way also finds a mention in his book. "I am invited to train players in Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland, which has now become an yearly feature. I come back with information and experiences, both are mentioned in this book," he says. The book deals in modern training techniques of training in badminton, which helps the player to better their game. "I had always maintained that writing books would be a tedious task. It is, but at the same time rejuvenating," says this coach who also created a multi-shuttle practise machine sometime back. "Creativity doesn't need a canvas, it can be expressed in various forms. I am planning to write another book soon." Most of all Surinder Mahajan feels he needs to give a word of thanks to his family. "I can't imagine myself in some secluded corner to write a book. I wrote this one, while I was coaching at NIS, in the middle of work and shuttling to the city. The next one will probably start in one of air flights." jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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Mystic leanings
Contemporary masters offer different views on the evolution of qawaali — a genre with mystic leanings, devotion and spirituality. It has been, over the centuries, sung by groups bringing alive the spiritual themes," says qawwal Qadar Niazi.
Carrying forward the 700-year-old family legacy of Hapur Gharana, Qadar is making all efforts to keep the genre alive. Having performed on AIR and Doordarshan, Delhi-based Qadar Niazi learnt music from Ustad Inam Khan and expanded his talent to sing bhajans and ghazals as well. He has travelled across the country with his troupe that includes his sons, Haider Nizami and Hasan Nizami. In the city, on the invitation of Chandigarh chapter of SPIC-MACAY for a series of concerts in the region, he shares his views on the future of qawaali, a genre that has suffered neglect due to 'filmy' music and TV reality shows. "The qawaali, in fact, is part of Muslim devotional music and it was pioneered by Amir Khusrao. Ustad Niamat Khan Sadarang pioneered this genre during the period of Mohammad Shah Rangeela and mixing of qawaali with Dhrupad was taken up during those times," he says. Albeit he agrees that attempts have been made to popularise the genre by music composers. "After decades, a few good qawaalis such as Khawaja Mere Khwaja in Jodhaa Akbar have been initiated by versatile composer AR Rehman. My qawaali was taken for Kanjoos, Khosla ka Ghosla and others, but filmmakers do not justify its spiritual or romantic content, rather they make it full of actions," he rues Ustad Qadar Niazi interacted with students and gave performances, along with his troupe of 15 artistes, at the Government college of Arts and later at the Punjab Engineering College. |
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Ford India has unveiled the Ford Endeavour 3.0-litre 4x2 Automatic (AT) - the newest addition to its Endeavour premium Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) range. According to Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India, said, "We are excited and delighted to introduce our latest Endeavour variant to India. Building on the strong Endeavour sales so far this year, and the overwhelming response to the automatic transmission launched last year, we are confident that the Ford Endeavour 4x2 AT will be a popular and well received addition choice to our product line-up.'' Competitively priced at Rs 17.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Bengaluru) the Endeavour 4x2 AT is powered by a 3.0-litre, 156 PS DuraTorq TDCi (common-rail) powertrain with the Variable Geometry Turbocharger (VGT) and 5-speed automatic gearbox - with the overdrive switch on the shift lever - to delivers a highly responsive drive that complements its 'best-in-class' torque performance at 380 NM at 2500 rpm. Compared to other diesel automatic offerings in the 15-20 Lakh premium SUV segment, the DuraTorq engine of the new SUV delivers class-leading fuel efficiency of 10.7 kpl (ARAI). ''Like other variants in the portfolio, the 4X2 variant is robust, good looking, great to drive and versatile. We describe it as a 'smooth operator' SUV with the state-of-art 5-speed auto transmission technology that provides a superb and effortless driving experience whether negotiating congested city streets, cruising on the highway or exploring country hills and back roads, " adds Boneham. While rugged on the outside, the interior of the new Endeavour includes many creature comfort features. For example, the interior design sports a classy two tone finish complemented by a spacious passenger cabin. Inside, it also boasts ergonomically designed leather upholstered seats, a 6-CD changer music system and DVD player and an environmentally-friendly dual air conditioner with personalized air conditioning vents for the second and third rows. Other unique touches which enhance the 4x2 AT's aesthetic and driving appeal include illuminated scuff plates, a titanium-finished instrument panel, sports pedals and a stylish side body cladding. The new variant also offers an array of active and passive safety features such as dual-stage front air bags for the driver and passenger. The air bags work in conjunction with three-point safety belts and pre-tensioners and load limiter features unique to Ford vehicles. In addition, the Anti-lock Braking system (ABS) coupled with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) provides extra security peace of mind for drivers. The Ford Endeavour 3.0- litre 4x2 Automatic (AT) is available in five colour options - Diamond White, Moondust Silver, Sea Grey, Panther Black and Morello. — TNS
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Grand preparations for World Tourism week have been planned by the Chandigarh Administration in association with Dare Club, starting from September 26 till October 1. The celebrations would start one day prior to the event. On September 26, the Chandigarh Administration will hold maiden Cyclothon, a cycling event. The event comprises multiple categories -elite ride, green ride and junior ride. The highlight of the event will be a 60 km National elite race that will see the nation's top cyclists competing for prize money. On 27 September, Morning Raga- Indian classical and fusion music by Subhash Ghosh will be held at Sukhna Lake followed by Tourism Walk from the Open Hand Monument to Government Museum, Sector 10. In the evening Fun and Entertainment programme will be held at Sukhna Lake. The main attraction of the day will be Rashtriya Bhrastachar Adhiveshan-a satire based on the poem, written by Ashok Chakradhar, directed by Kuldeep Sharma, this will be staged at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18. Well, that's not all for the southern sectors of the city there will be a Punjabi musical evening at Lake, Sector 42. On 28 September, a painting competition will be held at Sukhna Lake and The Perfect Wife-a social comedy play, directed by Nitin Jagdissh, starring Poonam Dhillon and Sooraj Thapar will be staged at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18. On 29 September, Tourism Quiz will be held at Govt. Museum, Sector 10 and in the evening Aaall izz well with Shuturmurgh a stage play, directed by Ramesh Talwar, starring Rakesh Bedi, Avtar Gill, Bharat Kapoor, Aasif Sheikh will be staged at Tagore Theatre. Sham-e-Qawwali by Aslam Sabri at Rock Garden will be held on 30 September. The one week long celebration will conclude on 1 October with a live performance by singer Javed Ali at Plaza, Sector 17. Besides this, food festivals will be organised in various hotels and restaurants of the city. — TNS
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When was the last time you spoke something for the first time? Alphabetically speaking, an average Indian dare not perceive any foreign language as beyond squares with complex lines. How many would leave the comfort of a known dialect, explore an uncharted territory and slangs strictly not incorporated?
Got to give it to French…for the sheer popularity of the language! The language almost makes it to the common parlance, if not the conversations than at least the curriculum. Opines Sumita
Parmar, French teacher, Ryan International School-49: "It's the second language after English, quite widely spoken. In fact, in Quebec province of Canada, it's the official language." She adds, "I personally feel French is not difficult to learn at all. Rather grammatically speaking, it's close to Hindi and not English." At times, the reasons run
aspirational! Says Dolma Pathania from Alliance Française-36, "France as a country has a lot to offer, everybody wants to visit it. Paris is the fashion capital of the world. Moreover, French is widely spoken in Canada, Europe and many countries is Africa that were former French colonies."
In some unfamiliar ways, vampire books like Twilight may be altering the teenage mind, scientists have revealed. "We don't know exactly how literature affects the brain, but we know that it does," Live Science quoted Maria Nikolajeva of Cambridge University as saying.
