Restlessness - with youngsters you can never be sure how they use this attribute. Either they go berserk with it, doping, shooting, rash driving, or they bundle up the entire restlessness and pour it into a skill. Gladly, we meet up a 22-year-old who is from the second category; who lives on a different high, has found a goal (too early though) and is racing for it!

Meet Samrat Yadav from Chandigarh, who is hooked onto his two-year-old passion - motorsport, living and loving every moment of it. “I like thrill and I like driving too. My friends suggested I could mix both, so I took to rallying,” he is too excited to share, like any 22-year-old who is excited on the thought of excitement!

It is not all passion and energy we are talking about. Samrat Yadav, along with Patiala-based rallyist Khushwant Randhawa, participated as Team India in the 2010 Kickstarters Gascoyne Dash 2010 that concluded in the desert of Western Australia. Their Suzuki Sierra was the first to reach the pole position in the 4WD Extreme Category, with driver Khushwant Randhawa and navigator Samrat Yadav coming on the top of the revered motorsport event.

The 2010 Kickstarters Gascoyne Dash was held from October 28 -31, across the harshest and remote terrains situated between the seaside town of Carnavaron and Gascoyne Junction in Western Australia.

You seem to be on the right track boy! “I am a rally driver, however, I have navigated with Khushwant for various events like the Dakshin Dare 2010 and the Moghul Rally 2010. It was during Dakshin Dare that we happened to meet rallyist Niaz Ali who asked us to participate in Gascoyne Dash,” with excitement intact, in fact growing as he races up his story. “I owe a lot to Khushwant Randhawa, and we had participated as a team in the event,” he says.

Competing in the ‘4D Extreme’ category, Randhawa and Yadav, driving a Suzuki Sierra, were the fastest in not only their own category to grab the first place, but also managed to lay their hands upon the prestigious Suzuki Shield. “We clocked 7 hrs 48 mins, 30 secs overall, in the period of three days, beating the counterparts with a more than safe margin.”

jasmine@tribunemail.com

Producer, director and writer Harry Baweja, the maker of films like Dilwale, Imtihan, Diljale, Deewane, Karz - The Burden of Truth, Qayamat, Main Aisa Hi Hoon, Teesri Aankh and Love Story- 2050, is ready to take centrestage with his team Flying Turtles Films first big show Ganga Ki Dheej, which premiers on Sahara One Television on November 15. Harry believes television gave an opportunity to a lot of people and the growth rate of TV industry is great.

How did your show Ganga Ki Dheej happen?

I always wanted to venture into television and was looking for the right opportunity as well as a team to work with. This is the time when Flying Turtles Films came up with the concept of this show. I had full faith on the highly experienced team of Shabbir Ahluwalia, Anil V Kumar, and Sakett Sawhney, all from the television industry.

What is special about the show?

International film and television star Kabir Bedi is making a comeback with this show. The other talented stars are Ashwini Kalsekar, Leena Jhumani, Mohit Raina and Saurabh Pande. I believe that a good star cast works only when the audience identifies with it.

What's the show about?

It is the journey of a girl whose life changes because of the set rituals blindly followed by the community ruled by a self-proclaimed landlord of the village. It is about the girl's struggle against the social structure. The show depicts how people in power exploit the innocent in the name of religion and God.

What are the new trends emerging in the production of television shows?

The making of a serial today is akin to making a film. It is almost like a mini-film. Huge sets, rooms, deck-up, finishing et al. It requires equal effort.

Would you agree that a channel contributes significantly in pushing up the ratings of a show?

Every show is given a boost, irrespective of whether it is doing well or not, because it is in the interest of the channel. We live in a world driven by publicity. So, I guess a channel too works hard to promote its shows. — Dharam Pal

Film: Flat

Producer: Anjum Rizvi, Raaj Varma

Director: Hemant Madhukar

Cast: Sanjay Suri, Jimmy Shergill, Kaveri Jha, Hazel

Directed by young Hemant Madhukar, Flat is a film based on the supernatural. The film has a moral for men who have messed around with their ex-girlfriends. The actors Hazel and Kaveri Jha are set to impress viewers with their acting prowess. Kaveri Jha has performed all the stunts herself. Jimmy Shergill and Sanjay Suri play lead roles. The movie was shot in a flat in Andheri, a western suburb of Mumbai. — Dharam Pal

Hrithik Roshan, known as a hot bod of Indian showbiz for whom staying away from junk food is a way of life, bent his rules for Guzaarish. He also performed what he calls his career's toughest dance sequence for the love story.

"I didn't workout for six-seven months. After 15 years, I found out the taste of batata vada and samosas. I binged like anything," said Hrithik. "I had the liberty to have all the fried stuff because I had to look fat in some parts of the film. But when I was on this toxic programme, health took a very bad shape."

All that hogging had a negative impact on his medical reports. "For 15 years, I lived such a healthy life with a proper diet and workout. Then suddenly such a major shift, so my medical reports had gone crazy and the doctors were forcing me to stop it. But I enjoyed it because it was an excuse to eat whatever I wanted to," added the 36-year-old actor.

In Guzaarish, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Hrithik plays a magician who becomes paraplegic when a trick goes wrong. The film that will also see Aishwarya Rai as a nurse is slated for a November 19 release.

Hrithik, known as Bollywood's best dancer who mesmerised his fans with his exotic moves in songs like "Ek pal ka jeena", "Main aisa kyun hoon" and "Idhar chala main udhar chala", says he had to work the hardest for a dance sequence in Guzaarish. —IANS

Pop queen Madonna is the latest celebrity hit by New York's bug problem-her home is full of lice. Like a virgin hitmaker revealed one of her kids brought the creepy problem home and now she can't get rid of them. 

"There's some head lice going around in my house... It's a reoccurring occurrence," the Daily Express quoted her as saying."I'm afraid to lay down in my children's bed and put my head on their pillows," she added. — ANI

Rapper Eminem has admitted that he has 'trust issues' with women and he needs to know himself first before letting others in. "I have trust issues - with women, friends, whatever," he said.

"I've got a small circle of friends, and it's a lot of the same friends I've known forever. Right now, that works for me." Slim Shady, 38, who dropped his latest album Recovery earlier this year, opened up about finding his path to recovery.

"I came out of some difficult things these past couple of years," he said in reference to his dual addiction to prescription pills and alcohol.

"I kind of feel like I'm just now finding my footing, so I want to make sure that's secure before I go out and do anything else. I need to keep working on myself for a while." About dating in the future, the tough-guy rapper is sceptical.

"As far as going out, like dinner and a movie - I just can't," he said.

"Going out in public is just too crazy. I mean, I'd like to be in a relationship again someday. Who doesn't? It's just hard to meet people, in my position," he added. — ANI

Oscar-winning actor Gwyneth Paltrow is about to make her debut as a country music singer, but it seems she is getting weak in the knees at the thought of performing at the Country Music Awards (CMAs). Paltrow has admitted that she is a little bit nervous about her live performance.

"I actually feel better this week about singing the song on the awards show. I was really bad last week; I lost my appetite and I couldn't sleep," she said.

"I feel prepared this week. If I can keep my nerves under control I can survive it," Paltrow added.

She will croon Country Strong, which is also the title from her upcoming film, in which she plays a singer striving for a post-rehab comeback. — ANI

No matter whatever you say about our political leaders, they would never change when it comes to their five-year promises. They would invariably break them. We appreciate how religiously they follow this! Jokes apart. If this is the case, why do we need to wait for elections, to see the making and breaking of promises.

To remind the government to deliver on their promise to halve poverty by 2015, as many 25 children will cycle on November 13 (The day the campaign wishes to mark as The Day Of The Depriving Child) and travel more than 250 km, from Chandigarh to Delhi, to create awareness on the same. Brother Steve Rocha, campaign co-ordinator, Nine is Mine, explains how they plan to form a public opinion about the millennium goals under which falls the Indian chapter Wada Na Todo Abhiyan, which holds the government accountable to its promise to end poverty and social exclusion. "These 25 children come from economically challenged backgrounds of society, most of them coming from the slums and suburbs of the city. We would stop at various schools to generate awareness and finally meet with various policymakers in Delhi," adds Br Steve.

Who says we cannot bring a change? It comes when we take a step towards it. "Forty per cent of the population comprises youngsters below 18 years of age, we want to make them aware about the government and its accountability. We also want to tell them about elections, promises and their rights and duties as citizens. On the whole, we want to ask the government to keep up its promise to allocate 6 per cent of the GDP to public expenditure on education and 3 per cent on health," he adds.

Today's scenario has a different story to tell. Currently the public expenditure on education stands 3.23 per cent of the GDEP, and on health 1.06 per cent! Steve makes it crystal clear when he says that the endeavour is to make every child understand that 9 per cent of GDP belongs to them because education and health are the basic rights. "We look forward to get The Nine Is Mine support pledge signed by elected representatives and government officials as well as prominent personalities across India." It is all about taking a step; change isn't far.

I am too young to comment on the Gharana cults or traditional or contemporary music scene, but certainly there are more takers for Indian classical, or its lighter genres in vocal and instrumental streams, now," opines young vocalist Shampa Ghosh. In the city for a Baithak concert at the Pracheen Kala Kendra, she shares her views.

Coming from Benaras Gharana, Shampa explains the concept, "Gharana represents a school of performing art that belongs to a particular family and has its influence on three successive generations. The disciples adhere to a specific style of gayaki."

However, nowadays one has access to the compositions of others through cassettes or albums, which enables one to imbibe the best.

Born and brought up in Kolkata, Shampa was initiated into classical music by her mother Pritima Choudhry, a Rabindra Sangeet exponent. Shampa learnt Dhrupad and Khayal from Nihar Ranjan Banerjee of Vishnupur Gharana. Her training under Pandit Arun Bhaduri at Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata, and Benaras Gharana exponents Pandit Mohanlal Mishra and Vidushi Sipra Bose, sharpened her abilities.

"Both vocal and instrumental streams have their own charm, but the latter is preferred abroad because the lyrics cannot be understood by everyone. Indian classical instrumental maestros like Ravi Shanker, Vilayat Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Zakir Hussain and others have won fame in the West," she informs.

Her life partner, tabla player Abhijit Ghosh, accompanies Shampa in her performances. "A percussionist, who articulates the melody, has a major role in embellishing a performance and of late their remuneration too matches the fees of lead artists," he informs. Abhijit, a graduate in music from Rabindra Bharti University, learnt tabla for 15 years from his guru Govind Basu of Farrukhabad Gharana.

Sambhang Theatre Group and the cultural wing of Swami Ram Tirath Educational Cultural HM Society is organising 22nd Natyotsav November on November 13.

The drama fest is being organised in the memory of Prabhat Gupta, a young theatre artiste who sacrificed his life while saving a child in 1987. He had acted in 25 plays, wrote four plays and directed eight.

Sambhang aims at bringing out talent of the youth. About 250n young artistes will be participating in the festival. — TNS

Tradition, most of us think is defunct, passé and has little relevance in the modern day world where we have to deal with contemporary issues. ‘All tradition is merely the past’. So professed Jiddu Krishnamurti.

Yet one tradition that not only continues to live in its robust form but has also been widely and extensively used in modern theatre is of folk theatre. Interestingly, while in other countries folk theatre came first, in India classical theatre gave way to folk tradition. Thus, many elements of Indian classical theatre like sutradhar, clowns, music and the invocatory item in the beginning are used in many folk theatre traditions of India thus epitomising unity in diversity flavour of Indian culture.

Known by different names in different regions some folk traditions like yakshagana of Karnataka have not only survived but are in popular demand while others like naqal of Punjab have all but vanished. Yet naqaals(traditional performers) are an integral part of Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry’s plays. Says Chowdhry, “For years theatre persons had been using western tools. So, in seventies while I was still a student at the NSD the need to explore our own roots was felt.” She further adds that the idea was certainly not to make a style statement. “Often you listen to your inner regional impulses. Only when you live in South the cultural reference points are rather strong while in Punjab there has been no continuity and my idea to use naqaals was only to transform the tradition though I think I have used their energy more than the tradition.”

In fact, folk theatre tradition has influenced modern Indian theatre in a big way. Give the credit to Sangeet Natak Akademi’s project that led many theatre persons to go back to their roots or men like Habib Tanvir who evolved an idiom of his own using folk theatre forms like Nachha, modern theatre in India has invariably found its roots curling all the way down to folk theatre.

“Why not,” says G S Chani who received senior fellowship to study folk theatre tradition and has made several documentary films on Indian folk theatre forms. Elaborates he, “Tradition is deep-rooted into culture and represents a gamut of sociological, political mythological and other facets. Thus if yakshagana that derives its strength from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagwad helps grapple problems of life why shouldn’t contemporary theatre go back to it to tackle concerns of modern life. More so, since as against western tools that create a sense of disconnect our own forms can help audiences relate better.” The problem, he feels, arises when theatre persons misuse tradition and use it only as a bunting (read decoration) and do not care to delve deep. Of course, men like Tanvir who had talked of creative intervention in tradition, spent years researching folk traditions. He had remarked, “I thought you could do nothing worthwhile unless you went to your roots and tried to reinterpret traditions and used traditions as a vehicle for transmitting the most modern and contemporary messages. Which means intervening in tradition creatively”

Yet, he didn’t impose himself on folk performers of Chattisgarh but used their energies unobtrusively to create Chattisgarhi idiom of theatre. So are folk theatre traditions region and language specific? Or, is it possible for a man sitting in Punjab to use Bengal’s jatra in his plays? Well, there are no taboos or boundaries so to say. But would North Indian audiences be interested in Therubuttu of Tamil Nadu? More significantly can a director make it acceptable and communicable to them?

So, when Jammu-based theatreperson Balwant Thakur admits to the influence of folk tradition on his plays like Bawa Jeeto and Mahabhoj he sure is talking about Jammu’s tradition, especially narrative forms like Geetru and Karkan. Interestingly, he observes that in Kashmir the folk theatre tradition of bhaand pather is kept alive by many groups.

But why is it that while some forms like tamasha of Maharashtra have survived, others like bhavai of Gujarat have moved towards oblivion? Chani attributes it to community and government support. The future of folk forms in its original avatar, too, he asserts can be secured only if the government dovetails a proper strategy. Contemporary theatre directors, he feels, cannot guarantee its survival or those of traditional performers associated with it. Nevertheless, they will be inspired to employ both its elements and use traditional performers as well. Whether they do it with humility and honesty as Chani expects them to do it or merely use it is an embellishment…. or treat tradition as a dynamic evolving entity….folk theatre’s timeless appeal will compel them to explore. For as Chowdhry puts it, “It isn’t as if we are harking back to or clinging to some distant past. Mind you these are living traditions and for us it is a genuine search.”

nonikasingh1@rediffmail.com

Cocoberry, India's first premium frozen yogurt chain, has opened up its third outlet in the city to offer the ultimate frozen dessert experience. The new outlet is located in Sector 35 market.

"We are the first to bring in the premium frozen yogurt to India. The tremendous response from our customers in Chandigarh encouraged us to open our third outlet in the city. I am sure we will continue to delight our guests with the delicious frozen yogurt, said G S Bhalla, director, Cocoberry Retail Pvt. Ltd.

The Cocoberry menu features all-natural frozen yogurt selections with a selection of fresh fruits toppings such as blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, dragon fruit, strawberries, mango, pineapple, pomegranate and kiwi. The dry toppings will include mini oreos, almonds, gummi bears, marshmallows, captain crunch, white choco chips, snickers, chocolate sprinkles etc. The highlight is that the guest gets to create his/her selection to their liking. Cocoberry takes great care in developing each of its flavours to the satisfaction of its customers. — TNS