Whosoever said that change is always for good had no clue how bitterly we'll miss Yuvraj Singh's explosive batting and panache on the field! We'll so much miss his huge sixes, his high fives with teammates and his style.

Even his lacklustre performance in last year's IPL and dishevelled looks are a sweet memory, when he is no more a part of Kings XI Punjab. The former 'heavyweight' batsman will now play for the Pune Warriors, but his loyal fans back home wish he was still with the Kings XI.

Ayushmann Khurana, who anchored last season's IPL, feels that no other player can fill the void left by Yuvraj. "We have seen him playing for Punjab since the start of the IPL. The Kings XI team is known more for him than its owner Preity Zinta. Now when the Pune team has bought Yuvraj, I fail to understand who will cricket lovers from the region support," he says. He adds that Yuvraj was synonymous with the team and it will be difficult for people to relate to new players.

Nitish Sharma, a die-hard cricket fan, recalls that when Kings XI was formed, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan and Preity Zinta were the USP of the team. "I used to go to watch matches only to see Yuvraj and Irfan play, and see Preity cheering for them." He adds that now minus the most popular players and coming in of four Australian players, only time will tell how much the crowd will accept the team.

Citing the example of Mumbai Indians retaining Sachin Tendulkar, former cricketer Navjot Sidhu says that Yuvraj Singh holds an equal value for the Punjab IPL team. "It's important to realise that players, besides playing for a team, are also the brand ambassadors. People relate to a team through its players and in case of someone like Yuvraj Singh, who is also a Punjab Ranji team player, it is not easy to disassociate with him." But then, he also has a point when he says that if people could accept Harbhajan Singh as a Mumbai Indians player, gradually they will also accept Yuvraj as one from the Pune Warriors.

As for the other team members, things aren't going to be very different either. Irfan Pathan has been bought by Delhi Daredevils and Sreesanth has gone to Kochi. Vijay Sharma, executive chef, Mountiview, who has prepared delicacies for the Kings XI, roots for Yuvraj Singh. "The home town factor plays a major role. Anything he demanded mattered the most because of the city connection. It seemed like he represented the city in the world of cricket. We will surely miss him now when he will bat for the Pune team." For some, Yuvraj Singh, in or outside the Kings XI team, won't make a difference. They perceive the IPL format as pure entertainment. "Sentiments for a player makes sense when the team is playing international cricket. IPL is meant for entertainment and what matters at the end of the day is interesting matches. Individual players take a backseat," comes from Gursewak Mann, a singer. City-based cricketer Dinesh Mongia also feels people follow cricket and not a team or player. "All we want is good cricket, irrespective of the player or team. If Yuvraj Singh scores well for any team, he will be accepted just the way he was in Kings XI."

Wish all Yuvraj fans thought the same too!

ashima@tribuenmail.com

Bollywood heart-throb Hrithik Roshan for the first time celebrated his birthday Monday with media by cutting a cake, talking about his future projects and revealing his happiness over his filmmaker father's decision to make a sequel to Krrish.

"I'm very happy that papa (Rakesh Roshan) has finally taken the mantle and said that he will make Krrish because it was my dream to make another Krrish...I was wishing that one day he gets up and thinks about the film and I'm happy that has happened now," said the actor, who has turned 37 on Monday.

The actor also revealed that actor Priyanka Chopra will be the female lead in the film and it is slated to hit screens later this year.

Released in 2006, Krrish is an Indian superhero science fiction that carried forward the story of Koi... Mil Gaya about developmentally challenged Rohit (Hrithik) and his ability to connect with aliens through his late father's special computer.

In Krrish, Hrithik plays Krishna, son of Rohit, who has superhuman abilities. Both the films were directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan.

The actor, whose much hyped Kites bit the dust at the box office, will be seen in two more films - Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara and Agneepath remake - this year.

"I'm very excited about all the three films because all are challenging roles. One is over and I'll be starting Agneepath now and then of course Krrish," said the actor who was casually dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans and teamed it up with a black cap for the media meet.

Taking about his birthday, the actor said that age is just a state of mind.

"Number and years are all man made terms in our minds. We should not go by them. You're as young as you're heart tells you. I still feel as I felt when I was 18. Although my knees heart a bit more than they used to," said Hrithik.

The actor started his day with a pooja at home, then spent time with his family, followed by a telephonic session with fans, meeting with media and it will end with a party at his place. — IANS

Hollywood actor Sienna Miller is reportedly planning a hippy-style wedding when she marries Jude Law later this year.The actor is set to tie the knot with the actor later this year and she is planning to have a ceremony in Dorset, South West England, where she will wear flowers in her hair and pay homage to her laid-back style."Jude's given her a ring for Christmas, as well as a new house, and he intends to make her a bride this summer. She's going for a 'hippy-style flowers-in-your-hair' wedding. She wants it to be in a small church in the English countryside with Jude's children taking part in the ceremony. It will probably be in Dorset or Devon," said a source.

Sienna, 29, and Jude, who has three children, Rafferty, 14, Iris, 10, and eight-year-old Rudy with ex-wife Sadie Frost, rekindled their romance in late 2009 after splitting in 2006 following revelations the Alfie star had cheated on her with the children's nanny.The couple have recently splashed out on a north London mansion, and Sienna is keen for them to have a baby together to make their family complete.

"Sienna has decided that this will be the home that she has children in. There is a room for each of Jude's children and room for a new baby," said the source.As well as his children with Sadie, Jude also has a 15-month-old daughter Sophia with Samantha Burke. — IANS

Acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron has criticised Hollywood's love affair with franchises, citing the upcoming Battleship movie as an example of the ridiculous lengths producers will go to score a box office hit.Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgard and Rihanna are set to star in the big screen re-imagining of the popular board game, but Avatar director Cameron is horrified by the idea of turning a toy into a film.

The Terminator creator insists moviemakers should be allowed to pursue more original concepts, rather than relying on old stories and well-worn ideas."We have a story crisis. Now they want to make Battleship the game into a film! This is pure desperation, because now the Sequel Business governs Hollywood, or how we call it: the franchise," he said.

"Everyone in Hollywood knows how important it is that the film before it hit theatres, is already a brand. If a brand has been around, Harry Potter for example, or Spider-Man, you are light years ahead... And there lies the problem. Because unfortunately (these franchises are becoming more) ridiculous. Battleship. This degrades the cinema," he added.— IANS

She's all of 21 and going places. Fashion designer and stylist Sabah Khan's designs from her collection 'No Class' (that were showcased at the Gennext Show at Lakme Fashion Week 2010) have got her a letter of commendation from Prince Charles. Her collection was inspired from the lifestyle of people residing in the slums of Dharavi.

Talking about her collection, she says, "It was a blend of bright colours, lively pictures and digital prints that reflected the charm, joy and energy of a city within the city of Mumbai."

She adds, "Post Slumdog Millionaire, India was all about slums and have-nots. But through my collection I wanted to convey that people living in the slums are more content and happy. And thus I took this as a metaphor and developed it into a theme for my collection."

It was for this collection that she received a letter of commendation from Prince Charles. We are curious as to why? "The Prince of Wales recently released a book "Harmony" in which Dharavi was quoted as a model for sustainable living that British towns could follow. I read in a newspaper and wrote to him wherein I mentioned about my collection. In reply I got a letter of appreciation."

Many facets of Dharavi motivated her to pick it up as a theme. "Their living inspired me to recycle and make the optimum use of resources. And thus, I have designed some clothes that are reversible."

A 2010 pass-out of INIFD-Mumbai, Sabah believes that inspiration for fashion comes from most unpredictable quarters and style is a depiction of various aspects of life.

Having set up her own brand Sabashe, she says, "I am designing clothes with my signature style and using life as a metaphor. What I am trying to do is present the common in an uncommon way."

Ask her what's in the pipeline and she says, "I have a few projects in hand. I have two shows of the Raj Foundation, one in Abu Dhabi and another in Paris and hopefully the next season of LFW."

jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com

If you wish to relish the splendour of Indian classical dance and music in a foreign country, you must visit Torrance in the US," says Torrance-based danseuse Prachi Dixit at the very outset of the interaction at the Pracheen Kala Kendra, on whose invitation she is in city for a Kathak dance recital.

"The Americans and non-Asians evince more than a passing interest in Indian dance and art forms. In Torrance, many Indians are teaching Bharatnatyam and other dance forms, but only five of us impart training in Kathak, vocal classical music and the tabla," she says.

Although Bharatnatyam, which is steeped in religious themes and follows a rigid code of conduct, is hugely popular Kathak is also gaining popularity in Torrance. "Kathak is fascinating many people due to variations in its thematic content, classical footwork and expressions. The compositions in Kathak are laced with mysticism and romanticism. I have over 100 disciples in the age group of 6 to 60 years," says Prachi, whose daughter Ayuja Dixit (19) is also an accomplished danseuse.

Holding allegiance to Jaipur Gharana, Prachi learnt the dance form under the tutelage of late Kanhiya Lal and Narayan Prasad. As of now, she is learning further technicalities of Kathak under eminent exponent of the dance form Guru Shobha Koser. Besides, she has also been trained in vocal music under renowned guru of Agra Gharana Shri Akheel Ahmad Khan. Prachi has won numerous awards at prestigious dance festivals in India as well abroad. 

Music knows no boundaries and such is its power that people from diverse spheres are attracted to it. This has been proved by Sarosh Sami, a Mumbai-based businessman, who was in town to launch his album Tishnagi.

"It is my first solo album which comprises eight songs. Each song carries a story of love," says Sami. Tishnagi, which literally means 'thirst' presents the listeners with a range of songs with a contemporary feel.

Sami is trained in semi-classical music and has been playing tabla since he was seven. However, he brings the element of pop his album. "I wanted the youth to connect to my songs. All the tracks in the album are romantic, but every song has a different feel because of the music," he says.

To reach anywhere one has to pass through a rocky terrain. How has been his journey so far? "I struggled to reach where I am today and as they say Rome wasn't built in a day… I started performing at college events, company annual days, etc. Then I became the member of a Rock Band named Dewey and the album came eventually," says Sami.

Right now, he is trying to make his mark in the field of music but at the same time he also has a business to attend to. Business and music! How does he strike a balance? "Music is my passion, whereas business is in my genes. Moreover, music is a stress buster," replies Sami.

He firmly believes that if a person has talent it can't be repressed or hidden for long.

Committed to introduce the ever healthy and delicious offerings, Cocoberry, India's first premium frozen yogurt chain has come up with its refreshing variant of Blackberry yogurt.

The tingling taste of blackberry and the freshness of yogurt along with the tempting exotic fruit toppings make the flavour a salubrious blend. The exotic toppings include fresh fruit toppings like blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, dragon fruit, strawberries, cocoberry, pineapple, pomegranate, and kiwi and a wide array of dry toppings like mini oreos, almonds, gummi bears, marshmallows, captain crunch, white and dark choco-chips, snickers, and dark chocolate sprinkles.

This mouthwatering palette of all natural fruit blackberry flavoured frozen yogurt option is available in three different sizes - small (Rs 89), medium (Rs 179) and large (Rs 279). Indulge your palate with new fantastic yogurt flavors at all of its outlets across country. — TNS

Valentine has launched a new range of nightwear and sportswear offers an array of lightweight fabrics that look chic but are comfortable and apt for the winter season. Natural fabrics have been used which feel soft on the skin.

The collection includes a vibrant range of joggers, pajamas, bermudas, capri's and t-shirts. Price range for men varies from Rs 899 - 13,999, for women, price varies from Rs 899 to 13999 for boys, price ranges from Rs 699 to 899 and for girls, price ranges from Rs 699 to 899.

Speaking on the occasion, Harshad Thakkar, Managing Director of Valentine (Ashapura Apparels Pvt.Ltd.) mentioned "With the strong and continuous support of our distributors, in-house team of creative designers and efficient work force and above all our customers, the company has been registering a strong growth year on year. With this faith and confidence shown, we are proud to offer our customers a brand new collection this winter season. This time we have used pure fleece and loopernet as the fabric and the collection signifies noticeable quality over mass-produced garments due to the care, attention to detail, and pride that goes into each individual garment."

With fresh vibrant colours throughout, this collection from Valentine, is not only celebrating the new season, but also reflecting the new trends and looks. This idea is also carried through to new shapes and patterns in the collection. The new collection will be available in Genises,Pehnava and Giani Choice Centre, Chandigarh. — TNS

We are United Cloudz because as the name suggests, we are always together and Cloudz because just like music, we keep moving and can rain anywhere," Shanti Swaroop, aka Narcissus, a second-year student of Travel and Tourism, introduces the three-month-old rap group. Just like their names, it's raining rap crews everywhere. "It's because youngsters these days are a lot more into music, with just every gadget becoming a mini music equipment of sorts. Then there are many more avenues to promote your tracks online, upload them and present them before the public," he says.

Anyway, a few-week-old and two-member rap crew has a couple of tracks to its credit already. "The other member, Zealigoss, is a Class XII student. We write our songs. I talk about all the dark things of life, like suicides, death, broken hearts while he'd pen down other emotions. Like songs on gangster, ships, motivation etc, but they are all based on reality and inspired by some incident in life."

As for the songs, "We've already written and released two songs. One is called Curse, which is a song on childhood and the dark realities of life. Then there's a song called Christmas Angels." Another song is a club song, Chromatic Dress. "It's a track in which the lyrics go like - though there are a lot of girls around, but there's this one particular girl in a monochromatic dress who catches our attention."

After penning down the songs, comes the tough part -promoting the final product. "We've uploaded our songs on every conceivable social networking site and some of the tracks have received appreciation from people from Europe."

In the world of hip-hop, there are rappers and there are those on the periphery. For the ones outside, it's a genre full of explicit words and abuses. "That's true but then every language has its own curse words. Maybe this is where the popularity of this genre lies, in being able to channelise one's angst, frustration and anger." He adds, "Whatever words we sing or write, at least they are direct and not with double meaning connotations. All the negative emotions go into the lyrics."

manpriya@tribunemail.com

Just as a person's accent is a dead giveaway of his region, the way a user writes on Twitter too can indicate his whereabouts. Jacob Eisenstein and his colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University's (CMU) School of Computer Science developed an automated method that analyses Twitter word-use and shows that regional dialects appear to be evolving within social media.

They collected a week's worth of Twitter messages in March 2010, and selected geotagged (added geographical identification to media such as photographs, video, websites, SMS messages or RSS feeds) messages from Twitter users and then made a database of 9,500 users and 380,000 messages.

They found that certain regionalisms are already well known and associated with specific areas of the country. For example, a Southerner's ‘y'all’, a Pittsburghers' ‘yinz’, as well as the usual regional divides in references to soda, pop and Coke.

But other phrasing has evolved with social media itself. For instance, in northern California, something that's cool is ‘koo’ in tweets, while in southern California, it's ‘coo’. In many cities, something is ‘sumthin’, but tweets in New York City favor ‘suttin’. New Yorkers are ‘deadass’ tired. Although these habits may have cultivated due to the limited 140 characters, Eisenstein geography's influence also is apparent. The statistical model could predict the location of a tweeter in the continental United States with a median error of about 300 miles. — ANI