|
|
|
|
|
Beauty & belief
This is a great moment for you, so the preparations for the pageant have paid off? Many people believe that one can prepare for a pageant. This, however, is not true. Pageant is a way of life. The beauty pageant has taught me that one should always strive to be a multi- faceted person. So, when I prepared for the Miss India USA pageant, I always attempted to let those aspects of my personality shine through Were you confident of walking away with the title? The idea was never to "win" the pageant. This is a very empty and shallow desire. The idea had always been to 'win' myself, to conquer every inch of myself. I wanted to kill my inhibitions, insecurities, doubts or anything else that held me back. This is a greater victory because what it does is create a self-belief and confidence that I can take with me wherever I go. Also, when you desire to win a pageant, you are allowing yourself to compete with others; you're leveling the playing field yourself. When you desire to 'win' yourself, it's all about 'you'. No one else can infiltrate your mind. You end up being so focused on yourself that you automatically end up putting your best self forward. Tell us something about yourself, are you pursuing any course? I am a graduate from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. I have a degree in Biology, with a minor in Psychology and a certificate in women's studies. I have been published under the title of Gender Politics of Representation. I am the youngest member of the World Sikh Council. I work as a Clinical Affairs Associate for Ocular Therapeutix, a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company. I model for Dynasty Model Management. In addition to this, I am a writer, a community organiser and an activist. Next year will be my first political campaign. I will be working on the committee to elect Saatvik Ahluwalia, a young Punjabi Sikh man from Lexington Ma to the seat of Selectman for his town. This will be my first political campaign and I'm looking forward to learning something new. Was your family supportive of you? My father, Malkit Gill, is my biggest supporter and role model. My mother Amarjit Gill has taught me that whatever I need in life will be given to me by Guru Sahib if I ask with a clean heart. I have a 21-year-old sister, Sonika Gill, and a 10-year-old brother Jasneil Gill. My entire family is proud of me. I feel so blessed. My dad has never missed a single pageant and my mom has always prayed for my success. Without my family's support I would be no one. Everything I am is all because of them. How tall are you? What can you tell us about your eating habits and fitness regimen? I'm 5 feet 9 inches. I love gol gappas, Thai food and Guacamole. I have an exercise routine that encompasses pilates, weight training and cardio. I like to eat lots of spinach and chicken, oatmeal, greak yogurt, and peanut butter. I drink about a gallon or more of water each day and also lots of green tea. I stay away from alcohol or any other toxins that may slow down my metabolism. What was your winning question? The question asked to me was "How difficult is it to maintain your Indian heritage in America"? I basically responded that we come from a country that has so many different languages, religions and food, and we have moved to a country that is a melting pot. There is no one culture or one religion. America is made of immigrants. So Indian Americans are just like everyone else. For me it is not difficult to maintain my Indian heritage and I enjoy being a young Indian American girl because I have the best of both worlds. What are your future plans? I never had concrete plans or goals. I believe I have a purpose, which is to grow as a woman and to serve my community. Other than that I believe God, time and destiny. jasmine@tribunemail.com
|
|
A golden chapter
Auctioning jewellery pieces at Christie's and Sotheby's was a decision made purely for strategic reasons. It's another thing that the auction fetched Nirav Modi and his company $3.56 million in 2010 and $5.1 million in 2012, respectively. It formally launched jewellery by Nirav Modi on a global platform. "There was a time when everything synonymous with luxury products came from the West. While luxury services were available in Asia and India, the products strictly bore signature of US and European countries. The auctions introduced us to the world," comes from Nirav Modi, who has put up the first-ever exhibition of his exquisite jewellery in Chandigarh.
It's now that Nirav feels presence in North India is important; his scheme of things include exhibitions at different cities and a bouquet store in New Delhi. The exhibition in Chandigarh is a part of his plan to create awareness about the store opening up in Delhi. "Also Punjab is a market you can't afford to ignore. They travel to Delhi to indulge in luxury. The exhibition will serve as the prelude to what we have in store," he says. A third-generation jeweller, Nirav promises the rare combination of purity of diamonds, other precious stones and craftsmenship. And he keeps his promise for every piece of jewellery in each of his collections, be it Fluire (designs inspired from flower motifs), Paisley (interpretation of popular Indian motif, paisley) or Mughal, pledges exclusivity. That he says has been possible because he considers himself a jeweller first and a businessman later, "Jewellery making is a passion for me." Staying true to his cause, he has been far removed from the popular social circles of Mumbai and socialite is a term he doesn't relate to. "I prefer that my work do the talking. We make jewellery pieces that are worth 10-crore and even four lakh, but we don't compromise on the quality of diamonds or craftsmanship." It's quite surprising that Nirav hasn't collaborated as such with a fashion designer for a fashion week or a ramp show. Rather he preferred coming out with a coffee table book, which was a tie-up with 12 best fashion designers of India and his brand. Titled Essence of a Bride, the book, he says, is a guide for the modern bride. "It shows best how to complement a beautiful lehanga by a top-of-the-line designer with Nirav Modi's jewellery or vice-versa." His jewellery is not merely juxtaposing diamonds and fitting them in the gold moulds. A research and development department at his office in Mumbai constantly invents new designs. For example, the diamond bands, "The inspiration came from my daughters, who were playing with their plastic armbands. I thought why not come up with a design that ensures comfort as well." Priced at Rs 12 and Rs 15 lakh, the bands are surely an innovation at the exhibition and worthy of being a woman's best friend. ashima@tribunemail.com
|
|
Ethnic extravaganza
Food, rides, handicraft, curios — the Crafts Mela at Kalagram has something for everyone Manpriya Singh
The security, traffic guards, organisers are still warming up to the huge crowds that are likely to swarm the ongoing Crafts Mela at Kalagram. The carnival has everything it takes to gather footfalls and sustain it for consecutive eight more days. Food, rides, handicraft, curio, there's everything it takes to call all in the family. Starting from the very own phulkari and Punjabi jutti stands to make you feel at home and gradually move onto other geographical locations in the country. There's a fair dose of Kashmiri handlooms, with a stall at regular intervals, presenting the Kashmiri karigars through kaftans, shawls, woollen garments et al. There's a taste of Pondicherry with junk necklaces. "We've got crystal and pearl necklaces." Benaras lends itself to a lot of connotations and images. At the moment there's garments you can make do with. Shares Dilshad Ahmed, "We get together at home and make this stuff. There's Benarasi silk made into various pieces of garments." Jute junkies have enough curio to grab in the form of jute rugs, carpets, bags. Head to toe A couple of things could otherwise be rare to find in the city. A kite stall coming all the way from Rampur, UP. Shares the man from across the counter, "There is not much kite culture here but these kites are to be used as decoration pieces. Apart from the regular conical models that can be flown, there are miniature kites and some colourful ones in the shape of a fish to arrow." Out of sight as they might be in the region and out of place as it may sound, but there's a corner dedicated to Kolhapuri chappals. Shares, "We are from Kolhapur and we only deal with Kolhapuri chappals. We came here during the very first crafts mela and after that we came now. We are artistes so we only come on invitation." As for what's so special about the product and the place. He shares, "Well, you have to wear it for yourself." There's yet another dealing in traditional patta chitra, tassar and silk paintings, pal leaf engravings, paper machie and the like. Taste of India Somewhere in the middle there's food to turn to. Citco Da Vehra with its pure Punjabi delicacies breaks the monotony of window shopping and paves way for some serious culinary sessions. There's a stall each that claims to serve all the delicacies from Uttarakhand, South Indian and Kashmir. While we couldn't miss the one from Rajasthan, courtesy the colourful turbans, there's one from Maharasthra that comes packed with pork, fish and prawn dishes. Groom-ing session By the time you're done rubbing shoulders with one and all, there's literally a million things you've looked at. Carpets, plants, suits, shawls, bags, stoles, carpets, rugs, murals, paintings, decoration pieces, wooden cutlery, cane products, even wedding outfits for grooms. "We are from Saharanpur and we only stock wedding outfits for the grooms. Our price ranges from Rs 4500 to Rs 5000." Need we list more? manpriya@tribunemail.com
|
||
|
Snapshots of a legend
The merit of the occasion calls for the scale of the celebrations. Fortunately, the birth anniversary of legendary artist S. Sobha Singh didn't go unnoticed. Punjab Arts Council and Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi together put together an exhibition in the memory of the artist at Punjab Kala Bhawan. Alongside, Sobha Singh Memorial Art Society celebrated at Government Museum and Art Gallery, with an exhibition and a keynote address. Members of his family and admirers of his art shared their memories.
Rare sight Both the exhibitions gave a sneak peek into the rare photographs, depicting the important occasions, moments in his life. There were visual glimpses of the selected works and life of Sobha Singh. The artist while having a meal, while reading an edition of The Tribune, while recuperating from an injury, while working in his studio, while painting the famous Sohni Mahiwal, with several political leaders of the time and even with artists of repute. There are pictures of him while with Amrita Pritam, Prithvi Raj Kapoor, MF Hussain. Moving on, there are pictures of him while in a pensive mood. It's a close brush with the artist and his life, into his studio. The photographs are from the work of yet another widely known artist S. Bhajan Singh Bajwa of Batala. Most of the photographs were captured at his studio at Andretta near
Palampur. manpriya@tribunemail.com
|
||
|
In the smart league
Nishtha Shukla Anand
HTC One: One of the best smartphones to have launched this year, HTC One is known for its sturdy construction. It has fine display and good battery life, which makes the phone useful for people on the move. Sony Xperia Z1: This one is most famous for elegant design and classic look. With the Xperia Z1, Sony is also said to have set higher standards in battery life with something called a Stamina Mode. However, this phone is too bulky for its features. Apple iPhone 5: This phone made a lot of waves before it was launched. However, the Apple iPhone 5 didn't match up to the expectations of its fans. It is a light phone with lightening speed performance. However, it has many functional problems. iPhone 5 is also exclusively priced. Soon after the launch of iPhone 5, we saw the release of a new product from Apple's kitty. It was the better priced iPhone 5c, which came in a wide range of colours. But the plastic cover is a little bit of a turn-off for a premium phone. Samsung Galaxy S4: Samsung took the market by storm with this new offering. It clearly took over the iPhone 5 in terms of sales. It became the best selling smartphone globally this year, which includes its wide ranging family-Galaxy S4 mini, Galaxy S duos and Galaxy Fame. Nokia Lumia 920: If you want a Windows 8 phone, this is the one you should pick. The Windows operating system works well across applications. The Nokia Lumia 920 also has a wonderful HD display and comes with a built in wireless charging. (Anand is a Chandigarh-based technology expert)
|
||
|
Bring on the biryani
Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative…wrote H G Wells and rightly so!
Be it nature's law or the market's, to adapt is the key. Taking on the principle, Lemon Grass at 26, has added an Indian section to their dominantly oriental menu. To announce this, they have rolled a Biryani Festival. Chef Narender Rana has used his years of experience in the field to offer six flavours in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare to suit the palate. So you will find kathal tomato biryani, paneer tikka jaffrani, soya chaap shahi, vegetable dum biryani, kadhai khumb palak Kashmiri biryani and paneer methi chaman biryani for vegetarians. Non-vegetarians can dig in murg Hyderabadi biryani, chicken tikka biryani, gosht dum pukht biryani, yakhni gosht mint biryani, murg biryani and chicken malwari biryani. Priced at Rs 245 plus taxes for veg and Rs 295 plus taxes for non-vegetarians, this festival is on for two weeks. Saurabh Aggarwal, who manages Lemon Grass, shares the details, "The place is about five-month-old now and we have enjoyed very good response to our Chinese and Thai cuisine. But going by the city folks' preference we have added Indian cuisine to out menu. After oriental snacks, many prefer to have Indian for the main course, so here we are." Their new menu has a range of appetisers and main course, right form makki malai tikka, tandoori broccoli to chicken kebab tikkas. Back to biryani that's served with salan or curd, we give paneer methi chaman and gosht dum puk biryani gets our thumbs up! Check out their new menu too. A meal for two will be Rs 1000 plus taxes here.
|
||
Bite the bullet
Bullett Raja is here, Tigmanshu Dhulia's first full-on commercial flick. The protagonist Raja played by Saif Ali Khan is a good-at-heart Brahmin, who lives life by his rules. Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill and Vidyut Jamwal play important roles in this film set in UP. Here's how audience find the movie… Tigmanshu delivers Bullett Raja comes close to the expectations one has from director Tigmanshu. Saif aces the rustic look. Sonakshi, Jimmy and Vidyut enact their scenes very well. It's an entertainer through and through. Ayush Sharma, engineering student Too much masala It's yet another masala film with stars, songs, heavy duty dialogues and exaggerated action. Quite fun, if one leaves the brain home, but then aren't all directors doling out the same right from Sanjay Leela Bhansali to Prabhudeva? Kirti Chauhan, student Vidyut shines I found the film a regular fare with the exception of Vidyut Jamwal. Watching him on screen was worth the money. Rohit Bajwa, entrepreneur — As told to Mona
|
||
|
Problem in paradise?
Sources suggest that Jaya’s constant interference in every matter is the reason of Aishwarya’s irritation. “Jaya would interfere in every matter of the actress which she does not like. Whether it is professional or personal, Jaya needs to be updated on every matter by her bahurani. Aishwarya is an independent lady. She has led her life on her own terms and after marriage she wants to continue doing so. But slowly Jaya is becoming a difficulty for Aishwarya,” informs source. Jaya Bachchan, who comes across as a protective mother-in-law in front of media and public, turned to be bit harsh towards her bahurani. Interestingly, Aishwarya has no problem with husband Abhishek as well as her father-in-law Amitabh as they give her full freedom and ample of space. But Jaya is creating hindrance for Ash. Ever since Ash was married to Abhishek, she has been living with her in-laws but now situation turned worse for her and hence she is planning to move out.
|
||
|
Amyra to romance Emraan
After romancing Mallika Sherawat, Sonal Chauhan, Soha Ali Khan, Dia Mirza, Vidya Balan and Jacqueline Fernandez, serial kisser Emraan Hashmi has been signed opposite Amyra Dastur of Issaq fame.
Amyra’s debut film Issaq opposite Prateik Babbar was a big flop at the box-office but her performance was noticed. Vikram Bhatt has now signed Amyra opposite Emraan in his forthcoming production, which is inspired from late actor Ashok Kumar’s 1957 film, Mr X. Like Ashok Kumar, Emraan will also play an invisible man in the film. Since it is a Vikram Bhatt movie, it is said that the film will be made on 3D technology on the line of international standard. Mahesh Bhatt describes the film to have “jaw-dropping scenes” of international standards. Mr X will be a big budget film and will be presented by the renowned Fox Studios. The movie will go on the floors early next year, and is slated to release in 2015.
|
||
|
Invitation list for Koffee with Karan
Karan Johar gets the creme de la creme of the Bollywood fraternity on his show. He has an amazing line-up this time too beginning with Salman Khan who makes his first talk-show appearance on television. Even thought it's quite unlikely that these stars would come together, here is a list of people we want to see on the show.
Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone
Ranbir Kapoor's current flame and his former flame have neatly avoided each other so far but to see the bombshells together on the show would be something else! It is something Karan Johar can manage and maybe he can get the two ice-maidens to break the ice and spill some beans.
Nargis Fakhri and Shahid Kapoor
This is a not very difficult combo to get. Shahid and Nargis can talk about their alleged fling with each other, his current single status and Nargis might open up about her equation with Uday Chopra. How on earth does that work?
Bipasha Basu and Harman Baweja
They are dating each other and their careers are almost over. They have not admitted to their relationship but Karan is like a tenacious journalist and can extract juicy gossip from people. Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan: The duo does not make too many appearances on television but they have a lot to talk about from the alleged trouble in their marriage to the birth of AbRam Khan and their children growing up. KJo is close to both and we can only hope that he gets them on the show! Rani Mukerji and Aditya
Chopra
The duo is nearly married and has never spoken in public about their relationship, even after going on family holidays together. Karan is friends with both of them so perhaps he could convince them to come out in the open on the show.
|
||
|
Bipasha supports Pinkathon
HCG Pinkathon, India’s first ever multi-city 10 km run for women, recently announced the completion of 10,000 registrations this year across four cities - Bangalore, New Delhi, Pune and Mumbai.
The stunning Bipasha, a pink sister, has extended her support to the event for the second consecutive year. Registrations for the second edition of Mumbai’s ‘HCG Pinkathon - Run to Lead’, which is on Sunday, December 15, are currently open. The focus of the international running event is to encourage women's health and fitness and create much-needed awareness against breast cancer. In India, where more than one lakh women will be newly diagnosed with breast cancer by 2015, there is tremendous need to educate people about the causes and prevention of the much-neglected condition. According to the Population Based Cancer Registry Report 2010, in 2010, 90,659 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2015, the number will rise to 106,214 and in 2020 an estimated 123,634 women will be afflicted by the condition.
|
||
|
First female crorepati!
Aap crorepati ban gayi hain resonated one last time on the sets of India's most loved quiz game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, as host Amitabh Bachchan congratulated hot seat contestant Firoz Fatma. Hailing from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Firoz Fatma is the first female contestant this season to walk away with the most desired title, that of a Crorepati on this life changing game show. A student, Firoz, never wanted her sister to stop her studies, so she sacrificed her education due to financial problems. She participated in the game show to win a certain amount to pay off her deceased father's loan. On the second last day of the game, Firoz had lost all her hopes to make it to the hot seat. But her knowledge, which she gathered only by reading newspapers and watching news channels helped her reach the most celebrated hot seat. — HRM
|
||
|
Simply chic
What does fashion mean to you? What I believe in, am confident and comfortable in. I love wearing both Indian and Western outfits. I always follow my heart and not copy someone. Do you wear accessories? I love silver accessories, but I am not too fond of jewellery. I am a simple person but if I am going somewhere, I do dress up. Do you follow any brands? Not always but I like stuff from Vera Moda, Promod and Zara. I also like clothes from Cotton World as they have great casuals. What was your most expensive buy? I have never splurged as such. I don't spend huge amounts of money on clothes or accessories. What are the clothes you are comfortable in? Denims and linen pants. What are the must-haves in your purse? My wallet, credit cards, mobile, lip gloss and kajal.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Over a pretty face sits a sorted head, a head that is looking for a meaning in life, a head that ensures that the feet do not get a mind of their own…Monica Gill, Miss India USA, rules out the possibility that anyone can prepare for a beauty pageant. For Monica, who draws her roots to village Kansal, district Bharatpur, Rajasthan, based out in Massachusetts, a beauty pageant is a platform where a girl can find out different aspects to her personality. She talks her heart out.
If you are in love with gadget the way I am, this has been a year of many highs. We have seen arrival of the HTC One, iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s. Just as the number of smartphones in the market has gone up, deciding which one to buy has been equally challenging. Let's take a look at the top five smartphones in the world today.
If the latest buzz is to be believed than all is not well in the Bachchan household. Rumour has it that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is planning to move out of Bachchan mansion due to some differences with mother-in-law Jaya Bachchan.
Playing the popular character Anandi, Toral Rasputra has become a household name. She has a simple taste in fashion and loves silver accessories. Here she talks about it more.