City Cheers April09

LEAD STORIES The Big Story: The IPL Potpourri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Vaastu Corner: Harmonious Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Word Power: Strokes for Success by Graphologist Chandraprabha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 M.S. Dhoni’s Signature Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Fleet Street: Pristine White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Green Turf: Q & A by Satish Mathur . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Kith-n-Kin: It’s School Time! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Contours: Is Your Child Hyperactive? ADHD/Hyperkinetic disorder in Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Life Medicine Free “No More Depression” by Dr. Saraswati Dwivedi . . . . . . . . . .30

OTHERS: Mission Everest ..............................................................14 Hamara Mukteshwar......................................................24 Events .............................................................................36 Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2009 .....................37 Answer to Win! ..............................................................47 CC Dairy ........................................................................54 Films on the Floor ..........................................................58 Book Shelf......................................................................59

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Talk Of The Town: News Line ..............................34 Product Line ..........................35 Happening India: News to Share ........................38 Just Food: Cafe Style: Taste & Glamour .40 Chill Breaks: Drinks for Summer.......................42 Exclusive: Out of Sight! Association for Cricket for the Blind in India .......44 Travelogue: “Lake District of Uttarakhand” by Mr. Vinay Sarup .....48 Remembrance: A Legendary Director: B.R. Chopra .............................56 Red Carpet: The Guru of Hindi Broadcasting: Jasdev Singh ...........60 Astro Palmistry: Secrets of Long Life by Dr. Shashank ..........................64

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Publisher & Editor Monika Gupta Advisor Anuj Gupta Columnists Mr. Satish Mathur Vinay Sarup Dr. Sanjeev Kalra Golden Reejsinghani Chandraprabha Dr. Shashank Dr. Sarswati Dwivedi Shalini Gugnani Special Feature Bhawna Tuteja Correspondent Jaya Shukla Art, Design & Photographs City Cheers Cover Design Laxmi Negi Layouts Ranjeeta Kumari Marketing Partner Mediagully (9811256602) Marketing (Delhi) Suman Shekhar (09873470656) Marketing (U.P) Brijesh Dubey (09452464791) Office: A & A Communication Pvt. Ltd. B-16, Sector 49, Opposite Prayag Hospital, Noida-201301, U.P. Ph: 0120-4325957 E-mail: [email protected] For all bulk advertising/ advertorial / article branding, please contact Anuj Gupta at [email protected] or call (09810331244) Printer, Publisher, Editor and Owned by Monika Gupta from B-16 (Basement), Sector49, Noida-201301, U.P. Printed at Brijbasi Art Press Ltd., E-46/11 Okhla Industrial Area, Phase II, New Delhi-110020 Ideas and views expressed by the authors are not necessarily of the Editor. Copyright A & A Communication Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any form is strictly prohibited. April 2009  City Cheers

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Refer to CS “Star Wives” (CC March 2009). The most right decision on marriage front is to have spouse from the same profession or like-minded than best of marital harmony is possible-as like-minded people get together for life long relations. When there is same profession-the spouse understands well the problems of the profession and can well appreciate the same –as otherwise most of the time there are more complains than love in a married life of a couple if they are from two different professions or one is only housewife-without professional background. —Mahesh Kapasi Refer to CS “Star Wives” (CC March 2009). This truly relates to the famous saying that, “behind every successful man there is a woman”. A woman if a homemaker can devote much time for the family and kids. She is the backbone of the members of the

family and can well form a happy living. With nothing in return she tries to upscale her husbands future prospects. The story was a nice read to know about three different facets of a woman of three different age groups. How all the three have helped their hubbys to attain the status they are in, is remarkable. Hats off to all these ladies!!! —Samvidha Sikri Refer to CS “Tree House” (CC March 2009). There are lot many campaigns going on for Saving the Mother Earth. Plastics have been reduced in the capital. But the effort made by Mr. K.P. Singh is praise worthy. The house constructed without disturbing its features is awesome. Mr. K.P. Singh has done a truly commendable job! —Raman Arora Refer to “Gold forever” (CC March 2009). A woman would never admit that she has enough jewellery. And a woman’s weaknesses are flowers especially roses, scent-perfumes and jewellery and appreciation. So, the best gift from a tour for a female is a bottle of perfume/scent! Also remember that the last but not the least weakness of women is a man! —M. Kumar

Refer to “I want dry nights” by Dr. Sanjeev Kalra (CC March 2009). Children who have a habit of bedwetting, go through 4

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a very difficult phase. They are depressed, slow developers. I just want to ask whether it is really a psychiatric problem or only psychological. Does medication help to cure this problem? —Madhumita Nagpal Refer to CS “Travelogue: A Spiritual Yatra” (CC March 2009). Its always a pleasure to read Mr. Sarup’s writings. Golden Temple is one place which leaves you in a complete peace of mind. The whole aura takes you near to God. Chandigarh, the most planned city, has amazing places to visit. The Rock Garden shows the marvel of the architect. Jallianwala Bagh takes you back into the era of Independence and one is forced to believe how ruthless the British soldiers were! Every travel gives you a different experience and leaves you with many interesting stories too!! —Brij Tiwari Refer to “Word Power” by Chandraprabha (CC March 2009). Strokes reveal a persons personality, inside out. The strengths and weaknesses, positives and negatives, can all be depicted by simple signatures. Signatures vary from person to person as it speaks your mind and heart. The analysis written by Chandraprabha, shows how well she understands the subject. —Manas Khattar Refer to “Astro-Palmistry” (CC March 2009).This add on to the magazine has made it a complete publication. Hope to read the star sign predictions soon! —Raveena

Dear Readers, IPL 2, T20 has hit the popularity chart even before a single ball has been bowled. First there was the clash of tit ans between the Indian Political League and Indian Premier League. After much chaos and media hitting the breaking news for more than a week, IPL lost to the heavyweight politicians of the general elections. However the reason evident was the deploying of the army for security reasons which was booked for the general elections. As it was to happen, considering safety of the high profile cricketers IPL crumbled to the pressure and was forced to take its bag and baggage to a dif ferent venue. The second round of combat was witnessed between England and South Africa as hosts. However, South Africa managed to win this nail biting finish. The game now begins from April 18th. But hold your breath, some more thrilling moment s, controversies, bollywood, cheerleaders are to arrive before that. Juhi Chawla, Shilpa Shetty would add the glamour quotient while Sourav and coach Buchanan would discuss the new fundament als of four captains theory. Cheer leaders would be selected through camp aigns while music composers will try hands on creating musical mantras for IPL. No wonder IPL will hit the chartbusters and TRPs from next month. City Cheers has always tried to do stories which are meaningful and thought ful. Hence it went to Association for Cricket for Blind in India only to find that the Cricket is not so easy and condition are pretty soggy to bowl. It lacks support and funds to manage it s existence. I hope people like Modi with sharp business acumen can someday pull his magic wand to create euphoric environment for this passionate game for the visually challenged. BCCI which has managed to amass huge funds from the game should also think on these lines. Even if they manage to t ake out half a percent from their kitty it will help the cause of this segment. And finally meet most adorable Mr. Jasdev Singh the famous comment ator and Guru of Hindi broadcasting in our Red Carpet section. Though India lost hosting the bang bang cricket but I am sure it won’t loose it s shine even if it being played in South Africa. All the best and cheers to all the eight p articipating teams.

Monika Gupta

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The Big Story

Glitz, glamour, entertainment, sport…the Indian Premier League offers viewers everything they could have asked for. While you have cricketers sweating it out to mark their victory, you get a slice of your favourite Bollywood celebs too cheering for their very own teams. The IPL includes every ingredient and spice of entertainment needed to serve a sumptuous delight to the audiences. Sweet and sour film stars, spicy controversies, the right dash of salt with cheerleading babes, and of course all the money to add in the salt; the IPL does have the perfect mix of it all. With the entire ingredients well churned and mixed, the IPL potpourri is a treat that the audiences are going to love to savour. Let us take a look at some of the spiciest constituents of the IPL potpourri that make it such a delightful concoction.

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Bhawna Tuteja

THE STAKES This big ticket event has even bigger stakes involved. And the amount of spending entailed in this cricket tournament is much higher than you can think of. It is all thanks to the big bucks involved in this mega affair that it is already being considered as a big stimulus for a sluggish economy. Its been barely a quarter of 2009, and the year has already witnessed some of the biggest downfalls. With the moolah raked in the IPL, it is believed that the event will overshadow some of the pitfalls of the economic downfall. Advertising is perhaps one of the worst hit sectors by global recession. Of late even the biggest of brands like Coke and Pepsi have stayed away from the usual extravagant ad campaigns. It is perhaps because of the plummeting finances that Pepsi had to give its kind ambassador SRK a miss. But with IPL around the corner, advertising agencies are planning to make up for the losses. With Rs 600 crore set aside for the promotional spree, it would not be untrue to say that at least IPL is recession proof. Last year we had seen some of the most aggressive advertising from franchise owners, most of which succeeded in making their team brand. Take for instance Shahrukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders that had become a symbol of pride in West Bengal. And the team’s promotional song “Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re…” became quite an anthem for the region. W h i l e SRK sung t h e popular anthem with a sword in his hand, we also s a w Sreesanth d o i n g Punjabi Bhangra for his Kings XI in a few ads. The advertising w a s spectacular

and extravagant, and this time around too we hope the same. With unique concepts and innovative ideas, the IPL advertisements did give viewers some fabulous piece of entertainment, even though if it was for a few seconds. While the audiences enjoyed, there were some minting money with the explosion of the promotional bomb. Set Max, the official broadcaster of IPL who earned 350 crore as the revenue only from advertising. This year too the channel is expected to earn a similar amount from advertisements. It is not just that advertising arena is going to gain from IPL but electronic players too will have a share of their own profits. In a country that eats, sleeps and drinks cricket, sale of television sets during such a mega cricket event is bound to go up. During the last IPL season, Samsung alone witnessed a 30% increase in sale of flat TVs and 85% surge for LCD TVs. Along with the advertising and the electronic sector, the hospitality industry too stands on the gaining edge of IPL. With so many players in the country, there has to be enough room for their accommodation in the budget. Airlines, catering services, hotels and tour operators are expected to make a potential business of Rs 200 crore from IPL. Well, seems the money is going to be quite a boost for the hospitality industry that has not seen a good time since the kick off of the economic downfall. While the money making is big in IPL, the spending too is no less. Franchise owners are spending big bucks on their teams. A whopping Rs 9.6 crore is estimated to be the spending cap on the teams for 2009. The teams have already started spilling the money on the players to grab their favourite ones. Liquor baron gave away a huge sum of $1.55 million to get the all rounder Pietersen in his team. Andrew Flintoff too came under the hammer for a similar amount. Wonder whether all the money being spent is going to be worth it on the field or not? The list of spending is a little longer for the franchise owners than you may think. Other than spending on their teams, the franchise owners are also expected to pay an annual franchise fee of $9 million or 45 crore. With 8 teams battling it out in the IPL, the total figure of the annual franchise fee stands at a whooping Rs 360 crore. No wonder BCCI is leaving no stone unturned to make the tournament happen. There are others apart from the franchise owners too, who have their money raked in one of the biggest cricket April 2009  City Cheers

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Bollywood hot shots who lent their star power to the cricket tournament, but it was King Khan who was the biggest of them all. Shahrukh proved his mettle one more time, but this time not as an actor but as a fine owner of a team. He went all out to promote his team in every way he could. He sang his team’s anthem in a promotional video shot for the team. And that’s not just it. His enthusiasm was more than just evident as he cheered for his team in most of the matches.

events, the government included. The total amount put together by the local sponsors itself stands to be a phenomenal amount of Rs 160 crore. Had it not been for these sponsors, the franchise owners would literally have had a tough time pooling the funds. People may say they are investing in IPL for the love of the game, but at the end of the day it is pure business. And business means profits. So where the team owners are spending big bucks, you definitely expect them to reap some revenues as well. The primary source of revenue for the team owners stands to be the gate receipts. Each team owner is expected to earn a grand Rs 5 crore from each match from the event tickets. Considering all the huge figures being spent in IPL, terms like global meltdown and recession seem absolutely null and void. BOLLYWOD INFLUX Like it or not, IPL would not have been so big had it not been for the Bollywood faces that became a part of the tournament in every sense of the word. Whether it was Shahrukh Khan waving and cheering away for his team, or Priety Zinta queuing up her teammates for a jaadu ki jhappi , it was indeed delightful viewing. It is perhaps that the Bollywood influx made IPL a tournament to die for. Our film stars came down from the red carpets to the green lawns and set the entertainment quotient high. Though there were a number of 8

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As SRK rooted for his team, his friends too cheered standing in the VIP seatings. People in question include Arjun Rampal, Juhi Chawla, Karan Johar and the like. While Shahrukh’s presence at the venue have may or may not helped the team, but it did help a great deal in giving IPL and its stardust a flavour. And not to forget it also helped the organizers sell off the tickets easily. While SRK was the king of IPL, Ms. Zinta was the queen. Preity Zinta, along with SRK essayed the role of a franchise owner perfectly. While SRK was absconding from some of the matches played by his team, Preity ensured she was present at every match. She cheered loudly enough for her team, along with team co-owner and boyfriend Ness Wadia. The lady’s jhappis for her team players at the end of every match had become something to watch out for. She even threw surprise bashes for the players to rejuvenate them off their hectic schedules.

SRK and Preity Zinta were supposed to be doing it all for their teams, after all they were the team owners. But who says you need to be a team owner to add to the glam quotient? Franchise owners had an idea. If you yourself cannot be a Bollywood celeb, hire one as your team’s ambassador. While Akshay Kumar became the face of the Delhi Daredevils, Katrina Kaif was the brand ambassador for Bangalore Royal Challengers. Ace

superstar Hrithik Roshan too was not left behind and was signed by the Mumbai Indians team. All the stars did everything they could do for the team except bowling and batting of course. From starring in ad campaigns to attending press conferences meant for the team and even attending a match or two, each of them gave IPL everything they had. The latest from Bollywood to step into the IPL gates is the curvaceous Shilpa Shetty. Shilpa along with boyfriend Raj Kundra, purchased last year’s winning team Rajasthan Royals. The Bollywood beauty has been raving about her venture into the field of cricket ever since. She has even shot a lavish promotional video for her team. The expected cost of the video is believed to be a whooping 4 crore. Where Shipa Shetty has stepped into the IPL field by owning a team, Riya Sen too will be doing her own bit by working as the ambassador for the IPL website. With Shilpa’s addition to the IPL, the Bollywood quotient of IPL just seems to get hotter. Must say it is a great respite to see our film stars cheering and jeering all the way than to keep on waving and blowing kisses at red carpets. What say? CONTROVERSY SPATE It’s said that all publicity is good publicity and IPL seems to have taken that quite literally. Though the cricket tournament has left no stone unturned to put up the best of promotional and marketing skills, it has been in the news for the not-so-good reasons as well. Ever since its start, IPL has been surrounded by a spate of controversies. Be it Bollywood biggies fighting it out at the IPL auctions to get their favorite players, or the players themselves engaging in a brawl, the series of controversies has always set the IPL podium ablaze. April 2009  City Cheers

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was something that even Sree would not have expected. A slap on the face was what Sree had to bear for his notso-impressive remarks. As tears trickled down Sreesanth’s eyes, team owner Preity Zinta was seen endowing her player with all the jhappis and pappis. Of course there were endless meetings after the incident, and Bhajji was forced to apologize. Though the apology did not work much, Harbhajan Singh was kicked off from the tournament. And yeah, to the yes of the public the twosome did ‘hug and makeup’ and Sree even tagged Bhajji as his elder brother. All I can say is, all’s well that ends well (even if not, do we really care?). It was not just Sreesanth and Bhaji who got engaged in a duel, there were other players too who entered in a tiff or two. The player in question here is Saurav dada. No he did not let his hand lose on other players, he did enter into a war of words with the then Rajasthan Royals Captain Shane Warne. The fight stemmed from a catch, for which Ganguly demanded a third umpire decision. This eventually did not go down well with Sharne Warne. Warne accused Ganguly of lacking sportsman spirit and even indicted him for using ‘time wasting tactics’. The result? Both of them had their ten percent fees cut as penalized by the BCCI. IPL Season 1, was no less than a fire explosion. The steams and pressures were soaring and they were enough to agitate the otherwise calm Tendulkar. Sachin, who was batting for Mumbai Indians lost his cool in a match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab. The former lost by one run at Mohali and accused umpire Suresh Shastri for playing an unfair game. An official complaint was lodged against Shastri, the result for which, are still awaited. If you think it was just the players who were giving in to the mounting pressures, you are mistaken. Franchise owners too lost their cool, encouraging controversies. Repated losses of team frustrated the liquor baron, Vijay Its just been one season of the tournament, and there has Mallya, and he ultimately ended up with blowing all fire already been much feed for the gossip mongers. Amidst by sacking the team’s CEO Charu Sharma and calling Dravid incompetent. Dravid, however, retained calm several incidents, one of the most interesting and the rather flared up occurrences was the Bhajji-Sree slapgate. and did not give any eyebrow raising comments. Though both of them happen to be players of the Indian cricket team, the two were then playing against one other. It was not just Mallya who was not happy with his team, While Bhajji battled for Mumbai Indians, Sreesanth was things were not well with the Kolkata Knightriders too, owned by King Khan, Shahrukh. Owing to the ongoing too oggling fire from Kings XI Punjab. losses of the team, rumours of differences between SRK and Ganguly were rife. However, both SRK and Ganguly In a match that saw the two at opposing ends, Mumbai Indians lost to the Punjabi boys. It was in the same match dismissed those rumours. Later on, a message full of love and aiming to boost the moral of team that was sent by that Sreesanth in a mode to sympathize or rather to SRK to his players was leaked to the press. We are still mock at Bhajji said, “Hard luck Bhajji”. And the result 10

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wondering whether that was a PR stunt or a genuine outburst of love. Then SRK was banished from the dugout and dressing room by the ICC.

that this year India might not get its slice of IPL. The venue as of now is to go international and is proposed to be South Africa.

Since IPL 2 is believed to be bigger and better, it seems that the controversy saga will just get bolder by the day. And if you are to go by the current series of happenings, that does not seem too difficult either. Look at it, IPL has not even started and there is already too much hoopla surrounding it. This year’s controversies started with an apparent tiff between Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta.

STAR PLAYERS The IPL, like any other event had its own share of hits and misses. With 8 teams and number of players batting are ready to battle it out. Though all the players were there in the field for the game, there were some that gathered a little more than usual attention. Steps in the star player category! And you need not really be putting up a swell game to be falling in this category. Whether for Shilpa Shetty is the latest entry to the Bollywood coach of the good reason or the bad reasons, all the players who the IPL bandwagon. This apparently irked Zinta, who managed to etch a little bit of extra attention in and was till now the only female owner of an IPL team. Both extravaganza of glitz, glamour and entertainment deserve of them refused to comment on the issue. Maybe we some star status for sure. could catch some fireworks in the stadium. The glitz and glamour prove to be of little or no value if The tiff between the Bollywood ladies is just a small you are not able to put up a good game. After all, cricket spark in a huge ball of fire. It is the security concerns is a sport at the end of the day. Thus, performance might concerning the teams that have kept building on news get lost for a while but it does matter. One of the players one after the other. With elections and IPL matches that outclassed themselves with his performance was clashing, there were constant concerns for security. The Brendan McCullum of Knightriders team. No one else venues were being changed by the minute. IPL chief Lalit could have given the IPL a better kick off than this New Modi too was fixed in a charge accusing him of a Zealand player. He hit a blazing knock out of 158 not out maligned venue change. Modi who had lost the RCA off 73 deliveries in the first match of IPL. With 13 sixes elections, had apparently refused Jaipur as the IPL venue and 10 boundaries, McCullum put up a good game and stating that the State Government has refused to offer that too at the very commencement of the tournament. security. It was later on that the Rajasthan Government came out with its own statement that it was ready to offer Another player who was off to an impressive start was Lakshmipathy Balaji. The bowler who was forgotten for security. The truth is only for the two of them to know. With security issues still unresolved, the latest news has it quite some time made a notable comeback with the IPL.

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Khan to be a part of the team. Owing to SRK and Lalit Modi’s efforts, Akhtar was given a month remittance and the ban was lifted for a month. While Akhtar’s presence did not do much for the Knightriders, SRK’s efforts to get him on Indian soil did put him in the star bracket.

Playing for C h e n n a i Superkings, he registered the first hat-trick of the tournament. Balaji claimed a spectacular five wickets in one of the matches against Kings XI Punjab. One of the players that definitely grabbed quite a number of eyeballs and some headlines too was Shoaib Akhtar. No not that he put up a splendid game in the few matches that he played. But it was the string of controversies associated with him that made him a star in IPL. Akhtar who was under a five year ban imposed by the PCB was invited by Kolkata Knightriders owner Shahrukh 12

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Yet another player who fell into the star category owing to the spate of controversies surrounding him was Ganguly. Before IPL kicked off, Ganguly was in a fix of ‘to be or not to be’. There was a nationwide debate and a muchheated discussion on the form and performance of the former Indian captain. And it had not been long before the infamous Greg Chappell and Ganguly’s war of words had come to an end. All the criticisms and brickbats did have one positive aspect and i.e. they got Dada the extra attention in the extravaganza of IPL. This year’s IPL season has not even started and the IPL ‘A’ listers are already there out in the open. This time it is Kelvin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff who have made it to the star category even before the tournament has begun. It is all thanks to the big bucks riding on the back of these players that has made them the cynosure of all eyes even before delivering few dazzling performances. Both Pietersen and Flintoff have been roped in for a whooping $1.55 million. Both the players managed to fetch a phenomenal bid. While Pietersen was taken away by the Bangalore Royal Challengers by replacing Dravid, Deccan Chargers has roped in Flintoff. Only time will tell whether these players are worth the big bucks being spent on them. And meanwhile we can watch out for more star players in the coming IPL season. CHEERING THE CHEERLEADERS One of the notable aspect of last years’ IPL season was the cheerleaders. Sexy lasses in bright and smartly clad uniforms were the center of attraction of the cricketing season. But not to the cheer of these leaders, they were faced with controversies and debates. All teams had skimpily clad cheerleaders shaking their hips and jiving to the music during the games. They were the darlings of the crowd, every time a four or a six was hit, or a wicket taken. Then the problems began. Few were the target of lewd comments from the crowd. Some politicians and groups objected to their outfits. The concept of cheerleaders was rather alien to a nation where the moral brigade has its ways on just about everything. The issue was out there in the open and the

conservative brigade was all out for it. Women organizations condemned the act of cheering saying it was ‘exploitation of women’. Franchise owners were given two options - either to take their cheerleader gang back or to dress them properly. While the government had their own issues. Mumbai police had a tough time controlling crowds that passed on lewd remarks at the cheerleaders. Following suit with the Government and the Maharashtra police many teams even changed the way their cheerleaders dressed up. Take for instance, the Deccan Chargers team. After the entire fuss about the flesh on show by the cheerleaders, the Deccan Chargers made its cheerleaders gang wear full-length tights instead of the short micro minis and even shorter blouses. It was not just the dress code that stirred the entire controversy about cheerleaders. The cheerleader brigade had a racial furor added to it too. Two British cheerleaders named Ellesha Newton and Sherinne Anderson, were apparently abandoned from performing because of their black colour. The girls, however, kept mum about the issue when in India and chose to spoke about it only once they reached their nation. The last season of IPL saw a great hue and cry over the entire cheerleaders issue. This year too we have much the same, but in a different way. Last year it was the police and the State Governments asking for the ban of cheerleaders. But this season we have franchise owners promoting the cheerleader gang by cheerleader hunt. A job that was previously not considered ethical and

moral by the conservatists, is now being put as ‘not just fun and play’ by the teamowners. And to prove their point, the franchise owners have even launched nationwide cheerleader hunts on national television. Shahrukh’s Kolkata Knightriders has come up with a show called ‘Knights and Angels’ that aims at finding out the best cheer girls for the team. And who better to judge the budding talent other than the Captain Saurav Ganguly. (I thought he was a cricketer). To pep up the glam quotient there are young beauties who are invited on each episode. From Minisha Lamba to Lara Dutta to Malaika Arora, quite a few beauties have graced the show. And if that does not seem sufficient for a cheerleader hunt, you even have ace choreographer Shaimak Dawar to train the selected ones. And if Shaimak Dawar alone is not enough to pep up SRK’s angles, then we have the fashion czar Manish Malhotra to set the glam quotient high. Along with Gauri Khan, Manish Malhotra has been roped in to restyle Kolkata Knightrider’s cheerleaders. It just could not get better than this. It is not just SRK who is all out to chase those Angel eyes for his team. Chennai Superkings too will be out on national television soon to get their cheer gang. The team will be coming up with a show titled ‘Chennai Superkings Cheerleaders’ that will be on air on Vijay TV. Perscussionist Sivamani will perform with the finalists of Chennai’s cheerleader hunt. In addition, Chennai Superkings would be coming up with another talent show titled Chennai Super Kings Juniors. While other teams stretched out their arms to find the cheerleading talent, Preity Zinta restricted her talent hunt to the field of cricketing itself. She started a talent hunt for budding cricketers and is going to open a cricketing academy in Mohali soon. April 2009  City Cheers

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Gaurav Sharma, an alumnus of NIM Uttarakashi & DMAS, Manali, is a well known mountaineer & qualified instructor of various adventure sports. He has many mountaineering expeditions to his credit. On March 15, 2009, he is going to climb Everest as a part of an International Expedition.

Mountaineer Gaurav’s dream to be on Top of the World is now turning into a reality. The Son of Soil and resident of desert aims to climb Mt. Everest, as a part of International Expedition. He left his home town, Churu (Rajasthan), on 15 March 2009 to travel to the peak of Everest. Gaurav Sharma, the first and the youngest civilian climber, spoke at length to City Cheers about his expedition and wishes his journey to be very fruitful.

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he lure of Himalayas is irresistible, for its beauty, vastness, fascination and mystery and always leaves an everlasting appeal for those who venture in this region. Mountaineering for Gaurav is like enhancing creativity to one’s ambition. To reach the peak of Mount Everest is a dream of every mountaineer. It’s many a times easier to climb Everest today than earlier days, due to high-tech modern equipments and technologies. Still, it’s quite a hard task. Sherpa Tenjing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary were the first who climbed Everest on 26 May 1853. They attempted to climb it six times earlier. Everest, is also called “Yuva Parvat Shrinkhla”. First it was named as Peak-15 and later on was renamed after Sir George Everest, who discovered it. It was first measured by Radhanath Singh while doing research in Dehradun. Earlier the height of Everest was 8,848 but now its 8,850 feet. It has two routes one is from Nepaland another one is from Tibet (China).The Nepalese call it ‘Sagar Matha’ and Tibetans call it as Choumolungma.

Mr. Ashok Gehlot, CM Rajasthan, flagging of Gaurav’s trip to Everest

funds come in your way? 25 lakh rupees on a minimum are required to go on an Everest expedition, individually. It is almost impossible to get entire funds by collecting donations. Sponsorships are of great help, as then climbers can only concentrate Since when were you planning to climb the Everest, and on their mission. Sponsors too get a mileage as they are promoted throughout the world. Now a days, scope does now when you are actually going how does it feel? not lie only for the climber but lends a wide scope for It is a dream of every Mountaineer & I have been international business & advertisement. In India, dreaming of the same since 8 years. I have a mixed mountaineering is not very much promoted. Hence, for feeling at present, both excitement and thrill, as the me it was very difficult to arrange for finances. charm of Everest beckons me. This feeling can’t be put How did your well wishers respond to your decision? in words as one can only experience it in the lap of Was it easy to convince them about your mission? nature. My family has always stood by my side in fulfilling my How did you prepare yourself physically and mentally? dreams. Every morning I am blessed by my mother when Other preparations invovled before the climb. It is a lengthy process. One has to gain concentration, will she says “Everest Vijayi Bhawa”. I am elated at being so power and high physical fitness. But, Everest is a game of close to achieving my dream. What or who inspired you to go ahead with this mind and body coordination, and destiny as well. W e a t h e r adventurous journey? Route Map of the Everest Climb Since childhood, Discovery & NGC Channels have conditions too fascinated me. I keep reading books on achievers. play a vital role. Perhaps these habits inspired me the most to find the Faith and self truth and adventure of nature. confidence, are the things which What was the CM, Mr. Ashok Gehlot’s reaction? earlier also have Mr. Gehlot was too busy but he gave me time to flag-off this great mission. I promised to speak to him via satellite helped me in phone, after reaching the summit. achieving goals. What is your route plan? Apart from I am taking the South Ridge. I plan to reach Kathmandu these, I am on 25th March and fly to Lukla, which is 9,000 feet, by a carrying a route helicopter. From Lukla, I will proceed towards the base map, special camp, then Camp 1, Camp 2, Camp 3, Camp 4 and then climbing boots, finally the summit. coat, nutrient Any message to the youths. powders and People must come out of indoor games so that they may some modern see the challenges and adventures in life. My motto is to devices. promote the Youth Power, which says nothing is Did any impossible to achieve. Sky is the limit. problem of April 2009  City Cheers

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Vaastu Corner

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omes are said to be harmonious if all the five elements as per Vaastu are balanced. The interiors of the house should be in such a manner, that it allows positive energy to flow well from one room to another and travel through the whole house. Here are some practical tips that will help create balanced and harmonious energies where you like, so that you are able to live a happier, richer, fuller, healthier life and achieve your highest potential. To prevent the energy from being stagnant, a home should not have claustrophobic corners, like straight long corridors or several doors in a straight line. However, the best thing about Vaastu is probably the fact that one can still extract the best out of available through Vaastu to have positive effects in the house even when it is not originally build according to Vaastu principles. To attain these positive effects in our house, one can follow certain guidelines for betterment of your premises: The main door should not open into a narrow space. After opening the door one should get a feel of openness and brightness. It should not face a pillar, a corner, a staircase, a window, a toilet or a mirror. Alcove and dead area can be broken up with the placement of plants, large items of furniture or fish tank.

For powerful atmosphere in the family, the dining and the lounge should be located in the centre of the house. Changes in colour scheme can be made. Change in the furniture layout. Change in sleeping, cooking or facing directions. Vaastu enhancing tools and devices can be used. So, by changing a little bit here and there in accordance with Vaastu principles, we can create a positive environment in the house. Remember, Vaastu is nothing but the maximum utilization of the available resources.

Shalini Gugnani, Vaastu & Feng Shui expert, believes that a person’s destiny can be enhanced with a harmonious balance of the Vaastu & Feng Shui elements in life. Practicing for the last 5 years, she lays great importance on providing optimal remedies. Heads and conducts classes at Vaastu Science Research Foundation, New Delhi. And also conduct various seminars. Holistic Hands started by her in 2005, holds big corporates like Singh Associate & Builders, Airtel, United Colors of Benetton, Cable Tel Electricals, schools, export houses, factories and many other business and residential properties, who have gained vital benefits from it.

April 2009  City Cheers

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word power

BRINGING MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE An Old Friend: Mrs. Radhika Iyer, one of my old friends, was trying to get in touch with me. She had left her top management position of an elite women’s magazine and joint as a Director of a specialized US firm, which was to build up the India operations. She had taken up this challenge. Radhika wanted to meet for a handwriting analysis session since she now had much more to shape up without missing the balance. I was delighted to see Radhika at my office for the analysis session. Her appearance hadn’t changed in the least over the past one year. Thirtyeight year old Radhika who came from a devout Brahmin South Indian family, had determination written all over her face. She is a woman who does whatever it takes, even if she has to be aggressive at times. Before working for the magazine, she got divorced and went to US alongwith her son. In the US, she struggled against all odds and restarted her career successfully without the support of either relatives or friends. The Session Begins: Before I even started analyzing her handwriting, I asked Radhika as to why she had made such a drastic change in her career. Knowing Radhika to be more practical than sentimental, I expected her career to play a huge role in the decision. Very surprisingly, the reason behind her major shift turned out to be her eight year-old son, Siddharth! At her job in the magazine, Radhika felt she wasn’t giving her son the time or attention he needed. Her new position would give her enough space to interact with Siddharth. Radhika was responding very well to my observations, brilliantly evaluating and interpreting everything I said. The Challenge: As I analyzed and spoke, I started probing and found unusual guilt traits and deep-rooted hurt. Radhika was taken aback for a moment as I stated the problem straight in her face. I felt I had verbalized it just too abruptly. However, she then began to tell me about how she felt guilty with regard to Siddharth. Ever since the divorce, he had lost a father and since she spent hours working, Siddharth hardly saw his mother. Her conscience pricked her and made her blame herself 18

City Cheers  April 2009

CHANDRAPRABHA V. PUPALA, Founder and CEO of Chandraprabha Graphology Solutions (CGS) and an Internationally Certified Handwriting Analyst (USA) believes in unlimited potential of people. Her mission is to help people understand and eradicate their performance barriers. Amazed by the power of simple strokes leading to great successes, she took this to the masses. She has been studying the complexities of human mind and ways to empower inner strength of human personality. Has analyzed more than 10,000 individuals. Her secret sauce is to uncover behavioural traits of people, teams, and corporate in a holistic manner, with just a few samples of handwriting. Email: [email protected] Website: www.chandraprabha.com

for the divorce. What increased her feeling of guilt was that Siddharth was being very rational and understanding about her divorce. According to Radhika, the divorce, the career changes and long work hours had forced Siddharth to mature way beyond his age. She blames herself of Siddharth losing out on his childhood. Radhika sensed the increasing disconnect with her son and wanted to get closer to him somehow. Rather anyhow! Graphological Redefining: On analyzing Radhika’s handwriting, I found there were two major issues that affected her. One was self-deceit; being unable to accept the existence of the problem, and the other was resentment. As I went on with the analysis, I learnt that the resentment that showed in her handwriting was not directed towards her husband as she claimed. Instead, the object of her bitterness was her late father! I mentioned to her that her father had perhaps not reciprocated much in their fatherdaughter relationship. Radhika, who upto this point had been enthusiastically discussing the implications of my observations, suddenly kept quiet the moment I uttered these words. She didn’t speak for the next five minutes. I too kept quiet, letting her take her time. In every counselling session, there comes such a moment where the person involved breaks down or keeps quiet or goes through some extreme emotion. This is the turning point in the session. Every therapeutic counsellor in the world knows that such a moment is the most defining one, the most delicate and also the toughest.

Slowly Radhika began to tell about her father. Her father was her role model and she loved him from the bottom of her heart. But that wasn’t the complete story. Radhika remembered a series of incidences in the past since when she had been holding a grudge against her dad. One of them was the most devastating, where she simply lost faith in that relationship. She was over with her twelfth class prelims and was studying very hard for her boards. Her dream was to pursue medicine. Her prelim results showed how well prepared she was to be a doctor. Once while she was studying, she overheard her father conversing with her mum. “I don’t think Radhika should do medicine. If she’s going to study medicine, how will we afford her brother’s aviation training?” Radhika was shattered by these words. She felt terribly betrayed by someone she believed so completely. She felt as if something suddenly took away her support. Till date, for over twenty years, Radhika has been unable to trust any male in her life, any person who appeared to be her source of support. She couldn’t trust her father or her brother. The list went on… Her male colleagues, protective male friends, even her husband, which ultimately led to a divorce. Now she was entrusted with her son. She couldn’t hate him since he was her own little helpless eight year-old, but she couldn’t accept him or love him unconditionally either. She tried everything she

could do to be a better parent but she couldn’t bear the truth. Due to her problem of self-deceit, Radhika who is usually a logical, evaluative and a composed lady believed that she loved and trusted her male family members as she was unable to accept the truth that she didn’t trust them. Sea Shift: Radhika then started the process of Grapho-therapy with us. In this process, we worked on the strokes of resentment in her handwriting and changed them. Slowly Radhika began forgiving her late father. After the session of handwriting analysis, she realized how much those few words her father said had shaken her trust in him for so long. Now that she knew the cause of her distrust, Radhika was beginning to see the better side of the father she used to love so dearly. She realised why she loved this man so much, why he was so important to her and why she used to consider him her role model. The mental block in Radhika’s mind of distrusting males was slowly melting away. Thus, she could relate much better to her son Siddharth as she could now give him her unconditional love. Her relationship with her son was completely redefined. She knew that forgiveness resulted in building a better relationship with her son. Radhika is still undergoing grapho-therapy.

CELEBRITY HANDWRITING ANALYSIS MAHENDRA SINGH DHONI Mahi as he signs his name; especially as autograph for his fans, reveals he is an enthusiastic, energetic & outgoing person. As seen by the large handwriting size, he comes across more group oriented person. For such a large writer leadership qualities are more natural. As a Captain: What firstly comes across through Dhoni’s Signature is his great leadership skills. An amazing orator, Dhoni has the ability to touch people’s hearts and motivate them with the power of his words. The right-side slant of his handwriting is a clear indication of his expressiveness & high emotional level. The peculiar ‘i’ dot shows Dhoni is also very particular about the minute details any task involves, giving them due attention. The central part of M is not pointed but curved like ‘u’, which shows Dhoni is a natural consultant. He can instinctively advise friends and team members who come to him with various issues, although executing his own advice in his personal problems does not come as easily to him. He constantly strives to work on and improve any area that are lacking. The long loop in ‘h’ displays his high drive by abstract ideas and concepts, he can sometimes end up not planning practically for events at hand. His strong will power and strict self-discipline make M.S.Dhoni a very determined leader. As a Friend: Dhoni has a very outgoing, friendly nature. He can very naturally break the ice and begin spontaneous conversations with others. He can get on very well with most people. A very impulsive and emotional person, Dhoni can get affected by his friends’ problems to the extent that he would do anything in his power to help them out. This could also be a drawback for him if he places heart over head and misses out on the practicalities of the situation. Dhoni is a real shoulder to cry on when in trouble; his amazing listening skills combined with emotional nature makes him a very compassionate and empathizing individual. Some Concern Areas: He is an impulsive decision maker especially when he chooses things about relatives or close relatives. He can feel touched by a drop of a hat. So many people try to convince him by giving sob story.

Fleet Street

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Golden Reejsinghani

ince it is very hot you should play it real cool. Cool pristine white is the colour of summer this season. The colour white not only beats the heat but also makes you look beautiful and poised. Dresses made of soft and wispy chiffons, cool and crisp cottons like organdies and voiles are doing rounds. Of course the young and the fashion conscious are also going in for knitted and crocheted clothes and also there are the embroidered white kurtas which are being worn over white straight pants or denim jeans for that perfect and elegant look. Small white kurtis with embroidery done in bright summer colours with different neckline variations are also being preferred by the hip and happening young collegians and by the smart office goers. These kurtis are worn over white salwar with a white dupatta. Many youngsters today are moving towards International trends in fashion. Denim as always is still reigning supreme. Hot selling brands like Lee, Levis, Pepe, Wrangler, Carl Louis etc are the top choice. Jeans no longer come in basic colours of black and blue, now they even come in all rainbow shades

City Cheers  April 2009

including white. White means not only plain ones but also with stripes, prints, floral designs and checks on them and they come in a variety of washes from stone to acid and crack. And what makes them alluring is that they are long lasting and can withstand the regular wear and tear easily. Be it white or of any other colour they add value for money. Rashi Sharma, an Executive in an MNC said, ‘From jeans the denim has moved onto jackets, tops and even skirts. Skirts come in all shapes and sizes from long deep slits to the shrinking size to the knee length varieties. Denim being a hardy fabric is not only soft and comfortable to wear but at the same time also easy to wash and maintain. Therefore not only youngsters but even the older people are hooked on to it.’ Nita Sahai, Rashi’s sister, student of K.C. College who had accompanied her to a mall, met me and put her view points, “Jeans and white tops are really cool in this sizzling season. They are cool and comfortable and if the tops are made of an uncrushable material then you have a chilled out look. So jeans and white tops are always considered fashionable for morning and evening wear.” If girls are into sporting trendy outfits during summers, the guys in college are not far behind. For afternoon outings, the are decked in hip length collarless or Chinese collared white t-shirts with long slits on the sides with interesting looking buttons made of coloured beads. These are worn over off white pants or white denim jeans For evening women usually go in for something more elaborate. Chudidar and pajama sets, skirts and blouses, salwar kameez with beautiful embroidery and motifs on them. Markets are flooded with sleeveless white cotton kurtas in various designs a n d ending a few inches above the ankles. A short

singlet worn inside the kurta over loose white trousers and a white chiffon dupatta looks truly dazzling. For late night parties there is a lavish use of crystals, beads, diamonds, sequins, resham and zari. These look alluring and lovely, embellished on white fabrics. White chiffon sari worn over a backless blouse or spaghetti top blouse embroidered in tiny delicate multicoloured design looks very alluring and interesting. Provided you have the right body to carry it off. Chiffon looks enticing only on women who have hourglass figures, therefore always be careful when you are going in for body hugging fabrics. Same is the case with chiffon trousers. Only women having shapely legs should go in for them, otherwise they look very unelegant. Chiffon trousers with light beaded trimmings combined with waist length strappy white top inside a white chiffon shirt printed with tiny summer flowers. A white scarf to tie the hair at the nape in a pig tail gives you a picture of elegance and fetches you numerous complements. Rajesh Singh from Jaihind College who regularly opts for going to the beach in the heat said, “For the beach wear white shorts combined with white halters not only looks trendy but is ideal for beating the red hot heat. Denim shorts with a white t-shirt also looks very cool, but some guys who are not into whites can also go in for soft shades like sky blue, peach, lemon etc. Colours like white deflect heat from the body and keep it cool and comfortable. Besides this, white and soft shades keep a check on perspiration and body odour and you feel nice and well turned out.” Current fascination all over the fashion capitals of the World is fascination with transparency, the sheer opaque fabrics that open windows on the body. Gleaming chiffons, translucent voiles, lace fabrics, cob web knitted textiles, look like a peep show, but are great to beat the heat. The whole idea is to stay in fashion and yet look cool!

Green Turf

At times there are areas of baldness and one wants to cancel it with a colourful display of flowers of pleasing mixture of greens. Convenience, joy and colour are the basic urge. Let us take some questions concerning our readers regards to their gardens. My house is in north-east direction with low walls and maximum sunlight during summer season. Which flowers could grow well? We should avoid seasonal flowers. Plant few shrubs of medium height and growth, which may be evergreen and flowering such as Brunfelsia americana, also called Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow because of three colours of flowers each day and has a soothing fragrance as well. Cestrum nocturnum (Rat ki Rani) a very popular shrub full of fragrance, Galphimea – a round the year flowering shrub with tiny yellow flowers in profusion, Hamelia with scarlet orange flowers, Hibiscus of varieties with many striking colourful and inviting size of f l o w e r s , Murraya, Ixora etc. are also g o o d plants mixed w i t h varieties o f Jasminum. They will help give you

Mr. Satish Mathur, exChief Horticulturist of Mughal Gardens, is presently Director Horticulture, Oberoi Group of Hotels & Advisor to Chain of Taj Hotels. Has authored more than 600 articles and columns in various dailies, journals and magazines. Patron AIKGA, Judge in many flower shows, Vice President of Noida Floriculture Society and winner of many citations and awards.

extra privacy – green, colour and fragrance. There are many more to choose from.

Please provide simple & effective way of preparing the proportion of soil and intervals at which manuring needs to be done. One of the basic requirement of soil is the organic matter in the form of well decomposed cow dung manure or vermicompost alongwith bone meal, neem cake powder (Neem ki khali), potash and superphosphate. Then addition of mixture of micronutrients available in the market in directed proportion makes a perfect soil composition. Spring and monsoon are two important season to manure your plants. But addition to small quantities in interval of once in three months makes plant grow with vigour. As summer months are approaching, what should be the watering techniques to the plant? Best is to water the plants in the evening and if required, early in the morning. Watering during the day should be avoided. Washing plants once a week makes them fresh. Carpet grass of my garden dried up and now there are little visible green patches. How can I regain the same kind of grass, spread evenly? Either the sowing was done during winter, when new grass does not take roots. Either you’ll have to plant it all

afresh. If the place does not get sufficient sunlight during winters, then this situation will arise every year. By forking the area for aeration, manuring it with organic manure, sufficient watering in the morning and evening, and during summer months with sunlight, the grass should grow.

Money plant, Aglaonema, Boston Fern, Chamaedora palm, Syngonium etc. You may find quite a few more when you visit nurseries. But may be after a fortnight or so, some of them may need being shifted out early morning for an hour or so in winter and left out during the night in the summer. Proper washing will help.

What varieties of flowers & shrubs can be planted in this season? March issue of City Cheers has an article with heading Green Turf, giving details of vibrant summer flowering plants and how to plant.

How can I have full grown fruits from Pomegranate tree? Anaar trees need to be fed with a mixture of compost manure, superphosphate and potassium sulphate or ready mix of N.P.K. available in garden stores – about 150 gms to 200 gms per plant during monsoon or spring and water profusely soon after fertilization. Addition of Neem cake powder, about 200 gms will be an additional benefit. Remove all dry and dead shoots from the plant, since they may lead to infection and disease. A spray with Bavistin (one tablespoonful powder make into a paste) and about 40-50 drops of Malathion, combination of fungicide and insecticide dissolved in about 4 litres of water will also be helpful, both as a curative factor or a preventive factor for likely infection on a disease. This spray can be effective in almost all fruit trees especially citrus varieties and even chikoo etc. as well.

Kitchen waste in pots. Is it advisable? Fresh kitchen waste of any kind in the pot is not at all advisable. You may make a small pit in the garden or put waste in some plastic or any kind of container with lid and permit it to rot. In order to make it an effective organic manure, keep adding neem cake powder (small quantity) or cowdung manure to the kitchen waste. Only after 30-40 days the manure is made, which can then be used in required proportion for plants – after it is decomposed. Watering of Xerophytic plants. Whenever you grow Xerophytic plants in pots or in a garden – they will need some quantity of water to reach their roots to retain moisture for its growth and absorption of nutrients. A small quantity of water after intervals of 15 days to 1 month depending on the season and variety is necessary to let it grow with ease. But ensure that there is no water stagnation or logging of water. Fruit trees in pots are drying after having grown well for three years. Leaves have suddenly dried. Can I regain the plants? There can be two basic reasons – one that drainage hole is blocked or the broken pot piece has moved giving way for complete water to drain out. In both cases, either there is water stagnation or no water retention and under any of these conditions plant is likely to dry out. But this is a good time to repot your established fruit plant, but care to repot in the evening and also alongwith complete ball of earth, to ensure that roots are not disturbed. You may prune all dry and dead shoots including few unwanted or overgrown shoots to avoid excessive load and the revival is easier. In future, take care that excessive watering is avoided. Which plants can be kept indoors to give a greener interior look? There are selected plants which have a natural character to be indoors for a long time and retain their fresh look. Few of them are Dracaena of varieties, Areca palm,

These tips are for common usage and any specific problems will need to be addressed separately.

Save Mother Earth, Save Life! Save the Beauty of this Nature.

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garbage disposal system. A group of people who thought that ‘lets do it’, didn’t wait for any help from outside. The motive was to clean Mukteshwar from plastic waste. Joining hands together for pay. the movement “HAMARA MUKTESHWAR” were Today we are changing the face of Mother Earth through plastic, without her will and we are destroying her identity. people from all walks of life, right from a temple priest to government officials. SO Anil Manral had been already Look around yourself, you will find bulks of plastic waste which we are converting into garbage, knowing that it’s not leading the clean up campaign with a personal approach helped by local community social workers Lata and Durga going to be decomposed in any way. The problem is not plastic, problem is our habits. If we are ready to change our Didi, local shopkeepers Lalit, Bohraji and Ginwalji, school teacher Anuradha and students. Support was also given by habits of spreading dirt everywhere, then it is possible to IVRI - Indian Veterinary Research Institute’s Station in protect the natural beauty of Mother Earth. “HAMARA MUKTESHWAR” a movement by the local charge Dr. Vanamayya. Scientist Dr. Hera Ram delivered an informative talk and distributed literature on the people from all streams of life to make Mukteshwar a plastic free zone, has been promoted by Dr. Satyendra menace of plastic waste. He related that a hundred cows die everyday in Uttar Pradesh alone after ingesting plastic Singh a teacher, surgeon, film maker from UK, who had rubbish. There was pin drop silence as he gave a graphic spent his childhood days in Mukteshwar. He shares from his golden memories a Mukteshwar full of flora and fauna, account of personally removing 45 kg of plastic from a single cow during a postmortem. famed for its peace and spirituality. Anyone with a pure heart, who had ever spent any significant length of time in The theme of the program was however very light and humorous designed to promote pride in the local area. Mukteshwar, would be able to feel the place within Appropriately the host, Dr Singh was dressed in a kurta themselves. Today, tourists are reaching Mukteshwar in an ever and a borrowed local Kumaoni jacket and cap which could only be arranged after a prolonged hunt. increasing number. Though this has brought economic A musical program was arranged by Mukesh and Rebecca boom for some of the local people but for most of Mukteshwar it is a bane. Plastic bottles and bags are thrown helped by local youths Niraj, Ravi and children from local schools. Slowly the crowd gathered in Mukteshwar’s only everywhere without any concern, in the absence of any burned face can be converted into new one through plastic surgery but with a cost of losing its original identity, which is not easy for anyone to

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City Cheers  April 2009

market place - Mohan Bazaar for the Working alone can be hard at the best of campaign. The priest from Mukteshwar’s times, but even more so if you are trying to ancient temple led the way with shlokas clean extensive paint vandalism off rocks. ending with Om Shanti Shanti . ‘Picnic in Dr Singh could relate how hard it was to work Mukteshwar’, a drama performed by alone to get painted graffiti off a very special school children, was full of humor but at rock formation in the area. But the effort was the same time had a message about social made worthwhile when three local youths responsibility for locals and tourists. A song inspired by and sung to the tune ‘we unknown to him joined in. Initially hesitant shall overcome...’ was about a ‘polythene they wanted to know why he was doing it. He explained this was the place that gave him so mukt Mukteshwar’. Local community joined the children and much as a child and now he wanted to give took oath with slogan ‘Ek sapna hai, ki back. “‘Hamara’, is to call a place your own, and is a right you only have when you have plastic mukt ho Mukteshwar hamara. Lena hai sankalp, aao dhunde plastic ka given something back to it”, he gently explained. He had three willing volunteers all vikalp’ - that they are not going to use of whom had grown up and finished school in Mukteshwar. After hard scrubbing in a cold evening, plastic bags. The finale was a fashion show of local hand made cloth and jute they could watch the sun go down and shout with a satisfaction “HAMARA MUKTESHWAR” ! bags modeled by local children. The bags campaign, which in this small place could be a record. At were awarded in Oscar style with the categories of ‘Sasta, least one shopkeeper was proud to say, ‘No to plastic Sunder and Tikaoo’ with the overall winner bagging the bags’, in his shop the next day with many others promising best bag award as ‘Jhola No.1’ ! This award went to the to follow suit. local home science teacher and her jute bag which had Motive behind the whole concept was to boost the local been made from a throw away gunny sack lined on the people and appreciate their work so that this could inside with cloth and embroidered beautifully on the become part of their daily life to maintain their outside with left over wool pieces. Explaining her work, surrounding clean and to spread awareness against the use she offered sewing classes for local women. Encouraging and effects of plastic. the women, judging and giving the awards was Mrs It’s not enough to address just one place or one city, this Vanmayya, wife of the IVRI station in charge. is actually a global problem and each and everyone has to Asking for heroes and heroines, the host kept getting film participate whole heartedly to save our Mother Earth from star names. Slowly the audience could relate the real life plastic. People of Mukteshwar have taken one step to heroes and heroines that were pointed out all around share their part of responsibility towards the nature. What them. Anil Manral, officer in charge of the local police are you waiting for? station, was awarded the ‘Hamara Mukteshwar Hamara Gaurav’ for 2009 for his contribution to the local area and Dr Satyendra Singh, teacher, surgeon, filmmaker from leading the clean up campaign. All participants joined together to sing ‘Ham ko man ki shakti dena’ and the UK, has founded the Chintan International Trust (www.chintaninternational.org) a non-profit, nonNational Anthem. religious humanitarian organization based in the UK A local samiti organized by Mr Girnawal was formed to working in India in the fields of health, education and continue the movement in a regular and sustainable way. environment. 15 cloth bags were sold in under an hour following the

Kith-n-Kin

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resh admissions of preschoolers... new hopes...new ambitions...first day jitters...excitement...fear, all in one. It’s school time for kids as well as the testing period for parents. Though it’s an awaited time for parents of starters, the feeling of every individual differs, likewise the kids. Some are very carefree, some quiet, some over enthusiastic. Every parent’s hope is high when their kid holds the bag for the first time. The sadness of departing from their sweethearts, though for a little while, is always there. The first step into school is the first step towards making them an individual. It’s the very first step which starts inculcating in them values and responsibilities, to groom their overall personality. To get admitted one’s child in a reputed school is the first wish of every parent. And here starts the formation of expectations from the children and the competitive attitute is also build up then on. All kids have a somewhat similar fear factors in school. The change in environment may be an enjoyment or a hazard, its up to the kids level of understanding. For the first time he’s asked to be alone, far from his nest. Mothers are not there to listen to their cries, or wipe their sniffing nose or make them eat their lunches. This insecurity, in a few, leads to a different attitude of the kids. For the kids its totally a new setup: teachers, friends, books, accessories and of course discipline. But remember, these “new” worries only stick around for a little while, till he is the new comer. After few days of practice he/she adapts himself with the schedule and the 26

City Cheers  April 2009

Jaya Shukla

environment. At such a tender age it is hard for kids to grasp any lesson/poem and these things are not at all expected from them too. But it’s easy to teach them some of the habits which may be of utmost help lifelong. 







 

Parents have a common dream that their kids should be a genius in the class. It’s a genuine reason too in respect to kid’s career. But the foundation of the same should be laid down at that early stage. Teach your kid some values how he/she should behave at home, in the school and with other classmates, before sending him to school. Although kids do not understand the term manners and mannerism, but parents can guide them easily. Kids need somebody who believes in them. Believe in your child. Teach kids how they should respect their teachers. Don’t ever try to install habits in him just by comparing with others.





















Try to give him enough time to get involved in extra curricular activities. It will help you in the future also to analyze his interests. Some kids have a habit of fighting and snatching things. Tell him/her firmly of not to practice such bad activities. Tell him about how special his friends are and how special he himself is. Let him acquire a habit of telling correct facts and if mockingly he is telling a lie, help him in guiding in a correct way. Give him the freedom to choose between right and wrong, especially friends, like, let him go and sit with his friend in the bus. Ask him if he feels excited, anxious, or a little bit of both. Teach him the basics of discipline and responsibilities. Where should he place the bags? Where should he keep his books, bottles etc? Give a hug, a kiss, and a warm but firm goodbye. Help your kid in his/her homework. Pack something familiar in your child’s backpack to make him feel more comfortable, and something new to make him feel special.

It’s the first day for Khushi, Shivi, Ankit, Nitin and their Parents. Let’s know about their reactions when they came to receive their kids. Khushi’s Mother, Anju said, “I was very much nervous in the afternoon hours while I was waiting for Khushi.” Her daughter was weeping in the morning while leaving for school. Anju was unable to go back home. Disturbed Anju, thought of waiting at her friend’s house. Anju repeated, “this day is a very hard day in my life”. Her face started glooming and felt relieved as she saw her daughter’s gleeming face. The same condition was with Nitin’s father too. Nitin’s mother was busy in a meeting hence his father had come to receive him. Talking to him

Nitin’s father also said that he was quite worried as it was Nitin’s first day of school and moreover he would have to have his lunch by himself. Everyday he helped Nitin during his meals. As the school timings of kids are normally 4-5 hours. Still these hours are quite difficult for parents initially. Shivi’s mother was a little bit relaxed; I was unable to hold myself. I asked her about Shivi’s behaviour in the morning. She smiled and explained, “Since six months Shivi was rising and sleeping with a dream of going to school. As Shivi is very naughty, I am just worried about her behaviour. Rest I am assured that she would be very happy once she steps into the school premises.” Now comes the next set or reasons for teachers  Teachers are supposed to be their parents in the school. Teacher is expected to answer to all the wierd queries of kids.  Teachers should always give students a chance to tell something about themselves, in front of the whole class. Parents should know the language of their kids. Every day is a new day for your child. Always be open to talk about their days of school. Kids love talking about their days, but need a listener more than anything else. Be that listener and brighten the rest of their day. By just listening you may analyze your kid and come up with new ideas. So make their school a fun place. What are prehistoric monsters called when they sleep? A dinosnore! What is the fruitiest lesson? History, because it's full of dates! What language do they speak in Cuba? Cubic! What is a myth? A female moth! How did your mum know you hadn't washed your face? I forgot to wet the soap!

Contours

A

bout a third of children are described by their parents as over-active, and 5-20 percent of school children are so described by their teachers. These reports encompass behaviour varying from normal high spirits to a severe and persistent disorder. Here we discuss about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and hyperkinetic disorder, the signs to look for and where to get help. What are attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and hyperkinetic disorder? Kunal of 12 yrs. was brought to me by his parents from Mujaffarnagar, U.P, with complaints of in-attentiveness, extreme and persistent restlessness, prolonged motor activity and learning difficulties. Many children, especially under-fives, are inattentive and restless. This does not necessarily mean they are suffering from ADHD or hyperkinetic disorder. The terms ‘attention deficit’, ‘attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder’, ‘hyperkinetic disorder’ and ‘hyperactivity’ are used by professionals to describe the problems of children who are overactive and have difficulty concentrating or manifests more or less marked continuous activity. In both instances, these children usually have problems with attention control and over activity. What are the signs? Children with ADHD/hyperkinetic disorder: 28

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are restless, fidgety and overactive  continuously chatter and interrupt people  are easily distracted and do not finish things  are inattentive and cannot concentrate on tasks  are impulsive, suddenly doing things without thinking  have difficulty waiting their turn in games, in conversation or in a queue. This type of behaviour is common in most children. It becomes a problem when these characteristics are exaggerated, compared to other children of the same age, and when the behaviour affects the child’s social and school life. Often the signs will have been obvious since the child was a toddler. 

What causes ADHD/hyperkinetic disorder? We do not know exactly what causes these disorders, but genetic factors seem to play a part. The disorders can run in families, with boys more often affected than girls. Where can Kunal get help? There is no simple test for ADHD/hyperkinetic

Dr. Sanjeev Kalra, M.D (Doctor of Medicine) in Ayurvedic Psychiatry from S.D.M.C. of Ayurveda. Is also an M.B.A in Hospital Management & Finance from TASMAC, Pune. Currently, a Consultant Psychiatrist and Consultant Ayurvedic Physician at ‘THE MIND CLINIC’, Noida. Is a visiting Lecturer, DBA Med. College & Hospital, Punjab.

disorder. Making a full diagnosis requires an experienced specialist assessment, usually done by a child psychiatrist or specialist paediatrician. The diagnosis is made by recognizing patterns of behaviour, observing the child and obtaining reports of their behaviour at home and at school. Your general practitioner will be able to offer you advice and support and will usually refer you to a specialist. A child and adolescent psychiatrist will undertake a thorough assessment and offer treatment. Some clinical psychologists and paediatricians also have special experience and skills in managing this problem. Effective treatment will include advice and support for the parents as well. The child’s teachers will need advice about management, which may include counteractive teaching and behaviour modification. A Full Specialist Assessment: This will enable your child’s needs to be clearly identified. Psychological Management You should expect:  a full explanation of the condition to you and your child;  advice about on how to manage difficult behaviour;  communication between the child’s specialist and teachers, who will offer you advice on structured activities and reward systems for positive behaviour that may help. Special support and teaching may also be needed;  help for difficulties that have developed as a result of ADHD/hyperkinetic disorder, including low self-esteem, difficulty with friendships, temper tantrums and aggression. Stimulant Medication Some medications may reduce hyperactivity and improve concentration. Medication produces a short-lived improvement after each dose, but is not a permanent cure. It creates a period when the child can learn and practise new skills. Children often say that medication helps them to get on with people, to think more clearly, to understand things better and to feel more in control of themselves. Not all affected children need medication. Those who do always need psychological and educational support as well. Changing Diet & Avoiding Additives There is a small body of evidence about the effect of diet on some children. A few may be sensitive to certain foods. If parents notice that specific foods worsen hyperactivity, these may be avoided. It is best to discuss this with the specialist. Do children grow out of it? Children who receive specialist treatment tailored to their needs may benefit considerably. Some problems with restlessness, attention and lack of control might continue into adult life. However, with help, most hyperactive children will have settled down by the time they reach their mid-teens. They will have been able to catch up with their learning, improve their school performance and make friends. April 2009  City Cheers

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“NO MORE DEPRESSION”

Dr. Saraswati Prasad Dwivedi Consultant Ayurved physician & Psychologist Founder of “MEDICINE FREE LIFE” Awareness Movement. He is renowned specialist practioner of herbal medicine, yoga, meditation and panchkarma therapy for holistic healing of people suffering from psychosomatic and chronic disorders. Ph: 09335124181. email: [email protected] /[email protected]

I am happy to promote my thoughts with City Cheers to its esteemed readers and help create an environment which is Life Medicine Free. The fast paced urbanization in the country has increased the stress level at all quarters and its time we all get together to combat various diseases occurring due to modern lifestyle. Every issue we would take up various problems and try finding solutions to them. If we are able to lead a life which is medicine free, then probably our contribution to the society would be more impactful.

D

epression is a very common term which we usually come across in seminars, talks or meetings. What does it actually mean? The word in itself states something in a sunken state. But medically, depression means pressing down i.e. the decrease of vital functions such as cardiovascular, nervous, respiration, etc. in case of mental disorder marked by altered mood & behaviour. An estimated 5%7% of the World’s population is affected by depression. During this state of mind, a mental state is characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of normal activity. There is a loss of interest in all pleasurable outlets, such as food, study, sports, sex, routine work, friends, family, hobbies, or entertainment, etc. In Ayurved, depression is called as “Awshad”. According to Charak, a well known ancient physician, the origin of “Awshad” lies in “Kafaj Unmad” in which a person portrays symptoms like a pessimist and does not take interest in any activities which work for a smooth sailing peaceful life. One occasionally has mood swings, but these are usually fluctuating and pass away within a week or few days. When a person has a depressive disorder, it interferes with the daily life, normal routine, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her. Depression is a common illness. Mostly who experience it need treatment. Medications, psychotherapies and other non medicinal treatments are available for cure. 30

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Symptoms : Any type of depression may run in families, suggesting that a biological vulnerability can be inherited. Depression can also occur in people who have no family history of the condition. Additional factors, such as stresses at home, work, or school, may trigger depression. People suffering from depressive disorders do not express the same types of symptoms. The severity, frequency and duration of symptoms vary depending on the individual’s age, sex and other atmospheric conditions, and his/her particular illness. Feelings of sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, pessimism, worthlessness, helplessness, irritability, restlessness, loss of interest in activities or hobbies including sex and sports. Fatigue and decreased energy, difficulty in concentrating, remembering details & making decisions, lack of sleep, early-morning wakeups or excessive sleeping, overeating or loss of appetite, suicidal thoughts and attempts, body aches, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment. Cause of Depression: There is no single known cause of depression. Rather, it likely results from a combination of genetic, psychological factors, biochemical, environmental and also lack of spiritual health. Diagnosis & Treatment Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can

help most people who suffer from depression. People with depression may not recognize that they have a disorder or they may be discouraged from seeking or staying on treatment due to feelings of shame and the associated stigma. Too often, untreated or inadequately treated depression is associated with suicide. It can be diagnosed by conducting a physical examination, interview and lab tests by doctors & psychologists. For treatment it is a must to visit a doctor to rule out any possibility of other diseases, like thyroid, chronic viral infections, because they refer to the same sign and symptoms which are similar in case of depression. Once diagnosed, a person with depression can be treated with a number of methods. Most common treatments are medication and psychotherapy, which can be followed by medicinal & non-medicinal approches. In Medicinal Approach: Use of Anti-depressant medicines under supervision of an experienced Allopathic doctor. In my opinion, sometimes giving medicine is a must for acute cases of depression, where the patient needs to be hospitalized due to his/her symptoms. But, it is not useful or recommended for long term treatment. In Non Medicinal Approach: If you feel overwhelmed by stress or are experiencing symptoms of depression, see your healthcare provider for a physical exam and mental health evaluation. You may be referred for further evaluation or counseling, if appropriate. A variety of relaxation techniques can help you cope with stress, like meditation, deep breathing, progressive relaxation, aerobics, exercise, yoga, and biofeedback. These techniques help you relax your mind muscles. You can also reduce stress by getting adequate sleep, rest, and recreation. Even psychotherapy, life-style correction, panchkarma therapy of Ayurved under supervision of an Ayurvedic doctor are very useful for a permanent cure from depression. Usually, I am always on a look out for ways of better treatment all over the world, as there are various causes of depression, but the cardinal sign and symptoms are same. Eat a healthy diet, that is low in fat, high in fiber, and rich in vitamins and minerals. Specific dietary factors, like B-complex vitamins (found in whole grains) and omega-3 fatty acids

Q. I am 32 year old lady & suffering from Depression from last 4 years. I am taking regular antidepressants. Advised me for natural remidies. A. Daily do Padmasan, Pranayam,15-30 minutes & 2-4 km daily morning walk. Take 3-5 bananas per day & avoid taking fatty food items. Fix your daily routine of breakfast, lunch, dinner, sleep & other essential works. Take ‘Saraswat churn’ (powder) one teaspoon full twice a day with cow milk. Along with teh above, continue with your medication till couple of weeks & then gradually withdraw them within next 30 days. Continue above tips for about six months. Think positive.

(found in cold-water fish, fish oil, and flax seeds)are beneficial in depression. For treatment of depression, it is necessary to know the basic cause of an individual’s suffering from depression. The basic principle of treatment is to first stop causative factors and then treat the remaining illness. Otherwise one can be cured only of the symptoms and signs, and not the disease actually. I have seen several cases of depression, where the patient is addicted to the medicine since long and is not able to get away withthe habit. I find patients who are treated by Non-Medicinal approach, such as psychotherapy, yoga, meditation, diet-routine correction and life-style management, better than those who are totally dependent on medicines. Medicine related to depression are loaded with sideeffects. This is very strange in our country. The use of anti-depressant drug is increased to about 5-8 times and daily. Number of patients are gradually increasing, if considered in Indian demographical conditions. The life-style & life-span of our ancestors was better, because of the growth of depression, has increased from the ancient to modern times and it is the most common side effect of urbanization. I am trying to promote NonMedicinal approach of treatment everywhere. It is very similar to the ancient life- style, routine, thoughts and behaviour. So is said in “Santosam the vedic text: Param Sukham”. It is not a verse. It is a holistic medicine which provides peace, healthy mind, and healthy body. Readers may send their s p e c i f i c problems over email or contact on mobile.

Personal Information Mahendra Singh Dhoni 7th July 1981(age 27) Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. Nickname: Mahi Height: 5ft 11in (1.80m) Batting Style: Right-hand batsman Bowling Style: Right-hand medium Role: Wicket Keeper, Captain International Information National side: India Test debut (cap 251) 2 December 2005 v Sri Lanka Last Test 18 March 2009 v New Zealand ODI debut (cap 157) 23 December 2004 v Bangladesh Last ODI 14 March 2009 v New Zealand Odi Shirt no. 7 Domestic team Information Years Team 1999/00 - 2004/05 Bihar 2004/05 Jharkhand 2008 Chennai Super Kings Career Statistics Test ODI Matches 36 135 Runs scored 1,854 4,385 Batting average 36.35 49.26 100s/50s 1/14 4/30 Top score 148 183* Catches/stumpings 85/18 132/41 Full Name: Born:

‘Folk Music Ensemble’ by Santoor Maestro Abhay Rustum Sopori Abhay Rustum Sopori is the country’s youngest artist who has established his versatility in the domain of music both as a Santoor maestro & composer. Recently “Folk Music Ensemble” was conducted and composed by Sapori ji. Though it was not new, but it was extremely rare. “Folk Music Ensemble”, was introduced by Santoor Legend & Music Composer Pt. Bhajan Sopori in early 1970’s. The concept was to revive, preserve and promote folk musical culture, popularising instruments and folk melodies. The presentation had around 40 musicians playing various instruments like Rabab, Kashmiri Sarangi, Tumbaknari, Daher, Matka, Laddakhi Drums, Sur Santoor, Tabla, Percussions, Synthesizer, Guitars, Tenor, Mandolin, Violin, Flute and Santoor etc. The presentation left the audience mesmerized. Folk music ensemble for the first time was organized on such a grand scale. On this memorable evening Governor of J&K Sh. N.N. Vohra was the Chief Guest, while Pt. Bhajan Sopori, Aparna Sopori, Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, and various other dignitaries were present.

Shrine Empire

ITC Maurya Wins ‘Golden Peacock Innovation Management Award-2008’ ITC Maurya is the proud recipient of the ‘Golden Peacock Innovation Management Award -2008’ by the award Jury, under the Chairmanship of Justice P. N. Bhagwati, former Chief Justice of India and Member, UN Human Rights Commission. The Golden Peacock Awards for Quality, Innovation Management & Innovative Product/Service, Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship was presented to ITC Maurya at a specially organized Gala Award Night in the presence of business and political leaders. 34

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Shrine Empire provides expert services for Private Clients looking to start a collection or build on an existing one. We identify and source acquisition opportunities globally. We have access to works of art available on the open market, from private collections and corporations. Determine a client’s art requirement, and sourcing suitable artworks at a fair market value. A major part of our business lies in handling of privately owned works offered for sale. Those who acquire art often trade or sell it. There are many different avenues to sell art - public auction, online sales, private dealers, and galleries. Once we assess the market value, we advise how best to sell it, whether by auction or private treaty. We provide appraisals for insurance. Collectors are given a fully illustrated and indexed inventory of their artwork. Client confidentiality is of utmost importance to us.We work with insurers, banks, and law firms who lay immense value on client privacy and depend on us to preserve it.

Celebrating International Women’s Day!!! To mark International Women’s Day, an evening of Indian Classical Music was organised by Samraat Club Delhi Central in association with SABA Communications at IHC, Delhi. Evening had a performance by Ishita Aniruddha Thatte (Vocal) and Sitar recital by artist Supriya Shah Shankar. The musical evening was graced by Odissi dancer Sharon Lowen along with Dr. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smt. Shobhana Shah Mittal & Rohit Suri. Many people from the world of art and culture were also present. Ishita began with raag “Desh” and ended with a song depicting “Holi”.

“We Are Poor But So Many” A book by Smt. Ela Bhatt SEWA and IHC, presented a discussion by a panel of eminent persons on Smt. Ela Bhatt’s book –“We Are Poor But So Many” on March 14, 2009. The discussion was followed by interaction with the author. The event was Chaired by Smt Devaki Jain, Former Director, ISST. Devaki Jain is one of the founders of the feminist movement in India and internationally. Ela R. Bhatt has dedicated her life to improving the lives of India’s poorest and most oppressed women workers, with Gandhian thinking as her source of guidance. Her book is a firsthand account of the vision, rise, and success of SEWA, in India as well as internationally. The book begins with early days of SEWA and follows with an account of the struggles and challenges that SEWA faced in its journey. It explores the freedom given by SEWA to its women by presenting inspirational stories.

Spring-Summer by Saggar Mehra Study by Janak introduces Saggar Mehra, a new face to the brand. Saggar’s debut is marked with unveiling of Spring-Summer’09 collection. Other highlight was the launch of magnificent coffee table book at their store in GK-1. Event was flagged off in a traditional way, followed by a fashion show by Saggar Mehra, son of designer Sunil Mehra. Russian Model Frenanda, & actor/model Rahul Dev walked the ramp. Formals, casual linen jackets & trousers, summer sherwanis & Kurta Pajama were show cased in the show.

Kobian introduces Laptop Bags

‘Sreeleathers’ Canvas Collection One of India’s largest footwear & accessories brand ‘Sreeleathers’ have introduced a stunning line of Canvas casuals. The range of footwear & funky new design detailed with velcro, laces, zips, zigzag, stitching on washed denims, denims washed in metallic shades and on printed twill fabrics are the ultimate epitomes of style and sheer attitude. The designs transit easily from a college day wear to an evening party wear. For the generation next tourists from abroad, the new found comfort, style and the combined value irresistible fit to be carried home.

Kobian Ltd, manufacturer of motherboards, casings, TFTs and others, has announced the launch of IXA series of laptop bags. Most laptops come with bags but, you can prefer to suit your needs. Kobian IXA series of Laptop Bags are designed for personal and corporate users, which are stylish, practical, durable, good protector, tougher and lighter. It comes in three different looks - ProIXA, StyleIXA & RugIXA. ProIXA: Protection, ample storage, 15.4” & 17” size, shock air cells, trolley strap can be converted into back pack. StyleIXA: bold colors, comes in 15.4” & 10.2” and its trolley strap has air cushion. RugIXA: 15.4” size, with anti shock air cells including cable pouch. Rs799-Rs 2499.

Petsetgo tie-ups with Isle of Dogs Petsetgo, India’s foremost pet care brand ties up with Isle of Dogs, USA. It has already tie ups with leading pet accessories and grooming brands from across the world. Now it has a new range of shampoos, conditioners etc. from Isle of Dogs. Commenting Mr. Raghav Modi, MD Petsetgo said, “We are very happy to be associated. Petsetgo intends to provide the very best in pet care accessories and grooming products to the Indian market. This association reiterates our commitment.” Many international celebrities use Isle of Dogs for their pets. With the addition of the all new range of Isle of Dogs, Petsetgo now offers the best products from the world to the discerning dog lovers in India. April 2009  City Cheers

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DESIGNER SUITS N SAREES INAUGRAL EXHIBITION Date: 1 April, 2009 (Wednesday) Time: 11:00 AM Venue: B2/19, Ph-2, Ashok Vihar, Delhi. Ph: 9811023800 Email: [email protected] BENCHMARK SIX SIGMA BLACK BELT TRAINING (6DAYS) Date: 3 April, 2009 (Friday) 9:00 AM - 5 April, 2009 (Sunday) 6:00 PM Venue: Hotel Radisson, NH 8, Mahilpalpur, Delhi. Ph: 26779191/9810919501 Email: [email protected] THEATRE IN FACILITATION (THEATRE FOR GROWN-UPS) Date: 03 April, 2009 (Friday) 10:00 AM - 29 April, 2009 (Wednesday) 1:00 PM Venue: C-701, Rudra Apartment, Sector -6 Dwarka, Delhi Ph: 9958881599 Email: [email protected] Age: for +18yrs Duration: 15 days session - 1.5 / 2 hrs TRIBUTE TO USTAD BADE GHULAM ALI KHAN SAHIBKUMAR MUKHERJEE Date: 3 April, 2009 (Friday) Time: 7:00 PM - 08:30 PM Venue: IHC, Lodhi Road, Delhi Ph: 9830434008 GO LIVE!!! CREATIVE FACILITATION OF UAS FOR SCHOOL TEACHERS AND PARENTS

Date: 5 April, 2009 (Sunday) Time: 10:00 AM - 06:00 PM Venue: C-701, Rudra Apartment Sector -6 Dwarka, New Delhi Ph: 9958881599 Email: [email protected] POETESS SHIELA SIDDHANTKAR MEMORIAL AWARD PRESENTATION & RAG VIRAG ANNUAL DAY Date: 9 April, 2009 (Thursday) Time: 5:30 AM Venue: Triveni Gallery, 205 Tansen Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi Ph: 9818188965 Email: [email protected] SILVA ULTRAMIND ESP TRAINING - IMPROVE INTUITION MEMORY AND QUICK RELAXATION Date: 11 April, 2009 (Saturday) 09:00 AM - 12 April, 2009 (Sunday) 05:30 PM Venue: IIC, Delhi Website: www.goldeninspiration.com Ph: 09871119075 Email: [email protected] RED CARPET-A CORPORATE PARTY Date: 18 April, 2009 (Saturday) 07:00 PM - 19 April, 2009 (Sunday) 12:30 AM Website: www.craftinimages.com Ph: 011-26674013 / 09711968011 / 011-26674011 Email: [email protected] EDUCATION FAIR - SPRING 2009 Date: 25 April, 2009 (Saturday) 11:00 AM - 26 April, 2009 (Sunday) 06:00 PM Venue: Pragati Maidan Website: www.eduworldwideindia.com Ph: 9811663707 Email: [email protected] Romancing India's North East

Date: till 30/04/2009 Venue: Akshara Theatre - Home for the Mind of India, 11-12 B, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi Ph:: 23742083, 23364326. email: [email protected] SHAKESPEARE'S "MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAMS" Directed By - Mr. Noushad M. Date: 2/04/2009 - 18:30 till 5/04/2009 - 23:59 Venue: Shri Ram Centre, Mandi House, Delhi-1 2nd year acting course students are going to present Shakespeare's "Midnight summer dreams" in Hindi Ph: Anupam S. (9868929470) PFA NIGHT MARKET AT LE MERIDIEN HOTEL Date: 1/04/2009 - 12/04/2009 An evening of club and retro music with a DJ & dance floor, drinks, dinner & shopping Parisian night market Date: 11th April 2009. Time: 3-30 pm - 11-30pm. Venue: Allure bar and lounge, Le Meridien Hotel, New Delhi Funds collected go towards rehabilitation of several injured and stray animals.. Ph: 32542477/ 9810190497 Entry free. LODI – THE GARDEN RESTAURANT Snacks & Drinks Special/Easter/ Light Lunch/Organic Festival/Feast by Night Date: 3/04/2009 - 30/04/2009 Date: 3rd - 9th April Time:12:00 - 15:00 & 19:00 23:00 TAROT: A BASIC COURSE FOR BEGINNERS by Joy Dev Date: Till 8/08/2009 Time:10:00 Locality: NOIDA / DELHI Few seats available Visit at celestialcorner.com, Ph: 9899693546-47

To be listed in these p ages post to [email protected] 36

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Autumn - Winter 2009

W

IFW was hosted at the Intercontinental Eros, Nehru Place, New Delhi from the 18th - 23rd of March, 2009. WIFW also began the hunt for the new faces going places – ramp scorchers, who may help enhance and bring the vision of all WIFW participating designers to life. The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week is known for being a hotbed of emerging and established design talent converting the runway and exhibition area into business destinations for Indian fashion designers. It offers a complete lifestyle wardrobe for the premium, consumer incorporating the latest fashion trends for both men and women. A nationwide chain of exclusive specialty stores provides the Indian consumer a truly ‘International Shopping Experience’. Currently there are 51 Wills Lifestyle stores in 30 cities across the country, and the brand is making rapid strides in terms of expansion doubling the number of stores over the next three years. WIFW also provides high level business mentoring to the up-andcoming designers. Support is given by an established team of fashion industry experts and professionals in areas such as business planning, marketing, sourcing, production, export and legal. By giving such in-depth advice where it is most required, the aim is to help the designers consolidate their businesses, growing them internationally to the next level. WIFW’s the leading business of fashion event is designed to allow younger, untried designers the chance for a breakthrough moment. Sunil Sethi, President, FDCI, said, “WIFW is a prestigious launch pad for the emerging designers to showcase the best of Indian design talent globally.” Atul Chand, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC’s Lifestyle Retailing, said, “The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week is the country’s biggest and most prestigious lifestyle event. We received an overwhelming response from the designer fraternity for the event.” To support the emerging fashion design industry of India, WIFW had 18 designers who participated for the very first time. Like every season FDCI gave an opportunity to aspiring and eminent designers to experience India’s only ‘Business of Fashion’ event 2009. This list includes some of the wellknown names like Adarsh Gill and Sanchita Ajjampur who have showcased their collections in India and overseas. With 102 designers and around 175 buyers, WIFW is India’s premier fashion extravaganza, which brings together the business of fashion and expert designers as well as connoisseurs of lifestyle on a common platform April 2009  City Cheers

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Happening India Videocon to launch D2H services in April 2009 Consumer durable maker Videocon plans to launch its d i r e c t- t o - h o m e (DTH) television services venture in April against its original target of September. As of now five companies are offering DTH services in the country including Dish TV, Tata Sky, Airtel, Big TV and Sun TV. Videocon Industries, the flagship group company of the Dhoot family, would be launching the DTH service through its subsidiary Bharat Business. A senior executive with the company added that the firm is looking to integrate the set-topbox with new television sets as a fresh offering to the consumer. As per estimates of consultancy firm Ernst & Young, the DTH subscriber base could touch 19 million in the next 2-3 years. India to launch ‘Astrosat’ About a year after India’s first mission to the moon, ‘Chandrayaan-1’, now Indian Space Programme is ready for another India’s first dedicated astronomy satellite, ‘Astrosat’, launched to the orbit in April. Prof Tandon said that satellite will carry Xray telescope and UV telescope and it will be placed at an altitude of 650 kms. Tandon is a part of the ‘Astrosat’ project. ISRO is making an antenna to get data from ‘Astrosat’ at Byalalu village near Bangalore. Lifespan of the satellite will be nearly 5 years. Tandon is leading a team of scientists who will develop a UV telescope. There are six instruments in the ‘Astrosat’ out of w h i c h t h r e e have been developed by Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. 38

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ATM usage to be free of charge Bank customers can expect use of ATM free of charge. The Central Bank has rejected to cap the number of free cash withdrawals every month, as it felt was not desirable & practical. Other banks’ ATMs for balance enquires will be free of charge. Use of other banks’ ATMs for cash withdrawals will be free from April 1, 2009. The charge of Rs 20 will be all inclusive, irrespective of the amount of withdrawal. The banks may determine the service charges for cash withdrawal with the use of credit cards and cash withdrawal in an ATM located abroad. Further, RBI said that the customer is not aware before hand, of the charges that will be levied for a particular ATM transaction, while using an ATM of another bank. And even, that in countries such as UK, Germany and France, bank customers have access to all ATMs in the country, free of charge. The Central Bank also noted that the ideal situation is that a customer should be able to access any ATM installed in the country free of charge through an equitable cooperative initiative by banks. Deora promises new sources of gas supply from April 2009 Union Petroleum Minister, Murli Deora has said that the supply of natural gas from KG D-6 field is likely to begin by this month. Deora said the first 40 Million Metric Standard Cubic Metre will be supplied per day of gas to meet shortfall in existing gas-based urea plants, LPG plants and power plants. Emphasisingly he said, “The decision would go a long way to increase the supply of fertilizers in the country, bring down fertilizer subsidy, increase production of power and LPG, reduce dependence on petroleum products and improve environmental standards.” Deora further added that Government passed on the benefit of falling oil prices to the common man by twice reducing the prices of petrol and diesel. Delhi to get a new flyover The foundation stone of a new flyover on NH10 was laid by CM Sheila Dikshit at Nangloi. To be built at an estimated cost of Rs.78 crore, the flyover would be commissioned by April. Ms. Dikshit said the transport scenario in Delhi would improve significantly with the commissioning of 27 flyovers or underpasses and 31 foot overbridges before the start of the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Apart from this, she said the Delhi Government had also decided to bring fast moving buses, including air-conditioned ones, for city transport. The CM also complimented the PWD for providing quality infrastructure. She said that the new flyover would ensure a smooth flow of Inter-State traffic and reduce commuting time between Delhi and Rohtak. Incidentally, the 1,075-metrelong flyover would also facilitate village-bound traffic.

Just Food

Located bang opposite the Great Kebab Factory and alongside ICICI Bank, Cafe Style, is the latest entrant to Sector 18, having opened it’s doors to the hep and stylish frolickers of Noida. q

Jaya Shukla

F

or Noidaites, the main haunting place is C.S.M and Great India Place. Even the roadside quick bites are good to taste. But with this transition season and the onset of summers, roadside eateries are not a healthy option. Me, a part of Noida frolickers, I frequent the well known Atta Market of Noida regularly. To subside my hunger pangs, my first choice was always Mc Donald’s or Pizza Hut. But, now due to increasing graph of residents in Noida, both these places are usually packed. This time, I was on a look out for a spacious joint to have good food. As I strolled, a board reading ‘Café Style’ grabbed my attention. The name itself gave the assurity of good food with a cool ambience. But, my first step inside took be aback by its unique interiors and simple atmosphere. I was sure that ‘it’ was the right place to be. I could see a little open space outside the Restaurant, kept for coffee, juices etc. The ground floor was exclusively reserved for food and the first floor for party or a big crowd. What I judged was that the highlight of the restaurant was to have food in style. Too much of glamour quotient was involved in the theme. Interesting bit was that their were fashion accessories which one could even purchase, like stole, mask, bike etc. If one wants to organize a party, the hall could accomodate countable people. The fashion 40

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photographs displayed on the walls indicated the motto of the restaurant, i.e dine in style. The best part was that all the waiters are well dressed and have pleasing and warm smile. As he approached me, I enquired about their specialities. With a gentle tone he explained about the two best options for breakfast. One, Obama Style Breakfast and the other, English Style Breakfast. The Obama style meant a heavy breakfast including choice of omellette, croissant sausage, chicken, fruit juice or coffee. There’s a choice of 18 flavours of coffee and many varieties of sandwiches. My friends who accompanied me, ordered a mix of Indian as well as Continental cuisine. Though it was afternoon hours, still I chose to have the Obama style breakfast. The quantity was quiet sufficient and was too filling that I was compelled to share it with others. Every bite gave a different taste. Being a complete meal, still it was so light that one could have it on a daily listing. Sandwiches and coffee were listed in variations. The whole area was quite living due to the music played in the background, which lent a peaceful and calm mood. The Manager of Cafe Style, Mr. Nalin Kumar Saxena, looked very agile by his movements. Out of curiosity I

asked him the reason behind displaying so many accessories. With a nod he said, “A little bit of fun and a little bit of masti with some unforgettable taste is what Café Style wants to give to the people.” Surprisingly one of my friends even purchased few items. All in all, if one wants to have food at an affordable place, Cafe Style is the best option. Mr. Chetan Malik, the owner, truly deserves to be the brain behind the whole concept. Being a youngster himself, he knows what the generation of today really wants. An early breakfast, a never to forget lunch or a peaceful dinner with your pal or family, whatever you want to have choice is yours. Highlights: Timings of the restaurant are very comfortable. One can start the day with a healthy breakfast. Choice of delicacies, fashion accessories with unlimited space. The cover is 80-90. But if one wants to organise a party, 100-120 people could easily accomodate. Cocktails or Mocktails are not in their listing. Meal for two-Rs 800 Timings from 8:00a.m to 11:30 p.m

Café Style K 1, Dharam Palace Opposite The Great Kabab Factory, Sector-18, NOIDA. Tel: 0120-4548472 April 2009  City Cheers

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q

Golden Reejsinghani

Mocktails are always welcome because they beat the red hot heat of summer. They not only quench the thirst but also cool the body and are great energy boosters. Below are some recipes of really cool mocktails which are full of goodness of fruits. So try them out this summer and see how they transport you to snow clad mountain tops. LEMON ECSTASY Ingredients Juice of 6 limes 6 tbsp castor sugar 3 bottles soda 3 cups vanilla ice-cream Fresh mint leaves Method Mix together lime juice and sugar. Add soda and half of the ice-cream. Beat with a beater till the ice-cream is half melted. Put in a serving glass over the crushed ice. Pour the remaining ice-cream on top and decorate with fresh mint leaves. Lemon Ecstasy 42

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ORANGE SODA Ingredients 2 cups chilled orange juice 3 cups soda ¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup milk 3 sticks vanilla ice cream Sugar to taste 1 tbsp grated rind of orange A drop of orange red colour Method Mix together juices, milk, rind and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add 2 cups soda and 2 sticks ice cream. Beat until ice cream is dissolved. Stir in the remaining soda. Serve immediately with a tbsp of ice-cream floating on top.

Fruit Mocktail

FRUIT MOCKTAIL Ingredients 1 cup each of orange, pineapple and grape juice ¼ cup lemon juice ½ cup apple cider 3 cups iced water Sugar to taste Mint leaves Method Combine all the juices with water and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Serve in tall glasses with mint leaves floating on top.

Orange Soda April 2009  City Cheers

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Exclusive

A

q

Jaya Shukla

Sports is an important part of education. For all cricket lovers it’s a die hard passion and is usually seen during the pulsating hours of World Cup matches. Here we are talking about cricket, which sounds interesting, amazing, different and exclusive. This is the cricket organized by ACBI (Association for Cricket for the Blind in India). Here the ball, boundaries as well as the wickets are distinctive, which are ordered keeping in mind the ease of the visually challenged players. The ball used is an audio ball and rules are also adapted. This game of cricket for the blind in India was initiated by the blind themselves. ACBI is a voluntary organization promoting cricket for the blind in India since 1990. It has always been organizing annual, state, zonal and national level tournaments wherein over 150 teams from across the country participate. A little bit of adventure and happiness in their life is the motto of ACBI.

s we interacted with Mr. George Abraham (Chairman) ACBI, we were allured to question him further about the initiation and the motto of this challenging sport. “I am a passionate Cricket lover since my childhood days. I first picked up the bat at the age of 5 and then on dreamt to be a player. As a child, I always aimed to be a good fast bowler, as there were very few fast bowlers in India that time. But due to poor vision I was unable to participate. In 1989, during my visit to Dehradun I found the visually challenged school boys playing cricket. It made me feel that even blind people could also play cricket equally well. I was a regular listener of Cricket Commentaries and enjoyed doing so.” Not touching too much to his sensitive chords, my next question was, if being handicapped was a negative factor in one’s life. With a deep pause and thoughtful gesture he replied ,“Sports is a valuable, interesting and an engaging way to develop thinking as well as psychological and leadership qualities among people. I thought it could be a platform for the blind people to show their talent. And it indeed turned out to be a good platform to show ones passion and unity to the world. Actually it was unbelievable to all that even a visually challenged person could play cricket as a normal person does.” This forced me to think as of how could he have brought people together for such a challenging task. As my mind was building up queries, he continued, “Gradually people became aware and then they started participating from different parts of the country. We held many activities which are a wonderful way of providing exposure to the people. After my Dehradun visit I realized that this game should be promoted at various levels, even to a status of an International level.” Cricket with blind people is awesome to watch. There are many interesting twists and turns in

between the matches. It is usually said that people with disabilities have a sixth sense and are very sensitive in terms of their reaction and work. Sharing his experiences, Mr. George in a firm posture stated, “In 1990, First National Tournament was held in Delhi followed by Bangalore in 1991”. Third National Tournament was held in 1993, in Ahmedabad. A year after that, in 1994, Zonal and National tournament was held. An International conference on cricket for the blind was held in New Delhi in 1996. Delegates from Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India participated. An international set of rules and equipments were drawn up. ACBI was established in the same year and World Blind Cricket Council was formed. India hosted the first two World Cups in 1998 and 2002 in Delhi and Chennai respectively. In 2005, Pakistan came to India for about five match series. In 2006 in the 3rd World Cup organized in Islamabad, India lost to Pakistan in finals. And in 2007 again, India went to England for five matches.” “During the matches, curiosity level was instrumental in bringing the players closer to each other.They get so enthused, that every game turned out be a great competition. If you talk about their senses, naturally speaking there are no such senses at all. It’s just a form of adaptation. When one sense doesn’t work one must compel himself to be dependent on other senses.” As Mr. George spoke it seemed that the whole task was so easy going for him. But as everyone knows the complete thing might have taken days of planning and financial involvement too. Earlier the biggies who sponsored were Brooke Bond and Coca Cola. Taking the sponsorship subject further, he affirmed,“Kanishka World Cup in Delhi was sponsored by Kanishka Hotel supported by ITDC. It was the major sponsor in 1998. In 2002, the World Cup match in Chennai was possible only due to the support given by Petroleum Companies. Seven countries, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa had participated then. Petroleum and Kanishka World Cup were the Government bodies from the Ministry of Petroleum and Tourism.” So much happening in this mode of cricket and many unaware about it, is surprising. With the presence of so many Sports Channels, this game is doomed. The reason behind it being

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Coach Noor Mohammad: I am here since 15 years. ACBI is a government organization. It has a good scope but the basic problem is the lack of support towards visually challenged people and the funds. People who are in different categories of B1, B2, and B3 should be treated in a balanced way. There are two parts involved. The first one is the coaching where beginners are taught about batting, bowling, fielding and catching. And the second one is the training where players are trained for matches and their physical fitness. Here the training is again different because only sound is used. infamous, Mr. George commented, “Earlier cricket was followed only via radio commentary and the commentators of those times were equally good. Blind people also listened to the radio with the same interest level. Today, the media and the T.V. are much commercialized. Due to lack of commercialization, this game has not come to its expectation. Media is driven commercially. People assume that the TRPs would also not be very high, if they show the visually challenged playing cricket. But AIR always covers our cricket.” Apart from the game shouldn’t the players be promoted, was my query. “I am involved with ACBI since 18 years. People like to play and participate in these tournaments. There is now requirement to strengthen the organization structure or the game at National and International level.” Knowing more about the quality of the players and the high management levels in terms of players, Mr. George stated that, “A team has three categories. Four people in first level who are completely blind. Three people at the second level having 2 /60 vision. Remaining four are in between 2/60 and 6/60. It’s very challenging to prepare a team with all these three categories involved. But it all happens with ease.” Without the support of the Government no game can be promoted at an International level. In a low and humble voice came the reply, “We did have support from the Government during the World Cup. But, on a day to day basis we aren’t getting any support from anywhere.” Elaborating more about ACBI, he said that,“ACBI is totally an Indian Organization. D. Ranganathan 46

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(Secretary), Vikram Dalmia, Joseph de Mello, Mahantesh, Dr Panchal are the key people behind ACBI.” No game or venture is complete without an ambassador supporting the brand. “In 2005, V.V.S Laxman was the Brand Ambassador. Presently we are thinking of introducing some more Brand Ambassadors. But no names can be declared right now.” What are the future plans? He said, “Since last two years I am planning about restructuring the body. We need to have people in the board who bring skill and money into it in a more viable way. Our aim is to have an organization to ensure blind people that they may play cricket regularly.” Many other factors, like the criterion behind selection of the players and the coaches, fitness of the players and any .“Four players are specific facility was a big question selected from different parts of the country. Two extra players in each category are also required. 4, 3 and 4 are the ratio plus two extras. In total there are 19 people from one side. One coach and a manager is also appointed. We select players through different tournaments. Best 17 are chosen. Then they are sent for a complete eye checkup and medical checkup, to be suited to our eligibility criterion. After the selection procedure, we have a 15-20 days camp for fitness, sessions for warm-ups, push-ups & practicing cricket. There are physiotherapists to take care of our players.” Nothing much to say and nothing more to know, he concluded,“We hope the next World Cup will be either held in 2010 or 2011, but not in the sub-continent.”

Captain Manvender Singh: I have captained the team since 2002. BCCI board organizes cricket at National and International level. ACBI is lacking its maintenance due to the funds, as there are no such organizations which are looking after it. There is no upper body for support, fund and recognition that makes tournaments and sponsors. ACBI will go in a dim light if not supported well. Our cricket is different as here verbal instructions are given. As it’s a totally sound based game we categorize batsman, bowler and wicket keeper as per their eye sight. A good captain must posses many qualities like: he should be calm and cool minded in all circumstances, must have a good sense of humour, must know each and every player and give proper importance to all equally as well as he must know the combination well.

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CONTEST NO.15

Ph.:...................................

Email:................................

.........................................

Address:............................

Age:..................................

ENTRY COUPON CITY CHEERS CONTEST NO.15 April 09 Name:...............................

ANSWERS TO CITY CHEERS CONTEST NO. 14 1. Lumbini, 2. Jerusalam, 3. Kimberley in South Africa, 4. Vienna, 5. Avocado, 6. USA, 7. September 08, 8. 21st June, 9. Mr. India, 10. Kodaikanal and Ooty

RULES FOR CONTEST NO. 15 (April ‘09) Participants should be between 8-18 yrs. Last date for receiving entries for Contest no. 15 is 25th April ‘09. Post to A&A Communication Pvt. Ltd., B-16, Sector 49, Noida-201304. Entries shall be accepted only along with entry coupon CC contest no. 15 in original. Prize money for correct entries is 1st (500 Rs.), 2nd (250 Rs.), and 3rd (100 Rs.). Winners of 1st, 2nd & 3rd prize shall be decided by draw of lots only. Answers of Contest No. 15 and name of the winners shall be published in CC May ‘09 issue. Editor’s decision shall be final for answers in this contest. NOTE: *Contest has total 10 questions. Q1-Q8 are general & Q9-Q10 are from previous issue of City Cheers (February ‘09) * Previous issues of City Cheers are available at a discounted price of Rs. 20/-per issue (April‘08-March‘09)

 How much distance the light travels in one year ?  Who discovered the force of gravity?  In which book scientist Galileo described his observations of space?  Which substance on the Earth is commonly found in all three states – Solid, Liquid and Gas.  Which bone in the human body is jokingly called ‘The Funny Bone’?  Who invented detergents?  What is added to drinking water to prevent tooth decay?  What is added to the water in swimming pool to kill bacteria and giving the water a greenish-blue tinge?  Who are well known Kuchipudi duo?  Which poet wrote the patriotic song ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’?

Think Tank

Giraffes live in Africa, south of Sahara, with a few trees and bushes and close to acacia trees on which they feed. They avoid grasslands because of their eating habits and large size which makes them conspicuous in open. Giraffes are the world’s tallest animal with its massive neck and long legs. Male and female giraffes are 5.3m & 4.3m high. They live in small groups of upto 12 females and their calves. Adult males live apart and visit the herd only for mating. Occasionally though for few days or hours, they gather together to make a large group of upto 70 animals. Features of a Giraffe Giraffe’s massive shoulder blades carry huge muscles that support its head and long neck. Its fore legs are almost 2m long and longer than its hind legs. Its neck is about 2m long, very flexible and has 7 bones, but of larger size. Both male and female giraffes have a pair of short stubby horns (about 30cm long in adult males). Some giraffes, have a third horn in the middle and some even 5 horns. Giraffe’s coat making has its own unique pattern from regular geometrical shape to irregular fuzzy-edge pattern. The coat

markings help the giraffe to camouflage. Giraffe’s lips are thick and rubbery with saliva. It protects the tongue of giraffe which is so tough that it can wrap around the vicious thorns of acacia trees, to grab twigs. Giraffes have long tail with coarse hairs to deter flies. Giraffe has an exceptional good eyesight. Browsing and Drinking Giraffes eat shoots, flowers, leaves, bark and fruits and small twigs of even at the top of the tree. Giraffe’s height and long neck helps it in browsing. Giraffes never eat grass. The height of giraffe causes it a problem in drinking. For that, it has to either bend its knees or extend its forelegs out on either side. This awkward posture reduces its field of vision and leaves it vulnerable to attack. Other Facts While walking giraffes move their two legs of one side alternately. While running they can gallop along faster than the speediest racehorse. A baby giraffe, when born is very wobbly on its legs and so cannot standup for at least half an hour. The lifespan of a giraffe is about 25 years.

Travelogue

Mud Fort at Kuchesar

I

t is not always necessary that an exotic place makes an exciting holiday spot. More often than not some of these places are over-hyped. However, an ofttrodden run-of-the-mill location can sometimes become a truly fabulous place to unwind, let down your hair and generally have a relaxing time. We re-discovered this last month when my wife and I decided to visit Bhimtal and its environs for a short getaway. We had been to Nainital before but during that trip had not taken in various places of interest around this hill station. We left Noida at 7 in the morning of a rather cold and 48

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overcast February day. Although the weather was a bit of a dampener (pun unintended) it had a positive side to it, in that there was hardly any traffic on the NH24. I myself was driving, and with Lata Mangeshkar’s old songs on the car stereo to keep us company, we made good time up to a place called Chopala beyond Hapur. From there we turned right off the highway and after 6-7 kms reached what is known as the Mud Fort at Kuchesar. Some people we know had talked about it and out of curiosity we also wanted to see the place. The unusual fort, made of mud as its name suggests and built by Jat rulers more than 2 centuries ago, has now been turned into a hotel.

Garh Mukteshwar

picnic of our trip. It was simply beautiful -acres and acres of sugarcane, wheat and mustard fields behind us and the River Ganga flowing majestically in front of where we had perched ourselves. There were no sounds at all except for the twittering of birds, and the whole atmosphere was so pristine that we were reminded of our days in the tea gardens of Assam - unadulterated peace and solitude. After a refreshing break we were again on our way. There is a fair amount of road-development work currently in progress on NH 24, with the result that in certain patches, lasting for several miles, the condition of the highway is absolutely pathetic. On the day of our travel the diversions were full of rainwater and we were almost crawling along, with our average speed having come down to less than 20 kms per hour. We bypassed Moradabad, crept through the congested towns of Rampur and Bilaspur, finally reaching Rudrapur where We were shown round the property by an employee who we stopped for lunch. The last time we had visited this narrated the history of the fort and gave us a public District Headquarters of the newly-created Udham Singh avatar. We Nagar district, it was just developing into an industrial relations tour of the hotel in its present assured him that we would come and spend a weekend town. Within a short span of about 10 years, however, there next winter. Rudrapur can now boast of a large number of From Kuchesar we drove back towards the highway and manufacturing plants having been set up by prestigious soon reached Garh Mukteshwar, a holy town that is likely companies. Further up the road we passed the reputed to be developed into another Haridwar. We crossed the Govind Ballabhbhai Pant Agricultural University at Ganga and stopped to have our breakfast. My wife had Pantnagar (where till some years ago I was routinely carried sandwiches and a flask of hot coffee. I on my part invited as a guest faculty at the College of Agri-Business had put a rattan chattai in the car, which I spread on the Management to address MBA students). We also saw the grass by the riverside for what turned out to be the first newly-established Tata Motors’ swanky plant from where April 2009  City Cheers

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approached Haldwani and a short distance later Kathgodam, the last station on the railway line from Delhi. After that the road became steep and we entered the Kumaon Hills of Uttaranchal Pradesh, or Uttarakhand as the locals prefer to call their state.

Bhimtal Naukuchiatal

The drive from Kathgodam onwards to Nainital and Almora is very picturesque. The rain had increased in intensity and soon we were confronted with a hailstorm although the stones were not large. By now it had started getting dark and I was apprehensive that should our car have a breakdown we would be in serious trouble. But as they say, “fortune favours the brave” and we weathered the storm to reach the fork in the road from where to go to Nainital one keeps going straight and to go to Bhimtal and Almora one has to turn right. We were booked in a resort that lies 3 kilometres from Bhimtal. Just before reaching the town, as we were driving along the lake, we had to take a sharp turn to the left and drive up a pebbled kutcha road. The drive to our hotel that lies another 2 kilometres from this point was very steep and circuitous. I had to focus on keeping the car safely on the narrow road whereas my wife was deep in prayer invoking the gods to help us reach our destination in one piece! We finally did so at 4 in the afternoon, her prayers having gratefully been answered. It had taken us 9 hours of driving, the total distance covered being just 302 kilometres.

At the resort we were allotted a gabled cottage comprising a bedroom with an attached bathroom, a living room, a small dining area and a kitchenette nothing ornate, but comfortable and functional. After we had unpacked we sat down to have tea. I switched the first Nano car is likely to roll out next month. on the TV and while watching a news channel our interest was immediately drawn to an announcement that There was a sudden increase in vehicular traffic near since that morning there had been very heavy snowfall in Lalkua, mainly trucks and tractors. We saw scores of Nainital during which 2 students had died, and the town lorries laden with wooden logs and a large number of was cut off from all sides. No wonder it was so bitterly tractor-trolleys loaded with sugarcane, headed toward chilly where we were staying. While walking up to the saw-mills and sugar-mills respectively. On the sides of the restaurant in the main building for dinner later in the highway one can see poplar and eucalyptus plantations, evening we were hit by the skin-piercing gusts of cold both catering to the paper industry. It was the logs of winds. Our hotel was situated in an oak forest, so the these trees that were being carted by the trucks. With so chill factor must have been quite high. many heavy vehicles on the road, driving had become difficult, especially since it had started raining again. When we got up the following morning we were Anyhow, we were soon clear of the traffic as we pleasantly surprised to see the sun shining brightly in an 50

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absolutely clear sky. There were no tell-tale signs of the previous day’s inclement weather. As we drove down the kutcha road it did not seem ominous and threatening as it had the day before. We went to the lake and like most tourists decided to take a boat-ride. There is a small island with a restaurant in this beautiful lake which is larger than the lake in Nainital. After some time we left our car and decided to walk to the town. Although it was sunny there was a definite nip in the air and we enjoyed our stroll. Bhimtal, which lies at a height of 4500 feet above MSL, takes its name after Bheem, one of the Pandavas. Its salubrious climate attracts tourists all the year round. There were no decent restaurants where we could sit down to have a bite, but as we walked up the road leading to Nainital we came across a beautiful resort by the roadside. We sauntered in, to be greeted by lovely gardens full of multi-coloured flowers of myriad species. The main building had an indoor swimming pool with a restaurant adjacent to it. The lunch served to us was simply delicious, with the head chef having taken personal interest in ensuring that the dishes we ordered were perfectly prepared. After a thoroughly satisfying meal we walked around the town and returned to collect our car parked by the lake. From Bhimtal we drove toward another lake - Naukuchiatal - some 4 kms away. This pretty lake, lying in a beautiful valley, has 9 corners. We had heard that there is paragliding facility nearby, so we drove up to the take-off point. Even if I had any preconceived plans of going paragliding they were quickly dispelled when we saw a dubious-looking ramshackle shanty that purported to be the “office” of the paragliding people. I can only presume their safety standards must be very high otherwise they would have been forced to close down by now, but seeing the set-up I do not think many persons would want to risk their lives jumping off a cliff with one of their experts. From Naukuchiatal we drove back to Bhimtal and onwards to Bhowali. This town lies midway between Bhimtal and Nainital and is situated at a height of about 5700 feet. Because it is on the sheltered side of the mountain it gets snow while Bhimtal does not. As we drove into the

town we were elated to see thick sheets of snow everywhere, from the roads to the rooftops to the trees in the woods. It was a truly spectacular sight. We were advised by a policeman that the 2 other roads from Bhowali - one going to Nainital and the other to Mukteshwar - were both closed on account of the previous day’s heavy snowfall, but efforts were being made to clear them. Bhowali after all is a major centre for export of fruits such as apples, plums, apricots and pears, and it is commercially undesirable to have the town cut off from the rest of the country for too long. By now it was getting dark so we decided to return to our hotel.

Nainital The Mall Road

Naukuchiatal lakes which were comparatively lifeless.

Snow view of the Himalayas

Sat Tal

The Mall which runs along one side of the lake has a promenade where one can take a leisurely walk or sit down on a bench to savour the beauty of the lake with ducks and swans swimming in the crystal clear water. The local administration some time back had installed an oxygenation plant in the lake to keep the water fresh, resulting in increased fish population. We found the water much cleaner than that of the other 2 lakes we had visited. As we were walking down the Mall we came across a restaurant with a rather unusual name. I immediately rang up our 8-year old grand-daughter to tell her that we had just purchased a restaurant in Nainital and had decided to call it after the way she addresses my wife and me. We told her that we had named it “Nanu Nani ka Vegetarian Restaurant” and had taken photographs of it to show her. She initially believed us until our daughter told her that we were just kidding her! By the way, a restaurant by that name does actually exist on the Mall.

There is a ropeway from the Mall to a point called Snow View which offers a spectacular view of the Himalayas. If you are lucky you might on a clear day be able to see Nanda Devi, the second highest peak in India. We had taken the ropeway ride during our earlier visit, so we decided to give it a miss this time and instead drove up Tonnochy Road towards a place called Kilbury about 10 kms from the lake. The previous day’s snow was all over the place - the road, covered with at least 1 foot of snow, had become unmotorable whereas the forest on the side had about 2-3 feet of snow. There were dozens of cars and SUVs parked with well over a hundred men, women and children frolicking in the snow. We too joined in the revelry and realised that we The following morning my wife prepared breakfast in the were perhaps the oldest couple amongst all the people kitchenette using the groceries that we had picked up in there. An enterprising local teenager had set up a Bhowali the day earlier. For lunch we asked our hotel’s makeshift stall selling hot tea and coffee and also Maggi chef to pack some sandwiches, cutlets and coffee for us, noodles! and soon we were off to Nainital 22 kms away, reaching the city in less than an hour. Nainital owes its name to After a thoroughly enjoyable and rejuvenating one hour Naini Lake around which the town is situated at a height we drove back towards the town and stopped a couple of of about 6500 feet. According to Hindu mythology the kilometres short near a clearing in the woods. We took eyes of the goddess Sati (here known as Naina) fell here, out the chattai and the basket and sat down for a picnic. hence the name. The town was discovered in 1841 and From where we had set ourselves we were accorded a the first Englishman to live there was one Mr P. Barrow, breathtaking view of the lake below us with the snow-clad a sugar merchant from Shahjahanpur. There was a lot of mountains beyond. It was simply beautiful and heavenly. activity in and around the lake, so unlike the Bhimtal and We returned to our hotel in time for evening tea. The 52

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resort has a machan on a tree-top about 20 feet above ground-level, with a couple of tables and accompanying chairs set on the platform. Both my wife and I clambered up the steep wooden ladders, albeit with difficulty, but the effort was worth the trouble. A waiter served us tea and cookies. Below us in the tiled courtyard a game of tennis ball cricket was in progress, being played by some guests and employees of the hotel.

and for us there couldn’t have been a more romantic setting for celebrating Valentine’s Day.

We checked out the following morning after an early breakfast. On our way to Noida we stopped every now and then for refreshments. Any return journey is always more boring and unexciting than the onward one because there is nothing to look forward to, more so if one is taking the same route back. As they say, “all good things must come The next day we wanted to visit Mukteshwar, said to be a to an end”, and so was the case with our trip. We had a perfectly enjoyable and relaxing holiday in the Lake very pretty hill station at a height of about 7500 feet, District of Uttarakhand, having gone there in the lean which has the reputation of offering magnificent and period. If one is looking for a peaceful break why go to a incredible views of the Himalayas. The hotel Manager, holiday destination during peak season? As such there is however, informed us that Mukteshwar was still under a so much shor-sharaba in the cities where we live, so why thick blanket of snow and was unapproachable, so we shelved the idea of visiting the place. Instead we decided go at a time when the place is teeming with tourists? If one to have another picnic, this time at Sat Tal. The chef was feels more comfortable being amidst loads of people and requested to pack a dry lunch along with coffee, and once a cacophony of all kinds of noises then one should instead try walking through the lanes of Sadar Bazaar or Kotla he had done so we left for Sat Tal, reaching the place in Mubarakpur in Delhi! about 45 minutes. As the name suggests, Sat Tal is a group of 7 small lakes called Garuda, Ram, Sita, Laxman, Hanuman, Bhiyun and Sukha lakes. These beautiful Rhododendrons water-bodies are surrounded by thickly forested hills covered with oak, pine and various species of rhododendron. The rhododendron flower is the State Flower of Uttarakhand and because of its beauty is used for ornamental purposes. It is also processed into juice and wine. Not far from the place where we had sat down for our picnic was a shack, with the owner selling rhododendron juice. We tried the magenta-coloured nectar and found it absolutely delicious, a befitting accompaniment to the very nice lunch that the hotel chef had packed for us. The atmosphere was so serenely peaceful that my wife and I just lay on the mat staring at the clear blue sky, only to be awakenedout of our reverie about an hour later by the warbling of ducks in the lake. Totally refreshed, we got up to return to our hotel. Incidentally, that particular day was the 14th of February, Vinay Sarup is a retired Chief Executive (Farms Division) of a New Delhi based company with national presence. Earlier he had worked in other well-reputed organisations, his total experience being over 35 years. He did the first half of his schooling at Modern School, New Delhi, and the latter part at a school in London. He is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, 1970 batch. One of Mr Sarup's hobbies is travelling, and he has been doing so within India and abroad for nearly 50 years! Among other things, he now spends his time visiting new places and writing about his various travels.

CC Diary HOTELS - 5 STAR Hotel Vasant Continental Basant Lok, Vasant Vihar New Delhi-110057 Ph:(11)-2614 8800 The Oberoi Maidens 7 - Sham Nath Marg New Delhi-110054 Ph: (11)-23890505, 23975464 Hotel Samrat 50B, Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri New Delhi. Ph:(11)-26110606 The Manor 77 Friends Colony (West) New Delhi - 110 065 Ph:(11)-26925151, 26927510 Sherton Delhi District Centre, Saket New Delhi - 110 017 Ph:(11)-42661122 Grand Hotel Nelson Mandela Road Vasant Kunj Phase-II New Delhi - 110 070 Ph:(11)26771234 Qutub Hotel Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg New Delhi - 110 016 Ph: (11)26521010/26521234 The Ambassadors Sujan Singh Park Cornwallis Road, New Delhi - 110 003 Ph:(11)-24632600 Metropolitan Hotel Nikko Near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, CP, Kali Mandir Road New Delhi - 110 001 Ph:(11)-4250 0200 Hotel Siddharth 3, Rajendra Place New Delhi - 110008 Ph:(11)-25760000, 43662501 The Claridges 12, Aurangzeb Road New Delhi - 110 011 Ph:(11)-4133 5133 The Bristol Hotel Adj. to DLF Qutab Enclave Phase - I, Gurgaon - 122 002 Haryana (India) Ph: (124)-4351111 / 2356030 Raddisson Hotel L-2, Sector-18, Noida Uttar Pradesh (India) Ph:120-4300000 Hotel Rajhans Suraj Kund, Faridabad-9, Haryana, Ph:(129)-2512843 Taj Palace 2, Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi - 110021 Ph:(11)-26110202

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ITC Hotel Maurya Sheraton 21, Diplomatic Enclave, Sadar Patel Marg, New Delhi-21 Ph:(11)-26112233/26113333 Park Royal Intercontinental Eros, Nehru Place, New Delhi - 19 Ph:(11)-26223344 Centaur Hotel IGI Airport, Gurgaon Road, New Delhi - 37, Ph:(11)-25652223,25696660 Hotel Uppal Orchid NH 8, Near IGI Airport, New Delhi - 110 037 Ph:(11)-25061515/41511515 Hotel Shangri-la 19 Ashok rd, Connaught Place Delhi 110001 India Phone: 11-4119-1919 HOTELS - 4 STAR Rajdoot Hotel 13-B Jangpura, Mathura Road, New Delhi - 110 014 Ph: (11)-24376666 Hotel Vikram Ring Road, Lajpat Nagar IV New Delhi - 110 024 Ph: 011-46515151 (100 lines) Hotel Diplomat 9, Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave New Delhi - 110 021 Ph:(11)-23010204 Ashok Country Resort Rajokri Road Kapashera, New Delhi - 37 Ph:(11)-2506 459099, 25063195, 25063295 Hans Plaza 15, Barakhamba Road Connaught Place New Delhi - 110001 Ph:(11)-23316868 Hotel Kanishka Palace 7A/1 WEA, Chana Market Karol Bagh,New Delhi-110 005 Ph:011-32904072 Hotel Gold Regency 4350, Main Bazar, Paharganj, Opp. New Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi-110 055 Ph:(11)-23562101/23585556/ 23581783 Hotel Connaught 37, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, New Delhi-110 001 Hotel Marina G-59, Connaught Circus New Delhi - 110 001 Ph:(11)-23324658 Hotel Alka M 20, Outer Circle, Connaught Place New Delhi - 110 001 Ph:(11)-23416680, 23414028 HOTELS - 3 STAR

Grand Sartaj A-3, Green Park, Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi - 110 016 Ph:(11)-26857660/62/64/66 Residency Resort USI Premises, Rao Tula Ram Marg, New Delhi - 110010 Ph:(11)-2615-5551/52/53 Legend Inn E-4, East of Kailash, Near Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi-110065 Ph:(11)-26216111/ 26216112 Parth International Hotel 8A/48, W.E.A. Channa Market, Karol Bagh, Behind Pusa Road, New Delhi - 10005 Ph: 11-5721008/ 5731008 Hotel Broadway 4/15 A, Asaf Ali Road New Delhi - 110 002 Ph: (11)-43663600 Hotel Sobti 2397, Hardhian Singh Road, Karol Bagh New Delhi - 110 005 Ph: (11)-28759030, 28752028 York Hotel K-10, Outer Circle Connaught Place, New Delhi - 110 001 Ph:(11)-23415769/41513113 Nirula's Hotel K-Block, Connaught Circus New Delhi - 110 001 Ph:(11)-23417419 Janpath Hotel Janpath Road, Near CP New Delhi-110 001 Ph:(11)-23340070/23340666 Jukaso Inn 50, Sunder Nagar New Delhi - 110 001 Ph:(11)-24350308/0309 Jageer Palace C-6/1, Mansrover Garden Ring Road (Mayapuri Chowk) New Delhi - 110 015 Ph:(11)-25412939, 25934500, 65464302 Tourist Deluxe 7361, Ram Nagar, Qutab Road, Near New Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi-55 Ph: 011 - 23670985 Hotel President 4/23 B, Asaf Ali Road New Delhi - 110 002 Lodhi Hotel Lala Lajpat Rai Marg New Delhi - 110 003 Pals Inn 29/6, East Patel Nagar (Main Market), New Delhi-8 Ph:(11)-25785310/25732835 Bill Palace 7A/18,W.E.A.Channa Market,

Karol Bagh, New Delhi-5 Ph:(11)-25712571, 25712397 Hotel Shanti Palace A 67, Near IGI Airport, Mahipalpur Ext., New Delhi-37 Ph:(11)-26781271-76 Hotel Ranjit Maharaja Ranjit Singh Marg, NH8, New Delhi - 110 002 Welcome Palace 5/5, Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Pahar Ganj, New Delhi-55 Ph:(11)-41541045, 4154106 Surya Continental Hotel J -14, Community Centre, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi-27, Ph:(11)-25468808, 25468809 Asian International Janpath Lane, New Delhi-1 Ph:(11)-23340101, 43590100 Shipra Hotel C-1, Sector-18, Noida-201301 Ph:(120)-4025000 Best Western Resort Counrty Club Pachgaon, Mohammad Pur Road, Near Manesar Dist Gurgaon-122105. Ph: 9810070001, 9810784996 The Heritage Village Village Manesar Jaipur National Highway No. 8 Gurgaon - 122 001, Ph:(124)2290305, 2290711-18 Country Touch Tourist Resort Village-Badshahpur, P.O. Bhondsi, Gurgaon-127101 Ph:(124)-2361212, 2361258 Apra Motels 32nd Milestone Hotel, Delhi-Jaipur Bypass, Chander Nagar, Gurgaon-122001 Ph:(124)-2332571-75 Shipra Hotel A-8, Ambedkar Marg Ghaziabad - 201 001 Uttar Pradesh (India) Ph:(120)-2793625, 2793642 Hotel Delite 17 - 18, Neelam Bata Road, N.I.T, Faridabad - 121 001 Ph:(129)-4021073, 2427673 Mahalakshmi Palace Hotel 68, N.I.T., Neelam Bata Road Faridabad - 121 001 Ph: (129)-2411110, 4008882 EMBASSIES / HIGH COMMISSIONS / CONSULATES Afghanistan: 26883601/2, 24103331,24100412 Australia: 41399900,41221000 Bangladesh: 24121389-91 Belgium: 42428000 Bhutan: 26889808/09/07, 26889230

Brazil: 23017301 Cambodia: 26495092 Canada: 41782000/100, 41782041/45 Chile: 24617270/165/123, 24632276 China: 26112345/86 Colombia: 41662106/05/09, 41162103/5 Croatia: 41663101/2/3, 26876871 Czech: 26110318/382, 26886218 Danish Royal (Denmark): 43090700 Egypt: 26114096/7 Finland: 41497500/535/550 France: 24196100/300 German Democratic Republic: 44199199 Greece: 26880700/1/2/3 Iran: 23713703, 23329600/1/2 Iraq: 26149085/746/034 Ireland: 24626733/41/43 Israel: 23015316, 30414500 Italy: 26114355/6/9 Japan: 26876564/81/82/83 Kenya: 26146537/38/40 North Korea: 29219644 South Korea: 26885374/76 Kuwait: 24100791 Lebanon: 2301-3637/3174 Libya: 24697717/71 Malaysia: 26111291/93/97 Malta: 9323, 683-1718 Mauritius: 24102161/62/63/52 Mexico: 24117180/82/83/84 Morrocco: 24636920/21/23/24 Myanmar: 24678822/23, 26889007/8 Namibia: 26140389/390/891, 26144772, 26155481 Nepal Royal Nepalese Embassy: 23329218/7361/ 9969/8066 Netherlands: 26884951-54 New Zealand: 26883170 Nigeria: 24122141/42/43/44 Norway: 41779200 Pakistan: 24676004/8467, 26110601/2/5 Philippines: 24101120, 26889091/190, 26110152 Portugal: 46071001/5 Romania: 26140700/447 Russia: 26873799/800/802, 26110640/2 Saudi Arabia: 26144073/093/ 102/083 Singapore: 46000800 Socialist Republic of Vietnam: 301-8059/2133 South Africa: 26148607, 26149411/2 Spain: 41293000 Srilanka: 23010201/2/3 Sudan: 26873185/785 Sweden: 44197100

Switzerland: 26878372/73/74, 26878534 Syria: 26148298, 26140233, 26142822 Shri Lanka Republic Of High Commission: 23010201/2/3, 23017498 Tanzania: 24122864/24122865 Thailand: 605679, 6118103/04 Trinidad & Tobago: 46007500 Turkey: 26889053/4, 24101921 U A E: 26872937/822, 24670830/945 U S A: 24198000, 24190017 Uganda: 26145817, 2614560 Ukraine: 26146041/2,41662001 UK (Britain): 687-2161/2 Venezuela: 41680218/19 Vietnam: 23018059/2133 Yugoslavia: 6873661/2073/ 2095/3662 Zambia: 26145785/883/830, 26145880-83 Zimbabwe: 26140430/431, 26154313/4 24 HOUR CABS Delhi Radio Cabs: 44333222 National callers prefix city code 011 and International callers put country code (091-11) Mega Cabs: 1929, 41414141 Metro Cab: 1923 Easy Cabs: 43434343 Dial-a-Cab: 29813600 CAR RENTALS: Hertz Carz On Rent 41520992, 43581212 Eco Rent A Car 41550515 , 9810323241 Avis Car Rental 23890707 Orbitzz Travels 9811760750 CUSTOMER CARE NUMBERS: Hutch Vodafone 111 (toll free) from Vodafone or 9811098110 from any phone. IDEA Dial 12345 from idea mobiles Airtel 121 from Airtel phone. New Delhi No.: 91-11-41666000 MTNL/BSNLPhone 1800 11 1211 (toll free from MTNL/BSNL) or [City code] + 39026686 (local charges extra) BSNL Broad Band Customer Care No.: 18004241600 Reliance Mobile 3033 3333 Or dial *333 from Reliance Mobile SpiceJet From BSNL/MTNL: 1800 180 3333 or 919871803333 IDBI Bank 022- 66937000

ICICI Bank Delhi (Mobile): 9818178000 Delhi (landline): 41718000 CITI Bank Delhi: 2542484 From Delhi 95 124 256 7733 From any other location 0124 256 4653 HSBC Bank Bank related queries: 2373 8989 Credit card related: 2373 9696 HDFC Bank Phone banking numbers: Delhi & NCR (011) 4151 4332 Standard Chartered Bank Phone Banking New Delhi 3940 4444 / 6601 4444 Deutsche Bank 6601 6601 (From Gurgaon / Noida prefix 9511) Punjab National Bank 1800 180 2222, 0124-2340000 (from other landlines and GSM) SBI Bank Credit Card: 1800 180 1290 (only on BSNL & MTNL Line) LIC: Call - 1251 or New Delhi 011 - 2332 9595 OTHER IMPORTANT NUMBERS: Ambulance: 102 Blood Bank: AIIMS: 26588700 Red Cross: 23711551 Indian Railways General Enquiry: 131 Indian Airlines General Enquiry: 1400 Airport: Domestic: 25661000 25661080 International: 25602000 Airport Enquiries: Arrival: 144/142 Cancellation: 148 Departure: 145/143 General Inquiry: 140 Just Dial: 011-22222222 24 Hr. Maruti On-Road Service: (MOS) 9622-9622-00 Accident & Trauma Service: 1099 HOSPITALS AIIMS 26588500/26588700 Bara Hindu Rao 23919738 Deen Dayal Upadhyaya 25494403/04/08 Sir Ganga Ram Hospital 25750000/25861463 Maharaja Agrasan 25226645/46/47 Meta Chanan Dev 25554487 LNJP 23233400 Moolchand 42000000 Max Medcentre 27158844 Ram Manohar Lohia 23365525 Safdarjung 26165060/32 Escorts 26825000 G. B. Pant Hospital 23234242

Apollo Hospital 26925858/01 Institute For The Physically Handicapped 23234242 St. Stephens 23966021/27 Sant Parmanand Hospitals 23981260, 23983928 Dr. B.L. Kapoor Memorial 25719282/25742342 Smt. Sucheta Kriplani 23363728 AIDS Dignostic Centra 26441826/26419531 National Chest Institute 26964044 Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute 27051011-29 Institute for Physically Handicapped 23233672, 23236378 Sunder Lal Jain Hospital 27119964-69, 27221124 G. T. B. Hospital 22586262 H. Jain Hospital & Maternity Home 25551507 Hans Charitable 27211959 Healing Touch Hospital 26852583/26569951 Holy Angels Hospital 24100561, 24102832 Holy Family 26845900-09 Indian Spinal Injuries Ctr. 26896642, 26894884, 26898448 Jaipur Golden 27525984/88 Jeewan Nursing Home & Hospital 25851902 Kalra Hospital & Shri Ram Heart Inst. 26414156/57 Khetrapal 25923139-44 Kolmet 25752055/56/57 Lifeline 22222226, 22230001 Lions Hospital & Research Ctr. 26831265, 26833879 M. P. Heart Ctr. 29234830 Metro Hospital & Heart Institute 28558761 National Heart Institute 26415065 North Delhi Nursing Home 27422131, 27133787, 27452450 Pushpawati Singhania Research Instt. 29252516 Rajput Hospital 25705679 Sanjeevan Medical Research Ctr.(P) Ltd. 23265515, 23257143, 23257144 Sondhi Charitable Hospital Society 22795237/22755993/22750380 Vasant Lok Hospital 26149423, 26149422, 26142730 Veeranwali Intl. Hospital 24676380, 24676421 Vimhans Hospital 29849010-13 Virmani Hospital 22779232, 22774748, 9810002667 Zed Hospital Ltd. 28542345 April 2009  City Cheers

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Remembrance

22nd April 1914 - 5 Nov 2008

“Blessed was the day when he embraced the silver screen By portraying life which the human race always seen B.R.Chopra was the name of that gentle soul Who helped many a star score millions of goal!”

B

aldev Raj Chopra (B.R. Chopra) was an Indian director and producer of Bollywood movies and television serials. Mostly known for Hindi social films like Naya Daur (1957), Kanoon (1961), Gumrah (1963) and Humraz (1967), plus the mega TV Series, Mahabharat in the late 1980s. He was awarded the highest award in Indian cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1998. His brother Yash Chopra, son Ravi Chopra and nephew Aditya Chopra are also directors in the Bollywood industry. Born in Ludhiana, Baldev Raj received an M.A. in English literature from Lahore University. He started his career in 1938 as a film journalist with Cine Herald , a film-monthly published in Lahore. He later took over the magazine and ran it until 1947. In the same year, he launched a film with a story by I.S. Johar, Chandni 56

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Chowk. Naeem Hashmi was the hero of this movie and Erika (Rukhshi) was the heroine. Just as the production of the film was to start, riots broke out in Lahore and he and his family had to flee from the city. After the partition of India into India and Pakistan in 1947, he moved to Delhi. He later moved to Bombay (Mumbai), where his first production Karwat, began in 1948, though it turned out to be a flop. His first film as a director Afsana, was released in 1951 and featured Ashok Kumar in a double role. The story was about good and evil featuring twin brothers, both played by Ashok Kumar in a double role. ‘Afsana’ was a success and Chopra’s narrative cohesion was widely admired. The film was a huge hit and he established his name in Bollywood. Chopra made Chandni Chowk, with Meena Kumari as a lead, in 1954. In 1955, Baldev Raj formed his own production house, B.R Films. His first movie for his

production house was the highly successful Naya Daur (1957) starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala Bali. The film turned out to be a golden jubilee hit. Mr. Chopra was instrumental in developing the career of singer Mahendra Kapoor, and employed Mahendra in most of his movies. Director-Producer Yash Chopra, a brother of Baldev Raj, cast Mahendra Kapoor’s son in Fasle. The legendary director’s foray into television led to Mahabharat, one of the most successful TV serials in Indian television history. He died in Mumbai at the age of 94 on 5 November 2008, survived by his son, Ravi Chopra, also a filmmaker and two daughters. Baldev Raj always felt that the rise of money and stardom have vitiated the image of Indian cinema. The eminent producer-director was of the view that a film is not just about jugglery with money. He believed that a film addresses itself to the society and it is the duty of filmmakers to make healthy and wholesome films, preferably with good story and social significance. Chopra practised what he preached. AWARDS 1962: Filmfare Best Director Award for Kanoon 1998: Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2003: Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award 2008: Phalke Ratna Award by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy ACTOR Ghar (1978) STORY WRITER Baghban (2003) Babul (2006) DIRECTOR-PRODUCER Naya Daur (1957) Sadhana (1958) Kanoon (1961) Gumrah (1963) Humraz (1967) Dastan (1972) Dhund (1973) Karm (1977) Pati Patni Aur Woh (1980) Insaf KaTarazoo (1980) Nikah (1982)

Awam (1987) Kal Ki Awaz (1992) DIRECTOR Afsana (1951) Chandni Chowk (1954) Ek Hi Rasta (1956) Tawaif (1985) PRODUCER Dhool K Phool (1959) Dharm Putra (1962) Waqt (1965) Ittefaq (1969) Aadmi Aur Insaf (1970) Zameer (1975) Chhoti Si Baat (1976) The Burning Train (1980) Agnee Pareeksha (1982) Mazdoor (1983) Aaj Ki Awaz (1984) Kirayedar (1986) Dahleez (1986) Pratigyabadh (1991) Baghban (2003) Babul (2006)

April 2009  City Cheers

57

Kal Kisne Dekha Cast: Jacky Bhagnani, Vaishali Desai, Rishi Kapoor, Archana Puran Singh, Irrfan Khan, Javed Jaffrey. Director: Vivek Sharma Nihaal, from Chandigarh makes different types of gadgets whenever he is free. He speaks a lot and is always laced with queries. A brilliant lad, his dream is to earn a bright future for himself while studying in a prestigious college in Mumbai. He dotes on his mother. Finally his dream is fulfilled. There nobody invites him or talks to him. He is ragged by his seniors. Soon he is considered as an insignificant student by his counterparts in the college. Now everyone is impressed by him but there is one girl called Meesha, who is not impressed by Nihaal. He loves her a lot. Meesha is a spoilt rich girl and does not like Nihaal. One day he dreams that she is in trouble and he saves her life. But in the end, he gets caught in a different kind of web. Tasveer 8 x 10 Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, Javed Jaffrey, Girish Karnad, Anant Mahadevan. Director: Nagesh Kukunoor 8x10, is a story of a young man who has a supernatural power. Jai (Akshay Kumar) is a man in his 30’s and he is powered with supernatural powers. Jai can tell about the past of any person by just touching a thing that belongs to the person. The supernatural power comes with responsibility and sometimes Jai himself doubts the credibility of the supernatural power. Jai can tell about a dead man from his 8 x10 photograph. Jai’s soul rediscovers the past and Jai keeps the secret about the lives of other people. Once an 8x10 photograph reveals secret related to Jai’s past and mysteries are perplexing. What next?

Siddharth The Prisoner Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Sachin N a y a k , Pradeep Kabra Director: Pryas Gupta The movie revolves a r o u n d Siddharth (Rajat) who is just released from prison, and was once a famous writer who completes a new manuscript. He re-engages with the outside world, hoping that the new book will restore his reputation and reconcile him with his estranged wife Maya. However, when his briefcase gets exchanged at a cyber café with a similar one, Roy loses the only copy of his manuscript, while Mohan (Sachin), comes under to recover the lost money. The story unfolds at a lethargic pace. Sadly, the end ruins just about everything.

Videsh: Heaven on Earth Cast: Balinder Johal, Preity Zinta, Vansh Bharadwaj, Geetika Sharma, Gourrav Sihan, Rajinder Singh Cheema, Ramanjit Kaur, Yanna Mc Intosh. Director: Deepa Mehta Chand, a young woman, leaves her home and loving family behind in India to build a new life in Canada. She moves to Brampton, Ontario and marries Rocky, a man she has never met. Rocky is overwhelmed by all the pressures that rest on his shoulders: dealing with his controlling mother and confused father and supporting his sister, her husband and two children who are all crowded into a small house in the suburbs. And all of this on a cab drivers salary. Educated and bright, Chand feels trapped in a world she cannot connect with. Estranged and mistreated by her new family, she feels homesick and misses her family in India but cannot reach out to them. Chand becomes the brunt of all of his frustrations. While working in a factory cleaning and pressing hotel napkins, she meets Rosa who sees past the make-up that covers her badly bruised face. Streetwise yet mystical, Rosa gives Chand a magical root that is supposed to bring out the love of the recipient. Chand begins to fantasize another version of her life which interlaces an ancient Indian fable about a King Cobra. 58

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BPO SUTRA By Sudhindra Mokhasi BPO-Sutra by Sudhindra Mokhasi is a collection of 150 true stories from Indian BPOs and call centres. It replaces the m u n d a n e technicalities of this world with some refreshing incidents. The individuals are not seen as mere coughs in the machine rather, they are brought forth as living entities who have their subjective ups and downs. It is a tapestry of the ‘true’ BPO life compiled through humorous anecdotes either by personal experience or elicited through interviews with a wide spectrum of BPO people, in an attempt to humanise the industry. The book takes you through the various adventures that are so much a part of the lives of a BPO employee — work, customer calls, home, travel, fun, parties, weekend, scams and more.

BOLLYWOOD BABES By Narinder Dhami The Bindi girls are back: Geena, Amber and Jazz. Amber is still anxious to further the romance between Auntie and Mr Arora, the handsome teacher at their school. When Auntie proposes a Bollywood Party as a part of a fund-raising project, Amber has an idea. She has discovered that a former Bollywood film star is living nearby and the girls set off to enlist her support for the party. They find her in mid-flight from her poverty-stricken flat, and have no option but to take this surly, bedraggled, grubby woman home with them. After a bath and a change into some of Auntie’s clothes, Molly Mahal emerges, dazzling and imperious. As the news breaks that Molly Mahal is with the family, the neighbours surge in to gawp, but are gradually memserised by her - as is everyone, especially Dad and Mr Aurora. This book is fun to read and cleverly depicts the relationship between the sisters, and Auntie’s outrage.

MY KIND OF GIRL by Buddhadeva Bose Is the memory of happiness that has passed, sad or happy. Four middle aged men sit together in a railway station, waiting for dawn to break. To pass their time, each tells a story of a woman they loved secretly in their youth… Romantic, elegant, suffused with melancholy, My Kind of Girl is a classic love story from one of Bengal’s great writers.

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Red Carpet

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Monika Gupta

“MAIN JASDEV SINGH BOL RAHA HOON” A voice which starts as ‘Main Jasdev Singh bol raha hoon…’ brings the entire nation to a pindrop silence. For a person described by a European publication as one who “eats, drinks and sleeps commentary”, it comes as a surprise that popular commentator Jasdev Singh was not quite proficient in the chosen language of his calling till well into his teens. A man to whom the entire nation has lent its ears, we all know his voice is his most potent magical charm. Surprisingly, Jasdev Singh’s golden voice, was rejected by All India Radio in his audition as an announcer in early 1950s. With his continued dedication and efforts he finally managed his grand entry into the Indian broadcasting organization and was recruited for All India Radio Jaipur in 1955. Primarily educated in the Urdu medium, he decided to pursue his passion with Hindi commentary after hearing veteran radioperson Melville De Mellow’s live commentary of Mahatma Gandhi’s last journey. His incisive, sometimes poetic, and always well-informed remarks formed the backdrop at nine Olympics, six Asian Games, eight Hockey World Cups and numerous other sporting events besides occasions such as the Republic Day Parade and Independence Day. He has so far covered sports like hockey, cricket, football, volleyball, tennis and athletics among others. Conferred with the Padma Shree award in 1985, he is the first person in the World to have received the Olympic Order from International Olympic Committee in 1988 and in 2008 he was felicitated with Padma Bhushan. To his credit, he has nine Olympics starting from 1964 (Tokyo) till 2000 (Sydney) doing commentary on various sports and also the opening and closing ceremonies. He retired as DDG (Sports) from Doordarshan. He had been a regular columnist in various newspapers and magazines like Dharmayug. To add up, he has even authored his autobiography, “Main Jasdev Singh Bol Raha Hoon…”. City Cheers in an exclusive interview spoke about his journey till now.

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CC: Tell us something about your family, upbringing and career? JS: We belong to Gujranwala (now in Pakistan). I come from a family of Civil Engineers. My father was an Engineer by profession. He was appointed an overseer in the erstwhile Jaipur state in a small town Bonli. I was born and brought up there in 1931. My early education was from Chaksu, about 25 miles away from Jaipur. I did my education from Maharaja High School, located just opposite Hawa Mahal. It was a matter of great pride getting an education there. During those times the education was given so much of importance that the Maharaja encouraged a person who completed Masters by welcoming him on an Elephant. CC: How did you develop this love for Urdu and Hindi Language? JS: In Chaksu there was one Vernacular School that time. We were allowed to take English subject only after fifth class. But in the beginning, we had an option of taking up either Hindi or Urdu. I took up Urdu. Since at that time the official language of Jaipur State and Punjab was Urdu, I completed my Matriculation in Urdu along with English. I was totally unaware of Hindi writing but gradually I learned to read and write in Hindi as well. Today I can proudly say that I have mastered the art of vocal and written Hindi. CC: We heard and read about your involvement in scouting. How did it help you in your career? JS: During my school education, Scouting was one of the subjects. Scouting played a very vital role and helped me in learning the moral values of life. I opted Scouting out of interest too. I was lucky enough to have few teachers who played a very positive role in grooming my overall personality .Our head master and teacher Pandit Tara Chand Chaube was instrumental in moulding my vision towards life. Scouting taught us to help others, speak the truth and most importantly to be self reliant. These were the basic principles and motto of Scouting. When I graduated to Maharaja College scouting was no more a subject but I took it up as a hobby. CC: Your experience during freedom movement? JS: In the year, 1947 the Government decided to send four boys to ‘World Scout Jamboree’ to be held near Paris in France. I topped the Competition and I was fortunate enough to tour France. Our scout training during the school and college days helped us immensely there. While we were living in camps we had to do all day to day works by ourselves. I was appointed as Patrol Leader there, which was the biggest training of my life. It was then that the country was going through the freedom struggle. But Jaipur was not much effected by the struggle movement due to the liberal attitude of the Maharaja. The news of the Nation’s Independence poured in when we were in camps of France. We celebrated our Independence in the midst of jungle. When in 1944-45, the Great War was over, people of France didn’t have enough eatables to survive. Still, they just said that Jambori would be held. They took care of all our needs. This inculcated a feeling of National pride and patriotism within me. We learnt how people of a nation can sacrifice themselves for its name. It was for

the first time that we hoisted our National Flag. Scouting here taught me the importance of being a true citizen of a Nation. CC: As known to many that you were inspired by the commentary of Melville de Mellow. How did it happen? JS: On 30 January 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. When the news of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination spread we were listening to a lecture addressed by the then Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Mr. Paranjpe. He broke the news of Gandhiji’s assassination. The whole Country was in state of shock and disbelief. Next day we listened to a more than seven hours commentary in the voice of Melville de Mellow on radio. Though Melville de Mellow spoke in English which was not very well understood by me but it was ‘that’ moment which inspired and guided me to take up commentary in Hindi. I was deeply moved by the pitch and depth of his voice which later became my inspiration in this field. The kind of hard work Melville de Mellow used to put while doing commentary greatly affected me in building up my career. I still can’t figure out how I decided to take this move as there was no medium to master the arts of spoken words. But it was my sole determination and passion which helped me to stand out against all odds. Then on, I started doing local commentary on public address system like parades, sports, scouting functions and many more. I candidly remember, that Prime Minister Nehruji came specially to Jaipur to present the Rajasthan Police Flag to the State police. I did the local commentary on microphone for the people who had assembled there. The then Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Shri Jai Narayan Vyas, summoned me to do the honours of the proceedings. He said, “ Us ladke ko bulao bahut achcha bolta hai. ” CC: Was your family supportive of you in taking up the commentary? JS: When I declared to my mother that I wanted to take up commentary as a career, she didn’t respond. She always wanted me to follow the footsteps of my father and be an Engineer. Till today it hurts me that my mother, who passed away in 1960, couldn’t see my flourishing career. But I feel that, 62

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my mother’s blessings have helped me in reaching such heights. My father always inspired me at every stage of my life. His help and guidance gave me a moral support of doing better and improving on my work. I feel contented that I could give him a reason to be proud of me whenever people acclaimed me of my works. He was like a pillar of strength throughout my life. I feel blessed to have Krishna as my wife who has strongly supported me from the day one of our bonding. There was appreciation and pride in the eyes of all family members whenever I was recognized and honoured for my talent. Lastly, I owe everything to my parents and especially to my listeners and countrymen. CC: Your unforgettable moments in your career span? JS: If you ask me, there are uncountable moments in my career span which are still fresh on my mind. My commentary was hugely appreciated, when in 1975, during the World Cup Hockey match people heard me

commentating India’s historic win. Secondly was an incident when Mujeeb returned to Dhaka. I have never seen people gathering in such large numbers and expressing their mixed emotions whole heartedly. I still remember, when unfortunately, I had to do commentary on Nehruji’s funeral. My words moved the listeners so much that they were literally in tears. Till date I have spoken on 47 Republic Day Parades and same number of Independence Days. Besides I have spoken on good number of sporting events and other national and international events. Receiving Padamshree in 1985, Olympic Order in 1988 and Padma Bhushan in 2008 in the presence of other dignitaries was a notable accomplishment of my career. I feel elated and honoured when people from different regions of India recognize me just by my voice. CC: What message would you like to give to today’s commentators? JS: Commentary has always been my first love. It comes from my heart. I am not the kind of commentator who can sit in a claustrophobic room and comment on the proceedings being beamed on to a television set while the match is taking place a thousand miles away. I need to be present at the scene of action and ambience and

then convey it to my listeners. One should understand the proceedings and have right words for it. A commentator is an artist who transforms the words into meaningful sentences to express the thoughts and feelings of any proceedings. All I can say is commentary is not an easy task, it’s an absolute hard work. It’s just like sadhna or tapasya. Today it has become more of a fashionable job. Judgement, analysis and research have taken a back seat. In commentary one should have the ability to convey the atmosphere and ongoing happenings to the listeners well. It is an art where a commentator needs to act like a painter or a photographer. To end up, I just have to say “Commentary ke samvaad mein nafasat honi chahiye”. CC: What are your future plans? JS: It pains me that organizations like Prasar Bharti (AIR) and Doordarshan have not given any importance to the art of commentary. They don’t have any training institute for the spoken words. Spoken words are very important, be it T.V or Radio. To sum up, I want my voice to be utilized. If asked, even today I would love to do commentary and also train people for the spoken words.

April 2009  City Cheers

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