Out of  sight

Hidden from art lovers & ignored by authorities, the museum storehouse is a virtual treasure trove. Parbina Rashid peeps into the dark room

Visiting the reserve section of a museum does not sound like a very tempting idea, mostly because of the hurdles one has to pass through to reach there. But once one gets past those hurdles, the efforts prove worthwhile. Like, while a few days back names like Laur and Chanda would have evoked a blank response from us, but now after a guided tour by the museum authority to witnesses the hidden treasures of the Government Museum and Art Gallery-10 things have changed.

And well, the restricted visit unfolded not just the love story of Laur-Chanda, but also the story of how lack of space at the main museum is robbing its visitors the opportunity to witness the ten rare folios of Laur Chanda that are based on the 14^th century poet Maulana Daud.

Prof. V. H. Vedekar who has authored a book called Chandigarh Museum Laur-Chanda describes the five centuries old treasure as both rare and significant in artistic terms.

And the fact that the Chandigarh museum happens to have 10 of the 24 folios (from a total of 500 miniatures which were painted to illustrate Maulana Daud’s romantic poem) and these are lying in the closed chambers is indeed unfortunate.

HIDDEN TREASURE: A Gandhara sculpture, a deck of Ganjifa cards

These miniatures are not the only ones to suffer such a fate. Among the 5,000 Indian miniatures of Pahari School of Paintings, Mughal, Rajasthani and Sikh Art, which are in the possession of the museum, only 150 are on display. Same is the case with the enviable collection of Gandhara sculptures. The authority is in possession of a total number of 601 sculptures, the second largest collection in India after the Indian Museum-Kolkata, but only 200 sculptures have been accommodated in the main museum. As for the rest they are lying in the open shelves of the storage area, gathering dust. Other interesting knick-knacks that the store has are a set of Ganjifa (a set of playing cards from Rajasthan) and a few contemporary paintings.

One of the rare folios of Laur-Chanda await a decent display. — Photos by Manoj Mahajan

"Space is the main constraint here," says V. N. Singh, former director of the museum and consultant, when we ask him the reason. Though Singh assures us that the museum authority has been trying to create space by relocating the exhibits on the ground floor and the first floor, looking at the cramped floors, it is difficult to imagine that much of the paintings or artifacts would be finding a place in the main building. However, Singh assures that the Chandigarh Administration is planning to add a new basement gallery between the Chandigarh Architectural Museum and the Natural History Museum. "This addition in the basement will not disturb the original buildings and the landscape which was done by Le Corbusier," says Singh. "When this project is completed, we would be able to put up 100 more miniatures and about the same number of Gandhara sculptures besides the drawings and furniture of Corbusier which are now being temporarily displayed on the terrace of the Chandigarh Architecture Museum," he informs. And the question as to when will this project materialise, leads to a dicey answer ‘soon’.

And though Singh assures us that the museum team has taken all precautions to prevent these priceless pieces from any possible damage, we sincerely hope the ‘soon’ is soon enough.

Telly Tales
Are women reelly like that?
Purva Grover

Pancaked faces, sindoor, Kanjeevarams, unforgettable ex-flames & an overnight transformation into business magnets. Meet telly’s ‘superwomen’...

WE’VE oft heard somebody or the other saying that it is impossible to understand a woman. And it goes without saying that it’s mostly men who vocalise such thoughts. But today, I, along with many other like-minded women, want to echo the same thought, with a slight modification — we fail to understand the telly ville’s women. We just don’t understand them or their ways. And perhaps, the makers of these shows don’t either. Otherwise, why else would they just go round and round with the same story over the years? Anyways, that’s another story altogether, as of now let’s get back to our task of understanding.

Let’s begin with the thought that troubles us the most — What makes these women think that they are ghar ghar ki bahus, bhabhis or betis? For, no household that we know of boasts of a devi jaise bahu with endless affairs or count-less children from ex-lovers. Where are these ideas of projecting women in such light coming from? Dragging a soap for decades doesn’t mean that Prerna has to keep falling in and out of love with Anurag or Mr Bajaj. And how come despite all these, they qualify as ideal women?

Next, what are all these dilemmas about? Bhabhi ki god-bharai zyada zaroori hai ya pita ko hospital le jana? And then there is another show where a mother asks her graduate daughters to get into the kitchen as they’ve studied enough. Well, we thought we were in the age when women are perfectly handling board meetings, presentations, children and family. Then why is TV going back rather than keeping in pace with times? Also, how come these women under the pallus suddenly emerge as shrewd businesswomen? What we want to know is, if they had a hidden business acumen, then why were they making rangolis all this while?

And someone please tell us why are they sleeping in kanjivaram silk saris or waking up with full eye makeup? When did Ekta Kapoor wake up and saw Shobha Kapoor dressed up like that? Agreed, we want to see pretty women on TV but then what happens to all the talk of women whom you can relate to? We’ll rather relate to a saas in a suit rather than in a halter neck blouse. And if that was not enough, they now want us to imitate their styles and purchase Star Parivaar’s outfits.

Okie, we know that both good and evil prevail in this world, but does that make it essential to typecast telly women in two categories — devis with sindoor who come with a high sacrifice quotient and vamps with weird hairdo and backless blouses. Where are the real women? The women, who love and care, yet cheat and fail at times?

Last, why are the real women not giving up watching these reel women? Hmm... we don’t have an answer to that. Now didn’t we say women are difficult to understand. So, get back to your watching and cribbing sessions.

(This column appears weekly)

purva@tribunemail.com

Music to the ear
S.D. Sharma

The fourth Acharya Sangeet Samroh will feature five women instrumentalists

Kate on a mission

Supermodel Kate Moss and singer Amy Winehouse have joined forces to defend a historic pub from having a building made next to it. Back to Black singer 24-year-old Amy who used to be a regular before entering rehab, helped design the ‘Save The George Tavern’ t-shirts. Kate, who is 34-years-old, wore it during a photo shoot near the pub at Whitechapel in London’s East End. The locals of the area claim that flats were being planned alongside the 354-year-old pub, which will block the light and put off visitors. “We fear it’ll end our livelihood,” said assistant landlady Deborah Coughlin.

Sporty Eva

Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria is pleading with fans to stop blaming singer Jessica Simpson for the poor performance of her boyfriend Tony Romo, an American football star. Longoria is married to basketball star Tony Parker and knows what it is like to be held responsible by sports fans. She said: “I felt for her because I’ve been through that and I was always blamed for Tony’s bad games. That’s the life of an athlete’s woman. Believe me, they’re not thinking of us on the court or the field or wherever they are.”

Maiden flight

Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden, will personally fly his band and other staff members on a Boeing 757 for their world tour. He says he is the first to do something like this. Dickinson is a qualified pilot and the group has decided to rent a big plane for all their equipment and stage props. “We’ve been around the world many times and done some pretty momentous things but this is a first time we wil be on our 757 which we’ve christened Ed Force One, with yours truly wearing his captain’s uniform.” — Agencies

Cool Stuff

Technology: Total timepiece

A&S Creations, a master distributor of Finland-based Suunto, announces a new ABC (altimeter, barometer, and compass) wristop computers first time in India. The new Suunto Core combines advanced ABC functions with new benefits like a height/depth meter, sunrise and sunset times, a renewed user interface, and a menu in four languages. Offered in a six models, from urban to outdoors, the Suunto Core is the total timepiece for the hardcore outdoor enthusiast, with daily functions including dual time, countdown timer, and comprehensive sports chronograph. The Suunto Core ranges between Rs 19,700 to Rs 29,500 and are available only through A&S Creations distributors across India.

Eco-friendly: Easy & elegant

Padmini Essentia, a leading brand in home appliances, has come out with indigenously developed ISI marked automatic instant gas geyser. This new improved high quality gas geysers come in elegant, strong and attractive body shape. It is highly economical as 1LPG cylinder gives out about 6,000 litres of hot water, which is 70 per cent cheaper than electricity. Turning the water tap on or off activates or de-activates the heater, by automatically switching the LPG supply. Other salient features include battery operated automatic IC ignition, 20 minutes in-built timer, gas volume regulator, water volume regulator and dual hot/cold water supply mode. It comes with a one year warranty and available for Rs.3,499.

Luxury: Soft & fresh

Cannon Industries, a leading garments and textile manufacturing company, has manufactured Rose Blanket, exclusively designed in soft faux fur. Inspired by the softness of rose petals, the blanket has been designed to impart the same feeling of softness and freshness. It is available in vibrant colours to go with almost any décor. It gives your room a fresh and stylish look. By giving you more warmth and a feeling of affection, this Cannon Rose blanket is a vailable for single & double bed with decent price range. So, bring a whole night comfort Rose Blanket by Cannon at your home that will mesmerize you.

Footwear: Chic & traditional

Liberty has launched an exclusive wedding collection of beautiful creations embellished with crystal, Filigiri work and brass cut. The Filigiri collection is handcrafted with features like crystal high light and silver thread-work. The sandals are classic heel slip-ons in gold and silver. This collection is priced at Rs 1,799. The Brass cut sandals include brass-cutwork with black beadwork. Available in classic black and antique gold combination, these are priced at Rs 1799. The Crystal Burmi collection includes crystal highlights along with combination of ceramic stone with crystal work. The classic V-strap style, perfect as multi-occasional footwear, is priced at Rs 1,699.

MenZ only: Ice & fire

Avon introduces two new refreshing citrus colognes for men — Cool Blue Cologne Ice with heady notes of citrus and woody Amber and Cool Blue Cologne Energy with its refreshing Green Musk! Just dab on the cologne that best epitomises your chic urban style and get all set to rock the town. Suitable for daily use after a bath or after-shave, Cool Blue Cologne is sure to send those senses on a scintillating drive. Captured in an easy to hold bottle for application Cool Blue Cologne comes to you in a trendy, electric blue, unbreakable 150ml bottle with a silver grey screw cap. Available for Rs 275. — TNS

The soothing touch of a doctor
Parbina Rashid

Imagine this. Somebody calls out aloud for a doctor. You are too distraught to catch the name, pushing your loved one on a stretcher into the emergency ward and absorbing the chaos that unfolds in front of you. But when the ‘brilliant, tall, muscular’ doctor walks in and takes over, your heart does a somersault and you forget your worries for a second — could be a scene from any of the hospital-centric serials you watch everyday on Star World, but not entirely fictitious.

If you are honest enough to admit, at some point of time most of us have experienced such heady feelings in our life. After all, we are the generation who grew up on Doogie Howser M.D and Scrubs and most recently the tall dark, handsome and efficient Jack Shephard of Lost, adding fuel to our romantic notion about doctors.

Now there is this research that comes to help you justify your feelings. A study conducted by Dr Brendan Kelly of University College, Dublin, has found out why people find doctors and nurses sexy. And to believe Dr Brendan, it is not just their physical attributes, but for the fact that people get attracted to doctors because they expect them to be more caring than the average professional.

Interestingly, the study was carried out after researching medical romance stories rather than first-hand information. So how is the scene in the real world of medicine here? Are our female patients losing out their hearts to their doctors and living happily ever after? Or are the doctors in need of a special training programme in the art of romance, as cheekily pointed out by Dr Brendan?

To be honest, the real scene is not so happening as we would like to believe. After spending hours on tapping our sources we come across one single couple — a young advertising person who tied the knot with her dentist. “Too many years have gone by to even remember what attracted me to him in the beginning,” laughs Deepika (name changed), as we broach the subject. But on a serious note she admits — “Yes, for the fact that the soothing touch of a doctor is as important as the actual physical treatment, to be sober and kind is imbibed in them. That definitely makes a doctor attractive to a woman,” she says. And if the doctor in question is good-looking too, as is her husband, the combination becomes irresistible.

Though ‘lived happily ever after’ bit may be a little too rare, but patient-doctor crushes do take place, even if only to be nipped in the bud by our young and handsome medicine practitioners.

“When a doctor treats his patients with concern and talks soothingly, it is only natural that sometimes a patient gets drawn to him and it mostly happens in case of the opposite sex,” says Dr Karambir, who admits of getting a fair share of attention from his female patients. “It mostly happened in the gynae ward where I was doing my internship. When a woman is going through labour pains and you are the only familiar face that soothes her there, it gives birth to some kind of emotional bonding, mostly for the patient,” he explains, not that it blossoms into a romance or something later, he adds hastily.

“These kind of incidents are not uncommon, but if one knows where to draw the line, life becomes simpler. As a doctor one has to be caring and concerned about a patient’s well being, but at the same time one should adhere to professionalism to discourage such unwarranted feelings,’ says Dr Rajesh Chabra, a neurosurgeon from PGI.

“Patients are vulnerable and forming a bond is easy if the doctor talks to them in their language and makes them forget their worries for a while. But this kind bond is not necessarily gender-specific,” says Dr Vikas Bhutani, who practices general medicine at Fortis, Mohali. However, he does not deny that there may be isolated cases of patients getting emotionally involved with their doctors. “In that case the doctor should make his stand clear and bring professionalism in. And yes, it would be a little awkward for the doctor to treat that patient in such a situation, but then a profession is a profession, one has to take all this with a pinch of salt,” he adds.

Maybe this is a professional hazard, which is a little more pronounced in medical profession, but after hearing our wise ‘medicine men’, you can agree with Dr Brendan who writes —‘If you were to take these novels literally, one would think uncontrolled passion is an inevitable consequence of working in the emergency room.’ Because, now you know if anything comes out of spending long hours in our over-crowded emergency rooms, it is fatigue, not romance!

Photos by Vinay Malik & Parvesh Chauhan

Little Interview
Telly’s Gabbar

Kitne aadmi the? Vocalising this is neither Amjad Khan of Sholay nor the Amitabh Bachchan of Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag. Rather, it is Bimla Tai aka Tanuja of Babbanbhai vs. Bimlatai. A show on 9X sees Tanuja stepping in the shoes of Gabbar and counting on men, unerringly the way Gabber did. We quiz Tanuja on her new avatar, on Ajay-Kajol’s animation flick & her future plans.

Why did you agree on doing Babbanbhai Vs Bimlatai?

I was not keen to be a part of saas-bahu sagas but was open to anything fresh. When I heard about the character I was to play in Babbanbhai... I freaked out. I am happy doing something that’s making people laugh as well as imparting a social message.

Tell us about your character?

I play Bimalabai, a social worker, who meets Babban, an underworld don on her visit to the bastis. Babban on an assignment to kill a corrupt minister hurts me in the process. And while, I am declared brain-dead, he requires a heart transplant to survive. My heart is transplanted in his body and from there on I appear as a bhoot and coax him into stopping crimes and criminals.

How is it working with Yash Patnaik, the producer of the show?

An amazing producer and a calm person. He truly believes in quality work and it shows in his work. If given a chance, I’ll like to work with him again.

Do we see you in films in future?

I have three films in hand. An untitled flick with by Satish Kaushik, Halle Dil and a Bengali film.

Are you excited about Ajay- Kajol’s flick Me Aur Hum?

Yes, I am. Though Ajay’s been inviting me to see the rushes I want to wait and watch it in the theatre on the day of the premiere.

— TNS

Spice up
Keep that glow
Shahnaz Husain

During winter, feet, the back of hands, knees and the elbows get really dry. These areas need special care. So, pamper your body with oil and moisture. In fact, applying body lotions and creams soon after bathing, while the skin is still damp, helps to seal in moisture.

A variety of creams, lotions and oils are available for the body. You can get yourself a hand and body lotion, or a rich cream, depending on the extent of dryness. An apricot cream is ideal for the hands. You can also make your own body lotion by mixing natural ingredients.

You would need a loofah or a rough towel to give your body a rub, after applying oil, cream or lotion. This helps to smoothen rough skin and also improves blood circulation, leaving the skin glowing. It is particularly helpful on rough areas like the knees and elbows. Soap-free shower gels are better in winter. Or, you can use a mild glycerine soap. For extreme dryness, avoid soap. Before bath, apply sesame oil or any vegetable oil to the body and massage. This helps to soften the skin. According to ayurveda, mustard oil is good during winter, but sesame seed (til) oil can be used all the year round. Warm the oil before use. I advise the use of a lemon-turmeric cream as a pre-bath treatment for dry skins. It not only softens the skin, but also lightens skin colour over a period of time. A traditional home pre-bath treatment is to mix besan (gram flour) with a little milk or curd and a pinch or haldi (turmeric) into a paste. Apply it for 20 minutes and then wash it off. Do not apply soap, as this cleanses the body.

The skin is dry and rough on the elbow area as it lacks oil glands. Take two lemon halves and rub them on the elbows. Then apply sesame seed oil. I recommend a cream containing turmeric and lemon before bathing. This not only softens the skin, but also lightens skin colour. During your bath, take a rough towel and scrub the elbows well. After bath, apply some moisturising cream. Cracked heels are quite common in winter. The cold dry weather affects blood circulation. The skin of the feet suffers as a result. Loss of moisture kills the cells, thus building up dead cells. If the lack of moisture proceeds unchecked, cracks develop.

Cracked heels can be prevented by giving the feet daily care. Before bathing, apply a lemon-turmeric cream on the feet and heels. Turmeric has antiseptic properties and thus provides protection from infections. At night, before retiring, soak the feet in hot water for about 20 minutes. Add some coarse salt and shampoo to the water. With the help of a pumice stone or a heel scrubber, rub them gently. Avoid metal scrubbers. After washing the feet, take a rich moisturising cream or vaseline and apply it generously. Bandage the heels with cheesecloth, or cotton wool and surgical gauze, then wear cotton socks and go to sleep. Keeping the heels smeared with cream all night will soften the skin. Do this at least for 5 days, or till the skin on the heels improve.

(This column appears fortnightly)

Bon appetit
Gaajar ka Ghazab
Kandla Nijhowne

It has cancer fighting properties. It increases our body’s immunity. It promotes healthy vision, reduces cholesterol levels and slows the ageing process. Yes, the carrot does it all for you! This truly versatile vegetable is a nutritional hero. Its high level of beta-carotene gives it the distinctive orange colour. This may sound strange as well as hilarious — if you munch through too many carrots a la’ Bugs Bunny, your skin can turn a peculiar shade of yellowish-orange because your body is having trouble processing all that carotene! This condition is called Carotenemia!

Gaajar ka murabba

Ayurveda recommends its use in winter due to its warming effect (Taaseer)

1 kg carrots

1 kg sugar

¼ tsp citric acid

½ tsp saffron (optional)

Method

Top and tail the scraped carrots. Wash well and prick with a fork along their length. Some experts suggest you blanch them briefly in boiling water before doing so, as that simplifies the task. Boil the sugar with an equal weight of water, cooking it down for about 15 minutes.

Add saffron if you so desire. Lower the carrots into the bubbling syrup, bring it to a rolling boil again and let it continue on high heat for a further 15 minutes. Cover and keep for 24 hours, repeating the boiling procedure the following day, and the next day again if necessary, till the syrup thickens to a one-string consistency.

Add the citric acid, stirring well to dissolve it (this prevents crystal formation in the syrup). Cool and transfer to jars.

Honey-glazed carrots

400 gm carrots, scraped

2 tbsp honey

1½ tbsp butter

Salt and lemon juice to taste

½ cup chopped parsley

Method

Chop the carrots into logs. Combine all the ingredients except the parsley and lemon juice into a micro-safe dish, cover and microwave at high heat for 8-10 minutes. Stir once, halfway through this cooking period. Serve after adding the lemon and salt.

Miracle Juice

DOES your child drink more Pepsi or Coke than water? So, the next time he asks you for a soft drink, give him carrot juice instead. Read on to know why.

• Carrot juice is like a tonic. It improves the overall health of you and your child, and increase immunity. In fact, two glasses of carrot juice a day can increase your immunity by as much as 70%! 
• Carrot juice is very rich in minerals. It includes calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, and iron. You could also add some spinach or beetroot to it and squeeze some lime too.
• Carrot juice is one of the richest sources of vitamin A that can be used in the daily diet. It also ranks high as a source of the other vitamins, especially those of the B complex.

— TNS

Tip of the week

Ideally serve carrots steamed or flash cooked. Our body cannot absorb maximum nutrition from raw carrots, even though we enjoy their crunchy texture. Prolonged cooking too on the other hand, strips them of vitality.

Spiced carrot cake

Ingredients

4 eggs

2 cups grain sugar

1½ cups oil

2 cups grated carrots

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups maida

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp grated nutmeg

½ tsp salt

¾ cup chopped walnuts

¾ cup raisins

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 350º F (175ºC). Grease and dust a cake tin with maida and line it with waxed paper.

Beat together the eggs, sugar, oil, carrots and vanilla. Sift the maida with the spices, baking powder, soda and salt. Gradually add them to the carrot mixture, stirring well to blend them. Fold in the chopped walnuts and raisins.

Transfer to the cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes. Cool and decorate with runny icing (1 cup icing sugar mixed with a few spoons of water). You may make a stiff dough of icing sugar and water, colour it orange and shape into tiny carrots to arrange over the surface.

Wholesome goodness

Organic-filled day: From bed tea to snacks to dinner, there are loads of healthy options. Become a member of the organic food cult, now!

Organic food has been around for some time now. But our interest in it has not waned, and why should it? For all the health benefits it has, it definitely needs to be written about. Though till recently we had only a few organic pulses available in city food stores, the scene is fast changing. If only one is willing to shell out a few more extra bucks, one can stay away from the harmful pesticides.

Prepared in a sustainable farming system, which maintains soil fertility, the variety of food items available now allows one to have all-thing organic — from bed tea to breakfast to the mid-meal snack to dinner. Wonder if there are as many choices? Let us chalk out your day with the healthy option.

Kick-start your day with a steaming hot cup of organic tea. There are many flavours available like the English Breakfast Tea, a light first flush tea or the more Indian masala, ginger, or plain black tea or the premium Darjeeling tea. Have kids? Their delicate system will bless you when you give them Soya milk available in tasty plain, vanilla and chocolate flavours. And the added advantage here is even the most stubborn child won’t be able to resist it.

Step into your organic kitchen to prepare the healthy breakfast with apricot or strawberry or mango or peach or raspberry jam or cook up porridge or just add some milk to the muesli and granola or gorge on sinful paranthas and pooras prepared with organic atta and besan. Enjoy them with mango, lemon, green chilli or garlic pickles or sweeten them up with honey.

Prepare your lunch and dinner with brown rice, pulses, makki ka atta etc. The khichdi mix that has pulses, rice and wheat is a fat-free option for those on a diet. If you are thinking about the oil as cooking medium, there are sesame and mustard organic oils available too. So are the brighter than the usual spices like red chilli powder, haldi, methi, tej patta, badi elaichi, ajwain, cardomom and many more.

For those who love try out something different, can pick pastas in all shapes like macaroni, rigali or the regular fusilli. Sauté them in organic sauces like vinegar, spicy salsa sauce or garlic-chilli or tomato garlic basil sauce, and toss up a treat. Make that delicious chocolate cake and add some candied fruits like gooseberry, tuti-fruity or pineapple. For a light mid-meal snack you could munch on the roasted namkeens like masoor mix, chana jor, sprouted moong or soya bean. This winter keep warm by munching those organic dry fruits like almonds, cashew nuts and all.

So, discover the benefits of organic food. But a piece of advice before you set out on your shopping spree — look for the Indian Organic Certification mark on the pack and also the expiry date.

Available at: Whole Foods –22, FabIndia –9, Gupta Stores – 9D

— TNS