Men's perfumes are a girl's best friend
By Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 24 — Many male bastions have been shattered by women of modern times and while making their mark, they have become symbols of authority, power and control. If their image projects this determination to succeed in a male dominated world, their 'signature scents' too convey the message loud and clear.

Subtle scents and flowery fragrances are no longer good enough with most women and college girls going in for aromas that blend with personal style and make bold fashion statements. Shopping for perfumes, for them, has become synonymous with searching for an identity.

Nidhi Sharma, a postgraduate, says, "I have taken to the 'For Men' range of perfumes because these can be powerful enough to infuse objects with the energy which others identify as your's alone. It can be a powerful indicator of one's presence or an evocative way of ensuring that you remain unforgettable. Regetta with its mesmerising fragrance is my all time favourite.''

For Sheena Singh, in her teens, it a time to be footloose and fancy free. She finds colognes "irresistable'' and says, "Brute being the numero uno perfume for me, I go in for men's perfumes for the experience they unleash with a swish. That includes containers in which these are filled. It is surprising what a perfume can do to fetch you attention in a gathering where anybody can go unnoticed.''

"Besides keeping you smelling nice, which most of our perfumes also do, these leave an indelible impression of you in the minds of those you meet. Also, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It makes their use even more attractive for most of us,'' remarks the vivacious Shivani Kaushal. She prefers to swish lots of Jovan Mush before going out with friends.

19-year-old Anjali Malhotra, with Masculin as her choice, is of the opinion that the strong trend towards down-dressing has given rise to a new breed of wear-anything fragrances picked right off the shelf in any departmental store. "These perfumes don't require any special occasion though they can make any day special with the magic of whiff that lies bottled. Moreover, with the sparkle of jewellery waning among the youth prefering the casual look, perfumes have acted as great substitutes,'' she says. Her friend, Jaishree Sharma, likes the way heads turn when she passes by, enjoying every moment of the attention her perfume provides.

"It is another way to prove that women are not lesser mortals and is also an impetus to the powerful image of women aimed to be projected to the world. Another reason is that these perfumes last longer while floral ones can sometimes get boring, leaving little scope for heady concoctions, since these tend to be soft and mild,'' Jasbeen Kaur, a mother of a one-year-old child, says.

This intrusion has certainly left quite a few marred male egos, voting strongly against the turn of events. Anmol Grewal, one such disillusioned soul, says, "I don't approve of women infringing on our domain. A man, by nature, is aggressive and has colognes to make all 'smell' his attitude, whereas women are associated with being delicate and fragile which does not gel with the image portrayed.''

Saif Akhtar, an undergraduate, dismisses it as the personal choice of an individual in which nobody has any right to interfere. However, he is quick to add that he will not go for a girl reeking of such perfume. But, he admits that it does not deter him from giving the girl a second look.

"Modern girls with an air of confidence and certain of what they want, without beating about the bush, ask for these perfumes. A characteristic typical of these girls is that they are very aggressive,'' Sunny, owner of a departmental store says. He adds that out of every 10 girls frequenting his store, only a couple go in for stereotype floral perfumes.

"We girls love perfumes that add to our confidence and we cannot be held for ransom because they happen to be for men. Boys might as well put this in their pipe and smoke it because this trend is here to stay and spread,'' Jasmine Gill says when told that most boys don't approve of this trend that has caught the fancy of girls.

Lily Garden a misnomer
By Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 24 — To call the Sector 9 Lily Garden would be a misnomer . A symbol of Jawaharlal Nehru's association with City Beautiful, it is lying in a state of neglect.

The garden was inaugurated on February 27, 1967, by the then Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh, Mr M. S. Randhawa, and was aimed at perpetuating the memory of the first Prime Minister of India, who visited the place on April 2, 1952, and inspected the layout plan of the city from a pedestal in the middle of the garden.

After its inauguration, the place was adorned with a number of species of lilies.

But no attention was paid towards its upkeep by the authorities concerned, which even failed to provide a water connection for irrigation of plants, trees and lawns.

The once beautiful garden has virtually taken the shape of an unkempt playground. A number of children can be seen playing cricket, by using the memorial as wickets. The walls of the memorial erected in the garden are smeared with slogans. A number of marble tiles of the memorial have been stolen and some brass letters from a plate depicting the importance of the place removed.

The state of lawns is not much different. These have been crying for mowing for years, which indicates that nobody is interested in the place.

According to residents, the lawns of the garden are being used by people for parking vehicles and by washermen for drying clothes. "The problem is that most of the residents park their vehicles in the garden as the railing is missing at a number of places. This also gives a free invitation to stray animals," lamented a resident, who demanded that the place should be fenced properly.

Mr Ram Sharan, another resident, said the place could not be used for having a walk as the walking strip inside it has been broken at a number of places and most of it is engulfed by overgrowth of grass.

A senior official of the Municipal Corporation said a proposal for proper fencing of the place was being forwarded to the Chief Architect. "We have also asked the Public Health wing of the MC to provide a water connection at the garden. Both the jobs would be undertaken in the current financial year," he said, adding that the repair of the footpaths was likely to be done in the first phase of the restoration programme.

Citizens favour entrance tests
By A Correspondent

Chandigarh, June 24 — Most of the entrance results to various institutes having been declared, students face another competition in seeking admissions to the courses of their choice. Many will get admission in every institute while others will be disappointed.

It has been debatable whether admission to various professional colleges be made on the percentage scored in the board examination or on the basis of competitive tests. Many persons feel that entrance tests are the better option in the present education scenario.

Sameer, a law student at Panjab University, says, "A student with capability may fail to succeed once but not everytime. Some students with low percentage in boards manage to get admission in reputed professional institues like IITs and IIMs. Therefore, entrance tests are a better choice though not devoid of loopholes. Those in the habit of misusing their sources, power, money and special status will make their way anyway. But deserving students stand a better chance of getting through."

Ankur Thapar, a medical student, opines that many students secure marks by mugging facts without bothering to grasp basic concepts. "It becomes mandatory to test the intelligence of students before admitting them. This can only be done by putting them to such tests which can gauge their understanding. There should be no reservation of seats fo any category as these reservations are responsible for throttling aspirations of intelligent students,'' she adds.

According to Manu Sood, an MCA student, entrance tests help in finding out student's aptitude for a particular course. "Emphasis is laid on selecting the best candidates by quizzing them through brain-storming sessions. In this way, a student's perceptions, aptitude, attitude and ability are all tested. Moreover, the tests give another chance to those students who have not performed well in the boards and cannot secure admission to reputed colleges or courses of their liking. This opportunity reckons them to work hard and do well," he opines.

Ms Neena Kaur, a houswife, points out that children burn their midnight oil throughout the year and need a break after the boards. "The burden of too many entrance tests causes tension and sleepless nights to students and their parents. It weighs heavily on the purses of the parents as thousands of rupees are spent on entrance test fees and travelling. Considering the malpractices in the examination system, entrance tests with objective-type questions and computerised checking should be adopted. Subjective papers should be done away with,'' she says.

Shweta Sharma, a non-medical student, wants the boards examination to be the criterion for admission to professional courses. "Most of the students can neither concentrate on the board examination nor on the entrance tests since both require separate prepration. We are unable to strike a balance and in the process, fare badly in the boards as well in the competitions. The holding of entrance tests clearly shows lack of faith in the board examination and reflects on the utility of organisations set up by the government. Apart from this, the students are subjected to immense pressure and often suffer from depression. sometimes they take the extreme step of commiting suicide," she contends.

Capt Amarjit Kumar, who works with the Reserve Bank of India, says marks scored in the boards should not be the basis for admission to much sought-after courses like medicine, engineering and computers as these exams are conducted by different boards of varying standards. "With discrepancies like paper leakages, careless examiners and fake marksheets, it is not fair to compare the marks of students. But measures must be taken to lessen the burden of the students by conducting a Combined Entrance Test (CET ) at the national level or to bring all state boards at a common platform," he suggests.

Helping bridge parent-child gap
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 24 — "Kids today do not have any role models, which is why they are so resentful. And problems of most kids are not their own doing but created by their parents and environment around." This is what four schoolteachers who have set up a counselling centre for parents and their children, called the 'House of DIVA' (Deep Inner Voice Awakening), said while talking about extending their services to help build bridges between a child and his parents.

DIVA starts from the basic fact that in order to sort out the child's world, it is not simply enough to help the child but to also reach out to the parents and bridge the gap between the two.

It is coordinated by Mrs Neeru Dyal who has been an English teacher for some years for Classes XI and XII and has also worked with a magazine on parenting for 10 years. The other three teachers are all serving in a private school. Mrs Baljit Amarjit Singh teaches English to Classes XI and XII students. Mrs Suneela Singh and Mrs Veena Ludra both teach economics and social studies to these classes. They are busy counselling those children and their parents who have not managed to qualify for the "prestigious and the coveted" seats in the medical or the engineering institutions.

"There is an initial hesitation of visiting a counsellor because of certain negative connotations attached to it. But being teachers have helped us break these barriers with the children, who now regularly come to us to seek help. But surprisingly, some parents flatly refuse to talk to us, because it becomes so easy for them to sweep the problem under the carpet", said Baljit.

Added Neeru, "Most of us, including kids, have fallen prey to the system. And we are interested in changing perceptions. Why should a Class X student commit suicide because he has not scored well in the examinations, or why should a Class V student faint while doing exercises early morning? We as adults are just not paying much attention to our kids".

DIVA also stresses on introducing outdoor games and reading habits in children and minimising television viewing. "The kind of pampering and over-protection that our children receive today, with a number of facilities being provided to them does not mean that all would be well with them and the world. If the kids are constantly being exposed to corruption, violence, hypocrisy and avarice, how would they ever appreciate and respect a world full of values?"

DIVA hopes to sow some seeds of easy communication between the two. The organisation, which is now trying for registration as an NGO, can be reached at telephone number 602488. "Ours is a social organisation and charging for something like this would defeat its very purpose. We know about the pains of growing up, since all four of us are mothers. We have also learned a lot from our children and hope to pass some happiness onto the lives of both the kids and their parents", said Neeru.