The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Colourful function marks annual day
Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 29
Students of Sherwood Convent School, Phase IV, celebrated their annual day at Tagore Theatre here today.

The function was inaugurated by Ms Susheel Mahajan, Chairperson, Punjab Technical Education Board.

The programme began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp followed by a “Saraswati Vandana”.

An cultural function was presented by students in which students of pre-nursery presented dances from different states, while tiny tots imitated actions and sounds of different animals.

An Arabian dance, a qawali and punjabi dances were also presented. The show ended with a bhangra performance.

Ms Abhi Singhal, vice-principal of the school, read out the annual report and highlighted the achievements of the school.

The chief guest spoke about the importance of cultural events in students’ lives. Students excelling in various academic and non-academic competitions were awarded by the chief guest.

Those awarded were Deepak, Ankit Thapliyal, Puneet Kaur, Subham Dhiwan, Simranprect Singh, Bhajnesh Kaur, Shubham Kumar, Renuka Soni, Neeraj Goyal, Ankit Sarangal, Jugraj Singh, Neha Jamwal, Arjun, Ankit Saini, Harvinder Singh, Siddhant Sharma, Gursimran Kaur, Aastha Mishra, Amrit Lal, Somiya Pathania, Jasandeep Kaur, Glimpse Salwan, Harleen Kaur, Kulkiranjot Kaur, Jaspreet Kaur, Atul Narayan, Gitika, Abhinav Sharma, Maninder Kaur, Subham Walia and Suraj Bain.

Youth festival concludes
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, December 29
A seven-day youth festival organised by the Brahma Kumaris Youth Wing of the Rajyoga Education and Research Foundation concluded with a show at Rajyoga Bhavan, Sector 33, here today.

Dr A.R. Kidwai, Governor of Haryana, could not attend the function due to the death of one of his relatives.

As many as 132 youths from 29 youth organisations and universities of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh participated.

Five competitions including elocution, poems, painting, mono-acting and essay writing were held. A blood donation camp was also oragnised, besides a cultural programme of all six states was presented.

CULTURE

Theatre artiste turns to commercial films
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 29
Veteran S.P. Singh shares the credit of popularising Indian folk theatre abroad. Famed as the organiser of the first ever Asian theatre Olympiad in Chandigarh in 1989, the thespian feels the need to talk about the crumbling amateur theatre movement in India, particularly in Punjab.

Blaming lack of financial stability for the degeneration in theatre, S.P. Singh says the need of the hour is promotion of non-verbal theatre which can compete in international circles.

The president of the North India Theatre Association, which claims association with UNESCO-affiliated International Amateur Theatre Association, S.P. Singh said non-verbal theatre was the only way to cut across language barriers. As director of the folk theatre group which participated in the first world festival of children’s theatre held in Germany some years ago, S.P. Singh steered India to victory. “We had staged ‘Heer-Ranjha’, he recalls.”

“Basing our direction on gestures, body language and music, we stormed into the hearts of audiences who voted us as the best. We need to revert to non-verbal theatre which is our forte,” said Singh who was also the first artiste from Punjab to attend a seminar on Stanis Lavaskes methods of acting held in the USSR in 1988.

Associated with Punjabi theatre writer-director Bhag Singh, he mastered the art of children’s theatre. He is the only theatre director from the region to have taken three children’s theatre groups from India to participate in various children’s theatre festivals across the world. “I could not sustain my group for long because I fell short of money. There is no concept of ticketed shows in Punjab. That’s why every theatre man has to dabble in commercial mediums,” he said.

For his part, he has produced and directed six telefilms, the last being “Gobinde Lal”, a film based on the martyrdom of the four young sons of Guru Gobind Singh. The film was made as part of the observances of the 300 years of the epochal event. The film opened to a rave response in the USA.

“Sikhs in France and Germany are demanding a film that researches the issue of Sikh identity. I am still gathering information,” said Singh whose other films include “Baharan Punjab Diyan” based on the musical richness of the state; “Din Noon Theke, Raat Noon Thane” and “Fuhar Fauja Singh” structured as comedies and “Saka Chandni Chowk te Sirhind”, a religious film.

LIFESTYLE

Party hopper’s guide
Saurabh Malik

YOUR car’s glove compartment is saturated with invites for open air dance “n” dine parties, besides bonfires “n” barbeques, for the New Year’s eve. That’s, perhaps, the reason why you wish to hop on and off your wildly honking car madly rushing towards 2005.

For helping you to enjoy one bash after another, here is a complete “Party hopper’s guide”.

First of all, you should plan your route. Decide where to go, and where not to. Listen to your heart. Depend upon your instinct. And then chalk out the route. Make sure you do not proceed in one direction, go to another and come back to the first venue.

The reason is not hard to see. New Year eve parties normally pick momentum after nine o’ clock. You just cannot proceed in one direction, go to another, twirl around the dance floor, and come back in less than three hours.

Instead, use your vote. Keep in mind the venue you wish to boogie before the New Year rises from the ashes of the old. Plan accordingly. Start from one direction and reach the party you wish to enjoy at least an hour before the big moment. Search the recycle bin of your memory and vote for crowded parties, instead of sparsely populated ones.

Also remember to carry all invites, lest you are not allowed to enter. Guys should essentially be accompanied by girls because most parties are strictly for couples. If you have the invitation, you will find a lot of maidens seeking entry without passes. Just stand in front of the venue for about 10 minutes. The girls will approach you, without fail. Take them along.

And please do not park your car “bang opposite the venue gate”. Make sure that you are not stranded at a party you hate to attend for long just because someone else has parked his jalopy behind your car. Walking a few hundred metres to avoid parking jams will not do you any harm.

You should stick to one drink. Don’t have scotch at one party and rum at another. Blending drinks will only give you headache, if nothing more. Beer’s safer. Better still, save drinks for the final bash. Till then, act teetotaller.

If revellers insist pour soft drink in a sparkling cut glass, wrap a paper napkin around it, and discuss tsunami or improving relations with Pakistan. Everyone will believe you are high. If the trick fails, nurse one drink forever and ever.

Last thing, stay at a party as long as you like. You are there to celebrate, not for obligation.

Fashion was in vogue here

HIGH-voltage messages given by the fashion industry were quite well received in Chandigarh this year. Renowned designers of the country chose the city to make their fashion statement.

Fashion shows unfurled on a glamorous note. March saw a khadi utsav organised by the Swadesh Jagram Manch. Top models, including former Mrs World Aditi Govitrikar, former Miss India Nikita Anand, sported the raw appeal of khadi clothes designed by NIFT students, Mohali.

Femina Miss India Earth 2004, Jyoti Brahmin visited National Institute of Fashion Design (NIFD) in June. She reviewed the designer creations of students. Jyoti Brahmin donned NIFD designer creations at Miss Earth pageant held in Manali in October, 2004.

Beauties like Tanushree Dutta and Femina Miss India World Sayali Bhagat unleashed their radiant charm on the ramp at a fashion show held in the city. While city residents felt obliged, it gave a boost to the local fashion segment.

A fusion line combining the western outlined with the traditional look was introduced in another fashion show held in September.

Leading fashion designers like Ashima and Leena, Payal Jain, Niki Mahajan, Neeta Bhargava, Ashish Pandey, Aparna Wangdi, Monu Khemka displayed their designs.

Another Punjab-based designer, Harpreet Narula, recreated the Mughal era by using embroideries like zardosi, chikenkari and gara to add opulence to his royal costumes.

A blend of traditional crafts as kundan and gota with modern embellishments like crystal, sequins and stones was seen in each garment.

Ritu Kumar, queen of the Indian fashion industry, visited the city on November 4 to unveiled her winter collection for the first time at a fashion show here. Her couture, recognised for its classism, beauty and finesse, came alive at a fashion show in Sector 17. Apart from fitted bridal wears, her collection also displayed gypsy skirts, kurti. Her dashing touch was evident all over.

Her classic contemporary bridal collection for the marriage season was outstanding.

The club wear of Delhi-based Aparna Chandra and Shantnu-Nikhil became the focus of a show organised on October 9.

The show displayed Aprana Chandra’s collection in hues of red, black, green, and magenta. It was red and black flowing gowns in satin that stood out.

Short and long skirts, gowns, and short dresses were also there. Her dresses were a melange of the East and the West. Mansi Scott’s performance whipped up some passion at the show. Shantnu-Nikhil’s collection included short skirts, skintight gowns in fabrics like satin, georgette and chiffon. The main colours used were sky blue, mustard, mehndi and black.

It got bolder

Party wear became much bolder this time. City girls became trendsetters of the region. Since fun and celebration remained the hallmark of parties, clothes were chosen accordingly. Jazzy and fitted outfits in shimmering shades were a big hit.

Wrap sarongs, long skirts with skintight tops in the early part of the year gave the college girls a reason to smile.

For working women, trousers allowed them more freedom. It fulfilled their modern aspirations and still did not take away their conservative identity.

Trousers scored over skirts and sarees in offices. A number of private companies prescribed it as uniform for their female employees. It almost caught up with the evergreen salwar-kameez at many points.

Fashion encompassed all age groups. Children’s clothes were a delight for parents. Bright, soft and comfortable, their clothes were extremely wearable. However, for girls, the range popularised by top models was more of a trophy — prized possession but not much utilised. In boys wear, it was universal trousers and jeans all the way. Street look was in vogue.

Fuzzy outlook

Latest international hairstyle and colouring trends were followed. With easy availability of top hair colour brands, experimentation became the watchword. — OC

Gurdas Mann ambassador of Punjabiat
S.D. Sharma

IF the folk tradition of Punjab is an integral part of our cultural heritage and if Punjabi folk music is the true reflection of the ideas of Punjabi community then Gurdas Mann is undeniably the ambassador of Punjabiat. The maestro has the genius of a noble lyricist, versatile singer-composer and brilliant actor, each element excelling to overtake the other.

This was perceptible during a three-hour concert by the indomitable singer at the Circus grounds in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Mann brought alive the richness, rustic vigour and élan of the Punjab folklore which sent the crowd in a reverie.

He opened up the programme with an invocatory rendition of shlokas, enunciations from Gurbani and qalaams from Shah Hussain and Sufi poets. With eyes closed and serene rhythms emanating from his duffli, he seemed to be in contemplation of the Almighty. He rendered “Meri rakhiyo laaz gurudev.” Which dissolved into a patriotic song “Lakh pardesi hoyiye apna desh ni bhandi tha.” Weaved in the national spirit, the song, interspersed with several couplets, was an ode to the motherland.

Man of the masses, Mann enlivened the grandeur of the Punjabi folklore as he presented the “Challa” which depicted the romanticism of the Punjabi community.

He enthralled the audience, doling out “Manke manke manke”, “Apna Punjab hovve,” “Ki khattya mein teri Heer banke,” and “Mud mud yaad satave pind diyan galian di.” His voice and movements were synchronised in all renditions. The musical soiree went on till late evening but the maestro reigned supreme with his perfect swar lagav, laya and taal supported by a fine team of musicians.

The audience reciprocated with deft applause. In view of the rush, the organisers sealed the only entry as a result photojournalists and reporters had a tough time to reach their offices. Meanwhile, a section of the audience, though enjoying the concert, felt such celebrations should not be held in view of the tsunami disaster.

‘Satvic disco’ on New Year eve

ART of Living chapter of Chandigarh is all set to usher in the New Year on a religious note. Far from the mundane New Year revelry, the organisation members have conceived of a unique celebration style, suavely named “Satvic Disco”.

Planned for the first time in Chandigarh, this celebration will roll on sans alcohol and non-vegetarian food. People will jive but not to the tunes of popular film songs, but on the more inspiring and energising devotional melodies. The dance session will be followed by a short meditation to pray for the peace of those souls that departed in the tsunami tragedy.

Conceptualised by Mr Ashok Khanna, an Art of Living member, the celebrations will be held in DAV College auditorium and they will be open to all. The entry, however, will be through passes available at Red Cross Bhavan, Sector 16. — TNS

Punjabi album released

“IT is indeed amazing to see an audio and video CD without vulgarity and one can imagine the plight of the singer and producer attempting such a venture,” Jaspal Bhatti said in his humorous style while complimenting the Punjab Arts International for bringing out the musical album “Nache Dharti Ambar Gaave” at the Punjab Kala Bhavan complex, in Chandigarh on Wednesday.

He exhorted the artistic fraternity to promote in rich cultural heritage of the region through it creations as the present remix trend would take us to a point of no return, he said, releasing the album.

The lead singer and lyricist Narinder Nindi and music director H.M. Singh have presented eight songs based on Punjabi folk melodies and rhythmic patterns.

Nindi is a lecturer and an ace bhangra dancer who represented Punjab at the World Youth Festival in Moscow while his co-singer, Sarabjit Bhasin, is a classical musician from Panjab University and has performed abroad.

Cinematographer Balbir Begumpuri has filmed the songs. H.M. Singh has blended well classical and western music, though for brief spells. — OC