He takes more time in tying the knot with a new job than choosing the boss of his matrimonial assignment. Every time he has to take up a job for better or for worse, young management graduate Rajiv Verma spends a good one month in getting information about the organisation. But, surprisingly, he has taken just two weeks in finalising his marriage with the stranger of his familiar dreams. And Verma is sure of living happily ever after.

Just in case you are wondering why all this haste in finalising everything, ask Verma and the Sector 47 resident will tell you all about it. “If I miss the opportunity of taking her as my legally wedded wife on July 7, I will just not be able to unite with marital bliss at all,” he says.

Phew! Sounds scary! But poor little Verma has his own reasons. Seven, zero seven, zero zero seven is good. Nay, not because it makes him feel like Bond, James Bond! But because the Hindu marriage calendar says the day is auspicious. You see number seven is propitious. And you have three of them in a row. This will not happen again for another century. Next year, you will have three eights in a row. But then, the digit eight or the month August has no special significance.

“Little wonder, almost all hotels, guesthouses and even farmhouses in and around the city are booked for the day,” says Ankit Gupta of Sector 35 Himani’s Residency. So many of them are holding more than three shows, with more rush expected during the evening, than the matinee show. And you will have to move out much before, if you do not wish to be caught in the traffic jam. Well, rough estimates say over 500 youngsters are ready to part ways with singlehood on that day, quite a number. Imagine the traffic jam that you will witness around the farmhouses on the Chandigarh-Ropar highway right up to Dera Bassi.  Ask the cops and they give you a blank expression. The organisers, well they say it’s a small price you pay for blessing the young couples with a happy married life.

Okay, they are aware of the not-so-fortunate realities. The arrival of the stallion can be delayed following anomaly between demand and supply. Sector 38-west based event manager, Raju, with at least seven stallions ready to carry the groom into the whole new world, says he has received confirmation for ten marriages, meaning his men and horses will have to rush from one event to another. The rains too can wash the celebrations away. But then, belief is more important than logic in our country.  

Verma’s father, like so many others, is not aware of the fact that Bill Gates did not marry after consulting the local astrologers. He entered the “world-without-end bargain” with the first girl he liked. And theirs’ is a happy marriage.

There are others also. In love, even though their marriage was solemnised without consulting the almanac! Now fellows, how about following their example and uniting with reason after divorcing the apprehensions of maintenance?

saurabh@tribunemail.com

BIG B swinging to Jhoom Barabar Jhoom on plasma screen, a city’s premium FM channel bringing you traffic updates, crockery clattering, a bunch of youngsters giggling and much more. In this ‘eating out experience’, is there anything that you missed out on? Jazz, western classical, hip-hop —- you heard it all. Did you? Well, maybe not, for in this blasting experience, the light melodious voice coming from a corner in the eatery did get muffled somewhere.

On the menu at many restaurants in town are melodies of yesteryears. Voiced by singers from the city, the numbers don’t promise to make you swirl and swing or sing aloud; but they bring you a soothing experience. And within minutes, you’ll be snapping fingers, tapping feet and softly humming Teri pyaari pyaari surat ko kissi ke nazar na lage chasmebadoor... “The idea is to let you relish the food in peace and not bug you with loud music,” feel the singers who spend close to three hours each evening entertaining you. Singing numbers of Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangashker and Mukesh, these singers make sure that your dining out is a lot more than just hanging out. And, all they want in return is a smile, a nod of appreciation or a five-second applause.

Vijay Chauhan & Nikhat Ali

“The old numbers provide a perfectly subtle experience,” says Mahesh Tanwar (30). And, if you’ve grown up gorging HM’s burgers and salad buffet, then Tanwar will ‘sound’ familiar to you. For Tanwar has a lot to do with your frequent trips to Hot Millions, Sector 17. The regulars here swear by the chef’s mouth-watering fruit cream and Tanwar’s Pal pal dil ke paas. With his father as his guru, Tanwar made his debut at Hot Millions 12 years back. As a child, he would not miss a single chance to perform in the school auditorium. A fan of old melodies, Tanwar sings numbers of Kishore, Mukesh and Rafi. “Out of the new numbers, I like Tu hi meri shaab hai,” he says. A two-hour riyaas in the morning, followed by a three-hour performance in the evenings, makes Tanwar a happy man.

On the city play list What’s in: Maula Maula, Chand sifarish, Kal ho na ho, Chalte chalte College goers fave: Papa Kehte hain, Purani jeans Grandparents choice: Kehna hai kehna hai, Tum bin jao kahan, Rhimjhim geere sawaan A total no-no: Himesh Reshamiyaa’s numbers Evergreen hits: Tum bin jao kahan, Hai apna dil tu awara

“I like performing in front of an audience that understands music,” says Rajkumar (30) who moved to the city eight years back. After a five-year stint at restaurants in Dubai and Singapore, he moved to Chandigarh for training in vocal music. A student of classical music, Rajkumar runs a STD booth in the morning and each evening sings at Moti Mahal, Sector 17. Right from K.L.Sehgal to Shaan, he lends his voice to all singers but his favourite is Sach keh raha hai deewana dil. “It feels good when people wait to listen to a complete song,” he adds.

Echoing his thoughts is Ladi aka Ravinder Singh at Mehfil, Sector 17. Ladi’s favourite is Hai apna dil to awara. After delighting the foodies at GK International, KC, North Park and Red Bishop for over ten years now, he’s moved to Mehfil two months back. He smiles, “Dhick-chik dhick-chik music is not what pleases me. My taste in music falls between the period of 1950 to 1975.” Ladi idolises Talif Mehmood. He says, “We have so many fine singers in the city and they can easily give competition to all those who are grabbing prizes in various shows on TV.”

Chips in Vijay Chauhan (35) and Nikhat Ali (43) from Shivalik’s Yangstee. Mujhe choo rahi hai by Kafi is the duo’s favourite. Chauhan’s association with Shivalik goes back to seven years. He says, “ It is very difficult to perform live as one has to sing on the auto rhythm.” A fine keyboard player, he has been working with music directors in Punjab. Giving him company is Nikhat, a big fan of filmi music. A kindergarten teacher, she says, “I grew up listening to the music of Mughal-e-Azam, Baiju Bawra and Anarkali. I teach to earn and sing for myself,” she signs off.

purva@tribunemail.com

The recent fire at the BSNL telephone exchange led to disruption of Internet and telephone services in the city. Right from banking operations to railway bookings to the general public, it left everybody affected and posed a major hindrance in carrying daily work.

But, it is not the time to crib over what happened, but to question the authorities if we are prepared to prepare such a situation in future. Why did it take so long for the authorities to take care of the disrupted services?

Why was there no provision for a stand by system? Shouldn’t an organisation like BSNL who’s functioning is so essential be prepared to face such causalities?

So, besides ensuring that the services get back to normal at the earliest, the authorities also need to answer the queries and concerns of the general public.

Director: Raj Pendurkar
Starring: Raju Shrivastava, Sunil Pal, Ehsaan Qureshi, Rauf Lala, Khayali

The contestants of SaharaOne’s Biggest Loser Jeetega will be in for a big surprise today as Rakhi Sawant and Javed Jaffery will join the teams to make the week special for them. They will spend three days in the house and cheer their respective teams. Rakhi will boost the morale of Team Red and Javed will be seen encouraging Team Blue. Among the many tasks given to them, an impromptu solo dance competition has to be performed by both the teams. The celeb guests will give tips to contestants and also help them design their costumes. Javed has created a special song for the show and the two will also carry gifts for the contestants from the families. 

The tiny sparks of emotions that ignite impressive flames of passion have turned hopelessly hollow, and platonic. Look around and you find dames customarily brushing their fair visage against rouge-dabbed cheeks of fellow gals. Nay, not because they are queer, but out of sheer habit!

This is not all. Walk into a sophisticated café bar steaming with style and you find femmes reposing on the armrest of comfy sofas. Laughing, they plant automatic, butterfly-soft, kisses on the cheeks of their guy pals sitting on the sofas every now and then, just like they’d shake hands after cracking a hilarious joke.

Looking at them, you realise that passion, emotion and warmth are the last things on their ever-shifting minds. And hugs, along with kisses, have nothing to do with soul stirring. Also, kissing in public is not just for three-year-olds. Having been reduced to the level of pleasantries, they are exchanged with acquaintances blatantly and are acceptable in an ostentatious world where affectation is considered a positive value.

On World Kissing Day today, we’ve decided to make kisses fascinating once again. Sit back and kiss the little-known, yet interesting facts about the act.

In the Victorian age, a kiss on the cheek or touch of the hand between friends in public was a taboo. In Bollywood, flowers or birds would meet on the screen instead of lips!

Researchers say it is wrong to associate kisses with the rumblings of a hungry heart. A kiss is not always a precursor of what is to come. And, the end result of going kissy-kissy or even a perfect kiss is not always physical intimacy.

Researchers at Indiana’s Butler University say couples tend to recall 90% details of the first kiss.

Avoid `lipstick on the collar’ by smearing won’t-kiss-off gloss on lips before turning into a kiss miss.

An old wives’ tale says you can ward off cold by kissing the nose of a mouse.

Legend says spy Mata Hari blew a kiss to her executioners just before she was shot down.

You will bite your lip after reading this – the author of The Kiss and Its History, Christopher Nyrop, believes women prefer to kiss bearded men!

Sample this proverb: Kissing a fellow without a quid of tobacco and a beard is like kissing a clay wall. Gals, beard’s okay, but never encourage a guy who has anything to do with tobacco. Kiss him goodbye till be leaves the habit.

Romans insist there are three motivations for kisses: friendship, love and passion. In any case, kisses cement family, friendship and passionate bonds. So fellows, give kisses a fair share.

Beauty may be skin deep, but the roots of the problems go much beyond. Specially, in the rainy season. There are bacterial infections and there are fungal infections. To add to the woes, there are insect bites too.

So even if the temptation to get drenched in the shower is too great, the though of the hair getting all frizzed up and the skin breaking into all sorts things gets the better of your romanticism. But you need not fret. For, there are solutions to such problems.

According to Dr Ritu Sidhu of Kaya Clinic, the first one or two showers are harmful for the skin and hair, but there is no reason why one should not enjoy walking in the rain after that. “Get drenched, but always take a thorough shower after that,” says Ritu.

According to skin specialist Rajat Chabra, there are three types of skin infections one is likely to contact this season – fungal, bacterial and reaction to insect bites. To keep them at bay, Rajat advises to be liberal with talcum powder, especially between the skin folds.

But in case you have already caught some infection, avoid self-medication and see a dermatologist for only a trained person can detect the difference between a fungal infection and a bacterial one and prescribe medicine accordingly, cautions Ritu.

If you are lucky to stay away from all these dermatological woes, we are sure hair fall is one thing that is getting you down. “Hair fall is a major problem we face during this season,” says Harveen Kathuria, clinic manager of Cleopetra, Sector 8. The reason is the roots become week due to excessive sweating. The expert advises against applying henna this rainy season as it adds more moisture to the scalp. “If you are going for a oil massage, then do leave it for overnight. It may not just weaken your hair roots further, but can be the cause for acne too,” she says.

And if it is frizziness that is bothering you, try out a serum, which is available in the market. If that does not help, go for a steam and head spa.

Now, with most of the channels and also the print media constantly guiding you how to dazzle in the rain and health experts educating you on how to retain the beauty beneath the surface, you are ready to give the screen goddesses a run for their money! 

Little had Asim Singh Halwarvi thought that a recent pleasure trip to the mountains would help him bring home his talent. Some days in the company of nature and here he is — with his first photo exhibition — at a tender age of 12.

Asim’s experiences of wielding the camera and capturing with it the flourishes of nature would have never become public, had it not been for the inspiration of Yog Joy, the legendary lensman, who’s added new dimensions to photojournalism.

“His iconic status impresses me no end. I feel touched by his legacy,” says the young student from Vivek High School, who always had an inherent eye for detail. “It’s just that he did not know what he could do with that detail,” says Asim’s proud mother Pritpal Kaur, the force behind Asim’s maiden photo show, rightfully dedicated to Yog Joy. The show opened at Government Museum’s art gallery, Sector 10, on Thursday morning.

Not that it was planned or conceptualised. “It just happened. Asim had loads of pictures from his recent trip to Kullu and Manali. When we developed them, we realised they had potential for display. We got in touch with our friends, who offered encouragement to put them into an exhibition and here we are,” says Kaur.

“I had never thought it could become possible. But I am glad there are so many visitors for the inaugural show. It gives me immense satisfaction,” says the young one, who has also been pursuing his passion at school.

But the exhibition, he says, has come as a surprise. “I loved to take pictures with my latest camera— canon, six mega pixels. The results were also impressive. But I never knew I could come so far with these shots. I love nature and that’s what I’ve tried to capture in the frames,” says Asim, who continues to draw strength from the memory of Harbhajan Singh Halwarvi, his father.

The exhibition was naturally frequented by many of Halwarvi’s friends and admirers. Among the guests were The Tribune Editor-in-Chief H.K. Dua, Rock Garden creator Nek Chand, Architecture College principal Rajnish Wattas, Punjabi litterateur Shyam Singh and a host of eminent photographers, painters and sculptors, including Shiv Singh, Diwan Manna and Malkiat Singh.

From the face of it, the show appeared routine, one that took its inspirations from the majestic mountains, the ethereal landscapes and the raging Beas. But on closer look, one realised that the frames were not ordinary or usual. They were striking in composition and detail. “The stateliness of the pine comes alive in Asim’s frames. He has captured the nature in all its beauty, all its moods and all its seasons,” said H.K. Dua, showering genuine praises on the photo artist in the making. Nek Chand, for his part, wished the child great success in life.

Everyone else, too, pitched in their share of appreciation for Asim, already being hailed as a prodigy. The show, a truly remarkable effort, was supported by the Government Museum.

adititandon@tribunemail.com

Kashi Nath Dutt was packed off to Selwyn College, Cambridge, at the tender age of 18. He left by ship, as in those times, no planes whizzed across the global skies. It was an extended but exciting journey. By the time Dutt got off for a walk about around Milan, he had found his sea legs but lost his way due to the language barrier. He finally did land at the college, however, after having grayed his mother’s hair and frayed his father’s temper.

Dutt’s Cambridge Pocket Diary: 1928-1929, lies before me. It is a maroon, linen covered, slim 2” wide, 4” long, miniature book with gold edges. It fits a waistcoat pocket perfectly. The first blank page has a variety of impressive signatures with curlicues and flourishes. The autograph of his latter days is much simpler.

The pocket diary is on fine rice paper and contains a wealth of information. There are holiday calendars; examination calendars, cab fares – London and Cambridge, bus services- numbers, mileages and stops, postal information; places of interest, railway time-tables, university phone numbers, sports fixtures; debates, dramas and elocutions and even whom to contact for hiring a boat if you want to join the Cambridge sculling team. The first few pages have quotes from the Bible and suggested readings. Being a Bengali Christian, Dutt was expected to go to chapel on Sunday and do his daily readings.

The Michaelmas term started on the October 1, 1928, and ended on September 30, 1929. Dutt’s first entry on October 11 is brief: ‘Singing in Hall-1.30p.m.’ He had a beautiful tenor voice and joined the chapel choir. La Paloma or The Dove was his favourite song. O Sole Mio, also sung in Latin, was another. Elvis Presley reinvented it in the 1960’s as ‘When I First Saw You…’ Dutt had to take the second language as we do Punjabi and Kannada today.

By June 1929, Dutt had settled in well. He met Jean and Phyllis for tea by the river. Who was his ladylove and which one the gooseberry, we shall never know. The next day he met Mrs Stallard at Dilton Meadows.  Was she a house -mother, housekeeper or faculty wife? Most of the Cambridge dons were dedicated and hardworking men. A large number were men of the cloth. Those were the Raj days. The 1920’s opened the doors to new ideas and personal freedom. Young women knew their minds. Let loose a handsome, almond eyed, Indian Adonis amongst them and there was bound to be a flutter.

Dutt’s Pocket Diary has reminders like, ‘Send my photograph home’, ‘Write home!’ Like all young students abroad, the present is far more active and interesting than the family left behind. On August 3, 1929, he had to meet Jean between 9.30 and 10 with six pebbles. Playing marbles?  Maybe! Those were chivalrous, innocent days.

The last four pages have names and addresses. There is Daulat Singh, Ashghar, Ayre, Suttcliffe, Clarke, Shastri, Thwaites and Zafarullah. There is a mention of tennis, cycling and laundry. P.N.Dutt could not get his son home for the holidays, as it was expensive. Dutt returned to India in 1931 and put his Cambridge skills to good use in the Civil and Educational Services. 

Avoid wearing high heel and narrow toed shoes in order to avoid foot deformity. Be more comfortable than fashionable. 

— Dr Ravinder Chadha

TAROT TALK
What the cards say today...
P. KHURRANA

ARIES: The Priestess infuses a gracious influence in your life. You could have many public rivals. A loving interaction with your beloved is indicated. Focus on routine work on Wednesday. Lucky colour: Golden yellow. Tip of the week: Lack of confidence can leave you in losses.	LIBRA: Your card the Empress encouraging such a step, as a period apart will give you a better chance. An excellent time to adopt new routines or develop unique hobbies. Lucky colour: Lotus pink. Tip: Don’t be enthusiastic in finalising a particular deal.
TAURUS: The Moon spins in some good luck, travel and opportunity in your life. Be safe than sorry should be your motto of the week. An office romance may get you into trouble. Be assertive where and when you have to. Lucky colour: Royal blue. Tip: You need o be creative.	SCORPIO: The Six of Swords bring mental clarity and perspective in a chaotic situation. Areas affected are subtle romantic attractions or the social habits of a mutual friend. Beware of over indulgence in food. Lucky colour: White. Tip: Plan your life to avoid delays.
GEMINI: The Queen of Pentacles blesses you with the finest of subtle qualities as you are on a winning streak. You will dazzle everyone if you put yourself in the mainstream. A chance to do things a little differently will lead to changes. Lucky Colour: Lime green. Tip: Do not let anyone get the better of you.	SAGITTARIUS: A calm and happy week is indicated with the Eight of Swords card. A surprise phone call on Sunday could put you back in touch with a friend you have not seen for a long time. Lucky colour: Silver. Tip: Minor official pin-pricks are better ignored.
CANCER: The Princess of Swords brings you face to face with truthin personal and professional situations. Work will get done faster if you take your colleagues’ help. New opportunities will come your way. Lucky colour: Creamy white. Tip: Don’t allow other people to interfere you.	CAPRICORN:  The Empress takes you towards the fast and protective lane. Love and romance lead to promise . You are not undecided,just trying to understand what others around you are thinking. Lucky colour: Black. Tip: It is best to balance your energy before making decisions.
LEO: The Wheel of Fortune spins in some good luck, travel and opportunity in your life. Someone close may now expect an honest answer. Avoid acting as mediator and wait for obvious cues from loved ones. Lucky colour: Red. Tip: Keep your tenancy to save money for rainy days.	AQUARIUS: The Ace of Pentacles sees the beginning of a very interesting development in your fortunes. Work will be smooth sailing and your analysis of current projects will be appreciated. Lucky Colour: Brick red. Tip: Catch the financial opportunities.
VIRGO: You are active, dynamic, swift and strong like the Knight of Wands. This is a strong time for shared enjoyment with friends and loved ones. On Tuesday, review financial records. Lucky colour: Purple. Tip: You need to act for yourself and for no one else.	PISCES: The Hanged Man opts for important changes at home and work. Romantic partners or long-term friends may challenge recent social choices. On Wednesday plan creative distractions or group events. Lucky Colour: Purple. Tip: Control is slipping away.