Friday Gurgaon, August 17-23, 2012 by Friday Gurgaon

17-23 August 2012

Vol. 1 No. 52  Pages 24  ` 7

{Inside}

Shaping Dreams

culptor P.R Daroz speaks about his inspiration, his works, and his desires. ...Pg 6

A Phase-Off

look at how DLF has brought about a change in Gurgaon’s skyline with two of its well-planned Phases – IV and V. ...Pg 8

A Global Gurukul

he City has transformed into a Global Gurukul. There are over 30,000 foreign children studying in Gurgaon Schools today, and liking it. ...Pg 9

Know Your Rashi

n expert view on your particular Rashi/birthsign. ...Pg 18,19

For Advertisement in Friday Gurgaon Please Contact

Ankit Srivastava

9899443477 Bhagwat Kaushik

7838003874

One Step Backward Friday Gurgaon completes one year this week. Despite the prescence of 4 top level Administrators, a fresh Mayor(s) team and Councillors, very involved RWAs and civil society, and an active media, we have gone backwards in the last oneyear. It is disappointing – and disturbing. Yes, there have been some positive initiatives – but too many (basic) issues and problems remain, or crop up new. Here is our assessment of the year. Four years after the MCG was formed, and over a year after the Mayor and Councillors were elected, the MCG (a key body) has made precious little progress. Despite a fairly substantial fund position, the Corporation just goes from one estimate to another – with approvals taking forever, and therefore there is little to show on the ground. Meanwhile the Councillors are unhappy, as their vote bank slips, due to disgruntled residents. HUDA was to have started the hand over of colonies to MCG last year itself – starting with mostly ‘old’ Gurgaon areas. There is absolutely no forward movement. The excuse of MCG ‘inexperience’ is beginning to wear very thin. HUDA clearly relishes keeping all the colonies, supposedly to exploit the vacant plots, and the Institutional areas. And the HUDA employees, despite being told to move last year, have not taken the transfer to the MCG (clearly there is some ‘sticky’ benefit at HUDA). Water supply, that was to be transferred to the MCG (from PHE) with effect from August 1, has also been postponed.

EDITORIAL Atul Sobti

The MCG is vainly trying to impose the House/Property Tax, and being challenged on this by civil society in court. The release of JNNURM funds is the reason for this hurry – as the collection of such local taxes is a pre-requisite for obtaining the central funds. The core of the MCG role today, in the 40 odd Village Abadis, shows little improvement. There has been no Abadi that has been developed as a model, for others to follow. All are now urban slums, getting worse by the way. Not to mention the even more disturbing picture of the “Unauthorized Colonies’, who do not get any basic services at all (as they are not even ‘recognized to exist’). Even all the political pulls and pushes, and vote banks, there has been no progress. The developments in the Bio-diversity Park are surely a feather in the Corporation’s cap.

{ Abhishek Behl / FG}

Vikalp Panwar

9999444818

Protect your Family & Property from Pests like

Termites

Cockroaches

The DC office has won credit and applause, even from Delhi, in the maintenance of land records, and the process of land registry. Hundreds of acres of Panchayat land were restored to the Panchayats, through timely and strong action by the DC. However, the issue of illegal borewells is an area that the DC Office has been found wanting – for years. It took a Mahi case to bring it back to centre stage. Just like the cases of shocking treatment and exploitation of young girls, at Child Welfare Homes. The exploitation of the Aravallis is no less serious an issue; a quiet back-door transformation will likely meet the full fury of the Supreme Court one day. The death of many peacocks this year is ominous. The clashes with farmers in Rewari seem to be a harbinger of troubled times ahead, that will impact the development of Greater Gurgaon. Contd on p 16 

Not Getting Real - Yet

Amit Agarwal

7827233023

The new HUDA Administrator promised a sea change, with a very hands-on approach. Very rarely has someone gained public appreciation so fast, and so wide. The ‘demolitions’ were seen as a symbol of removing all obstacles to the civic development of the City. And there was a lot of action, a lot of meetings, and some resolutions. And then – there was, and is, a lull. Lack of Water and Water Harvesting have been the biggest failures. It is a pathetic blame game between HUDA and the Irrigation Dept. There was little seriousness – just a lot of over-the-top, or top-of-head, promises. Going forward, lack of Sewage Treatment and connectivity could turn out to be the biggest threat to the City. The Badshahpur Nallah is now a Cesspool – getting larger by the day. It houses a calamity or an outbreak waiting to happen. Despite not being able to provide and maintain basic civic services, even in its own Sectors, and despite having the most marginal role even in the future Gurgaon II, HUDA has steadfastly refused to hand over charge of civic services to the MCG. (Of course, even many private builders have been guilty of providing very poor services in their colonies. The RWA of World Spa had to 'forcibly' take over, after years of frustration; and M2K/Mayfield Gardens' residents have literally been left high and dry). Initiatives like mobile public toilets were so ill-conceived and illmaintained, that even the public has stopped using them. Not a single multi-level parking is even on the drawing board, in a City that has cars as the only real means of local travel.

he Gurgaon Real Estate market is a complex animal. It does not follow the simple rule of demand and supply; prices keep on increasing - irrespective of an economic slowdown, higher interest rates, low absorption, or an oversupply of property that no one in the industry admits to. To understand why realty in the Millennium City defies gravity, and why it is beyond the purview of business cycles, Friday Gurgaon on Monday invited eminent practitioners of this trade for a Panel Discussion. Gurgaon I (Sectors 1 to 57) today boasts of top rates – Rs 25,000 per sq ft price for a top apartment; Rs 250,000 per sq yd price for a top plot; and Rs 125 per sq ft rent for a top office. Sanjay Sharma, MD, Qubrex, who started the dis-

PRAKHAR PANDEY

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319, Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2012-2014

cussion, said that the Real Estate market in Gurgaon was different from other cities, in the sense that is primarily investor driven. “Even if you have Rs 20 lakh in the pocket, a broker will motivate you to invest in property, promising huge

returns. There is no rationalisation in the market, and this creates a certain pressure on the builder to hike prices – artificially, in stages”, said Sharma. He further said that he has rarely seen a builder reduce prices.

Devinder Gupta, CEO DGS Reality, who has seen Gurgaon since the beginning, asserted that there have been instances where builders have reduced prices, to push sales; or, understanding the reality of the market, offered more sops to the buyers - to ensure that takeoff did not stagnate. He also admitted that Gurgaon was an investors market, that was primed to ensure that prices went up; and increasingly more people were putting their money in realty. Another important observation by the experts was the increase in speculation in plots, as compared to apartments - where there were more end-users. Rajan Chanana, a Consultant, said that the prime objective of every stakeholder was to ensure that the industry keeps rolling. Contd on p 20 

17-23 August 2012

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319 Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2012-2014 VOL.–1 No.–52  17-23 August 2012

Editor:

WORKSHOP  NIGHTLIFE  EXHIBITION  MUSIC  ART  DANCE

orraine Music Academy and LAMP Foundation present an evening of Patriotic songs, dances, drama, Instrumental music, and works of world famous Rock Bands – along with Community Music.

Atul Sobti

Sr. Correspondent: Abhishek Behl Correspondents:

Coming Up

Hritvick Sen Maninder Dabas

Theatre

Get Rid of My Wife @ The Leela Kempinski Hotel, Ambience Island, National Highway – 8 Date: August 17 Time: 7:30 pm

Sr. Photographers: Prakhar Pandey Jit Kumar Sr. Sub Editors:

Anita Bagchi Shilpy Arora

Sr. Designer:

Amit Singh

Designers:

Virender Kumar

Sr. Circulation Execs.: Himanshu Vats Syed Mohd Komail Circulation Execs.:

Accts. & Admin Mgr: Deba Datta Pati Head – Sales & Marketing:

Ankit Srivastava

Sr. Ad Sales Exec:

Bhagwat Kaushik

Sr. Exec Media Marketing:

Vikalp Panwar

Ad Sales Exec :

Amit Agarwal

Consulting Art Editor: Qazi M Raghib Consulting Business Editor: Yogesh Sood Editorial Office 213, Tower A, Spazedge, Sector 47, Sohna Road, Gurgaon 122001, Haryana Phones: +91 124 421 9092/93 Emails:

editor@fridaygurgaon.com letters@fridaygurgaon.com contributions@fridaygurgaon.com subscription@fridaygurgaon.com circulation@fridaygurgaon.com adsales@fridaygurgaon.com events@fridaygurgaon.com marketing@fridaygurgaon.com

Workshop

Creative Dance Therapy @Zorba The Buddha, 7 Tropical Drive, MG Road Date: August 25 & 26 Time: 9:30 am

Workshop on Creative Dance Therapy, that inludes free style techniques in therapeutic dance and movement. Activities will include using music, props, body preparatory exercises, energizers, icebreakers and cool down routines – interspersed with verbal dialogue. These movements will help release physical and mental stress, and increase selfconfidence; and enhance emotional expression and leadership qualities.

Printed at Indian Express Ltd. Plot No. A8, Sector 7, Gautam Budh Nagar, NOIDA – 201301, Uttar Pradesh The views expressed in the opinion pieces and/or the columns are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Friday Gurgaon or Arap Media Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

FG Invites Citizens n Are you interested and concerned

about civic and social happenings and issues around you? n Are you motivated to do something positive for society? n Are you interested to also write, and express what you see, hear, feel?

Understanding Art @Art Alive Gallery, 120, Sector 44 Date: August 18 & 25 Time: 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm Entry : Fees :  Rs. 6,000 for individual; Rs. 10,000 per couple

Retro Music @ Rhino, 3rd Floor, 312-A, Golf Course Road, Sector 53 Date: August 18 Time: 9:00 pm onwards

...Pg 16

Tantric Art

e feature

Shobha Broota, a 68year old ‘young’ and energetic artist.

...Pg 17

Master Recipe

Prakhar PaNdey

he third in our astrology series – featuring Libra, Scorpio and Saggitarius.

in India. forces that It is this flux of extreme balance – the is threatening to unraveland helpful for a balance that is natural and for civiliwith; great cities to evolve attain glory. sations to develop and urban core, the Gurgaon’s rotting within the City, concretised villages hinterland that and the vast rural is under once comprised Guru-gram, – under and 210 Panchayats threat of being submerged Nagar, Manesar); Millennium a of the new identity that cover 291 villages. a week with in ‘New GurgaFriday Gurgaon spent City, with its capital Meena, checkthe role of the State on’. It is here that Deputy Commissioner will is executed – ensure that the forces comes into play; to ing how the State’s that has known all the populace. of development touch in this historic area, since the Commissioner Gurgaon Deputy some form of governance of Being is the point man of Guru Dronacharya. power, P.C Meena, who in the Dis- time capital seat of the State Administration close to Delhi, the by Gurgaon is much has also been influenced trict, concurs that District the District and social developments The itself. City political more than the viz. Gurgaon the includes 3 sub-divisionsPataudi; 5 teh- taking place there. Contd on p 8  ,and (North and South) Pataudi, Farukh Sohna, sils (Gurgaon,

Please Visit Us At en Emergency Servicem www.fridaygurgaon.com Ask Your Newspaper Vendor For Friday Gurgaon. M

asterchef Top 5 Vijaylaxmi shares a Recipe exclusively for FG readers.

...Pg 18

little, for so long, with so We have done so much,do anything with nothing. to we are now qualified

Let’s Be Civil

avan Choudhary, Managing Director of Vygon, speaks on the need for residents to become responsible citizens. ...Pg 21

Regular Features Food Take

...Pg 6

Cinema Listings & Helplines ...Pg 7 eek That Was

{ Hritvick Sen / FG }

service worth its lmost every significant call-in. Whether it salt has a telephone information is food (or liquor) delivery, civic and reservations, services, bookings on cells... there is a line facilities, grievance call in. But when there which people can or a fire – there is an accident, a robbery that people dial is only one type of service Services. in a hurry. Emergency themselves count people Most haven’t had a fortunate that they for they had to ask which in situation who work in these help; but for the people people is helping distraught

t’s time for the ladies to celebrate, with Diva Nights. Let your hair down in an evening filled with fun, music, and a lot of prizes for the divas! Contact: 0124 4688710

100 – Police Emergency main Police

Line

Control Location: The Mini-SecretarRoom (PCR) in Gurgaon’s lines chirping, phone iat. Wireless sets staff they’re set down, ringing as soon as papers – the very rushing about with air hums with activity. who is the Inspector Rishipal, the Operations, says senior in-charge of given day, we receive seriously, “On any a 3,000 calls.” In between 2,500 to from which he can closed glass cubicle he manages the day-tosurvey all activity, PCR. “We have stateday operations of the equipment, and I can of-the-art servers and has one of the safely say that Gurgaon the country.” in st advanced PCRs

he Indian adaption of Edward Albee’s play, The Zoo Story. This one-act play is a gripping encounter between a middle-class publishing executive and a disturbed vagrant, in New Delhi’s Central Park. Lyrical, abrasive, daring, and at times very funny, this Play questions many of the values that shape our lives. Cast includes Tushar Dhaundiyal and Sumedh Sachdev.

Kathak recital by Madhulina Bardhan, who is a disciple of Sushmita Banerjee.

If you are not getting FG copies regularly

Call - 9910518785

angeetam presents a music concert titled Musical Journey. There will be performances by Smt Manashi Chatterjee – Hindustani vocal; Shri Pradeep Chatterjee – Tabla recital; and Sri Praveen Sheolikar – Hindustani classical violin recital.

Music

319

Kathak Recital @Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44 Date: August 17 Time: 7:30 pm

Nightlife

{ Abhishek Behl / FG }

Astrology

The Zoo Story @ Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44 Date: August 19 Time: 7.30 pm

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39

It lives in two urgaon is a paradox. the Naunequal halves, whereinthe Great as tional Highway-8 acts Wall. The core Divide – like the Berlin the new subbut of the City is rotting; – with malls, gated urbs shine like stars and clubs setting colonies, golf courses never before seen a standard of life

Theatre

his Workshop is designed to encourage participants to have a better understanding of Art, and develop a range of analytical skills – to view and appreciate Art. The Workshop will provide an introduction of the basic elements of art. An interactive module will include sessions of engagements with artists, curators, art historians, collectors and professors – to explore the different forms and dimensions of visual Art; its origin, evolution, and market trends. Ph: 0124-4932000

For The Other Half

{Inside}

Dance

Classical Music Concert @ 251, Deerwood Chase, Nirvana Country, Sector 50 Date: Augist 26 Time: 7:00 pm

2–8 March 2012

Diva Nights @Fox-World Cuisine, GF, Vatika, First India Place Building, Sushant Lok I Date: August 23 Time: 8:00 pm onwards

Music

If yes, write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon.com, with a brief background of yourself, with contact number(s). `7

Nightlife

Workshop

Friday Gurgaon (Weekly) edited, published and printed by Atul Sobti on behalf of Arap Media Ventures Pvt. Ltd. from 213, Tower A, Spazedge, Sector 47, Sohna Road, Gurgaon 122018, Haryana.

Vol. 1 No. 28  Pages 24

njoy an evening of fun and laughter with the play, Get Rid of My Wife, written and directed by Paritosh Painter. Contact: Shilpa Verma, 9717596101

Pankaj Yadav Sunil Yadav Manish Yadav

et into the Retro beat, as DJ Vinny belts out great retro music through the night. Indulge in some great food and beverages, and make the evening a special one.

Celebrating Our Nation’s Independence @ Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44 Date: August 22 Time: 7:30 pm

Story-Telling Session

Off The Shelf @Ninex City Mart, Sohna road, adjacent to 'Fortune Hotel'. Date: August 18 Time: 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm Fee: Rs. 250 per person

hat happens when the lines between Science & Occult blur? Find out the entire story of "Tathagat", by the master storyteller Nilendu Sen. Enjoy the story with green tea and cookies. Contact: 9910005046

17-23 August 2012

xxxxxxxx

C eleb W atch

Tiger Spotted

uests at the Ambience Mall were in for a treat, as they caught a glimpse of Bollywood actor Salman Khan. All three floors of the Mall were packed, with people standing on the railings and escalators. Wearing a casual black denim jeans with formal shoes, and his signature ‘Being Tiger’ black T-Shirt, Salman addressed the media and spoke about his upcoming movie, Ek Tha Tiger.

Vagina Monologues in virgin Territory

Star Harshdeep

ufi singing sensation Harshdeep Kaur mesmerised the audience with her melodious voice at Star Mall. Having won accolades for chartbusters like Katya Karun in the movie Rockstar, and the recent Jugni in Cocktail, Harshdeep treated the City’s music lovers to her unique vocal talent.

he popular show, The Vagina Monologues, was staged at Vapour in Grand Mall. The audience was amazed to hear a set of monologues recited by women, that underline the vagina as a tool of female empowerment. Talking about its ban in cities like Lucknow and Gujarat, the play’s Director Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal said, “What I fail to understand is why ‘vagina’ is considered a taboo word in India – where stealing public money and raping women is accepted. If ‘vagina’ is regarded as a dirty word, it means a total collapse of our education system.”

Bharti Independence

s a part of celebrations to commemorate Independence Day, employees of Bharti Airtel came together to participate in a plantation drive at the Biodiversity Park. Around 2,000 saplings were planted at the Park. Senior leaders Sanjay Kapoor, CEO, India & South Asia; K. Srinivas, President , Consumer Business; Ajai Puri, Operations Director, North, East and Bangladesh; KrishShankar, Executive Director - Human Resources; Jyoti Pawar, Director, Legal and Regulatory; Vineet Taneja, Operations Director, South and Sri Lanka; Jagbir Singh, Director, Network Services Group; and S.Asokan, Executive Director, Supply Chain Management, also joined the green drive.

Genesis Musical Fundraiser

enesis Foundation, in association with Pernod Ricard India, organised its annual fundraiser – CEOs Sing for their Supper. Nine CEOs from various industries, sang their heart out, to support the cause – saving the lives of six critically ill children. This year had an added attraction of a CXO’s band – WinTage. The CEOs who sang on the occasion were Niren Chaudhary, CEO, Yum Restaurants Pvt. Ltd.; Geetu Verma, Executive Director, Hul Mumbai; Shireesh Joshi, COO, Strategic Marketing Group, Godrej; Dr. Thomas Chandy, CMD, Hosmat Hospitals, Bangalore; Ashwin Deo, Founder and Managing Director, Trinity Vintners, Pune, Pankaj Chaturvedi, Executive Director and CEO, Rich Graviss Products; Shyam Sunder, COO, Quatrro Mortgage Solutions; Vikash Gupta, CEO, Opera Wines; Navroze Dhondy, Founder and Managing Director, Creatigies Communications Pvt. Ltd.

Freedom Songs

t was a pre-Independence Day, bash by Hari and Sukhmani at a popular club in the City.The guests were dressed in Orange, White, and Green, and the club resonated with Sukhmani's cultured voice, coupled with Hari's fine skills. Guests present at the bash included Fashion Designers Ramon Llamba, Parul Grover, Amit Talwar Trekaaya, Ajiesh Oberoi, Amit Talwar, Deepa Arora, Jewellery Designer Garema Nagpal, and Entrepreneurs Harjinder Kaur and Kiran Sharma.

R eviews

17-23 August 2012

FOOD

BOOK

A 3-Step Tango

A Scientific Head

{ Aalok Wadhwa }

hy put a wok in a box? That is the thought that intrigues me as I enter the spic and spartan premises of WokaBox, a restaurant that has opened less than a month ago at Supermart 1. “The idea is to let foodies experiment, and discover new untried combinations and tastes,” explains its young owner Ambar Arora. Ambar tells me that WokaBox straddles diverse cuisines— Asian, Italian and Indian. He also informs me that there is a three-step approach to placing one’s order. I am to choose the base first—from among pasta, noodles, rice, pizza and maggi! Second, I have to choose from a huge list of sauces from across Asia, India and Italy. Last, I need to choose my toppings— vegetarian, exotic veggie and non-vegetarian. And, voila, a new dish is born! Easy-peasy? Not really, I discover, as I set about creating my own combos. After much humming and hawing, and some choice fatigue, I finally decide on a few mainstream dishes with one out-ofthe-box combo. It takes a while before my food

WokaBox B 204, Supermart 1, DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon Phone: +91 8800449997 Timing: Midnight

starts arriving. The lamb spring rolls (Rs. 180) are very crisp and very tasty – making it worth the wait. The Udon noodles with black bean sauce and fish (Rs. 310) are professionally done, and topped with a soft yet crispy basa fish. The Spaghetti Bolognaise (Rs. 180) is light and peppery, with al dente pasta and a chunky sauce; what makes it stop short of being wow is a

dryish sauce. As I sit waiting for my experimental dish, which is thin crust pizza with Thai green curry sauce and chicken satay (Rs. 170), I wonder how Marco Polo must have felt back home in Venice, after his travels to the fareast. With all the spices and herbs he brought back, he too would have tried a version of what I am about to have. Why didn’t it become popular, I speculate? The pizza that I am served answers my question—the crust has been baked just right, with the right amount of cheese, and the chicken satays are done well too – but the green curry just does not sit well with mozzarella cheese. Alas, some cuisines will not mix well with others. WokaBox is an exciting con-

cept. Considering the restaurant has got its food almost right (I can’t blame them for my pizza experiment) in the first month of operations, means the food is likely to continue to be great here. The service levels need to improve. And maybe diners should be suggested some interesting and unorthodox combinations, to keep them from getting bogged down by the plethora of choices – or making mistakes like I did. But, all said and eaten, it’s definitely worth a visit. u

{ Alka Gurha }

hen Dr. Kalam penned ‘Wings of Fire’, the book fired the imagination of millions of our countrymen. His latest political biography, ‘Turning Points’, is also inspirational; this book chronicles the life of a non-political man in the political realm. ‘Turning Points’ is the saga of Kalam’s tryst with politics. The book refers to ‘Seven turning points of my life’. The first was when Kalam was assigned the task to design the first Hovercraft, in the early sixties. Kalam also narrates how a phone call from Vajpayee made him the Presidential nominee of India: “It was like any other day on the Anna University campus in Chennai. I had delivered a lecture ‘Vision to Mission’ and the session got extended from one hour to two. I had lunch with a group of research students and went back to class. As I was returning to my rooms in the evening the vice- chancellor, Prof. A. Kalanidhi, fell in step with me. Someone had been frantically trying to get in touch with me through the day, he said. Indeed, the phone was ringing when I entered the room. When I answered, a voice at the other end said, “The prime minister wants to talk with you … Some months earlier, I had left my post as principal scientific adviser to the government of India, a Cabinet-level post, to return to teaching. Now, as I spoke to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, my life was set for an unexpected change.” The book recounts Kalam’s stint at Rashtrapati Bhavan, as he reflects on several crucial decisions he had to take, while upholding the Constitution. Lifting the suspense on the conspiracy theory when the UPA came to power in 2004, former President A P J Abdul Kalam has re-

Turning Points: A Journey through Challenges Author: A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Publisher: Harper Collins Price: Rs. 199 Genre: Political Autobiography/ Non-Fiction vealed that he was ready to swear in Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister, without the slightest hesitation – despite intense lobbying against the Congress Chief. Dr. Kalam had even kept a letter ready, to invite her to form the government – but reworked it after she nominated Manmohan Singh. Rather deliberately, Dr. Kalam has restrained from revealing controversial political details. His humility is evident at every ‘turning point’. As Dr. Kalam says in an interview quoted in the book: “Don’t pretend to be a candle, be a moth.” The triumph of Dr. Kalam is that, despite the political tribulations of his public life, he remains a humble philosophical scientist at heart. And the most popular President – a people’s President. u

FG F I R S T Master Recipe Vijaylaxmi – Masterchef (Season 2): Top 4

Stuffed Baked Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic clove (minced) 1 teaspoon minced fresh basil 1 tablespoon butter ½ lb. mushrooms (chopped) Sea salt Pepper (freshly ground) 4 large tomatoes (cut in half) ½ cup fine bread crumbs

Method

 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high. Add the garlic and basil, sautéing until the garlic is lightly golden.  Add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms. Cook and stir constantly for 2 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the stove. Season with salt and pepper.  Season the tomato halves with pepper. In a mixing bowl, blend the bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons of oil. Spoon this mixture into the tomato halves. Bake for 20 minutes.  Pour the mushroom mixture over the tomato halves and serve.

17-23 August 2012

C eleb W atch

A Musical Evening Celebrating Independence

AMP Foundation and Lorraine Music Academy present “A Musical Evening Celebrating Our Nation’s Independence”. The musical evening will represent and communicate the essence of India being a nation with a multifaceted culture, and rich in the Arts. It will be a unique musical experience, with a blend of classical and folk instruments from India and the world, merging to create a medley of constitute the LAMP – ICONGO rich folk, tribal and world music Karma Veer Chakra Award For – on Piano, Guitar, Drums, Flute, Music, this contest aims to reach Harmonium, Tabla, Morchang, children in schools across India. Algoja, Khurtal, Dhol, Dholak, After a screening, evaluation, and Bhapang, Kamaicha, selection process, set by Mercer and Majira. and implemented by Grant “We bring good music and Thornton, the selected children art to the community – not just Aubrey Aloysius will be invited to New Delhi for entertainment, but for true for the annual performance education and appreciation. and award event,” says Aubrey Aloysius. Teaching children and adults how to There would be two categories for the understand and appreciate music, and Award – Patriotic/ Nationalistic / Social, to play an instrument, is our passion and and Gospel. While the first category will mission. We believe that the right kind be open for performance in all languages, of music makes the right kind of person. Gospel will be open for performance in the Music is food for the soul. Just the good English language only. food and good exercise gives you good When asked about his future plans physical health, a good diet of the right for the City, Aubrey says, “We are kind of music gives you good mental, encouraged by the response we are emotional, intellectual, and spiritual receiving in Gurgaon. I confident that we health,” says Aubrey Aloysius, Founder of will see, in the near future, many children LAMP Foundation. emerge to emulate the great examples of The highlight of the Event will be the excellence that India has produced – such launch of a nation-wide talent contest. “As as Rabindranath Tagore and Lamp has collaborated with ICONGO to A. R. Rehman.”

Monsoon Wedding Grooms F

ashion Designer Pawan Sachdeva flagged off his Collection in a Grooms fashion show held at a mall. Full of bright colours, his Collection used linen, Matka silk, and other light materials, for Sherwanis and suits. His

A Tribute to Kaka

inger Ramesh Nautiyal, who learnt music from R.D. Burman, put up a show at Epicentre to pay tribute to the legendary actor, Rajesh Khanna. Right from the melancholic “Zindagi Ka Safar” to the sensual “Roop Tera Mastana”, Ramesh enthralled the audience with over 30 songs picturized on Rajesh Khanna. He referred to Rajesh Khanna as the “first superstar” of the country.

KRV Provides RSI Cure K

RV Healthcare and Physiotherapy Pvt Ltd conducted a Workshop on “Repetitive Stress Injury” (RSI) – a term used to describe painful conditions of the muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. This condition is common among computer professionals. Participants were taught some band and ball exercises, to immediately stop the progression of RSI. “Our aim is to provide an up-to-date assessment, treatment, and research of Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSD), or Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI), in India. We want to conduct more awareness workshops so that such diseases can be cured at an early stage. Counselling provided at these workshops help in preventing surgeries,” said Dr. Ridwana, Director of KRV Healthcare and Physiotherapy Pvt. Ltd.

designs consisted of straight lines, with drapes and cuts. The highlight of the show was a wonderful Sherwani in Anarkali, made of linen. The guests thoroughly enjoyed the show.

17-23 August 2012

C ivic/Social

Shaping Dreams { Ashok Sheoran }

ontinuing with our series on creative people in Gurgaon, FG has a tête-àtête with the well-known and highly talented sculptor, P.R Daroz, at his beautifully appointed home in Sector 56. “Pottery is not an ego building art – instead it breaks the ego. You are making and breaking all the time. When firing, you can't fool around, can't neglect a single thing. In painting, you can change the colours – but here, it’s not possible” says Daroz. Belying his age of 68 years, he is energetic and passionate – and unsurprisingly, a good cook. He quickly brews some excellent coffee. The house, a duplex, has been broken down and reconstructed – as per his, and his wife Dipalee’s, taste. The walls and shelves are adorned with the most exquisite ceramic pieces – his own, and a priceless collection from various countries. He was born into a family of goldsmiths, in a village 80 kms from Hyderabad. His father, who was a major influence in his early years, was a freethinking liberal, much ahead of his time. He encouraged his son to innovate and think radically. Young Daroz helped his father make clay Ganeshas, enjoying the sensuousness of working with clay. He enrolled in the Hyderabad School of Art in 1961; and over the next five years studied textile design, metal embossing and leather craft. For his obvious talent, the ‘Andhra Pradesh Lalit Kala Akademi’ gave him a scholarship, in the Ceramic Program. He left for Baroda in 1970, and stayed in the city for 10 years – working professionally as an artiste, and expanding his skills and technique. As a designer for Shon Ceramics he saw tremendous aesthetic potential in glaze faults – in blistering, cracking, grazing and pin holding; he loved to replicate volcanic, underwater and geological strata, in his murals and architectural works. His first mural was commissioned at Baroda Planetarium in 1974. To give it an original touch, he took his Electric Shaila wheel to Thangarh, Gujarat, where he experimented with rutile, calcined whiting, and crystal glazes, to achieve a totally different effect in a single firing. His name is today synonymous with large-scale ceramic works in India. He is deeply influenced by Satish Gujral and KG Subramaniam’s use of clay. “I was inspired by the monuments of Mandu, with their haunting aura of free gateways and arches, opening out to framed and vast spaces; the grills splintered with glimpses of faces; a lotus pond in full view. The

terracotta temples of Bengal, no less inspiring, appeared to me as glorified containers, with demarcated areas of specific acts. If the monuments of Mandu were absorbed in space, these terracotta temples created and appropriated their own ambience.” His famous works include the pillar series, free standing doorway structures, large warrior pots, and patterned wall murals spanning several stories. The Copper Chimney Restaurant Series, in particular, reflect ‘faces peeping through and divided by grilllike façade structures in doorways and windows, symbolising the psyche as a complex puzzle’. His huge murals at IFFCO Towers, (New Delhi), Hyatt (Mumbai), Reliance Industries Office (Mumbai), a private swimming pool (Baroda), Hotel Pullman (Gurgaon), and Ceramic Mural at India Art Summit 2011— amongst many others— present a stunning, eye-catching display of ceramic art. His solo shows at Art Heritage Gallery, New Delhi, saw the beginning of Daroz’s modular concept of work. The gateways were made in terracotta, with a deliberate mixture of rice husk. Like the material, a nonpermanency pervaded the installation, which at once reflected the destructive and the weathering forces of nature.

Q. From what one has read about you, your father has had a great influence on your choice of sculpture as an art form. How do you look back on your early years? We belong to a family of goldsmiths, where things of immense beauty were wrought from the rich and precious noble metal, and where there never was a grammar to explain or measure that beauty. My own sensibility was drawn towards the tensile quality of clay, and the rustic spontaneity of sheer touch. As a child I absorbed the intense artistic atmosphere of the traditional craft of goldsmithing – the in-house goldsmithing workshop was no less than an institution where eight to ten artisans worked round the clock. Certainly this atmosphere has influenced me to a great extent, but becoming a potter/sculptor was purely accidental – a sheer play of destiny. Q. From clay Ganeshas to huge ceramic murals- how did this evolve over the years? I got my first mural commission from the Baroda Planetarium. For a work of this scale I needed to use a larger kiln and workshop, and thus started my partnership at the small-scale semi industrial pottery units at Thangarh in Gujarat. In succeeding years a number of commission jobs had been offered to me; the enchantment of their scale enticed me take them up daringly. This liaison with the industry remained as the basis for my future experimentation. I cherished the technical challenges, and conquered the fear of monumental scale in the ceramic medium. Q. Though sculpture goes back to the Indus Civilization, painting, as an art, has become much more popular and lucrative in India. What would you ascribe this to? Considered as the primal art form, Terracotta is like the human skin to civilization. It contains and defines the very sap that characterises a civilization. Looking at the present scenario, the Indian artists who have gained international acclaim have been recognised particularly for their sculptures. In today’s context a good work of sculpture is very much His painterly vision and innovative techniques, in the series ‘Fired Canvas, Seascapes and Warrior Forms', showcase his awesome talent in converting humble pottery into a vibrant display of ceramic art. This led ‘Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi’, to confer on him the National award for Ceramics in 2004. “My idea of creating an environment around objects stemmed from the dissatisfaction of exhibiting them in huge gallery spaces, where their presence is humbled; the same, when displayed in congenial settings, create an ambience that celebrates them”. His desire, after having achieved so much… ‘I would love to see my work adorning a segment of some large open space or park in Gurgaon’. As residents, that is something we can pray for, and look forward to. u

P.R Daroz sought after. Q. Your work has a very individualistic streak. When you are commissioned for a project, how do you go about formulating what shape it will eventually take? Most of the projects I have been offered are technical challenges; in terms of space I am required to fill in the blanks. Fortunately, the client does not question my credibility, and I am free to improvise. This freedom helps me to formulate a variety of preliminary images, which become the basis of my murals. Q. Your wife, Dipalee, is also famous for her ceramic work; do her views influence your work? Her approach is distinctly different from mine. She thinks in different ways. We help each other only to the extent of the external periphery of one’s conscience – not beyond that. Q. Not many people take to sculpture these days – how can it be encouraged? Sculpture is the most fascinating medium; it is to architecture what jewellery is to the body. The two are integral and complementary. However, youngsters have to condition themselves for very hard work, and perseverance to face the adversities. Q. Having seen your work adorning some of the most prestigious buildings and locales already, what do you look forward to? In this globalised society, art is getting a new lease of life. And with the digital technology, new avenues are opening for artistic expression.

Balance

Design

R PA PE S W NE A ZINE MAG CHURE MARK BRO O/ TRA D S LOG K COVER ENT BOO ERTISEM A DV IQ COMMUNICATIONS 09818200470

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L istings

17-23 August 2012

too love browsing the quaint by lanes of small towns and cities. It’s from these by lanes that I have been picking up things that today adorn my house. Realising that my friends & colleagues like what I buy, I started picking up small gifts for them... thankfully, when the pieces would be large they’d be kind enough & offer to pay me for them! That’s when my friend Achint Kaur (yes the actress!), suggested that I should seriously consider this as a career option. Leaving the corporate world behind (Zee TV & TATA) I did a soft launch from my home itself. Here I found people picking up my personal

CINEMA

THIS WEEK Big Cinemas , Palam Vihar, Gurgaon Ek Tha Tiger Time: 10.00 am, 10.45 am,1.00 pm, 1.45 pm, 3.30 pm, 4.00 pm, 4.45 pm, 7.00 pm, 7.45 pm, 9.30 pm,10.00 pm, 10.45 pm Jism 2 Time: 10 am Gangs of Wasseypur II Time: 12.30 pm, 6.30 pm PVR: Ambience Premier Ek Tha Tiger Time: 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 noon, 12:30 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:30 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, 6:00 pm, 6:30 pm, 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 11:55 10:00 pm, 10:55 pm, pm Gangs of Wasseypur 2 Time: 12:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 10:50 pm Step Up Revolution 4 (3D) Time: 3.20 pm Ice Age 4: Continental Drift- 3D Time:10.40 am The Dark Knight Rises Time: 5.20 pm The Bourne Legacy Time: 10.00 am, 8.25 pm Address: 3rd Floor, Ambience Mall,

Off the Shelf ……………… into your homes stuff that was never on display! That’s when I knew that I will give people those things that I would put in my own house as opposed to glitzy, expensive, mass manufactured pieces seen in every other home. This quaint store of mine has a unquine collection of home décor items from my various travels Getting intrigued by Rahul khanna’s (Creative Head & Proprietor) story, this journalist went unannounced to his store... or what he calls an extension of his home! The store is simple yet distinctively different with a yellow

Education on Call

Professional Career Counsellor (Commerce) Mob.: +91-8527216286

NH-8 Website: www.pvrcinemas.com PVR: Ambience Gold Ek Tha Tiger Time:10:30 am, 11:30 am,1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm, 5:30 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:30 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:30 pm PVR MGF: MGF Mall Ek Tha Tiger Time:10:00 am, 10:30 am, 11:00 am, 11:30 am, 12:00 noon, 1:00 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:00 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 4:30 pm, 5:00 pm, 5:30 pm, 6:00 pm, 6:30 pm, 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:30 pm, 9:00 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, 10:30 pm, 10:55 pm, 11:30 pm, 11:55 pm Julayi (Telugu) Time: 10.15 am Devudu Chesina Manushulu (Telugu) Time: 1.10 pm The Bourne Legacy Time:10.55 pm Step Up Revolution 4 (3D) Time: 6.05 pm Ice Age 4: Continental Drift- 3D Time: 1.10 pm Gangs of Wasseypur-2 (A) Time: 10:20 am, 3:30 pm, 8:05 pm The Dark Knight Rises Time: 3.00 pm

THE WEEK THAT WAS ♦ Chander Parkash, Administrator HUDA

for Rohtak, has been appointed Divisional Commissioner for Gurgaon Division (in addition to his current responsibilities). ♦ The General Hospital in Sector 10 has started functioning, initially for OPD services. The formal inauguration will be done by the CM. It is a 100-bed Hospital. ♦ Students of the local Deaf and Dumb Centre, run by the Principal Hemchand Jain, were felicitated by the D. 250 students are receiving education here; it has a hostel facility for a 100. It is the largest centre for ‘special children’ in North India. ♦ A boy dies of electrocution; an 11 year old slips from a bus, and drowns in a waterlogged pit on the road; an engineer commits suicide. ♦ A man allegedly rapes a minor girl on the pretext of marriage. ♦ A minor help, who was being ill treated, is rescued from a condominium.

♦ A gang is arrested for disturbing the

peace on MG Road.

♦ A manager in a bank is caught after

fraudulently transferring Rest 2.75 laces into his own account. ♦ A bike lifter caught red-handed – confesses to stealing 6 earlier. ♦ 8 armed men try to steal an SUV, and open fire on 3 people of a family. ♦ Miscreants steal a truck. ♦ 2031 Master Plan for Shona is approved. ♦ Supreme Court asks MCG to further clarify stand on proposed House/ Property Tax collection. ♦ SIT Report still pending, in Marti mayhem case; a key person, Jalal, is arrested. ♦ The Toll Plaza will have more toll gates soon. ♦ The Double-decker train to Jaipur, halting at Gurgaon, is starting from August 16th.

brick wall dividing the entire area down the centre. Unusually cosy even for a home decor shop, its walls are surrounded all along by 6ft Bamboo & Maple trees and some amazingly ‘real’ artificial flowers like Tulips &

Sunflowers. Then there are the oil paintings from the “John Doe Collection“. Each one a real beauty. No amount of cajoling could get the name of the artiste... Well I guess that’s why “John Doe”. But here for once it is possible to enjoy art, without giving an arm & leg for it. Must say it is refreshing to see so many beautiful pieces all under one roof. Since most of his pieces are hand-picked, exclusivity is the store’s USP. Got to admit, “Off the Shelf” really does have the most interesting collection in Gurgaon and in its

07 Advt.

price range, probably in the entire Delhi/ NCR region. For festivals & other gifting opportunities this would be the ideal place to pick up gifts for friends and family. Rahul has also added wide range of corporate gifts. Love his simplicity & treating his customers as his friends and his shop as his home. “Off The Shelf” - At Ninex City Mart, Sohna road, adjacent to ‘Fortune hotel’. P.S. The best part of browsing thru this place is the hot cuppa coffee &/ or green tea that you get, made by Rahul khanna’s himself !

Contact Mob: 9910005046

Address: 3rd floor, MGF Mall, MG Road Ph: 0124- 4530000 Website: www.pvrcinemas.com PVR Sahara: Sahara Mall EK Tha Tiger Time: 10:00 am, 11:15 am, 12:55 pm, 2:10 pm, 3:50 pm, 5:05 pm, 6:45 pm, 8:00 pm, 9:40 pm, 10:55 pm DT Mega Mall: DLF Phase I Ek Tha Tiger Time:10:45 am, 11.00 am, 12.10 pm, 1.35 pm, 3.00 pm, 3.30 pm, 4.25 pm, 5.50 pm, 6.15 pm, 8.00 pm, 9.00 pm, 10.50 pm, 11.45 pm Gangs of Wasseypur-2 (A) Time: 8.40 pm Ice Age 4: Continental Drift3D (U) Time: 1.45 pm The Dark Knight Rises (U/A) Time: 11.40 pm DT City Centre: DLF Phase II Ek Tha Tiger Time: 10.00 am, 11.00 am, 12.45 pm, 1.50 pm, 3.30 pm, 4.40 pm, 6.15 pm, 7.30 pm, 8.20 pm, 9.00 pm, 10.20 pm, 11.05 pm, 11.45 pm Gangs of Wasseypur-2 (A) Time: 12:30 pm The Cold Light Of Day – English Time: 11.15 am The Dark Knight Rises (U/A) Time: 5.20 pm Ice Age 4: Continental Drift3D (U) Time: 10.45 am, 3.35 pm

Independence Day Celebration

he 66th Independence Day was celebrated in Gurgaon with zeal and enthusiasm. The district level function was organized at the Ch. Surender Singh Cricket Pavilion, where the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker, Shri Kuldeep Sharma, unfurled the Tricolour, and took the salute of the march past. ACP Gurgaon Sandeep Kumar was the Parade Commander. Kuldeep Sharma said that the government plans to spend Rs. 90,000 crores on proposed works during the 12th Five Year Plan – a 157 percent increase over the previous Plan. ‘Kisan Adarsh Vidyalayas’ would be opened in each district; as also 80 veterinary hospitals, and a ‘Gau Seva Commission’ for the welfare of cows. Now the government has implemented Land Pooling Scheme (LPS), as a welfare measure for the farming community, so that the farmers can be made shareholders in the residential as well as other projects developed by HSIIDC. Under the scheme, the landowners will have an option to take developed plots in lieu of cash and other benefits proposed under the Land

Acquisition and Rehabilitation Policy. An Urban Health Centre was being set up for every one-lakh population. The government also plans to spend Rs. 5000 crores on construction and strengthening of the road networks, by March 2013 - under the Rajiv Gandhi Bridge, Road and Infrastructure Development Programme. The government has enhanced the power production capacity of the state by 2803 MW during the last 7 years. Besides, the government plans to spend Rs. 2000 crores on strengthening the power transmission system in the state. Keeping in view the safe future of the sportspersons, the government has decided to frame an Employment Guarantee Scheme for the outstanding players of the state. The state government has enhanced the pension given to freedom fighters to Rs. 15000, from Rs. 11000, per month. The commandos of Haryana Police, who are receiving training at PTC Sunaria, presented a Karate show and a Body-building show, which were appreciated by all.

08 { Maninder Dabas / FG }

odern Gurgaon was a dream fathered and executed by a bunch of private builders (mainly three), who not only metamorphed this erstwhile barren town into a formidable living place, but also developed a City that speaks volumes about their vision. They transformed this melancholic suburb into a City that not only dwarfs its contemporaries (other suburban towns like Noida and Ghaziabad), but also the centuries old big boys (Mumbai and Delhi) of Indian urbanism. Among these main game changers (Ansals, Unitech and DLF), there is one who has stood out a little taller DLF has made its presence felt across Gurgaon—in residential and commercial estates, and now even infrastructure. Be it the august plotted colonies like Phase-I, II and III, or the elite apartments like Aralias, Icon, Wellington, Hamilton, Belaire, and many others - DLF has brought an unfathomable change in Gurgaon’s life. In this feature, we have tried to look into how DLF has planned, and learnt, over some Phases – specifically the latest, Phase IV to V. Phases-IV and V have not only be-

17-23 August 2012

C ivic/Social

A Phase-Off Windsor Court, Richmond Park, and Ridgewood Estate), Phase-IV has 1,626 plots – with an occupancy of 44 per cent. The apartment housing occupancy is far better – Hamilton Court has 266 flats, of which 252 have already been occupied. Similarly Regency Park-II, Windsor Court, Richmond Park, and Ridgewood Estate have 500, 132, 280, and 924 flats, with an occupancy of 445 (89%), 125 (95%), 271 (97%), and 831 (90%) respectively. On the other hand, Phase-V has a handful of plots, and the maximum area has been taken over by apartments. Phase V has 11 housing apartments, with a collective occupancy of over 93 per cent. Wellington Estate I, II, & III (555 flats), Princeton Estate II & III (614), Carlton Estate I & IV (485), Exclusive Floors (516), Trinity Towers (234), Westend Heights (368), The Aralias (254), Royalton Tower (76), The Pinnacle (280), The Icon (364), and The Summit (228) are the main apartments in Phase-V – with PRAKHAR PANDEY

DLF Phase-IV

the Sector-54 HUDA market – but these are not ‘upmarket’. So, Phase-Vers travel to MG Road. “We have only small markets here, so we go to MG Road – both for shopping and hanging out,” says Shweta Khuranna, who lives in Phase-V. 4. Basic Infrastructure: Lack of basic infrastructure is said to be the bane of Gurgaon. Both these Phases have their own share of problems, but Phase-V has far less issues. a) Roads: Phase-IV has a conglomeration of plotted and apartment housing, and hence this area has become extremely crowded. To add to this problem, the inner roads are not in good shape. Fortunately, the main roads are still in good shape. “The inside roads of Phase-IV plotted areas are not in good shape, and during the monsoon one can easily see water in the potholes. We have asked the builders many times to repair them, but nothing has happened as of now,” says Ujjwal Kumar, a resident. “Phase-V is indeed a great place to live in, and I believe most of the residents living here would abide by my statement. The inside roads and security are perhaps the only two

Villages Abadis:

Phase-IV is surrounded by Chakrapur village on one side, and it witnesses a lot of chaos – both in terms of traffic and security. Due to some urbanisation, PGs and guest house centres have mushroomed, where a lot of floating population lives. This population not only puts additional pressure on the civic infrastructure, but also threatens the security of the residents sometimes.

come the souvenirs of Gurgaon avantgarde and elite living, but also a pedestal from where the future of housing in Gurgaon is visible. “Development is a process, and if we wish to view DLF’s progress as a developer, we need to see its creations one by one. All the five phases built by DLF have some resemblance to the previous one, and the learnings of the previous phase have been incorporated in the next one. DLF has also tried to learn from the mistakes during the construction of the initial phases. Time and modernisation have also contributed heavily, and that’s why you see a lot of apartment housings built in last decade or so. For example Phases-I, II and III are plotted colonies with very a limited number of apartment housings, and one can easily see the resemblance between them. As time progressed, the balance shifted from plotted to apartment housings, and today’s Phase-IV is the result of the initial changes in the field of housing. Hamilton Court, and other apartments in Phase-IV, are the initial apartments built by DLF whereas Phase-V is full of apartment housings – there are only a handful of plotted houses. So if Phase-IV was an initial stage of modern apartment housing, then Phase-V is its extension into a more modern and convenient phase,” says Sudhir Kapoor, Secretary, DLF City RWA.

The Residency

DLF has a total of five residential phases, in which it has built 25 apartment housings – and a major chunk are in Phases-IV and V. Apart from five huge apartment housings (Hamilton Court, Regency Park-II,

an occupancy of 506 (91%), 566 (92%), 447 (92%), 455 (88%), 202 (86%), 334 (91%), 210 (83%), 72 (95%), 226 (81%), 311 (85%), and 53 (23%) respectively.

c) Electricity: DLF Phase-IV has plotted housing in large numbers, and there is no power backup for them. However all the apartments have 24 hour power backup. “This summer Gurgaon has seen a huge paucity of power, and our colony too has seen great problems. In most of the houses we have inverters, but this time they too were not enough. That is why people now prefer condominiums – and why occupancy in plotted areas is decreasing,” says Vivek Batra, another resident. d) Disaster management: Both these Phases have many apartments, in very high rises, and there is a constant risk of a mishap – such as an earthquake or major fire. Phase-V seems to be more equipped as far as the threat of fire is concerned, as it has recently built a fire station. A CCTV Surveillance and security system is also in place, for DLF V.

Phase-V: Convenience guaranteed

Over a period of time apartments have taken precedence – for 24x7 supply of water and power, and better security and maintenance. “Phase-V is very successful because it has provided the best possible convenience to the customer. The builder is providing air conditioners, refrigerators, ovens, dish washers, and all other appliances of household use. They are handing over a fully-loaded house to the customer. As far as the community life is concerned, Phase V has a 50,000 sq.ft Club area. The Golf Course is another feather in its cap, and the under-construction Golf Course (along with MagnoliaII) will further enhance its strategic importance,” informs Kapoor.

Phase-V: A Gateway to the future

“If you talk of the next five years or so, Phase-IV won’t stand any chance in comparison to V. Look at the strategic importance of the place – the Golf

DLF Phase-V

Comparison

Both Phase-IV and V have acquired iconic status as far as living in Gurgaon is concerned, and both the areas are considered prime locations for inhabitation. However, there are some differences. 1. Location: Location is one of the prime factors that decides the fate of any housing society, and DLF has a knack of picking prime locations for its colonies. Phase-IV is more centrally located today. Phase-V is the gateway for tomorrow. 2. Connectivity: Although the people living in these two Phases don’t really need any public transport, good connectivity still draws many. PhaseIV again today is slightly better, as both the Metro and NH-8 are nearby – and the under construction Rapid Metro is also not very far. Phase-V is slightly distant, but the soon to be relaid Golf Course Road would provide an incredible connectivity across ‘New” Gurgaon. 3. Markets: This is the biggest difference between the two Phases. With high occupancy, and a large population, the needs for local markets is paramount. DLF Phase-IV has a formidable market in the form of Galleria, and even the Mall strip of Gurgaon-MG Road is at a stone’s throw. So certainly shopping is pleasurable if one has a residence in Phase-IV. Phase-V currently has no such market. It has Hongkong Bazar at its contours, as also

issues that need to be addressed. The potholes in the locality can be easily seen, and I don’t think that elite residential colonies such as Phase-V should have these ‘scars’ on their glittering garb. Apart from roads and security, everything else is in the right place,” says Vinod Mason, who lives in Princeton Apartments. b) Water: This is where PhaseIV lags far behind. It is still highly dependent on the line water supply from HUDA, and so faces serious water issues. On the other hand, Phase-V has no such problem – as it has a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) of the capacity of 7 MLD, that ensures an uninterrupted water supply to the condominiums. “Here we don’t have any water problem because we have a huge STP, and all the condominiums get water from there. We have installed RO systems for ensuring potable water and for other purposes this water is good enough,” explains Mason.

Course Road, and then Golf Course Extension Road (also known as Southern Peripheral Road), are making this area indispensable. Proximity to the Faridabad road is another big positive. The vacant land in the foothills of Faridabad road, and in between the existing Phase-V and Wazirabad village, further gives it a chance to expand its horizons. Today’s Phase-V is the bedrock of DLF’s new projects in Gurgaon-II; and it will become the foundation of a new success story for DLF and Gurgaon. DLF is also aware of the fact, and that’s why it will invest heavily, along with HUDA, in the construction of the Golf Course Road. It will not only increase the prices and rents of its present residential and commercial projects, but also pave the way for the future projects in GurgaonII,” says a City-based reality expert. The Rapid Metro is also expected to go down Golf Course Road, in the next phase. u

C ivic/Social

17-23 August 2012

A Global Gurukul JIT KUMAR

{ Shilpy Arora / FG }

othing much has changed since the time of ‘Gurugram’ – millennia later, the City still excels in the field of education. Many feel that the education system in the City has not lost its old values. It has, in fact, gone beyond its boundaries, and transformed the City into a ‘Global Gurukul’. There are over 3,000 foreign children in Gurgaon Schools today. Patrick Brown, a New Zealander, feels that the City provides better education than his home country. “I am glad that I landed up in Gurgaon. Earlier, it was a cultural shock, as in New Zealand people never interfere in others’ lives. But gradually I discovered that the City has a lot to offer our children. For instance, my son will get an opportunity to learn core family values that Indian children have,” says Patrick, a music teacher at Pathways World School, Aravali. He has a Punjabi wife, and a son who gets along well with his Indian classmates. However, unlike Patrick, it was not easy for Anna, a Namibian, to settle down in the City. For a lot of reasons, Gurgaon didn’t seem to her the right place on a long-term basis. She was worried about her kids’ education, and the cultural differences between India and Africa. But all that changed when she visited Pathways World School – that has students from over 56 nationalities. “It was amazing to see the cultural integration at the Campus. Pathways is the only place where you can see Indian children singing the Korean Anthem, Japanese kids making Rakhis, and Mexicans playing cricket,” says Anna. Studying in such an environment not only gives the children an exposure to different cultures, but develops an acceptance for people belonging to different worlds. “The children imbibe a knowledge of different cuisines, festivals, attires, and cultures – all first hand,” says Deeksha Kewlani, Manager, PR and Corporate Communications, Pathways World School, Gurgaon.

Of India, Bollywood, and Yoga When

asked

about

the

fondness of Indian culture among foreign kids, Kayoung Kang from Korea says, “There was a Korean student in our School, with a tattoo on his arms, that read ‘Sangeet Meri Zindagi Hai’. I don’t remember his name, because everybody in the School used to call him ‘Sangeet Meri Zindagi’,” laughs out Kayoung – who studies in the senior wing at Pathways World School, Aravali. She herself is fond of Indian music and Bollywood. As she watches a lot of Bollywood movies, Kayoung spouts her favourite Hindi dialogue – “Ek Chutki Sindoor Ki Keemat Tum Kya Jano Ramesh Babu!” And smiles. An English teacher, Yulia, who hails from Russia, believes that the integration of culture at Pathways goes a long way in making a child a ‘Global Citizen’. Dressed in a traditional Salwar-Kameez and Duppatta, Yulia says that the concept of IB schools is unheard of in Russia. “There are good schools in Moscow, but the IB curriculum, and the kind of facilities offered by international schools in this City, are not found in my country,” says Yulia. She wants her daughter to study in the same School. She has been living in the City for five years, and has no plans to go back. Yasmine, a student of Grade 5, Pathways Aravali, affirms Yulia’s views. She is happy that Pathways offers her favourite sport, horse riding. “I always wanted to learn

horse riding. But my school in the UK didn’t have sports like horse riding, swimming, and Yoga,” says Yasmine. She also enjoys yoga sessions, and believes that yoga helps her destress during exam time. While Yasmine learns Yoga from her Indian instructor, she shares her knowledge of English Country Dance with her best friend, Ananya. Yasmine reveals that her Indian friends love western music and dance, and they spend hours singing songs and learning English moves. This is a perfect example of cultural integration. “We are not forcing children to attend cultural exchange programmes. International Schools offer a truly global environment, where cultural integration is key. During my childhood, I never celebrated the Chinese New Year. But here, children celebrate Japanese festivals, Chinese festivals – and even the Pakistani Independence Day,” reveals an Indian teacher at G.D Goenka World School.

No Special Treatment

When asked about facilities provided exclusively to the foreign children, Alka Verma, Head Admissions at Pathways World School, Aravali says, “We don’t differentiate on the basis of nationality. The facilities are similar for foreign as well

as Indian students. In fact, we promote Indian culture among foreign children. That is why we have made it compulsory for all the students to learn Hindi at Primary Level. However, students can choose between “Hindi as a Second Language”, and “Hindi as a Foreign Language”. The focus is to provide a comfortable environment to the foreign students.” However, according to Dr. Inderbir Sandhu from Singapore, who has two kids studying in ‘International Schools’ in the City, while children from abroad don’t need exclusive facilities, they need teachers who are welltrained to understand their needs, and their learning styles. “Expats want International Schools, to help their kids adapt to the local flavour in an international setting. These Schools need to prepare kids with sufficient learning skills, so as to adjust and assimilate into any other international system. Unfortunately, the quality of teachers in international schools in the City is not top class,” feels Dr. Sandhu. She also runs a consultancy, Mind-Path Consulting Services, in the City.

Challenges

When asked about the discrimination on the basis of colour, or her African origin, Patricia, a 16-year-old Namibian Student, vows that it is not at all an issue with her friends, or the school staff. “I never faced any problem in School, or while going out with family and friends. I think Indians have an

inherent respect for women, and I can feel it in the malls and markets. I feel safer in the City than my own country,” says Patricia. But everybody doesn’t agree on this issue. Kayoung seems upset, as some of her Indian classmates make fun of her small eyes, and call her “Chinki”. An Italian student, Carlo Rossetto, hates it when his classmates stare at him ‘for absolutely no reason’. “We have been providing counselling to foreign students, that unlike Europe and America, staring at people is not considered rude in India. I tell my students that when they stare at you, they have no intention to offend you,” says Patrick. Yulia also gives a message to overseas children to be more tolerant. “We have to teach our kids to be more understanding towards Indian culture. We should look at the bigger picture. Our children can learn a lot from India. It feels good when you see poor street kids having fun all the time. I want my daughter to learn containment and satisfaction, which is there in traditional Indian families,” says Yulia. Besides cultural differences, food habits too can cause discomfort. Despite being an International School, Pathways has never served non-vegetarian food in its premises. While some students seem really disappointed over this issue, students like Yasmine are now used to it. “My mother has strictly instructed our maid to cook rotis at home, because she wants me to get used to an Indian flavour. She says Indian food is healthy and apt for this weather,” says Yasmine, while munching a chapati at the school cafeteria. Alka Verma sums it up, “For years we have sent Indian children abroad for studies. They adopted to the local food, culture, and language. Now, with greater interest in India, many in the world are being exposed to our ‘Gurukul’ culture – and are liking, and adopting it.” u

Haryanvi Made Easy

6.Get

a taste of the local lingo

1. Come to my house for dinner tomorrow. Kal mhaare ghar ne roti khaan te aajiye. 2. You will have to bring something to eat.

Kuch khaan te bhi le aaiye.

3. My cook is on leave. Mhaara naukar chhuti pe jaa rya hai. 4. We can start dinner early. Hum khaana jaldi kha lewenge. 5. If it gets late, you can sleep at my house. Vaar ho jay te mhaare ghar ney so jaiye. 6. The next day is a holiday. Agle din te chhuti segi.

Y oung A dult

17-23 August 2012

Social Media { Alka Gurha }

he Internet has become a part of our daily life. Apart from social engagement, it has become an integral part of education too. I am sure students are often given tasks to research topics for homework and projects. Google, Yahoo, and ask.com are platforms where one can ask and get information – about almost everything. Many students have Facebook groups where they can ask each other about homework, school activities and tests. Research shows that the positive influences linked to social networking include:  developing ‘virtual empathy’  learning to socialise, behind the safety of screens  picking up tools that make you learn in an engaging way However, social media can also be distracting, and can negatively impact learning. Studies reveal that middle school, high school and college students, who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period, achieved lower grades. It is also said that the internet has caused a lack of quality time, of face-to-face communication. The social media is often associated with cyberbullying, cyber-stalking and harassment. Unfortunately, most of the victims are teenagers. This could be avoided

by taking appropriate actions – like being nice to others, staying vigilant, and not sharing personal details with people you do not know. There are also other negative behaviours, not constituting bullying, that happen at school and can be expressed online - like social rivalry, pranks that turn out to be hurtful, embarrassing mistakes, arguments, etc. While using social media, be careful about posting embarrassing information, text, photos or videos. These can damage reputations. Since Facebook allows children as young as thirteen to open accounts, young adults often self-reveal before they selfreflect. As a result, millions

th You ak Spe Surya, IITM In Gurgaon, everybody only talks about making a difference in the society for a better tomorrow but nobody actually does. Environment conservation is among one of the hot topics. I think students should run a green drive, with the help of a few NGO’s and devote some time to make the City greener and cleaner. It is our City and youth has to take on responsibility for its future.

Kapila Sharma, AU One thing I like most about Gurgaon is its cosmopoiltan culture. People don’t interfere in the lives of their neighbours. Even parents give enough space to their children and give them the right to decide at an early age. I wish I was born in the City.

of kids say and do things on-line that they later regret. The permanence of what anyone posts online, with the absence of an ‘eraser’ button, means that the humiliation and potential damage can last forever. While most children above fifteen are quite aware of the public nature of their online socialising, and use the privacy settings, the younger ones need guidance. The risk of teens being harmed by someone they meet on the Internet, much less social networking sites, is very low. But the risk cannot be ignored. As in the ‘real world’, safety depends on a lot on the people involved. Whether on computers, tablets or phones, safety in social media is a shared responsibility – between users and the service. Be clear that nobody ever has the right to make you feel uncomfortable. Nobody should engage you in uncomfortable sexual conversations, or force you to divulge personal details. Research shows that overuse of media and technology can have a negative effect on the health of young adults, by making them more prone to anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders. Excess has always been bad. Finding where to draw the line between screen time and real time is the key to developing an all-round personality. u

The City is developing at the rate of 12 per cent for past five years. Apart from Corporates and BPOs, Gurgaon is a big retail hub with over 50 malls scattered all across the City. However, safety in the City is a major issue. Villages in and around Gurgaon are the main source of criminals, who creep inside to rob, rape, and kill the people. The administration has to take firm steps to maintain the law and order situation in the City. Otherwise, it will end up being another Delhi.

Sumit Pal, SOIL

Love Or Arranged? { Lipi Patel }

am on my way back to Gurgaon after attending my best friend’s wedding in Kolkata. A traditional Bengali wedding is like watching a scene out of Sanjay Leela Bansali’s ‘Devdas’ – minus the glitz and glamour. The bride was dressed in a Red Benarasi saree, and the groom in a Dhoti. Unlike our gorgeous Delhi/ Punjab and North Indian weddings, there were no blaring Hinglish/Punjabi music or a DJ console. Food was extremely tasty, catering to the traditional Bengali non-vegetarian taste buds. I absolutely loved the fact that it was a private affair, with only close friends and family invited, and not a pompous garish exhibition of wealth. I got an opportunity to meet a lot of my childhood friends, after 10 long years. Meeting your bosom childhood friends is like seeing a flash-back scene out of your life’s movie. It makes you realise how much you have changed; and how much is still the same. You are transported back to your carefree happy childhood days, no matter how old you are. In this trip I realised that Marriages, love or arranged, are probably made in heaven – we only crystallise them on this planet. My best friend and her husband knew each other for 19 year – first as classmates, then as friends, then as best friends, then as lovers; and now, after five years of a painful long distance relationship, they are finally ‘man and wife’. All of us were in the same school, and I had never imagined that these two totally different personalities would ever fall in love and get married one day. There is definitely some fate involved here. Marriage – love or ar ranged? Being a fan of novels, stories and Bollywood flicks, I am a little biased towards love marriages. But with growing age and understanding I see the difficulty in a marriage that is decided purely on blind love and passion. Although I speak here without much experience I believe that in a love marriage the feelings of love and passion get depleted as the years pass by. The main culprit seems to be the high expectation from each other. Both the partners constantly want to experience the zing, craze and passion they had felt when they first fell in love. When they come face to face with the fading away of that heady feeling, they start questioning their own decisions. The family support usually dries up. And hence we see the rising divorce rates, especially in the case of love marriages. Traditionally, elders have been advocating that arranged marriages are far more likely to lead to lasting affection, than marriages of passion. Within ten years, the connection felt by those in arranged marriages is said to be around twice as strong, mostly because love and affection gradually develop. Partners have fewer expectations from each other. The newness of such a relationship lasts till the kids and other responsibilities come into the picture. Families put extra efforts to make such marriages work. However I have seen a couple of my friends whose arranged marriages are not as happy, primarily due to the lack of an emotional bond between themselves. So, if marriage is so much of a gamble, how can one be certain before taking the plunge? If two people in a love marriage have chances of falling out of love with time, and ultimately lead unhappy lives, then there are equal chances that the two people who get into an arranged match may never connect – and their lives may remain loveless. I don’t agree when some people try to convince me with views like ‘marriage is all about security and society’. I firmly believe any type of marriage is all about togetherness, companionship, and a bond which will be the strongest support for the rest of your life. All this cannot be achieved when happiness, affection, love, laughter and togetherness have left the building. Taking sides is futile, because marriage—whether love or arranged—does not come with a guarantee card. In both the types, the couple have to work equally at it. And to do so, there has to be genuine liking and affection between the two – so that they come back to each other, even after the fights and misunderstandings. The marriages that are truly successful are probably so because both the persons involved genuinely want to be together against all odds. And this is where destiny comes in – because falling in love is easy, but maintaining the love, and living up to that commitment for the whole life is the real deal. I don’t know whether all marriages are truly made in heaven or not, but what I know is that God can’t do our work for us. He can show us the path, but we need to do our own bit to succeed. Marital success should be no different. u

6. Drawer loses handle 7. Stripe thickens on dress 8. Table bug vanishes 9. Black house appears in distance 10. Curtain pelmet thinner

1. Man gains a banana 2. Smoke disappears from chimney 3. Flower in vase 4. Pumpkin stalk on other side 5. Another dot on cushion

Solutions Spot The Difference

Spot The Difference

Fill in the grid so that every row, column and coloured box contains ALL the numbers from 1 to 6. Bonus clue: which number should go in the circle: 1 or 4?

Solutions

Solution 05/21/11 Flower C. The outermost petals of every flower are the same color. And per row, the buds alternate between yellow and white.

Kids Brainticklers

17-23 August 2012

Kid Corner

17-23 August 2012

K id Corner

CCA Janmashtami

he students of Prep, Primary and Middle wing of CCA School put up a wonderful show to mark the occasion of Janmashtami. The little ones dressed up as Radhas and Krishnas, presented Raas Leela and Garba, and recited Shlokas from the Gita. The highlights of the Programme were the Shlokas, Bhajans, and a fancy dress show by the tiny tots – they were highly appreciated by the audience.

Jamashtami @ Medhaam

anamashtami was celebrated at Medhaam, with great joy and fervour. The School premises were decorated with flowers, buntings, swings, and pictures of Krishna. Girls, who dressed like “Gopis”, enthralled the audience with a dance performance. Students were given information about Krishna’s life and his thoughts, which is the foundation of the Holy Book, Bhagwad Gita. The School was dipped in the colours of the rainbow.

Creative Truth Center

Eureka Salads

Salad-making Activity was held for little ones at Eureka Pre-School. With an aim to inculcate the habit of eating healthy food, the children were taught how to mix different types of vegetables to make a healthy salad. Students had a lot of fun mixing the veggies together, and then partook of the salad.

ruth Center For Creative Excellence organised a Creative Writing and Story Telling Programme with seven levels, for children of Grade 2 to Grade 12. The Programme helped children in strengthening their grammar skills and vocabulary. Creative writing modules were taken up with interactive speaking modules. It was a seven-level program, which followed the CBSE curriculum, and helped the child understand his/her lessons better, and speak and write correct and proper English. The Center organises such programmes on a regular basis. To enroll, call Deepti Pant: 9910114584

DPS Scholar Badges

he Scholar Badge Ceremony for Class VI was held at the Delhi Public School. The Principal, Aditi Misra, addressed the gathering, highlighting the excellent performance of the Class XII students in the Board Exams. She attributed the success of the School to the teamwork of parents and teachers. She also motivated students to continue to surge ahead, and ‘reach for the stars’. As a true mentor, she advised children to use their time wisely, listen to their parents, read good books, and follow the path of honesty. After the inspiring speech of the Principal, a welcome song was presented by the School Choir, followed by an invocation dance. The young achievers then received their Scholar Badges, for excellence in academics and co-curricular activities, from the Principal. Compiled by Shilpy Arora, email: shilpy.arora@fridaygurgaon.com

K id Corner

17-23 August 2012

(Party) President Blesses Presidium

he students of Presidium School celebrated Raksha Bandhan with senior leader of the BJP, L.K. Advani. They tied Rakhis on his wrist, and gave him a gift hamper created by the differently abled children of an NGO, Sparsh. L.K. Advani blessed the kids, and gave them gifts.

Chiranjivi Designs

he Primary Wing of Chiranjiv Bharati School won trophies at an Inter-School Design Competition. The School bagged various prizes in competitions such as Design the Cover page, Book Review, and a Dance Drama on the topic “Panchtantra”. The School team won the overall Trophy the third time, besides winning three individual prizes and certificates – while competing with six other schools in the City. For Design the Cover page, Arshdeep of Class IIA won the First position, while Anirudh of Class III B attained Second position in the Book Review competition. In Dance Drama, Manya Jain, Mohak, Yashasvi Lingwal, and Sunkshi of Class IVC, Abhinas Ojha of Class IVD, and Ishita, Sandhooja, and Gauransh of Class IVF bagged the First position.

Rotary Projects

otary Public School put up a magnificent Exhibition encompassing the Projects done in the holidays, and threw it open for the parents and visitors. The ground floor displayed the work of the junior section, depicting their skills through colourful artefacts; while the floor above contained Exhibits related to Art and Craft, Science (working model and display items),Social Science, French, English, Hindi, and Sanskrit. The School Hobby Clubs – Photography Club, Eco and Green Club, and Interior and Décor Club, also showed the best of their creativities.

Literary Flourish

HandsOn Counting

The Free bird

ids at HandOn Learning had a great time, as they learnt Japanese counting using mnemonics – a great example of ‘learning by doing’. The children learnt counting by drawing each kanji—the characters of written Japanese—repeatedly, until it had been memorised. The counting learning session was thoroughly enjoyed by the children.

In the deep forest At the time of rest, In the moonlit night The light was bright I heard a bird in a cage Full of rage. Looking very sad Her mood was bad Eyes full of tears Song full of fears

As I opened the lock She flew and sat on a rock Her voice got melodious Her swings got joyous She flew away happily Into the clouds, free of misery! Raushni Plaha IV-B, Scottish High International School

Artistic Strokes

Tanya Jain, Class V C, DPS, Sector 45

Swati, Grade I, Sankalp School

Compiled by Shilpy Arora, email: shilpy.arora@fridaygurgaon.com

Sudarshan Singh, Class V, Govt. High School, Sector 14

Krish, Class V B, DPS, Vashant Vihar 11

17-23 August 2012

K id Corner

Folktales are stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Often these stories explain the world around us in a fun and amusing manner. Amar Chitra Katha brings to you a collection of animal tales from the hills of Arunachal Pradesh that tells us why the world is the way it is.

Star Fun

9 to 5

Dogs of C-Kennel

Animal Crackers

Two Wise Men

Tiger

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Atullya Purohit, V B, Blue Bells Model School

W elln e s s

17-23 August 2012

Health & Vitality... Naturally!

B Complex Foods { Jaspal Bajwa }

n estimated 69 per cent of the world’s population will be urban dwellers by 2050. Improved access to civic amenities will be accompanied by the increased challenge to do more with less – especially when it comes to scarce energy resources. The energy required to power the city, or to fuel ourselves, will need ‘high efficiency’. Taking cars as an example, we can either trundle down the road doing just 3 km per litre of fuel—as some of the worst gas-guzzlers do—or we can emulate best practices to do as much as 33 km per litre. The choice is ours. To keep up with the hectic pace, our body requires energy. About 70 per cent of our total energy expenditure is to maintain the basal life processes within the body. Roughly 20 per cent fuels physical activity, and another 10 per cent is used for digestion of food. The intake of oxygen, along with coenzymes from carbohydrates, fats and proteins provides the energy. Under-powering the engine can result in chronic fatigue, and over-doing it can result in obesity – the bane of urban life. Just as well-trained high altitude climbers are able to glean precious energy from the rarified oxygen-depleted atmosphere, urban life demands a superior ability to convert food into highpowered nutrients. In the field of information technology, the ‘GIGO’ (garbagein garbage out) trap is well known – the same holds true for nutrition. If the quality of digestion, absorption and assimilation of nutrients is suspect, compensating through increased quantity will not do the job. Quite to the contrary, we need the ability to prime the nutritional engine into the highest metabolic efficiency – in terms of input and output ratios. Like a well-tuned engine, the less energy our bodies expend on basal life processes, the more energy we have available for carrying out activity, for building immunity,

stress. The hypothalamus helps control the pituitary gland, which in turn controls the adrenals and other glands. This HPA (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenals) Axis comes into play in every response to stress. In this manner, the hypothalamus impacts not only the sense of hunger or thirst, but almost every visceral activity – like digestion, the heart rate, body temperature, blood circulation, sex drive, sleep cycle and detoxification. Recent studies have added even more weight to the argument. According to them, the hypothalamus seems to calibrate the brain’s circuitry, by turning up neuron growth in one region while dampening it elsewhere – thus helping use all available calories efficiently, rather than storing them in excessive layers of fat.

Black pepper (Kali mirch) powder, mixed with lemon juice and hot water helps in reducing indigestion.

Tip of the week

and carrying out detoxification. Getting the most out of the food we consume involves all our senses. Every aspect of the mind, the body and the spirit comes into play, to orchestrate the symphony of a thoroughly enjoyable meal. It starts from the time we choose to bestow attention to every aspect of food preparation, and through to how and what we eat, in what frame of mind we eat, and with whom we eat. In all this a key player is the hypothalamus - a gland located in the cerebrum portion of the brain. The hypothalamus is involved in regulating metabolism and energy expenditure, as also how much fuel is stored as fat – through a process called ‘energy homeostasis’. Just like a conductor of an orchestra, the hypothalamus, through the autonomous nervous system, regulates all functions that help us sustain the body processes; and regulates the fight or flight response to

Eating to fill about 80 per cent capacity of the stomach is one of the key planks for sustained good health and longevity. Less well-known is that the hypothalamus has a time lag of a few minutes in signalling a feeling of satiety. Thus, taking the time to savour food—eating slowly—gives our body a chance to read the signals of fullness accurately. Since the hypothalamus is so important, it makes sense to nurture it, by eating the right foods. The primary foods that support the health of the hypothalamus are those that are rich in B Vitamins, Essential Fatty Acids, Omega-3 fats, Polyunsaturated fats and Vitamin C. In parallel, it is important to do away with those which might work to the contrary. Chief among these are the excessive reliance on processed and over-cooked refined foods, and over-indulgence in simple sugars, alcohol, tea, coffee and carbonated beverages.

Nature’s Wonder Foods of the week : Vitamin B rich sources

Foods rich in B Vitamins support the cognitive function. These vitamins support not only the nervous system function, but also play a key role in metabolism. B Vitamins help the body convert food (carbohydrates) into fuel (glucose), which is used to produce energy. Often referred to as ‘B Complex’ Vitamins, these help the body metabolize

{ Alka Gurha }

fats and protein, and are beneficial for healthy skin, hair, eyes, and liver. All B Vitamins are water-soluble, and the body does not store them. While each B Vitamin plays a complementary role, the relatively more important ones for brain health are – Vitamins B1( Thiamine) , B2( Riboflavin) , B3 (Niacin), B5(Pantothenic acid), B6 (Pyridoxine) , Folate and B12(Cobalamin) Animal sources – especially important for Vitamin B1, B 3, Folate and B 12 are : Fish, Organ meats ( liver & kidney), Pork, Beef, Chicken , Dairy, Eggs. Plant sources – especially important for Vitamins B1, B 3 , B 5 , B6 and Folate are : Brewers’ Yeast, Mushrooms ( Crimini, Shiitake) , Asparagus, Greens ( Spinach, Collard, Turnip), Broccoli, Beets, Lentils, Flaxseeds, Sunflower seeds, Beans, Legumes, Wheat germ, Bran, Whole grains , Bell Peppers, Blackstrap molasses. Alternately, Supplements can also be taken, to ensure a sufficient intake of this critical complex of vitamins. u Registered Holistic Nutritionist (Canadian School of Natural Nutrition) For education purposes only; always consult a healthcare practitioner for medical conditions

neem (basil), methi (fenugreek) seeds, and haldi (turmeric), as they prevent infection. If a dash of garlic is added to soups, stir fries and curries, it helps in building the body’s immunity.

long with clouds and lush greenery, the monsoon also brings a host of health problems – like indigestion, food poisoning, and other infections. Many people get sick during the monsoon, as the damp and humid conditions give pathogenic micro-organisms a good scope to multiply, and spread diseases like dengue, malaria, typhoid, conjunctivitis, viral fever, common cold and flu, pneumonia, and gastro-intestinal disturbances like diarrhoea and dysentery. Here are certain tips to give you the strength to brave the incessant showers, and the high levels of humidity: • Eating at/from local food stalls should be reduced to the bare minimum, due to the water used to cook the food. With the high humidity levels, the capability of the body to digest is at its lowest. Therefore, avoid heavy and oily food, as it can lead to an upset stomach. It’s best to avoid uncooked eatables like

A Healthy Monsoon raita, chutneys and cottage cheese (paneer), while eating outside. • One should avoid excess of sea food or meat. Instead, stock your fridge with green vegetables, cereals and fruits. Green leafy vegetables should be carefully picked, and then cleaned, to make them bacteria and mud free. • Stick to “dry” foods. Cere-

als like corn, chickpea and oats will provide you with all the vital nutrition that you need. • Heavy oils like mustard and sesame should be avoided. ‘Dry’ oils should be used for cooking – like corn oil, or light oils like olive. •. Instead of cut salads, opt for steamed salads. • Consume a lot of seasonal vegetables, and herbs like

Humidity and Skin Problems: People who face skin allergies during the monsoon should not eat spicy food, because that stimulates the circulation and raises the body temperature – which leads to skin irritation, allergies and diseases. A lot of skin problems erupt due to humidity. The skin gets oily, and is prone to bacterial infections. Other problems such as boils, change in skin colour, dullness, rashes and patchy skin also arise. One should drink more water during this season, to quickly overcome these skin issues. It is advisable to use anti-bacterial soaps and talcum powder, to keep the skin dry. It is imperative to dry the skin completely after a bath, because any moisture between the skin folds might lead to fungal infections.

Monsoon and Eye infections: Eye care is a must for protecting us from infections like conjunctivitis, eye styes, and dry eyes – which are common during the monsoon. Conjunctivitis: It is the inflammation of the conjunctiva, and is caused due to viral or fungal infection, dust, pollen or cosmetics. It is characterized by redness, swelling and a burning of the eyes. Conjunctivitis is usually self-limiting, and any complication can be cured by medications prescribed by a doctor. Dry eyes: Eyes have a natural constant lubrication, to sustain vision. But exposure to dust, humidity, wind and cold air can lead to dry eyes. It can be cured by lubricating tear drops; but if they do not work, consult an eye specialist. Eye stye: This is an eye infection of the monsoon season, which causes a painful lump along the eyelid. It is caused by bacterial infections. An eye stye can be treated at home, with warm compresses and mild medication. u

17-23 August 2012

 Contd from p 1

One Step Backward

The Police, in some measure, have reason to be proud of delivering in the last one year. The Traffic Police has been pro-active in pointing out specific trouble spots – and also proposing solutions to the civic Administration. That has led to one-way roads, removal of roundabouts, and levelling of speedbreakers. There has also been a relentless movement against drunk driving and over-speeding. On the crime front, serious violent, heinous crime – of murders, kidnappings – is not high. And a big inter-state car gang was brought to book. But Gurgaon is very vulnerable on the road. Snatchings and car-jackings are a daily norm – and done with brazenness and impunity.

EDITORIAL Atul Sobti

Comment

The ‘BMW case’ handling does no credit to the Gurgaon police; nor does the delay in closure of many other cases. The ‘ineffectiveness’ of the 50 policemen at Maruti, who seemingly could have prevented mayhem, will not be forgotten easily. Given the nature of crime in the City (versus even Delhi), and the profile of residents, it seems a very different type of policing may be more effective here – a more pro-active, more citizen-involved, more gender-friendly, more on-the-road force. The Police cannot also close their eyes to foreign ‘illegal’ immigrants; an Assam situation we may not have, but a warning it is. DHBVN struggles with power delivery, despite many well-meaning initiatives. Upgradations are announced with fanfare, and then not heard of. The black-outs were truly their blackest day. And keeping industry powerless in an industrial hub is being very myopic. Could DHBVN just work out a well-planned, loadshedding schedule, and then implement strongly? That would be just fine. Public Transport remains in short supply. Autos still rule the roost, and rule the laws – there is still no meter policy, even a year after sending a policy for approval to Panchkula. So much for Administration ! The new local buses hardly stick to a timetable, and are very infrequent. Worse, there are no bus stops – and again there is a 5-year plan promising LET T ER TO THE EDITOR The editorial “Coalition Dharma” in Friday Gurgaon of 10-16 August is timely. It has highlighted the drawbacks of coalition politics in India. Your observations that India is facing leadership crisis in the management of governance is quite valid. The aspirations of the fathers of the constitution have not been fulfilled even after 6 decades. There is breakdown of law and order due to nexus between politicians and criminal. The performance of UPA is not satisfactory and economic growth is declining despite assurance from the Prime Minister. There is political apathy among the citizens. It is difficult to predict the political scenario after 2014. In foreign affairs India’s relations with neighbours are not at all friendly. Prof. B. N. Mehrish

Very well written. Tina Sharma on the article, The World Has Shrunk Nice article Shilpy. Thanks for sharing such wonderful information. Sarman Joshi on the article, Gurgaon Healing There are enough Indian nationals without work. Throw these people from bangladesh out. Send them where they belong – Bangladesh. If there is a medical need they have, which cant be fulfilled; if they have a legitimate business in India, and they can get a visa, they are welcome. But if they are illegal, they have no business staying in India. Bharath on the article, The Invisible Foreigners

them. The inter-Stare Volvo buses, however, seem to have taken off well. Yes, we also have private cabs – and exclusive gCabs for women. The last mile connectivity with the Metro stations has been left to private enterprise – DLF – that has started a commendable service; which will be strengthened once the Rapid Metro starts in 2013. The Udyog Vihars are turning more Cyber Vihars. The death knell of Industry in the City has been sounded – and not just by the Maruti mayhem or power failure. Manesar’s future, too, is now suspect. Almost every industrialist and Industry Association is today unhappy with the HSIIDC – for having the poorest infrastructure, and doing nothing to maintain it – let alone improve. Even parking is a big issue, in an industrial area ! Hero Honda Chowk will be resolved only by Court action. And we do not know when the Plaza will not toll, and for whom. But we do have a new talking point – the GurgaonFaridabad 'highway'. Our woes are clearly not due to an issue of competence. It is due to the poor co-ordination (or the lack of accountability/sensitivity) among the ‘agencies’ administering the City, coupled with pathetic authority levels (financial and otherwise). The bosses sitting in Panchkula and Chandigarh are more than far removed – they seem not to care. The CM has no time or concern for this City – until a Maruti threatens. It is ironic that we may get our civic due when we start crashing….when it may well be too late. What will happen when Gurgaon II (sectors 58 to 115) starts taking shape? If civic services do not materially improve, the Summer of 2013 promises to be a battle on the streets. Meanwhile, in our Millennium cocoons we live with the high-rises of food (as we are fairly inelastic on this part of life's hierarchy); and with the suicides of young neighbours we really did not know – or ever see. u FAMOUS QUOT ES “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Anatole France “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” Pamela Vaull Starr “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” T.S. Eliot “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” Andre Gide “Life is either a great adventure or nothing.”

Helen Keller

17-23 August 2012

{ Srimati Lal }

n the realm of Contemporary Art, the Naive should not be a synonym for either ignorance or immaturity. Neither should a Purist approach adhering to painterly principles, be misprepresented as an ‘immature idiom that lacks cuttingedge’. Pure painterly skill remains the highest point in artistic achievement --- it is a talent that no mechanical gimmickry or distractions can ever replace or outdo. In the past decade, however, a certain rapid influx of ‘cool, trendy urban aesthetic experimentation’ has been increasingly doing the rounds in Indian gallery circuits. This ‘Aesthetic Re-Colonisation’ has found a footing in India. These ‘artformulae’ are evidently motivated by a pursuit of quick and convenient ‘international exposure’. Such facile experimentations -- which now border on western gallery-cliches -- are actively diluting the authentic quality of Indian Art’s contemporaneity, thus robbing our art of both its painterly skills and its emotional credibility.

This alarming ‘International ArtFactory’ approach can only be countered with a firm adherence to one’s cultural ethos, and by the application of the intricacy of our own deep-rooted, traditional aesthetic principles.These time-tested artistic tenets contain the depth and real seeds of ‘Modernism’. This is precisely the dilemma that Gurgaon-based artist Arun Kumar’s experimentations seem to exemplify. The 44-year old is from a small village in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. He hails from a farmer’s family, and harsh forests were the very backyard of his father’s home. Arun apprenticed as a traditional wood-carver, to support his initial art-training at the local Davangere Art School. This was followed by art courses in Baroda, and then a fellowship at Delhi’s Garhi Studios, making him a city-artist.

Troubling Tracts

When asked what was his breakthrough into the current art world, Arun says -- “In 1999, I attended the ARCUS Artists’ Program in Ibaraki near Tokyo, with artists from USA, France and Japan. This was my major opportunity, that gave me all kinds of support to make my inflatable sculptures, and exhibit them with other international artists.” During his village days, Arun has watched the ancient rural theatrical form of Yakshagana. Arun now describes his “artistic inclinations being inspired by Yakshagana’s beautiful traditional costumes, mystery, and music.” The question one posits here is: Why are the authentic visual strains of this original inspiration not evident in the artist’s current art language in this ‘Millennial City’? Arun Kumar has moved very far from his origins. He has been provided a large studiospace in an industrial area in

Gurgaon’s Sector 55, where he is working on producing installations and artworks for his next show. Arun’s previous solo show, called ‘Tract’, was organised by the American-managed Gallery Nature Morte. Ironically, the artist designs modules of Latex toys under the American ‘Rubbabu’ Company Label, as his other profession. The ‘Rubbabu’ toy company is based in Wilmington, Delaware, and has a factory-outlet in Gurgaon’s Maruti Industrial Area. Arun is quick to inform us that such toy-templates are available in USA’s MOMA Store. Significantly, the mass-production of such latex toys has become the template for Arun’s forays into contemporary art. The artist now constructs modern collage-like sculptures from plastic aerated drink bottle-caps and plastic mallbags; and fortune-telling vending machines in very western confectionery-colours of bright neon-pinks and ice-creamy blues. A bottle-cap-collage embodies a huge Eye --- and yet, oddly, it is titled ‘Blind’. Arun laboriously constructs a bright pink ‘Pig’ from plastic shoppingpackets --- a sculpture which looks too much like a west-

A rt

ern piggy-bank. Several of Arun’s curated artworks and constructions obsessively portray India’s food problem, with digital prints of grotesquely-distorted potatoes -- two of them even look ominously like the allAmerican Disneyland-cartoon Mickey Mouse. Some self-conscious sculptures are made of actual grain, salt, and sugar, The painterly element remains conspicuous in its absence -- even though Arun mentions the accomplished self-taught painter Bhupen Khakkar among his favourite artists. Arun’s more interesting sculptures, indicating what should be an intrinsically-Indian idiom, are a ‘Bull’ series sculpted from actual cow-dung -- which sit rather incongruously, however, atop European coffee-tables! He explains that “the Indian bull has been a lifeline in sustainable farming, before such natural methods gave way to modern farming practices.” His Fibreglass Fruit sculptures, in another series, seem to defeat the very purpose of this ‘necessary naturalness’. Even more ominously, large Europe-

anised scripted epigraphs, produced as brass calligraphic-forms, regally emblazon English words such as ‘Hunger’ and ‘Starvation’! These seem like over-dramatised message-projections, lacking aesthetic credibility. As a touching contrast, Arun’s large ‘Eco-friendly’ Installations, constructed of hundreds of Indian leaves, seeds, and even tattered Indian shoe-soles, seem to struggle to convey the artist’s Indian essence. The dilemma here is ---the true Indian aesthetic essence is repeatedly lost in a troubling tangle of western gallery-briefings and formulaic motivated ‘installations’.. Unless the Indian urban artist introspects, we will -- soon enough -- be searching in vain for the authentic Indian Contemporary artist. u Artist, Writer and Curator

18 { V.K Gaur }

ach of the 12 signs of the zodiac have a specific appearance, and a habitat. Their impact on a jatak (person) born in the concerned lagna rashi are shown in italics.

Mesh (Aries) – This Rashi looks like a ram, and is located at the head of Kaal Purusha. It circulates among goats and sheep, and the region holding wealth and precious stones. It moves over pastoral lands, lakes and mountains. It lives in hidden places. It is red-coloured, giant sized, and more powerful during the night. Mesh Jatakas ( people born under Mesh) are active, impulsive, spontaneous and headstrong – often self-centered. Mesh are always fearless and brave, almost to a point of foolishness; but they never carry malice. They are emotional and passionate; active, fiery, high-spirited, energetic, athletic, charismatic, courageous, optimistic, and friendly. Born leaders, Mesh make their actions and presence felt. They do not compromise on their goals. They are masculine, cruel and fiery. When a Mesh sets out to accomplish something, he will literally ‘ram’ his way to success. Mesh are lively participants in the everyday activity of life. However, it is also the Mesh who often fails to finish things, when details demand rapt attention. They allow their enthusiasm to exceed their actual ability. Invariably romantics at heart, they will profess undying love for their beloved - a promise they are most likely to keep. Ideal life partners for them are most likely to be other Mesh (Aries), Simha (Leo), Dhanu (Aquarius), or Vrishchika (Scorpio). Vrishabh (Taurus) – This Rashi is like a bull, and represents the face and throat of the Kaal Purusha. It resides in the summits of mountains, cowsheds, and other places of animal habitats and agricultural lands. It has white colour, long gait, four legs; and is more energetic during the night. Vrishabh Rashi is all about rewards. Unlike Mesh, who plunges headlong into the challenge of the game, Vrishabh Rashi loves to reap the rewards. Jatakas of Vrishabh Rashi don’t start out with the intention of getting stuck. They simply want to get things done; and it is that steady, dogged endurance that earns them the nickname ‘stubborn’. They are most practical and reliable; they happily touch the finish line and reap the rewards. Vrishabh jatakas prefer to take each day as it comes, and work toward their ultimate goal. Their strength is in their stability, loyalty and firm determination. They are down to earth, realistic, have a no-nonsense approach, say what they mean, have a very strong sense of values, are often artistic – and sometimes very musical. They own the best—be it wine, food, clothes, conveyance—even if it means having only one. Slow, steadfast and stubborn, they wade through challenges in life gently; making sure that they do things that will make others happy. A Vrishabh Jataka’s mind is closed to new ideas; and there is a certain unwillingness to change. They are determined, and do not buckle under pressure and adversity. They are patient, dependable, loyal, caring, shy and reserved. Vrishabh Jatakas are peaceful, calm and quiet; but once annoyed, they will run into a rage, and turn ferocious and unstoppable. Outspoken and expressive, they don’t modulate their expression. They avoid risky ventures, and like to live comfortably. Ruled by Shukra Graha (Venus), a Vrishabh seeks the sensual pleasures, and is a true admirer of beauty. Often they will make little or no effort to change the situation around them. They make good business persons – they make money and preserve it well; they make good financiers and bankers. Some Jatakas are

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Know Your Rashi

likely to be in music, where they excel. They are family-oriented, and enjoy spending time with loved ones, especially children. They can be romantic, attentive, tender, and affectionate. Vrishabh will find an ideal match in fellow Vrishabh Jatakas, and Kanya (Virgo); and marriage with Kumbha (Aquarius) could also prove successful.

Mithun (Gemini) – This Rashi holds the Veena and Gada (mace), and represents the hands and shoulders of Kaal Purusha. A man and woman, bearing a trumpet and a harp, represent the sign of Mithun. The places of dance, music, art galleries, art-

ists, and entertainment are enveloped in its lap. It is green in colour. The third sign in the Rashichakra, Mithun Rashi is not able to hold secrets – because of indulgence in endless talking. Ruled by the Planet Budh (Mercury), Mithuna exhibits mercurial energy. They are quick-thinking, quick-witted, and fast on their feet. Their curiosity and cleverness make them popular. A Mithun is charming, congenial, and loves to share his secrets with friends. Mithun Jataks are bright, quick-witted, and occupy centre-stage in any social congregation.They are rational and positive thinkers. At work, they are termed as deep and transparent thinkers. Their greatest strength lies in their ability to communicate effectively, and think clearly. They can be moody—and at times whimsical—but have their hearts in the right place. They are fun-loving, beaming with life, full of ideas, adorable, inconsistent, capricious, superficial – they have abundant contradictions. They may pose as ‘know-alls’; but they also do have the ability to master some skills. They have a cheerful face; but exhibit visible signs of anxiety, tension or unhappiness. A Mithuni is generally adventurous and fun loving; but his fickle mind, flirting and uncaring attitude breaks many hearts. Mithun never stray if the family life is satisfying. Tula (Libra), Kumbh (Aquarius), fellow Mithun, and Mesh are best suited as life partners for Mithun Jataks.

Kark (Cancer) – This Rashi lives in water, and represents the chest of Kaal Purusha. Karka has the appearance of a crab. It moves in agricultural lands, water bodies, riversides, un-inhabited lands, and picturesque places. It is movable, feminine, mild, and fruitful. Its colour is light rose. It is very intelligent, bulky and obese. The fourth sign in the Rashichakra, Kark loves its home - the roots. Falling in the fourth house of the Kaal Purusha, which denotes mother, Karka plays the same role. Further, the governing planet of the Rashi is Chandra (Moon), which rules over the mind. This enhances its role as mother. The most empathetic zodiac sign, Karkas are often hyper sensitive. They take great pleasure in the comforts of home and family; and are at their best when all

is peaceful. They nurture a maternal instinct, and love to nurture others. They love large families; always helping others, protecting and making a nest wherever they go. Karkas are traditional, prize family history, and love community activities. They also tend to be patriotic. Karkas can be admirably kind, generous, understanding, charitable and gracious – if all is well with them. Karkas are extreme introverts, and can hide emotions. They can appear to be moody and shy, like a baby. Though very artistic and creative, often they get on others’ nerves – for holding on to eve-

V aastu beautiful – and are easily seduced by material wealth and luxury. They believe in leading life on a grand scale. Jatakas of this Rashi are also winners. They embark on a mission only when they are sure of occupying the top place at the finish. They are bad losers – be it an argument, or an accomplishment. Simha jatakas are born leaders. They detest being sly and sneaky; and are very noble in their approach. They are impossible to miss, because they easily stand out in a crowd. They are professionally not suited for low profile jobs; they do well in white-collar jobs, particularly as leaders or managers, from a young age. Their creativity, idealism, leadership, boundless enthusiasm, and ambition, are their greatest assets. They are outgoing, confident, and have generosity of spirit; and the determination to succeed, coupled with tremendous energy. Usually they are fearless and strong, status-conscious, warm-hearted, and well-wishers. They wine, dine and shower expensive gifts; and roll out the red carpet all the way. Their ideal life partners are found among fellow Simha, Mesha and Dhanu.

rything, including wealth. Their mood swings are unpredictable – sweet to cranky. The proverbial crabs, they retreat into their shells when hurt. They are kind and lovable, but change their mood like a weather cock. Trying to draw sympathy, they can be fairly insensitive towards others. They can be snapping, rude and short-tempered. However, the seemingly rude behavior is only a clever means to hide their own insecurities and complexes. Their intuitive powers are mostly put to good use, in managing their own lives. They also tend to make a mountain out of a molehill; and are prone to self-pity. Karkas have a sharp intellect. They do well as painters, sculptors, and sales persons. They have reasonably good careers, although they tend to change to an entirely different field midway. They can adopt writing as a full-time profession. They are strongly attracted to people who are confident, strong and successful. Although they fall in love all the time, their love affair is generally one-sided – because they are introverts by nature. Other Karka, Vrischika (Scorpio) and Meen (Pisces) will make good partners for the Karka Jatak.

Kanya (Virgo) – This Rashi is like a maid holding a lamp, and standing in a boat – which is floating on water. It represents the abdomen of the Kaal Purusha. The Rashi lives in the green places, places fit for romantic activity, and artistic places. Kanya Rashi represents the multicolour spectrum in life, fire, and food grains in abundance. It is feminine–as the name indicates–mild and soft. Kanya jataks are industrious, methodical, efficient, practical, logical, precise and perfectionists. A Jataka of this sign often does not like to delegate, and wants to oversee every step of the operation.They are practical, cool-headed, and thoroughly meticulous in their work. Often quiet and reserved, tidy and perfect, the Kanya rashis seldom shy away from taking on challenges; and prove their endurance and determination. They at times tend to make bitter enemies, and remember events that happened a long time ago. They do well in science and mechanics, often inventing and developing appliances. They love reading and writing, and have a flair for handicrafts; while many are good performing artistes. Kanya jatakas love to travel. They are reliable, and great assets to all groups.Often they fall prey to hypochondria because of extreme nervousness. Many of them face psychological problems. There is no place for turbulence in their love life. They make no public display of affection, but love a silent romance. Vrishabh, Makar and a fellow Kanya (Virgo) go well in courtship. Flowers and dim lights make them happy and contented.

Simha (Leo) – The lion-like Rashi lives in mountains, and represents the heart of Kaal Purusha. Forests, forts, caves, inaccessible places and mountains are considered to be its residence. The fifth sign in the Rashichakra, Simha ( Leo ) Rashi behaves like the royals. They are the kings of the zodiac, and there is nothing modest about them. They feel themselves indispensable – like the Sun, which is indispensable for the Solar system. The Simha sign has light yellow color, is giant size, and is charged with energy during the day time. Simha jatakas are very proud, self-assured, confident, generous, honest, frank, courageous, affectionate, charismatic– and often unpredictable–in their behaviour. They exude enormous confidence, to achieve their aim. They are ambitious and highly talented. They are sociable, affable, dignified, strong; also well-organised and idealistic. They love a comfortable life. Simha jatakas are courteous and diplomatic. However, they are easily attracted to the rich, the bold, the famous, and the

Tula (Libra) – Rashi has a symbol of a man holding a balance in his hands. It represents the lower abdomen of the Kaal Purusha, and lives in the places of merchandise, and lands yielding good vegetables. The seventh Sign of the Rashichakra, Tula is the charmer. Jatakas of Tula (Libra) Rashi are the first to socialise; since, by order, they hate to stay alone. Their foremost focus is on others, and how they relate to them. The motto of Tula jataks: a pair will do it much better than an individual. When paired, they fare better – since they epitomise balance, harmony and a sense of fair play. While it is true for their work, Tula jataks pair up more favourably for a home and marriage. They are complete when they are in love, forever. Tula (Libra) is symbolised by the scales, and, just as that balancing act, the jatakas of this sign too want to re main on an even keel. Their greatest strength comes from their quest for fairness, peace and harmony. They make life a beautiful journey, from their inimitable sense of style.

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They are objective, just, and want to do what is best for everyone. Inclination for fairness often stems from a personal need – to avoid conflict and confrontation. They work for achieving peace and harmony. Tula jatakas are keen strategists, organisers of groups (with poise), and get things done. Always balanced, most pleasant, and beautiful, they possess natural charm in abundance; and have an easygoing manner, that makes things they desire quite easily accessible to them. Compassionate, generous and diplomatic, they return favours too; and can be equally helpful. However, indecisiveness is their (the scales’) biggest drawback; which often leads to delays, as they keep weighing the pros and cons. They tend to defer difficult decisions. Their emotional relationships are based on an equal give and take. Often misunderstood for their extra affection and friendship, they tend to be involved in a number of affairs. They tend to get attracted to the opposite sex quite frequently. In the game of love, they are a bundle of energy – romantic and loyal to the core. Tula jatakas are cultured, suave, refined, and lovers of beautiful things – most of all beautiful people. They are artistic, stylish, and enjoy creating a beautiful world. They always have the right thing to say, and know how to make others feel comfortable. At times they are quarrelsome, restless, superficial, confused – or even depressed. They admire physical beauty. Their easygoing nature, charm, sense of humour, tact, and personality win new friends and admirers. However, sometimes they also invite trouble, to win popularity. They can spend hours debating each side of an argument. They usually make good lawyers, judges and diplomats. However, they are also very artistic, and hence can do very well as fashion designers and artists, writers and journalists. They perform their best only when they are mentally at peace. They are lucky in financial matters. They go all out to be amiable, and keep all members happy and contented. Their home is comfortable and neat, with possibly a garden full of flowers and indoor plants. They like to put their mind to good use, and enjoy communicating their thoughts to others. Ideal matches will be with those born under Mithun, Tula, or Kumbh.

Vrishchika (Scorpio) Rashi represents the private parts of the male and female. It dwells in places like caves, water bodies, and poisonous shrubs; and places fit for venomous snakes, insects, animal excreta and pythons. Fixed, even, mild, grey-coloured, amphibious, free from disease, and powerful during the day, Vrishchika—the 8th sign in the Rashichakra—is the deepest and most intense. It resembles a scorpion in appearance. Serious, fearless, stubborn at times, intense, and passionate, jatakas of this sign live life on their own terms; and are in ultimate control of their destiny. They are serious in their mission, intent to learn about others, and concentrate on the essential questions. They have an insatiable curiosity, investigative nature, love to probe, and have a remarkable sense of intuition that gives them an insight into others’ lives. They have a sense of purpose and inner strength, and the capacity to endure hardships. They are brave, ruthless, energetic, passionate, and committed to their goal. They can be very loyal friends; at the same time, they can turn into arch enemies. They have complex and secretive natures, that makes them suspicious. Vrishchika (Scorpio) is ruled by the planet Mangal (Mars) – the God of war. Intense, dominating, Vrishchika jatakas lead the battle of life with wisdom, intellect, and admirable qualities of valour, patience and creativity. They devote considerable time and energy in developing strategies; and plot revenge against

their enemies. They do extremely well as physicians and surgeons, architects and mechanics. They make excellent commanders; and some excel in the fine arts, literature, and journalism. Fame, fortune and success come easily to them. In business too, they are able to plan their investment strategies well. They also make intelligent manipulations, to get what they want. They are intense, passionate lovers, who are hard to forget. They instinctively know what their partners want. They make ideal life partners to the fellow water signs—Kark,Vrishchika and Meen—as they understand Vrishchika jatakas the best.

Dhanu (Sagittarius) Rashi has legs like those of a horse. It is radiant, and holds a bow and arrow. This Rashi represents the thighs of the Kaal Purusha, and dwells in the forests infested by elephants, stables, armouries, vehicles of war etc. It is odd, masculine, cruel, fiery, of light yellow colour, and biped. The ninth sign of the Rashichakra is the eternal wanderer. Dhanu rashi jataks are seekers of truth; and they travel, talk to others, and get the answers to the internal quest. Knowledge holds the key to re-fuelling their

broad-minded approach to life. Dhanus are fun loving, carefree, thinker philosophers, and religious. They are clear thinkers, argumentative, blunt – though not rigid. They are intent listeners, so as to collect all the information they so require, to quell their thirst for knowledge. They love fun and social outings. During travels, they learn about the culture and people of each area they visit. They are seekers of knowledge and wisdom; bold, dashing, spirited, optimistic and easy-going; have a strong sense of justice and truth, are often tactless and blunt. They are outgoing, enthusiastic, and tend to overstep their bounds as a result. They are talkative, and at times hurt others’ feelings. However, their words also inspire people, as they are forward-thinking people who are curious, spiritual and true believers. They love to socialise, but change groups. They hate claustrophobic situations – physically or emotionally. Honest, a little tactless, they are also ambitious – and ooze with energy. Although they view themselves as sportspersons (than as intellectuals), they also enjoy reading, writing, and exploring unknown subjects – and are good learners, and do extremely well as academicians. Though unconventional, they are quite popular, and are loyal to friends. Many also enjoy the patronage of influential people. Most Dhanu jatakas do well in outdoor occupations. They also succeed as teachers, lawyers, politicians, businessmen and bankers. As Brihaspati—the symbol of good fortune, riches, and status—rules the Dhanu rashi, they will achieve most of this; though somewhat late in life. This is because of their tendency to be carefree in the early stages. However, they learn from mistakes; and even when financially welloff, they hardly crave for landed property and assets. Devaguru Brihaspati, the ruling

planet of Dhanu, makes them generous and just – like a noble leader. They are also expansive in their thoughts and attitude, and are forever looking for knowledge and understanding, and base their opinions on their unflinching optimism. Apart from Dhanu jatakas, the ideal life partners are found in Mesh and Simha.

Makar (Capricorn) Rashi has the front part like a deer, shoulders like a bull, eyes of an elephant, and the rear part of an alligator. It dwells in the water. The Rashi represents the knees of the Kaal Purusha, and its favourite places include rivers, watery resorts, forests etc. The tenth sign of the Rashichakra, Makara (Capricorn), is all about hard work. The Rashi makes Jatakas true workaholics, who see the world as a harsh and exacting arena – with no short-cuts. Often tending to be cold and snobbish, they are also lazy; but prove dependable friends. They are calm, practical and serious. They aim to reach the top; and their ambition and determination gets them there. Practical, meticulous and realistically pragmatic, they are extremely dedicated to their goals – almost to the point of being stubborn. They reap the benefits of success – fame, prestige and money. Diligent, conscientious, hard-

w o rk i n g, ambitious, cautious, tolerant, patient, disciplined, calculating, and confident, Makar jatakas seldom allow any sort of permissiveness – which makes them the most reliable people to work with. They withstand hardships. With a deep sense of duty, selflessness, and devotion, they are admired for their tenacity of purpose, and strong will power. They are lean and thin, have long necks, fragile teeth, strong bones, and a huge body. They have hard hair on their scalp, and a sharp chin. However, they suffer from ailments associated with allergies, hypertension, and backache problems. Ruled by the Shani, the spiritual Saturn, the Makar jatakas set high goals. They make shrewd business people, and avoid rash decisions. Academics, industry, agriculture, and antiques open successful avenues for them. Saturn, like an interfering parent, puts a rein on them. They are romantics, yearning for true love. Vrishabh, Vrischika and Kanya make good partners for Makar jatakas; who love a stable home, and are fiercely loyal towards their spouse.

Kumbh (Aquarius) The image of Kumbh (Aquarius) Rashi is like a man holding a pitcher on his shoulder, and wearing wet clothes. It represents the thighs of the Kaal Purusha. Kumbhs are progressive, and have many friends and acquaintances. Shallow areas, lands producing coarse vegetables, gambling dens, markets of bird, alcohol, and women, are the places of its dwelling. Its colour resembles a camel. Its shape and size is mediocre. The eleventh sign of the Rashichakra dream to improve the world around them. Jatakas of Kumbh (Aquarius) Rashi are humanitarian, philanthropic, and keen to make the world around them a better place.

V aastu

They are cold, detached and devoid of emotional attachment; as well as ruthlessly impartial. They believe in the freedom of movement, thought and life. They love research and invention projects. They are technical, and their ideas at times change the world. They are forever changing ideas, and cannot go with the people who do not think like them. They are modern in their outlook. They forever expand the horizons of their knowledge; and their analytical minds draw them towards science. Though not easily agitated, being patient and persevering, it is difficult to change their opinions. Sympathetic, sensitive, philosophical, equipped with strong intuitive powers, friendly yet distant, they make it very difficult for others to get involved with them. They often end up being lonely. They admire beauty, but their behaviour is unpredictable. They love their privacy, and intrusions are not very welcome. The ones to fall in love with them will most likely share their artistic and intellectual interests. Their approach to love and marriage is logical and intellectual; therefore they love with their mind, as well as their eyes. Money matters never bother the Kumbh jatakas. They are charitable, and often indulge in charity; and love travelling. They are apt to suffer serious losses too. They do well in artistic pursuits. Most of them are brilliant scientists and physicians. Law is another field they can pursue, without serious difficulties. Apart from fellow Kumbh jatakas , Mithun and Tula jatakas are ideal partners for them.

Meen (Pisces) Like a pair of fish, the last Rashi of the Rashichakra, Meen (Pisces), denotes the feet of the Kaal Purusha – and it dwells in the holy places of religious, divine and social importance. As it is also the final sign in the Rashichakra, this Sign brings together many of the characteristics of the eleven preceding signs. Meen Rashi, the twelfth of the signs, is the most intuitive of all in the Rashichakra. Meen jatakas are selfless, spiritual, and focused on their inner journey.They are compassionate, unless pushed to the wall – when they can be very caustic. They are spiritual, charitable, compassionate, empathetic – and love to help others in the most imaginative of ways. Kind and sympathetic, they possess a charming and carefree approach. At times they pour out their emotions in creative arts; or in poetry or short verse. But they seldom open up to those around them on a personal basis. Meen are brave, and prefer a lot of independence. They are fascinated by the occult-tantra-mantra. Meen jatakas do well in performing arts. In science, they tend to work in the fields of either physics or medicine; and also do well in ocean-based occupations, or working with animals. They normally have talents that get them money and fame. They never like to lean on others for happiness or professional growth. They are ever ready to help the needy, without being much concerned for reciprocation. They, however, can also be unnecessarily suspicious and jealous; and this might cause a lot of heartache. Although their unpredictable moods are the reason for some tension at times, their gentle, sensitive, and romantic nature establishes a loving relationship. Meen jatakas can be very romantic. They are generally gentle and relaxed people, and modest to the point of impracticality. Loving and caring, Meen are extremely creative. They value fidelity in a marriage, and will be kind and affectionate to the spouse – and let the partner take on a dominant role in public; but at home, they rule the roost. Vrischika (Scorpio), Kark (Cancer), and Meen (Pisces) make ideal partners for Meen jatakas. u (In the article, he is used for he/she)

 Contd from p 1 When asked by the Editor, Friday Gurgaon, who moderated the discussion, to identify the profiles of customers, Jayashree Kurup, Head, Content and Research, Magic Bricks, said that the majority were repeat buyers. “Gurgaon today is affordable to only repeat buyers, who have already made money. They will later sell to the first-time buyers and the end-users”, said Kurup. Most end-users end up buying the property in the third cycle. As far as the origin of buyers is concerned, experts observed that 40 per cent of the buyers were from outside Gurgaon, including those from other Indian states and NRIs; while the remaining 60 per cent were from the City. “Money is coming from all over the world, and this will continue, as the returns have been great”, they averred. Not only investors, but experts also opined that the demand in Gurgaon had matured, to the extent that buyers were more interested in buying lifestyles than houses. “People today want to buy made-to-order villas, apartments and houses, that cater to an international lifestyle and taste. Money is secondary”, said Rakesh Goel, Vice President, Ansals API. While five years ago the builders were giving basic facilities to the buyer, now the scenario has changed immensely, confirmed Goyal. Sonia Vaid, a real estate professional and researcher, opined that excess black money in the real estate industry was also a factor, that always kept on pushing up the prices. “There is an apartment economy and a plot economy; the first is a bit more regulated by cheque transactions, the latter has more proportion of cash transactions”, she said. Circle rates are only 30 to 40% of the actual rates. While both the buyers and experts have great expectations from the residential sector, the commercial real estate is considered to be a tricky proposition. Prashant Dhar, General Manager, Marketing DLF, opined that his Company preferred to have a healthy mix of investors and end users in both segments. “Every builder will like the malls and offices to be filled by end users. Gurgaon realty is based on cycles, and it inspires an investor men-

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R ea l E s t at e

Not Getting Real - Yet tality, as everyone expects there will always be a buyer at a higher rate”, he asserted. Sharma of Qubrex opined that Commercial real estate in Gurgaon is a different ball game altogether, with some assured returns scheme almost a scam waiting to explode. “However, the real estate prices in the commercial segment have risen within the averages, and are not substantial”, he said. The experts were also concerned over the lopsided dispersion of the commercial property in the City, which often accentuates the infrastructure problems. Manish of CBRE, who also tracks overall space diligently, feels that the absorption is low in the commercial space. Slowdown in the realty market: The issue of a slowdown in the Real Estate market elicited the sharpest remarks among the panelists. Many of them supported the contention - while some argued that it was mostly an issue of perception (even stating that this was due to summertime, a

slow period). When the moderator mentioned that there was a report of a 40 per cent decline in absorption of properties as compared to last year (Q1), Devender Gupta contended that this was an impossible scenario. “I can sell any number of properties, as the market has the ability to absorb the supply. The impact was more on Delhi, as some ‘expensive’ Delhi areas (like New Friends Colony) were not able to command high prices now. A slowdown in the market also affects the enduser more as compared to the investors, as the latter always have the money ready for making the bets”, said Gupta, while discounting the slowdown theory. The market may hold up the prices and the sale of properties for a couple of months, or the prices may even go down - but they will always come back to a threshold level, asserted Gupta. For him, even a stagnant market was welcome. “I enjoy to work in such a market, as competitors are less”, he said. Jayshree Kurup of Magic Bricks

also opined that slowdown in real estate is more of perception as there is huge unmet demand. As soon as prices hold up, there are a number of new buyers and end users who jump into the housing bandwagon, and push realty. Whenever the market in Gurgaon slows down, there is push to realty in Dharuhera, Bhiwadi, and Manesar. She also sees that in India there is a cycle of buying in a year – starting with Kerala; and heavily influenced by ‘shradh’ periods all over. However, Sam Chopra, CEO Remax, who all along had been listening with rapt attention, made a forceful intervention on the issue, saying that the ever rising-market in Gurgaon was creating a bubble like situation in the City. “The bullish market is being sustained by the parallel economy, and in the past couple of months less money is coming into Real Estate”, said Chopra. He admitted that there was a general slowdown caused by the general conditions

How the panelists define themselves: All the panelists were asked an interesting question, as to how they defined themselves, and represented the same to buyers. This question brought up answers that helped unravel many perceptions of the ‘industry’. Annil Bedi of Apollo Realtors said that he represented himself as a property consultant - with his depth of knowledge of the industry. He said that having a longtime relationship with customers was key to success in the industry - that was based more on faith. DLF’s Prashant Dhar said that they represented themselves as a brand that cared for the buyers, and believed in giving the best value. A large number of customers come to the company by themselves, looking for premium properties and values that DLF stands for. Jayashree Kurup of Magic Bricks said that they represent themselves as a real estate exchange, which has space for all the stakeholders. “We act as intermediaries, bringing together the buyer and the seller at one place. There is space for builders as well, to complete the exchange”, she said. Devinder Gupta, in his usual style, said that he is a hardcore broker, with a nose for being at the right place, at the right time - to strike a deal. “Brokers always try to sell a product that will earn them money. However, I try to balance my own interests with that of buyers/sellers, so that good relations remain intact”, he said. Sam Chopra, CEO Remax, said that they were a global brokerage company that was into total property transactions and advisory. Right now

they are into transactions, and bring to the table local knowledge combined with standardization - that is needed for a business to take shape in a proper manner. “We have 100 affiliate offices in 47 cities in the country right now”, he revealed. CBRE’s Manish Kashyap said that they were a broking company with a large footprint - but many times the customers saw them as consultants. “The brand name plays an important role in the market for us, as most of the clients who come to us know who/what they are dealing with. With demands becoming more specific, people are now coming to us in Delhi even for project management”, said Kashyap. Ansals’ Rakesh Goyal is proud of the brand and the reputation of the firm that has been building in Gurgaon since the eighties. Ansal is catering to the middle classes, and any one who wants to buy a plot or apartment knows that their property is safe with the Company. Rajan Chanana said that he preferred to call himself a consultant, and to deal with a set of clients who understood his language and style of operation. “I prefer clients who come by reference, so that we can do business with ease”, he asserted. Sonia Vaid, a research associate, said that she also prefers to call herself a consultant, as this portrays her as someone with more knowledge - an informed person. Sanjay Sharma of Qubrex opined that he preferred to call himself a real estate consultant, who values honesty, truth and transparency with customers. “I promise only if I can deliver; and then I ensure that I deliver”, he said.

in the economy, lesser international business and trade, hiccups in the IT sector, and less corporates coming into Gurgaon. He agreed that money is flowing from other sectors and states to Gurgaon. During the 2008-09 slowdown, the industry was saved by the government, as it made it easy for builders to get money from banks; now it has made borrowing easier for buyers - so in both ways the realtor is getting help, he said. “Price rigging is constant and perpetual. It will not stop unless black money into this Sector is not checked”, he asserted. Manish Kashyap, Director, Transactions Management Services, CBRE, also agreed that there was a general slowdown in the market, as the number of deals had decreased. Also, rentals have increased. But he pointed out that a 40 per cent reduction was difficult to accept. Kashyap also cited that a number of companies were relocating from Gurgaon to lower cost destinations, as the City had become expensive. In his opinion, the various subvention schemes launched by builders were only another way of accepting this reality, and ultimately the builders had to pick the up bills. Chanana also said that subvention schemes launched by the banks were being used by many investors to buy multiple properties. “They are perfect for helping in speculation, and this is happening in the market”, he said. Annil Bedi felt that the demand has been propped up with funds coming from a lot of rich clients from smaller towns across India – especially those impacted by Maoist threats. They have propped up some of the newer builders. Summing up the issue, the experts observed that Gurgaon was a special case in the realty market, and it would take some special reasons for it to slow down. Gurgaon I versus Gurgaon II : While Gurgaon Ii (Sectors 58 to 115), comprising areas around Golf Course Extension Road, Southern Peripheral Road and Dwarka Expressway, is coming up in a big way, it has not yet caught the fancy of ‘brokers. Contd on p 21 

17-23 August 2012

 Contd from p 20 Yes, some demand has picked up, ever since Gurgaon I prices went beyond Rs 6,000 per sq.ft. The majority of the panelists gave a minimum 10year time frame for this area to take the shape of a parallel city – real buyers will come only after 3-4 years. Annil Bedi, of Apollo Realtors, opined that it had taken almost 25 years for the present Gurgaon to transform itself into a Millennium City; and despite technological improvements, it will take minimum half the time for this new area to develop an eco-system of its own. Even today Gurgaon is known as a 7/24 (7 hours a day) City, for water and electricity. Also, there is skepticism whether this new land bank can effectively accommodate the further 20 lacs population expected. The builders too are not unhappy with the delay, given the lukewarm response, to date, for many properties. However, the area is being developed better than Gurgaon I, with early builders developing roads etc. (as part of a PPP with HUDA) that will be of benefit to multiple builders. Manish Kashyap of CBRE

not coming good on promises, and delaying the construction due to different reasons, the end-user, he says, will have to look at a time frame of 5 to 6 years. Chanana however said that properties along Golf Course extension road in Gurgaon II are a better bet - as delivery is promised within the next 2 years, and most of the projects are highend. Dishing out a number of statistics, Sanjay Sharma said that it is expected that one lakh and fifty thousand new apartments will be constructed in Gurgaon II by 2015. “This, he said, was a very large supply, and it would need a large number of end users to come in - as presently most of the buyers were investors, having a stake in multiple properties”, he informed. Rakesh Goyal of Ansal API, however, opined that Gurgaon II is a City with a Plan, and a proper scheme has been laid out for builders to develop on. “The size of the roads has been increased, the drainage and sewerage networks have been given proper thought, the power and water lines have been envisioned, and norms laid as to what a developer can

Prashant Dhar

opined that Gurgaon had become the southernmost colony of Delhi, and had greatly built on that advantage. Many people from Dwarka and adjoining areas would like to shift to Gurgaon, as it also has become the corporate capital of India generating employment in IT, auto and realty. This will boost the prospects of Gurgaon II. Sanjay Sharma of Qubrex was of the opinion that with most of Gurgaon II still awaiting basic infrastructure, it was better to stay invested in the existing areas, where there is a developed eco-system. “We are asking our clients to invest in ready-to-move-in properties, as a large number of projects in Gurgaon II are under construction (or proposed to be built)”, he said. With builders

R eal E s t at e 21

Rajan Chanana

Jayashree Kurup

Manish Kashyap

in some areas. A very interesting point that came out is that both Gurgaon I and II could be severely impacted by the Delhi Master Plan. Sam Chopra, CEO Remax, said that the Delhi Master Plan could have an impact on the demand - both in Gurgaon I and II - as it will release large chunks of land in Delhi for construction. He currently prefers the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road projects, that are progressing well, and have a low FAR. Devinder Gupta fully agreed, and opined that there were around 5,000 farmhouses in Delhi, and this land could be available for construction, if the Master Plan comes into force soon. He also opined

promise a lot, while they may not do anything in return. There are one-sided, restrictive and unfair clauses. Devinder Gupta opined that this will help the buyer know what he is buying, and the actual status of the property legally. Sam Chopra was of the view that every industry needed a regulator, and it would be better that they had one in real estate soon. However, the majority of the panelists opined that it would be not possible for this Bill to become a reality before the 2014 elections. When asked why, the answer was that political parties needed money from builders; and if everything become transparent, it would be difficult for them to find finance. Handing over colonies:

Dr. Sanjay Sharma

Dr. Devinder Gupta

Rakesh Goel

do and what he cannot”, he said. Goyal further said that government departments were also very clear as to what needs to be done in Gurgaon II, and it seems that some learning has taken place. He also said that most of builders in Gurgaon II are offshoots of the major builders of Gurgaon I. Another bone of contention in Gurgaon II is land acquisition, as farmers are not ready to part with their land, especially now that prices have increased exponentially, said Kashyap. Sharma said that the tendency of the courts to favour the landowners would also have to be handled carefully, for the Gurgaon II dream to come true. He also said that the NPR side had more problems, as land acquisition had not taken place

that there were too many new builders in Gurgaon II, and buyers should do a lot of research before investing. A top destination in Gurgaon II is seen as Sectors 114 and 115 – comprising Residential and Institutional areas. Real Estate Regulatory Bill: Almost all the panelists were in favour of the proposed Real Estate Regulatory Bill, as it would bring about more transparency and accountability in the system. Jayashree Kurup said that this Bill streamlines the function of the builders and the various intermediaries, thus helping the buyers most. Sharma opined that it would prevent the onesided Buyers Agreement that takes place these days - and on the basis of which builders can

Friday Gurgaon asked both DLF and Ansals whether they intended to hand over their colonies to the MCG, for maintenance. Ansals replied assertively on the issue, and said that they have initiated talks with the government, so that these colonies could be handed over to MCG/ HUDA. Goyal of Ansals said that the residents and RWAs want that the colonies should be maintained by the government agencies, and Ansals also believe in the same. “The role

of the builder is to build and move on. Let the people and the government take care of the on-going operations”, he said The DLF response was in the affirmative, but more muted. DLF likes to keep control of the colonies, supposedly due to the lucrative Institutional Areas. In commercial areas, DLF also wishes to be a lessor, not a seller. Prashant Dhar, GM Marketing DLF, said that they would are fine with RWAs taking care of the maintenance, as they are democratic bodies representing the residents. “We believe in creating value and satisfying the buyer. DLF will uphold the interests of the residents”, he said. It seems that the Millennium City will continue to be a Real Estate magnet, inviting investment from across the country - and even abroad; and that property prices in Gurgaon will keep on rising, despite already being at stratospheric levels. The reason being, say experts, the large number of investors in Gurgaon who are ready to take the risks, knowing the huge profits they can make if they bet right. In addition, the parallel economy is working overnight to invest in this Real Estate industry. A large amount of political money is also pouring into the Sector – which ensures liquidity, and keeps the laws builder- and investor-friendly. The Real Estate players in Gurgaon believe that they can defy logic. There is phenomenal confidence in the demand, and in the capacity of players to hold on – for ever; enough money has been made for generations. They will not, and cannot afford to, blink. In any such situation, the crunch, when it comes, would be met with disbelief. u

Realty Rates

(in Rs. as of August 16, 2012)

Udyog Vihar Phase - 1 Office 7,200 psf

Shop 25,000 psf

Plots 70,000 ps yard

Udyog Vihar Phase - 2 Office 5,500 - 6,000 psf

Plots 1,00,000 ps yard Udyog Vihar Phase - 3

Plots 80,000 - 1,10,000 ps yard

Office 5,000 psf Udyog Vihar Phase - 4

Office 4,500 - 5,000 psf Sam Chopra

Annil Bedi

Sonia Vaid

Plots 90,000 - 1,00,000 ps yard

17-23 August 2012

Just Divorced? Throw A Party! { Laura Gitschier / New York / DPA }

os Angeles resident, Christine Beaton, began the end of her 19-year marriage with a party – friends, a big cake and plenty of champagne. “We celebrated myself, and my new life,” said the 40-year-old. “It was a healing experience. I had fun, and it felt like the right thing to do.” While throwing a party seems an unusual way to mark a divorce, celebrities such as actress Scarlett Johansson and musician Jack White have had divorce parties - and many others are following. There are growing numbers of people seeking to draw a line under what has been a difficult phase in their lives – by holding a celebratory event. Blogger and author of ‘The Divorce Ritual: Get Up, Get Out And Get On With Your Life’, Lois Tarter, thinks that’s

quite okay. “A divorce changes your life completely,” she said. “We should at least celebrate that day, or mark it in some way – just like we do for birthday parties or weddings.” For Tarter, the right way to do that is to have a divorce party. In the United States, divorcees can draw on the services

of professionals to help them do just that. In cities like New York, there are divorce party planners who can make all the arrangements – from what napkins to use, to the colour of the invitations. Alyssa Pettinato owns an agency in New York that does that. When she opened her event

business a year ago, she decided to offer divorce parties as part of her services. “You need to have a certain sense of humour, to plan and celebrate a party like that.” That’s because her clients often have unusual requests, with many asking for ways to needle their ex. With that in mind, Pettinato organized one party where a wife, who was cheated on, burned her husband’s belongings. Another woman asked all her guests to bring a single friend with them. However, most divorcees just want to have a great party – a kind of stag night with plenty of alcohol, and either a male or female stripper. Occasionally things are quieter; some divorcees just want a party to thank friends for their support. Statistics show that half of all marriages in the US end in divorce. That means there are plenty of potential customers

The Feel Of Salsa

{ Simone Andrea Mayer / Havana / DPA }

arcel is macho. He grabs the woman by the wrist, albeit gently. The other hand he places on her shoulder blade, and then he’s off. Short-short-long. Short-

short-long. Then he stops dancing, looks at her and says in broken English, “I guide woman. And you are woman. Understand?” She nods, and then they start up again. Those who want to learn to dance salsa in Cuba, must follow the rules. Rule number one: The man leads. Rule number two: Salsa is not an “indecent” dance. And the third rule: Salsa is a happy dance, and therefore should be danced with abandon. In Cuba, salsa reflects the happy side of a tough everyday existence with many deprivations – caused by an economy crippled by socialism. Music is a safety valve, people on the island say. “And dance is

‘Stop, Look, Listen’ { Sid Astbury / Sydney / DPA }

tiffer fines for jaywalking, and mandatory health warnings on earphones, would help cut an alarming rise in the number of people killed crossing roads, according to a lobby group for pedestrians. Thirty-eight pedestrians were killed in New South Wales in the first half of 2012, an 80-per-cent rise on the 21 deaths recorded in the equivalent period in 2011. Police say the heavier toll reflected more people talking or listening to music while crossing streets. “Many of these devices are noise cancelling, so the wearer can’t hear you when someone is yelling ‘watch out!’, or when there’s a siren,” says Australian Pedestrian Council Chairman Harold Scruby. “The aural function is fundamental to what we were taught as kids while crossing the road: Stop, Look, Listen.” Scruby has called on manufacturers to show corporate responsibility, and plaster warnings on their electronic gizmos. “Everybody knows that cigarettes cause cancer, and we’ve got warnings on the packs,” he says. “Why shouldn’t there be a warning on the pack of all mobile phones or iPods saying ‘Do not use these devices while crossing the road?’” u

the expression of society,” says Gioaccina Cinquegrani, of the Cuban Tourism Office. He points out that salsa is a mixture of various dance styles - mambo, cha-cha and rumba. And Cuba’s population itself is a melting pot of African, European and Asian roots. So it comes as no surprise, that somebody is always dancing somewhere—evenings, weekends, in Havana, Trinidad or Santiago de Cuba—they can be seen simply heading out on the streets. Somebody starts passing a bottle of rum around, someone else turns up the sound on a music player or drums on something, and soon the first

couple will be dancing. In Havana, dancing instructor Tito urges the tourists to try the “shake shake” - an exercise for swinging the hips and shoulders, separately. After an encouraging smile from Tito for his stiffhipped pupils, he whistles for the teachers to come. There is no group instruction here each pupil has his or her own teacher. Everyone learns at their own pace. In this case, a colourful mixture of foreigners are dancing, people who have booked a dance course as part of a package travel tour. Afterwards they will head to Varadero, for a beach holiday in an all-inclusive

‘Big’ Challenges For Designers { Steffen Trumpf / Munich / DPA }

seventh person is trying to squeeze into the elevator. “You’ll fit,” says one of the occupants. But a sign says the maximum weight it may carry is 450 kilograms - and the seventh person has exceeded that. A few decades ago, that would not have been the case. On an average, seven people would not have a combined weight of more than 450 kilograms. Today, however, that’s not unusual in Germany. High standards of living have resulted in an increase in the average weight of Germans. From 1999 to 2009, they have gained an average of 2.1 kilograms. According to the latest figures from the statistics office, in 2009 a 1.72-metre-tall German weighed on average 75.6 kilograms. Many of the country’s safety standards

are being revised because of that increase – with institutions and businesses being forced to react. German elevator manufacturers are redesigning their products, so they can carry many people, according to Thomas Oberst, from Technical Inspections Organization, TÜV. “That need will especially be felt in large office buildings,” he says. The Obesity Centre at University Clinic, Wurzburg, has installed over-sized operating tables, extra wide beds, and lifts – to accommodate the growing number of overweight patients. “We’re admitting more obese people to the Clinic. Stomach-related operations are more complicated when carried out on patients with a weight problem,” says Surgeon Christian Jurowich. The aviation industry is also making adjustments. Airbus has installed wider seats in its most popular plane – the A320.

G lobal for divorce party planners such as Pettinato. In cities such as New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, an industry has sprung up around divorcees. There are cakes they can order, where they can knock off the figures of the newly married couple; or the words “Just Divorced” are written in pink icing. Jewellers have divorce rings with a broken heart, and the internet offers ways to make the process of going through a divorce easier. For example, the website divorcepartysupply.com sells badges that say “Divorced is the new engaged.” The portal weddingringcoffin.com offers a very special service – supplying disappointed couples with small coffins in which they can place their marriage rings and have them formally buried. Beaton did not go that far in marking her divorce. She sold her wedding ring, and bought a new one. She’s glad she went to the trouble of having her divorce party. “That was one of the best days in my life.” u hotel. The practical test comes in the evening – dancing with the teachers. For this, you have to pay their way into a place, and also for their drinks, Tito says. These are purely events created for tourists—usually in the hotels or clubs—where Europeans with money to spend, are waved on past a line of Cubans waiting to get in. Tito would never take tourists to a genuine Cuban nightspot. When Cubans go out, they rarely go to a club, he says. They are satisfied with the cheaper activity of hanging out at some village square, or strolling along Havana’s beachside promenade – Malecon. From somewhere, there is always music wafting out, and at some street corner there is always somebody dancing. u

Depending on the design, up to 60 of the 180 seats are extra wide. All of them are aisle seats, and offer about five centimetres more room than the 46-centimetre-wide standard seats. Increasing body sizes and the desire for more comfort, are being recognized by carmakers too. That’s why over the last few decades, all automakers have been experiencing the same development: “The fact is that cars have grown in size with their occupants.” Architects are also adjusting to the new sizes, according to Oliver Heiss, from Bavaria’s Architects Association. “Every aspect of our job is affected by the increase in the size of the population. That includes the height of staircase banisters, and the width of bath tubs.” Official standards govern their specifications, and they have to be related to average human sizes. u

17-23 August 2012

Bridges That Grow

{ Bernd Kubisch / Shillong, India / DPA } Bernd Kubisch

he rocky path in the village of Riwai leads down to the river. Black domesticated pigs are running freely among the wooden huts, palms and banana trees. Vines are swaying in the breeze. Giant ferns and huge trees are providing a bit of shade, while tiny lizards are darting about over the boulders. It could be a scene of the mystery forest from the film trilogy, ‘Lord Of The Rings’. But instead of a castle, a wall of roots rises up from the rushing waters. On closer scrutiny, though, it turns out to be a bridge. For centuries now, the local Khasi people have been building bridges without paying a cent for them – they let the bridges simply grow. The elders pass on the knowhow to their children - on how to thread the roots of selected rubber trees onto the thin trunks of the betel nut tree or bamboo, and let them grow above the water. It takes about 15 years before the tapestry of roots can form a bridge of 20 to 30 metres in length. “I was still a child when the roots began to spread over the river. They are still growing,” says an old woman, who estimates her age at around 75 years.

FASCINATING REGION: A fisherman on the river at Shnong Pdeng, where villagers hope tourism will bring prosperity to their green home.

There are countless such bridges growing in Meghalaya – a small north-eastern Indian state. Most of them have yet to be discovered by tourists. Meghalaya is a land of mountains and green hills, and of raging rivers and waterfalls during the rainy season. But it is also a land of fascinating caves, and of one uncommon record: in Cherrapunji, about 1,400 metres high and west of Mawlynnong, there’s an inscription: “The wettest place on planet Earth.” During the colonial period, the British dubbed Meghalaya the “Scotland of the East”, because of the green hills and clear streams. “The nickname also has something to do with

the drinking habits,” says Robert Garnett Lyngdoh, a Khasi businessman, and former Indian tourism minister. A family from Varanasi is having its picture taken, as they stand atop a 25-metre high bamboo platform. The panorama they see is one of endless green – speckled by the red of a rooftop, and the tip of a church steeple. The villagers’ modest dwellings are simple and tidy; and their gardens are in full bloom. There is no garbage to be seen; many trash bins line the paths. Visitors—mainly from elsewhere in India—are thrilled by such cleanliness. Another sight is the large Cathedral of Mary Help in Shillong, located at a height of 1,500 me-

Kenyan Fossils Rekindle Debate { James Reinl / Nairobi / DPA }

o the untrained eye, they are just fossilised fragments of a face, and two lower jaws from a human-like species – that were buried beneath the dirt, around Lake Turkana, in northern Kenya, for the best part of 2 million years. But, to Meave Leakey, the 70-year-old matriarch of a celebrated archaeological family, these are the latest pieces of a jigsaw, that reveal more about mankind’s East African origins. The new research sheds light on our ancestor, Homo Erectus, and solves a decadeold debate, by confirming that it shared the cradle of humanity with at least two other human-like species – helping to further explain mankind’s origins. The new investigation also might help explain why our spe-

Meave Leakey carefully excavates the new face near Koobi Fora, northern Kenya.

cies, Homo sapiens, has managed to survive where others failed. “We try to see humans as special, and perhaps we behave very badly as a result – damaging the oceans, the air we breathe, and our food sources,” Leakey said. “This research shows that we are the only ones surviving, of several similar species. A bit like the

The new bones were found between 2007 and 2009, near the fossil-rich Lake Turkana region of Kenya.

rhino – and the rhino doesn’t have much of a future.” Research released in the Science Journal, ‘Nature’, outlines the finds made by Leakey and others—between 2007 and 2009—at the Koobi Fora Research Project. The three unearthed fossils of the flat-faced species are between 1.78-1.95 million years old, and offer a fuller picture of the bigbrained species – a skull which was discovered in the 1970s, and reignited a debate about the origins of the human race. “Combined, the three new fossils give a much clearer picture of what (that species) looked like,” said Fred Spoor, a Scientific Researcher on the project. “It is now clear that two species of early Homo lived alongside Homo Erectus.” Research has been conducted by Meave’s husband, Richard, their daughter, Louise, and his parents, Mary and Louis Leakey – who are celebrated for their discoveries in the steepsided Tanzanian ravine, Olduvai Gorge, during the 20th century. It shows that, like modernday monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees living in the same jungle, the early hominids probably focused on different food groups, and were

thus spared the competition that could have caused an untimely extinction. It also helps us understand why Homo Sapiens were the only one of these related species to survive and mass-produce. Researchers point to our big brains, small faces and teeth, big bodies and long legs, as well as our distinguishing behavioural traits – such as slow childhood development, and our ability to nurture several babies at the same time. It was an environment where a bigger brain could make the difference between life and death. Many of the fossilized hominid finds were youthful, indicating early deaths brought about by harsh surroundings. “I honestly think it was the bigger brains. Homo Erectus was savvier, and probably better at making stone tools and finding food, than the other species. That was the one that survived, and gave rise to Homo Sapiens,” said Leakey. But we should not rest upon our laurels because of this ancestral success, she added. “We’re a wasteful species, and we squander our resources. The first hominids walked the Earth 6 million years ago and, this week, we put a craft on Mars. We have to realize that we’ve only been here for the blink of an eye in geological time, and we might not be around for very long,” Leakey said. u

G lobal 23

tres in the Khasi Mountains, and painted a lustrous bright blue – almost matching the cloudless skies around it. There, father Joseph welcomes the faithful with a friendly handshake. “It is full within 10 minutes,” says the pastor of the church, that is packed to capacity. And what about Christmas and Easter? “Then we broadcast the services by loudspeaker.” The erstwhile British colonial rulers brought many missionaries to Shillong, and built several churches – as well as a golf course in 1898. Not far from Shillong are attractions such as the El-

ephant waterfalls, and the sacred groves of the Khasi as well as Umiam Lake, lined by fir trees – and offering hotels, boating and scuba diving. The region also is an attraction for amateur explorers, because of the many caverns. Organizers offer tours for climbing, crawling, wading and boating, in a vast subterranean network of more than 1,200 caves. Below ground, visitors can see bats, huge spiders, crabs and blind fish. The longest subterranean caverns, with rivers running through them, are up to 20 kilometres long. u

Legacy In Focus After “Golden Games” { Anna Tomforde / London / DPA }

he London Games have provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on an “enormous” legacy, that would rival the post-Olympic benefits seen in Sydney and Barcelona, believe organizers. “The red carpet has been rolled out for us. Sport has never been so popular. The sheer appetite of the public is driving this debate,” says Sebastian Coe, Chairman of Organizing Committee, LOCOG. But, he warns, there is a “time limit” for the government and sporting organizations to make sure that they can “leverage every ounce of legacy” from the Games. “It is for the government to decide. Sport is a bridgehead into so many other things,” says Coe, who worked on organizing the London Games – from the moment London won its bid in Singapore, in 2005. “Believe me, winning the bid is the easy bit,” he says. When asked to offer advice to Rio for the 2016 Games, Coe says four things are essential: smart and efficient governing bodies, world class coaching, having the “best crop” of talent, and predictable and good funding. There are “many lessons” Rio could learn from the London Games, says Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee. “The most important lesson, I believe, is the fact that the legacy and the sustainability have been organized at the very beginning

of the life of the Organizing Committee,” says Rogge. London organizers have also tackled the issue of leaving “white elephants” well, says Rogge. He adds that the IOC experts routinely monitor the long-term effects of legacy, left in Olympic cities. “There have been eight specific sports venues built here, and in the surroundings, in the Olympic Park. Of the eight venues, six already have a tenant, and a commercially viable future. So, yes, there has been a tangible legacy, and there will be no white elephants left, and that’s unique.” However, while the drive and enthusiasm generated by the Games is evident, the decision on how to capture the legacy of the Games is one for politicians to seize, concedes Coe. The debate in Britain is currently focussed on the future of school sport, and how physical education in the State school sector can be brought up to the level of private schools – which have two hours of compulsory sport on their daily schedules. As school playing fields are sold off for profit to property speculators, and funding for school sports are cut, the government has been caught in an embarrassing spot, admitting that sport provisions for state schools are “patchy.” “School sport and legacy, this is an opportunity. This is never going to come around again. It is the vehicle of our lifetime. There is inevitably a limited window,” says Coe. u

17-23 August 2012

G -scape JIT KUMAR