Friday Gurgaon_22-28 June, 2012 by Friday Gurgaon

22-28 June 2012

Vol. 1 No. 44  Pages 24  ` 7

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

{Inside} Making Us Proud?

ven the Peacock, the National Bird, has not been spared. This majestic bird’s count is slowly dwindling, thanks to our need and greed. There were some unfortunate deaths near the Aravallis recently. Yet, there are some out there that more than care. ...Pg 9

Station-ary

here is supposedly a Rs. 5 crore renovation plan for the Railway Station. We had carried an article on the Station last August (in our inaugural edition). Despite many promises then, nothing has changed on the ground. ...pg 10

Resident's Agony

lmost every Sector and section of Gurgaon has been hit by an unprecedented shortage of water and power this summer. This is despite enough warnings from the media, despite (tall) claims that action was being taken, and despite promises that all is (and will be) well. We now await the monsoon deluge. ...Pg 15

Extending Art’s Spaces

rt is finally moving to new houses. It is on display now, uniquely, at 2 premier hotels in the City. Do visit and encourage some upcoming talent. ...Pg 18

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The Failed Connection spike to 150-165 million units. Thankfully, the power allocation from other states (the Northern Grid) saves the people from complete darkness. Facing all this, the ire of the people is naturally directed at the City’s power distributor, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN). Every time there is a power cut (unscheduled or scheduled), there is a

{ Hritvick Sen / FG }

hen the City is grappling with 12-hour power cuts, the Power Minister’s pre-summer claim often comes to mind, ‘This will be a power-cut free summer for the City’. By the end of May he admitted that the State is facing a shortage of 1,700 MW of power. As a side-effect of the repeated power-cuts, the water supply of the City has also gone for a toss, with colonies reporting sporadic water supply – with gaps of two to three days sometimes. And the reason for the abysmal power cuts is the constant faults at the State’s five power plants – at Jhajjar, Khedar, Panipat, Yamuna Nagar, and

Faridabad. Due to repeated technical failures, and poor coal planning, these plants have never performed at their optimal output. The City is always facing a shortfall of 30-40 per cent of its power demand, and so is the State. On an average day, the State power generation is around 46 to 50 million units of electricity (fluctuating around the 2000 MW mark), whereas the State needs 100-110 million units of electricity daily. For summers, the power needs

Private Education { Maninder Dabas and Abhishek Behl / FG } “The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living differ from the dead.”

Aristotle

ducation is what that has brought us this far: from savage homo-sapiens, to civilised beings. In all the civilisations, education has been a very integral part—initiated and funded by the State— and even today most of the countries of the world follow this convention. Gurgaon, on the other hand, is a City of different paradigms – where conventions often take a serious beating. No – you mistake my intent. Gurgaon isn’t without an education set-up. On the contrary, it has a collection of some of the most advanced Institutes in the whole of NCR; but unfortunately none of them are facilitated by the State. Gurgaon has no State University – nor is one on the horizon. Despite being a melting pot of gold for the State, Haryana doesn’t bother to think about the educational needs of Gurgaon’s children. But...don’t be so melancholic. The State’s attitude does not/will not abstain our children from getting quality education. The City already has four Private Universities functioning – and three more are coming up in the near future. Amity, ITM, Ansal and Apeejay are the four major Private Universities already functioning in the City – with an estimated over ten thousand students between them. “This City needs to be an Education Hub, because Gurgaon hungers for professionals. The opportunity, the high demand for skilled professionals, is the main reason for the growth of Private Universities in the City – and the number will constantly swell (Thanks to the State Government, too). Contd on p 6 

rush to dial the power company’s hotline, to know how long the blackout will last. But with the spate of power-cuts, even the people’s desire to know has been sapped by the heat. All that remains is the disillusionment that the discom has failed them again. “We want the people to appre-

ciate that DHBVN is a distributor, and not a power generator,” says a senior DHBVN official. “We gain nothing by hoarding it, and we gain everything by supplying power to the people.” Within Haryana, Gurgaon probably has the maximum demand for power. According to officials, its share hovers around a quarter of the entire State’s need of electricity. “If anything, the people should be grateful,” says an official with a snort. “Do

the people realise how many hours of load-shedding the rest of the state goes through? Hissar, Bhiwani, Rewari and all the other districts have Contd on p 8 

22-28 June 2012

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319 Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2012-2014 VOL.–1 No.–44  22-28 June 2012

Editor:

Coming Up

WORKSHOP  NIGHTLIFE  SHOPPING  MUSIC  ART

Shopping

‘Monsoon Shine’ Collection @ Esbeda, Ambience Mall Date: Until July 31 Time: 11 am to 8 pm Price Range: Rs. 880 onwards

Atul Sobti

Sr. Correspondent: Abhishek Behl Correspondents:

Hritvick Sen Maninder Dabas

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.:

Music

Pankaj Yadav Sunil Yadav Manish Yadav

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

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Sr. Ad Sales Exec:

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Ad Sales Exec :

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

Sangeetanjali - Light Vocal Recital @Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44 Date: June 27 Time: 7:30 pm

light classical vocal recital, encompassing songs of various genres and languages, by Srimoyee Ghosh, disciple of Sumrita Guha.

Music

Music Concert @ The Palms - Town & Country Club, B Block, Sushant Lok, Phase I Date: June 27

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 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. 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.

concert by Helen Carr, known for her versatility in music. Helen’s repertoire includes classic numbers from the 60s to current hits.

Workshop

Maths Learning Program by 10on10 Education @ Q-Block, DLF Phase II Date: Until July 8 Age Group: 4 to 10 years

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?

`7

{Inside}

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

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

...Pg 16

Tantric Art

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

...Pg 17

Master Recipe

Prakhar PaNdey

Astrology

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); of a Millennium 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 Gurgaon is much been influenced by trict, concurs that the District has also developments itself. The District political and social more than the City the Gurgaon viz. includes 3 sub-divisionsPataudi; 5 teh- taking place there. Contd on p 8  ,and (North and South) Pataudi, Farukh sils (Gurgaon, Sohna,

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 The Week 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 situation in which these in work who help; but for the people is distraught people services, helping ther it is Police

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 the day-tomanages he survey all activity, PCR. “We have stateday operations of the equipment, and I can of-the-art servers and one of the has Gurgaon safely say that in the country.” most advanced PCRs

Art, Craft And Painting Workshop @ H.No: 187, Sector 4, Urban Estate (Near Blue Bells School) Date: Until June 29 Time: 3 pm and 4 pm Age Group: 4 to 10 years Price: Rs. 2,000

he Workshop focuses on enhanced learning programmes, for Maths Fundamentals and the English Vocabulary. Contact 9818684655

Workshop

Brain Enrichment Programme

n Exhibition that displays an array of paintings, drawings, graphic prints & sculptures by Paramjit Singh, G. R. Santosh, Shibu Nateshan, Trupti Patel, Suman Chowdhury, Ranjit Singh, and Kosal Kumar, among others. The Exhibition is open on all days except Tuesdays. Contact: (+91) 124 4051253;(+91) 987179792

ose N Wrap offers art/craft and painting workshops for kids, in two batches. The Workshop will feature different activities and projects, designed to encourage the child’s self-expression and creativity. Activities for age group 4-7 years includes pot decoration, watermelon bowl, CD wall hanging; the age group 7-10 years will learn glass painting, canvas painting, photoframe decoration, along with other interesting activities. Contact 98114 60069

ake your Saturday come alive at Club Ion, as the DJ churns out some of the best Club and House mixes through the night.

Art

Group Art Exhibition @Gallerie Alternatives, 102 Mega Mall, DLF Phase I Date: Until June 30 Time: 11 am to 7 pm

wide range of stylish and colourful handbags and satchels. The collection also offers vibrant waterresistant totes, especially designed for the rainy days!

Comedy

Stand Up Comedy by The Papa CJ Comedy Company @Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44 Date: June 30 Time: 7 pm to 8:20 pm; 9 pm to 10:20 pm Age Group: 18 years and above

Mind Sport

Corporate Pub Quiz @ Vapour, MG Road Date: June 27 Time: 8 pm onwards

M T

319

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39

{ Abhishek Behl / FG }

Workshop

Saturday Night Swagger @Ion Club & Dining Lounge, 12/14, UGF, JMD Arcade Mall, MG Road Date: June 23 Time: 7 pm onwards

2–8 March 2012

For The Other Half

Workshop that entails brain enhancement activities, organized by “RackTheBrain”, Multiple Intelligence Development Centre. Activities include mind mapping, speed reading, and memory methods.

Nightlife

If yes, write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon.com, with a brief background of yourself, with contact number(s). Vol. 1 No. 28  Pages 24

FG Invites Citizens

@ World Of Kidz, D 2/7, Exclusive Floors, DLF Phase V Date: Every Saturday and Sunday Time: 9:30 am to 11:00 am Age Group: 7 to 16 years

n open house for quiz lovers from the corporate world, to test their knowledge quotient. The winners of the Corporate Pub quiz challenge get to win a table on the house.

night of stand-up comedy, 'North Indian style', with some of Delhi's best comedians. Contact 0124 2715000, 0124 2715100

Chef Vijaylaxmi TOP-4, MASTER CHEF INDIA-2

15% Discount for FG Subscribers

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 Baking  Italian cuisine  Continental cuisine  Master Chef Kitchen’s selected recipes Limited Regular & Weekend Classes

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Form a group (minimum 4 people), to learn cooking from Chef Vijaylaxmi. She will come to your house to conduct the classes of your choice. Call her now and invite her to your place.

C eleb W atch

22-28 June 2012

Belgian Fruit Beer

he first fruit beer from Belgium was launched at The Beer Café, Ambience Mall. The launch was marked by the presence of Bram Vaerewyck, Global Export Manager, Duvel Moortgat. Already presenting more than 40 different varieties of brews from across the world, The Beer Café unveiled this fruity Belgian drink, keeping in mind the taste of women drinkers. Also present during the Event were designer Amit Talwar, Dolly J, Parul Grover, Rashita Sehra, Sikandar Nawaz, Rashita Sehra, DJ Barkha Kaul, Entrepreneur Ron Mcluckie, and Stylist Aamer Zakir.

Jaal Unveiled

nion Minister of Culture and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja, unveiled the first issue of Jaal: Book I of the Kaal Trilogy by Sangeeta Bahadur, at IIFA Buzz Cafe, Kingdom of Dreams. The book launch was followed by a programme that featured ‘abhinays’ by renowned danseuse Dr. Sonal Mansingh (Padma Vibhushan), accompanied with readings from the book by theatre artiste Sunit Tandon. We also spotted the CEO of Shahnaz Herbals Inc, Shahnaz Hussain. The Event was organised by Pan Macmillan India and KOD.

Food for the Privileged

he City's glitterati were present to mark the launch of a restaurant, The Silver Spoon, at Zygo Club, MGF Metropolitan Mall. The launch was attended by Ramola Bachchan, Vesna Jacob, Jatin Kochhar, Sangeeta Bahl, Varun Katyal, Sylvie, Parul Grover, Liz Verma, to name a few. The Restaurant offers an astonishing space for a good dining experience.

Take along the Indian heritage...

Crafts Home Decor Textiles Pashminas Accessories Jewellery Aroma Personal Care Books & Music Tea Ayurveda...

Now Opening: T3 Domestic, IGI Airport, New Delhi Comming Soon: Mumbai Airport, Domestic & International

Galaxy hotel

NH-8, Exit-8, part-11 Gurgaon, Haryana T: +91 1244377022,4088902 F: +91 124 4209961 E: www.craft-traditions.com W: www.craft-tradition.com

22-28 June 2012

R eviews

FOOD

Theatre

What's In A Name

For the Love of Baghdad

{ Aalok Wadhwa }

ulinary life in Gurgaon of 2002, the year I moved in, used to be low-key – apart from a handful of absolute delights for which my friends would drive down from Delhi. Most of these gems have fallen by the wayside, unable to bear the mall-led competition. One restaurant that has managed to survive all these years is Red Hot Café, a predominantly Thai eatery, that used to put our hearts and palate on fire every weekend. With the restaurant explosion, it kind of went missing. I am here to find out if the old magic still exists. I am surprised to find the restaurant fairly empty at peak Saturday lunch time – given that in earlier times we had to wait for a considerable time to get a table. Also, time seems to have taken its toll on the interiors, which look frayed. Once seated, I meet with Sunita Chopra, the lady who, with a partner, decided to start this venture over a decade ago. I ask her if anything has changed. “Despite the rising rents and increasing competition, we have never compromised on the ingredients, or on our value-formoney pricing,” is her reply. Reassured, I get on with the business of choosing my lunch. My first dish (that happens to be a favourite of Sunita’s too), banana leaf wrapped fish (Rs. 325) hasn’t lost its magic. Pieces of river sole have been marinated in fresh Thai spices, and then wrapped in banana leaves and pan-fried – resulting in a soft, flavourful and succulent experience. My next dish, laksa, is a popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan culture, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements. In

Daddyhood Times { Alka Gurha }

he state of ‘Motherhood’ evokes warm images of a comforter, nurturer and giver of unconditional love. ‘Fatherhood’ however, summons visions of a provider or a protector; and is not always associated with 'emotions'. But Dad’s the Word: the Pleasures and Perils of Fatherhood, by Soumya Bhattacharya, is laced with emotion. The book contains several excerpts from the life of his daughter, Oishi, which have been presented in a lighthearted manner. Based on a weekly column, this thin volume is about a father and a daughter rediscovering each other. The column ran for about

Dad’s the Word: the Pleasures and Perils of Fatherhood Author: Soumya Bhattacharya Price: Rs. 225 Pages: 196 Publisher: Westland Genre: Non-Fiction/Relationship

{ Ashok Sheoran }

Red Hot Cafe UG-1, Centre Point, Sushant Lok-1, Gurgaon Phone: 9811837421, 0124-4014658, 4104155, 4104154, 2572477 Timing: 11 AM – 3 PM, 7:30 PM – 11 PM

BOOK three years, and then was discontinued as Oishi turned ten. “I wasn’t sure I had the right anymore,” Bhattacharya says. The relationship between the father and the daughter is so riveting and endearing, that it does not come across as a collection of journalistic posts – or a book on parenting. While narrating heartwarming anecdotes, Bhattacharya delves deeper into more meaningful issues. Owing to the difference in age, the father and daughter look at the world through different prisms – while they argue, share, discover and seek. Rather invariably, situations presented in the book will echo with most parents.

its authentic form, it is bright red in colour, and makes for a passionately exciting dish. The veg laksa (Rs. 230) I am served is pale yellow, with a gloopy taste. The stirfried chicken Vietnamese style (Rs. 275) is pretty average to taste. Lamb matsaman curry (Rs. 310) is somewhat pink―looking rather different than the traditional brown―and is lacking in depth, due to the conspicuously missing spices. The Pad Thai (Rs. 170) tastes flat (literally), without the crunch of the sprouts, or the heat of the chilies. I tactfully ask Sunita about the mystery of the missing spices. The food is less Red, and less Hot. Her frank reply is that her current regular customers prefer food that is 'toned down' – not spicy. The dessert I have chosen is the enigmatically named Thai dessert (Rs. 145) which is comfortingly nice. It has lychees and lychee jelly cubes in sweetened coconut cream, making it the perfect vegan dessert. I understand Red Hot Café’s need to ensure its loyal patrons keep coming back, by adjusting the food to their taste; but as a foodie, it saddens me to see a beautiful restaurant lose its steam due to commercial pressures. u

Like the one where Oishi counts the days before her birthday; or where she asks disturbing questions after a bomb blast. Indeed, most fathers will identify with the astonishing moment when their little girl stands absorbed before the mirror, trying to do her hair – and realizing ‘how she seemed to have suddenly become an adult’. Written in spartan yet appealing prose, the book brings forth some universal questions every parent grapples with. As parents, we come across situations where innocent questions posed by children make the parenting journey an exercise in self-exploration as well. Remember explaining the death of a pet, loss of a loved one, financial matters, or a natural calamity? According to Soumya, “There is nothing quite fulfilling as the joy of watching one's child grow. We know our children aren’t perfect. (But, are we?) They may not always be what we want them to be. They disappoint us as much as – I am sure―we disappoint them. And yet, they are ours, and they are there. That is no small benediction.” The book is compellingly written, with a mix of warmth, wit and wisdom. u

n July 30, 762 Caliph Al-Mansur commissioned the construction of Baghdad, a city that eventually eclipsed Ctesiphon (30 km South East), Capital of the Persian Empire, and Babylon (90 km South). Over the centuries, Baghdad has been witness to cultural crosscurrents. Winner of the 17th Meyer Whitworth Award, and the 2008 George Derine Award, Abdul Razzak’s intense play ‘Baghdad Wedding’, debuted in London circa 2007. Performed at the Epicentre, Gurgaon on 16th & 17th June, it is essentially a personal drama of three friends– Salim (Karan Pandit), Marwan(Faisal Rashid) and Luma (Nimrat Kaur), against the backdrop of decadent London and chaotic Baghdad. Salim, a doctor and novelist, charming, stylish and bisexual, meets up with Marwan, a fellow Iraqi in London 1998. Also present is the highly delectable and pretty medical student Luma, also from the same country. Marwan cannot help but fall head over heels for her. What follows is a classic love triangle, with passion and human foibles in complex interplay with the geographic reality of an American occupation of Baghdad underway. Ostensibly, all three are invited for a wedding in Baghdad and meet up there. ‘In Iraq a wedding is not a wedding unless shots get fired. It’s like in England a wedding is not a wedding unless someone pukes or tries to f*@k one of the bridesmaids. That’s just the way it goes’ intones Marwan, setting the tone… The first half of the play is witty, light-hearted and fast moving. The second gives vent to various other complexities, given Salim’s outrageous views on Muslims and homosexuality. Contemporary Iraq, with ethnic strife, bombings, kidnappings, and of course the ubiquitous American air strikes, is brought to the fore. Marwan’s unrequited love of Luma is but a sub-conscious desire for his homeland. Luma symbolizes the heart of Iraq as the object of desire to be won over. Salim, author of the blasphemous book, ‘Masturbating Angels’, emerges victorious – symbolizing the victory of free thought over dogma. Akarsh Khurana, the Director, weaves a complex tapestry to bring the theme alive. He has tremendous support in the cast. Faisal plays the ideal foil and counterpoint to Salim, who does full justice to the character. Nimrat enacts the enigmatic coquette with flair. The second half is heavy, but Akarsh salvages interest with deft handling. Speaking in an unfamiliar accent is always tough, robbing emotions of its nuances. Despite this handicap, the main protagonists held their own. A very appreciable audience gave them a well-deserved ovation. The stage, draped in white sheets, gives a transitory, ephemeral appearance, as if there is nothing substantial to hold on to – mirroring Marwan’s longing for Luma. Akarsh has presented a riveting human drama, amidst the background of an ancient city, and a civilization emerging from a cathartic experience. Says Akarsh ‘I didn't know much about the situation in Iraq, but this play intrigued me, and led me to researching it. It provided a window to a milieu I knew less about. Also, there was a fantastic human story – about friendship, love and loss. Coming up, we open a new comedy called ‘Some Times on Friday’, which explores the angst of urban youth. We are also putting together a production of 'Our Town' by Thornton Wilder, later this year,” says Akarsh. u

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

Quick Bread Upma

Ingredients

2 cups Bread slices, cut in small pieces ½ cup Tomatoes, chopped 1 cup Potatoes, boiled and cut in small pieces (smaller than the bread pieces) 1 Onion, chopped 2tbsp Oil 1 tsp Green chilly, chopped finely 1tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped finely ½ tsp Mustard seeds ½ tsp Haldi Curry leaves A few sprigs Salt to taste

Method

 Heat oil in a pan.  Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, haldi, onion and green chilly.  Sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and boiled potatoes.  Mix well. Cook for 1 minute.  Add bread slices and coriander leaves.  Serve hot.

22-28 June 2012

C eleb Watch

Fortis Idol 2012

amous folk singer Hans Raj Hans gave a soulful performance at a talent hunt, “Fortis Idol”, organised by Fortis Healthcare Ltd. Nine talented finalists performed before a large audience, and were judged by singer Hans Raj Hans. The winner, chosen from among nine semi-finalists, was awarded with the coveted Fortis Idol 2012 trophy, and a cash prize. Fortis Idol is an annual music competition at Fortis Healthcare. The talent hunt saw participation from over 500 employees across hospitals – including doctors, nurses, paramedical and other staff. The winners of the Fortis Idol were: Dr. Sunil Kumar Fortis Bangalore; Sachin, Fortis Vasant Kunj; and Dr. Navin Pal, Fortis Mohali – bagging first, second and third prizes respectively.

Chin Up with Nikhil

t was an evening of fun, music, and beer, as famous VJ Nikhil Chinapa rocked the floor at one of the nightclubs in the City. The party revellers scorched the floor, with Nikhil spinning some cool chartbusters. The party went on till the wee hours, and the guests had a great time.

Fashion Gyan

he Gallery mall, in association with Sunayana Chibba, hosted a lunch for fashion fraternity. Fashion designer Preeti Chandra gave tips on Summer Fashion 2012. The guests also enjoyed talks by Ramon Llamba, who spoke on Life Coaching and Dr David Idden, on the importance of relationships. The guests had a good time, sipping the summer coolers and snacks, as the Mall played the perfect host.

Comedy takes Centrestage

Sohna Fashion

owerplay Sports Lounge and Bar hosted a stand-up comedy night with famous Cheese Monkey Mafia. The guests laughed their hearts out, when the famous comedian from the group, Raghav Mandava, took to the stage. It was followed by an open-mic stage, wherein anybody from the audience could join the stand-up comedy on the stage.

A Taste of Bordeaux Chateaux

ver 33 Chateaux owners showcased their wines at the 2009 Vintage, a wine tasting event at the Oberoi Hotel, Udyog Vihar. Attended by the finest winemakers from all over the world, the Event was organised by the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB), a renowned group of 133 top Chateaux from the Bordeaux region of France. Sylvie Cazes, President of the UGCB group said, “Our members are very excited about this first India trip. Some of our members are already offering their wines in India. This tour allows us to share our wines with the Indian professionals.”

aryana shone in the recently held Fashion Fiesta 2012, a fashion show organised by Khazani Group. Participants included fashion designing students from over 50 branches of Khazani Women's Polytechnic (KWP), pan India. Shonam Shishodia, a student of the Sohna branch, won the Best Designer Award. KWP Sohna, whose theme was 'The Modern Jatki', displayed traditional Haryanvi outfits. Special guests included Californian journalist Nadira Irfan and Design Consultant Qazi M Raghib.

22-28 June 2012

C over Story PRAKHAR PANDEY

 Contd from p 1 Private Universities are the answer to the educational needs, because they not only provide quality education, but also build a professional who will give handsome returns to the country as well as to the society,” says Dr. Raj Singh, Vice Chancellor, Ansal University, Gurgaon. Let’s check this out.

Why private universities?

“Private Universities are not just an answer to the non-existence of Government Universities. New Delhi, for example, has big Government Universities, but still there are many Private Universities too, because the State cannot provide quality education to all the people. And getting a quality education is everybody’s right. If we talk of Gurgaon alone, this place is a commercial-cum-industrial hub, and there is a constant demand for young and trained professionals. The Private Universities are supply chains. Be it Engineering, Insurance, Medical, Management, Telecom - every sector has mammoth demand for skilled professions. Those who don’t get admission to 'top' Institutes also have the right to be well-educated, and earn well. For example: in the on-going admission process in Delhi University, colleges like SRCC and St. Stephens are not taking students with marks below 96-97 per cent. Now that doesn’t mean that those who scored 90 or 92 percent marks are bad students. In fact, they are as good as the toppers. IITs too only take one percent of the total crowd. Tell me, don’t the rest, the huge majority, not have the right for a high quality education? So this notion that Private Universities only get students who didn’t excel in studies is a myth. Almost all our students are extremely good, and that’s why Private Universities have been a continuous source of supply of skilled professionals to the industry,” explains Dr. Singh.

Are they enough?

So, how many more universities do we need? “I believe these four universities can cater to the demand for professional courses in Gurgaon, because the success and sustainability of any Private

Ansal University

ITM University

Private Education

University depends on the employability of its students. More the number of its students that get placed, the more the number of new students it will get. Amity University not only promises great education, but a promising future to both the students as well as the industry,” says Prof. (Dr.) Vikas Madhukar, Head, Admissions, Amity University, Gurgaon. Dr. Singh too speaks about it candidly, “It’s very difficult to predict how many are enough; the most important thing is whether these institutions are breeding quality professionals. This country has a need of 1,500 universities, in order to cater to the educational needs of the masses, but we have only around 650 universities. The demand for professionals is increasing by leaps and bounds,” says Dr. Singh.

Gurgaon: a perfect place for private varsities

Gurgaon’s evolution as a commercial-cumindustrial hub of Northern India, and the absence of a Government University for professional courses, only shows the lack of interest and the short- sightedness of the government. Also, by keeping Gurgaon bereft of a good quality local University, it is keeping the ‘original’ Gurgaonites away from the prosperity obtained from such an education – that is the hallmark of the migrant population living in ‘new’ Gurgaon. “Gurgaon is a perfect place to have a Private University, because it’s the only place in India—apart from Bangalore— where there is a constant and significant

Ansal University

Set up in 2010, the University, earlier known as Ansal Institute of Technology, has a 15 acre campus in the foothills of the Aravalli range – near the Gurgaon-Faridabad road. The University has established eight Schools of studies, and all the Schools provide education from graduation to doctoral.

ITM University

Amity University Haryana

ITM University has been set up in Sector-22 of Gurgaon, about 10 KM from Indira Gandhi International Airport. It has more than 10 acres of land, and has a modern well-designed campus, that aims to enhance the learning process.To challenge the creativity of young scholars it has an elaborate network of societies, that include Literary Society, Music Society, Drama and Dance Society, Photography Club, Social Service Society, Professional Societies, Sports Society and Self Development Group. ITM has a number of foreign collaborations,with Warwick University, Nanyang Technological University, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, and several others – for curricula, teaching pedagogy, student projects, research & development, faculty & student exchange, expert lectures, twining programme.

demand for professionals,” explains Dr. Singh.

What is the quality of education?

“Amity University, Gurgaon (Manesar) is a part of Amity Education Group, which has 5 Universities, 150 plus Institutions, more than 240 Programmes, and more than 95,000 students. The campus spreads across 110 acres, in the close vicinity of the largest industrial hub of NCR (having more than 2,000 national and multinational corporates

3 new Universities are coming up – GD Goenka, K.R Mangalam, Shree Guru Gobind Singh within a radius of 10 km). At present, the University is offering more than 40 programmes at UG and PG level, in which more than 1,500 students are enrolled. The University will add 45 more programmes from the forthcoming academic session. ITM is another University which has a large intake of students. “ITM is a unique institution of higher learning. With a student population of just under 3,000, it has a strong engineering and technology base, and a multidisciplinary approach to learning and research. The University has three Schools : Schools of Engineering and Technology; and the The School of Management – which offers Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA). Apart from this, we also offer MBA and LLB courses,” says S.K Sharma, Registrar, ITM University, Gurgaon. “A high quality of education is the bedrock of success, and we here

Amity University Amity University, Haryana (AUH) is located in Manesar, and has a 110 acres campus. It will impart education in Management, Engineering, Biotechnology, Law, Communication, Insurance, Nanotechnology, Behavioural sciences, Fine Arts. Amity has quality infrastructure, amphitheatre style classrooms, modern labs, and a well-stocked library. It also has Syndicate Rooms, that provide an appropriate environment for teamwork, where students master their team skills through exercises like brainstorming sessions, group discussions, role plays. State-of-theart auditoriums to ensure regular interface and management events, are also coming up.

Apeejay University

Apeejay University is run by the Apeejay Education Society (AES), established in India in 1967 by the late Dr.Satya Paul. It is a young institution, and it was in 2010 that Apeejay Education Society started ApeejayStya University, in Gurgaon. It has a range of Clubs, that include Music, Dance, Dramatics, Fine Arts, Photography, Literature, Yoga and Meditation, and many others.

at Ansal University believe in providing the highest quality of education to our students. We believe that a single stream, no matter in which field you are, can’t make a successful professional; you must attain minimal knowledge of other corresponding streams also. As far as exposure is concerned, we have collaborations with Universities in UK, USA and Canada – where our students get admissions on a priority basis, after completing their degree from here, explains Dr. Singh.

From where do the students come?

About 50 per cent of the students are from Gurgaon and NCR area. The rest come from all across the country. There is cultural harmony in this diversity,” says Dr. Singh. “India is not the limit for Amity; here, apart from India, we have students from other nations too,” says Dr. Madhukar.

The role of Faculty

Faculty can make a huge difference. They train the professionals of the future. The Private Universities vie to have the best possible Faculty for their students. “Here at Amity, we have the best Faculty, in comparison to any Private University – and we select them after various gruelling rounds consisting of different tests. We believe that the Faculty makes the difference. The majority of the students at Private Universities are of similar calibre. An experienced and well-educated faculty is our first priority, to help impact top quality education to the students,” says Dr. Madhukar. “We have kept the best possible Faculty here, and we are paying them as per the standards of the 6th Pay Commission,” says Dr. Singh.

Suitable Curriculum

“As far as curriculum is concerned, in India we are normally grooming professionals who are insensitive to the rest of the spheres of life – and hence we are building machines who know of only one direction. This insensitivity towards life hampers a professional in the long run, and that’s why we prefer to have a curriculum that makes the students sensitive towards others. Our curriculum is based on the PPE (Politics, Psychology, and Economics) model, which helps in keeping an individual agile and sensitive towards the social and economical needs

of the society,” says Dr. Singh. At ITM too, the curriculum makes a student live his life to the fullest, “Here, we have a large number of sports and extra-curricular activities that keep the student stress free, and always ready for knowledge absorption. We also adopt case studies, to make the students understand the different aspects of the concerned subject.” says S.K Sharma.

Are these Universities only for the rich?

People often believe that Private Universities are only for the rich – which is mainly true. But these Universities have scholarship schemes for those not wellto-do, but who have something

Nine varsities in Haryana, yet none in Gurgaon

The State of Haryana has nine Universities, spread all across the State – but none of them are in Gurgaon, which fills over 50 per cent of the State’s coffers. Both Rohtak and Hisar belong to two political clans of Haryana, which have ruled almost one after another – and that’s why these areas have got ample attention. Gurgaon, on the other hand, has been treated like a pariah – despite being a constant source of name, fame and money for the State. inside them. “The bright ones cannot be stopped. The students who do well in our entrance test, and can’t afford the fee for the desired course, are offered a scholarship upto 50 per cent of the total fee – depending on the score. I haven’t heard till now that some Private University kicked out a bright student just because he or she was unable to pay the fee,” explains Dr. Singh. Like Ansals, other Universities in Gurgaon have scholarship programmes for the needy. “At Amity, we believe in rewarding the hard work and excellence achieved by meritorious students in their academic endeavours. The Amity Scholarships have been initiated to encourage the talents of such students, thereby strengthening the roots of our future generation. ITM and Apeejay too offer scholarships for the bright students. “Everybody talks about IIT and their high quality of education at a comparatively lower price. IITs, for that matter, actually give Rs. 3 lakhs of subsidy to each student, in the four years of engineering. We believe in the optimum utilisation of resources. In IIT Delhi, they have 3,000 students in an institution spread across 600 acres of prime land; whereas we here are doing the same with 15 acres of land, ” opines Dr. Singh. u

L istings

22-28 June 2012

CINEMA

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Gangs Of Wasseypur Time: 10.00 am, 11.00 am, 1.10 pm, 2.10 pm, 4.20 pm, 5.20 pm, 7.30 pm, 8.30 pm, 10.40 pm, 11.40 pm Brave – 3D Time: 10:00 am, 2.05 pm, 6.10 pm Saguni (Tamil) Time: 3:30 pm, 8.20 pm Ferrari Ki Sawaari Time: 10:00 am, 12:45 pm, 3:30 pm, 6:15 pm, 9:00 pm, 11:45 pm Shanghai Time:10:30 am, 4:20 pm, 9:05 pm Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted 3D Time: 12.10 pm, 4.15 pm Rock of Ages Time: 11.10 pm Rowdy Rathore Time: 12.45 pm, 6:20 pm, 11.15 pm Address: 3rd floor, MGF Mall, MG Road Ph: 0124- 4530000 Website: www.pvrcinemas.com

PVR: Ambience Gold Teri Meri Kahaani Time: 11.20 am, 2.00 pm, 4.40 pm, 7.20 pm, 9.55 pm, 10.55 pm Gangs Of Wasseypur Time: 12.30 pm, 3.40 pm, 6.50 pm, 10.00 pm Brave – 3D Time: 10:15 am

PVR Sahara: Sahara Mall Teri Meri Kahaani Time: 10.00 am, 12.35 pm, 3.10 pm, 5.45 pm, 8.20 pm, 10.55 pm Gangs Of Wasseypur Time: 10.30 pm, 1.40 pm, 7.30 pm, 10.40 pm Ferrari Ki Sawaari Time: 4.50 pm

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THIS WEEK Big Cinemas , Palam Vihar, Gurgaon Teri Meri Kahaani Time: 10.10 am, 12.35 pm, 3.00 pm, 5.25 pm, 7.50 pm, 10.15 pm Rowdy Rathore Time: 1.15 pm, 6.50 pm Ferrari Ki Sawaari Time: 10.30 am, 4.00 pm, 9.45 pm Gangs Of Wasseypur Time: 10am, 1.05 pm, 4.15 pm, 7.20 pm, 10.30 pm PVR: Ambience Premier Teri Meri Kahaani Time: 10.00 am, 12.35 pm, 3.10 pm, 5.45 pm, 8.20 pm, 10.55 pm Gangs Of Wasseypur Time: 10.00 am, 1.10 pm, 4.20 pm, 7.30 pm, 10.40 pm Ferrari Ki Sawaari Time: 10:00 am, 12:45 pm, 3:30 pm, 6:25 pm, 9:00 pm, 11:45 pm Brave 3D Time: 12:25 pm, 2:35 pm, 6:40 pm, 8:50 pm

PVR MGF: MGF Mall Teri Meri Kahaani Time: 10.00 am, 11.10 am, 12.35 pm, 1.45 pm, 3.10 pm, 5.45 pm, 6.35 pm, 8.20 pm, 9.10 pm, 10.55 pm, 11.45 pm ♦ Smart Cards would now be issued in

place of Ration Cards. Haryana has been chosen as a pilot State, and Gurgaon District would be on priority; all residents of Haryana are to get a Smart Card by June 2013. The Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary of Food & Supplies Dept. Smt Shakuntala Jakhu reviewed the Project for a rollout in Gurgaon. The Smart card data would be useful for simultaneously obtaining an Adhaar - UID Card.

♦ NASSCOM, in partnership with Gurgaon

Police leadership, and in association with Cyber City Welfare Society, conducted introductory Cyber security and crime detection training for over 60 police officers – to familiarize the aw enforcement officers with the basics of cyber crime and hacking. Anil Rao, Jt Commissioner Police, said that Gurgaon Police is looking to make cyber crime detection a mainstream capability. NASSCOM Haryana Chairman Subinder Khurana said that Gurgaon, being a global technology hub, provides mission-critical business services to the world, and companies here manage a lot of sensitive data. That makes such initiatives even more imperative.

♦ The Haryana Health Minister Rao Narender Singh inaugurated a Multi Speciality Hospital, Dental Solutions, in Sector 57. Talking of govt. initiatives, he said that the General Hospital of Gurgaon is the first govt. hospital where MRI, X- Ray, Special Cancer Ward, NICU, and ICU are available. The Dental College of Rohtak ranks 7th nationally, in terms of treatment facilities and dental care education. Many new Medical Colleges are being set up – a Rs 298 crores College in Khanpur Kalan (Dist Sonepat) - the first Medical College only for girls in independent India; a Rs 389 crores College in Nalhar (Dist Mewat); a Rs 550 crores College in Faridabad; a Rs 250 crores College in Karnal (to be named after Astronaut Kalpana Chawla). The Outreach OPD of AIIMS-II has already been started in Village

THE WEEK THAT WAS Badhsa, 17km from Gurgaon.

♦ 112 bus queue shelters have been identified, for the City Bus service. The timetable of buses will also be displayed here. Currently 56 buses are running, from 6am to 11pm. MCG, HUDA and private builders will have these constructed in their respective areas. ♦ Secretary, Haryana Legal Services Authority (HLSA) cum Chief Judicial Magistrate Smt Narinder Kaur has confirmed that Special Lok Adalats will be organized from June 16 to 30, for disposal of traffic cases under the Motor Vehicles Act, and cases under Sec 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. About 200 cases would be taken up in each Special Lok Adalat. One of the benches will also hold a Special Lok Adalat of under trials involved in petty offences or compoundable cases in District Jail, Bhondsi. ♦ Director of Sub Regional Office of ESIC M. S. Dahiya organized a Blood Donation cum Health Check up Camp and Seminar at Apra Auto, Sector 14 – to be inaugurated by the HUDA Administrator. The number of insured persons under ESIC, in Gurgaon, is now over 12 lacs (with about 50 lac beneficiaries). ESIC has 3 dispensaries, and one 100 bedded modern Hospital in Sector 9A. ♦ The Draft Development Plan – 2031 AD, for Pataudi-Haily Mandi towns of Gurgaon District, has been published. The Pataudi Plan envisages a population of 1.9 lacs (current 40,000) in 2031; and an urban area of 1425 hectares (current 245 hectares). A Logistics Zone of 934 hectares has separately been identified, alongside the nearby KMP Expressway. The Gurgaon-Pataudi and Pataudi-Haily Mandi roads will be widened; as also the Delhi-Rewari State Highway. ♦ The Metro has completed 2 years. ♦ A 1-year-old baby girl is found abandoned.

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2 boys drown in a pond. A worker is found hanging at a mall. Multiple suicides – of a private firm youth, a software engineer, and a Class XI student. A website will now record maternal and child deaths, and stillbirths. A teacher accuses an Education dept. official of rape, over 6 years. A woman, promised a job, is held captive and raped. An Audi car hits an auto at 11pm on Sohna Road – auto driver is serious; the car driver, reportedly a woman, flees. A Gurgaon couple is accused of torturing a minor domestic help. Multiple robberies across City – they seem to have picked up lately. A doctor is cheated of Rs 12 lakhs, on promise of home loan. Another case of bank loan fraud is unearthed. A man is robbed of his SUV on NH8, near Manesar. A Scorpio is snatched from a businessman, a crusher owner. Almost Rs 10 lacs are looted from a driver of a tanker. Mobiles are fraudulently recharged for a sum Rs 25,000, and not paid for. 2 former employees of IT firm are charged with data theft. Sandalwood worth over a crore is seized from a warehouse near Kherki Daula toll plaza. A Senior Accountant is booked for stealing Rs 45 lacs from RIICO Auto. A visitor to Bhondsi Jail is held, for supplying drugs to inmates.

♦ Residents come out on the streets again, and block Sohna Road – continued protests over water and electricity shortage. High security number plates would be introduced soon. HUDA and TCP staff, under supervision of Servesh Joon, PS to Administrator, have removed encroachments in the South City 1 market area. A Maruti ancillary is gutted – fire rages for hours.

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22-28 June 2012

double or more the load-shedding hours, just because we divert their share to Gurgaon. The Chief Minister is right in saying that Gurgaon is slowly taking the deserving share of the rest of Haryana. At least that is true for electricity,” he states. “It is a fact that if the power generation was optimal, we would be having surplus power even during peak summer,” claims the power official. The five power generation units of the State are optimally capable of producing about 5,000 MW of electricity. But, it is an altogether different matter that the generation units are unable to produce even half of that power on their best day. Why put in thousands of crores into technology which does not even perform when needed? “Thermal plants work at

The Failed Connection

an optimal temperature of some thousands of degrees. Even for an inspection or repair, they have to be taken down to normal temperature, which effectively means the plant has to be shut down completely. And to bring a thermal plant up to running temperature, it takes a minimum of one to two days,” the official elucidates. “These are massive operations, and power-generation units cannot be switched on and off at will.” The 1,320 MW thermal power plant at Jharli (Jhajjar), has not been producing power, despite big claims of it being commissioned. And there are no promises from the officials that it will start anytime soon. The thermal power plant at Panipat is officially capable of producing 1,367 MW, but has not been sending

Private Power Supply?

There is a roaring business stemming from DHBVN’s inability to provide power. Enterprising individuals buy a captive power plant, and set up alternate power lines to residences. Needless to say, each of these alternate power supply connections costs an arm and a leg. The rate per unit of electricity is also Rs. 10 at least. Is this sanctioned under the laws of DHBVN? “Yes, there are by-laws under which individuals can provide emergency power supply. But they have to take a licence for doing so. And the rate which they can charge is set down by us, and strictly regulated. There have been raids done by the DHBVN staff on unscrupulous power vendors, and their operations have been shut down,” a senior official says. A case of ‘I can’t do it, but won’t let you also’?

Power Plants Jhajjar Power Plant (JPP), Village Khanpur, Jhajjar

Status: Operational

Power Capacity: 660 MW x 2 EPC Contractor: CLP Power India Private Limited Status: Non-Functional

Panipat Thermal Power Station Power Capacity: 1,367 MW EPC Contractor: BHEL Status: Operational, but some units are malfunctioning.

Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Project (RGTPP), Khedar, Hisar Power Capacity: 600 MW x 2 units EPC Contractor: Reliance Energy Total Estimated Cost of Set-up: Rs 4,512 crore Status: One unit operational WYC Hydel Yamunanagar Power Capacity: 62 MW EPC Contractor: Fuji Electric Co. (funded by OECF, Japan) Total Estimated Cost of Set-up: Rs 143 crore

Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant Project (DCRTPP), Yamunanagar Power Capacity: 300 MW x 2 units EPC Contractor: Reliance Energy Total Estimated Cost of Set-up: Rs 2,400 crore Status: Non-operational Faridabad Gas-powered Station Power Capacity: 432 MW Status: Operational; sending 361 MW (Peak).

Toothy Smiles { Alka Gurha }

“W

hen a patient comes to us, the first attempt is to relax him/ her,” says Dr. Navin Futela, a renowned dentist residing on Sohna Road. His charming wife, Dr. Meenakshi, also a dentist, echoes his thoughts. “Over the years, we have developed a personal relationship with most who visit our clinic. Apart from relieving pain and discomfort, a small chat helps to make the patient comfortable.” Dr. Navin and his wife settled in Gurgaon after graduating from King George’s Medical College, Lucknow. When asked how Gurgaon has changed in terms of medical facilities, Dr. Navin says, “When we first came to Gurgaon, there was a

out more than 1,000 MW on any day – because of a blown powergeneration unit. The power plant at Yamuna Nagar, which has an installed capacity of two 300 MW units, is currently closed for repairs. The NTPC gas power station at Faridabad has an installed capacity of 432 MW, and sends out 15 per cent less power on a daily basis. The total power production capacity of Haryana is about 5,000 MW; but in reality it barely reaches 2,000 MW on a good day. The power supply is supplemented by the Northern Region Load Dispatch Centre (NRLDC), which allocates power to seven states in North In-

dia (Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir), and Delhi. The power allocation of Haryana is around 2,000 MW; and it is because of NRLDC’s power allocation that Haryana (and DHBVN) manages to provide some basic level of power. The rest is of the time is load-shedding, black-outs and genset nights. For example, in January this year, the State electricity demand shot up to 5,008 MW, leaving a whopping shortfall of 1,908 MW. If we reduce the State’s allocation from the NRLDC (of 2,000 MW), Haryana’s

Future Projects

 660 MW capacity additional Thermal Unit at Yamuna Nagar, as an extension of 2x300 MW DCRTPP, Yamuna Nagar.  2800 MW (4x700 MW) nuclear power plant, in District Fatehabad near Village Gorakhpur– Site stands identified by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India. Government of India has approved the setting up of this Nuclear Power Project in Haryana during October, 2009.  Setting up of 6.5 MW Grid Interactive Solar Power Project on its own land, adjacent to Power House-D at WYC Hydel Electric Project at Yamunanagar, as a pilot project.  Coal block at Mara-to-Mahan in MP, with estimated coal reserves of 956 Million Tonnes, allocated jointly to HPGCL and Delhi Government. Required steps being taken for development of coal block.

Pune Model, Anyone?

A DHBVN top boss commented, “Some years ago, we had come up with a power sharing plan, which would have benefited the city of Gurgaon. Like Pune, we wanted the residences and apartment colonies which had diesel gensets, to generate power for us. When not using them in load-shedding hours, these machines could give us power, which would be paid for by us. This would have ensured proper power supply for most of the areas. But the industrial houses and RWAs refused, not looking at the big picture.”

scarcity of doctors and medical facilities. Privat and Umkal were among the few private hospitals. Residents used to travel to Delhi for their medical problems. With the arrival of Medanta, Paras and Artemis, several doctors have migrated to Gurgaon and made it their home. The scope of dentistry has widened. The educated middle class has also become more aware of dental hygiene.” The couple is happy to see their City grow and evolve into a modern hub of entertainment and education. They find it reassuring to see various informal groups, who help to create awareness on social issues. They feel that likeminded citizens, with interests in books, music, theatre, sport and citizen empowerment are coming together, to keep the fervour alive. The apathy towards civic issues concerns Dr. Futela. “I am apprehensive. Monsoons will soon knock at our doors. Our Clinic is in the South City I market. This place gets flooded after just one

power generation could only cough up around 1,100 MW (from its estimated capacity of about 5,000 MW). DHBVN had earlier come out with a load-shedding schedule, which would ‘reward’ areas having ‘lower power thefts’ and ‘timely payments’. This policy has been shelved. Is there any reason behind the discom’s sudden shift in policy? “That was the plan. But when the power shortage turned out to be of such a massive scale, it was not viable to apply this rule to certain parts of the City,” rues the official. Does this mean that when the power situation is better, in the mon-

heavy downpour. One has to literally wade through the water to reach the Clinic. Power woes are another area of concern.” The couple reside in UniWorld Gardens, on Sohna Road. The news that Sohna road will soon be widened and beautified heartens the couple. “A decade ago, Sohna Road was considered only for investment. No one wanted to come and live here. Due to the construction activities, the stretch between Subhash Chowk and Badshahpur crossing was mostly enveloped in a dust haze. Today, Sohna Road holds the potential of becoming another

soons and the winters, the people might see the rule in force again? The official refuses to comment.

Power Trip

Why is it that even with supposedly upgraded power infrastructure, there are also cases of power failure because of tripping? A power official in the City remarks, “It is because people do not declare their real power usage.” He says that the power infrastructure in the City is wellequipped for handling the summer loads, but the problem lies in people who draw excess power compared to what they pay. If someone has been allocated a 2-3KW power connection, the situation is fine if he draws the power he is paying for. But when

What Of New Sectors?

Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project (IGSTPP), Jharli (Jhajjar) Power Capacity: 500 MW x 3 units EPC Contractor: Aravali Power Company Pvt. Ltd Total Estimated Cost of Set-up: Rs 7,892 crores Status: Non-operational Coal Requirements: Coal linkage of 6.94 Million Tonnes Per Annum allocated from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. by Ministry of Coal, Govt. of India.

JIT KUMAR

 Contd from p 1

C over Story

If this is the power situation in the City today, what will happen when the new sectors come into being? Will the discom be able to provide power to the added population, without cutting the supply of the existing customer base? “The power infrastructure is already in place, and with the (Rs. 100 crore World Bank) grant, the existing infrastructure is being upgraded, to ensure seamless, and trip-free power supply,” officials claim. Famous last words, as usual? people install two to three airconditioners, and not raise the power slab to 5-8KW (because of raised charges), the load on the neighbourhood transformer becomes too much for it to handle. That is why the transformers trip; and it takes hours to repair them – or longer, if it needs replacement. The power scenario of Haryana, and of Gurgaon in particular, seems particularly bleak when one considers all the facts. The people do not get power – areas in Gurgaon are facing 10 to 12 hours of load-shedding even today. On the other hand, DHBVN officials say their hands are tied. Apart from the local power infrastructure which they are working on, they depend on power generating plants. The root of the problem is that the multicrore power plants spend more time in repairs, than in working. If not for the Northern Grid, we would still be living in dark Haryana. u

MG Road. Most residential and commercial projects are on the verge of completion. The inauguration of Bikanerwala at ILD Trade Centre, and the arrival of Mc Donalds, and Shoppers Stop in Spaze Tech Park will fuel commercial growth,” enthuses Dr. Futela. The couple has two school going daughters, Shreedha and Paridhi. “Since both of us are working, we strive hard to strike a work-life balance. It isn’t easy when you have two young kids at home,” says Dr. Meenakshi. According to her, there is a lot that the City offers. “I find that there is a lot to engage in. I love the sense of space, the entertainment options, and educational opportunities that Gurgaon provides. The working professionals, doctors and teachers ensure rich conversations and a pleasurable social life.” With their amiable nature and years of experience as dentists, the couple aim to make Gurgaon smile beautifully. u

22-28 June 2012

C ivic/Social

Making Us Proud?

JIT KUMAR

{ Shilpy Arora / FG }

bird cage sits on the back of a lorry, and inside the cage is a young peacock. This two year old bird has been found injured in Palam Vihar. After treatment, it is brought to the forest department, to be sent back to the Aravalis – its homeland. There, as soon as the inspector of the forest department opens the door of the cage, the peacock jumps out and bolts into the woods. This is one of the many successful operations that have been carried out by the forest department this year. The District Wildlife Officer, Shyam Sunder Kaushik, however, mourns the death of over a dozen peacocks in Hasanpur village, near Gurgaon. According to Kaushik, the loss of habitat and the drying up of water bodies in the Aravalis, are the main reasons for the deaths of the national bird. “The temperature in the treeless hilly areas, like the Aravalis remains two to three degrees higher than in the dense forest. That is why the peacock population is constantly decreasing in the area,” says Kaushik. There has been a constant rise in the number of peacock deaths in Haryana. Ironically, no census has been conducted by the authorities in the State till date. According to the only national census carried out by World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) in 1991, the population of peacocks in India has declined 50 per cent since independence. In Haryana, the issue of a declining peacock population came to light when the death toll of the bird touched 125 in 2010. As per the findings of the District Wildlife Department, while the peacock population is declining in Faridabad, Sonepat, and Sohna, it is near extinction in districts like Gurgaon and Narnual. Haryana has always been known for the prevalence of peacocks. For years, the national bird has co-existed peacefully with villagers. The worship of the peacock can be traced to the remains found in Harappa sites. Also, many places in the State have names based on the peacock – such as Murthal,

that originated from the word “Mayur Sthal”, i.e. a place where peacocks live in abundance; and Surajkund Lake, which is also called Mayur Lake. There is a great relevance of peacock plumes in a local festival called Guga Namvi. However, the national bird is facing tough odds in the survival stakes now. It is mainly due to the exponential growth in the human population around the forests. “During my childhood, peacocks could easily be seen in and around the City. But, now it is hard to find the beautiful bird even in the green stretch near Faridabad,” says Neelima Bharadwaj, a resident of Sector 23.

Pesticide Menace

Apart from loss of habitat, the use of pesticides in the fields has also led to many deaths. In 2008, almost half a dozen of peacocks suffered casualties in Chandigarh, due to the consumption of pesticides. Pesticides, such as chloropyriphos and endosulfan, are used to kill termites. The fact that while peacocks roost in trees, they nest on the ground and eat in the fields, makes them more susceptible to pesticides. A wildlife conservator, Professor Kartik, reveals that the reason of recent peacock deaths in Hasanpur village could be pesticides, as this is the time when farmers seed the crops. “With the rise in temperature, the pesticides used in seeds become even more harmful for the bird,” he says. However, the District Wildlife Department disagrees, because the post mortem reports clearly indicate heart strokes. “Peacocks don't have a pituitary gland, that helps in water and osmolarity regulation in the body. That is the reason peacocks are more vulnerable to heat than other birds,” says Shiv Singh Rawat, a forest in-

spector, who is working on an ambitious project to protect the peacocks. Kartik feels that the District Wildlife department lacks expertise in treating the national bird. “The physicians who performed the post-mortem simply stated that the birds died due to warm centre stroke. But the viscera is still not sent for the forensic investigation,” claims Kartik.

Electrocution and Poaching

Other reasons for peacock deaths in Haryana have been electrocution, and rampant poaching. Just 155 km away from Gurgaon, Mandi village in the Narnaul district was once one of the main breeding areas of peacocks. However, a new power distribution line laid across the village claimed the lives of 150 peacocks in a month! Later, the issue was also raised in the state assembly and the government banned replacement of old wires with insulated wires. The authorities also decided to cover all wires with rubber pipes. Also, poaching poses a threat to the dwindling peacock population, particularly in areas, like Kurukshetra, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Narnual, and Panchkula. According to the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, the centre of wholesale trade in stuffed birds in Northern India is in and around Ambala. However, peacocks in Haryana are primarily killed for feathers and meat. Its meat is mistakenly taken as a cure for arthritis. A lot of killing also happens for peacock feathers. Shockingly, cases have been reported wherein poachers have used brutal methods to kill the birds – such as shining bright lights to blind the birds, and breaking their legs to pluck out the feathers without any visible blood stains (to make it seem that they were normally shed by the peacock).

Ballabgarh, a Success Story Ballabgarh is one of the few places in Haryana where the population of peacocks is on a rise. Although no official data is available, locals claim that they have witnessed an increase of 20 to 30 peacocks every year in the village. The villagers believe that feeding peacocks bring prosperity and luck. “Jarna Mandir” is a famous feeding point for peacocks. “One can see over 150 peacocks together at the temple in the morning. It makes for a spectacular sight,” says Baba Laval Das, Head Priest at the temple. Recounting the success story of the anti-poach-

ing drive run by the villagers of Ballabgarh, Baba Laval Das says, “Last month, we caught two poachers who came from Gurgaon. Villagers caught them red-handed, when they were trying to trap a peacock after shooting it in the back. We handed over both poachers to the local police.” Villagers claim that Baba and his followers feed 50 kg of grains to peacocks everyday. Talking about the benefits of peacocks for the ecosystem, Baba reveals, “It is even 'rationally' beneficial to protect peacocks, because they feed on insects which are harmful for crops.”

When asked about the network of poachers in the State, Shiv Singh Rawat says, “Despite the popular belief that poaching is done by locals, most of the poachers are found to be from cities such as Gurgaon, Faridabad, and Punchkula. There are many loopholes in the laws concerning illegal trade in peacock feathers. In spite of the fact that the peacock is a protected species in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, the trade in the 'shed feathers' of peacocks is allowed. It is very difficult to make out the difference between shed feathers and forcibly plucked feathers. That is the reason illegal trading of peacock feathers goes unnoticed.” Talking about the local affection with the national bird, he says that not even Muslim tribes, like the Mew, kill the peacock – owing to some cultural importance attached to it. Tribal communities believe that peacocks bring rain. That is why the peacock has been protected by these communities for centuries. “Only Nath and Babriya tribes in Haryana are involved in the poaching of peacock,” adds Shiv Singh Rawat.

A ray of hope

Recently, a conservation and breeding centre for peacocks has been set up in Rewari. It is the first peacock breeding centre in Haryana. “One of the reasons for the rising mortality rate of peacocks is the increasing human interference in its habitat. The breeding centre will address this issue, by providing a natural habitat for peacocks to grow. This Project will go a long way to promote captive breeding of peacocks,” says Shiv Singh Rawat, who is in-charge of the breeding centre. Currently, four peacocks and four peahens are residing in the centre. Three aviaries have been planned in the centre, to keep the national bird away from all disturbances. The movement and behaviour of birds will also be monitored via CCTV cameras, which are yet to be installed. The establishment of environmental courts in Faridabad and Kurukshetra is another great initiative by the State government. It not only gives more teeth to the wildlife laws, but also helps in the speedy trial of cases. Over 20 cases relating to peacock poaching have been filed in these courts. After the death of over a dozen peacocks around Gurgaon, it is the time for the District Wildlife Department to come up with some practical solutions for the decreasing population of peacocks. Experts feel that the current fractured population needs to be linked, through man-made green belts. Also, there is a need for captive breeding of peacocks; so that our future generations can also have an opportunity to admire the beauty of this national bird. u

Station-ary

PRAKHAR PANDEY

limited policemen, and they too are busy in entertaining themselves,” says Gaurav Gupta, a passenger boarding his train to Jammu. Yes, one can easily see the ‘silent hooliganism’ at this station – as in many of the pastoral hinterlands.

Increasing pressure and crumbling hopes

“The pressure on the station is increasing with each passing year, and at present the average footfall is about 1.30 lac people. On an average we book 80,000 tickets per day, and hence you can imagine the workload on us, as well as on the infrastructure,” says R.S

{ Maninder Dabas / FG }

one of our railway stations are world class, or really, of any real class. Yet, whenever a minister or top railway official promises to change the fortunes of any station in particular, we always tend to believe the time for redemption has come. Why do we believe them? Don’t we reason? Well, of course we do, but it’s our hollow optimism that always thwarts the quibbling of our pragmatic thoughts. Gurgaon Railway Station is soon to be renovated. If a top official of Indian Railways—who visited the station recently—is to be believed, a hefty amount of Rupees Five Crores has been sanctioned by the Ministry for the revamp. Gurgaon has many things to feel proud of, but neither the railway station nor the bus terminal feature in that list. Both these faces of public transport are in a shambles. “We have been receiving complaints regarding this station for quite a while; and as we know Gurgaon is a big City now, and a lot of people come here to work. This Station ought to be in good shape, and we are committed to change its face. Rupees Five Crores has been sanctioned by the Ministry, for the revamp of this Station; and I hope that in the coming six months we will see a different railway station here,” says an official in the Railway Ministry in New Delhi. According to the plan, almost the entire station will undergo a change – from the entry gate

to the present ticket counters to the vehicles parking area. Later, the Superintendent of Gurgaon Railway Station, R.K Meena, also spoke about it, “Well, I can’t say much about the amount being sanctioned; but yes, a revamp is on the cards, and some of the work has been going on for the last six months. Indeed, this station needs a new lease of life, to meet the increasing pressure on this crumbling infrastructure,” says Meena.

No change in the last nine months

However, no construction work is visible. Last August, Friday Gurgaon, in its inaugural issue had carried the story about the sorry state of the railway station; and since then, not much change has taken place. The new waiting room was under construction then – and even after nine months, it is still lying unfinished and unattended. Well, if this is taken as the parameter of their seriousness, we ought to doubt their plan.

No security

“There is no security here, and nobody checked our bags while entering the station. You can see a lot of ‘anti-social elements’ roaming here, but they seem to have the freedom to operate. The Police seldom stops them. Gurgaon is a big and glittering City now, and if a terrorist attack happens here, this railway station would be the easiest prey for them. There are

Booking counter at Galleria Market

Bhandhari, the Chief Booking Officer. People too are seriously fed-up with the sorry state of the Station. “After looking at this station, can anybody believe that Gurgaon is India’s biggest rising city? Look at this place – no fans, forget a proper waiting room. Look at these queues at the ticket counters; and only four of them are functional,” says Ankit Verma, a commuter.

Ticket reservation at DLF

In a step taken for the convenience of the passengers, the railways have started another ticket booking centre at DLF Galleria market in Sector-27. “This will reduce a lot of pressure for both sidesrailway officials as well as passengers. Daily one can see hundreds of people standing in queues, much before sunrise to get tickets. Now they have another option of booking their tickets at DLF Galleria. I hope this step will benefit the masses immensely,” says Meena. u

Announce, And Renounce { Hritvick Sen / FG }

C ivic/Social

22-28 June 2012

t that time, it was the biggest surprise gift the State Government could have given Gurgaon. But, as time and experience has taught us, government officials are the first to forget their promises. Newly initiated as the Administrator of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), Dr. Praveen Kumar had unveiled a slew of approved projects, worth Rs. 1,393 crore. In the break-up of the money allocated for development work, the largest chunk of Rs. 498 crores was to boost the City’s shoddy water supply (including water treatment, land scaping and sewage). Another Rs. 381 crores was to be dedi-

cated for the master sewerage network for the new Sectors (58 onwards) and for Sohna Road strengthening; and Rs. 260 crores was to be used for recharging the ground water. But it seems little has been taken forward since the declaration of the State Government’s largesse. Dr. Kumar, when asked, said that he needed time to check the progress of the individual projects. A senior official had to be reminded about the grants and the projects in detail, before he could recollect! On another front, the Project for re-laying and repair of the MG Road stretch, from Sikandarpur to IFFCO Chowk, has run into administrative trouble. The Project was worth Rs. 28.8 crores. A

tender based on cold-milling technology—to halve the time required to lay the road—was nearly approved, but ran into a roadblock, when senior officials questioned the method’s reliability. The technology has not been used on any of Gurgaon’s roads, and its ‘road-worthiness’ was thus questioned – especially when the stretch is the City’s crown jewel. For now, the tender is stuck. The only silver lining in the Gurgaonite’s cloud is the on-going road repair from HUDA City Centre crossing to DLF Phase-I crossing; and before that, the Galleria Road. Whether these roads were in dire need of re-laying is questionable, but one should not look a gift horse in the mouth. u

An Old RWA’s Struggle { Hritvick Sen / FG }

he fresh election assigned for DLF Qutab Enclave Residents’ Welfare Association (QERWA) has brought to light the rot in the Association. The members are split into factions, and neither side can claim to be ‘innocent’. Set up in 1988-89, QERWA is one of the older RWAs in the City. The growing discontent of the members has overflowed, and ended in a self-attested Annual General Meeting (AGM), and a self-styled general body election for the leadership of the RWA. Before this AGM and the election, former QERWA President Madan Lal Yadav had called for a much-delayed AGM of the association, which was to be held in March this year. The meeting would have addressed several issues, such as the delayed audits, retirement of the current batch of RWA officials, and the pending election. Due to various reasons, the meeting was cancelled, and a circular sent to this effect. A few members however, gathered at the scheduled AGM venue, and after finding the elected chairpersons missing, called the meeting to order with the members present. The agitation of the group, over delayed development and maintenance work of the RWA, was presented, and a call was made for a fresh election. After duly notifying the QERWA members, the election was held. This has been challenged be the incumbent QERWA leadership. The District Registrar of Societies has annulled the recently-held ‘election’, and termed the so-called AGM as a ‘special general meeting’ (in letter no. GGN/DIC/ DRI/849/ dated 25/5/12). The letter states that a new free and fair election has to be held. As of now, an Administrator and an assistant have been given the responsibility of looking over the records of the RWA, finding out reasons

for various delays and shortcomings, and checking the books of the RWA. That said, it is to be noted that some members of the QERWA who held the ‘special’ AGM, (and were chosen as officials of QERWA in the election) are also members of another non-profit association. As of now, the ad hoc committee which has been selected to oversee the election contains QERWA members who had participated in the ‘breakaway’ meeting. A QERWA member, on the condition of anonymity, says, “This whole affair of indignant members having a meeting, freezing accounts, holding elections at the drop of a hat, smacks of a motivated plan. If they were really so concerned, why did they wait till the AGM was aborted?” On the other hand, the members of the ‘QERWA-II’ allege that the action had been long delayed. “This should have been done a long time ago. Now that right-minded citizens have done it, they are bad-mouthing us.” On whether the recent events were legal or not, they say, “We followed the laws set down by the Association, informed everyone concerned, then held a free and fair election. The old guard had no intention of stepping down. Why were the audits not carried out for the past years, and why has the Association been running losses?” B.K Dhawan, the RWA President of Silver Oaks, takes the middle path. “The meeting and the election are not authorised under any statute or law of The Apartment Act or The Societies Act. The chief office-bearers have to be present, to make the decisions legitimate. Therefore, the District Registrar was absolutely within his rights doing what he did. The fresh election is welcome, as even the previous Administration needs to answer a few serious questions.” u

Haryanvi Made Easy

Get a taste of the local lingo 1. What time does the office open? Daftar kitne baje khulya kare? 2. I need a form. Manne ek pharum chaiye se. 3. Can I fill it and submit it here? Main yadde isne bharke jama

kara sakun hun?

4. Do you need any other documents?

Aur koi kagaz to na chaiye?

5. I can’t understand what is written here. Mere samajh me na aati ki yo

ke likh rakhya hai

6. Pool of water on table 7. Flower pattern missing 8. Woman loses earring 9. Plant tub smaller 10. Mat stripe changes

1. One less dot on dress 2. Plant gains leaf 3. TV antenna shorter 4. Catâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tail striped 5. Man has extra finger

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 03/21/11 Flower 7. On all the other flowers the topmost petals are white.

Kids Brainticklers

22-28 June 2012

Kid Corner

22-28 June 2012

K id Corner PhotoWorld of Kidz

Photography Workshop was conducted by the World of Kidz, for kids aged between 7 and 16 years. Apart from the basics of digital photography, camera handling, and creative skills required in photography, the Workshop also taught some technicalities. The kids will showcase their talent at Lucida, a Photography Workshop to be held later.

Bringing Art Alive

rt Alive Gallery organised a three-hour Art Making Workshop for children, with an aim to introduce them to different methods of creating art. The Workshop focused on hand skills, and encouraged children to make artefacts with waste and recycled material. The Workshop was conducted by Abhilasha Ojham, who has held many art workshops for children. The children were awarded with a certificate.

Funky Hairdo Shalom

ittle ones at Shalom Hills International School sported funky hairdos, to break the monotony of coming to school ‘normally’. From the Twisty Twizzler, to the straight up Spike and the stiff Loop de Loop, the kids turned up with creative hairstyles. They shared this special moment with teachers, who praised the efforts put in by the parents.

Fun at Leisure

iny tots of Bachpan pre-school enjoyed an early morning picnic at Leisure Valley Park, Sector 29. The kids were told about various plants, flowers, and trees in the park. The children also enjoyed a story telling session, taken by the teachers. This was followed by healthy snacks and refreshment provided by the School.

The Bagia Privilege

s kids in the City are enjoying various activities during vacations, Bagiya School, a school for the underprivileged, also conducted a Summer Camp for its students. The School invited children from across the City, to teach them skills like painting, music, diya making, and online gaming. The kids displayed their paintings, and presented a dance performance and a music concert.

Chiranjivi Folk Dances

n inter-house folk dance competition was organised at Chiranjiv Bharti School. The stage looked beautiful, and dazzled with myriad hues. The four houses presented dances of different states. While the students of Ganga House regaled the audience with a Gujarati dance, the performers of Yamuna House left the guests spellbound with a colourful Rajasthani dance. A Haryanavi dance was presented by the students of Saraswati Hose, and a Punjabi Bhangra was presented by the students of Kaveri House. Principal Mrs. Sangeeta Saxena appreciated the efforts of the students and the dance co-ordinators. Yamuna house bagged the title.

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

22-28 June 2012

K id Corner

Dream Camp

early 26 children put up a scintillating performance at the Kingdom of Dreams. The children were attending a Summer Camp. They learnt dance from the choreographer of Dance Café, Kanika Sharma; pottery from a local potter in Culture Gully; and took up theatre acting sessions with the cast of Zangoora.

Literary Flourish

Summer Trek Trrrr.......... creaked open the door. Both the brothers sprang to their feet from their beds. The elder brother Jeetu said, “Oh! It is just Shanu, our sweet cow. How can you forget her?” The sun was shining bright in the open sky. The angelic butterflies were hovering here and there in the balmy breeze. The sky was a clear blue after a downpour the previous night. The boys hurried up and packed up their bags. They packed in bananas, oranges, some sandwiches, water bottle, juices, a walking stick, first aid kit, torch, a thick and strong rope and a pocket knife. They slipped into their sneakers and sported a cap each.. Then, they quickly gobbled up their breakfast of cornflakes and brown bread sandwiches. As summer holidays were on, so they had decided to trek to the nearby jungle. Before leaving the house, both of them smeared themselves with mosquito repellent. Then they set off for their excursion, happily trekking to the jungle.

Gurgaon to China

ver 16 students from Class XII of Shri Ram School, Aravali, and two teachers, were welcomed to India after their trip to Kunming in the Yunnan province of China. It was a 10-day trip, that was a part of the student exchange with Kunming No.1 High School. The students had found the host families warm and hospitable. They visited a famous spot called the Dinosaur Valley. Learning to make dumplings, and dancing with the host families, were the unforgettable moments during the trip. The Chinese students will visit the City next month.

Shepherded In Hindi

ood Shepherd School organised a Hindi poem recitation session. The aim of the Event was to provide a good knowledge and understanding of the national language. Dressed up as freedom fighters and famous Hindi poets, the tiny tots presented the best of Hindi literature.

Artistic Strokes

As they reached the helm of the woods, they were astonished to see a big herd of playful deer! Just as the deer were astonished to see the boys! The natural beauty of the jungle and the magnificent peacocks made them speechless. Both the brothers could believe neither their eyes nor their ears!! The soulful tweeting and chirping of birds put them in a trance. Among the herd of deer, they spotted a little fawn who was limping and they decided to bandage his leg. When the deer tried to get up and walked a few steps, Jeetu and Shamu felt on cloud nine! They saw monkeys, swinging from branch to branch, chattering and roller coasting. Every animal seemed to welcome them cheerfully. The brothers planted some saplings that they had brought along with them and moved towards the crystal clear spring water. Both of them jumped into the refreshing water. Feeling rejuvenated after a while, they emerged and enjoyed a snack under the branches of an old banyan tree. The sun was slowly setting and it was getting a little dark. Both the brothers set off to their home and said goodbye to their new friends- the animals. They both agreed that it had been a very fruitful and enriching day of their summer vacations!

Mabel, KG, The Banyan Tree World School

Saloni Dhingra, V E, Delhi Public School

Taniya Jain, V C, Delhi Public School

Kashika Bhatia

VII, Shikshantar School

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

14 1

K id Corner

22-28 June 2012

There is something to learn from every tale, even from the funniest ones. Amar Chitra Katha tells you stories from a Telugu classic that are full of humour and wisdom.

The Better Half

Star Fun

9 to 5

Animal Crackers

Tiger

Two Wise Men

Dogs of C-Kennel

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

22-28 June 2012

{ Hritvick Sen / FG }

hen the city is in throes of a water and power crisis, the areas are always divided into some which are better off than others. Those sectors and colonies which lie closer to the water treatment facility at Basai are the first to have their share of water. Similarly, private builder colonies, and those which are fortunately close to a power sub-station seem to have less fluctuation – and more importantly, a better response time for the rectification of power infrastructure failure. FG went around the City, to get the voice of the people.

Sectors 6 and 7

The residents here have decent water supply, but are hard-pressed to fill their water tanks. Reason? A majority of the residents have installed boosters/water pumps on the main line. Says a resident, “My neighbour has a speed pump installed, and it has made life hell for us. When the water supply comes, he switches on the pump. The suction is so strong, that until he switches off the pump, none of us along the line will get any water.” Although it is illegal to install water boosters on the main line (for this very reason), there is no authority from the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) who has come to take notice of this, much less take action. Resident Amit Arora says, “Sectors 4,5,6, and 7 are some of the oldest sectors in the City, and have a problem of old pipelines. The pipes are changed only when they crack completely, and cut off the supply.” Also, by ‘design’, the storm water drains straight into the sewer lines. The state of the pipes are so bad that, come this monsoon, people will be unable to come out of their homes because of the flooding. The residents’ pleas to the officials have no effect here. Arora says, “We have not given the sanitation contractor the clearance for his work, for well over six months, but he’s still getting paid. There is filth on the streets, and no one cares to take action against the culprits.” The schemes of water harvesting structures have also given these Sectors a miss.

Sector 9/ 9A

The Sectors are well-off with respect to water supply. With their proximity to the Water Treatment Plant at Basai, they are amongst the first to receive the City’s share of water. That said, there are also a fair number of bore-wells in the area, some of which are unlicensed. N.K Rao, a resident of Sector 9A, confirms the fact that the water supply to the areas has been more than good, and “We only had problems when there was a line fault. We have metered water supply in our Sector, and we pay Rs. 4 per kilo-litre. For that, we are happy we have been spared what the rest of the City is going through.” Electricity supply is, however, a problem that these Sectors share with the rest of the City. Nitish, a shop-owner, came forward to say that the area witnesses at least four hours of load-shedding each day. Most of these households have inverters for power back-up, and not diesel gensets. “We don’t have big kothis in our area to warrant gensets,” comments Nitish.

Sometimes water tankers are seen scurrying up and down the bungalows, pumping in water for parched people. “Our existence is growing harder day by day,” says Payel Jain, a work-from-home professional. “The water comes for a few minutes, and then disappears. And the electricity is counted by the hours we get, not the load-shedding hours. The inverters give up after a few hours, and many of our neighbours are seriously thinking of buying gensets, or hiring them.” The residents here are wellto-do, and have no qualms about hiring tankers once the water supply dries up, or installing gensets to power their homes. But even they are questioning the City Administration’s ability to provide even the basic amenities to the citizens and taxpayers.

Sector 14

A Sector which lies next to the NH-8, and one of the oldest sectors by far, Sector 14 is crying out for a few hours

C ivic/S ocial Sector 45

The Sector is well-off in matters of water and power, when compared to other sectors. The power-cuts are three to four hours, spaced in between the day, and the water supply is decent as of now, agree RWA residents. And even the sectors around it have equilibrium in water/power supply.

Gurgaon’s Villages

“At least the city people have access to RWAs and privatised water and power supply. What can the common man in a Gurgaon village do?” asks Naresh Sehrawat. Villages like Badhshahpur, Ghata and Sukhrali are just a few examples where the dearth of water and power have literally driven the people to the roads. Here, the water supply is as tenuous as the small pipes through which it reaches the homes. Borewells and illegal connections rule the roost, as people, driven to the edge, almost assault officials in their need for basic amenities. Sehrawat is a resident of

Resident’s Agony When the HUDA Administrator came here a few months ago for his early morning inspection, the Residents’ Associations had forwarded a plan for suitable water harvesting sites. But since his visit, nothing has been done. “We had heard the news of 500 water harvesting sites to be set up across the City, but even our single proposal has come to naught,” says a resident. Earlier, the HUDA Chief, Dr. Praveen Kumar, had also unveiled new garbage trucks, bags and bins to keep the HUDA sectors clean. However, there is no sign of any sustained sanitation activity by HUDA. Residents say that the garbage bins remain full for most of the time, and they don’t see the sanitation staff working daily.

Sectors 23 and 23A

These Sectors have been hit the hardest hit by the shortage of water. The residents complain that they don’t get water supply for two to three days at a stretch.

of electricity. The state of power supply is so bad that there are power-cuts after every hour, and cases of blown transformers and linetripping are reported every night. A member of Sector 14 RWA says, “The paying-guest houses in the Sector have put up ACs in every floor, but have taken a power load of just 2-4 KW. How will the power infrastructure cope up with this misuse? I don’t blame them for the electricity shortage, but the situation grows more dire every day. Even the water supply is affected by the loss of power every other hour.” B.D Pahuja, one of the oldest residents in the Sector, says that there has been no maintenance work done by the HUDA staff in sanitation, nor for the upcoming monsoon season. “This year, the monsoon is going to be the same. Slushy roads, a nightmare for pedestrians, no power, and no water which we can use,” he comments.

Sukhrali, and had also stood as a candidate in the Municipal elections. “Any one can apply for an electricity connection. But how does that help, when there is no power to be supplied? No power, no water. The circle is pushing the people of the village into a tight corner. What happened in Badshahpur, with the officials and the villagers, would only be a trailer if things do not improve soon,” he predicts. Water lines are running next to houses in these villages, right above the drains. When the monsoon hits the City, the water pipes will be underneath litres of sluggish, black water. In villages like Prem Puri, Samaspur, and Wazarabad, the story is the same as it was a year ago. Despite promises made by countless officials, the power lines remain low enough to touch. The water pipes are rusted to the point that a drop of water might pierce the remaining film of metal. A villager who has grown up in Wazirabad,

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Manish Yadav, has enough experience to tell that this year is no special from the last. “It’s just a little hotter, that’s all. The machinery has failed, and that is what making people mad. Everyone knew that the water supply was going to fail, as would the electricity. But we did not see that officials would be helpless to rectify the situation.” He said that villages are important only in election years, that development only takes place when bade logon ko vote chahiye. Otherwise, this is what happens when officials fail to do what they are paid to do. Amit Dangi, a villager in Ghata, has the same story to tell. “The lineman takes money to get us a connection. Later, he comes with his engineer, cuts the connection, and fines us. It seems all the officials are out to make a fast buck from our troubles. When the rain comes, the village will be turned into a massive mudslide.”

Private Apartments/ Builder Colonies

These are the areas least affected by the water and power crisis. Simply because the residents have the money to tide things over. The only evidence that there is a water and power shortage in the City is shown on their monthly maintenance bills, in increased water and DG charges. An official in DLF Condominium Maintenance says, “We have borewells which are working overtime to provide the residents with 24hour water supply. After all, this is what they are paying for. People choose condominiums for peace of mind regarding water, power and security. They pay extra for it, but that becomes our job instead of their headache.” How much are they paying extra for power this summer? “Anything around three to four thousand extra.” With several ACs and high-power devices, this is the minimum. The electricity bills range from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 25,000.” Sanjay Singh, the RWA President for builder colony M2K, agrees. “We have borewells for our residents, so we don’t feel the pinch. Were we getting piped water, there would have been tankers lining up outside our entrance like others,” he laughs grimly. “The diesel gensets we are using are working overtime to provide back-up power for our residents. As of now, each of our residents is expecting at least a Rs. 3,000 hike in their electricity bill, apart from their normal maintenance.” The whole City, whether it is sectors, villages or private colonies, are feeling the pinch of the summer. Whether hit hard or not, each citizen has been affected by nature’s fury, and the malfunction of the official machinery to counter it. The villagers have already come out on the streets in an aggressive display of the common man’s ire against poor provision of services. If the situation turns worse, it will be the turn of the sector residents. When, finally, will the people in the condominiums, the supposed upper hierarchy, feel the heat? u

22-28 June 2012

Big Can Be Beautiful Too

he debate on the IIT entrance examination system, and its implications, is in full flow. So long as it does not encourage ‘back door’ entry, any system that provides more students an opportunity, and also eases their burden, should be welcome. If coaching centres have replaced schools, and school life, it cannot be right. It also is not right if many consistently merit-worthy students cannot/do not make it to the IITs. Having said that, the issue is much larger. India needs to cater to a large upcoming youth population, in terms of education and jobs. The solution(s) for a mass of students is something that needs separate discussion – and may be easier. What is perhaps even more disturbing is that, within them will be even more merit-worthy students, who will be denied a top quality education. Some further clear and bold actions will need to be taken, to cater to their education needs. The hallowed colleges and institutes need to be at the forefront of this challenge and change – rather than bask in their glory.

EDITORIAL Atul Sobti

There is this big issue, the scare, that quality will reduce with increase in quantity. There is a fervent plea that our top institutes need to be protected from 'degradation' – and this plea is taken up by the IIMs also. How does a world class aspirant institute lecture the students (the leaders of tomorrow) on the need for innovative solutions, and on emulating leading global organizations, yet finds excuses when asked to challenge itself ? Yes, physicians, do heal thyself first. This problem – of more students, more customers – is one that any organization would normally welcome. Leading organizations would have remained small entities, if size and scale deterred them. These organizations – in the product and service industries - have always aggressively added scale without impacting quality. In the process, the added volume/ quantity has provided more absolute income and profit, and helped reduce overall unit costs. That is precisely what our top institutes, wishing to be global leaders, need to emulate. Even premium education, bottom line, is a

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Comment

hanks Abhishek. Good cover on plight of manufacturing industry. The recent newspaper report on the slow down also endorses the views. The only way left for the govt. is to give boost to production units, by making excise duty free or keep lowest at 5; reduce service tax rates and TDS deductions from 12 to 3; reduce VAT from 12 plus to 5; and lower Income

tax rates for manufacturing, as they produce jobs and other revenue sources. These measures will make industry competitive to Chinese and preferred destinations for Foreign investors Ramesh Kumar on the article Now, Cyber Vihar(s)

onderful article Alka Varun on the article Young City

fairly packaged service, delivered by subject experts – with good back-office support. If the top IITs and IIMs can deliver top performance only with ‘top’ students, it would be a shame. It would say very little about the Faculty, the Curricula, the Content, the Processes, and the Facilities. They should actually take it as a challenge – that they can make extra-ordinary engineers/managers out of ‘non-toppers’. They have established top class, benchmark organizations – and maintained that status. They surely cannot, and should not, believe that this was basically due to a ‘very refined’ input (in quality and quantity). Moulding students in their early 20s should not be so difficult. There is enough flexibility and potential in each – the die has not been cast. In fact, the ultimate evaluation of the IIT/IIM process may well be in how they turn base metal to gold – of being true alchemists. The CA system probably has some merit here, in a manner. The inputs (students) are of all ‘grades’ – and the process ensures that all the ‘relatively worthy’ make it – not just some ‘absolute chosen few’ based primarily on an ‘entrance exam’. The real short-term constraint can only be the Faculty – not the students, curricula, content, process, infrastructure, or resources. For Faculty, innovative solutions need to be found – from Alumni, to NRIs and foreign professors. Maybe a concept of ‘understudy professors’ for a year. Maybe the research staff need to be increased, to take off some of that load. Maybe retirement age needs to be increased to 65 – or a special 5- or 7-year contract signed post-retirement. It is time to take up this challenge – it is time for bold action. It is a challenge that should invigorate the best. The IIMs and IITs, and all well-performing colleges and universities, should aim to at least double their intake within 3 years. Europe should be a poster person for anyone wishing to rest on their laurels. These institutions owe it to their country folk – and to themselves. u

FAMOUS QUOTES “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” Dr. Seuss “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” Robert Frost It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it.” Maurice Switzer

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” J.K. Rowling “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” Friedrich Nietzsche

22-28 June 2012

{ Bhavana Sharma }

reating a spiritual garden space for reflection and meditation is itself a form of meditation. Surround yourself with flowers, with fragrant and visual beauty. Place or plant flowers with symbolism, to remind you of spiritual virtues. Integrate flowers with greenery, for a cooling serene aesthetic. Make use of your garden’s flowers beyond enjoying their beauty, as you quiet and centre your body, mind and spirit.

Smell the Roses

The Symbolic Rose

The meaning of a Rose varies according to its colour. Broadly, roses are symbolic of deep love, concentration, intelligence, balance, and passion. They are also sometimes seen as a message for healing, revitalisation, rejuvenation and courage. Roses are very complex in their

From The Frying Pan... { Sujata Goenka }

t’s June, and the sun is scorching hot. The winds that blow burn your face. We are breathlessly waiting for the rain gods to shower their mercy on the City. My garden remains parched, no matter how many times I water it. The plants are sadly withering. The car is an oven, and the A/c struggles. One looks up in vain. There is not a cloud in sight. Do we really want the rains? It is inevitable that the clouds will open up some time in July – sometimes less , sometimes with a vengeance.Yet , we see the drains still need to be desilted – and will be over-flowing soon. A ride in the car will become an even more herculean task. Water bodies and potholes will be a challenge to the best of drivers. The suspension of the car will protest. There are ‘pet areas’ where the water loves to flow. Those places soon re-

B on V ivant

semble brooks. If you are on foot, enjoy a wade through knee deep water – and only your luck will save you from falling into open manholes. One such in front of my house was lying gaping for three years. All pleas fell on deaf ears. Finally, we put a stone slab, and covered it with a planter. The new Rapid Metro railway is certainly a boon, as it will connect all of DLF. However, till the work is completed, it will be a nightmare. The muddy waters will soon add to the already chaotic traffic. The endless traffic jams are a nightmare everyone wants to avoid. Commuters are starting to sound petrified of the rains, much as they want them. However, there is hope that the work on Badshahpur Nallah will mitigate some of the regular problems the City has faced every monsoon. What a choice – the heat or the rains. Come July, and we will jump from the frying pan to the flood. u

features, and so have complex meanings. More than just being Valentine’s Day favourites, roses bear the mark of honour, devotion and intense commitment at many levels. The rose flower sign exposes the truth in all things. If you have this flower sign (i.e if your zodiac sign is Aquarius), you have a unique ability to see the hidden meanings in things. You have an eye for classic beauty, and you love to surround yourself with beautiful things. You are attracted to philosophy, poetry and art. Because you see the beauty and truth in all things, you do not tolerate injustice or cruelty. You are most happy when you are with friends and family, and enjoying nature.

Red Rose Meditation

You need to relax and focus your mind and thoughts on the beautiful colour of the Red Rose. Of all the flowers, it is said that the rose embodies the highest vibratory frequency. As you start this meditation, think of the universe, and ask that it protect you and guide you through this process. As you sit for the meditation, be aware of your thoughts and feelings. Ask the rose flower to build self-confidence and self-acceptance, and encourage you to slow down – to be more light-hearted, and make time in your life for joy and peace. Ask that it heighten your awareness of the beauty around you, in order to dissolve gloom, despondency and over-seriousness. Agree and accept that the red energy from the core of mother earth is reaching up through your feet, and into your mind and body. Notice each breath as it comes and goes. Feel yourself growing peaceful and calm. You begin to find yourself in an immense triangle of golden light. Its point is above your head, and its base beneath you. It feels almost as if you are in a pyramid of light. Continue to notice your breath, and

as you breathe, fill yourself with the radiant light that surrounds you. Like a glass of sparkling water with the light shining on it, you seem filled with bubbles of golden light, that reflect all the colours of the spectrum. Along with this gentle breathing, feel yourself rising up to the apex of the triangle. This forms the symbol of the heart chakra. You are in the heart chakra. Continue the visualisation, seeing yourself in the heart of the star, the golden light of the heart chakra, the place of love and wisdom. In front of you there is a beautiful Red Rose. Breathe in its fragrance. Feel the softness of its petals. See a beautiful pearl at its centre – the jewel of wisdom within the flower of divine love. Finally, give thanks to the universe, in helping you to promote a sense of serenity all around. u

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One night a teenage girl brought her new boyfriend home to meet her parents, and they were appalled by his appearance: leather jacket, motorcycle boots, tattoos and more piercings than they wanted to count.   Later, the parents pulled their daughter aside and confessed their concern. “Dear,” said the mother diplomatically, “he doesn’t seem very nice.”   “Oh please, Mom,” replied the daughter, “if he wasn’t nice, why would he be doing 500 hours of community service?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8-year-old Sally brought her report card home from school. Her marks were good, but her teacher had written across the bottom: “Sally is a smart girl, but she talks too much in Class. I have an idea I am going to try, which I think may break her of the habit.”   Sally’s dad signed her report card, putting a note on the back:   “Please let me know if your idea works on Sally, because I would like to try it out on her mother.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A famed English explorer was invited to a College to talk of his adventures in the African jungle.   “Can you imagine, people are so primitive that they love to eat the embryo of certain birds, and slices from the belly of certain animals? And grind up grass seed, make it into paste, burn it over a fire, then smear it with a greasy mess that they extract from the mammary fluid of certain other animals.   When the students looked startled by such barbarism, the explorer added softly, “What I’ve been describing, of course, is a breakfast of bacon and eggs, and buttered toast.”

Walter D'Souza

22-28 June 2012

K. G Subramanyam

B on V ivant

Suhas Roy

Ravi Kumar S

{ Srimati Lal }

he imaginative placement of Contemporary Art in public spaces is an area in which India has been lagging behind. Developed nations pride themselves on displaying their artworks in open boulevards, shopping arcades. theatres, restaurants, bus-stops – even in tube-stations, and within the spaces of public buildings. Dramatic modern sculptures are to be commonly seen in public gardens and open courtyards. Such displays add considerably to the aesthetics and contemporary visual relevance of today’s cityscapes. Of late, some such

Ishaan Suri

much-needed innovations have been occurring in India, with modern art being displayed in malls and hotels. In Gurgaon, the Galaxy Hotel and Spa, and the Pllazio Hotel, have some fine artworks currently displayed, with imagination and style, in their main spaces. The Art is open for the public to view at leisure this summer season, without any entry fee. While Galaxy is showcasing Solo Exhibitions of Contemporary Paintings and Photographic Art for the entire months of June and July, the Pllazio Hotel features a 10-day long Group Show, with several artists’ works spread all over the hotel, from June 13-23. The latter show, titled ‘Art To A Whole Space’, comprises the works of over a dozen Indian artists, printmakers, sculptors and photographers – dispersed over the hotel’s lobby, restaurant, and

staircase. The Exhibition includes a row of smaller prints displayed in the entry to the ‘Melange’ Restaurant, by such Indian stalwarts as K.G Subramanyam, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Thota Vaikuntam, Suhas Roy, Jyoti Bhatt and Walter D’Souza. Larger works, by emerging and younger artists, are displayed over three levels of staircases, and in the hotel’s lobby. Curated by Sakhshi Mahajan, who has work-experience at the Guggenheim Museum, the display is varied and refined in its approach – despite certain practical drawbacks relating to the actual spaces available. One is heartened that Mahajan is applying her art-studies to her own country, by curating within an emerging Gurgaon environment. Three sections of the Exhibition are titled --- ‘Art Of Tread: Artists Ascending the Staircase’, ‘Pllazio’s Vestibule: the Lobby’, and ‘Melange Artwalk: Eminent Prints’. Of these, the staircase provides the most natural

Lalu Prasad Shaw

{ Dr. Rajesh Bhola }

he planet on which we live is beautiful. Natural beauty, colours, sounds, and exotic foods abound. At the same time, modern science and human ingenuity have devised ways of mitigating human pain. But despite all this, life is not easy. Even in the midst of collective plenty and nature’s extravagance, some people may live lives of desperation. Everyday, I come across a number of children who are stricken with a severe degree of disability. In many cases, these children develop contractions, due to the non-movement of their limbs. We have the recent case of the two sisters, suffering from mental disorders, who were rescued from their apartment in Rohini – or the earlier similar incidents reported from Kalkaji and Noida. What is discomforting is that the neighbours of the sisters have admitted that they ignored the screams and the stench coming from the house for two years – believing that the matter did not concern them. As the modern world is becoming more crowded and intricate, we need some guidance on how to live. We need to share the pain, and help others. The losses of dear and near

light, and imaginative contours for a new way of art-viewing, as “the art gets more contemporary as you ascend”. However, a practical drawback in this space, is a lack of air-conditioning. Another ‘stairwell problem’, in relation to Art-Curation, is that one cannot step back, or sideways, to look at certain details, from the suitable distance demanded by many artworks. However, the selections of artworks are well-organised. The figurative and the abstract, the painterly and the sculptural, side by side ---- bathed in the bright, unsparing summer light of a Gurgaon afternoon ---- provides a compelling visual drama. The row of prints at the restaurant’s entrance suffers from a lack of brighter spot-lighting, required to heighten the effects of each delicate work on paper. The fine linear drawings by Lalu Prasad Shaw and KG Subramanyam are worth mulling over. The Kolkatan Shaw, typically, depicts an upper class Bengali lady with

Sanju Jain

Reach Out ones, that we all encounter, mark us and make us. Suffering is part of what it means to be alive. Nobody is truly mature who has not suffered. We should learn to empathise with the sorrows and grief of others in the neighborhood, and grow as sensible citizens of a society. Amidst sorrows, we are at times troubled, and question the meaning of our existence – of birth and death. It is only when we have the courage to live life as it is, when we are no longer running away, that we experience a profound relaxation in our heart. We then no longer have to live defensively. We should not start to learn the art of self defense when ambushed. It is better to train oneself to handle the situation better. The more aware we become of our lives, the more we realise just how blind we have been. Every time that greed, lust, hate, anger or apathy get the better of us, we have suffered another injury to our spirit. We need to increase our capacity to cope with such encounters. If we keep on working at this, we will be prepared when the big ambushes arrive. And such

her two quaint ‘Bhadralok’ suitors. Subramanyam sketches his quintessential wild tiger, antelope, and masked dancing tribal. Walter D’Souza’s whimsical blue and yellow colour print of hot-air balloons is charming and lightweight. Suhas Roy’s lyrical ‘Head of a Woman’, 2008, is a significant and powerful work, with masterfully natural brush strokes that exemplify the best of Bengal’s graphic traditions. The rest of the show displays the works of 11 younger artists, who participated in an Annual Residency Program at the NIV Art Centre, Delhi, in 20112012. Of these, R.P Singh’s metaphorical metal sculptures, depicting spoons

R. P Singh

and bones—wrought skillfully in aluminium—stand out in their quirky symbolism. Ishaan Suri’s well-composed photographs, of antique typewriters and bicycles, have an interestingly ‘retro’ feel. Sanju Jain’s, Santosh CH’s and Chandni Vora’s Op-influenced abstractions bear promise. One of the most interesting paintings on display is that of a wild tiger silently retreating from the canvas – only his rear flanks, tail, and legs visible. The artist, Ravi Kumar S, is very concerned about wildlife, the damages wreaked by urbanisation, a depleting natural environment, and the water crisis – some immediate concerns relating to sheer survival, that art must communicate! These are major concerns for all those living and working in the city-village called Gurgaon. u Artist, Writer and Curator

preparedness should be used in a positive way, in our reaction to the pain of others. In the instant case of the two sisters, the neighbours and the RWA should have timely intervened, and taken suitable steps to bring the sisters out of the life of isolation and malnutrition. Unfortunately, there remains a lack of awareness about mental illnesses, and social apathy towards such people. We all know that pain, disease, decay and death will come upon us. Yet too often we live our lives pretending this will not happen to us. None of us knows what is going to happen the next moment. All within a day we may discover that somebody close to us had a serious accident, or we may discover a lump in our body which has turned malignant, or learn that a major earthquake has shaken some part of the earth. We can be going along happily, when suddenly our world is turned upside down. We try to find refuge, and search for security. The pain and suffering is not something for each of us to solve on our own. It is by reaching out to one another that we can respond to our collective pain, in a constructive and spirited way. u Dr. Rajesh Bhola is President of Spastic Society of Gurgaon and is working for the cause of children with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities for more than 20 years.

W elln e s s

22-28 June 2012

Health & Vitality... Naturally!

King & Cool { Jaspal Bajwa }

ometimes referred to as the ‘king of fruits’, mango has been a part of our diet for more than 4,000 years. Having originated in the Himalayan foothills, over 1000 varieties of the fruit are now grown in tropical countries across the world. Its unique flavour, fragrance and taste make it one of the most popular, nutritionally rich fruits. Although fresh mangoes are enjoyed during the hot summer months, are they in fact cooling foods?Most ancient healing systems classify various foods as either cooling (yin)foods or heatgenerating (yang) foods. In the Ayurveda tradition, Pitta reducing foods are the best for hot summers, as they are easy to digest and contain a lot of water. The hot or cooling food classification refers to the effect foods have after they have been ingested. This goes beyond the traditional wisdom of avoiding cold drinks or foods (like ice-cream) during meals, as they douse the digestive fires. Ice-laden drinks, especially carbonated beverages, are some of the worst culprits. On the contrary, fresh fruit juices consumed at room temperature can be nutri-

tious, satisfying and delicious. The status of Mango as a cooling food can cause some confusion. A possible clue to this conundrum could relate to the stage of ripeness at which a mango is consumed, as also the method of preparation. Preparations made from the raw mango are cooling, whereas over-ripe mangoes might be otherwise - especially when we give in to the temptation to over-eat! However, when prepared as a ‘mango lassi’ – a light yoghurt based drink, or as a milk-shake, even ripe mangoes are clearly cooling.

Tip of the Week

Like all fruits, it is important to choose mangoes at the right stage of ripeness, and with the skin intact – without any bruises or cuts. Washing mangoes thoroughly is particularly important. An allergic reaction (mango latex allergy) is common in some individuals. This is an acute allergic skin reaction, which can quickly progress to fluid-filled blisters. It is caused by the sap dripping from the stem-end of the fruit, which contains urushiol - the same toxin found in poison ivy. The good news is that mango flesh itself has very low levels of urushiol.

Nature’s Wonder Food of the week : Mango or Mangifera Indica.

Mango can be enjoyed as a ripe fruit by itself, or in one of several other ways – such as a pickle, a condiment (dried powder – ‘amchur’), or in gravies/lentils. Like papaya, mango is very rich in beta-carotene, Vitamin C and fibres. This makes it one of the best summerheat busters. A uniquely cooling summer drink is the Green Mango Drink, or “Aam Panna”. To prepare this, unripe mangoes are boiled, peeled, and the pulp

Don’t Let Your Hair Down { Alka Gurha }

ost Gurgaon residents survive on ground water – for drinking, cleaning and bathing purposes. Water experts say that the water which is supplied has Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of more than 1000-1500 ppm (parts per million) in many areas. Due to such high TDS, people are compelled to install reverse osmosis water filters for drinking purposes. The white scaly deposit on the taps and utensils is a result of the hard water. Hardness indicates the concentration of calcium, magnesium and manganese in water. Let us today see how hard water affects your hair. The mineral deposit on your hair leaves behind a residue that’s difficult to wash out. Since soap and hard water do not mix, your shampoo doesn’t lather well, and coloured hair looks brassy. During the monsoons, when the humidity is high, hair is even more susceptible to hard water, and tends to become dull and frizzy. It becomes prone to tangles and hair breakage, due to the accumulation of minerals. Hard water can also affect your hair colour – natural or artificially enhanced. The mineral deposits attract and trap organic matter, such as grease and dirt. Your hair then becomes increasingly difficult to deal with. It becomes dull instead of glossy, loses its curl retention capability, and is more prone to the formation of snarls and tangles.

Hair Strands and Hard Water

is mixed with a paste made with cumin powder, cilantro leaves, mint leaves, and a little rock salt. Aam Panna is best enjoyed with ice, and a touch of mint leaf as garnish.

The hair cuticles, which are the outer layer covering that protect the hair shaft, are essentially overlapping layers of long scales that lie on the surface of the hair--much like shingles placed on a roof. Continually washing your hair in hard water can lead to mineral buildup on the hair shafts, and encourage the cuticle layers to remain open – making your hair feel coarse, brittle, dull and limp. Hair treatments for hard water can remove this residue from hair shafts, and help close the cuticles – allowing the hair to shine. Hair experts suggest a last rinse with cold filtered water, to close the hair cuticles and minimize the damage.

Mango fruit is rich in several nutrients, such as fibre, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. The peel is also rich in phytonutrients, such as carotenoids and polyphenols. Mango is an excellent source of Vitamin A, and flavonoids like beta-carotene, alpha carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. 100 grams of fresh fruit provide 765 mcg of Vitamin A, or 25% of the daily requirement – helping us to keep our eyes, mucous membranes and skin healthy. Mango is also a very good source of Vitamin C and potassium, providing 28 mg and 156 mg per 100 gm respectively. We can get nearly 10-12% of the daily requirement of Vitamin b6(pyridoxine) and copper from mangoes.

How to Deal with the Problem

One thing to watch out for is the caloric content – every 100 grams can pack 70-75 calories. Interestingly, although mango is high in natural sugars, it is low in glycemic load, and does not affect blood sugar. u Registered Holistic Nutritionist (Canadian School of Natural Nutrition) For education purposes only; always consult a healthcare practitioner for medical conditions

Applying the paste of Gram flour (Besan) mixed with curd on the body, before a bath, cleans and opens the pores of the skin. This helps in removing body odour.

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The best method for dealing with hard water is to prevent mineral build up in the first place. One can do this by utilising a good water filter, that removes the unwanted metal ions from the water. Installing a water filtration system to soften the household’s water supply is an expensive but convenient solution. Some filters attach directly to the shower head, and purify water not only from minerals, but also chlorine. As chlorine is also damaging to hair, this is a particularly hair-friendly investment. Consider installing a water softener or a shower filter, to prevent hair problems associated with hard water. If that’s not feasible, wash your hair with filtered water as and when possible. Another technique is to use A skin specialist working in cosmetic dermatology for a chelating shampoo regularthe last 10 years. ly – which has molecules such Dr. Avnish Sharma is a an eminent and respectable as EDTA, or acetic or citric skin specialist working in Gurgaon NCR for the last 10 acid. These acids bind with the years. He has worked as a Consultant Dermatologist in metals in the water as you are most of the leading hospitals in the NCR. At present, he washing your hair, and are then Dr. Avnish is the M.D. of Divine Look Laser Clinics, and Head of rinsed away, instead of depositSharma, Deptt. Dermatology, Neelkanth Hospital, along with his ing onto the surface of your hair. busy schedule as a private practitioner. He has always MBBS, These shampoos can be harsh, managed to make time for charitable institutions. He DVD, though, and should always be folis a part of Vishwa Jagriti Mission, Manav Sewa Trust, MDMC, lowed up with a good conditionand Nanda Charitable Trust, St. Marys Charitable FIADVL, er. Also, these shampoos may be Hospital – to serve the poor patients of society. He is an MIMA damaging to curly hair, if used executive member of Indian Medical Association. too often. Fortunately, there are some Dr. Sharma answers some important queries. shampoos that contain mild just before the 'event', to increase Q. Do lasers help in pimples surfactants, no added conditionthe glow; they are anti-aging as well. [acne]? ing agents, and acids that are A. Lasers reduce the size of thought to aid in removal of hard Q. Are there any side effects of sebaceous glands, reduce and water mineral build up. Ask a laser hair reduction? oiliness of skin, so helping in hair expert to help you purchase reducing the incidence of pimples, & A. We have experience of 12 years hair products specifically deon laser hair reduction. No major kreatotic plugging. signed to remove this mineral side effect has been reported under buildup from the hair. dermatologist supervision. Q. Do peels help in pimples? Alternatively, vinegar is What are jet peels? an effective and inexpensive Q. Do these inch loss RF A. Peels reduce kreatotic plugging product for dealing with hard machines work? and pimples, as well as reducing water buildup on your hair. A A. These machines break the scars and pigmentation. One must vinegar rinse can possibly help fat which gets excreted through also use a sunscreen with SPF 30 loosen mineral scales, and it defiPlus. Jet peels are 'party peels' done lymphatics, and cause fat loss. nitely helps dissolve some of the trapped organic matter that can Divine Look Skin Laser & Dental Clinics be lurking in the residue. Mega Mall and Sohna Road Your hair can definitely be Mobile 9810848526, www.divinelook.in soft and shiny again. u

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22-28 June 2012

Master Of My Fate Captain Of My Soul I

meet a couple of kids in Shaimak Davar’s dance classes every week. Being on the other side of 25, I call them kids now. Recently, they were elated when their XII Board’s exam results were announced. Some fared with a 90% and above. There was superb energy in the class that day. However, my dance partner seemed morose. She is otherwise a jovial 16 year old, always cheerful. After the class, while walking back, I asked her what was making her sad. I thought it was because she didn’t get good grades in the Boards, but was surprised to hear that she was amongst the top 10 in her class. Her concern was the upcoming entrance exams, and the counselling sessions that she was being forced into by her parents – despite her having no inclination to pursue engineering. She was more inclined for the fine arts. I suggested her a couple of good fine arts institutes in the country and abroad, but she kept mum. I did understand her dilemma. Most of us have been through this. Most of our parents dream that their kids will grow up and get into the IITs & IIMs of the world, and that will make them happy in life. I too have done my MBA, and work at an MNC in Gurgaon, earning a decent living for myself. But even after this, I feel that I was not born to do this. I am far away from doing that one thing that would truly satisfy me, and which I am really good at.

youth

Rohini, FISB

The best thing about Gurgaon is its spacious and green residential complexes, that they are located in quiet areas. Unlike Delhi, which is very cluttered, there is enough space to park cars. For a student, the City offers some of the best management institutes. At my college, FISB, the best faculty members from reputed institutes like IIM are invited.

speak Most of the people who compare Gurgaon with Mumbai, only make comparison between sky skyscrapers and luxury houses. However, it is never highlighted that the City has failed to provide basic facilities, such as electricity, water, and roads. Furthermore, it is a very costly city. That is why I am looking for a job in Pune or Mumbai, not in the Millennium City. Razia, Gurugram Institute of Management

Just take a moment and try to remember what your dream job as a child was. Are you are doing what you had dreamt? And if you are not, then why do you stop your kids from doing something they today dream to achieve? I always dreamt of being a dancer. Till my teens I was trained in classical dance, for 7 long years. I was gifted, the stage was my Mecca; and at the age of twelve, I was confident enough to perform solo in front of an audience of 400 – without any inhibition and nervousness. Every time I was on stage I felt alive, as if at that moment the universe was conspiring to help me achieve my dream – exactly the way Yuvraj Singh must have felt after he had hit six sixes in one over! I was keen to pursue my passion all my life, but my skills were not honed at the right time – they were suppressed. Hence, today, my brain works for an MNC, but my heart lies somewhere else. I am sure we all understand the difference between “working for a living” and “working for our passion”. It is also true that there are a lot of people who have turned their passion into their career. These people are different, they are inspiring, they teach us that taking risk is worth it – because it makes you happy, it brings out your passion. And when you passionately take up something, success is bound to follow. Lucky are those who get the encouragement to pursue their passion from childhood; very few people have the courage to take the risk of coming back to chase their dreams. There are people like Piyush Pandey, my coach at Reebok Cross fit, Gurgaon, and the Founder & Director of Himalaya Cross fit, New Delhi. A former winner of the Delhi State Fly Weight Boxing Championship, he is a Fitness Guru today. He left a career at the corporate world, and went back to pursue his passion for fitness. He introduced Cross fit—a hugely successful art of fitness all across the world—to India, for the first time in 2011. Today he is training more than 200 Gurgaonites the art of Cross fit, at DT Mega Mall, DLF I. He tells me his journey wasn’t easy – from a career at an MNC, to an Event Management Company, to Cross fit. But since when has anything worth achieving been easy in life? He says that seeing his own creation expand and grow rapidly is as satisfying as seeing his kids grow up. It is probably rightly said that when you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. American author and philosopher George Sheehan rightly says “Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” I urge all the parents reading this article to stop for a minute to think if they are snatching away their kids’ dreams. I am not advocating that you let your kids go astray; but they need guidance, support and encouragement to hone their gifts. It’s sad, but by pressurising kids to generate degrees we are making future employees out of them – and not future leaders. My learning says that success and happiness is not just measured by degrees and designations; ultimately it tastes sweetest when you put your mind, heart & soul into your work, and then see the results. I am very close to fulfilling one of my cherished dreams, by performing on stage after 10 long years. Believe me, there is no better happiness & satisfaction than living out your dream. Let’s teach our younger generation to be the “master of their own fate, and the captain of their soul”…

Lipi Patel

Y oung A dult Begin At Home 17-year-old Juhi Baweja gets home from school and logs on to Facebook, to find that a Youtube video has taken her news feed by storm. It features a seemingly non-profit organisation, that is working to get Kony, an African warlord, convicted – and the video is full of pictures of innocent children being mauled and harassed. The leader of the organisation informs all viewers at the end that each and every one of them can help stop the violence by sharing the link and tagging their friends. Overwhelmed with anger at the brutal treatment of the children, Juhi immediately shares the link, tags all her friends, ‘likes’ the protest event pages, and even sets her status to: “Kony is an evil man and he should be stopped!” She then goes to get a snack, satisfied that she has done her part to save the children of Africa. The rest of the Internet welcomes this ‘movement’ with open arms. Blogs, Tweets and Facebook updates pour in from all corners of the world. Teenagers adopt the cause, and say it has opened their eyes to the real world. Youtube sees a barrage of videos uploaded by protesters in various cities, across continents, and everyone vows that 2012 is the year that Kony’s atrocities will be terminated. A few weeks later, posts related to the issue have dwindled. A latest post reads ‘Hey, what happened to Kony?’ The ‘armchair activists’ - educated, young individuals – continue to forward such emails (next hoping to prevent HIV), and tag themselves in photos (say, to raise awareness about the environment). Yet their concern perhaps lasts only as long as the battery life of their laptops. Their own lifestyles are comfortable – and sometimes extravagant; and ‘supporting movements’, using social media, makes them confident that they have fulfilled their responsibility to society.

In defence of social media, it must be said that it is an excellent way to raise awareness. Last year we saw the impact of it on the Jasmine Revolution in the Middle East – the protesters used Twitter to inform each other about the whereabouts of the police. But the difference between that movement, and Internet ‘movements’ to raise awareness, is that it went further than posting updates - it involved getting out on the streets, and not relenting till the uprising’s goal was achieved. If we care about planet Earth, it means making serious changes in our lifestyles. I don’t want to sound preachy, because I’ve been a bit of an armchair activist as well. The truth is that there’s a hint of him/her in all of us - we all want to make the world a happy, peaceful place, full of rainbows. But this has been reduced to a passing fad today; young people ‘care’ because it’s fashionable to. To my fellow students and members of the youth, may I suggest that we first read up on the issue, form an opinion, maybe discuss with someone – and then share, tag, like... Or better yet, begin at home. Get out there and volunteer with an NGO, while still 'worrying' about Africa.

Jayesha Koushik

22-28 June 2012

G lobal 21 Dallas Is Back

{ Chris Melzer / Dallas, Texas / DPA }

“G

Sven Hoppe

od watches everything, except Dallas,” critics said in the 1980s. However, millions of people did watch the TV series, and it made a place for the city, in cultural history. Today’s 30-somethings may find it hard to imagine that anyone would predict the collapse of civilization, based upon a television show about sex and other intrigues among the rich. Now, however, the cowboy hat can come out of the closet: Dallas is back, with many of its original stars. The resurrected series returned to US television screens on June 13. The story of the Ewings—their Texan oil empire and their feud with the equally rich Barnes family—was intended to be just a mini-series. However, its five parts were so successful, in 1978, that producers turned it into a real series – thinking it might last one or two years. Instead, Dallas lasted 13 seasons – becoming the most successful TV series of the 1980s. The cliffhangers at the end of each season became legendary. In 1980, when the evil JR—the nemesis of his nicer brother Bobby—was shot, everyone spent the next nine months wondering, “who shot JR?” Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan campaigned with the tonguein-cheek slogan: “It was a Democrat!” The episode that delivered FAVE ROLE: Larry Hagman, the answer was watched by a who plays the role of J.R. Ewrecord 76 per cent of the TV ing in Dallas. audience. In Turkey, a Parliament session was interrupted, for legislators to learn the crucial news. From a viewer’s standpoint, however, not everything was right in Dallas. The women always woke up with perfect hair, and makeup already on. Without explanation, the actress who played mother Ewing was suddenly replaced; and then just as unexpectedly returned. And it verged on the ridiculous when, at the end of an entire season, everything that had happened in the previous 31 episodes - including Bobby’s death - was washed away with a single sentence from Pam. “I had a nightmare, a terrible nightmare,” she said. “None of that happened,” Bobby reassured her. That was also part of the series’ 'charm'. And now the Ewings are back, and the Barnes are joining them. Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy return as JR and Bobby; although it is their sons, both played by actors known for their work in Desperate Housewives, who now take the leading roles. It is not surprising that John Ross Ewing III (played by Josh Henderson) is a greedy bully, while Bobby’s son Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe) is again the good guy, who invests in green energy. “It was my meemaw’s favorite show,” says Henderson, a Dallas-area native, referring to his grandmother. “The fact that I’m now JR’s son, it’s surreal,” he says. The rest of the cast is also excited. “We’re going to be as weird and dysfunctional as ever,” says Linda Gray, who again plays Sue Ellen. Hagman, who likes to say he will be JR until the day he dies, is optimistic. “I want to do Dallas for another 13 years,” he says. “By then I’ll be 94, and that will be it.” u

Shorts Are In

{ Christopher Ratter / Berlin / DPA }

horts have long been a nonstarter among European men, because they were considered childish – and even tasteless. Men would rather sweat through the hot weather than put them on. But this summer, shorts in a variety of colours, patterns and combinations are gaining acceptance in men’s fashion – making them a must-have for the warm weather months. Before considering shorts, European men have to dispel the stereotype of a vacationer – wearing dumpy shorts, flip-flops and a T-shirt (that lets part of his belly show) – a nightmare for anyone who cares about fashion. They also have to stop thinking of shorts as a garment for kids. Berlin-based fashion Consultant Bernhard Roetzel says boys could always wear shorts. However, as they got older, that changed. “Long pants used to be an expression of maturity. It was like an honour to reach the right age to wear them,”

says Roetzel. Long pants still represent a certain seriousness; but in 2012, there has been a change in the way shorts are viewed. Men’s fashion is becoming more casual, while also orientating itself toward classic, conservative looks. “These attitudes are coming back in fashion. We are noticing very bourgeoise clothing, with a bias toward conservatism, in the youth sphere,” says Gerd Mueller-Thomkins, of the German Fashion Institute. Shorts embody the split between nonchalance and elegance, the best. Above all else, they represent youth. Combined with a blazer, they symbolise masculine freedom and elegance. While sporting shorts, men are beginning to wear sports coats over T-shirts – or over a shirt and tie. It sounds unusual, but it’s a look that has already arrived in the fashion metropolises of the world. Men who like to dress elegantly reach for Bermuda shorts, a classic in men’s shorts fashion. They are being shown

on ramps in Milan and New York, combined with classy shirt, tie and sports coat outfits. These designer shorts have little to do with the legendary surfer shorts seen on the beach. They look more like suit pants that have been shortened. Shorts are being neatly combined with another trend of summer: printed shirts, in a style that was popular in the ‘50s – including the Hawaiian look, or floral and paisley. Men who select bold colours, or loud prints, should choose plainer shorts. Plaid is also popular. Long established as a pattern for shirts, plaid has become very popular for shorts – and it goes especially well with plain shirts. But every fashion trend has its limits: for example, men with pale legs should stay away from strong colours, says Roetzel. “Generally, you should make sure the colour of the shorts is similar to that of long pants; and check that it matches your skin tone,” she says. “Men with darker skin should wear strong colours.” u

Office Attire For Women { Britta Schmeis / Berlin / DPA }

he styles and colours of the suits worn by people in upper management are often the same, no matter what the industry. Similarly, there are seemingly universal rules for what shouldn’t be worn in the office. However, there are ways to discreetly perk up pinstripes and dark suits. Managers—both male and female—prefer anthracite and dark blue, because they want to appear serious. They are right to do so, says style Consultant and Psychologist, Lisa Zimmermann. There are many rules that apply to the way female business managers should dress. One absolute no-no is any fabric that has a transparent quality, says style expert Andreas Rose. Ulrike Mayer, who runs a textile operation in Germany, says the long-standing rules against extremely high heels

and tight clothing also still apply. “Women must always make sure they don’t appear too sexy; and, at the same time, don’t look too severe in a pantsuit,” she says. There’s also only a little bit of room to

play with colour, when it comes to business attire. The less colour, the more serious the effect, goes the rule of thumb. But a spot of colour can be integrated into a classic business outfit. “A colour that is

currently in style, or a blouse with a graphic pattern that is currently in, can be worn underneath a suit or outfit,” says Zimmermann. “Ideally, the pattern begins under the breast, so that it disappears when the blazer is buttoned.” Generally, colours that work well are nudes, pastels and sorbet tones. Firetruck red and grass green usually don’t work. “Less is more” is a rule that also goes for choosing jewellery, says Zimmermann. Ideally, only one piece of discreet jewellery should be worn. Fashion experts agree that a basic business wardrobe should start with a few high-quality pieces, that can be mixed and matched and varied. For women, this includes blouses

with various necklines. Also, collars of classic blouses shouldn’t be worn over the blazer. Female managers, who are not the chief executives, can wear a cardigan or twin set. Another hot style is a classic pencil skirt with a high waist. Stay away from skirts with fringed seams. Also, women should always wear stockings when they wear skirts in the office. Shoes, belts and scarves can also be used to accent office attire. “Highly fashionable trends are usually misplaced in an office setting, especially in upper management,” says Rose. That is, unless a woman is very high up in a corporation. “She can then afford to be a little extravagant – but not in every industry.” u

22 { Andreas Landwehr / Los Cabos, Mexico / DPA }

urope’s debt problems are taking centre stage at the Group of 20 Summit, while the developing world sinks deeper into poverty, as a direct result of the financial crisis affecting the economies of the industrialized countries. Aid organizations, on the fringes of the Los Cabos Summit, have issued warnings of a “vicious downward spiral”. They are urging the leaders of the world’s richest and most powerful nations not to lose sight of the plight of the poor and hungry – when they meet again in the plush Mexican resort soon. “The financial crisis has been caused by the richest countries, but the world’s poorest countries are bearing

Parking Struggles { Sarah Huenting and Andreas Landwehr / Beijing / DPA }

here are only enough parking spaces for every second car in the Chinese capital, Beijing. The City has five million vehicles, and just 2.48 million parking spaces. The

22-28 June 2012

Aid Groups Warning Oxfam’s Joern Kalinski notes that a decline in consumer confidence in prosperous industrialized countries has resulted in “massive falls in exports” for poorer nations. Foreign investment is also in steep decline. Like many children of impoverished families, The crisis, coupled Ibudo Asseta, 14, is forced to work for a living. with job losses, also means that mithe largest burden,” says Silvia grant workers in the rich counHolten of the children’s charity, tries are barely able to transfer World Vision. She adds that these funds to their families at home, poor countries were not in a posi- Kalinski says. This is an important faction to cause this kind of chaos, and demands a rescue package tor in the economies of many countries, as transfers amount for the poor and starving. situation is at its worst in Beijing’s shopping centres, where multi-storey car parks often have lines of vehicles waiting outside. Along with rising standards of living in China, comes the desire to own a car. But the dream of mobility often ends in a traffic jam – for most of Beijing’s 20 million inhabitants. There were

about three million vehicles in the city at the time of the 2008 Olympics. Today that number has reached five million. “It should take me only five to 10 minutes to drive the four kilometres to work,” says 32-year-old Zhang Li. But in Beijing’s morning rush-hour traffic, the trip can take up to an hour “when it’s really bad.” Her office does supply parking to employees, but when she returns home, Zhang has to search for a place to leave her car. “Parking places in our garage are expensive, and cost 200,000 Yuan to buy.” That’s the equivalent of 31,500 dollars, and far more than the cost of Zhang’s car! “A parking place at my parents’ costs 300,000 Yuan, even though they live in a suburb outside the city.” A new law is being planned, that will introduce a parking concept for the City. High land prices, and Beijing’s construction boom, make it difficult to supply enough parking, according to

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to as much as 300 billion dollars a year, or more than twice the total of development aid, he says. Aid totalled around 133 billion dollars in 2011. Budgetary cutbacks in the industrialized countries have also resulted in a decline in funding for development aid last year, for the first time in 14 years. The billions pledged have often not been paid out, and although more than half of the world’s poorest live in G20 countries, it is already clear that there is a lack of political will to tackle these problems in an effective way, when the leaders meet. The aid organizations are talking of yet another “missed opportunity”, that they suspect will also be the case at the UN’s Rio+20 Sustainable Development Summit – that takes place immediately after the G20. The

contents of the closing declaration on “the future we want” remain largely undecided, with the global financial crisis being the perpetual excuse for rejecting demands for funding – even though economic growth in the developing world could certainly provide a boost to the global economy. This is despite the fact that the rich countries set out a plan of action at the G20 London Summit—a year after the financial crisis broke in 2008—calling for “strong, sustainable and balanced growth.” Three years down the line, there is little but disillusion. The plan “brought few results,” according to Kalinski. “The gap between rich and poor is widening across the world,” he says. It has not been as wide in the past 30 years - especially in the G20 countries.u

Cui Dongshu, Deputy General Secretary of China’s Motoring Association. “Beijing’s car market is developing too fast.” “We must encourage people to take public transport more often,” says Gu Yuanli, a professor at Jiaotong University. He would like to see parking facilities provided at stops in the

suburbs – where drivers could then board public transport. Until now there has been only slow progress in that direction, but there is hope: by the end of last year, the number of Beijing residents going to work by public transport increased from 39.7 to 42 per cent. u

A Pain In The Neck { Hazel Parry / Hong Kong / DPA }

t’s rush hour in Hong Kong, and the mass transit coach is full of commuters, many of them frozen in an almost identical stance. Their heads are down, with shoulders hunched, as their tap away on a mobile phone in their hand. To Hong Kong chiropractor Sophia Ng, it is an alltoo-common sight seen in cafes, on park benches, and even among people walking down the street. Ng and her colleagues blame that posture for a series of aches and pains they’re seeing increasingly these days – and which they call iPhone Syndrome. “These are degenerative conditions previously associated with people in their 40s and 50s; but now we are seeing an increasing number of cases among people in their 30s, and even younger. I have already heard of teenagers developing iPhone Syndrome,” Ng says. “The first symptom people might experience is that the muscles tire in their neck and shoulders. If they don’t correct this bad posture, they will start to have pain, which, in the long term, could lead to degenerative arthritis,” says Ng. Long-term effects could include bone spurs in the neck joint, which could impinge nerves, causing numbness in the wrist and fingers. “Using smartphones while standing on the train is even worse, because all your muscles tense as you try to balance yourself. It also affects your eyes, which have to work harder to focus. For children

whose eyes are still developing, it can be really bad.” A survey released this month by the Hong Kong Multisports Association found that 95 per cent of 1,532 adults interviewed had suffered neck and back problems in the last 12 months. The survey also found that one

of three people use their tablet computers and smartphones for more than four hours a day. Josephine Ip, a Professor of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at the University of Hong Kong, is also seeing more patients as a result of phone overuse. “Once you have an overuse problem, it can take weeks to recover; and during this time, your working capacity will be decreased. If you don’t manage it properly and if there is an inflammatory response, you have an increased chance of repeated episodes of pain. You may need physiotherapy, or an injection, to control the inflammation; or in the worst scenario, you may need an operation,” says Ip. It is important not to ignore such pains. “My advice to anyone using a smartphone is to keep an upright posture. Try not to flex the spine too much, keep it in a neutral position; and use fingers, not thumbs, to type,” says Ip. u

22-28 June 2012

{ Chris Melzer / Jasper, Canada / DPA }

ne item in this list does not seem to belong: Rocky Mountains, National Park, protected animals, motorcycles. Yet, in Jasper, all these do fit together. The small town of 5,000, in the Canadian province of Alberta, is offering excursions into the park—a declared UNESCO World Natural Heritage site—on Harley-Davidson motorcycles with sidecars. Jasper is already something of the world capital for recreational vehicles. And it’s no wonder. Some of the mostphotographed scenes in all of Canada hail from the Jasper National Park region surrounding the town – which was founded 199 years ago as a fur trading outpost.

Rock The Bikes

A Home Workout Studio

{ Maria Fiedler / Berlin / DPA }

ipping into the fitness studio after work often remains an unfulfilled intention. Either something has to be done at home, or the studio suddenly seems too out of the way. And once you are home, you cannot drag yourself out again; so workouts are left to the weekends, if at all. This is regrettable, because regular exercise is essential for a healthy cardiovascular system, according to Hans Bloss, a Sports Scientist, who has also authored a number of fitness books. There is a way, however, to conquer one’s weaker self – setting up a home workout studio. The basic equipment doesn’t have to be expensive. “An exercise mat, a few dumbbells weighing from three to five kilograms, and a cardio machine are often sufficient,” Bloss says. It is important that both strength and endurance training be possible.

Bloss recommends the purchase of an elliptical trainer, which has the particular advantage—in contrast to an exercise bike—of letting you train your upper body and arms along with your legs. He advises against a treadmill, saying it puts a heavy strain on the joints, especially the knees and hips. It is also important that the elliptical trainer have a pulse meter, and various adjustable programmes. He is also less than enthusiastic about rowing machines. “It’s not the best choice, particularly for beginners, because you get back pain if you don’t pay close attention to your posture,” he warns. For strength training, Refit Kamberovic, Managing Director of the German Sports Studio Association, recommends an adjustable flat bench, barbells and dumbbells. A multi-functional fitness machine is another possibility. The workout area should be wellventilated, because large amounts of

Lake Maligne, Medicine Lake and the Athabasca River are places of such wondrous natural beauty, that they seem almost unreal. Jasper is, accordingly, a favourite with tourists. Bowen Dolhan rents out motorcycles to them. “We offer a lot more freedom,” he says. “A car has a roof, windshields and a chassis. That is a cage! A motorcycle is complete freedom, and nothing blocks your view.” The tour runs straight through the National Park, but always on paved roads. But do a national park and heavy motorcycles fit together?

oxygen are used quickly during exercise, so a windowless room in a basement is unsuitable. An attic is not ideal either, because it quickly heats up in summer. Before starting a workout, it is important to have a professional explain the correct use of the equipment. A personal trainer, Kamberovich says, can draw up a workout regimen and prescribe the right programmes, resistances and weights. Warming up well before workouts helps prevent injury to tendons and joints. Lifting an excessive amount of weight should be avoided. As a rule of thumb, Reer says “the piece of equipment, or weight, is set correctly if you can lift it 15 to 20 times.” Care should be taken that the heart rate does not get too high on the cardio machines. “You arrive at the ideal heart rate by subtracting your age from 180,” Bloss says. “Fat is burned optimally only if you regularly exercise in line with the 180 formula.” Two to three 30- to 45-minute workouts a week are sufficient, he says. u

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“It might seem to be a contradiction at first glance,” Dolhan says. “But the fuel consumption of our Harleys is better than that of a car. They are lighter and smaller than a car. And especially so when compared to a recreational vehicle.” Nor, he adds, do animals have a problem with the bikers, or vice versa. Rob Logan, one of his drivers, lists the animals to be seen on a tour: “Elks, stags, roe deer, foxes, beavers, reindeer - and over and over, bears.” Rob is also a tour guide, one who makes stops along the way, for people to take pictures of the landscape. u

What's Your Game?

{ Tobias Hanraths / Los Angeles / DPA }

For 2012, the focus will be football, car races and shoot-em-up adventures. Fifa 13, the latest XBox version utilizes the movement-controlled Kinect controller. Wreckateer, a downloadable game. Fable: The Journey can be played while seated. Dance Central 3, where all body parts are called upon. Shooter game Halo 4 and racing game Forza Horizon. Forza Horizon allows players to try out the usual luxury cars, They can race freely through an electronic world. Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale is a fighting game, where various characters from the Sony universe can compete. Assassin’s Creed 3. Resident Evil 6. Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Medal of Honor: Warfighter, u

22-28 June 2012

G -scape Prakhar Pandey / Jit kumar

Pataudi Road

Palam Vihar

NH 8- Kherki Dhaula

Old Delhi Road-Kapashera

All Roads Lead To Gurgaon

Sohna Road

NH 8-Sirhaul

Faridabad Road

MG Road