Vol. 1 No. 37 Pages 24 ` 7 RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319

4–10 May 2012

Date: May 5 to May 13 Time: Monday to Thursday (All Day)

Besides mexican delicacies on the menu, the [v] Spot

Café+Bar brings a Mexican flavour to its decor, to celebrate and enjoy nine days of Cinco de Mayo Fiesta – a day celebrated on May 5 in the US and Mexico.

WorkshopSugarcraft Cake Decoration Workshop@ Hotel Comfort Inn, Sector 5Date: May 4 to May 6Time: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm

Atwo-day baking workshop, where participants will learn the art of

cake decoration.

Art Little Temples To The Road – France@ Alliance Francaise, S-24/8, M. G. Road, DLF Phase IIIDate: Till May 26Time: 11 am to 7 pm

An exhibition of photographs, illustrations, and sculptures by a

freelance artist, and an art director Alexis Boucher.

NightlifeRabbi Shergill Live @ Vapour, MGF Mega City Mall, MG RoadDate: May 10Time: 9 pm

W atch Rabbi Shergill live at Vapour. For more information,

call: 9582555608.

02 4–10 May 2012 Coming Up

Editor: Atul Sobti

Sr. Correspondent: Abhishek Behl

Correspondents: Hritvick Sen Maninder Dabas

Sr. Photographers: Prakhar Pandey Jit Kumar

Sr. Sub Editors: Anita Bagchi Shilpy Arora

Designers: Manoj Raikwar Virender Kumar

Sr. Circulation Execs.: Himanshu Vats Syed Mohd Komail

Circulation Execs.: Pankaj Yadav Sunil Yadav

Accts. & Admin Mgr: Deba Datta Pati

Head – Sales & Marketing: Ankit Srivastava

Ad Sales Manager: Lokesh Bharadwaj

Sr. Ad Sales Exec: Bhagwat Kaushik

Consulting Art Editor: Qazi M Raghib

Editorial Office213, Tower A, Spazedge, Sector 47, Sohna Road, Gurgaon 122001, HaryanaPhones: +91 124 421 9091/92/93

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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.

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RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2012-2014VOL.–1 No.–37 4–10 May 2012

WORKSHOP THEATRE NIGHTLIFE MUSIC ART

Art Iconographic Investigations@ Nature Morte, The Oberoi, 443, Udyog Vihar Phase VDate: Till May 20Time: 11 am to 9 pm

A painting Exhibition by Ajay Desai, Arunkumar HG, Olivia Fraser,

and Michael Buhler.

MusicHindustani Classical Vocal Recital@ Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44Date: May 10Time: 7:30 pm

A Hindustani Classical vocal recital by Pandit Geetesh Mishra, disci-

ple of Pandit Mahesh Prasad Mishra, followed by Classical Sarod recital by Shri Rajeeb Chakraborty. The event is presented by Pandit Mahesh Prasad Cultural Foundation.

NightlifeLucky Ali Live@ Striker, Global Foyer, Golf Course Road, Sector 43Date: May 10Time: 8 pm

A live concert by renowned singer Lucky Ali. For more information,

call 08130200166.

NightlifeDJ Nick Live@ Ninety Nine, Sushant Lok I

Date: May 4 & May 5Time: 7 pm

A retro night with DJ Nick.

NightlifeSufi Night with DJ Aditya@ SPOT, Ground Floor, Tower B, Global Business Park, MG Road Date: May 10Time: 7 pm

E enjoy the soul stirring Sufi compositions, dished out by

DJ Aditya.

TheatreChinese Coffee@ Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44Date: May 12 & May 13Time: 7:30 pmDuration: 110 minutesTickets: Rs. 350 and Rs. 250

Directed by Danish Husain, the Play is based on friendship –

and the loss of it.

WorkshopTulleeho Cocktail Gurukul@ Nirvana Patio Club, Nirvana Country, Sector-50Date: May 12Time: 11:30 am to 1:30 pm

A cocktail making workshop by Tulleeho, an Institute that pro-

vides beverage education and train-ing services in India. The workshop will cover: introduction to bever-ages, cocktail classification, basics of spirits, setting up a home bar, cocktail equipment and glassware, garnishes, drink styles, cocktail party tips, great bar snack ideas, respon-sible drinking and hangover tips, and where to buy cocktail paraphernalia. For more information, call: 09650422424.

WorkshopWESAK Full Moon - Celebration of Light@ Zorba the Buddha, 7, Tropical Drive, GhitorniDate: May 6Time: 5 pm to 8 pm

A spiritual Workshop conducted by Shalini Kalra Jacob, a metaphysi-

cal Counsellor and a self empower-ment Coach. For more information, call – 97113 25000.

Summer Extravaganza for Kids@ BluO, Level 4, National Highway 8, DLF Phase IIIDate: April 2 to June 28Time: Monday to Thursday (All Day)

Enjoy music, food, bowling, and dancing activities at BluO. Kids

can fiash their report cards at the bowling counter, and bowl their way to glory at a discount – based on the marks scored by them.

Exhibition-Cum-SaleBudh Purnima Celebration@ Episode, 203, Galaxy Tower, Sector 15, Part IIDate: May 6Time: 11 am

To honour the universally revered Buddha, Episode presents an

Exhibition-cum-Sale of artefacts displaying the different avatars of Buddha.

ArtFaith@ Art Alive Gallery, Sector 44 Date: May 12Time: 11 am to 7 pm

A painting exhibition by Manu Parekh, curated by Annapurna

Garimella.

FoodMexican Fiesta@ The [v] Spot Café+Bar, Cross Point Mall, DLF Phase IV

road sense and manners, like their civic cousins, are con-spicuous by their absence.

The Gurgaon traffic depart-ment, despite being short of manpower and resources, is try-ing to manage this mess. It is using the force of Facebook to control the flux that is visible on Gurgaon roads.

Believe it or not – the Face-book page run by Gurgaon Traffic Police (GTP) is one of the most popular pages on the social media concern-ing the Millennium City. An initiative of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traf-fic) Bharti Arora, the social media campaign was start-ed on October 1, 2010. Since than it has witnessed a steady growth in traffic, visibility and commentary.

Vol. 1 No. 37 Pages 24 ` 7 RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319

4–10 May 2012

Contd on p 9

Contd on p 8

The Higher We Go The Harder We Fall?

{ Maninder Dabas / FG }

Unpredictability has its own charm, and it has been fascinating humanity for

centuries. But when it comes to nature’s unpredictable nature, fear looms and terror envelopes the whole of humanity. Oceans are unpredictable, and so is the land. Be it Tsunami, Flood, Cyclone, or Earthquake – each time one of these massive natural forces strikes, humanity realises its impotence. The Earthquake, being the supreme commander of all natural forces, is the most feared and unpredictable threat. Whenever there is a slight shift in the tectonic foundations miles below the earth’s surface, the foundations of human existence start getting a reality check. Gurgaon, despite being in seismic Zone IV, has hundred of high-rises, glitzy malls and

tsunami in 2004.Before getting deeper into the

earthquake, and its possibilities of damaging human existence, let’s understand the background.

Seismic Zone IV: Earthquakes occur due to movements along faults, that have evolved through geograph-ical and tectonic processes. Often they occur without any prior warning – and are, there-fore, unpredictable. On the basis of occurrence of earth-quakes of different intensities, the Nation Building Code of India has divided the coun-try into five seismic zones. Zone V is the highest risk zone, where earthquakes having a magnitude of 9 or more can take place. In Zone IV, the magnitude remains from 8 to 9 range on the Richter scale.

other commercial buildings, that have become a souvenir of its inexorable rise. Apart from the Sohna fault, which is believed to be mainly responsible for any earthquake in Gurgaon and the surrounding region, the major tectonic features affecting Gurgaon are: Junction of Aravali and Alluvium near Delhi, Moradabad Fault, Delhi-Moradabad Fault, and Delhi-Haridwar Fault. So are we safe enough in these heavens-brushing sky-rises? Is the technology being used in the construction good enough to stand and bear the shifting of those tectonic plates? These are the questions that haunt our psyche, especially after any earthquake nearby. Despite the promises made by builders, there is a constant risk that looms under our feet – because unpredictability is the mother of

disasters after all. “Buildings taller than 17

metres in the National Capital Region (NCR) areas are vul-nerable to earthquakes; and it doesn’t matter what sort of technology one has used in the construction, it would be very tough for a building to bear an earthquake of the magnitude of 7 or 8. There are today about 100 tall buildings in the Delhi municipal area, and an equal number in the near-by areas of Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. And if an earthquake comes with an epicentre even upto 500 km away – in Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhand’s Himalayan region – there is a strong pos-sibility that the NCR would crumble,” says Arun Bapat, the famous seismologist who had predicted the Sumatran quake that caused the deadly

{ Abhishek Behl / FG }

W ith millions of members, Facebook has become a force to be reckoned

with; and even governments are recognising its power to galvan-ise the community. This social media tool is bringing people together as one huge body, with truly remarkable ramifications. It has inspired revolutions in the Middle East. Closer home, in Gurgaon, it is being used to control the chaos on the City roads (that perhaps needs more than a revolution).

Gurgaon has a unique mix of vehicles, on its mostly poor roads. Huge auto trailers jostle with cycle-rickshaws, and large trucks carrying construction material jostle with shared-au-tos – that stop anywhere (and have no tail light). To top it all,

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{Inside}Born to be Dumped

Infant girls are now being unfortunately abandoned

regularly. In this boy crazy society, is there no hope for the girl child? Millennium Citizens cannot sit idly by.

...Pg 9

DLF’s New Avatar

DLF is increasingly looking to play the role

of a Private Municipality. It may be inspired by corporate gain, but it clearly has benefit for the public.

...Pg 10

Pataudi Palace Restored

A tête a tête with Francis Wacziarg, of Neemrana

fame, who, alongwith Aman Nath, has restored 28 of India's heritage sites.

...Pg 17

The Tarot Spreads

Take a shot at divining your future, with a spread

of the Tarot Cards....Pg 18

Full Speed Ahead in Gurgaon

Nayan Raheja, Executive Director of the Raheja

Group, has implicit faith in the future of the City, and is moving at great speed in the new sectors also.

...Pg 20

P3

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The Likeable ace

Sufi icon Sonam Kalra mesmerized the audience with her soulful renditions at the Amphitheatre, Biodiversity Park. Her soul-stirring voice, and her graceful personality and confidence, kept

the audience glued for two hours. She started with “Ik Onkar,” and then performed varied genres of western music – including classical, opera, jazz, and gospel. Sonam Kalra is a vocalist whose skills span both Western and Indian musical traditions. She is trained in Indian classical music under Shubha Mudgal and Sarathi Chatterjee, and has also studied under the noted tenor, Hur Chul Yung, soprano Situ Singh Bueller, and gospel singer Ashley Clement in Singapore. The event was a part of Gurgaon Utsav.

Zygo was jam-packed when Punjabi rapper Honey Singh

performed at the club recently. When Honey appeared near the DJ console, a roar went up from the crowd. The singer dished out his famous Punjabi numbers, and the audience enjoyed his performance till the wee hours. Honey seems to be in love with the City, as it was his third performance here in the past four months.

Honey Buzzers @ Zygo

Anniversary With a Cause21 Gun Salute, a restaurant in Sector 29, celebrated its first anniversary in a special way. The

Restaurant organised a ‘Bring A Smile’ lunch, exclusively hosted for underprivileged kids. Children suffering from cancer, and having other disabilities were invited. Well-escorted in Deneb & Pollex’s fleet of luxury cars, the kids visited the Restaurant, and were treated with royal cuisines. Over 50 such children from organisation like Khushii, Soch in Gurgaon, Cancer Patients Aid Association, took part in the ride.

Volkswagen, Sohna RoadVolkswagen, Europe’s leading car manufacturer, inaugurated

its second showroom in the City, on Sohna Road. Member of the Board & Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Neeraj Garg, said “Opening of this dealership is not just a number, but it reaffirms our faith in the India growth story.” The new showroom has a capacity to display 10 cars, has 12 bays for service, and a body shop with a state-of- art accidental repair and body paint workshop.

Soulful Sonam

04 4–10 May 2012 Celeb Watch

4–10 May 2012 05Celeb Watch

Jannat at IskateThe star cast of the forthcoming

movie Jannat 2 – Imraan Haashmi, Isha Gupta, Kunal Deshmukh, along with the producer Mahesh Bhatt, unveiled the first look of “Sonu Dilli KKC” – played by Imraan Haashmi – for the media, at Iskate, Ambience Mall. Actor Imran Haashmi and Isha Gupta showcased live scenes from the movie, and indulged in thrilling adventure games. The stars were then seen having a gala time in the lounge.

Toni&Guy in the CityA UK-based hairdressing brand,

Toni & Guy, while flagging off its spanking new address in the Cross Point Mall, DLF Phase IV, unveiled the Spring Summer 2012 looks. Miss India Universe 2011, Vasuki Sun-kavalli, couturier, Charu Parasher, designer Chandni Singh of Seohara, and young home-maker Garima Nag-pal were invited to enjoy a hair make-over session. The stylists present at the saloon showcased hair styles that go with formal Indian, classic western, bohemian resort, and preppy west-ern wear. Toni & Guy is one of the top hairdressing brands in the world, offering training in hairdressing and innovative hair styles and colour. The event was hosted by Sonali Bhambri and Shiv Bhambri.

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06 4–10 May 2012 Reviews

FOOD

{ Aalok Wadhwa }

The V Spot Café Bar has ev-erything going for it. It is situ-

ated in a mall that is becoming an extended restaurant. It has been started by a music channel that has the heavy backing of Rupert Murdoch. And it calls itself the of-ficial spot for the Delhi Daredevils IPL team. I am here to find out how cool the experience is.

One thing is evident—the Café is sparing no tricks in its effort to be spunky. From the perplexing large cut-out of Tendulkar (given its professed proclivity towards the Delhi team), to the foosball table, to the funky napkins and the cheeky table mats, the serious marketing effort put in is clearly evident.

I have studied the menu on their website, and look forward to trying their chilled tomato and melon gazpacho, and the legendary railway cutlets. But I am in for a disap-pointment. The menu here is an abridged version of what ex-ists in cyberspace. I struggle for choices with this sparse menu, that has a preponderance of fried stuff – presumably to go with the drinks. Thankfully I do find some options that sound promising.

The first dish I decide to try is the Mumbai Irani restaurant staple, kheema pau (Rs. 175). The kheema is light and piquant, and

Spunky SpotBOOK

{ Alka Gurha }

The leader of Myanmar’s de-mocracy movement, Aung San

Suu Kyi, has fascinated people with her petite frame, dainty ap-pearance, and yet an indomitable will. Throughout the world, she is associated with a peaceful strug-gle for democracy, and human rights. But what propelled her, what drives her, to make such enormous personal sacrifices for her country? Jesper Bengts-son presents a vivid portrait of a political activist who has spent more than fifteen years in captivity. He chronicles her background as the daughter of Burma’s liberation hero Aung San, the years she spent in England and New York, and her return to Burma in the 1980s.

In many ways this biography is also the story of Myanmar (Burma) in the late 20th and early 21st cen-turies, with Suu Kyi playing a lead role. First placed under house ar-rest in 1989, separated from her husband and two children, Suu Kyi has remained a unifying figure and activist for Burma’s democracy movement. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, she saw her reputation and her international stature grow, the longer she was under house arrest. Upon her re-lease in November 2010, she immediately took up her work with the democracy movement, and proved that she remains the most important political force in Myanmar.

Suu Kyi’s detractors accuse her of being arrogant or stubborn; but Bengtsson portrays her as a disciplined and meticulous per-son, with a somewhat determined—if not stubborn—character.

What is perhaps lacking is real insight into how Suu Kyi, the home-maker and academic, decided to take the plunge and join Myanmar’s turbulent democracy movement. While some of her friends from col-lege, and from her days in the UK, have been interviewed, they (and the author) somehow fail to provide an insight into the making of this petite powerhouse. And the one person who knew Suu Kyi best, her husband Michael Aris, has been dead for more than ten years now.

Nevertheless, Bengtsson has done a great job of revealing Aung San Suu Kyi’s life and education, her illustrious heritage, her life as a young homemaker, and the extraordinary leader that she has even-tually become. This is a stirring read for anyone interested in a crisp account of the events that have led Myanmar to where it is today. With Myanmar finally going to the polls, and Aung San doing well, a new chapter in her—and the country’s—life is about to open.u{ Vijaya Kumar }

I do not recall any Bollywood production in recent times that

intentionally had an adjective as its title; and that, like a true adjec-tive, was descriptive about the contents. I added the word “inten-tionally” because last year we had a useless movie called Faltu, that seemed to wholly convey the es-sence of the movie. It is a different matter that the title was used by the producer as an acronym for Fulchand and Lakirchand Trust University.

Tezz is not just fast – it is su-per-fast. The only time the movie slows is in the beginning, where the introduction of the item num-ber by Mallika Sherawat serves as a needless aberration in the oth-erwise extremely taut script. Three personalities have to be credited with the furious pace with which the movie navigates, in the just over two hour length: the Bolly-wood, Mollywood, Kollywood and Tollywood Director Priyadarshan; and Hollywood Stunt Directors Peter Pedrero and Gareth Milne. The film rapidly moves from one stunt to another, chase after chase. The editing is so dexterous (like in the recent hit

CINEMA In A Tezzy

TezzDirecteD by: PriyadarshancASt: Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, zayed Khan, Sameera ReddyGeNre: Action/Thriller

Made Of Stern Stuff

The [v] SPoT CAfé BAR3rd floor, Cross Point Mall, opposite Galleria Market, DLf Phase Iv, Gurgaon, haryana, New Delhi, India 110017 PhoNe: 9650814399cuiSiNe: Multi-cuisinetimiNG: 11:00-01:00

AuNG SAN Suu KyI : A BIoGRAPhyAuthor: Jesper BengtssonPubLiSher: AmaryllisPrice: Rs. 495GeNre: Biography

Kahaani) that it does not matter whether the theme is a little bit hack-neyed, or there are incredulities.

Priyadarshan, best known in Bol-lywood for the typical Hera Pheri-style remade comedies, refresh-

ingly embraces the slick and cool ambience required in Tezz – and comes out a winner.

The customary song and dance sequences have been done away with (with the exception of the Lai-la number of Mallika Sherawat); and the two other songs (pleasant-ly tuned by Sajid- Wajid, although they sound like some old numbers of Nadeem Shravan) occupy little footage. Both Anil Kapoor and Ajay Devgn excel in the cat and mouse game. Lending superb support is another outstanding performance by Boman Irani. Sa-meera Reddy has less to emote, and more to appear unfazed, in the hair-raising stunts – which she carries out in a very creditable manner. Kangna Ranaut has a small role; and Priyadarshan man-ages to extract a reasonable per-formance from the bland expres-sions laden Zayed Khan.

Nearly forty per cent of the movie’s dialogues are in Eng-lish; that could be one reason why the producers may not get an adequate return on the forty crores spent on the movie! If you are looking for two hours of unadulterated action, Tezz is a Poora Paisa Wasool venture. u

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it is a good dish – but it bears no similarity to the Mumbai classic. The good food moment happens a little later, with chikibum bum (Rs. 295) which has spin-ach and cheese stuffed chicken with mushroom cream sauce and fresh pasta. The chicken is cooked to perfection, and both the stuffing and the sauce complement it rather well. Since I love chilly, I quite like the fact that the dish has been well spiced up for the desi palate. It is a dish I would recommend.

The pepperoni pizza (Rs. 245) is flat, and low on flavour, because of the rationed portions of cheese and pepperoni toppings. The chocolate lava cake called love

me lava (Rs. 165) is oversweet and ordinary. Despite some disappoints, the V Spot Café Bar is a good option as an evening out with friends. The place is fun, and the prices are reasonable. And if you do like some fried favourites along with your evening cocktail, there are a lot of options to choose from. For those looking for a bite of din-ner, go for the unlikely sounding chikibum bum. It should make for a wholesome evening. u

Listings4–10 May 2012 07

Big Cinemas: Ansal Plaza TezzTime: 8.00pmJannat 2Time: 10.15 am, 11.30 am, 2.15 pm, 3.45 pm, 5.00 pm, 7.45 pm, 9.00 pm, 10.30 pmVicky DonorTime: 1.15 pm, 2.50 pm, 6.30 pmThe Avengers 3DTime: 10.20 am, 5.15 pm, 10.20 pmPaddle PopTime: 1.00 pmAddress: 3rd floor, Ansal Plaza, G Block, Palam ViharWebsite: www.bigcinemas.com

PVR: Ambience Premier Jannat 2Time: 10.00 am, 11.55 am, 12.50 pm, 2.45 pm, 3.40 pm, 5.35 pm, 6.30

pm, 8.25 pm, 9.20 pm, 11.15 pmVicky DonorTime: 10.45 am, 1.10 pm, 3.35 pm, 6.00 pm, 8.25 pm, 10.50 pmTezzTime: 12 pmThe Avengers 3DTime: 10.00 am, 1.00 pm, 4.00 pm, 7.00 pm, 10.00 pmHugo 3DTime: 8.25 pmThe Lucky OneTime: 10.00 am, 2.30 pm, 6.25 pm, 10.55 pmSafe

CINEMATHIS WEEK

THE WEEKTHAT WAS

♦ All tube wells and bore wells installed before August 13, 2011 (the date when the CGWA notified Gurgaon District for man-agement and use of ground water) need to be registered by July 31. Unregistered tube wells or bore wells found operating after this date will be treated as illegal, and will be sealed. The owner would also be booked and tried under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986.

♦ The District Administration has begun home delivery of Registration Certificates (RCs) of vehicles, and Driving Licences (DLs) through Speed Post. A separate counter for this process is being set up in the E-Disha centre of the Mini Secretariat.

♦ As part of Road Safety, and to ease traffic bottlenecks that cause traffic jams, DC Meena has said the roads in Gurgaon will soon have proper fluorescent signage boards, and there is a plan to install solar street lights at the bus stops in/near villages. Also, speed breakers would be made uniform.♦ Regarding commercial vehicles, DCP Traffic Bharti Arora has asked for more careful examination before passing such vehicles as roadworthy. DC has said that overloaded vehicles, that are also a cause of potholes on roads, should be intercepted and challaned – and even an FIR against the owner can be issued.

♦ DC Meena held a meeting with DTP (E) and MCG, for review, and further strict actions against illegal activities in the restricted zone around the Ammunition Depot.

♦ Suicides – IT executive jumps off 4th floor of a building; Girl employed in a BPO hangs self; Maid hangs herself in Sushant Lok; suicide by a woman in Sector 9; Teenager kills self; Rape undertrial hangs himself in Bhondsi jail; Depressed software manager commits suicide; Student com-mits suicide, after failing in an exam.; Boy commits suicide.♦ Amity University under scrutiny by various bodies, in suicide death of a girl student from the North East.

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Time: 10.00 am, 4.30 pmAddress: 3rd Floor, Ambience Mall, NH-8Website: www.pvrcinemas.com

PVR: Ambience Gold Jannat 2Time: 10.55 am, 1.45 pm, 4.35 pm, 7.25 pm, 10.15 pmThe Avengers 3DTime: 11.00 am, 2.00 pm, 5.00 pm, 8.00 pm, 10.55 pm

PVR MGF: MGF MallJannat 2Time: 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, 1.20 pm, 2.20 pm, 3.20 pm, 4.10 pm, 5.10 pm, 6.10 pm, 7.00 pm, 8.00 pm, 9.00 pm, 9.50 pm, 10.50 pm, 11.50 pm

9.30 pm, 10.30 pmVicky DonorTime: 5.00 pmThe Avengers - Angarrey Bane Sholay 3DTime: 2.00 pm, 7.30 pm

DT Mega Mall: DLF Phase IThe Avengers 3DTime: 10:00 am, 12:45

pm, 03:30 pm, 06:15 pm, 09:00 pm, 11:45 pmJannat 2Time: 10:00 am, 12:40 pm, 03:20 pm, 06:00 pm, 08:40 pm, 11:20 pmVicky DonorTime: 11:05 am, 01:25 pm, 03:45 pm, 06:10 pm, 08:35 pm, 10:55 pm

DT City Centre: DLF Phase IIThe Avengers 3DTime: 10:00 am, 12:45 pm, 03:30 pm, 06:15 pm, 09:00 pm, 11:45 pmJannat 2Time: 10:00 am, 12:40 pm, 01:30 pm, 03:20 pm, 06:00 pm, 08:40 pm, 11:20 pmVicky DonorTime: 11:10 am, 04:10 pm, 06:30 pm, 08:50 pm, 11:10 pmWebsite: http://dt-cinemas.com

♦ Speeding car rams a nilgai. 2 killed (includ-ing a 1 ½ year old boy).♦ Safety Audit of Gurgaon, with respect to safety of women, undertaken by a team. Recommendations made.♦ Placement agency staff accused of rape of co-worker.♦ 2 maids (minors) rescued.♦ Man booked for molesting/assaulting a woman near Sikanderpur market.♦ Robbery in house – cash, goods worth Rs 8 lacs stolen.♦ 3 men rob driver of a car in Sushant Lok.♦ 2 Delhi based models duped of Rs 6 lacs, by a Gurgaon based agent. They were promised assignments in the US.♦ Plumber caught for extortion demand.♦ 7 held for fake registry.♦ Fire in hosiery factory.

♦ Land allotted to DLF by the MCG in Sec 54 is being challenged by some ♦ Councillors, on account of the rate, as well as sale versus lease arrangement.♦ Licence for World Trade Centre, which was to come up in 11 acres in Sec 33, cancelled. Was sanctioned 14 years ago. It never got going.

♦ IL&FS Rail is sole bidder for Phase II of Rapid Metro (7 km extension down Golf Course Road, from Sikanderpur). Will be completed in 3 years, from approval.♦ Revised Policy for recovery of EDC from builders announced, for Haryana.♦ LED streetlights planned for City.♦ ‘Old’ Gurgaon may get flyovers at key chowks.♦ Water meter installation made mandatory. New Haryana State Urban Water Policy 2012.City Bus service delayed. Routes again being reviewed. ♦ Operation of School buses being strictly monitored, in terms of adherence to the rules.♦ MCG tries to pull down DLF hoardings/wall wrap ads., due to non-payment of dues, of Rs 25 crores. Is thwarted by DLF security staff. Promises to be back with police support.♦ Pollution Board seals 2 industries, and a private hotel.♦ Hero Motocorp Spare Parts Centre faces a strike for a few hours, due to issues of work-ers with contractor, on PF credits.♦ Labour unrest in a healthcare company.

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4–10 May 2012 Cover Story08

Contd from p 1

Ground fIoor parking“Although there is a constant risk for all the

high-rises in the NCR areas (including Gurgaon), but the apartment buildings that have parking on the ground fIoor—and the whole building is resting on the pillars—is more vulnerable to earthquakes. Pillars won’t be able to withstand the load of the building during an earthquake; and this can lead to the collapse of the whole structure,” says Arun Bapat, the famous seismologist. However, Architect Abhimanyu Bhatia doesn’t buy Bapat’s claim. “It depends on the height of the building. If it’s very tall, it may be subject to a fall; but if the height is ad-equate, it may easily withstand the tremors,” says Bhatia.

Modern techniques “We are still a developing country, and hence

can’t afford the highly expensive and modern con-struction techniques that almost ensure the invul-nerability of the structure. For example, in countries like Japan and United States, they have the ‘base isolation technique’, by which they have managed to restrict the seismic waves to the base only – and the rest of the building doesn’t shake. Huge shock absorbers, walls that slide, and TefIon foundation pads that isolate buildings from the ground – all these modern techniques have made Japan a pioneer in earthquake resistant technology,” says Professor Gupta.

India Shake 1. India is driving into Asia at a rate of approxi-

mately 47mm/year.2. Almost 54 per cent of the land is vulnerable to

earthquakes.3. A World Bank and United Nations report esti-

mates that around 200 million city dwellers in India will be exposed to storms and earthquakes by 2050.

Move before the earth does (dos and don’ts )If indoors1. Drop to the ground; take Cover by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and Hold on until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms, and crouch in an inside corner of the building.

2. Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls – and anything that could fall, such

as lighting fixtures or furniture.3. Stay in bed if you are there when the earth-

quake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.

4. Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you, and if you know it is a

strongly supported, load-bearing doorway.5. Stay inside until the shaking stops, and it is

safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building – or try to leave.

7. Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.

8. Don’t use the elevators.

If outdoors1. Stay there.2. Move away from buildings, street lights, and

utility wires.3. Once in the open, stay there until the shaking

stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits, and alongside exterior walls. Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake occurred when people ran out-side of buildings – only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, fIying glass, and falling objects.

If in a moving vehicle1. Stop as quickly as safety permits, and stay in

the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.

2. Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

If trapped under debris1. Do not light a match.2. Do not move about or kick up dust.3. Cover your mouth with a handkerchief

or clothing.4 Tap on a pipe or wall, so rescuers can locate

you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dan-gerous amounts of dust.

Gurgaon’s earthquake history

No major earthquake has occurred in Gurgaon in recent years; yet tremors have been felt whenever there is an earthquake in the Himalayan foothills. The NCR has a fairly high seismic-ity, with general occurrence of earthquakes of 5-6 magnitude, a few of magnitude 6-7, and occa-sional incidents of 7.5-8.0 magni-tude shocks. Fifteen traumatic events have occurred: in 1803, 1819, 1905, 1924, 1937, 1945, 1949, 1958, 1960, 1966, 1975, 1980 and 1994 – during which high inten-sity levels have been recorded. The most important earth-quake that affected Gurgaon was on 27th August, 1960, with a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter Scale. The epicen-tre of this earthquake was between Delhi Cantonment and Gurgaon.

Gurgaon: a scenario “No structure in this world is earthquake proof; and even in the developed western countries like Japan and US, earthquakes come and damage a great deal of structures. The maximum de-struction from an earthquake is normally confined to an area of 20 to 30 km radius from the epi-centre; but unlike the “P” and “S” waves that travel through the body of the earth and cause damage close to the epicentre, the Rayleigh waves roll along the surface of the earth—just like waves on the ocean—and cause damage at a distance – typically between 150 to 550 km from the epicentre. In the case of the Bhuj quake, extensive damage was caused in Ahmedabad – which is about 320 km from Bhuj. While tall buildings in Ahmedabad col-lapsed, the damage was minimal to buildings that had only two or three floors.

This “distance effect” is char-acteristic of Rayleigh waves. A situation similar to what happened in Ahmedabad dur-ing the Bhuj earthquake can be repeated in Delhi, if an earthquake of a magnitude 7.5 or more occurs in Himach-al or Uttarakhand,” explains Bapat. He has also headed the earthquake engineering depart-ment at the Central Water and Power Research Station.

Construction Technology

“There is nothing called a hundred per cent earthquake proof building; but in today’s world, there is technology that can help in making earthquake resistant buildings. In many ad-vanced countries, these build-ings have already been made. In India, especially in the Delhi NCR region, there are hundreds of high-rise buildings, malls, and other commercial houses; and since this area is earthquake prone, builders need to take seri-ous precautions while building a structure. And I hope all the builders are taking care. If you talk of Gurgaon separately,

The Higher We Go, The Harder We Fall?there is a little more risk – be-cause the soil of Gurgaon is loose, and that is not so good for building high-rises, ” says Professor Harsh K. Gupta, of the Nation Disaster Man-agement Authority (NDMA). NDMA is the chief body that has been formed to mitigate the damage potential from natural disasters – such as earthquakes. In the last one and half decades, building construction has seen a sea change. “One decade before, the whole format of construc-tion was based on the simple walls of burnt bricks; and there used to be only one or two beams in the one wall from the foun-dation to the top – and that too without any cross link to other walls. We can’t stop tremors; but the formula of a successful building, no matter how tall or small it is, lies in the shaking of the building in unison. In order to make a potential earthquake-resistant building, one has to tie the building from each corner, with the help of beams. Dur-ing an earthquake, the whole structure should shake in unison. This provides great resistance, and the structure can withstand the quake – with just a few cracks here

and there,” says Abhimanyu Bhatia, a City-based Archi-tect. He has been working on structures for the past twenty years.

High-rises have always been talked about as a major worry factor, as far as the earthquakes are concerned. Yet there is an endless demand from the side of home buyers. “Before starting the construction of a building, we do a lot of study – such as the type of soil, water level, length of the foundation walls, and many other things. Yes, Gurgaon is in seismic Zone IV, and hence there is a constant risk of an earthquake. But till now we have not seen any major quake, and I hope our construction is good enough to stand by any such mishap. During an earthquake, the destruction happens when there is a collision of forces – the force of the tremors, versus the opposite reaction of the building. In modern high-rises, there is elasticity provided, so that the force of the tremor doesn’t collide with the structure – and it gets a smooth passage back to the core of the earth. That is the reason why we have used more

Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) instead of bricks. The RCC ensures a high quality of elasticity and durability in a building,” says an architect working for a big builder in Gurgaon. Of course, none of the brochures guarantee you a fully earthquake resistance framework. In fact, many of the brochures do not even mention anything about the building being an earthquake resistant framework. In a handful, there is a mention that this building has an earthquake resistant RCC framework.

No prevention, no cure Gurgaon City seriously lacks rescue infrastructure, in case of a earthquake. De-spite having hundreds of tall buildings, the City neither has any disaster management team, nor adequate police and fire infrastructure. “Yes, Gurgaon has hundreds of high-rises, and there is no disaster management team; and the State Government seriously needs to look into the matter. Even the fire infra-structure is not good enough for buildings taller than 17 metres,” says Harsh K. Gupta. The Fire department too knows the real-

ity. “ We have around 100 fire-fighters with 22 vehicles, and none of our vehicles can reach heights greater than 17 metres; hence you can easily see what could be the fate of Gurgaon, if an earthquake comes. Delhi, on the contrary, has man power in thousands, and they have im-ported vehicles that can easily make the fire-fighters or the res-cue team climb 20 to 25 floors,” says a senior fire official.

Different bodies, but no watchdog

Gurgaon has many bodies that are supposed to look af-ter the City’s well being. Be it DTCP, HUDA, MCG or the pri-vate builders – all are respon-sible in their limited jurisdic-tion, to maintain the well-being of the masses. DTCP, the main authority that gives licences to the private builders, to construct the high-rise and other commercial spaces, cer-tainly has a code of conduct regarding the construction of earthquake resistant build-ings – but the implementation of these codes is doubtful. “I don’t doubt the big builders, who are constructing mammoth structures; but DTCP, which is supposed to be the watchdog on such construction, doesn’t bother to check whether the building is being made as per the prescribed earthquake resistant norms or not. They just ignore their responsibil-ity, by making the structural engineer (of the builders) re-sponsible for the structural integrity of the building, while giving the Completion Certificate and selling per-mission. Most of the build-ers do go for the best possible engineering procedure to make the building earthquake resis-tant. The excess cost is 5 to 6 per cent – which they anyhow will recover from the buyers,” says Abhimanyu Bhatia. DTCP offi-cials couldn’t be contacted even after repeated attempts. MCG, the ‘true’ governing body of the City, unfortunately has neither any stake in private builder colonies (where 99 per cent of these high-rises are), nor has it any punishing powers. However, after the recently concluded Di-saster Management Seminar, MCG seems to have decided to flex its muscles a bit; and has ordered the private builders having high-rises to submit a Structural Safety certificate and contingency-cum-response plan. “There is a need to revisit and evaluate the structural de-signs of buildings, especially high-rise buildings, in Gurgaon, in accordance with the statu-tory provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, No. 53 of 2005 published in the Gazette of India December 26, 2005; and guidelines on earthquakes is-sued by the NDMA in April 2007. The MCG authorities have directed the builders and own-ers to furnish the Certificates by the end of May, in respect of the high-rise buildings,” says an MCG official. u

The page has been Liked by over 7,000 people; and there is a constant posting of user-generated pictures, com-ments, likes and suggestions by Gurgaon residents. DCP Traffic Bharti Arora says that she started the Facebook page to get in touch with road users in the City. “Since a large number of people in Gur-gaon are net savvy, we thought that it would help us in connecting with the peo-ple,” says Arora. She is clearly happy with the decision.

Since the start of the Gurgaon Traffic Police page, the interaction between the police and road users has increased enor-mously. “We are constantly seeking sug-gestions and ideas from the people, about ways to improve the traffic movement, to remove traffic bottlenecks, and to better implement the laws,” says Arora.

The Facebook page sees almost two thousand visitors daily. Many, apart from posting photos and making sugges-tions, also report violations taking place in the City. ASI Attar Singh, who is part of the team managing the Facebook ac-count, says that many times people take photos of those violating traffic laws, and post them on the page. “We take action against violators as per the law. A num-ber of challans have been issued by the police through Facebook. We have even challaned prominent people, and even policemen, for violating rules,” says Singh.

The Facebook page is updated thrice a day by the Traffic Police team, says Com-puter Operator Sunil Kumar, who reveals interesting statistics about the users. “We have a steady traf-fic – between 2 to 3 thousand people regularly. The total Likes the page has is 7,283, and the weekly reach is almost 13,000”, informs Kumar. He is charged with maintaining the dialogue process with road users, and ensuring that people get the latest traffic updates and information.

The Facebook users, on the other hand, are also happy with the initiative of the Traffic Police. They opine that the Facebook Page gives them a common space to share ideas and views, and com-plain to the traffic authorities. It also gives them a semblance of power, as a united mass that can discuss issues collectively – without losing their in-dividual identities. Satyendra Kumar

Contd from p 1

Civic/Social 4–10 May 2012 09The Likeable ace

{ Hritvick Sen / FG }

When does a private builder turn into a developer? When it moves beyond what has been prescribed,

and starts creating civic and civil infra-structure.

Admittedly what DLF is doing in its Phases is of benefit to its residents and itself; but the civic run-offs are of use to the hoi polloi around it, too. Over time, DLF has spread its development activity outside its Colony walls. Thurs-day marked another of its ventures, when DLF launched the extension of its SmartRide buses.

In its own Phases, the developer is tak-ing over the role of the Municipal Corpo-ration/HUDA, by providing civic ameni-ties and maintenance. Whether it is the case of the Metro-feeder buses designed to cut down on traffic jams, the Rapid Metro, the upcoming fire station, or even the CCTV cameras scanning the roads – everything says that the developer is tak-ing its role seriously.Sewage Treatment Plant:

This Plant is situated next to the DLF Icon Towers in Phase-V. “As of now, the Plant is purifying 6 MLD (millions of li-

Private Municipality

PRAK

HAR

PAND

EY

tres of water a day), from its 9 MLD ca-pacity,” says a DLF official. But the Plant will have its capacity upgraded to 16 MLD very soon. The Plant is cleaning up the dirty water from almost every building in DLF Phase-V.

The water is then reused, says Vice-President (Maintenance) Col. (Retd) S.S Malik. “In Icon and other build-ings, we have a separate system in-stalled, which uses the STP water for flushing and other uses – saving mil-lions of litres of fresh water. And we’re installing more machines, which will en-sure the water will be almost as good as drinking water,” he claims.Fire Station:

This will probably be the first pri-vate fire station in North India. The upcoming facility is the developer’s an-swer to the handicap of the City’s fire

department. Originally asked for by the fire department, as their high-lifts were unable to reach the top floors, DLF has or-dered for snorkels (the ladder on fire en-gines) that can reach well over 100 metres. Plus, their new fire Chief will be none other than the recently-retired Chief of the Gurgaon Fire Station, Hanu-man Chandra Sihag. As of now, the fire engines have been ordered and the staff is undergoing training.

Will the fire station cater to emergen-cies of other builders and public areas? Certainly, say officials, adding that the details are being worked out.CCTV Cameras:

In what can be termed as the near-est approximation to ‘eye in the sky’, the CCTV cameras in and around Phase I and Phase-V keep an electronic eye on every-thing that goes around inside as well as outside the DLF area. Also, some cameras that are installed at the top of the DLF skyscrapers keep an active eye on the roads. All this footage is readily acces-sible by the City’s police. The transmis-sion is wireless and direct, to the Central Control Room, and is then patched into the City police’s scanners. “The cameras are very powerful,” says Malik.Sweeper Trucks:

Within this month, DLF is going to launch state-of-the-art sweeper trucks, to keep its streets clean. Made by

an Ambala firm, these trucks will have high-suction vacuum cleaners fitted atop their carriages. High-speed brushes will channel the daily dirt and filth inside the suction area, leaving the roads in Phase-V neat and clean.Feeder Bus Service:

Originally designed to lessen the cha-otic mess at DLF’s Cyber City, this ser-vice has been extended, to provide easy commuting to DLF residents in and around the Phase I and Phase V areas. It is a logical extension, says a DLF official. “The buses will touch DLF properties, malls and most-visited places. Com-muters will have smart-cards, to save paper in tickets, and an attendant and on-board CCTV coverage will ensure the safety of passengers at all times.”

What is the bigger picture behind DLF’s activities? A DLF official comments, “A few years ago, it was true that we had slacked, and there were timeline and delivery issues. The management decided to take control, and pro-actively ensure quality civic services. Essentially, if our areas are well-managed, the word-of-mouth will be as good. If people get good and prompt service, they will give good opinions and reviews. We are a developer, and these activities benefit our customers and the public at large – besides creating trust in us.” u

has been following this initiative of the Traffic Police for long, and he says that many issues have come into the public domain because of this social media tool. The decision to make DLF Galleria road one way has been discussed on the GTP Facebook page quite candidly. “It helps us make suggestions, and participate in the decision making process. It is a great way to democratise the govern-ment organisation,” he says.

So strong is the people connectivity with this page, that people respond instantly – as soon as a post is put by the Traffic Police officials. A recent

post says : Special drive was launched on Saturday (i.e. 28.04.2012) against Maruti Trailers. During this drive, 6 trailers were impounded, because they had violated the ‘no entry’ rules. This post immediately elicited 44 Likes, and 18 people posted comments on the page commending the decision. Most of the people appreciated the decision, while exhorting the police to carry out more such drives in other parts of Gurgaon.

  Rana Chatterjee wrote: Please do this drive on Sohna road..the road has become a parking spot for trailers in the evenings..

Amit Kumar Setiya wrote on the same page: Sir would only appreciate if it is a regular exercise...because these guys have a tradition to break d rules at will...come to any time at bata circle...I m sure u ll see at least one trailer...it is coz maruti Suzuki being one of the biggest corporate house in INDIA does not give a damn to rules...if anyone has single pinch of doubt in mind... Plz stay for 6-8 hours at bata cir-cle n u ll know d truth...

It is however a different matter that

the Gurgaon Traffic Police had to take excessive heat from the higher-ups, for taking action against the Maruti trail-ers! One of the top officials in Gurgaon Po-lice not only reprimanded the traffic de-partment, but a posse of Maruti officials also landed up in the office of DCP Traffic on Tuesday (May 1), soon after. They os-tensibly came to resolve the issue amica-bly, a highly-placed insider witness to this episode revealed.

In an interesting take on the state of Gurgaon’s road infrastructure, Avinash Haldia has posted: GTP has power to challan anybody who obstruct traffic.

For potholes, it can chal-lan MCG, DLF, Ansals, etc. It can even challan people who have built gates on public roads, disrupting traffic.

The spirit of the so-cial media is to unite the people and connect them for a cause, and the traffic police knows it well. DCP Traffic Bharati Arora says that they have put

many issues on the public domain, using Facebook – like the movement against drunken driving, driving without helmets, illegal parking, overloading in shared autos, and similar issues.

“We are also prompt in answering the queries of people, and acting on their complaints,” says Arora. This initiative of the Gurgaon Traffic Po-lice is being appreciated by the higher authorities, and it is likely that it will be introduced in the other districts of the State.

A manual of traffic violations, and the fines to be paid, has also been posted on Facebook. On this issue, Manoj Kaushik writes on the page: “A Proposal to GTP: Please charge 4 times the usual challan money, if a traffic police personal seen violating rules. It is common to see such sights in Gurgaon,these include some officers also. They are making the task of GTP difficult, which, otherwise genu-inely working to improve the Gurgaon Traffic Scenario.”

This and several such proposals and

suggestions have been made by people to the Gurgaon Police, through the Facebook page. DCP Arora says that it is the objec-tive of the traffic police to channelise the public discourse, so that the traffic condi-tions on the roads are improved.

In the recent dispute between DS Constructions, that operates the toll plaza on National Highway 8, and the road users, the Gurgaon Traffic Police constantly updated the people about latest developments.

In a post on January 31, GTP posts: Now DS Construction filed a civil writ petition no. 717/2012 in Hon’ble Punjab & Haryana High Court against Gurgaon Traffic Police to restrain the Gurgaon Traffic Police from opening up boom barriers at Sirhol Toll Plaza. Gurgaon Traffic Police open the boom barriers only when congestion reaches beyond a particular line in the larger interest of the public. We request road users & face-book users for their comments/reactions on this.

In reply, a number of users have ex-pressed thanks to the traffic police, while seeking action against the toll operator. Karan Gupta writes that DS should be penal-ised for deviating from the approved plan, and making unplanned modifications to the stretch.

In the same vein, Amit Tanwar writes: The toll company is earning so much , started off with 13 rupees fir the toll and in less than 3 yrs hiked it to 21 bucks. More than 80% hike. Please also get an understanding from them as to how much was their estimate on toll rev-enues per day and how much they are making. Also, when is this road going to be taken off the toll? I remember one person had filed a case as he was asked towing charges by this company despite this being a toll road. Greed at it’s best, I would say.

SI Attar Singh says that he never thought Facebook could be such an em-powering tool. “It has encouraged both the people and police to open up to new ideas, and share them for the greater good of the society,” he says.

In addition, this social media tool has helped in channelising the power of the Gurgaonites, despite the im-mense diversity of the local populace. Facebook has helped to improve the public discourse, and it is likely to help in making Gurgaon roads safer and friendlier, aver many users. u

{ Hritvick Sen / FG }

What happens if a river is dammed without re-lease? It will seek cracks,

patches of release; and at some point of time threaten the dam’s very existence, with its built-up pressure. The situation is the same with the cases of these abandoned baby girls. Only, it seems that a river of ignorance is being dammed, by measures like the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act.

In 2011, there were five such cases reported in the newspapers. In 90% of the cases, the babies were critically ill. And there is no accounting for the baby girls who have been ‘disposed of’ clandestinely.

Why are these cases coming up with such alarming regularity? Some of the babies were ‘dumped’ in public places, so that people would notice them. In other cases, the babies were left to die. Haryana already has the worst sex ratio in the country (877 females per 1,000 males). The people’s desire to have a son had led to a flourishing business in unethical sex determination – in ultrasound clinics all over the State. It has also led to a spate of abortions. When the government clamped down on such practices, it was believed that the sex of the child would only now be known after delivery – and that the parents would accept the choice. But officials perhaps did not comprehend the extent of the unholy love

Born To Be Dumped

No Orphanage in GurgaonThere is no government orphanage in the City. Neither

the City’s development body, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), nor Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) has made any such provisions. A meeting was held on recently regarding the setting up of an orphanage in the City, in the presence of the Deputy Commissioner P.C Meena, Civil Surgeon Dr. Parveen Garg, and other authori-ties. Meena said that the site of the proposed orphanage is being settled, and announcement to this effect would be made soon.

6. Haryanvi Made Easy Get a taste of the local lingo

1. My office has shut down. Mhara daptar bandh ho gya.

2. I need a new job. Manne ek naya dhanda chaiye se

3. Can you refer me to your company? Ke tu mere tayin apne daptar main baat kar sake se?

4. Can I send my papers there? Main apne kagaj bhej du odde?

5. How far is your office? Thaara daptar kitni door se?

6. Can I meet your boss? Ke main tere saab te mil saku hun?

for sons, that would drive the parents into abandoning their baby daughters.

There is no knowing where the abandoned girls come from, who their parents are, and what were their reasons for abandon-ing their progeny. There are only conjectures. Senior Civil Hospital authorities firmly believe that the reason be-hind such cases is not the ban on sex-determination. “When we are talking about poor peo-ple, they will not have the money to indulge in sex-determination of their child. They will rather spend the money on their next meal. That said, their reasons of abandoning a baby girl is be-cause they do not have the funds to raise a daughter. In the case of a son, it will be equally hard financially to raise a baby, but there is the belief that a son will help provide for his family when he comes of age. A daughter will marry someone and go away, which is financially not a viable prospect,” one of them says. “On the other hand, middle-class and financially well-off people, who have the time and the money to go in for such de-termination tests, also have often been seen to desire male heirs to carry on their lin-eage. However, if they ‘fail’ once, they go for in-vitro fer-tilisation, to get their choice of children,” they opine. Two years ago, the police recovered a crying baby near IFFCO Chowk. When they brought the baby to Civil Hospital, the authorities recognised it as a delivery that had been conducted successful-ly, of a young woman who had

been admitted two days earlier. It was later found that the couple had given false information, so that they could not be traced. “What I feel is that most of these babies are abandoned under family pressure,” says a senior hospital administra-tor. “No mother would let go of her newly-born child that easily,” he says.

Psychiatrist Dr. Brahmdeep Sindhu is of the same opinion. He states, “If you clamp down on ultrasound clinics without making their ‘clients’ understand why it is such a heinous crime, they will find other ways. Such incidents, terrible as they are, were waiting to happen.”

“You have to change the mindset of the people,” he says. People here still believe that having a girl is nothing less than a curse. People have the feeling that, ‘Let another family have a girl, not us’, he

off after the formalities were completed. But soon another baby girl will land up at the Civil Hospital’s doorstep...

Adoption WranglesQuite a few couples turned up

when they read the news reports of baby girls being abandoned in the City. But the lengthy and laborious adoption guidelines frustrated them. Even with ‘powerful connections’, they were stuck.

District Social Welfare Officer Neera Malik explains, “These rules are necessary, because they protect the orphans from being exploited.” For example, a single man cannot adopt a girl child. Further more, there are guidelines which say who can or cannot adopt a child. Having sufficient financial stability, being physically healthy, being the right age (for both partners), and the length of marriage, are just some of the factors. “There are so many candidates who fail to meet the Central Adoption Resource Authority’s (CARA) criteria.” And the toughest is the physical verification of the couples. Malik recalls, “I had visited a couple who had adopted a girl in the past, and were applying again before leaving the country. When I reached their home for a surprise verification, I saw the girl cleaning the couple’s house. It turned out that the girl they had adopted had been trained to be a ‘servant for life’. Before leaving the country, they had the need for another. That is one of the reasons why the criteria is so exacting and unyielding.” u

April 13: A seemingly well-to-do couple leaves their baby girl in the care of an elderly woman at the Civil Hospital in Gurgaon. No one turns up for a long while, after which the old woman turns the year and a half old infant over to the hospital authorities.

April 19: A resident of Dundahera hears the sound of wailing, and finds a baby girl wrapped up in a polythene bag inside a dustbin. She is suffering from high fever and jaundice, and is admitted to the Civil Hospital. Authorities suspect that the baby has been left by a young woman, reportedly suffering from depression.

April 24: A 10-day-old baby girl is found abandoned in the old jail complex, behind Krishna Building – the third such case in less than a fortnight.

April 28: A couple abandons their baby girl in front of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science (PGIMS) in Rohtak.

says. And education has nothing to do with it. The abandoning of baby girls is being done by both educated and uneducated classes, Dr. Sindhu says.

An Ultrasound Clinic in Old Gurgaon is adamant that nothing illegal is carried out in their premises. “We often have customers who say that they will pay triple the amount if we do what they want. But it’s not worth the risk.” However, even the operator admits that there are plenty who will do it on the sly. “As long as there are people who want to know, they will always be a clinic who will bend the rules. To bring about such a vast change, just a clamp down on sex-determination is nothing more than a stop-gap measure. The real mission should be to educate the people that a girl is equally capable of bringing happiness and financial well-being as any boy. And for that, an awareness and education campaign should be launched. Incentives should be given. But nothing of such nature has happened in the State,” he laments.

A medical official says, “The District Social Welfare Department has done absolutely nothing of value

when it comes to awareness of the value of a girl child. All they do is hand out pension cheques.” When asked, the District Social Welfare Department has nothing to say. “If a campaign has to be launched, it has to be formulated and passed by higher officials in Chandigarh, before we can take any action.”

In Dundahera, villagers are mum when asked about babies being aborted. Shopkeepers in Ram Chowk admit to hearing of a baby being found near their locality. But they pass off the buck to ‘poor, immigrant types’, who fail to use protection, and then can’t shoulder the responsibility of a girl child.

As of now, two of the baby girls have been sent to the Children’s Home in Sonipat, and one to another orphanage in Panchkula. They had been kept at the Civil Hospital for the mandatory 15 days, and packed

10 Civic/Social 4–10 May 2012

4–10 May 2012 11Kid CornerS

pot

The

Diff

eren

ceK

ids

Bra

inti

ckle

rs

SolutionS

Sud

oku

Kid

s

SolutionS Spot the Difference

1. Fridge handle vanishes.2. Kettle spout changes.3. Jar label changes.4. Plant leaf missing.5. Stripe on boy’s sleeve.

6. Black shoes.7. Jar on top of fridge.8. Mouse in doorway.9. Spoon handle longer.10. Door handle higher.

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?

4–10 May 201212 Kid Corner

Lancers’ Dragon’s TaleThe students of the Primary wing of Lancers International

School celebrated the annual show titled “The Dragon’s Tale”. The show was based on a children’s story book - The Dragon Who Couldn’t Help Breathing Fire, written by Dennis Bond. The children dressed up like flowers, fairies, and devils – and enacted the tales of the dragon.

In-House Play Competition @ CCATheatre helps students give vent to their expression. Keeping this in view, CCA

School organised an Inter-House English Play Competition. The judges were Mrs. Meena Singh and Mrs. Shalini Singhal. The judges and the audience were wonderstruck with the acting prowess of the students. The Principal, Mrs. Nirmal Yadav, applauded the efforts of the participants, and gave away the prizes. The First position was bagged by Subhash House, Second by Ashoka House, and the Third position was shared by Tilak and Nehru Houses.

A Rangoli competition was held at KRV

School. The students form Nehru house, Tagore house, Gandhi House, and Subhash House participated in the competition. The students enthusiastically participated in the competition and made some colourful Rangolis. The children used herbal colours to spread the green message.

KRV Rangoli Competition

The Art PathPathways World School, Aravali, organised

an IB Visual Art Exhibition, in which students and teachers were invited for a “Reflection Ceremony.” Works of IB students of Grade 12 were exhibited through different media – such as paintings, drawings, print-making, digital art, and sculptures. The School’s Executive Director, Dr. Sarvesh Naidu, spoke on the importance of art. “Each clay piece or art work in this building

means a lot to me. Hopefully, we will have art works displayed all over the campus. We have brilliant art works coming in,” he said.

DPS Investiture CeremonyDelhi Public School,

Sector 45 hosted an investiture ceremony for Class XII, amidst an august gathering in the School auditorium. Mr. Niren Chaudhary, President, Yum Brands, was the Chief Guest, and Mr. Ashok Chandra, Chairman, DPS Society, presided over the function. The ceremony began with the traditional lighting of the lamp, followed by the national song. The highlight of the function was a cultural programme showcasing the essence of leadership and its implications. The choir presented the stimulating anthem of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, Ma Rewa. The Principal, Ms. Aditi Misra, expressed her deep pride and conviction in her young leaders.

Swiss Cottage Shivam achievement Shivam Kapoor from Swiss Cottage School bagged Third

rank in the Under-16 category in the Inter- State Singles Badminton Championship, held at IMT Manesar Club. The School Principal, Col. CR Jakhar, the staff, and all the students appreciated Shivam’s achievement.

4–10 May 2012 13Kid Corner

Literary Flourish

When I Heard About Friday GurgaonToday, I was getting bored as I was not getting anything to read. In the fourth period, when I heard about Friday Gurgaon, I thought it would be boring, like other newspapers. But the Friday Gurgaon team told me about it. I was amazed as it was not boring and very different from other newspapers. It has comics, Suduko, Spot the Difference, Puzzles, etc. From now, I will read Friday Gurgaon regularly.Newspapers are boringBut not Friday GurgaonAs it has comics, Suduko and puzzlesSuduko is my favourite and comics are so funny.

Siddhant Yadav, V C, Blue Bells Model School, Sec 4

Tanya Jain, V-C, Delhi Public School, Sector-45 Prachi Pahuja, V-A, Blue Bells Model School, Sector-4Tonu, II, Ridge Valley School

Artistic Strokes

The students of Classes III, IV and V, of DPS celebrated the Earth Week. The eco-warriors carried

out a cleanliness drive, in which they not only ensured the cleanliness of their class rooms, but also the corridors and playground. In Class III, a book-mark making competition,

followed by ‘Make Your Planter Activity’, was held. The students of Class IV made Eco-friendly grocery bags and book marks, on the theme of the ‘4 R’s’ (Reduction, Reuse, Recycling and Recovery). In Class V, the students painted their old

T-shirts. Mr. Ratra, an active environmentalist, addressed

the students on the topic – ‘Plastics- a Recyclable Waste’. The highlight of

the week’s events was a ‘Nukkad Natak’, on the benefits of car pooling. The students acted and emoted effectively, as they performed for the audience at the School – as well as for the onlookers at the Galleria Market Complex.

Ryder’s Academy organised a Skating Championship at Manav

Rachna International School, Sector 46. Nearly 25 schools participated, and exhibited their skating talent. The students of Manav Rachna International School, Sector-51 lifted the Championship trophy. Srishti Arora from MRIS-51 won the Gold medal, Kritika Aorora of MRIS-51 won Silver, and Aditya Mahajan of MRIS-51 won the Bronze medal, in the In-Line skates competition. In the Adjustable skates category, Avi Gupta of MRIS-51 won the Bronze medal.

Earth Week at DPS

Skating Championship at MRIS Pathbreaker’s are professional career Counsellors, and are giving proper career understanding to senior secondary students at their corporate centre. On 30th April, 2012 there was a special career counseling session, “Master Finance”, organized for commerce students – in which more

then 30 students walked in/called, and had a career counselling session with Mr. N. Raheja, Director PathBreaker’s. The next counselling session, “Master Finance”, is scheduled for the third week of May. They also have plans to visit various schools in the NCR to interact with the students, related to their career options. Having professionals from various fields of education on board, they are sure to be a good companion for the coming generation.

PathBreakers’ Career Counselling Session

In ancient India many teachers taught lessons to their students through stories, just as it is done today. In fact, a teacher called Pandit Vishnu Sharma wrote all the stories of the Panchatantra just to teach four young princes about kingship! Amar Chitra Katha tells you some of these stories that were written very long ago.

14 Kid Corner4–10 May 2012

© 2011 Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited, All Rights Reserved

1

4 5 6

2 3

– Atullya Purohit, V B, Blue Bells Model School

Baby Blues

Dogs of C-Kennel

Animal Crackers

Two Wise Men

154–10 May 2012 Wellness

Grated cucumber appliedover the face for fifteen

minutes and then washedwith water, can help prevent

pimples, blackheads anddryness of the face.

{ Jaspal Bajwa }

As summer tightens its grip, it can take a heavy toll on our bodies. Overheating and over-

drying are common. While it is an energy sapping experience, a more cavalier attitude can sometimes lead to serious consequences. Dehydration is at the root cause of chronic health issues such as arthritis, asthma, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, high blood pressure, heartburn , kidney stones, migraine, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy. Jumping into the nearest artificially created air-conditioned environment, or gulping down ice-cold sugary beverages, may not be the answer to dehydration. Excessive cooling can in fact weaken the digestive and immune systems.

As per Ayurveda, summer is all about ‘Pitta’ – a heat producing condi-tion represented by a combination of fire and water. This is even more pro-nounced in those individuals who, by nature, might have a ‘pitta’ constitu-tion. When Pitta accumulates in the body it is common to see excess stomach acid, heartburn, skin eruptions and irritabil-ity. To keep pitta in balance, it is rec-ommended that we favour sweet, bit-ter and astringent tastes – and avoid salty, sour and hot spicy foods.

The best solution to address this imbalance is to cool off naturally. A balanced diet and lifestyle, that cools heat and replenishes fluids, is best in summer. By eating cooling foods, we can combat the heat as we cool ourselves from the inside out, helping to relieve feelings of

Health & Vitality... Naturally!

stagnation and fatigue. Summer foods should essentially be light to digest. Lighter foods are the key – especially leafy greens, fruits, and grilled fish. (Next week we will cover more informa-tion on cooling fluids).

Every season change is a good time to remind ourselves to detoxify our bod-ies, and to bring back the natural resil-ience. In addition to common environ-mental toxins, we also expose ourselves to a bigger toxic load when we eat heavy foods – that are difficult to digest, or are of poor quality. Cleansing our liver and blood through a proper diet is important. We should avoid alcohol and caffeine, and foods that are heavy, hot, spicy, fer-mented, salty and fried. The following 3 steps will help us maintain our cool : Drink enough cool, fresh water,

to maintain the balance. It also helps flush out the toxins. Choose sweet, juicy fruits, di-

gestive spices (like cumin, corian-

der, fennel and turmeric) and bitter astringent vegetables. The astrin-gency increases water absorption by the cells, which in turn keep the body temperature cooler. Choose whole grains. This helps

maintain a more constant body tempera-ture, due to a better magnesium and cal-cium uptake, which relaxes muscles and nerve cells.

Tip of the weekCan eating “hot” food keep us cool?

A moderate amount of spicy flavours can actually help cool down our bodies.  By their increasing body temperature, pulse rate, and the tendency to per-spire, the body is helped to remain cooler. Spices like fresh ginger, cay-enne, or black pepper, may tempo-rarily increase warmth, but serve to disperse the heat on the body’s sur-face. By increasing blood circulation, the spices induce perspiration, which is our body’s natural way of lowering its inter-nal temperature.

Establishing a regular routine, includ-ing going to bed early, eating meals at regular times, and a daily oil massage with sunflower or coconut oil, can help balance the ‘pitta’ in the body.

Nature’s Wonder Food(s) of the week

In general, vegetables and fruits that take less time to grow, and grow above the ground, have more of a cooling and energising effect on the body. Some of these include leafy greens, lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, zucchini and yellow squash. In addition, certain herbs such as mint, co-riander, fennel, cilantro, chamomile, dill, fennel, turmeric, cardamom and aloe vera have a more direct cooling effect.

In addition to water, liquid in our solid food counts toward our daily total intake of fluids. The best foods to help us keep cool during the summer are high water content foods such as: Fruits with over 90 per cent wa-

ter content: watermelons, citrus fruits, cantaloupes and berries. Other high wa-

ter-content fruits are grapes, pineapples, apples, pears, peaches and plums. Vegetables with over 95 per cent

water content: cucumbers, celery, let-tuce, zucchini and radish. Several oth-ers like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplants, peppers, asparagus, spinach and tomatoes have over 90 per cent water. Pumpkins, carrots, sweet potatoes, okra, bitter gourd, green beans, bok choy and snow peas are also good candidates for adding variety to our food.

During summer, choice should be exercised in favour of white meats, seaweeds, tofu, ‘mung’ beans and len-tils. Yoghurt is ideal, and other dairy products can be consumed in modera-tion. Olive oil and Flax seed oil are best suited for salads; and home-made ‘ghee’ or coconut oil for cooking. u

Registered Holistic Nutritionist (Canadian School of Natural Nutrition)

For education purposes only; always consult a healthcare practitioner for medical conditions

Cooling Off

A Healthy Fungi

able, and come in small and large sizes. Then there are Por-tobello mushrooms, which are large brown mushrooms. Baby bellas, sometimes called Crimi-ni mushrooms, are small brown mushrooms with a hearty fla-vour. Shiitake mushrooms, or the Japanese mushrooms, are an edible fungus native to Asia. Shiitake mushrooms are the sec-ond most commonly cultivated edible mushrooms in the world.

How to store Mushrooms: Once home, mushrooms can become slimy, and develop brown spots within just a few days. If the mushrooms are pre-packaged, leave them in the packaging. If the mushrooms are loose, place them in a brown paper bag and loosely fold the top of the bag over; then, stick the bag in the main compartment of your refrigerator. The bag

absorbs excess moisture from the mushrooms, so they don’t get soggy or moldy. You can also place them in a glass container, and cover it with a dish towel or moist paper towel. Be sure to allow air circulation.

Canned mushrooms, and oiled mushrooms marinating in jars, have a much longer shelf life,

and are good for specific reci-pes – but they lack the flair that a fresh mushroom can add to a reg-ular meal. Do not store mush-rooms in the crisper drawer – it’s too moist an environment. Avoid placing mushrooms near foods with strong odours or flavours – they’ll absorb them like a sponge.

Mushrooms & Fibre: Mushrooms are a valuable source of dietary fibre: a 100g serving of mushrooms contains more dietary fibre (2.5g) than 100g of celery (1.8g), or a slice of wholemeal bread (2.0g).

Mushrooms & Vitamins: Mushrooms are one of the few natural sources of Vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones and teeth. They also con-tain Vitamin B1 or Thiamin, that controls the release of en-ergy from carbohydrates. A 100g serving of mushrooms will give you 27 per cent of your recom-mended daily dietary intake of thiamin. Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid and Folate are also found in mushrooms.

Mushrooms & Minerals: Mushrooms contain virtually no salt. They contain more po-tassium than most other fruits and vegetables; one medium Portabello mushroom contains more potassium than a banana. Mushrooms are a source of iron, which is essential to most life forms, and normal human physiology. Mushrooms are one

of the richest, natural sources of selenium. Selenium works as an antioxidant, protecting body cells from damage.

Health Benefits: The most sought after health benefit of mushrooms is ‘weight loss’.

All mushrooms share certain characteristics that help you burn fat, and keep illness and disease at bay. u

{ Alka Gurha }

All of us are familiar with the magical power of mushrooms – whether

from fairytales, folk songs or Chinese delicacies! Besides adding a wonderful earthy taste, or a meaty texture to foods, they have great nutritional value.

Eastern cultures have re-vered the mushroom’s health benefits as a vegetable – though they are actually fungi. While there are over 14,000 types of mushroom, only about 3,000 are edible; about 700 have known medicinal properties, and less than one per cent are poisonous.

One cup of button mush-rooms has just 15 calories, has no cholesterol, and has less than 1 per cent of the dai-ly value of sodium – a tasty fat busting food. They also have small amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fibre – which aid in fat loss.

Mushrooms are a great source of phosphorus, magne-sium, potassium and selenium – nutrients often lacking in our highly processed-food diets.

Types of Mushrooms: White button mushrooms are probably the most widely avail-

16 4–10 May 2012 Comment

EDITORIALAtul Sobti

Last week we carried the cover story on the Right To Education – It Must Be Right. Even the Supreme Court has weighed in on a point that cannot be

disputed. Every Indian citizen must have a right to be educated.

The Supreme Court has had to step in, in the arena of the executive, from time to time – and probably increasingly so. The Court does not really have this mandate; or dare we say, the expertise. But the intention is of course noble; and perhaps comes more out of anguish and frustration with the non-performance of successive governments, in areas that impact the common person.

The noble Supreme Court direction has significant implications. But before that, what of the core issue - that of non-delivery by the govt., for a role that it was constituted to play? The responsibility and accountability is squarely at the govt’s door. It is not in the charter, but in the process, the implementation, that it has gone horribly wrong. It is the Central and State Govts. who are charged with providing education to the masses (and who collect taxes for this). Surely these govts. need to be strongly taken to task; and not allowed to change course or even the charter - by asking others who are not mandated, to chip in. And that too with little offer of support, for the cost or the process or other challenges.

There is not just a lack or deficit of schools and infrastructure; there are severe teacher shortages. And where appointed, they are mainly absent. Where present, they make little difference. Even the under-privileged shy away from govt. schools, at the first opportunity. Can there be a bigger indictment!

The Court interjection has perhaps allowed the govt. to feel vindicated in its prescription, rather than accepting accountability as the chief culprit.

This manner of walking away from accountability will only embolden the govt. to walk out of all the disasters. The plan seems to be to put the onus on everyone, make it such a ‘khichdi’, that no one will specifically be accountable. Just announce something big and new, knowing that it is not implementable.

Like they did for corruption. Made a big noise that the Lokpal Bill put up by civil society was not encompassing enough. Innocently questioned whether it would really stop all corruption. Asked that everyone should come under the Bill – though knowing well that 80% of the problem and malaise is at the door of the govts. (maybe 99%, as far as the common person goes). It is all obfuscation and smoke screens. The govts. continue to live in denial.

Why has no Education, Health or Food Minister been chastised by the Supreme Court, for not ensuring an effective PE (Primary Education), PDS (Public Distribution System), PHC (Primary Healthcare Centre) system? Why has none resigned, if there has been negligible change after decades, and after thousands of crores have been spent? Has even the most Supreme of Courts also given up on the ability of the govt. to deliver? To fight corruption? To govern?

Religious schools have been kept out of the ambit of the RTE. Somewhere our India view on secularism, social strata, and poverty do not seem to merge. Minority religion and caste rich always win versus the majority poor. It seems under-privileged also has a context.

The silver lining, and the path of light, is that there are clearly villages, towns, cities, even States that are doing a commendable job on education, food, and

Do It The Right Wayhealth – without any private sector help. But what does the RTE tell them, and their citizens? And the private sector there?

Fortunately, different parties rule these islands of excellence. What works there can surely be tried elsewhere.

At least every party HQ can be held accountable for States where they hold a clear mandate, and have their own CM. Let the Congress start with their bases/States (unfortunately just a few), and shame the BJP. They can even shame the Left, the messiahs of the proletariat. Why is the Congress not able to take care of effectively implementing their programs even in the few States they rule? If you cannot deliver where you rule, why talk of coalition issues. Why use coalition partners as excuses for non-implementation, or lack of decision-making. It seems just a lack of leadership; or maybe two much leadership.

And now, the implications. The failure is not just in Education – among services (some even more basic) for the common person. If this is the way forward for ‘Rights”, then surely, with the PDS and PHCs failing us on Food and Health, all private food companies and establishments must start serving 25% of their food to the under-privileged; and all private clinics and hospitals should ensure 25% of their patients are the under-privileged. It can even get better and bigger. Consider Housing. Tomorrow, all organized builders would need to provide 25% of their houses and apartments for the under-privileged (never mind that hundreds of EWS apartments in Gurgaon lie vacant and rotting). Or maybe even in Security – with the police unable to do the job. Which would lead us then to jobs too. Finally, it may be back to the courts - with private law firms mandated to have 25% of their clients from the under-privileged. Look at the pendency of cases in the courts. There are many land cases, impacting the poor.

Unfortunately, the only Right that the UPA has probably succeeded in, and helped institutionalize, is the Right to Corruption.

What about a common citizen’s Right to Governance – to be Rightly Ruled?

It is time the govts. first own up their inadequacy, their failure; accept the enormity of the problem; ask for help and solutions, from the outside; ask for partners, through a delegated PPP model; adequately share their resources (taken from the citizens) with the partners; and make it worthwhile for all – the partners, the teachers, and the taught.

Thrusting a solution on private schools is not the answer. Even within them, there are distinctions – so where, and for whom, would we draw what line?

We cannot experiment for 65 more years.Those years will come and go fast – and we may

still be among the world’s worst on human and social parameters. The population is not stopping soon. And the solid additions thereof continue at the poor end.

Meanwhile, the RTE bandwagon is on a roll. It will not stop. More than the physical infrastructure, we must pay attention to the interactions at school. Between the teachers and the 25% to be taught; between the new 25% and the 75% students. Our privileged children will behave the way we show them – by our talk and action. They will look to us for clues and answers.

We should not let them down.

Should we expect different in the land of Jugaad (and Quick-Fix and Band-Aids) ? We just fix it even if it is broke – till the next broke. u

L E T T E R T O T H E E D I T O R

I have fallen in love with Gur-gaon. This 16th March,’12

was my first ever visit. I did not know many people or places. I had called on two conglomerates of “Pepsi-co” and “Wrigley” of India. Where (in Wrigley’s) I got hold of one copy of your es-teemed weekly and with keen interest I was gulping down all news and views. I took in-terest in reading most of the pages and I developed feeling to write to you to say you are building a great city and your city has tremendous poten-tial to become one at par city (within cities) like Manhat-tan in New York.

I don’t know your city fathers and unaware of their planning and ambitions. But I would like to know them intimately. Please get me to know them and I shall try to call on them in my next visit sooner or later.

By the way, I read your 1st page coverage of the latest social happenings and I hope you will come out successful in fighting out the menace right from the beginning.

Hoping for the best development of Gorgaon I remain for today with best compliments.

A F RahmanCEO, Liberty Group,

Bangladesh.

did the negotiation with the Pataudi family occur?

 FW: In 2005, the former cricketer Late Mansur Ali Khan, the ninth Nawab of Pa-taudi, was mulling cost-effective options to maintain his palace, which was built in the 1930s – and is a few kilometres off  Del-hi. He had been running it like a resort on his own – but with limited success. He informed me – “It is making money, but I am not an hotelier, and I am not comfortable.”. His basic concern was “the aesthetic, cultural and historic maintenance of this beautiful 90-year-old property, over the longer term.” 

Although a particular section of the property has been kept exclusively for use by the Pataudi family, the rest of the estate is run as an aesthetic ‘Non-hotel Hotel’,

174–10 May 2012 Bon Vivant

{ Srimati Lal }

Fine Architecture being an aspect of High Art, the ef-fective artistic restoration

and preservation of India’s spectacular historic landmark- sites requires intensive aesthetic knowledge and specialised artis-tic skills – as well as a deep and abiding love of art and culture. Monsieur Francis Wacziarg, the affable and talented French-born Indian citizen—a partner of the now-legendary ‘Neemrana Non-Hotel Resorts’, along with Delhiite Aman Nath—has man-aged to restore 28 of India’s most artistically-stunning Heritage-properties. Wacziarg and Nath have artistically-renovated an-cient Indian structures that were in decline and disarray, into beautiful, relaxing Designer-resorts with a difference.

Wacziarg and Nath’s resto-ration-adventure began 3 de-cades ago, with the opening in 1991 of Neemrana Fort Palace on the Delhi-Jaipur Road – 3 hours from Delhi. The recent res-toration of The Pataudi Palace near Gurgaon has added a much-needed getaway-destination for those artistically-inclined. The Palace is a majestic, refreshing and delightful vintage retreat. Impeccably-restored, this classical 1930s-built Nawabi Palace showcases wonder-fully landscaped gardens, a vast swimming pool, displays of rare antique photos and personal art of the Pataudi family, a special gift-shop, and classic heritage furniture. A tempting 10-course buffet is laid out daily for day-visitors. Royal suites, gardens and halls are available for special holidaying and parties.

In an exclusive interview spe-cially-conducted for FG, I spoke at length with Francis Wacziarg, on his aesthetic restoration of The Pataudi Palace, and his future plans:-

Srimati Lal: Francis, con-gratulations on your wonderful work, restoring 28 of India’s her-itage sites with such dedicated artistic fervour, in three adven-turous decades. Pataudi Palace is now an aesthetic, peaceful holiday-retreat. Tell us how your passion for Indian architecture, art, culture, and its preservation came about.

Francis Wacziarg: After completing an MBA in France, I first came to India in 1970. Initially, I was the Commercial Attache at the French Consulate in Bombay (now Mumbai). Subsequently, I headed the representative office of the Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) in New Delhi.

On gaining Indian citizenship

by choice, after an active 20-year love-affair with India—which is a country I found intensely beautiful—I joined Aman Nath, with whom I had co-authored a book. We founded our ‘Neem-rana Hotels Pvt. Ltd.’ about 30 years ago.

 SL: Are you a trained Archi-

tect? What was the inception of your deep love for the Arts and Indian History?

FW: I am not a trained architect. However, I have been an art-lover all my life. 

I am a founding member of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage). I am also a trustee on IFA (India Foundation for the Arts), and the Alliance Francaise. 

I am actively involved in promoting the arts and culture, with an emphasis on building bridges between different people and varying cultures.

 SL: How is France connected

with your restoration and design activities?

 FW: Yes, France is well-known for the conservation of its heritage. From a young age, therefore, I was always inter-ested in monuments, art, old houses, and period furniture.

 SL: When did you decide to

renovate Pataudi Palace? How

according to Neemrana’s concept.

 SL: Describe how you super-

vised Pataudi’s artistic renova-tion. What was the stylistic pat-tern you applied to the rooms? How long did it take for the design-work to be completed?

 FW: At Pataudi, we tried to be as conservative as pos-sible, and respectful of the old charm of this classic Palace. We brought in some essential modern amenities, like air-conditioning. We added a large swimming pool, to meet the requirements of our clientele. We have restored the existing furniture, and  have changed the furnishings and textiles. 

We wanted to keep the original, old atmosphere as intact as possible. Thus, the restoration did not take very long – except for the large swimming pool, which took us approximately 8 months.

 SL: What kind of artworks did

you select to decorate Pataudi Palace, and where have they been acquired?

FW: The artworks were already there, as well as many interesting and rare vintage photos dating from the early 20th C. –  and also antique chan-deliers and fittings. We have added a few special paintings and unique textiles.

SL: Do you have a favourite suite at Pataudi?

FW: Sher Mahal, on the first floor, is my favourite suite. The long shaded ve-randahs overlooking the rose garden, and the swimming pool, are particularly nice.

 SL: How has the presence of

the Pataudi Resort affected its surrounding environment, the economy of its village people?

 FW: The Pataudi village people are extremely respectful

Pataudi Palace Restoredtowards, and proud of, The Pataudi Palace. 

Like at other Neemrana properties, we try our level best to employ as many local people as possible.

The word ‘Neemranifica-tion’  has now come to sym-bolise a viable and sustain-able ‘Heritage-Tourism,’  involving all of India’s local communities.

SL: How has the response to Pataudi been from travellers both in India and from abroad?

 FW: Pataudi Palace, being the closest palace to Delhi, re-mains the  weekend favourite of Delhiites, along with Neemrana Fort-Palace. We also have trav-ellers from all over India and overseas – and French nationals top that list.

Further, the Pataudi Palace has also become a favourite venue for hosting business con-ferences, parties and weddings – from both India and overseas.

 SL: What kind of cultural

activities have taken place in Pa-taudi, aside from social events like parties and weddings? Would you like to host Book readings, Exhibitions, Crafts, Literary and Art festivals, as is the practice in Neemrana Fort?

FW: We have conferences and celebrations on a regular basis at Pataudi. However, 15 rooms is too small an inven-tory to have extensive cultural programs, as of now – unlike Neemrana Fort-Palace, which has 60 rooms. We will see in the future.

 SL: Do you have any plans

for adding similar designer-resorts?

FW: We get 3-4 proposals a week. We are always open to doing interesting projects that come our way.

We take this opportunity to announce that Neemrana now means 28 Non-hotel Hotels, having added Deo-Bagh in Gwalior, Divan’s Bungalow in Ahmedabad, and Tijara Fort-Palace in Rajasthan – which will be opening its doors soon. (There is a Glass House by the Ganges in Uttarakhand).

 SL: How often do you go to

these Palaces?  FW: I try and visit The

Pataudi Palace at least once a month. Since Neemrana Fort-Palace is the flagship property, Aman Nath and I are usually working there every weekend.u

Artist, Writer & Curator

Neemrana is an awesome, massive Palace of 60 rooms and terraces, a joy to behold. It was built in 1464, by the descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan III. The spectacular bird’s-eye-views from this medieval fortress’ high terraces, built atop a hill, can beat the views from many a skyscraper.

18 4–10 May 2012 Bon Vivant

New Mega Shows

Divining With The Tarot Spreads

{ Alka Gurha }

The good news for televi-sion viewers is that a range of new shows are being

launched on various channels, to keep the viewer transfixed to the small screen.

Satyamev Jayate, Aamir Khan’s new show, premieres on Star Plus and Star World on May 6, 2012. The show is reported to be based on social issues relating to the common man. The promos of the show have Aamir Khan saying, “Entertainment is not only about making people laugh. Dil par lagni chahiye.” Aamir, to my mind, is refer-ring to a deep emotional con-nect with the viewers. Star Plus is taking a gamble with this expensive show; but has hedged its bets by involving Aamir in all aspects – includ-ing marketing.

The documentary nature of Satyamev Jayate sets it apart from all other reality shows; and the promos have built the much needed cu-riosity factor. Although the

{ Bhavana Sharma }

Tarot Spreads range from very simple to extremely complex ones. Basically, a

Spread refers to a pattern in which the Cards are laid out, and the order in which they fall. Some Spreads will help you to gain a general over-view of your life, while oth-ers are more specific.

For example, the Three Card Spread addresses just three particular areas of your life – namely the past, present and the future. On the other hand, The Celtic Cross Spread gives an impres-sion of the current situation, the inner and outer influenc-es, and the psychology of the questioner (the querent). It gives a fairly detailed picture of the current circumstances, and is one of the best Spreads if you are looking for answers to a definite question.

You can also experiment, to find out Spreads with which you are most comfort-able. Remember, the longer you work with the Tarot, the more you will intuitively choose the right Spread for a particular situation.

The Celtic Cross SpreadThe Celtic Cross is one of

the best known and most popu-lar Tarot Spreads. It provides an overview of the questioner’s particular situation, and is help-ful as a general reading – as in answering specific questions. It consists of two parts: a small cross, and an upright or staff typical of the standing cross. This Spread can be laid out us-ing Cards selected just from the major arcana, or with Cards

to overcome. Courage will be needed to meet the challenge.

Position 7 - The Querents Feelings - The Star

The Star is the wish fulfill-ment card, and indicates a new life in the offing. He can now see light at the end of the tunnel.

Position 8 - Outside Influ-ence - The Queen of Pentacles

The Queen of Pentacles describes the qualities of his wife. It indicates that she will be a strong source of support for him, and will help him to launch his new career.

Position 9 - Hopes and Fears - The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man indicates the querent’s fears of sacri-ficing his security. It also sug-gests that he will gain some-thing of greater value.

Position 10- Outcome – The Fool

The Fool predicts a fresh start for the querent, and an opportunity to develop his po-tential. This will necessitate taking a leap of faith.

So we can conclude that The Fool as the outcome card suggests the need for him to take risks, by letting go of his fears and taking the plunge. There could also be a sudden opportunity, and he will need to abandon his old ways and start something new and untested. Hence-forth, he should be willing to travel the various paths of knowledge, development and self-awareness. u

Author, Tarot Card Reader

chosen from the entire deck.

ProcedureShuffle the Cards and cut and

then lay them out in the order (as shown in the figure). Cards1- 6 form the cross, and the verti-cal line to the right is formed with the four remaining Cards. Although each Card has a spe-cific position that determines its interpretations, you need to synthesise the meaning of the whole Spread.

Case History of a Querent:-

When a querent of 51 years went for a Tarot reading, he was working as a professional photographer. He was no longer feeling fulfilled in his career, and wanted a change. His real pas-sion was music, and he was an accomplished guitarist too.

His ambition was to work full time as a musician; but he was concerned about whether he could make a living of it. He hoped that the reading would shed some light on his dilemma.

Position 1 - Present Posi-tion -The Tower

The Tower shows that the querent feels bounded by a false image, and finds it in-creasingly hard to live within the confines of his present job.

Position 2 - Immediate In-fluence - The Nine of Swords

The Nine of Swords de-scribes his anxieties about leaving the security of his es-tablished career. It is impor-

free of his self imposed way of thinking, otherwise he will remain trapped forever.

Position 5 - Past Influence - The Eight of Swords

The Eight of Swords im-plies that the querent has been feeling very restricted by his job. He needs to be pa-tient and strong.

Position 6 - Future Influ-ence - The Seven of Wands

The Seven of Wands indi-cates a challenge that he has

Hic Hic Haryana { Sujata Goenka }

Gurgaon is different – even in India. Yes, it is cosmo-politan. But the unique-

ness is in what is very visible. While liquor shops in our major cities are tucked away shyly in a corner, in our City you will amazingly find one every kilometre or so – proud-ly displaying its wares. From the elegant Blue Label to country liquor—and wine—all are available under one roof. Truly, like Hong Kong, one can enjoy a drink almost anywhere. Yes, there are no dustbins on the roadside – for disposing empty bottles and cans. But then that is the role

of the State – right?And only in our Haryana,

are liquor shops supposed to provide a place to drink too; so not surprisingly each shop has a dhaba running by its side. A very convenient ar-rangement for all. There are places like Meat and Treat; and Lucknow Mail. These are upgraded dhabas, serv-ing the usual dhaba fare – but with live bands playing, and waiters serving. The liquor can be bought by the bottle, from the shop along-side.

On weekends they are packed. They are easy on the pocket. An ideal place for the gang to hang out.

Cheers! u

show will occupy the ‘prime’ time slot that Ramayan and Ma-habharat occupied years earlier, TV viewing habits have changed drastically. Let us see if Aamir can bring the flock back.

  Meanwhile, Balaji Soap Factory is set to launch a new extravagant show, based on the historical love story of Mughal Emperor Akbar and (his wife) Jodha Bai. The queen of Indian soaps, Ekta, is expected to add some fictional elements to the tale, apart from making a few dramatic additions to the love story. Last year, Ekta was to have started on a show based on the period romance of Bajirao-Mastani. But when Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali

expressed plans of reviving his film, that revolves around the same subject, she apparently shelved the idea.

Tanushree Dasgupta, Cre-ative Director, Balaji Tele-films, revealed, “Our plan is to launch the show on a ma-jestic scale, as it is an epic love saga – from a different era. The show, based on Jodha-Akbar, will be on the lines of the ac-tual events.” According to her, fresh faces will be chosen for the lead roles,. Extensive auditions are currently being held across the country.

Colors Television launched a new health show called ‘All is Well’, that focuses on the holistic well being of people. It

aims to focus on the common ailments that plague our so-ciety – ranging from heart attack to miscarriage. The show is hosted by Dr. Sonu Ahluwalia, a celebrity doc-tor who has treated Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Woods. Now that is an impressive lineup of patients! For those interested in trivia, the good looking orthopae-dic doctor was a resident of Los Angeles, and was in the news for his divorce with actress Pooja Batra. In or-der to make the show interest-ing, Colors has roped in vari-

ous celebrities. The first episode was telecast on 29th April, Sun-day afternoon. The format is a facsimile of Dr. Oz’s health show on Zee Trendz, but is peppered with some song and dance. The show was a little shallow on the main purpose – the health problems discussed.

Coming back to Satyamev Jayate, Aamir, known for his calm and strategic planning (remember his ‘all izz well’ for-mula?), is supposedly extremely nervous about his television

debut. When Aamir recently attended an auto driver’s son’s wedding in Varanasi, his de-tractors were quick to call it a gimmick. Many felt it was an at-tempt to display a bond with the aam aadmi, as part of a publicity stunt for his forthcoming show. However, we feel that there is no reason for Mr. Perfectionist to have doubts on the success of Satyamev Jayate. The audiences are eagerly waiting to see what he serves, after a relaxed Sunday morning breakfast. u

tant to emphasise that these fears, although understand-able, are ungrounded.

Position 3 - The Querent’s Life - The Chariot

The Chariot in this posi-tion reflects the conflict that the querent is experienc-ing, as he struggles to make a decision.

Position 4 - Root of the Reading - The Devil

The Devil suggests that it is up to the querent to break

10

9

5

4 1 6

8

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4–10 May 2012 Bon Vivant 19{ Ekta Saxena }

This house is an art lover’s delight and rightly so, as Anju Kumar is a renowned

artist who dabbles in pottery, paintings, murals, stained glass, sculptures, et al. Anju moved into this 3-floor house three years back, and is loving every moment of staying here. Having moved from Delhi, Anju simply admires the open spaces in Gur-gaon, and has built her house to let in a lot of natural light and air. The house displays under-stated elegance.

Art Home

Live In The Present{ Dr. Rajesh Bhola }

Anuj came to see me because he feels that his life has become meaningless, since he missed

out on a promotion. Many people feel this inner emptiness at some point of time in their lives. It is not unusual.

Anuj should be happy. He has a good wife, and successful children settled in Canada. He owns a comfortable house, and a sedan car. At work he holds a senior position in a public sector bank. He has income that is more than adequate for his needs. Somehow, it does not make him happy. In his career, he has grown up thinking and believing that he will attain happiness only if he is promoted regularly.

He feels that he has been tricked. In his mind, he has done all the right things; but the desired reward has not arrived. He feels that he has kept his half of the bargain – while the other party has not kept his/her/their word. Who the other party is, he is not sure. And in order to mitigate the feelings of ‘failure’, he quite often drinks more alcohol than he should.

He has been taken in by the promise that worldly success will make him happy. Anuj does not really participate in his job – or his car, or his nice house. The ‘happiness’ he thinks

is his due lies beyond these things. In his mind these are means to an end,

not the end in itself. He is in flight from the ‘failures’ and ‘suffer-ing’ in his life – rather than enjoying the actual pleasures that are already available to him. He is not focused in the

present moment. These ‘failures’ and ‘suffering’ are

not unbearable – in the sense of being acutely painful, like a severe physical injury

might be. However, the psychological pain of be-ing ‘in flight’ from the present reality of one’s life can be more disabling than the effect of a physical injury.

I advised Anuj to visit some of his old col-leagues and friends; specially those who have never ‘achieved’ regular promotions, and are yet leading happy and contended lives. After meet-ing a few of them, he reached a greater accep-tance of the position he had already attained, and became happier again – like a flower open-ing in the sunshine, after the storm clouds have passed. He started living in the present. 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.

A little girl was wearing a Medical Alert bracelet. Someone asked her what the bracelet was for. She replied, “I’m allergic to nuts and eggs. The person asked, “Are you allergic to cats?” The girl said, “I don’t know. I don’t eat cats.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A group of tourists were being guided through an ancient castle in Europe. “This place,” the guide said,” is 600 years old. Not a stone in it has been touched, nothing altered, nothing replaced in all those years.” “Wow,” said one woman, “they must have the same landlord I do.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~An amateur photographer was invited to dinner with friends and took along a few pictures to show the hostess. She looked at the photos and commented, “These are very good! You must have a very good camera.” He didn’t comment, but, as he was leaving to go home, he said, “That was a really delicious meal! You must have some very good pots.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A little boy opened the old family Bible, looking at the pages as he turned them. An old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages, fell out of the Bible.”Mommy, look what I found”, the boy called out. “What have you got there, dear?” his mother asked. With astonishment, he answered: “It’s Adam’s suit!”

Laughing St ck

Anju, with inputs from her other architect friends, decided to do it on her own. The lady with a high creative streak has put her heart in this place.

The living room is quite spa-cious, done in beige, with Anju’s paintings’ red hues giving a beautiful contrast. This floor has the master bedroom and the kitchen. There are large win-dows and balconies attached on all sides. Says Anju, “It’s a treat sitting in the balcony, with my hot cup of tea, and enjoy the open spaces. I always wanted my house to be flooded with natural light. It is so impor-tant that the house gets ample light and air; it infuses a posi-

tive energy.” From the living room, the marble stairs take you to the second floor of the house, where son Anmol’s bedroom and a guestroom are located.

Anmol, a pilot with a private airline, is often away. But, when-ever he is in town, he loves to spend time in his room, which has a ‘reading corner’ near the window. Nature is flown into this house, with a terrace gar-den on this floor. A patch of green, with loads of plants, adds beauty as well as unparalleled charm to this soothing place. Anju, along with her family, likes to unwind here. She is quite fond of yoga and meditation, and this green patch provides her with her own moments.

Anju says philosophically, “My work is like a therapy for me. Thankfully, my husband and son truly understand it. The stu-dio is where I spend a lot of my time, but this also allows me to si-multaneously monitor the house jobs as well.” Vivacious and full of life she is, and the house truly reflects that. Her zeal for life, and her work, is evident – and the house buzzes with a calm-ing effect! This house embodies art, but there is nothing over-the-top about it. The Zen-like ef-fect flows throughout this space. When you come out, you carry a feeling of warmth and calm. An art home should leave you with just that! u

JIT

KUM

AR

Adds Anju, “These are actu-ally sleepers used for railway tracks. I just innovatively used them here, only treating them with linseed oil.” Inno-vation at its best!

A lifesize abstract painting in hues of gold and red greets you at the entrance. This is pi-ous Ganesha. The pattern flows through out the house, with ab-stracts mostly in the hues of red adorning the walls. Anju says, “ I love to paint abstracts, as it is completely at the viewer’s dis-cretion, to interpret in his or her own way.” Anju’s creativity is evident everywhere – with her pots, jaalis, and of course the beautiful paintings.

She started ‘doing up’ this place with an architect, but then midway through, the architect had to leave for Australia. Then

Located in South City-I, artist Anju Kumar’s house is truly an artist’s haven. There is a soothing yet a grandeur am-bience, which sets this house truly apart. Anju decided to dedicate the entire ground floor to her studio. Done aes-thetically in white and black, Anju’s artwork consisting of terracota art pieces, her abstract works of art, and some great ‘jaaliwork’ that truly stands out. Anju says, with a sense of pride, “This is my very own space, and I just feel so contended work-ing here.” A very unique fea-ture here is the wooden logs stacked on the ceiling, giv-ing quite a dramatic effect.

20 4–10 May 2012 Real Estate

Rahejas – Full Speed Ahead

{ Abhishek Behl / FG }

Despite the talk of correction in the real estate prices in Gurgaon, the slow growth

of infrastructure, and the advent of the proposed Real Estate Reg-ulatory Bill, Raheja Developers is betting big on the Millennium City. The Group will be hand-ing over about 1500 newly-built apartments to their customers in the coming months, in addi-tion to launching a couple of mega projects in the near future.

Nayan Raheja, Executive Director, Raheja Developers, says that his Company has inherent faith in the Gurgaon growth story, and no talks of an impending slowdown will shake it. “We will deliver on our promise to buyers as soon as we get the necessary certificates from the authorities. Apart-ments in Raheja Atharva, Navodya and Raheja Raisina will be handed over soon, as they are complete in all re-spects,” says Rajeha. The Com-pany has also started work on the Raheja Revanta (in Sector 78), that will be the tallest tower in Gurgaon with sixty storeys. The test piling work began on May 1, and Raheja says that the entire project has been booked in advanced, as the people in the City know that his company delivers on time.

Raheja Aranya is another major project that the Group has launched in neighbouring Sohna. Aranya Mega City, to be launched on May 8th, will be a completely integrated township, with all the facili-ties one needs and aspires, to enjoy a comfortable life-style, says Raheja. This project will be spread over 107.85 acres.

Raheja told Friday Gurgaon that these projects, and those al-ready developed in Gurgaon, are premium projects developed for the niche customers looking for a discerning lifestyle. To ensure that the quality of construction, and the delivery of projects, is as promised, Raheja Group has tied up with the world’s best construction companies and product suppliers.

“We have an in-house design and construction team that works on the projects. Raheja Developers has tie-ups with Thornton, Arabtec and several others, to ensure that promises are delivered,” says Raheja.

When asked why was there so much post-purchase dissonance currently among the apartment buyers in Gurgaon, he says that builders have to ensure that they have a professional team that as-sesses the projects, buys land rationally, and makes promises that can be delivered on.

Many a time, he says, land has been bought at such as-tronomical prices, that apart-ments can never be sold at the promised price – or with the promised facilities. “I think every one has to be a little ratio-nal here. The price of steel, ce-ment and labour is going north-wards, and the curve is very steep,” says Raheja. He predicts that these prices are going to first rise, and then hold steady.

In addition, he says, the apartment owners also need to realise that builders have stakes in the projects, and they can help

the RWAs in learning to manage them. Raheja Group believes in hand-holding the RWAs for few years, helping them choose good maintenance companies, and then exiting to concentrate on new projects.

“I don’t think that it is the job of the builder to maintain a proj-ect after a couple of years,” says Raheja. But he is of the opin-ion that Common Areas and other Facilities in a building project need to be taken care of by the builder for a few years, before they are handed over to the RWA.

For those who are planning to buy a house, Raheja suggests that this is a good time, as there are plenty of options available – in and around Gurgaon. Prop-erties on the National Highway 8 and the Dwarka Expressway (NPR) will offer maximum ap-preciation, as the Expressway is likely to be completed by the end of 2012, he believes.

Instead of holding their pur-chase decision, buyers should keep in mind the location and brand that they are investing in, to make a wise decision, he suggests.

Gurgaon, he says, will con-tinue to grow, as it has become a manufacturing and IT hub. “We have had a great experience in Gurgaon, building and selling quality real estate. The people in the City have a taste for the good life, and that is what we promise to de-liver,” he says.

However, for the Gurgaon story to hold good, he be-

also ventured into SEZs, but may think of backing out, he hints.

How is Raheja Group differ-ent from other builders in Gurg-aon? Raheja says that the fun-damental difference between his Company and other build-ers is that Rahejas are debt-free, and an unlisted compa-ny. “We are not under huge debt burden like others, and there-fore are not stretched. Raheja Group is answerable only to its customers, and that gives us the freedom to look beyond the mundane,” says Nayan.

In terms of work culture as well, the Group companies have robust processes, and the struc-ture is very tight. “Although the manpower is less, IT is used as an enabler to help in integrat-ing the work. There is a special focus on quality of work, and top professionals are hired to ex-ecute projects,” he asserts.

According to him, the future of the real estate industry de-pends on building efficiency, productivity, and quality, to of-fer a superior lifestyle to the buyer. “I think any builder who is not moving in this direction would be losing in the long run, because the customers have be-come very aware,” he says.

In addition, the Real Es-tate Regulatory Bill will also bring in more transparency, and is a good move, he be-lieves. “I think that there should be a more balanced approach towards this Bill. It should en-sure that interests of all the stake holders are safeguarded,” says Raheja.

His own Company, he says, is looking towards a steady growth path, to build on its rock-solid foundation. “We are here for the long run, and with the intention to serve the customers loyally,” con-cludes Raheja. u

lieves that the Haryana gov-ernment will have to stream-line its policies and process-es. “There are delays on the Expressway, and the sewage, power and water connectiv-ity in new sectors is way be-hind schedule. Despite this we are going to deliver the projects to our buyers on time,” says Raheja. The HUDA and the De-partment of Town and Country Planning should take up these issues on priority, as thousands of people are likely to live in these new sectors, he says.

He suggests three areas where the authorities can improve their functioning: streamlining of the process-es, single window clearances, and policy making through consensus. “We have to move so many papers for getting licenses and clearances from the Fire de-partment, TCP and HUDA, that valuable time and resources are lost,” he says. The projects are also delayed.

The government also needs to work on improving and build-ing new infrastructure, in and around Gurgaon. The Northern Peripheral Road (NPR), South-ern Peripheral Road (SPR) and Kundli-Manesar Palwal (KMP) Expressway should be com-pleted expeditiously – as these would boost the economy of the City, and integrate it with the entire NCR.

Another major challenge to the real estate industry, particularly in Gurgaon, is the shortage of labour. “There is an impending labour crisis, as

the manpower from Bihar, Oris-sa and Rajasthan is not coming as much as earlier,” says Ra-heja. His Company is putting up advertisements in local dailies in these States, to recruit labour and supervisory staff – so acute is the situation.

When asked about the fail-ure of the much touted Special Economic Zones, about which the entire real estate industry was quite bullish, he admits that they have failed to take off. “The government had promised special tax incentives for the SEZs at the time of launch of this policy; but some time back it brought these zones under the ambit of Minimum Alternate Tax, making these projects non-feasible,” he re-veals. His own Company has

Sector-3

2 BHK Aptt3,500 psf

3 BHK Aptt3,000 psf

2 BHK House3,400 psf

Sector-4

2 BHK House5,000 psf

3 BHK House4,200 psf

4 BHK House3,800 psf

Plots20,000 psf

New Palam Vihar

2 BHK Aptt3,200 psf

3 BHK Aptt3,500 psf

3 BHK House3,300 psf

Plots18,000 psf

Realty Rates (in Rs. as of May 03, 2012)

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

►Are you interested and concerned about civic and social happenings and issues around you?

►Are you motivated to do something positive for society?

►Are you interested to also write, and express what you see, hear, feel?

Please Visit Us At www.fridaygurgaon.com

Ask Your Newspaper Vendor For Friday Gurgaon.

PRAK

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214–10 May 2012 G lobal

{ Monica Vallejos / Buenos Aires / dpA }

Hollywood creates concepts and fantasies, and also sets an ideal shaping of the fe-

male silhouette each decade. Movies have an effect on fash-ion through film celebrities, because so many women long to look like them. Conversely, movies absorb current fashion trends, and portray them on the silver screen.

Possibly the best example of how film and fashion feed into each other is the 1954 movie “Sabrina”. When Audrey Hepburn was offered the star-ring role, she chose outfits that French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy was still sketch-ing; and that were redesigned by Oscar-winning Hollywood costume designer Edith Head. Since the movie was such a hit, “the Sabrina dress” was imitated all over the world. The black dress with a boat-neck, tight fitting around the waist, and with a large flared skirt, was simple, romantic and youthful. Hepburn would continue to work with Given-chy in other movies; and her dark, expressive eyes and sculp-tured features would make her a trendsetter – both on-screen and off.

After the androgynous 1920s, that saw loose-fitting, straight-hanging dresses, the 1930s brought elegance and couture models that are still fashion-able today. There were bias-cut cocktail and evening gowns, that clung to the body and highlight-ed curves; draped fabric that fused elegance and simplicity; and bare backs for a surprising seductiveness.

The female figure was thin, and it would remain so until the 1950s – when the buxom hourglass shape took hold. Met-ro-Goldwyn-Mayer offered French designer Coco Cha-nel a million dollars to dress stars such as Katharine Hep-burn, Grace Kelly and Eliza-beth Taylor. The Academy had created an award for best costume design in 1948.

“Wardrobe is crucial when it comes to defining a char-acter’s personality. The in-tention is to illustrate what is happening in the story through the wardrobe, which is itself a character,” says Argentinean costume designer Cintia Fainberg.

In the 1930 and 1940s, the head of costume design at MGM, Gilbert Adrian, created the cin-ematographic image of stars such as Jean Harlow and Greta Garbo, using haute couture.

French designer Jacques Fath, who did not sketch, but rather draped the fabric di-rectly on the model, would be Rita Hayworth’s favourite in the 1940s.

Shortages in the Second World War forced fashion de-signers to replace natural fibres like wool and silk with synthetic fabrics – so evening dresses were mostly made from rayon. There were no restrictions on sequins, since there was no place for them in the war effort; so they

were available in abundance.In 1942, the Academy issued

a special appeal to actors, to dress down for the Oscar awards ceremony. Joan Fontaine fol-lowed the rule strictly, wearing a sombre black dress and Span-ish mantilla, when she picked up her Oscar for “Suspicion.” She still managed to look stunning.

Once the war was over, glamour returned to the prize-giving event; with it came fashion and Christian Dior’s “New Look” – that in-volved deep cleavages, tight waists and generous skirts.

The Oscar awards were televised for the first time in 1953, magnifying and spread-ing the effect on fashion.

For example, Fainberg said, the dress Grace Kelly wore in 1955, when she won the Oscar for best actress in “The Country Girl,” became iconic in the world of fashion. Designed by Edith Head, the pale ice-coloured silk dress had spaghetti straps and a slightly draped waistline.

Together with the ethereal Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, another female image emerged in the 1950s: the voluptuousness of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. Strapless necklines, draped busts, corselets, and billow-ing skirts would be key to that image.

The winds of freedom and youth culture blew in the 1960s –and actresses said goodbye to ‘the princess look’. Audrey Hepburn once again chose an unforgettable outfit; a long black dress cut in imperial

but rather on what an image advisor will suggest, know-ing the effects that television will create,” Fainberg says. She adds that top advisers are also in the know about what other actresses are planning to wear, to avoid double-ups.

Tall, lanky actresses like Ni-cole Kidman and Charlize Ther-on have been ideal models for Chanel, Prada, Jean Paul Gaulti-er, Yves Saint Laurent and Chris-tian Dior. But medium height or short actresses such as Renee Zellweger and Salma Hayek have also been praised for their Caro-lina Herrera, Narciso Rodriguez, Karl Lagerfeld, Oscar de la Renta and Valentino designs.

At this year’s Oscar cer-emony, some of the top ac-tresses became fashion hits, without taking home any award. The 2012 notables included Michelle Williams (red peplum, Louis Vuitton) Streep (gold, Lanvin) Glenn Close (dark green, Zac Po-sen) and Viola Davis (emerald green, Vera Wang).

Fashion critics raved over Rooney Mara’s Givenchy Haute Couture gown by Ric-cardo Tisci, Angelina Jo-lie’s Atelier Versace black dress (especially the leg-showing), and Gwyneth Pal-trow‘s daring draped gown by Tom Ford. u

Film And Fashion

Julia Roberts in a vintage Valen-tino gown, as she receives the best actress Academy Award for her role in “Erin Brockovich”, in 2001.

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brow

ski

Audrey Hepburn in her unforget-table outfit, in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961).

picture alliance / kpa

The Medal Honours{ Anne Walters / Washington / dpA }

A diverse group of figures, including music legend Bob Dy-lan and astronaut John Glenn, will receive the nation’s highest civilian honour from US President Barack

Obama, the White House said.The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded for con-

tributions to US interests, world peace or cultural endeav-ours. The White House tapped 13 recipients from the world of diplomacy, arts, sports and sciences.

Madeleine Albright, who served as the first female Secre-tary of State under President Bill Clinton, from 1997 to 2001, and Israeli President Shimon Peres, are to be honoured for their contributions to foreign policy.

Civil Rights figures John Doar, Gordon Hirabayashi and Dolores Huerta were tapped, along with William Foege, who worked to eliminate smallpox. Also honoured will be author Toni Morrison, former Supreme Court justice John Paul Ste-vens and women’s university basketball coach Pat Summitt.

World War II Polish underground fighter Jan Karski, Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low, and Hirabayashi will be awarded posthumously. u

Spectacular Swiss Art Robbery Solved{ Albert Otti / Zurich / dpA }

police have recovered two paintings, by Cezanne and Degas, that were robbed in 2008 from a Swiss museum, prosecutors said in Zurich. They were announcing the resolution of one

of Europe’s most spectacular art crimes in recent years.Paul Cézanne’s Boy in a Red Waistcoat, worth 100 mil-

lion Swiss francs (110 million dollars), and Edgar Degas’ Ludovic Lepic and his Daughters, worth some 10 million francs, were found in Serbia.

Thirty investigators and undercover agents, in six countries, were involved in the search for the art works – belonging to the Buehrle collection in Zurich.

Three Serbs and one Macedonian suspect were detained in Belgrade on April 11, and the Cézanne portrait was found hid-den in a car. The Degas was recovered months earlier.

Three masked men robbed the Buehrle museum at gunpoint in early 2008, taking a total of four impressionist paintings worth some 180 million francs.

Two of the works, by Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet, were found in Zurich a few days after the robbery. u

style, with a rounded neck-line and long black gloves – for “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961). It would shape the im-age for a young, carefree, but sophisticated woman.

Faye Dunaway in “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967) established the “Bonnie look” – involving a pencil skirt, a scarf and a beret.

Ten years later, New York designer Ralph Lauren contrib-uted to Diane Keaton’s androg-ynous appearance in “Annie Hall”; with items from a man’s wardrobe – such as a blazer over

a vest, broad pants and a hat. Aware that her look had caused a furore, Keaton received the best actress statuette dressed as Annie Hall.

The 1980s came with their “dress for success” code – both at the office, and at the elegant parties. Thick makeup and cos-tume jewellery, shiny fabrics, and intense colours would do away with the elements of clas-sic style. An example was the emerald green dress worn by Jessica Lange, when she was awarded the best supporting ac-tress prize in 1983 for “Tootsie”. Hair was brushed up and worn high, as Elizabeth Taylor did in the 1987 Oscar ceremony.

The 1990s brought a minimal-ist approach to style, led by Ital-ian designer Giorgio Armani –who became a favourite because of his elegant and discrete de-signs. Dresses returned to a sin-gle colour, with an emphasis on the classic black, red and white. Marisa Tomei boasted a splendid white silk organza dress, with black accents by Chanel, when she received her best supporting actress award in 1993 for “Vin-ny’s Cousin”. Uma Thurman would become the most copied actress of the decade, when she chose a simple Prada dress for the 1995 Oscar awards ceremony.

The 21st century heralded a return to elegance, a few cases of extravagance, and plenty of vintage models.

Thanks to television and the Internet, that guarantee a mil-lionaire, worldwide audience, the choice of what to wear to the Oscars has become very com-plex. “The decision no longer just depends on what the ac-tress and the designer like;

22 G lobal4–10 May 2012

{ Johanna Uchtmann / Berlin / dpa }

It is worth having a bicycle hel-met ruin your hairdo every morning. Cycling, after all, is

healthy – but only if the cyclist has a suitable bike, and cycles with the proper posture. Having a healthy attitude is important, too.

Cycling is a good way to incor-porate “measured” amounts of exercise into your daily routine, said Detlef Detjen, spokesman for the Campaign for Healthier Backs (AGR),.

The two other main aero-bic sports are swimming and jogging. So why should leisure-time athletes choose a bike over running shoes or a bathing suit? Andreas Strack, educational di-rector of the German University of Applied Sciences for Preven-tion and Health Management in

Saarbruecken, offered two com-pelling arguments: You go far-ther, and you go faster.

“They get around a lot more,” Strack said of cyclists – which is a motivating factor. Experienc-ing the thrill of speed is an-other. Cyclists know - quite literally - what it is like to be on a roll.

Riding a bicycle strengthens mainly the leg muscles, but also has beneficial effects on the car-diovascular system, Strack said. It is also easy on the joints.

“If you’re not well condi-tioned, jog too often and for too long, and maybe are overweight to boot, at some point you can develop minor or major ortho-paedic problems,” he said. Cy-cling’s risks are much lower, because the bike carries your weight. But other sports out-

{ pratibha Tuladhar/pokhara, Nepal / dpa }

“When life begins, ad-venture begins,” says Sano Babu Sunuwar,

one of the two men who climbed Mount Everest, paraglided to base camp, cycled to the nearest river, and kayaked all the way to the Indian Ocean. “Who knows what will happen in life?”

Dressed in a polo shirt, shorts, trainers and a golf cap, the 28-year-old could easily pass for a teenager. It is hard to imagine him as someone who hadscom-pleted such a feat.

“I had conceptualized the Ultimate Descent - Summit to the Sea Expedition, in 2006,” he explains, stirring a chocolate-flavoured yoghurt drink. But it was several years before it be-came possible.

“Edmund Hillary went from the sea level to the top of the world,” says Sunuwar. “My concept was to do just the opposite.”

He was working as a profes-sional kayaker and paraglider, when in December 2010 he teamed up with Lhakpa Tsheri Sherpa, 37, a mountaineer who desperately wanted to learn to paraglide.

“The deal was, I’d teach him to paraglide if he’d take me up Everest, and I’d fly him down from there,” he says with a smile.

Sunuwar had never climbed a mountain, and Lhakpa couldn’t swim. They

Adventurers Of The Year

pace cycling in efficiency.“With cycling, you’ve got to

allow for substantially longer workouts,” Strack said, point-ing out that cyclists needed about twice as long as joggers to achieve the same cardiovascular benefits. Swimming is roughly comparable to jogging in this re-gard. The reason: Cycling does not work as many parts of the body simultaneously.

According to Detjen, the key to healthy cycling is having the right bike. The wrong bike, or a wrongly adjusted one, can negate the positive effects of exercise, he warned.

Since “there’s no bike fit for everyone,” as Detjen said, the AGR has put together a list of bike-buying tips. One of them is: Don’t be afraid to buy a la-dy’s bike, even if you’re a man.

“A conventional man’s bi-cycle has a crossbar; but it doesn’t have to,” Detjen re-marked. He said that building a bike with a crossbar made it structurally sounder. Getting on requires swinging a leg over the bar, which puts a strain on the back. A lady’s bike, with a “step-through” frame, is eas-ier to mount – especially for older people.

The best sitting posture is not completely upright, but with the upper body bent slightly forward – at a maxi-mum angle of 30 degrees, ac-cording to the AGR. The ball of the foot should be directly over the pedal axle, which puts less strain on the joints.

Cycling for an extended period

Sunuwar and Sherpa, flying down Mt. Everest on a paraglider (Top); and kayaking through an Indian village in Jharkhand.(Bottom)

Hand

out

Fitness Cycle

had a deal!Money and equipment were

borrowed for the trip. They de-cided to keep it low profile, and use local equipment as far as possible – and seek no corporate or government assistance. “The government delayed our travel permit, saying the nature of the trip was unusual,” he recalls.

Impatient, the adventurers started their ascent of Everest, without permits, on May 18, 2011. When they arrived at the Death Zone, above 8,000 metres, where the wind can gust at 120 kilome-tres per hour, Sunuwar thought he might die.

“Lhakpa forced me to drink two cups of coffee; and with that, I started again. As we went up in the freezing dark, I found it hard to understand why people climbed Everest, or what I was doing there,” he said.

On the morning of May 21, they arrived at the summit.

“I was standing high above the clouds; the sun came out looking up at me; and the Ti-betan plateau stretched below me,” he recalls – finally under-standing what drives some people to climb Everest.

But their adventure had just begun. Stretching the blue, white and red canopy, the colour of Nepal’s flag, on the 42-square-metre summit, the duo prepared for free flight from the roof of the world.

“The winds were strong, and gliding down the mountain was both amazing and challenging,” he says. In 45 minutes, they land-ed at Syangboche airport, near base camp. It would have been a 10-day trek downhill.

“We were greeted by the locals, but the government had issued an arrest warrant – for flying down Everest without permits!” he exclaims. They were promptly arrested, then released on bail.

They walked to Namche dis-trict, paraglided a short distance, then cycled to the confluence of

the Dudhkoshi and Sunkoshi rivers. On June 1, they set out in a kayak, filled with instant noodles, rice and bottled water. “As we moved down Bihar, vil-lagers ran to the riverbanks to watch us,” says Sunuwar. “They asked us where we had bought a boat like that.” They told the vil-lagers they were pilgrims. Often, wild fruit and water were their only source of sustenance. “We had no food, but Lhakpa would stop to buy cigarettes,” he recalls with a laugh.

“Once, when we stopped at a village to buy cigarettes, we got robbed of 4,000 Indian rupees, all the money we had. And in Jhar-kand, we were attacked by a mob because the locals thought we were thieves from Bangladesh.” They barely managed to escape in their kayak.

On June 28, they arrived at their destination in the sea, and the journey was complete. They were picked up by a ferry, and spent a night at a Kolkata hotel, boarding a bus to the Nepal bor-der the next day.

“Rowing in the sea was tough-er than tackling river rapids,” Sunuwar says. They needed to go far offshore to reach the zero-altitude point. “No matter how much you paddle, you’re still in the middle of the ocean.”

The National Geographic Society named the duo Ad-venturers of the Year, on the basis of 72,000 votes by the members of the public.

Sunuwar, who lives “for the thrill of being alive”, will join the Red Bull X-Alps cross-country trip, in July 2013. The trip covers five countries, from Austria to Monaco, dur-ing which 30 athletes will run, and use paragliders to complete a continuous race of more than 800 kilometres.

“There’s no limitation to dreams,” Sunuwar beams. “Life is a challenge, and dreams are never-ending.” u

on the wrong kind of bike, and with the wrong posture, can lead to acute problems, Strack said. Those who constantly cycled incorrectly could even develop chronic joint or back problems.

To keep this from happen-ing, cyclists should take care

not to overdo it. Regular rides of moderate distances are healthier than mammoth tours, advised Bettina Cibulski, spokeswoman for the German Bicycle Club. “Thirty minutes a day will definitely make you fit,” she said. u

G lobal 234–10 May 2012

Sidheshwar NISSAN

Announcing Our Arrival at Gurgaon

Ground Floor, Universal Trade Tower, Sohna Road, Near Subhash Chowk, Gurgaon 122 001 Phone: +91 124 492 8888 Mobile: 8130692012 / 25 E-mail: sales@sidheshwarnissan.co.in

Set-34, Plot No. 34, Near Hero Moto Corp. Plant, GGNPhone: 8130692008, 8130692006, 8130692007Email: Service@sidheshwarnissan.co.in

{ London / dpa }

The London 2012 Olympics will take place at 30 venues; which, apart from the Olympic Park facilities, include the iconic sites including Wimble-don (tennis), Wembley, Old Trafford (football) Lord’s Cricket Ground

(archery), The Mall (cycling, marathon) and the Horse Guards Parade (beach volleyball).

The 30 venues: Olympic Park: - Olympic Stadium: - athletics, opening and closing ceremony - Copper Box: handball, modern pentath-

lon fencing - Aquatics Centre: swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, modern pentathlon swimming - Basketball Arena: basketball, handball (men from quarter-finals, women from semi-finals) - BMX Track: BMX-cycling - Riverbank Arena: field hockey - Velodrome: track cycling - Water Polo Arena: water polo

London outside Olympic Park: - Earls Court: volleyball - ExCeL: boxing, fencing, judo, table tennis, taekwondo, wrestling,

weightlifting - Greenwich Park: equestrian (dressage, show jumping, eventing, modern pentathlon equestrian) - Hampton Court Palace: cycling time trial - Horse Guards Parade: beach volleyball - Hyde Park: triathlon, open water swimming - Lord’s Cricket Ground: archery - North Greenwich Arena: gymnastics, tram-poline, basketball (men from quarter-finals, women from semi-finals) - The Mall: marathon, race walking, cycling road race - The Royal Artillery Barracks: shoot-ing - Wembley Arena: badminton, rhythmic gymnastics - Wembley: football - Wimbledon: tennis

Outside London: - City of Coventry Stadium: football - Eton Dorney: rowing, canoe sprint - Hadleigh Farm: mountain bike -

Hampden Park (Glasgow): football - Lee Valley White Water Centre: canoe slalom - Millennium Stadium (Cardiff): football - Old Trafford (Manchester): football - St. James’ Park (Newcastle upon Tyne): football - Weymouth and Portland: sailingu

2012 Olympics – VenuesYear Host City Countries Athletes (Women/Men) Sports Events1896 Athens 14 241 ( 0/241 ) 9 43

1900 Paris 24 997 ( 22/975 ) 18 951904 St Louis 12 651 ( 6/645 ) 17 911908 London 22 2008 ( 37/1971) 22 1101912 Stockholm 28 2407 ( 48/2359) 14 1021916 Berlin (Not held due to World War I)1920 Antwerp 29 2626 ( 65/2561) 22 1541924 Paris 44 3089 ( 135/2954) 17 1261928 Amsterdam 46 2883 ( 277/2606) 14 1091932 Los Angeles 37 1332 ( 126/1206) 14 1171936 Berlin 49 3963 ( 331/3632) 19 1291940 Tokyo (Not held due to World War II)1944 London (Not held due to World War II)1948 London 59 4104 ( 390/3714) 17 1361952 Helsinki 69 4955 ( 519/4436) 17 1491956 Melbourne 72 3314 ( 376/2938) 17 151

1960 Rome 83 5338 ( 611/4727) 17 1501964 Tokyo 93 5151 ( 678/4473) 19 1631968 Mexico City 112 5516 (781/4735) 20 1721972 Munich 121 7134 (1059/6075) 23 1951976 Montreal 92 6084 (1260/4824) 21 1981980 Moscow 80 5179 (1115/4064) 21 2031984 Los Angeles 14 06829 (1566/5263) 23 2211988 Seoul 159 8391 (2194/6197) 25 2371992 Barcelona 169 9356 (2704/6652) 28 2571996 Atlanta 197 10318 (3512/6806) 26 2712000 Sydney 199 10651 (4069/6582) 28 3002004 Athens 201 10625 (4329/6296) 28 3012008 Beijing 204 10942 (4637/6305) 28 3022012 London - - ( -/- ) 26 3022016 Rio de Janeiro - - ( -/- ) - -

All figures from IOC website - Arts/events from early Olympics are not included.

The Game So Far

24 G -scape4–10 May 2012

Nightlife In GurgaonPRAKHAR PANDEY & JIT KUMAR