TIME TO

FACE OF THE MONTH GAURAV MEHTA

COMMUNITIES PUNJABIS

TRANSIT LOUNGE NICOLAI FRIEDRICH

Citynews DLF

December 2015 Vol. 9 Issue 9

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TRENDSPOTTING MEN IN GURGAON

Become Increasingly Particular About Their

Beard & Hairstyle P-46

TIME TO

Travel DESTINATIONS RANGE FROM

The Exotic To The Tried & Tested P-22

+

WINE & DINE

HOME-GROWN

PIZZA BRANDS

Become Popular P-50

Citynews DLF

CONNECTING GURGAON

RNI No.: DELENG/2006/19254 EDITOR* Vinay Jha DESIGN & PRODUCTION Asia Media Design ASSOCIATE EDITOR Meenakshi Sharma SENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR Dikhya Tiwari SENIOR FEATURES WRITER Reena Dhankher CONTRIBUTOR Rahul Ahuja PHOTOS The Deep Pictures MARKETING, AD SALES & DISTRIBUTION Touchpoints Marketing Services (*Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act) Printed and published by Vinay Jha on behalf of DLF Utilities Ltd, Shopping Mall, 3rd Floor, Arjun Marg, DLF City Phase I, Gurgaon -122002 Printed at G.H. Prints Pvt Ltd, A 256, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase –I, New Delhi - 110020 Envee Media is not responsible for the loss of or damage to unsolicited artworks and photographs, including transparencies and products, manuscripts or other material of a similar nature. The writing, artwork, photographs, graphics and illustrations published in this magazine may not be used or reproduced without a written permission from Envee Media. While all efforts have been made when it comes to the content compiled for themagazine, Envee Media assumes no responsibility for the effects arising there from

Letters:

[email protected]

There’s a spring in the step of many people these days for it’s the time of the year they most look forward to. It’s not just to do with the festive spirit but also with the elaborate travel plans which are being chalked out by families. As we discuss in our Cover Story, the trend of Indians opting for offbeat and exotic holidays continues. But so does the insatiable urge to explore more of India this winter holiday season. The city is set for a smart upgrade when it comes to power infrastructure with the Centre sanctioning a Rs 12,000-crore project. Officials promise uninterrupted power supply once the project is complete. In our People’s section, we catch up with Gurgaon’s very own IronMan, Abhishek Mishra, who won the title after a gruelling triathlon held in September. He shares his journey, the challenges he faced and the sense of satisfaction at winning. We also get talking to Gaurav Mehta, the Chief Marketing Officer at OLX. We introduce a new section, Trendspotting, and begin with a close look at beards and hairstyles. From the traditional to the funky, Gurgaon men seem eager to sport the best when it comes to making a style statement. This edition also carries a feature on belly dancing, which some feel is the ideal means of empowering women in this day and age

VINAY JHA Editor

@DlfCityNews

DLF City News

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I N S I D E 34 35 36 56 59 61 65

Events Calendar Haryana Day Run For Health Yuletide Spirit Helpline The City Elders Movie Previews

Citynews DLF

December 2015 VOL 09 Issue 9

Faces

Trendspotting Men’s Lifestyle

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With Gurgaonites fascinated by stylish hair, moustaches and beards, we take a look at the latest trends in salons across the city. Bollywood and Hollywood icons have done their bit to inspire men, particularly the young, when it comes to deciding what style to go in for

08 Snapshots

City Update

Diwali Melas across the city get bigger and grander as resident groups pull out all the stops

Gurgaon’s power infrastructure gets a boost from the Centre with a project to ensure uninterrupted supply

14 Flying High Udaan, a unique professional training programme, is changing the lives of youngsters MUST READ

34 Haryana Day

A marathon marked Haryana Day on Nov 1 Feature on Running in the November 2015 edition (Pages 48,49 & 51)–Photos by Chetan Singh Gill

Snapshots Halloween

14

MUST READ

54 Pet care

This month’s column discusses cardiac issues among cats and dogs

38 Belly Dancing The dance form is no longer a taboo and is empowering women

42 Communities The Punjabi community believes in living life king size

Wine & Dine

50

Home-grown pizza brands become popular; stand-alone joints come up with unique concepts



12

The young as well as the old turn up the scariness quotient as the Halloween spirit casts its net wide

Celeb Talk

Around Town Celebrity Couple

All’s well between SRK, Sanjay Leela Bhansali despite release dates clashing

18 Abhishek Mishra The IronMan’s long journey has been a challenging and eventful one

20 Gaurav Mehta OLX Chief Marketing Officer talks about e-tail trends in the Indian market Gurgaon held in thrall by master illusionist who started out when he was barely four

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32

VJ-cum-model Maria Goretti and her actor-husband Arshad Warsi charm the audience with their wit

66 Last Word

62 Nikolai Friedrich

64

Dilwale shows that the chemistry between popular screen pair SRK and Kajol is still intact

Page 9 >>>

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SNAPSHOTS

DIWALI MELAS

Adding New Colours

To The Festivities

DIWALI CELEBRATIONS ARE CONSIDERED INCOMPLETE WITHOUT THE COLOURFUL MELAS. AND, THIS YEAR TOO, THE RESIDENTS OF GURGAON CELEBRATED THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, THE ‘FAIR’ WAY! by RAHUL AHUJA With passage of time, Diwali melas have become an integral part of the festive celebrations in the city. They are also the best places to shop for ethnic products for Diwali. This year, the fairs had come up across different areas of the city, a few prominent ones being held at Management Development Institute (MDI), DLF Phase I, DLF Phase II, The Pinnacle, Park Place, Richmond Park, Silver Oaks, Epicentre and colonies in Old Gurgaon among others. Generally, the melas are organised just a few days before Diwali to give the community a platform to come together and have some fun. Interestingly, this time, many of the melas were organised on a much larger scale, that too in a professional way with the help of event management companies. The DLF Phase II Residents’ Welfare Association had hired ‘Brand Boaster’, an event management company. Richmond Park had approached ‘Happiness Always’, a company started by Neetu Arya and Surbhi Nayyar this year itself. Mukesh Sachdeva, an employee of ‘Brand Boasters’ told DCN that they received excellent response from the residents. “The mela had about 30 stalls that exhibited various handicraft items. Everyone was seen enjoying and having fun. While the kids were busy with different kinds of games and fun-filled activities that we had planned for them, parents were busy shopping, buying home decor items and clothes. No wonder, people especially children, wait eagerly for the Di-

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SNAPSHOTS

DIWALI MELAS

wali mela,” added Sachdeva. The Park Place condominium saw over 6,000 residents and guests gathering at the central lawns for an elaborate Diwali Mela on November 8. The highlights included a fashion show by resident mothers and their children, the Egyptian Tanura Act and the Rajasthani kalbelia dance. Japanese residents of Park Place were seen having a good time performing on Bollywood numbers. While children thronged the kids’ zone, retail and food kiosks drew a good crowd. Members of the Park Place Events Committee (PPEC) like Siddharth Punia, Mohit Malhotra, Rohit Gandhi, Col. De-

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vender Yadav, Shiv Vashisht and Yogesh Saini had taken it up as a challenge to set a new benchmark for the celebration. “We are happy that with the help of resident volunteers and our condo management company Cushman & Wakefield, we came out with flying colors,” said one of the members. At Pinnacle, the mela was organised entirely by the residents. “We do it all by ourselves and manage a footfall of close to 1000! This time, we had 55 stalls for shopping, out of which four stalls had been set up by NGOs who were selling their hand-made candles, envelopes, diyas, paintings and many more

things. We also had 10 food stalls with the cuisines ranging from Indian, Sushi to Mexican,” said one of the residents, Nity Arya. To this, Mukta Roongta, another resident added, “Diwali fever was at its peak in our gated community. I bought paintings, cushion covers, handmade candles, paintings and envelopes from the stalls set up by the NGOs to provide them financial support.” The three-day Diwali Mela at Epicentre had special arrangements for the revelers and the place witnessed a gathering of over 15,000. There were 90-100 stalls where artisans from all over India had

put up stalls offering a variety of jewellery, apparels, gift items, diyas, candles, painting and other Diwali items. And to satisfy the taste buds of visitors, 50 food stalls had also been set up, which offered multi-cuisine delicacies. Summing up the essence of a Diwali mela, Ajay Loomba, a resident of Gurgaon said, “Diwali mela sends across a message that on Diwali, you can do lots of shopping, particularly for home décor and lighting. It not only brings all residents together on one platform, it also gives a chance to the new generation to relish some old memories associated with the festival.” ø

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SNAPSHOTS

HALLOWEEN

Gurgaon Gets Into

Halloween Spirit!

by DCN BUREAU The spirit of Halloween has cast its net wide. While it is quintessentially part of the Western culture, Gurgaon too has been bitten by the bug as Halloween parties rocked the booming city on October 31st. Anyone who stepped into Club Vita, DLF 5 would have vouched for it. The ghostly decorations, kids flaunting the Halloween look dressed in scary, blood-dripping costumes and frightening makeup set the tone for the Halloween evening. The party had everything - from foot tapping music to exciting food stalls by Delhi 6, Chacha Takeaway, Buddy Catering and Candy Floss that offered an array of mouth-watering cuisines to feed the hunger pangs of the little ones. What worked for children, as it always does, was a variety of games and the DJ who ensured that the kids danced their heart away. Said little Nysa, “My mother had dressed me up so well with a wig and nails which was scary but also fun”. Her friend Shreya and Nitipa also enjoyed the whole afternoon. “I enjoyed the hot noodles and the DJ’s music. I was there till the end of the

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party,” said a thrilled Vedant. Some kids had it all planned for the Halloween celebration. “It isn’t just masks and fake nails that Halloween enthusiasts have been shopping for. More conceptual costumes were planned based on last year’s party,” said Sampada Jain, student of Delhi Public School, Sector 45. She had also invited her friends to Club Vita. At the end, they formed different teams and went to every home and asked for trick-and treat. “Children enjoyed to their heart’s content as they made monster bookmarks with faces of ghosts and vampires. It is a day dedicated to honour the dead and remember the faithful souls and saints. This year, not only children but the par-

ents also celebrated,” said Dhiraj Singh, Operation Head at Club Vita in Park Place. The fun of Halloween parties was not restricted to Club Vita alone. Celebrations also took place at Pinnacle Condominium, Heritage City and other places of Gurgaon. Exclusive dinner buffets were available at competitive prices at most places. Navya Gehlot, a resident of Pinnacle Condominium reminisced how she surprised her friend Monica Khosla with a skeleton grab when she came over to her place. “She was screaming and yelling out loud as she was really terrified after seeing me. I had to finally take off the mask to pacify her. This is one occasion which is really funny,” she added. As Rakshita Kumar, a class 10 student and resident of Park Place, Golf Course Road, summed it up, “Halloween parties give us an opportunity to dress up in spooky costumes and masks and enjoy to the hilt. This is the only party in where we can have any type of bewildered look on our faces. This time, I had coloured my hair in different shades and done make up as per my costume.”

CITY UPDATE

UDAAN

A Flight To Success HELPING YOUNGSTERS ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS OF HAVING PROFESSIONAL CAREER AND SUCCESSFUL LIFE, UDAAN HAS CHARTED A FLIGHT OF A DIFFERENT KIND by DCN BUREAU

A

unique project by the Gurgaon Police is gradually changing the lives of many youngsters who are now being professionally trained and being offered placements to take the road ahead on their own. Inaugurated in July this year, UDAAN has already completed its first batch and now plans to reach out to 5000 more unemployed youth in the city. DCN talks to Police Commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk about it. Excerpts from an interview.

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What is the UDAAN project all about? UDAAN was conceptualised by Gurgaon Police with an objective to train and transform lives of unemployed youth from the slum areas and also EWS and BPL candidates of Gurgaon district, who have not been able to work due to lack of education and training. This project is helping needy people through a wide range of techniques, initiatives and support, which aim to develop their skills and knowledge. The basic effort of Gurgaon Police has

been to channelise the energy of unemployed youth and prevent them from turning towards crime thus bringing harmony in the society and also working towards a crime free city – a truly Smart City. The skill training adopts a systematic strategy and planning process ‘leading students from “Where we are now” to “Where we want to be” and “How to get there”. This initiative will bring great changes in the life of people who are being trained and successfully placed in different well-known brands. Today, they

Gurgaon Police in association with SSDH training the underprivileged for a better tomorrow

are not just confident about their future; they are also inspiring others to move in the same path. How many youngsters have benefitted from the project so far? Initiated in July, the programme started with an orientation and counselling at Police Line, Gurgaon. There were a total of 86 candidates who attended the session. They were mobilised by Gurgaon Police from the designated police stations. There were 24 students who were trained under this programme by SSDH at their Gurgaon campus. The students were given training for two months in food and beverage service, life skills, personality development and soft skills. Interview skills and basic etiquettes and money management were an integral part of the training. After completion of the training, the students were given placement offers from various multinational organisations like Devyani International Pvt Ltd, Snapdeal, SRS Cinemas, Hotel Rajwada, Crowne Plaza, ITC Bharat, Lemon Tree, KFC Medanta, Costa Coffee, SBI Credit Card, Pearl Engineering Company and Felix Solutions to name a few. It was a delight to see students show a remarkable improvement in their self-confidence. Each of them had a definite goal in life which was missing earlier. They were looking forward to a bright future. With the training and newly acquired skills, they were more than ready and eager to join the hospitality/service industry What are the tools being used by Gurgaon Police to make it a success? Detailed insight and knowledge of the locality due to the very nature of our job helped us identify the potential unemployed youth, school dropouts, and youth from the economically weaker sections. These are soft targets and can be easily lured into unlawful activities. Hence their energies are being channelised through this initiative and a new direction given to their lives. Robust advocacy and mobilisation by building trust through the unique concept of Community Policing and providing transportation facility will enable students from all corners of Gurgaon to avail the training. Also, sponsoring the assessment fees

The UDAAN project is helping needy people through a wide range of techniques. and uniform for the students will ensure they do not spend anything during the training. The hospitality training is free of cost and is taken care of by SSDH through Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) What are the challenges you have faced so far? Lack of awareness about the hospitality industry as a career option and also the attitude of our social fabric towards hotel management and hospitality jobs

was a hurdle. Dropout rates are higher today because the young brigade is looking for instant jobs without proper training, not realising the skill gap and their lack of job readiness. Their unrealistic expectations to get into jobs that pay well even when they do not have the matching skills pose a tough challenge before us. We are therefore planning to take up the project in a bigger way to make the city ‘more literate.’ ø

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CITY UPDATE

POWER SUPPLY

Soon, No Power Cuts In Gurgaon GURGAON IS ALL SET TO BE A POWER CUT-FREE CITY IN THE NEXT 18 MONTHS by DCN BUREAU With the Centre approving a project of almost Rs 12,000 crores for the upgradation of power supply infrastructure in the Millennium City, Gurgaon can look forward to a power cut-free experience soon, with transformation through smart grid project. Gurgaon MLA Umesh Aggarwal said that the Centre has already released the first instalment of Rs. 4,000 crores to ensure that the project begins on time. The nodal officer for the project appointed by the state electricity board is superintendent engineer Anil Goyal who along with a team of officers will soon start working on the project. The basic plan is to have all cables and wires underground which will not only ensure safety but also minimise the risks of entangled wires and short circuits. For continuous supply of power, all power feeders will be connected to the ring system. This will ensure that another feeder from the ring will begin supplying electricity if any feeder develops a snag. Instead of electric poles, transformers upgraded from 11 KV to 13 KV, will now

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be fixed outside the owners premises (boundary walls). The stand-out feature of this development will be the conduct of project over 1.5 years without disturbing existing supply. Zone 1 of the project will consist of DLF, Shushant Lok and IFFCO Chowk that will be completed effective March 2016 in 18 months. Sanjeev Chopra of DHBVN heading the project told DCN, “This is an iconic project for the country which will change the very face of quality living in smart cities.” Further, Sudhir Kapoor, Secretary General DLF City RWA, said, “This is a

NO CUTS Centre has already released the first instalment of Rs. 4,000 crores to ensure that the project begins on time

major project undertaken in Haryana, particularly Gurgaon. The entire existing infrastructure will be upgraded and there will be no power cuts once this project is completed.” He further added, “This project will take approximately 18 months or more and DLF has been chosen as the first area to start this project. After a meeting with the GM of DHVBN, tenders will be made public in the next two months and by March 2016, the work will start. It’s a welcome step taken for a rapidly growing city like Gurgaon and will come as a big relief for the citizens.” Rohit Malik Director DEDL assured the stake holders, RWAs and Civil society that community centres in DLF City will be the nerves centres of Public Private Partnership to ensure that the project is completed successfully within the time bound limits said by the government. One of the biggest advantages of the project will be getting rid of generators and invertors, which will help decrease the pollution levels in Gurgaon, making it a cleaner city to live in ø

PEOPLE

ABHISHEK MISHRA

The Iron Will of A Man DCN TRACES A 30-YEAR-OLD’S INTERESTING JOURNEY FROM BEING A CORPORATE EMPLOYEE TO WINNING THE TITLE OF IRONMAN by REENA DHANKHER

just 2 hours and 30 minutes! When I also saw old women and children running out there, I could understand that ‘to realise your capabilities, you need to break barriers’,” says Mishra, who won the IronMan title after a gruelling Triathlon in Mediterranean Sea at Mallorca, Spain in September this year. Thereafter, his passion for running started increasing with every passing day, compelling him to participate in marathons on a regular basis. His love for the sports went a few notches higher when he became the first Indian to finish the ‘Run the Run’ Ultra run held in the Kutch desert of Gujarat. “It was tough. The run was for 161 kilometres with 11 foreigners and six Indians and only eight could qualify. We ran with GPS devices through thorns on hilly sections and rocky paths into the barren salt desert but ultra runs are like that. I remember my legs bled due to thorns and blisters but I had the willpower to do it and I did it,” recalls Mishra. Following this victory, came the next challenge in his life, the one which has made Mishra a household name in Gurgaon today.

Marathon Man To IronMan

“There are two kinds of people in this world - one who say I can and others who say I can’t…” For Abhishek Mishra, this was the one statement that he saw in a video clipping which motivated him enough to leave a cushy corporate job, train for the world’s toughest one-day sporting event, the IronMan Triathlon, and win the title too! 30-year-old Mishra always had a passion

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for fitness, being a national-level soccer champion. However, when he came to the Millennium City in 2008 for his MBA, he found no fields to practice soccer. And, before Mishra could realise, he was busy whiling away his time partying in the fast-paced city life of Gurgaon. It was only when he joined GE after his MBA that his love for fitness started blooming again, thanks to the Airtel Del-

hi Half Marathon (ADHM) invites that the company employees kept receiving from time to time. “When I received the invite for the first time, I saw two categories of marathons, 21 and six kilometres. The self ego in me motivated me to opt for the 21-km run. Although I had four months to train, I could not practice due to hectic office hours. However, on the day of the marathon, I completed it in

It was motivation from a friend Saurav, which made Mishra do the unthinkable – vie for the IronMan title and win it! “Honestly speaking, till 2013, I was not even aware of IronMan. I had never thought in my wildest of dreams I could win the title. But when my friend Saurav sent me this video about the event, I was all geared up. That one statement about two kinds of people in the world was the biggest inspiration for me and I was ready to fight all odds to win”. The IronMan competition comprises 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km of cycling and 42 km of running, all of which have to be completed within 17 hours. However, Mishra did not know how to swim. “Such was my will power to compete for the event that from April to September, I learnt swimming and also mastered it to clear the first obstacle in the water,” he remarks. Although the target wasn’t easy, Mishra was all prepared to give his best shot. “I gave my 100 per cent when it came to the preparations. Besides learning swimming, I bought a cycle too for practice and even though I had pain in my legs, I ignored it because I was determined to become the

IronMan”. Out of the total 17 hours, cycling had to be done in eight hours. The cycling path was all hilly area - incline, recline, headwind - at Mayorpa in Spain. “We had to climb a hill cycling 1500 feet continuously; the cycling speed which is 35 km per hour on flat surface was 5 km per hour on the incline,” explains Mishra. Although the title has brought Mishra both name and fame, for the young man, each marathon is special as it brings out his passion for running. A unique barefoot run from Mumbai to Pune holds a special place for him. He participated with none other than model and Pinkathon Ambassador Milind Soman.

THE IRONMAN Organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) it consists of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world. Most Ironman events have a strict time limit of 17 hours to complete the race.

Hurdles En Route

“Aapka beta kya karta hai? Ji woh bhagta hai…(What does your son do? Sir, he runs...)”. This answer by Mishra’s father often surprised people. And, the fact that he had left a big company like GE for running was almost shocking! But Mishra knew that he was happy running and that’s the reason he decided to turn his passion into a profession. He started his own company, which today arranges marathons and corporate running events. His keen participation in organising Raahgiri gave him both the experience and confidence to march ahead in his mission. One of the biggest hurdles for him was his extremely short-tempered nature but he believes running has helped him get rid of this. “I remember in my first Ultra run, I was tired midway. I started talking to myself. You know running is like meditation; you are on your own and end up getting solutions to most of your problems. Running has changed me completely,” he explains. Another significant challenge was that he did not know swimming. “I faced the fear of water for the first time in my life. I had a coach called Manisha who trained me. You see the fear of failure was another aspect. You have to accept that if you fail, it’s not the end. Milind Soman who has been my mentor has always taught me that one needs to learn from success and failures. So acceptance of failure was a hurdle for me,” he points out. Then, there was the financial aspect. He did not want to take monetary help from his father though he needed money to participate in the IronMan competition. He decided to give crowd funding a shot. “Lots of people supported me partly and, finally, ONGC helped me,” says Mishra. His mother and his helper-cum-cook Rohit have been extremely supportive in his journey. “Rohit has been with me for seven years and knows me well. I have always treated him like my brother,” says Mishra. “My mother used to always tell me, ‘go and do it, don’t worry about anything,” he recalls. Today, she proudly tells everyone that her son is the IronMan. He also mentions many other people who have supported him tremendously, including Vinay Bansal CFO Wildcraft, Shailja and his mentor Avinash. ø

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PEOPLE

FACE OF THE MONTH PEOPLE

gaurav MEHTA Chief Marketing Officer South Asia, OLX India Pvt Ltd

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aving studied in Jaipur and Mumbai, Mehta is now one of the faces of the e-tail revolution in India

What are factors behind the e-commerce and e-tail boom in India? Multinationals are coming and setting up shop here as growth in some of the most developed markets has stagnated. While India as a consumer market is growing, we also have the resources to buy today, which are the key macro factors for this consumerism wave. The bigger cities like Delhi, Mumbai still get the best of what the world has to offer but smaller cities might not have that. That’s where e-commerce gets in. What a person sees in Delhi or Mumbai, a person sitting in Raipur or any other city, can access the same and buy it as well through mobile phones. How did the idea of OLX come about? In a very robust internet economy, there are four or five industries which are very important like social network, communication, Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) kind of infrastructure, e-tail and classifieds. Classifieds has become big because it is an important thing that internet economy demands, a peg on which the whole ecosystem revolves. So, classifieds was bound to succeed in India. We vested early in 2007-2008 but we started investing in this business heavily three years back and today we are among the top 10 sites of the country. What is your connect with Gurgaon and your interests besides work? With Gurgaon, the biggest connect is career opportunities. That’s why people from all over the country come to Gurgaon. I think it’s a nice amalgamation of the talent that India has to offer and with so many expats here, you get a chance to meet a lot of talented achievers. As far as my interest goes, I love reading and I don’t stick to one genre in succession. That’s my de-stressor. I also like swimming a lot and six months of the year, I am a pretty active swimmer. And yes, I am passionate about travelling and get to travel a lot because of my work

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COVER STORY

TRAVEL

Winter Wanderings AS PLANNING FOR THE WINTER HOLIDAY GOES INTO OVERDRIVE, WE PRESENT SNAPSHOTS OF SOME OF THE POPULAR DESTINATIONS IN INDIA AND ABROAD by DCN BUREAU It’s that time of the year again – time to log in to multiple travel sites, speak to your travel agent and begin the hunt for your perfect holiday destination this winter! The past few years have seen Indians seeking out exotic and unusual holidays. The trend continues. As Deep Kalra of Makemytrip.com explains, travellers are becoming “adventurous and experimental”. (See interview on pg-29) He seems to hit the nail on the head. Gurgaon resident Harmesh Khanna, who works with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), says, “I am looking forward to Christmas & New Year in NYC! While I have always been going in the summers, I am looking forward to enjoying the winter.” She admits it will be freezing cold but is equally excited about the festivities. Adds Harmesh, In India I prefer the less visited ones ... “Coonoor not Ooty , Subhatu not Shimla , Jim Corbett in winters is stupendous with the sigris & the riverside”. Meanwhile, according to a report by the popular travel site TripAdvisor, Bali tops the list of international holiday destinations this winter, followed by Dubai. It should come as no surprise that Goa bags the top honours when it comes to the list of sought after domestic destinations. (See box on pg-31). We present snapshots of some of the popular winter holiday destinations in India and abroad.

more traditional or authentic. However, the days that followed quickly dispelled this initial impact and I started relishing the various adventures that were offered, Desert Safari….Ski Dubai….Dhow Cruise and many more. But the place that I really enjoyed visiting the most was the Dubai Museum. Unless one could travel back in time, this museum is the ticket to learn about Dubai’s rise from a Bedouin village to a global centre of commerce, finance and tourism. It is housed in the Al Fahidi Fort built in 1799 and is the oldest surviving structure in town. The entrance displays the old maps of Emirates and Dubai depicting the incredible changes after the oil boom. Past the

Langkawi: Jewel in the Andaman Sea

INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS

Dubai: A Complete Experience THERE’S MORE TO THE UAE CAPITAL THAN GLITZ AND GLAMOUR by AMRITA SINGH

D

ubai….the glitzy commercial capital of UAE, has been a favourite destination with the Indians for an overseas holiday. So how could my travel diaries be complete without visiting the ‘Paradise’ of the Middle East? Indeed not! September is not an ideal month to visit Dubai as it is unbearably hot and frustratingly humid. (December and January would

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have been an ideal time to visit.) Nevertheless, I was excited about the trip and was armed with a well-planned itinerary to make the most of my visit. My first impression of Dubai was a bit disappointing, the vast commercialization and materialism of the place kind of turned me off as my personal choice is to look for something a little

Burj Khalifa gates, the walkway culminates into a central courtyard dotted with cannons, wooden fishing boats, including a hut made of mud and traditional palm fronds that was the kind of dwelling locals lived in till the middle of the 20th century. A particularly interesting part is the mock souk with endearing dioramas depicting shopkeepers and craftsmen at work. Various scenes illustrate traditional life at home, at the mosque, in the desert and at sea. It also includes an exhibit on pearl diving, with sets of pearl merchants’ weights, scales and sieves. And it was incredulous to learn that the men divers wore only nose clips before descending to extraordinary depths!!

THIS DREAM ISLAND HOLIDAY DESTINATION OFFERS MEMORIES GALORE by JAI KUMAR SHARMA Eagle Square at Langkawi Jetty

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angkawi, about 30 km off the mainland coast of north-western Malaysia, is a dream island holiday destination which my wife and I headed to in September on a barely hour-long flight from Kuala Lumpur. Villa Molek at Tengah beach, where we spent some of the most enjoyable moments of our life, was a home away from home. Cottages were self-contained with a living room, bed room, a small kitchenette and a sitting area near the pool. Our host Saida was always ready to help us, suggesting Indian restaurants, areas of interest or finding a car rental next door; she suggested hiring a self-driven car which proved to be a sensible decision.

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COVER STORY

TRAVEL Happy Mother Monument

Iconic Cenang Beach at Langkawi

We drove and explored the island over the next three days without any hassle. The day after we arrived, we drove down to Kuah town, the city centre of Langkawi located a couple of hours away from where we were staying. We proceeded to the Kuah Jetty and what is popularly known as the Eagle Square. This is the defining landmark of Langkawi – a gargantuan statue of a brown eagle sits at the centre of a star-shaped platform. The third day was rather adventurous. From a jetty near Pantai Cenang, a speedboat took us on an island-hopping excursion. In the evening, we headed to the romantic Rhu Beach, explored the Mangrove forests for eagle feeding and visited a fish farm.

The speed boat came for Rs. 2,400, exclusively for the two us. The next day, it was time to experience the cable car and the “Sky Walk”. The walkway, which is half-a-kilometre long, stands suspended in the sky in a deep valley, supported only by a single beam. Walking over the “Sky Bridge” is a unique experience when you look down at the crown area of tropical forest from top. QUICK TIPS: Getting There: Malaysia Airlines/Malindo form Delhi. Best time to visit: November to January Getting Around: Rent a car—it’s affordable and petrol is Rs.33/litre.

Uzbekistan: The Land of White Gold IT IS CALLED SO FOR THE ABUNDANT, FINE QUALITY COTTON THAT IS GROWN THROUGHOUT THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY by AMRITA SINGH

A

Central Asian nation and former Soviet republic, Uzbekistan is known for its mosques, mausoleums and other historical sites linked to the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean. Tashkent or the Stone City, is the hub of Uzbekistan. It is a curious mix of a newly built modern city and remnants of the Soviet culture. On one hand, you see the hustle bustle of people rushing through the busy city life and on the other, traditionally clad farmers cart their wares through a maze of mud-walled houses to the grinding crowds of the bazaar. Right from the moment I stepped out of the plane, I was charmed by the beau-

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tiful, well laid-out and sparsely populated city. The absence of humungous crowds was a very welcome change! The most prominent part of the city is the Independence Square. Located in the heart of the city, it is a resting place with vast green zones and gushing fountains. Under the Soviets, a statue of Lenin was erected and many worker demonstrations and parades were held here. Post Independence, this was removed and replaced with the silver arch Ezgulik, with its figures of flying storks. Passing through the Ezgulik, one comes to a high pedestal with a golden globe on top and a statue of a mother holding a baby at

Independence Square

the bottom. This is the Independence Monument erected in 1991 that marks the sovereignty of Uzbekistan and the desire of a young, independent state to join the World Community. Also known as the Happy Mother Monument, we were lucky to visit it on the 24th Independence Day of Uzbekistan. Wreaths and bouquets lay at the memorial as a mark of respect. Administrative buildings like the Ministry’s offices, Senate and other offices surround the Independence Square. Tashkent is youthful and invigorating city, which offers many options for sightseeing places and things to do. It is a melting pot of Central Asian traditions, Islamic architecture and the influence of 18th century European cities. With the emphasis on improving the infrastructure and on reconstruction, it is a city waiting for a boom.

Uzbek Senate

Fiji: Paradise in the Pacific THE CAPITAL CITY, SUVA, IS A MUST-SEE by JAI KUMAR SHARMA Fiji is one of the most exotic places to visit on the planet before you die; it was quite evident when everyone waiting in the boarding area of Hong Kong airport started clicking pictures of Fiji Airways aircraft the moment it approached the aero-bridge. The 10-hour flight from Hong Kong to Nadi International Airport, over the Pacific Ocean, was smooth. The in-flight entertainment with its collection of Hindi movies helped in whiling away

time on what is otherwise a long journey when you fly from West to East. Flaying via Brisbane (Australia) or Auckland (New Zealand) is much shorter and cheaper but problems in obtaining a transit visa for Indians is a big put-off and makes Hong Kong a favorite transit point. As we started descending on the Island, a picture-perfect green landscape, the fascinating silver lining on the coast and sparsely-

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TRAVEL

‘Travellers Are Exploring Offbeat Destinations’ EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH DEEP KALRA, FOUNDER, MAKEMYTRIP.COM What are the trends in holiday and travel in 2015-16 and changes seen in the way we travel? From annual holiday to grandparents’ homes, Indian travellers have become adventurous and experimental. Indian travellers are exploring offbeat and exotic destinations like Greece, Turkey, China and Russia which together contributed around 12% of our summer holiday business in 2015, compared to single-digit share in sales just two years ago. The changes observed in travel include longer international holidays though shorter international itineraries also exist; decrease in advance booking window and an increase in the average holiday budget.

Luxury resort at Viti Levu Island, Fiji

located houses stunned everyone onboard. Nadi to Suva is a memorable 200-km drive which takes about three hours. We drove past fantastic lush landscape, through sugarcane fields and passed clean beaches and backwaters. We stopped at Sigatoka, a small town midway along the journey. As I sipped masala chai, chatted with the driver in Hindi and heard Bollywood songs on FM radio, it was difficult to imagine that one was in a foreign country deep in the Pacific Ocean! As Fiji’s capital, Suva is a must-see. The city has colonial architecture, plenty of nightspots and restaurants. Jack of Fiji, a showroom in Central Market, offers the best collection of floral-print shirts. Sea food restaurants are in every corner but Maya Dhaba had everything that we could have in a restau-

rant in Gurgaon. My hotel, Five Senses, was located on a cliff overlooking the harbour and in the middle of two acres of fruit orchards. It was run by a New Zealander but offered different Indian meals every day. Fiji is a bit expensive for Indian Travellers but not unaffordable, it offers a variety of hotels on its two main Islands. Car rentals are affordable and a must to explore the Island. An Indian driving license is valid for one month. QUICK TIPS: Getting There: To Hong Kong by Cathay Pacific and from there to Nadi in Fiji Airways (Visa on arrival) When to Go: Throughout the year (Avoid cyclone season; November-March)

DOMESTIC DESTINATIONS

Go, Goa, Go GOA CONTINUES TO TOP THE LIST OF THE FAVOURITE DOMESTIC DESTINATIONS FOR HOLIDAYS by MEENAKSHI SHARMA Wrapped cosily between Maharashtra and Karnataka and flanked by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, Goa enjoys sun, sand and surf and dances to the beat of bliss and nirvana. A former Portuguese colony taken over by India in 1961, Goa is a

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perfect example of cultural tolerance, religious heterogeneity and friendly people. From religious tourism through its well preserved 16th Century churches in Old Goa which have been declared as a World heritage Site by UNESCO, well-managed Hindu temples

What are the popular international and local destinations? We are seeing increasing interest in other middle-eastern and Mediterranean destinations such as Jordan, Turkey, Greece and Hungary, as well as Cambodia, Vietnam and China though South East Asia remains popular. Couples are exploring non-mainstream destinations like Greece,

What are the trends in adventure tourism, snow tourism, beach tourism and any other? Travellers are looking for deeper experiences that enrich their lives. Scuba diving, hot-air ballooning or sky-diving form the fulcrum of the travel planning. Winter snow sports have become a hot tourist attraction. Gulmarg in Kashmir is considered to be one of the best skiing destinations in the world. Travelling to attend sports events with family and friends also picked up as a trend and for the World Cup 2015, Australia queries at MakeMyTrip grew by over 50% for the February-March period. Seychelles, Jordan, Spain and South Africa for an exotic experience.Goa is slipping behind Andaman’s and Ooty while South destinations like Kovalam and Munnar remain popular. What do travelers prefer - group packages or solo travels? While family holidays still continue to a trend amongst most Indian families, we are also seeing an increase in solo-travel, womenonly travel and group travel.

Which is the most popular New Year party destination - locally and internationally? Besides popular winter destinations like Andaman’s and Goa, we are seeing an increasing interest of people travelling to Udaipur, Jodhpur, Munnar and Kovalam. Internationally, Mauritius, Dubai, Thailand, Singapore, Colombo, Hong-Kong and Macau are popular destinations.

in Mangueshi, Ponda and Mapusa to the phenomenal beaches extending all along its western periphery, this is both a versatile and yet throbbing dream destination. Some of these beaches are well known, some are isolated and some are as good as private. The beaches boast of good water sports, great shack cuisine and for the intrepid foreign tourist adequate tanning opportunities on deck recliners. Extremely popular with foreign tourists for the warmth exuded by the Sun and the inhabitants, Goa’s tourist season extends from 1 Oct to 30 April. This effectively covers relaxation and religious entities with Christmas, New Year and the Goa Carnival being stand out events. In keeping with the times, Goa is also developing adventure tourism inland in the Western Ghats with trekking, para gliding and camping in the wild being prime attractions. Goan cuisine has also left its mark on the world epicurean plate with its fiery, spicy and tantalising aroma and taste. A delicious fusion of Portuguese and Hindu Saswat cooking traditions, Goan spices and delicacies like Vindhalloo, Recheado, Cafreal, Balchao and the delicate Bacalao and Bebinca are household names across the world. The availability of fresh sea food all around the year combines with them to make Goan cuisine an irresistable palate temptation. An average Goan cannot do without his fish and the world today cannot do without Goan cuisine. A thriving nightlife around the coastal areas adds to the allure of Goa. Bars, discotheques and offshore casinos provide for an ‘international’ feel to the state unlike the rest of the country. This too gives Goa a unique standing.

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WINTER TRENDS TRIPADVISOR’S WINTER VACATION VALUE REPORT Most popular destinations for Indian travellers during the winter travel period (1 Dec, 2015 – 31 Jan, 2016), according to TripAdvisor site search data.

INTERNATIONAL

DOMESTIC

1. Bali

1. Goa

2. Dubai

2. Kerala

3. Mauritius

3. Andaman Nicobar

4. Singapore

4. Jaipur

5. Bangkok

5. New Delhi

6. Phuket

6. Udaipur

7. Pattaya

7. Manali

8. Krabi Town

8. Mumbai

9. KoSamui

9. Shimla

10. Langkawi

10. Agra

Kerala: God’s Own Country KERALA HAS ALL THAT IT TAKES TO ENTICE TRAVELLERS by DCN BUREAU

Kumarakom Backwater, Kerala

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Situated in southern India on the Malabar Coast, Kerala has a nearly 600-km long coastline with many upsacle sea-side resorts. The state is also blessed with pristine backwaters providing an intra state network of canals (Kochi is called the Eastern Venice for a reason) totally suited for backwater cruises on self-propelled house boats. The highest points of the Western Ghats like Ponmudi and Munnar provide the perfect salubrious climate for tea, coffee and spice plantations as well as abundant native wildlife. Ayurvedic treatments form another facet of feel-good-medicaltourism in the state drawing in vast numbers of tourists. A rich culutral heritage is the added jewel in the crown for the state as Kathakali artistes enthrall local and tourist populations with dedicated performances. The thrill of being blessed by elephants outside the varied temples in the state is an oft sought

after event by all. This small state holds diverse geographical features and cultures and thus, offers a perfect unity in diversity example. The timeless beauty of the beaches at the palm-fringed Varkala and Kovalam, the majestic undulating hills of Munnar and Vagamon, the serenity of the pristine backwaters of Kumarakom and Kuttanad, and the enchanting woods and forests of Thekkady and the Silent Valley offer countless opportunities to the discernible traveller. Malabar cuisine is famous for its aromatic and delicately flavoured dishes combining coconut milk with fresh sea food. Fish Moilee, Prawns Malabar Curry, freshly baked fish in coconut paste and Kerala Sadhya, an elaborate banquet prepared for festivals and ceremonies, offer a sumptuous brand recall of the state’s epicurean delights.

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AROUND TOWN

EVENTS

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS: Food, Love And Other Ingredients

Kitchen Secrets

Unveiled

A LOVING FAMILY AND ITS CHERISHED FOOD STORIES IS THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF. SO IT WAS WHEN MTV VJ MARIA GORETTI LAUNCHED HER COOKBOOK WITH HUSBAND ARSHAD WARSI AND KIDS ZEKE AND ZENE SUPPORTING HER MAIDEN VENTURE by DCN BUREAU Good food, champagne, books and sparkling conversations made for a memorable Sunday on November 15 as Om Books International and BollyGoods launched popular VJ and model Maria Goretti’s debut book From My Kitchen To Yours. Maria Goretti and her actor husband Arshad Warsi were at their witty and cheerful best as they chatted amiably with friend and actor Tisca Chopra and Ajay Mago of Om Books. Well-known personalities like TV host Rajiv Makhni, designer Rina Dhaka, classical dancer Shallu Jindal, designer Mayyur R Girotra and actress Sandhaya Mridul also attended the launch which was made special by readings from the book by their children who read passages amidst much applause.

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celebrates how Maria Goretti lives her life, with memorable recipes from her mother’s East-Indian spreads, aromas from her grandmother’s kitchen, and the food that she has seen, touched and tasted over her many travels across India, and the world, as a VJ with MTV. Divided into monthly menus with soups, salads, starters, non-vegetarian and vegetarian main course dishes, and desserts, the recipes are simple and delicious. With a foreword by actress and politician Jaya Bachchan, the book presents a six-course meal layout for each month, and easy-to-make recipes with ingredients readily available in any home kitchen. It contains an array of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes. Maria Goretti, an Economics graduate, who studied Fashion Design, worked as a dancer and spent five and a half years as a VJ for MTV, interviewing and touring with musicians from around the world, including Bryan Adams, Enrique Iglesias, UB40, Abba, Ricky Martin, Ronan Keating, Peter Andre and Pentagram. She hosted the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards for India from the Radio City Music Hall in New York. After working as an anchor and a roaming presenter for the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in 2002 and the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, in 2011, Maria cleared, with distinction, the Cordon Bleu certificate course in food and baking at the Tante Marie School of Cookery, UK, run by Gordon Ramsay. She writes a food blog that has recipes, slice-of-life stories and poetry. “Frankly it started because I needed to cook for my little boy. I had never really learnt how to cook but, when I got into it, I realised that I loved the whole process so much that I actually turned into a crazy demon. I just wanted to learn each and every dish and wanted to acquire new knowledge about baking, chopping, frying, tearing and about every little process that was involved in cooking,” she says. Goretti, who refuses to call herself either a writer or a chef, says that hosting the TV show “Do It Sweet,” also played an important role in inculcating in her a taste for cooking.”After I spent that time hosting the show, I realised that I loved the process of making stuff. And it was actually post that, that I got really interested in pursuing cooking in a bullish manner,” she says. Her favourite recipes in the book include Fresh Orange Almond Cake, Strawberry Salad, Edamame with Soy, Strawberry Shortcake and Avocado Salad among others. Made from easily accessible ingredients, the recipes are extremely ‘home style.’ “It is all home-style. It was made in my kitchen and it was all made by me. The stuff that I use are ingredients easily available in the market. So, it is a very easy, home-style book for anyone who wants to try their hand at cooking,” she says ø

‘I love all the films I do’ “We are a very normal couple”, says actor Arshad Warsi who was spotted at the book launch supporting his wife with their two adorable kids. Excerpts from an exclusive conversation with DLF City News

What are the positives and negatives of being a celebrity couple? We are a very normal couple and like it that way. Yet being well known, there is often an invasion of privacy which is difficult sometimes. However, we are public figures and it is natural and if someone doesn’t like it then they should change their profession (smiles).

Who is the better cook between the two of you? Now it is Maria (laughs) but there was a time when it was me and one of the reasons she began cooking was because I told her the children will grow up to remember ‘baap ke haath ka khaana’ and not ‘maa ka khana’. On a serious note, she cooks with love only for those she loves and she is brutally honest about that. We all love her food especially that meringue and stuffed chicken.

What are the kind of films you enjoy doing and are there any you don’t? I love all the films I do but some are iconic. Munnabhai, Jolly LLB and Seher are all special films and so are many others. Yes, with my kids growing up, I am sure I do not want to do sex comedies and have my kids discover them on the internet.

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EVENTS

December 2015

e v e n t s

and kids activity 25th December | 12.30 pm onwards

Main Lawns

25th

X-mas Carnival with live DJ

December

The City Club, Phase 3

New Year Bash 31st December | 8 pm onwards Main Lawns

live band and fire works 31st December | 8 pm onwards Lawns

The Gourmet High Street

Book Launch Anurag Anand 22nd December 5 pm to 7 pm

Dhaba by Claridges, DLF CyberHub

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The Millennium Day Marathon was flagged off by Milind Soman

Millennium City Marathon Flagged Off

by BY DCN BUREAU

4th - 6th

4th to 6th December Leisure Valley (Inside Park area), Gurgaon

31th

New Year Celebrations with

December

Christmas Carnival 25th December | 12.00 pm onwards Lawns

December

The City Club, Phase 4

On a chilly morning, a handful of fitness-conscious people of the city converged on deserted roads to be a part of the Millennium City Marathon that kicked off from Tau Devi Lal Stadium to mark the Haryana Day on November 1. The 42-km marathon was flagged off by Bollywood actor, model and athlete Milind Soman and Kargil War Veteran, Maj. D P Singh, who is also the brand ambassador for Pinkathon in the country. The marathon was conceptualised by Abhishek Mishra who the IronMan title in September. Encouraging the participants with his presence was Deputy Commissioner T.L Satyaprakash, who ran for 21 kms, half the length of the marathon! Also present at the event were Haryana’s Minister for PWD & Public Health Rao Narbir Singh and Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma who too ran for a distance to support the cause of fitness in the city. Speaking to DCN, Milind Soman said, “Millennium City Marathon has been a very successful attempt to encourage people living in Gurgaon to take out time from their busy schedules and work towards a healthy life. And, running is the best way to initiate healthy living. These runners can go a long way in bringing about a change in mindset and this is a great first step towards change”.

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Elaborating about his passionate involvement with the event, Major D P Singh, who lost one of his legs in the Kargil war but never let the disability dent his spirit, said, “I had promised myself that I will never compromise on my quality of life. To stay fit, I run regularly. Besides, I believe in showing my perception to the society through my action, not words”. Stating that these kind of events are a great step towards reducing pollution level, increasing the number of fitness freaks in the city and also curtailing traffic jams to quite an extent, DC T L Satyaprakash said, “I feel such events should be promoted. As far as my experience goes, I ran half the marathon. Frankly, half way through the race, I

slowed down but I completed the run as the pacers were good”. Marathon enthusiast Fergal O Flaherty

RUNNING A great step towards reducing pollution level, increasing the number of fitness freaks in the city and also curtailing traffic jams to quite an extent

informed DCN that he had driven all the way from Dublin to Delhi for the marathon. “I was actually supposed to run this marathon with my father. However, due to his sudden demise, I decided to complete this in his memory. I am actually completing 13 marathons in 13 countries over a span of 13 weeks. That’s a target I have set for myself,” he added. Another participant Rupinder Kaushik, who runs a residential academy in Zirakhpur, said, “I came with my husband to take part in this marathon. While I did half of it, he completed the entire bit. We were so excited to be a part of this marathon that we had been preparing for it for the last four months” ø

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AROUND TOWN

EVENTS

Tribute To The

Golden Era Old is not just gold. Old also harks back to a time gone by, making you nostalgic. So when singers perform classics, they bring back the golden era, turning a leaf from the old book. One such evening “Geet Teen Sitaaron Ke Naam,” recently held at Epicentre hosted by Media & Entertainment, took lovers of Indian cinema down the memory lane, reviving their sentiments. The musical evening witnessed soulful performances by acclaimed singer Rajan David, whose voice resembles the magical voice of Kishore Da, supported by two able female singers Smridhi Malhotra and Sumita Saxena, who paid

A Run for HEALTH ON THE OCCASION OF CHILDREN’S DAY, GURGAON ROAD RUNNERS (GRR), THE BIGGEST RUNNING COMMUNITY IN THE MILLENNIUM CITY CAME UP WITH A VALUABLE GIFT FOR KIDS – ‘JUNIORUN’. by DCN BUREAU A running event designed exclusively for kids, Juniorun is an attempt on the part of GRR to promote active and healthy childhood. Brain child of Gurgaon Road Runner’s chief mentor Siddarth Choudhary, it aims at bringing lifestyle changes in the routine of today’s technology driven children and also break their sedentary lives. The first such event planned by GRR,

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Juniorun was officially unveiled at a curtain raiser event held recently. Desh Raj Singh, IPS, Additional Director General of Haryana Police was the chief guest for the occasion. Haryana Police is, in fact, the founding partner of this noble endeavour. The event saw representation of some of the top schools, parent bodies and corporate houses. There was also a panel discussion on which witnessed the participation of eminent experts including Geetika Sasan Bhandari, Deputy Editor of India Today, Digital Wing, Mansi Tripathy Chief Financial Officer, Shell Lubricants India and an avid runner, Sushant Kalra, Founder, Parwarish Institute of Parenting and Tina Sapra, Certified Diabetes & Lactation Educator). The session was moderated by Tina Balachandran, television professional and theatre actor/ director. Juniorun will be targeted for kids from 0 to 18 years with distance categories falling under one, three, five and ten kms. The first run will be happening at Kadarpur, Haryana Police Campus, Gurgaon on 6 December. After Delhi/NCR, Juniorun will spread its wings to Jaipur. The Jaipur run is scheduled for 20 March 2016. Online registrations can be done at www. juniorun.com ø

Grand Launch For

‘Abhimanyu’ At KOD THE PALATIAL KINGDOM OF DREAMS BUSTLED WITH A NEW FOUND ENERGY AS CELEBRITIES, STARS AND CULTURE ENTHUSIASTS OF GURGAON TROOPED INTO IT FOR THE LAUNCH OF ABHIMANYU, TOUTED TO BE A DANCE AND MUSIC EXTRAVAGANZA by DCN BUREAU

Rajan David paying tribute to Kishore Da

a tribute to the two melody queens, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle. Also present was a guest singer, S P Mishra, who hummed a few songs while Anil with his band gave the instrumental support to the talented voices. A few musical awards were also given away during the evening by Sunil Khanna, who was one of the top most heads of Zee Network before heading Dish TV. He is also one of the stalwarts responsible for starting TV industry of India at top management level. Meanwhile, the audience thoroughly enjoyed the evening with a few of them also shaking a leg on some foot-tapping numbers at the end! ø

Since 2010, Kingdom of Dreams has won acclaim far and wide for the world’s biggest and longest running Bollywood musicals on stage like Zangoora, The Gypsy Prince and Jhumroo, which continue to engage and enthrall the audience each day. Into its fifth year of operations, KOD’s latest musical, Abhimanyu – The Fastest Feet, also regaled audiences with a moving tale of a young man who teaches in a Gurukul in Rajasthan and follows his art and heart. With an exclusive compilation of 12

songs set to a magical and original score, Abhimanyu’s story unfolded as a narrative woven into a dazzling dance spectacle on stage, against a backdrop of exotic and mesmerising Rajasthan. It was a heart warming tale about a Kathak dancer, Abhimanyu, who is taken to USA by an International Broadway dancer and how his life changes thereafter. His dreams, ambitions, struggles, failure and final redemption turned out to be a grand visual experience on stage. Set to original lilting music of Deepak

Pandit and Sandeep Mahavir, the character of Abhimanyu was ably played as were that of Baavri and a host of other characters including a young American dancer. The hero of the tale remained the classical Indian dance form of Kathak beautifully juxtaposed with hip hop and audiences were captivated by its superb dances, a breathtaking jugalbandi between the two dance forms, colourful drama, glitzy costumes and scintillating special effects brought alive with cutting edge technology on a world class stage ø

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FEATURE

BELLY DANCING

Pure Graceful

and Free

BELLY DANCING GAINS POPULARITY AND ACCEPTANCE, BECOMES A TOOL TO EMPOWER WOMEN. 38

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Meher Malik’s Banjara Dance Studio encourages women to express themselves through belly dance

by MEENAKSHI SHARMA Kahlil Gibran once said, “The philosopher’s soul dwells within his head, the poet’s soul dwells within his heart and the dancer’s soul abides within her whole body”. Priyanka Valecha cannot agree more as she enthrals Gurgaon crowds with her sinuous and flowing belly dance movements, which are sensual yet pure and leave her audience spellbound. “When I started belly dancing, it was a completely new dance form for me. I had no knowledge about it. However, today belly dancing is getting popular as people have started accepting it. There are reality shows, there is Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and so on. Media is helping us spread the art and India has a lot of belly dancers who are putting all

the efforts to spread the culture. There have been ups and downs but it is growing,” says Priyanka, who is comfortable with herself and proud of her art. While this dance form has been under wraps for long, it has now come out in the open with a vengeance and women of all shapes and sizes and from all strata of society are embracing it with fervour. “If we could peer back through the haze of time and secretly watch our cave sister, what kind of a dance do you think she would be doing? The belly dance, of course”, elaborates Serena Wilson in an excerpt from The History of Belly Dance.

ORIGINS AND GROWTH The term “belly dance” is a translation of the French term “danse du ventre”, which was applied to the dance in the

Victorian Era. It originally referred to the Arabic tribe of Algeria whose dance used more abdominal movements than the dances described today as “belly dance”. Belly dance has the ability to put together all elements; there is fluid soft motion like water, there is aggressive muscular movement like fire and there’s an earthy base to it too. In fact, it can empower like no other dance can! Meher Malik, who is quite easily the face of belly dancing in India having participated in iconic shows like India’s Got Talent and Just Dance, whole-heartedly agrees. She tells us how she has lived in the Middle East for 17 years in Muscat, Oman and has always enjoyed Arabic music and culture. But contrary to popular thinking, she says belly dancing was actually banned in the Middle East as it

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FEATURE

BELLY DANCING Sensuous and graceful, this dance empowers as it makes women feel good about themselves

was against the tenets of Islam. She recalls how on a school trip to Egypt as a 14-year-old she was enamoured by the graceful belly dance she saw on a cruise on the Nile and was hooked forever. With Egypt being a cultural capital for the Arabic film industry, she was exposed to the best of music, art and culture and was inspired enough to learn the dance. She is very realistic as she recalls, “My parents couldn’t accept it initially, more so because I got admission in NIFT Delhi but dropped out as I considered myself a misfit in the fashion world and found it too superficial. I felt tormented and chose to drop out and concentrate on dance even though I did join Kamala Nehru to do Psychology Honours”. A year later in 2009, she got the opportunity to get be a part of India’s Got Talent without even an audition and there was no looking back.

TAKING ON A CHALLENGE “Indians really did find it hard to see any difference between prostitution and belly dancing”, she admits rather bluntly. Rather than getting disillusioned, she took this challenge head on and decided to leave self doubt and motivate herself

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‘intrinsically’. Today, she runs the Banjara School of Dance at Hauz Khas village and every belly dancer in the country is either her student or is learning from her student, she informs with pride. “Today I have the full support of my family members, who are proud of

Belly Dancing Movements l Percussive movements - Staccato movements, most commonly of the hips, are used to punctuate the music or accent a beat. l Fluid movements - Flowing, sinuous movements in which the body is in continuous motion, which may be used to interpret melodic lines and lyrical sections in the music, or modulated to express complex instrumental improvisations. These movements require a great deal of abdominal muscle control. l Shimmies, shivers and vibrations – Small, fast, continuous movements of the hips or ribcage, which create an impression of texture and depth of movement.

me.” Her mother is teaching in Shriram School in Vasant Kunj while father is in Sales. Her brother is a musician as well as a BBA LLB from Amity. “Belly dancing is no longer a taboo. Yes, it is sensual but certainly not vulgar. Women have broken stereotypes to pursue this love for dance,” she admits as she says “While earlier women had to lie and come to a belly dance class saying it was yoga or even CAT coaching, now there is no hypocrisy and women come openly to enjoy this dance form.” Agrees Priyanka as she adds, “Belly dance is sensual but a lot of times it is called sexual. Because belly dance has different body part movements like chest, hips, people relate it to sex. I feel it’s up to the people and their mentality. Belly dancers wear costumes which show a lot of skin which makes people think like that. Skin revealing costumes are worn to show the internal movement, the muscle movement which won’t be visible if we wear full body covered costumes. It is said that earlier women used to belly dance to entertain men. But I doubt it is like that anymore. There are better reactions now. Of course, we still have those who ask ‘aap sirf dance karte hai ya kuch aur bhi?”

EMPOWERING WOMEN Meher recalls a documentary she did for Jamia Milia Islamia called ‘Paunch and Prejudice’ where she spoke of this parallel women empowerment movement which came from the belly dancing Freedom. “While traditionally mothers taught this dance to daughters as a preparation for the womb, today, many men also do belly dancing,” says Meher. She is dismissive of the celebrity status she enjoys as she does shows and film choreography as a ‘performer’ for fulfilling a ‘commercial’ requirement’ and continues to patronise fine arts and culture as an artist. “Glamour is an illusion and any idiot can become famous,” she says as she reveals that she has strictly turned down many offers to do belly dancing as ‘item numbers.’ She is now rediscovering herself as she reveals, “Art opens your heart and mind”. She has finally found the much missing balance and is concentrating on both her professional and personal life. “This dance is spiritual in many ways as it opens up the chakras and is a form of meditation that connects with the womb,” she points out. She goes on to add, “The story of bel-

ly dancing is very similar to that of Kathak, which began as a story-telling dance form initially. Somewhere along the way, it came to be known as a courtesan’s dance and today, it’s called a classical dance form. Same is the case with belly dancing. Originally, it was a spiritual art form passed on from a mother to her daughter to prepare the womb to give birth and had nothing to do with enticing men. When Western influences began to appear, it started being termed as ‘harem’s dance’ and was called ‘exotic’. But the perception has now changed, thankfully!” Talking about her inclination towards belly dancing, Priyanka recalls how she was always motivated to do something in dance but ‘had never planned a thing.’

A COMPLETE DANCE FORM

“I was in Danceworx (Ashley Lobo) learning jazz and my growth as a dancer was constant. I wanted a change. One of my friends told me there is someone taking a belly dance class in GK and it’s a very difficult form. I took it as a challenge and joined the class. I saw changes in my body...the changes I was looking for. I loved the dance form and when my teacher asked me if I wanted to work with her

and teach belly dance in her school within a month of joining the class, I was both excited and scared. I learnt all the techniques of belly dance and started teaching in three months. Each and every class made me realise the worth of this dance, made me stronger and confident. It’s been eight years and even today when I step into a belly dance class, I feel the same way. And I hope to make my students feel the way I feel about it. Belly dance is no less than any other Indian classical dance or western dance form,” she informs, the pride reflecting in her eyes. It is also believed that there are tremendous health benefits to belly dance. Priyanka adds, “It gives you everything you need. It gives you confidence, makes you strong and makes you accept your body type. Besides, it also benefits abdominal muscles. It strengthens the core, the back and the knees.” Both Malik and Valecha are categorical in their assertion that ‘everybody can and should learn this dance.’ Priyanka sums it up best, “Today, there are people from different age groups who approach us for the classes. Also there are some men who come to learn belly dancing. So, it’s definitely a bright road ahead for this beautiful and graceful dance form.” ø

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COMMUNITIES

PUNJABIS

recalls how the India-Pakistan partition was one of the toughest challenges for the Punjabis but they refused to be cowed down and continued to keep their hearts and homes open.

Eat, Drink and Make Merry Punjabi food is loved by everyone but no one loves it as much as a true blue Punjabi, adds Kamal Mehta who missed her Maa ki Dal and Butter Chicken on a recent trip to Vietnam. “Lassi, kulchechole, sarson ka saag....everything is awesome and we insist everyone takes at least three helpings as Punjabis believe the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach”, she laughs. Chawla adds that Punjabis love their food and drink as he recalls the legend of the Patiala Peg. “The Maharaja of Patiala, an avid sportsman, invited the Irish team; “The Viceroy’s Pride”, to play a friendly match of tent pegging and invented the famous “Patiala Peg” to trick the Irish team Festivals are a great time for bonding between members of the community

Strong, Sensitive and Successful Punjabis have often been considered aggressive, agrees Chawla, due to high decibel levels, loud blaring music and an aggressive persona. But he adds that this is just a personality trait from their rustic and rugged background. “Most Punjabis may speak a bit rough but are very sensitive and soft once you know them,” points out Ghosh. He has many friends who appear aggressive just because of their big build and strong voice. “Being agricultural in background and straightforward in temperament makes us appear aggressive”, adds Krishna, who feels it is this quality that makes them so hardworking and hospitable. Young Priyanka agrees that their style of talking is tough but they are not abusive and in fact the young generation is very sophisticated, she adds. “With the likes of Dr Naresh Trehan of Medanta and Chef Kunal Kapur of MasterChef, it is clear that the Punjabis of Gurgaon are

share their happiness by being charitable and distributing food and clothes. “We live in DLF Phase 1 and have been celebrating all festivals but on Gurupurab, we make sure every house gets the Kada Parshad from our own kitchen,” points out Sarabjeet Singh. Hindus or Sikhs, another festival that is celebrated enthusiastically is the Karwa Chauth where women are spotted in their bridal finery performing the evening ‘katha’ followed by the breaking of the fast on moon rise. “Punjabis believe in the legend of Karwa Chauth and many others and despite modernisation are very traditional”, says Krishna Agarwal, who has been reading the katha for the last 10 years at the community centre. Weddings and festivities are synonymous with Punjabis and every occasion is a reason to eat drink and make merry, says Sunil Chawla who is proud to say, “A Punjabi wedding is full of colour and fun and we love having a DJ or just breaking into our good old bhangra with a dhol for accompaniment.” Agrees Sunaina Bak-

Pictures courtesy - Pinnacle resident Gaurang Tambi

Live Life Punjabi Style

HAPPY, JOLLY AND HOSPITABLE – PUNJABIS AS A COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED IN ALL THESE WAYS by MEENAKSHI SHARMA

“Punjabis are the happiest people in the world,” says software professional Puneet Wahi as his eyes twinkle with mischief and he challenges us to disagree. He continues regaling us with jokes and witty one-liners all the while laughing uncontrollably at his own jokes with a gusto so typical of his community.

Positive Vibes Happy, jolly and hospitable – Punjabis as a community have been described in all these ways. “Living life king size is our goal and we enjoy life to the hilt,” adds Rajiv Gulati, who has been living in South City, Gurgaon for many years and has been a part and parcel of all the

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celebrations with that familiar Punjabi enthusiasm. Gulati explains how he is a Punjabi from the agricultural community which has traditionally loved their food and drink. He, however, is deeply religious and a teetotaller and freely quotes from the Holy Guru Granth Sahib as he speaks of the virtues of simplicity. “Worry does not solve any problem so it is best to enjoy what we have,” adds his mother, who lives with Rajiv and his wife.

Never Give up “Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan, Amrita Pritam’s Pinjar or even Bhisham Sahni’s televised version of Tamas,

show the tragedy and strife of Partition but even when the Punjabis lost everything, they did not lose their positivity,” says former Air Force officer and an avid book lover KN Sharma who saw his family flee Pakistan with just the clothes they were wearing. Adds wife Sudershan, “Even when we stayed in a refugee camp and did not see our father for six months, we never gave up hope.” This never-saydie spirit is what has made Punjabis succeed in business as is apparent from their determination and doggedness. Hard work and determination to succeed is part of their psyche and happy times or tough times, Punjabi hospitality is unmatched, explains Varinder Oberoi. He

into drinking more than what they could handle so his own team could win. And guess what....they won!!” he says. “My Punjabi friends are great fun and have such a typical way of talking that even though we make fun of them, we love to copy them”, says Nandita Ghosh, who enjoys hearing her office colleagues talk of “dinner-shinner, mutton-shutton and party-sharty”. Ghosh loves their food, their delicious and rich curries but most of all she loves their boisterousness and finds it very sweet that ‘they always give you a warm hug and welcome you to their closest functions.’

doing very well in their own fields,” asserts Rajiv Gulati.

Festivals and Celebrations Festival time is great bonding for the Punjabis and apart from Baisakhi and Lohri, they celebrate every festival from Holi to Diwali with great fanfare. “The Punjabi Hindus visit the Gurudwara as well as follow the nine days of Navratra fasting,” says Bakshi, whose family has been hosting the Navratra Satsang in their house for many years and celebrate Ashtami and Navmi with traditional fanfare. The Sikhs celebrate both Diwali and Gurupurab with equal enthusiasm and

shi who is all set to celebrate her brother’s wedding and is arranging the best of entertainment even while admitting, “our entire family loves dancing so we don’t need anyone else to entertain us.” “Weddings are incomplete without Punjabi songs and dances,” maintain young Priyanka and her friend Richa who love Bollywood films with bhangra and giddha. Punjabis do not have their regular associations or get-togethers but that is only because they can be found everywhere, absorbed in every aspect of life, says Dhiraj Singh who calls himself a Punjabi of Gurgaon because of his “large heart” and his zest for life ø

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SOCIAL QUOTIENT

DLF FOUNDATION

COURSE CURRICULUM Knowledge of the subject area (concepts of security on a systems approach) CCTV Operation Public Conduct Physical Fitness Training Fire Fighting Crowd Control TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Identification of Improvised Explosive Devices Crisis Response and Disaster Management Use of Security Equipment and Devices Leadership and Management (only for supervisors) Grooming Soft Skills and Customer Service CONTROL ROOM ETIQUETTES AND DUTIES Detailed Documentation and Reporting Scrap/ Waste Material Handling Frisking and Vehicle Checking Bomb Threat Procedures and Follow ups Highly Qualified and Accomplished Faculty The faculty deployed is highly experienced and qualified drawn from the private security industry, military, police, and eminent educators in the area of security.

First batch of Skill Training in Security

DLF-OSSIM SKILLS TRAINING

Centre For Security Personnel MANY A TIMES, PRIVATE SECURITY OFFICERS ARE THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE AVAILABLE by DCN BUREAU

Many a times, private security officers are the first line of defence available, and for most, it is comforting to see security personnel on the job. Today, the scope of a private security officer’s work has expanded vastly and includes everything from preventing industrial espionage to providing personal security, conducting investigations and managing facilities. According to industry sources, the private security industry is estimated to cross Rs 40,000 crores by 2015. Today, the industry is perceived to be growing at 40 per cent.

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DLF-OSSIM Join Hands Envisaging the future growth potential and the need to concentrate on critical issues of security, DLF Foundation’s Skill-a-Million Programme has partnered with OSSIM, Asia’s first Security Education and Training Institute to open a skill training centre in Chakarpur in Gurgaon where nearly 4,000 security personnel will undergo training over a twoyear period.

State-of-the-art Training

The Foundation believes in imparting world-class quality training and educa-

Grooming in Soft Skills and Customer Service

tion in security through innovation. This initiative will provide state-of-theart training crucial in making the security workforce ready to take on the daily challenges. This course is therefore designed to meet this increased need for use of technology in managing security. Training will be conducted for various levels of personnel including guards, supervisors, field officers, security managers/branch managers. The month-long course covers the basic skills required by a security officer to succeed in their role, including Electronic Security, CCTV Operation,

Training on CCTV Surveillance

ACCREDITATION & RECOGNITION Training partner OSSIM is accredited in India, and is recognised by the London Metropolitan University, UK.

Emergency Response System, Patrolling, Fire Safety, and so on. As a part of the company’s commitment to the ongoing training and education, training will be imparted on a security course curriculum that is unmatched anywhere else in the security industry. The DLF Security Training Centre is well equipped with high resolution CCTV cameras along with Monitoring System, Door Frame Metal Detectors, Model Improvised Explosive Device (IED), Fire Fighting Equipment, Projection Systems and Classrooms. ø

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TRENDSPOTTING

BEARD & HAIRSTYLE

Fabulous Fuzz

Bearded people from all over the world converged at the small village of Leogang in Salzburg recently where the Beard World Championship jury chose the world’s most attractive and unusual beards. The DLF City News team em-

STYLISH HAIR, MOUSTACHES AND BEARDS FASCINATE GURGAONITES by DCN BUREAU

barked on its own journey to explore the male fascination for beards, moustaches and stylish hair in Gurgaon

Beard Trends According to senior stylist, Looks, Deep-

ak Jalhan, “Some of the latest trends in beards that are in demand include Stubble, Jack Sparrow, Grey French Beard (Amitabh Bachchan), Darwin, Fully Grown Beard, Stark Hipster Beard, Handle Bars and Zappa.” Beard has been an integral part of men’s grooming history since the early 80s and like any other fashion trend which keeps coming back, beard is now back in style. Jalhan adds, “I feel beard has always been in fashion. It’s just that these days everyone wants to keep it in shape with professional help of stylists. I have also heard a lot of men saying that they keep beard because women love it and it makes them stand apart in the crowd! Youngsters in particular are carrying it really well and it actually gives them a mature and classy look, which in turn provides them more options to experiment with their wardrobe”. To this, Mone, a DJ by profession, adds,

“Often people buy external accessories to improve their look forgetting they already have something to play around with. Facial hair is just like scalp hair ...you leave them messy, they will look messy but if you can style and cut them as per what suits you, it enhances your personality and gives a big change to your look. As the saying goes, ‘With great beard comes great responsibility’!” Rohit Gupta, 24, a graphic designer who works with the Real Estate Council of Haryana, is a style icon with his wellgroomed beard. “I get complimented a lot, especially by the girls,” he laughs. He recalls how he began keeping a beard when he was in Class 12. “While my parents and older people preferred a clean shaven look, I always preferred a rough look,” he explains and recalls how he kept experimenting with various styles and emulated the Hollywood movie X Men’s Wolverine style of Hugh Jackman.

BEARDS

Many men say that they keep a beard because women love it and it makes them stand apart in a crowd

Style Quotient He admires Brad Pitt and Hrithik Roshan equally for their style quotient and has put his own creativity to test since the second year of college when he began using a trimmer and blades to maintain his mane. “It’s all about patience and creativity,” says Gupta who remembers how he once overdid it and cut off part of his moustache before even using that to his advantage! An equally enthusiastic Raj Kumar

Saini, a Sector 4 resident working with DLF, adds, “The bearded look is strikingly macho and commanding. Beards and moustaches make a real man”. Sanjeev Malik, 32, a sector 47 resident who works in Cybercity, however, disagrees. “I think the clean shave look suits me though at 18, I used to have a beard”. While facial hair is proudly displayed by the Sikh Community for whom ‘kesh’ (uncut hair) is a religious requirement, Mandeep Singh who runs a restaurant in DLF City admits that many young people are no longer flaunting it with pride. He himself loves his manned look and diligently, “brushes and grooms” it. While the modern and metrosexual Indian youth chooses the clean look with many youngsters going for a hair free image, moustaches do run a parallel story of a macho India where cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Ravinder Jadeja and actors Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan

Deepak Jalhan of Looks Salon giving DJ Mone a stylish cut to flaunt

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TRENDSPOTTING

BEARD & HAIRSTYLE

twirl those moustaches and many follow suit! The love of handlebar moustache also continues to be popular and many a man twirls it with pride. Danveer Singh, another Gurgaon resident adds, “We all want to look distinct and different from the rest. I think it looks odd for a man to be clean shaven as this blurs distinction between men and women.” He admits he is inspired by singers and Bollywood actors in keeping a beard. Speaking about the ongoing trends with people, Mukesh Kumar, Hair Stylist at Beyond Beauty Salon in Gurgaon feels one of the trendiest beards is that of TV anchor Manish Paul whose side burns are a huge hit. “Both Manish Paul as well as Mika Singh with a ‘goatee’ are well loved,” says Kumar who believes youngsters like a rugged look where they don’t shave for some time and then use a trimmer for a cool look.” He advises people to stay without a shave

Clean-shaven Sanjeev Malik (top left) earlier had a beard; Rohit Gupta (above) is proud of his beard

and haircut for a month at least before attempting any style as “maintenance of these hairstyles requires a visit to a salon every 20-25 days; you cannot maintain them at home”. Undoubtedly popular icons are the reason why the craze is growing with older people loving Amitabh Bachchan’s exquisite silvery French beard and the younger ones gushing over Shahid Kapoor’s wild style besides the elegant and well maintained look of David Beckham and Fawad Khan. Jalhan concludes, “I personally love beard and carry it myself too, after all it is a specific gift given to us by God and I surely feel that it enhances a man’s personality. At the same time I would say that beard is not for everyone. Keep it if it suits you rather than just following your favorite stars because beard is about what you are as an individual. You must consult a professional”.

“The bearded look is strikingly macho and commanding. Beards and moustaches make a real man”.

RAJ KUMAR SAINI Hairstyles In Vogue When it comes to hair, Jalhan informs that the styles which are popular among youngsters and middle aged today include Undercuts, Pompadour and Classic Retro looks. Kumar believes that Shahid Kapoor and Aamir Khan are very popular in influencing hair (and even beard) style trends among young people. The Honey Singh cut is also in demand, explains Kumar and adds, “Short from the sides and long from the top of the head is a popular trend. Lots of people even ask for zig zag on the sides and tattoos made on sides by the stylist.” He recalls how Aamir’s Ghajini haircut had become a craze and surprisingly continues to be a popular choice. Jalhan agrees, “Yes people surely follow their favourite stars from Bollywood and Hollywood be it Robert Downey Jr and Nick Booster or Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. In fact, Akshay’s beard look for the film Gabbar and Amitabh’s

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“Some of the latest trends in beards that are in demand include Stubble, Jack Sparrow, Grey French Beard (Amitabh Bachchan), Darwin, Fully Grown Beard, Stark Hipster Beard, Handle Bars and Zappa.”

DEEPAK JALHAN French beard are a huge hit among middle-aged men”. However, Gurgaonite Puneet Duggal feels that though following stars is ‘cool’, it is always advisable to consult a professional ‘to get that perfect style that complements your look.’ He recalls how at 22, he emulated Shikhar Dhawan’s moustache and singer Babbu Mann’s hair but now that he is employed, he prefers the clean look. Sandeep Sharma, another Gurgaonite, elaborates, “It is always the younger generation that loves to experiment while the older class sticks to conventional looks”. On the

hairstyles in demand among professionals like him today, he informs, “these days, everyone is emulating the close cropped look with the “fauji cut” gaining popularity.” According to Kumar, “In all these styles, (be it for hair or beard), maintenance is tough. For instance, hair wax is essential on a regular basis while to maintain designs, one needs to visit the stylist every 20 days.” The last word comes from the young Rahul Gupta. “At the end, it is a personal statement and if you have the attitude and creativity to be a style icon, you should definitely flaunt it!” ø (Inputs by Rahul Ahuja)

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WINE & DINE

PIZZA

For the Love of

Pizza ELLEN DEGENERES SERVED IT UP TO THE LIKES OF HARRISON FORD, BRAD PITT AND JULIA ROBERTS AND YOU CAN ORDER IT IN 30 MINUTES WHENEVER AND WHEREVER YOU WANT. by MEENAKSHI SHARMA

It’s delicious, quick, and best of all, there’s a combination of toppings for everyone. What’s more, when pizza is made to include the four food groups, it can even be a healthy choice. Pizza for a crowd; at a birthday party, an office celebration, or a get-together to watch a game on TV...the venues and occasions are unlimited. So whether you go to a fancy restaurant or order a takeaway, everyone simply loves to get together with friends or family and eat, naturally – a pizza! Originating in Naples, Italy, pizza has become an ultimate in comfort food in a rapidly escalating trend for over 30 years. As every foodie will agree, pizza can never be boring and can almost always meet your expectations, whether you opt for a classic or reinvented version. ` “Pizzas and biryanis are two cuisines that are most popular amidst the corporate because of the ease of eating, plating and

quick delivery,” believes Rohit. So we have actor Kevin James say, “There’s no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box on your lap” while Daniel Radcliffe continues to find pizza parties most alluring as he explains, “I just get four friends around, we eat pizza and we’re really lazy!” Pizza really does have an eternal appeal. It could very well be because of its versatility and the fact that it can be altered to suit anyone’s palate. Perhaps the main reason is what Atul Narang says when he reiterates, “It tastes good – pizza is just so yummy.”

Home-grown Brands Entice Foodies Pawan Soni, self-confessed foodie and founder of Indian Food Freak has discovered an interesting trend. “Sales of Mc-

Donald and KFC are showing a negative trend world over given their unhealthy connotation and yet pizzas which fall in the same category have seen many more brands and increasing sales.” Soni finds Gurgaon to be providing an excellent platform for many home-grown pizza brands that are now doing good very well. “From Fat Lulu to Crusty to Instapizza to NYC pie, we all love our pizza mostly the same way - cheesy with a tangy sauce and thin crisp base.” In keeping with the trend of stand-alone and niche pizza places, Vivek Bimbrahw vouches for Mamma Mia at 32nd Milestone while Pritika Sardana and Vineet Chopra Dubey endorse Pizzavito. Barkha Nangia loves the “Insta Monster Pizza loaded with cheese, paprika and basil.” Rohit Mohan, Payal Gupta and Mandeep Singh all back Fat Lulu with Payal also endorsing NYC Pie. While pizza chains continue to have a

Variations and fusion in Pizza make it a universally popular choice

CHEF PARTHIV JOSHI, Area Kitchen Manager, California Pizza Kitchen, India On What Makes Them Different

“A

s a full service casual dining restaurant with a very relaxed environment, we are quite different from other brands in terms of the quality of dough, the size of the dough and the different types of pizzas we have on our menu including different flavours; Mexican, Italian, American, Indian and Asian which are created using different recipes. There are also an extensive range of pastas, mains/speciality salads, appetisers and desserts to choose from. We have the actual thin crust pizzas on our menu which one can relate very closely to the ones made in Italy. The quality of pizzas we serve along with the variety makes us different from other brands,” asserts Chef Parthiv. Talking about the USP of their brand, he informs, “California Pizza Kitchen offers its guests extensive varieties of pizzas with fresh ingredients and mouth-watering flavours from around the world. Besides, ours is an open kitchen where people can actually see the pizza making process live in action and California Pizza Kitchen, India takes pride in the way the recipes are created.”

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WINE & DINE

PIZZA

CRUSTY’S OWNER ROHIT NARANG TALKS ABOUT HIS BRAND AND THE EVER GROWING LOVE FOR PIZZAS loyal fan following, the clamour is more and more for unique and novel concepts as long as the flavour and taste is intact. So we have Vandana Kohli recommending California Pizza Kitchen at CyberHub which serves American style pizzas in a classy setting with a lot of additions on the menu. Crusty’s Pizzas with three outlets in Gurgaon, one in Galleria Market, DLF Phase 4, the second at Baani Square, Sector 50 and the third in Sector 56, seems to win hands down with foodies, reviewers, bloggers and diehard pizza lovers like

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Rinku Singh, Gagan Anand, Smita Jain Kapoor and Megha Nainwal Deorani endorsing its “thin crust and full of flavour fresh toppings.” Avni Bhatnagar can’t stop gushing as she gives her choice as “Crusty’s always.....perfect combination of ingredients with choice of base and cheese..... has been the best for me.” Adds Seema Sachdeva Sandhu, “Crusty’s.... converted me to a pizza-lover! Their sauces are totally unique ...makes their pizzas stand apart from all the other chains.” Agrees Parul Battu who even goes so far as to say, “Please go and try it... you will forget all pizzas.” RK Geetha, a well known food reviewer and blogger adds Pizza Express to the list but admits, “While Pizza Express and Crusty’s are my favourites, the quality of pepperoni of the latter is very good.” Fat Lulu’s and Smokey’s are the other favourites with Nitin Kumar endorsing the pulled Pork and Feta cheese pizza. No matter what type of cooking method is used, the delicious smell of a pizza straight out of the oven is unmatched in this world. “Love fades but pizza is forever”, this quote quite aptly summarises most young people’s philosophy in life just as it sits pretty in that petite little pizza place that youngsters frequent in Gurgaon. Clearly pizzas are here to stay and no one seems to be complaining. ø

“W

ith a clear vision in mind and after having surveyed the market, I realised that though the market had multi pizza brands, there was something missing, in terms of fusion with authentic Italian food and which could be cost effective as well. Besides, I had some very special recipes in my kitty which I wanted to offer to the market,” he explains. He further adds, “Our kitchen is very strategically made with potential to serve food to over 500 people a day. We give utmost importance to cleanliness while also focusing on using only premium quality fresh ingredients.” Ask him about their most popular pizza and he takes no time to reply, “Our Chicken Peri-Peri pizza is the most trending item on the menu which is topped with our unique Peri-Peri Mayo and Pesto Mayo sauces. We are also proud to serve Peri Peri Pizza, Laal Maas Pizza and Crunchy Peanut Chicken.” Rohit feels a lesson that he has learnt from the Gurgaon customer is that ‘one can easily survive and grow by delivering quality at an economical price and being a consistent performer’. He sums it up with a compliment he received from one of his customers, “You guys have truly justified your punch line - We did not invent the pizza, we just have set out to perfect it.”

SPOTlight

‘How To Protect Your Newborn During Changing Weather’

D

r T J Antony is the Director & HOD, Neonatology at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon and has won many accolades for his remarkable work in the field of neonatology. He has various publications in national and international journals to his credit. He is a Member of Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), The National Neonatology Forum and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. How can infants and small children be protected during the onset and retreat of winters? Newborn, infants and small children are vulnerable to infections throughout the year and especially so when the seasons change. With the change in seasons, different viruses appear and most of them are transmitted by air. So, the first step in prevention is to avoid contact with children/adults who have cough or cold. Next is to avoid crowded places or closed environments where the chances of picking up the bug from a stranger would be high. Avoidance of smoke, especially cigarette smoke, is something else that can be done as these predispose babies to respiratory infections. Immunising babies and children between the ages of six months and five years against the influenza virus is also recommended. Exposing babies to sunlight is also a good thing. However, placing a fully covered baby in the sun is not very useful as only the face would be exposed and that will not help synthesise adequate amounts of Vitamin D. Babies should be given Vitamin D supplementation as a routine, from the time of birth. Layering is good as is commonly believed but where to stop for a newborn?

I agree, layering is a good way to keep babies warm. How many layers would depend on the environmental temperature, but rough guide would be one layer more than what mum requires to stay warm. However one should constantly check the baby’s temperature by touching the baby’s hands, feet, head, tip of nose and tummy. If the baby feels warm to touch at all these sites then the clothing is probably adequate. If however the baby is sweaty over the back and chest or has damp hair, then the baby is probably hot and needs to be unwrapped. Are there any food supplements doctors recommend to keep babies warm during winters? There are really no special food supplements to keep babies warm during the winters. Babies less than six months of age should be exclusively breast fed. During winter the added advantage they would have, would be, that they would receive through breast milk, antibodies against common respiratory infections from their mother. Babies and children after the age of six months should be given the age appropriate diet. Foods such as ‘Brandy’ which are thought to be useful in keeping babies warm during winters should be avoided as they can potentially cause harm to the baby. Should bathing be a routine for infants during winters? Babies need to stay clean and so should be bathed regularly. This however need not be a daily routine for the very small babies. On cold days when a bath is not possible, a sponge with a warm cloth or at the minimum washing the face and bottom would do.

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COLUMN

PET CARE

Cheers to a safe and happy heart!

Les affaires de Coeur PETS LOVE, PETS CARE, PETS SHARE, PETS ADORE.... BUT NEVER HATE! by DR. SALISHA WHITNEY CORREIA The heart is the most vital organ in the body regulating blood circulation. Its efficient functioning depends on many internal body factors. Like humans, pets too have numerous cardiac issues like congenital heart disorders, congestive heart failure, degenerative mitral valve disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, heartworms and so on. The most common cardiac issue in cats is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. With the increasing import of foreign dog and cat breeds into India, cardiac issues are also on the rise as few of these exotic pets like Dachshunds, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and Dobermans are predisposed to certain heart problems. Recent estimation of the mortality caused by cardiac disease in the general canine population indicates that about

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seven percent of all dogs die or are euthanised because of heart failure before 10 years of age. Early diagnosis of any cardiac disease is the hallmark of cardiac treatment. Symptoms that owners need to keep an eye out for are laboured breathing, cough, exercise intolerance, cyanosis, fainting and reluctance to lie down (especially in cats). Correct diagnosis by a veterinarian involves many steps such as history, signalment and auscultation.

Step-wise diagnosis of veterinary cardiac issues: Auscultation: It is the first step in diagnosing a cardiac problem. Arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), bradycardia (slow heartbeat) or tachycardia (fast heartn

beat) can be differentiated. The origin of clinical signs can also be distinguished. n Radiography : Taking a chest x-ray in two or three orthogonal views is critical to establish an enlarged heart, fluid in the chest, specific heart chamber involvement or lung issues. n Electrocardiography: An ECG can help your veterinarian find out specific flow abnormalities, heartbeat irregularities and/ or a missed beat. n Echocardiography: This is the latest non-invasive cardiac diagnostic tool in veterinary medicine. The echocardiogram cannot be used to examine the lungs, but this ultrasonographic examination allows the veterinarian to see inside the heart. For moving organs such as the heart, the size, tissue character and muscle function can be assessed in

what is called a “real time” examination that resembles a motion picture. Echocardiography provides a wealth of data concerning cardiac morphology and function. n Blood tests: A complete blood count, kidney and liver function tests, serum mineral/electrolyte profile are essential in diagnosing cardiac problems as the primary cause. n Canine Heartworm Screening: Critical for pets travelling abroad, the specialised CGS Hospital laboratory conducts routine Canine Heartworm screening using the latest Snap Test (CaniV4). A buffy coat smear for specific diagnosis of female Canine Heartworms, if present in blood circulation is also performed. Following diagnosis, treatment starts immediately. Cardiac patients need to be carefully monitored during the course of treatment. Most have life-long prescriptions that require periodic alterations based on re-evaluation of the patient. Medical treatment includes diuretics, a heartbeat regulator, a bronchodilator, a mineral stabiliser and a vasodilator. Surgical treatment may include stent placement or chest tube placement as per the specific condition.

Tips for cardiac patient owners: 8 If you notice any of the discussed symptoms, get your pet checked by a qualified veterinarian. 8 Adhere to the medical prescription. Do not abruptly stop or alter any medication. 8 All exotic pets should be screened for Canine Heartworm routinely. 8 It is okay to take your pet for a walk, but limit strenuous exercise. 8 Avoid using collars / choke chain. 8 Keep your pet in a cool shady place, away from extreme heat or cold. 8 Restrict sodium in the diet. Special Veterinary Prescription Cardiac diet is also available.

CGS Hospital, Gurgaon is proud to have Dr. B.M. Yadav as the head of the Clinical Radiology, Ultrasonography and Echocardiography Department. A Graduate from CCS HAU, Hisar, and a Post Graduate from GADVASU, Ludhiana, he obtained his training from Dr. Annie Marie, Netherlands in Echocardiography and also had a short training in Vet. Small Animal Cardiology in Portugal, organised by the European School of Advanced Veterinary Studies. He also holds a certification in Veterinary Ultrasonography by Govt. of Haryana. His great analytical skills ensure nothing is hidden from his eyes, thus giving an accurate diagnosis.

8 Focus on weight control. 8 Always inform your concerned veterinarian about your pet’s diagnosed cardiac ailment, medication he/she is on; as certain drugs can cause allergic reactions. Anaesthetic protocols employed are different. 8 Monitor your pet’s breathing and colour of the tongue. 8 In case of an emergency, rush your pet to the vet! ø (The writer is M.V.Sc. Vet. Surgery & Radiology and is Veterinarian, CGS Hospital, a unit of CGS Charitable Trust, Gurgaon)

DLF

Citynews

I December 2015 I 55

FEATURE

CHRISTMAS SPOTlight

Christmas Is In The Air by DCN BUREAU Most of the Indians celebrate Christmas and New Year “saathsaath”. Festivities that look to be tapering off after Diwali take off again around Christmas and linger on till New Year’s Eve. Gurgaonites too celebrate New Year and Christmas with great enthusiasm with an evening of bonfire, DJ and musical extravaganza and sumptuous food

RECIPE

Ginger Bread Semifreddo Ingredients 6 pcs egg yolk 80 gm sugar 15 gm ginger chips 2 leaves of gelatin sheet 300 gm whipped cream 80 gm ginger biscuits 30 ml fresh orange juice

For Ginger Tuile 110 gm icing sugar 60 ml orange juice 30 gm flour 60 gm almond powder 60 gm butter 7 gm ginger powder

Method to make the Ginger Tuile n Gradually mix all the ingredients together. Pour the

mass on the prepared baking tray by using a mould. Bake the Tuile in the pre-heated oven at 190 c until it turns golden. n Method to make the Semifreddo n Soak the ginger biscuit in orange juice. n Whip the cream in slow speed until it gets thicker. n Beat the egg yolk with sugar till ribbon consistency. n Add the soaked ginger biscuits mixture into the egg mixture, fold the melted gelatin & chopped ginger chips. Finally, fold the whipped cream. Pipe the mixture into a silicon dome shaped mould and freeze it overnight. Glaze with dark chocolate and decorate with fresh raspberry, Ginger Tuile and gold leaves. (Recipe Courtesy: Executive Pastry Chef, Le Meridien, Gurgaon, Anil Kumar)

56

DLF I December 2015 I Citynews

on both 25th and 31st December. Even corporate entities of US, UK and Europe origin, who have a large number of their executives as expats, are caught in the festive fever. The malls, condominiums, local stores are decorated with colourful lights, Xmas trees, Santa Claus and other embellishments. You can shop for candles, Christmas decorations, Christmas tree, cakes, Santa Claus clothes for children and much more. “Preparations for Christmas begin at least one month in advance, particularly when it comes to the traditional Christmas cake. This time, I have decided to visit the Church with my neighbours and then go out for dinner together. Of course, we will be distributing gifts and sweets among children, decorate the Christmas tree and wear he Santa Claus dress,” says Mebin Babu, a resident of Sector 17. In fact, most of the families have already chalked out their plans. “This time, we are planning to make Christmas cake at home and mix dry fruits in it. Little before Christmas, we will start visiting homes of all friends and relatives asking them to join our groups and sing carols. After all, Christmas is the time to enjoy with family and friends,” informs Philip, a resident of Gurgaon, who belongs to Kerala. Even schools across the city make it a point to celebrate the festival in a grand way. “It is the time of the year when the decorations come out, happy voices sing out loud and the celebrations begin. On this occasion, we plan different activities for our children, who also present their teachers with Christmas cards and gifts. Even non-Christian students enthusiastically participate in such celebrations and sing carols. Of course, the mandatory cake distribution is something all children wait for,” says Rakhi Verma, Principal of Ryan International School, Bhondsi. ø

Contouring Teeth For

A Beautiful Smile

H

ow often have crooked and unshaped teeth made you conscious? Well, you can keep all your worries at bay now! Thanks to advanced dental procedures, cosmetic surgery can transform your unshaped teeth into well-shaped white pearls! Contouring of teeth is one such method of cosmetic dentistry that can improve the shape of teeth, which are pointed, chipped, or overlapping. Speaking about it, Dr Heman Verma, a leading implantologist, explains, “There is something known as enamel on the teeth. This coat of enamel is buffed to change the shape of the teeth. Even slight buffing can make a significant difference to improve not only the shape of the teeth but also alter size besides smoothening the teeth which are uneven.” He further adds, “The process involves an X-ray where we see the current shape of the tooth and with help of markings decide what best shape can be given to it. We end up the procedure by finally pol-

ishing the tooth. The procedure does not require anaesthesia and is painless too.” Contouring of teeth can deal with minor fractures, overcrowding and sharp edges as well. To this, Dr Priyanka Verma adds, “Teeth contouring is a simple method with immediate results. Once we sculpt and polish the teeth, one look at you in the mirror will flash that smile back. Also, this procedure may be combined with whitening to make the teeth look even more vibrant and clean. Contouring is used along with bonding and veneers too. A combination of these can remove huge defects and imperfections from the teeth.” She further informs, “People who opt for contouring of teeth need to have healthy teeth and since this is a cosmetic procedure, if the alignment or defect is huge, then the use of orthodontist therapy is the solution.” Contouring of teeth is a simple process which usually needs a single sitting. However, at times there could be a requirement of multiple sittings too based on the need and extent of treatment.

Dr. Heman Verma One of the leading orthodontists & implantologists of the country, Dr. Verma spearheads Dental Stylers, one of the most premium dental centres of Northern India with comprehensive education in behavior management, sedation and anesthesia techniques. Dental Stylers 8 Dakshin Marg, DLF Phase- II, Gurgaon Ph. 9810296979, 2356609, 2356610, 2351159 Email: [email protected] www.dentalstylers.com

DLF

Citynews

I December 2015 I 57

UTILITIES

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PE ORS HO vIv OF R K R SU L a E W aNC

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Promises to change the retail lan dscape

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DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION T L Satyaprakash (IAS) Deputy Commissioner 0124-2321144 Anita Yadav (IAS) Administrator, HUDA 0124-2321650 Vikas Gupta (IAS) MCG Commissioner 0124-2220011 RS Dalal Director, HIPA 0124-2340413 S Duhan SDO(C)–I 0124-2321808 Yashender Singh GM, Haryana Roadways 0124-2322391 Satbir Singh DRO, Gurgaon 0124-2322877 Parveen Garg Civil Surgeon 0124-2322412 Balraj Ahalawat Regional Officer, Pollution Control Board 0124-2332775 Ashok Divakar Principal, Govt. Girls College 0124-2320783 SS Bokan Principal, Dronacharya Govt. College 0124-2320322 B M Hooda GM, Telephone 0124-2391818 RS Sangwan Information and Public Relation Officer 0124-2321479

P-20

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a RI t Pr fter a aWavOUURaNDIa n tio ac aN FESta IN IN P-47 R ER t US CL

aj dw ar R h B E +YOUNG yani HOOOPLtrEat l er PE e naatld ITH Na ItY Ss silvtyioH n C agBanba e NS Wset M Q& o

NOVEMBER 2015 Vol. 9 Issue

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DLF I December 2015 I Citynews

In addition, DLF may be contacted on the following telephone and mobile numbers for Single Window complaint resolution: Mr. Surender Ph-I 9266677681 Mr. Rishi Pal Ph-II 8130446660 Mr. Amit Sharma Ph-III 9582900616 Mr. Dinesh Ph-IV 8860390274

DLF CUSTOMER CARE 24/7 CALL CENTER-9266 16 9266 Central Control Room of DLF functions round the clock and complaints pertaining to External General Maintenance, Street Light, Water, Horticulture, Safety & Security DLF Security Control Room: Phase-I 2355591 9266677683 Phase-II 2353677 8860771008 Phase-III 2350419 9560095439 Phase-IV 2392965 7503062758 DLF Community Centre: Phase-I 2352423 Phase-II 2351522 Phase-III 2350782

DHBVNL Complaint Call Centers and respective Junior Engineers for electrical complaints Category Location Contact Common to All Call Center Cell 9891901912, 9911131912, 0124-2314331 Phase-I C-15 near Mother Dairy JE Cell: 9540954873 Phases -II & III Madhya Marg Phase-II JE Cell: 9540954874, 9540954877 Phase-IV Chakkarpur Housing Board 9540954878 Clubs DLF Golf Club City Club Phase -3 City Club Phase-4 City Club Phase-5

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CONDOMINIUMS, COMMERCIAL & RECREATIONAL (DELHI NCR) Building

Chief Group Co-ordinator Group Co-ordinator Con. No.

Gateway Tower Ericsson Forum Building 9A/B Cyber Greens Building 7 Building 5 Building 14 Building 6 Infinity Tower Building 8 Building 10 Cyber Hub DLF Centre SEZ Silokhera IBM Silokhera Centre Court Plaza Tower SQUARE ATRIA

Praveen Sharma ([email protected]) (9650666885)

Venkateswarlu Pusuluri ([email protected]) (8527811644)

Gaurav Sharma

Ashok Ruhil

E-mail ID

IMPORTANT CONTACT NUMBERS Commissioner of Police  Joint Commissioner  CP (Headquarters) DCP East  DCP West  DCP South  DC Office: Gurgaon Health Department Directory: Dr. Kamla Singh, Director Health Services Malaria Malaria Office 

Building Manager Contact No.

Kuldeep Raghav  Sanjay Gupta  Ravikant Sharma  Gaurav.S@ Hira Singh 9971666494 ap.jll.com Varun Bajpai Pankaj Yadav Ishwinder Singh Satish Parashar Virender Negi Manpreet Singh Raj Kumar Arun Kumar Ashish Dubey Anurag Yadav Kartar Sharma Panchanan Nayak Ashok.Ruhil@ 813003324 ap.cushwake.com Vishnu Ojha Ramesh Wadehra Neelkamal Maurya

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E-mail ID [email protected] [email protected]  [email protected]  [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Ambulance Service (dial from mobile)  Police Commissioner Helpline  10 am – 2 pm (Mon to Friday) Unwanted Obscene Calls: Mr. Anirudh Chauhan  Police Control Room  24x7 Anti-ragging helpline  Women and Children Helpline  Senior Citizens Helpline  Police Commissioner Helpline  Women Helpline Number  Cyber Cell 

102 9999999953 9582226610 100 0124-2316100 9999981819 0124-2335100 0124-2221559 9999999953 1091 0124-2222644

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DLF

Citynews

I December 2015 I 59

UTILITIES

UTILITIES

STATUS REPORT

WHO’S WHO

DLF CITY

THE

CITY

STATUS OF PROJECTS

PACE OF HABITATION IN PLOTTED PROPERTIES

Name of Project

Status

SI.

New Town Heights

Handover/Finishes in advanced stage

1 I

3658

69.38

The Primus

Terrace/upper floors slabs cast. Rough finishes in progress

2

II

3220

67.04

Regal Garden

Terrace/upper floors slabs cast. Rough finishes in progress

3

III

Corporate Greens

Possession starting soon

Skycourt

4th-10th floors slabs cast. Club finishing in progress

4

IV

Ultima

GF, 1st and 2nd floor slabs cast in Towers H &L; K; E, J & S



Total

The Crest DLF5

Structure work in progress. Project reached 19th floor level

PACE OF HABITATION IN GROUP HOUSING

Project

Total No. of Plots



5462



1626

Habitation%

64.94

53.01

13966

Total

Occupied

%Occupied

34

32

94.1

700

93.5

Belvedere Tower

222

202

90.99

Beverly Park I

158

132

83.5

Belvedere Park 

318

278

87.42

Beverly Park II

182

171

94.0

Exclusive Floors                           516

500

96.90

Total

Occupied

%Occupied

Regent House

Phase

749

Project Silver Oaks

Regency Park I

320

273

85.3

Trinity Towers                             234

216

92.31

Regency Park II

500

445

89.0

Westend Heights                       368

324

88.04

Hamilton Court

266

252

94.7

The Aralias                                  254

Windsor Court

132

125

94.7

Royalton Tower

Richmond Park

280

271

96.8

Ridgewood estate

924

831

Oakwood Estate

322

307

200

78.74

76

70

92.11

The Pinnacle

280

221

78.93

89.9

The Icon

364

330

90.66

95.3

The Summit

228

161

70.61

544

448

82.35

Wellington Estate I,II and III

555

505

91.0

The Belaire

Princeton Estate I,II & III

918

868

94.6

The Park Place

1508

1340

88.86

485

453

93.4

The Magnolias                          589

406

68.93

Carlton Estate I & IV

60

ELDERS

YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATIONS



DLF I December 2015 I Citynews

Silver Oaks Condominium Association – DLF Phase-I 0124-3034146-47 Mr. Tariq Raza President Mrs. Shalini Sawhney Vice President Mr. Pankaj Kumar Manager Mr. V K Jain Secretary Ms. Rupali Jain Treasurer Oakwood Estate Condominium Association – DLF Phase-II 0124-4052005 Major General A.K. Kher President Mr. R.P. Kaushik Manager Mr. Abhijit Malkhani Vice President Mr. Gaurav Dua Treasurer Beverly Park-I – DLF Phase-II 0124-4011757 Mr. Mr. Depak Kapur Mr. Sarabjit Singh Dhawan Mr. Rajiv Inamdar Mr. Soumya Dutta Mr. C B Singh

President Vice president Secretary Treasurer Manager

Beverly Park-II – DLF Phase-II Mr. Adil Shiavax Nargolwala Ms. Anita Kapur Ms. Davinder Kaur Mr. Arvind Srivastava Mr. Ajay Goyal

President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Joint Secretary

Belvedere Tower – DLF Phase-II 0124-4068251 Ms. Savita Malhotra Dr. Manoj Talwar Mr. Amit Malik Mr. Deepak Sahai

President Vice President Secretary Treasurer

9999270000 9818078883 9811059845 9818111000 9818549665

9810063523 9810056302 9811084744 9811600888

Belvedere Park Condominium Association – DLF Phase-III Mr. Jai B Yadav Estate Manager Prof K Sundaram President Col. Ajit Singh Rana Vice President Mr. Rajiv Agarwal Secretary

8800308285 9818621084 9650804787 9582210561

Ridgewood Condominium Association – DLF Phase-IV Mr. Sanjay Batra President Mr. Vijay Kumar Verma Vice President Mr. Deepak Mathur Secretary Mr. Amit Dhanuka Treasurer Mr. Sunil Kumar Jain Jt Secretary

9818093097 9810287402 9818664883 9810086577 9911317189

Hamilton, Windsor and Regency Park-II – DLF Phase-IV 0124-2396331 Mr. Vikas Gupta President Mr. Arvind Roy Vice President Mr. K.K. Bhattacharya Secretary Mr. Rakesh Sachdeva Treasurer Mr. Yogendar Rajput Manager

9810064017 9891357555 9810016816 9810266737 9871622323

The Aralias – DLF5 0124-4144848 Mr. Rajbir Sharma

9650493525

Estate Manager

Mr. Saurabh Joshi

Operations Manager

9650493521

Exclusive Floors Owners Society – DLF5 0124-4109536 Ms. Pallavi Sawhney President Mr. S N Miglani Vice President Mr. Apprajeet Bhatia Secretary Mr. Manish Purohit Treasurer Carlton Estate Condominium Association – DLF5 Mr. N.C. Chatterjee President Mr. Arun Verma Vice President Mr. L.N. Sharma Secretary Mr. Raj Kumar Rathi Treasurer

9873991945 9873757570 9650029189 9810405787

Trinity Towers Condominium Association – DLF5 Mr. Jawahar Lal Vij President Mr. Rajan Misra Vice President Mr. Anuj Chadha Secretary Mr. Rajul Kulshrestha Treasurer

9818967911 9910588700 7838802020 9899892911

Summit Condominium Association – DLF5 Mr. Arun Bharadwaj President Mr Ajay Kalra Vice President Mr. Dipak Roy Secretary Mr. Bipin Sapra Treasurer

9810725825 9818910123 9810398865 9971147072

The Pinnacle – DLF5 0124-4228770 Mr. RC Kesar Ms. Parul Kaushal Mr. Atul Sarin Mr. Kuljit Singh Mr. Jai B Yadav

President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Property Manager

Wellington Estate – DLF5 0124-2385469 Mrs. Smeeta Roy Jain Mrs. Sudha Kiran Sinha Mr. Ajay Jain Dr. Gautam Sen

President Vice President Secretary Treasurer

DLF City Residents Welfare Association (Regd.) 0124-4055094, 2561888 Mr. H N Chopra President Mr. Sudhir Kapoor Secretary Gen.

9899140100 9811555743

DLF CITY SENIOR CITIZENS COUNCIL (REGD.) 0124-2570417 Mr. Ganesh Dutt Gureja President Mr. Mohan Gulrajani Secretary Gen.

9810638595 9818253979

Condominiums Richmond Park Royalton Tower Princeton Estate Park Place The Belaire The Magnolias

Address DLF Phase-IV DLF Phase-V DLF Phase-V DLF Phase-V DLF Phase-V DLF Phase-V

Contact Mr. H S Shukla Mr. Bijendar Singh Mr. R Bhagchandani Mr. YC Sharma Mr. Anil Kumar Mr. Sanjeev Saxena

DLF

Citynews

Telephone No. 0124-4272776 0124-4292418 0124-4055277 9873603572 9811109205 9654132300

I December 2015 I 61

TRANSIT LOUNGE

NICOLAI FRIEDRICH

Casting a Spell! AMAZINGLY TALENTED GERMAN MENTALIST MESMERISES GURGAONITES ACROSS ALL AGE GROUPS AND LEAVES THEM YEARNING FOR MORE

ence, who I believe, are losing their sense of wonder. So, I try my best to give them that ‘wow effect.’ What is the most important thing to learn to be a magician? If you want to be a magician, first of all you need to know and practice the sleight of hands, learn moves, misdirection and also how the mind works. You need to understand why people see things that happen in front of their eyes and why they do not see things that happen in front of their eyes; how does misdirection work and so on. How did you perfect your skill? I went through a lot of training and practice. I remember practicing for hours in front of the video camera, mirror, people and friends, asking for their feedback. As a magician, you have to make your audience feel amazed. When you do the mental magic thing, you have to know a lot about psychology, which forms the foundation in this art. We try and suggest things to people, by getting into their minds and not through hypnosis. The idea is make them behave in a particular way for which you have to know how people think and how they react. And, of course, you have to get a lot of experience because the psychological

Nicolai Friedrich creates ripples with his mentalism

by REENA DHANKHER Beware of your thought waves for he knows what’s going on in your mind! You think of a number, and he knows it...that’s the magic of German mentalist Nicolai Friedrich. The man can work wonders with his magical fingers and his mind-boggling mentalism. After performances at Pune and Bangalore, Nicolai had come to the Millennium City to make the crowd go berserk and that he did, not just with his mind-reading skills but also with his creativity and comic timing. So, he tore a newspaper and put it back into a single piece, guessed the zodiac sign of a lady, gave out the number a young man had thought in his mind and left a girl completely speechless as he casually mentioned her date of birth! No wonder, he had the audience glued to their seats and also away from their mobile phones. With his charming personality and talent, Nicolai ensured that he had the complete attention of the bewildered crowd that comprised a mix of corporates, professionals, women and children even though it was busy Tuesday evening.

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INSPIRATION

When DCN caught up with him, he spoke about the challenges that come in the way of conceptualisation of great ideas, ones which have the potential to amaze all age groups. “Most of my creations are original and in some, I change a few elements to make them more interesting and interactive. My audience is my biggest motivation,” says the 39-year-old mentalist. Excerpts from an interview.

Seeing a magician create the wow effect among the audience inspired me to take up magic

How did you get inspired and start magic? I started very early at the age of four when I saw a magician performing live. I remember sitting in the audience and I was like wow! That feeling inspired me to take up magic. I also had a friend who had a magic box and could do quite a few tricks. I was so fascinated by it that I asked my parents to buy me a magic box for Christmas. And that’s how I started doing magic as a hobby but soon it turned into my passion. I started performing at family events and every time I would manage a new trick, I would share it with my neighbours. Slowly, people started hearing about me and that’s how I evolved as a magician and became popular. I always want to give this ‘amazing’ feeling to my audi-

aspect is a bit theoretical. Generally, people tend to react in a particular way but they may act different too. So you need to try out with as many people as you can to develop your own experience. How should one start if one is ambitious to become a magician? The first step is to buy a magic box and perform tricks, next is buying tricks from the magic shop, then you read books and the fourth step is to come up with your own creations. Of course, as far as the reading part is concerned, you can get hold of as many as you can in order to perfect your skills ø

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CELEB TALK

MOVIE PREVIEWS English

Snoopy and Charlie Brown- The Peanuts Movie 3D A treat for kids, this one is an animated comedy directed by Steve Martino based on ‘Peanuts’ by Charles M Schulz. In the film while Charlie Brown tries to catch the little red haired girl’s attention, Snoopy writes a book to protect his love interest.

Star Wars Episode VII – The Force Awakens - 3D The seventh instalment in the Star War series, the film is a space opera directed by J J Abrams. The story revolves around Han Solo, and his allies who face a threat from the army of storm troopers.

Alvin and the Chipmunks 4

SRK, Kajol & Gerua... THE FIRST SONG OF SHAH RUKH-KAJOL STARRER DILWALE IS OUT AND IS BEING TOUTED AS THE ROMANTIC ANTHEM OF 2015! by DCN BUREAU Gerua, as the song goes, brings out that impeccable chemistry between the two stars, which the fans have been in love with since the days of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. The song is already trending on social media. Even filmmaker Karan Johar took to Twitter to express his happiness on seeing his favourite pair together, which incidentally made him revisit the days of shooting for the romantic track of Suraj Hua Madham for the film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam. “Seeing the stunning and exotically executed #gerua bought back

An adventure comedy, the film is directed by Walt Becker and is the fourth instalment in the Alvin and Chipmunks series. Will Alvin, Simon and Theodre be able to stop Dave from proposing a new girl?

Hindi

Bajirao Mastani so many memories!! @TheFarahKhan @iamsrk,” Karan tweeted along with an on-location picture. The picture sees the choreographer of the song Farah Khan being clicked by Shah Rukh. Gerua has been shot majorly in Iceland with SRK and Kajol romancing to the tunes of music composer Pritam. Both the actors look like a dream, leaving the fans wanting for more! Both SRK and Kajol go back a long way, having worked for the first time in Baazigar. However, it was DDLJ that made their on-screen romance an epic and Raj and Simran, the most ideal couple. No wonder, the two have given only super-hit films from DDLJ to Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to My Name Is Khan. In fact, Shah Rukh finds it difficult to refer to Kajol as just a friend. “Kajol is such a close friend of mine that I find it strange to refer to her as a friend. It’s been 20 to 22 years since we began with our careers. We have a very comfortable relationship and there is a certain ease,” the actor was quoted as saying in a recent interview. “We care for each other in a very easy way. Naturally, whenever we meet each other, we feel as if we’ve begun from where we left. So that comfort, love, care and genuine desire is there. Even if she’s not there in a film with me, and wherever she is, I’ll hope that the best things happen to her. She will also wish the same for me,” added Shah Rukh. Dilwale is all set to hit screens on December 18 and if the reaction to just the first song is anything to go by, it would not be wrong to say that the film might just turn out to be the biggest hit of 2015. ø

A Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, Bajirao Mastani is a romantic historical saga based on the story of Maratha warrior Peshwa Baji Rao I, played by Ranveer Singh. The role of his first wife is being played by Priyanka Chopra and second by Deepika Padukone. The music is composed by Bhansali himself.

Dilwale Directed by Rohit Shetty, the film has romance, action and comedy and besides the super hit pair of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Also in the lead are Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon. The music has been composed by Pritam Chakraborty.

Wazir Produced by Raj Kumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Aquib Khan, the film is a drama starring Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari and John Abraham. It revolves around two friends who have been brought together by destiny and who decide to help each other win their individual games only to realise they have an opponent not so easy to deal with! For corporate and bulk bookings (Book minimum 50 tickets) (Timings: 11am-7pm)

Phone: 8860003310 email: [email protected] Ticket also available at

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LAST WORD

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All’s Well Between

SRK & Sanjay Leela Bhansali?

It’s just not Dilwale that releases on December 18. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani is also hitting the screens on the same day. The film’s new poster featuring lead couple Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone was released recently and looks nothing short of royal. Ranveer, who plays Bajirao, holds on to his ladylove Deepika who portrays Mastani. Priyanka Chopra who is seen as Kashibai, Bajirao’s first wife can be seen observing the two in the background. Meanwhile, notwithstanding the reports of rising tensions in Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Shah Rukh Khan camps over the Bajirao Mastani-Dilwale clash, the filmmaker and superstar bonded big time at Amitabh Bachchan’s Diwali party. According to a guest at the bash, “Sanjay and Shah Rukh hugged each other and were even seen locked in serious conversation for a good half-hour”.

Sanskari James Bond! ‡‡

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As Daniel Craig’s Spectre hit the screens, what was trending was not the action in the film but ‘#SanskariJamesBond’, an ironic hash tag prompted by a censor board decision to “cut short” Daniel Craig’s kissing scenes in the film. According to the Indian censor board, James Bond in his current avatar, simply kisses too much when it comes to an Indian audience and so they had been reduced in length. Flabbergasted fans took to social media to shower their sarcasm with full gusto! The barbs ranged from the ‘Name’s Bond, ‘#SanskariJamesBond’ to ‘#SanskariJamesBond Chikoo and milk. Shaken not stirred’.