TRAffic conGEsTion

Transcription

TRAffic conGEsTion

FACE OF THE MONTH
AJAY SETHI
TRANSIT LOUNGE
SIMPLE KAUL
TRENDSPOTTING
TATTOOS
Citynews
` 50
dlf
February 2016
Vol. 9 Issue 11
THE
ROAD
AHEAD
Officials
and Experts
List Ways To Ease
Traffic
Congestion
& Improve
CUP
THAT
CHEERS
Tea Is A Hot Favourite
As Boutiques And
Cafes Come Up
Across Gurgaon
P-50
Public Transport
+
TRAVEL TALK
A visit to Gujarat
Is Full of Quaint
Experiences &
Happy Memories
P-37
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:
Citynews.dlf@gmail.com
With the city growing at a rapid pace, neighbouring Delhi’s Odd-Even trial has provided
some food for thought to city planners. In our
Cover Story, we explore ideas to reduce vehicular pollution
and decongest traffic in Gurgaon. The steps discussed include
provision of efficient public transport.
In our Wine & Dine section, we demystify tea as we talk to
former tea tasters and planters and figure out what goes into
the making of the cup that cheers. The experts tell us about
tea’s origins in the country, the factors which determine the
flavour of the beverage and the health benefits of several
varieties.
Continuing with our series on trends, we move on to tattoos
and their growing popularity among young Gurgaonites.
Elsewhere in the edition, we talk to nursery owners and
experts for tips on how to go about making that perfect garden at home.
In People, we profile young achiever Sanil Sachar who has
just finished writing his second book. The sports enthusiast
talks to us about his plans for the future and how he intends
to pursue his passions. We also catch up with the entertaining
Joe Baath who describes himself as a traveller who has no
destination! Our Face of the Month, Ajay Sethi, completes the
People section as he discusses his corporate journey and his
Gurgaon connect.
VINAY JHA
Editor
@DlfCityNews
DLF City News
Citynews.dlf
dlf
Citynews
I February 2016 I 03
I N S I D E
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Golf Champ
Golf Expo
Manna Dey Night
Pet Care
Helpline
The City Elders
Movie Previews
Citynews
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February 2016
VOL 09 Issue 11
Feature The Cup That Cheers
46
Tea comes in so many varieties and flavours that it has something to offer for every taste and
need. It comes as no wonder then that tea boutiques and cafes are becoming a hot favourite in
Gurgaon. Experts, tasters and entrepreneurs give us their take on tea
Faces
14 City Lights
Golf Champion 34
Gurgaon resident Punya Vats
captures the city in vibrant
moods, colours and situations
Gaurika Bishnoi, all of 17,
discusses success and the road
ahead
46 Communities
Koreans find a home away
from home in Gurgaon, make the
city’s diversity even richer
28 Gardens in Bloom
18 People
Entertainer to the core, Joe
Baath talks about his stay in
Gurgaon and a stint in Australia
37 Travel Talk
A visit to Gujarat provides an
unmatched experience
MUST
READ
MUST
READ
32 Project Update
Bhubaneswar gives a
warm welcome to DLF Cybercity, the city’s new commercial
business destination
From how to begin planning a
garden to plants and flowers
which suit the season, this
feature discusses them all
42 Trendspotting
We look at the latest trends
as tattoos become a fashion
statement
Social Quotient 44
DLF Foundation honoured for
excellence in the field of CSR
Snapshots Lohri Celebrations
10
A late winter chill does little to dampen the spirits of
Gurgaonites who decide to put their best foot forward
Mental Health 49
Sambandh Foundation provides
emotional and financial support
for patients and families
Profile Sanil Sachar 66 Last Word
Leonardo DiCaprio gets one more shot at
the Oscars with The Revenant
18 Ajay Sethi
The head of one of India’s top accounting firms
talks about his journey
62 Simple Kaul
The talented TV actor and model has turned
restaurateur with a cafe in Mumbai
64 Celeb Talk
Rumoured split between Ranbir Kapoor and
Katrina Kaif creates a buzz in B-town
06
I February 2016 I
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10
Just 23 years old, Sachar has already written two
books and is passionate about creativity and sports
Page 9 >>>
For Advertising, Please Contact:
Page 13 >>>
9810563407
SNAPSHOTS
LOHRI
Celebrations
In Gurgaon
by DCN Bureau
Like every year, this time too Gurgaonities celebrated Lohri with great enthusiasm. A festive atmosphere gripped several condominiums and apartments as the
residents came together for an evening
of rituals, dance, music and food around
the traditional bonfire.
Although the festival is generally celebrated by Punjabis, it is observed in a big
way across the entire North India including Gurgaon. From dancing to the beats
of the dhol, throwing popcorn, peanuts
and rewri into the fire as an offering to
the fire god to relishing authentic Punjabi delicacies such as ‘sarso da saag’,
‘makke di rotti’ and ‘ganne di kheer’, the
celebrations were visibly evident across
several parts of the city. According to a
rough estimate, around 1,000 bonfires
were lit in Gurgaon.
Priya Malhotra, President of Resident
Welfare Association, Windsor Court,
said that Lohri celebrations are incomplete without the traditional bonfire.
Talking about how they celebrated it at
their condominium, she said, “Ours was
a completely homely affair attended by
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I February 2016 I Citynews
Lohri celebration in Sector-31 (L) and Epicentre (R)
people across all age groups. The fire
was lit by a senior resident of Windsor
and the most enjoyable experience was
having rewri with loved ones, gossiping
around the bonfire in the chilly winter
night and playing antakshari.”
For the residents of Pinnacle, DLF 5,
the celebrations also had a modern touch
to it with rocking DJ music. “Well, we
had both the dhol and DJ. But the best
part was the ambience that had been created to mark the festival. Colorful buntings, charpais and cane seats arranged
around a glorious bonfire almost transported us to a village in Punjab. We really had some great fun,” said Bhawna,
one of the residents of Pinnacle.
In the Punjabi community, Lohri holds
special significance for new born babies
and newly-weds.
Talking about the interesting aspects
attached to the festival, Dr. Anusha Singh, resident of Sector 45, Gurgaon, said,
“Lohri is the festival of thanking nature.
Dancing and singing, people make merry
as they move around the bonfire and do a
thanksgiving. It is also a different style
of worshipping God. Lohri is also called
the knock of Makar Sankranti. Fire is
worshipped during the festival and as
per Hindu religion, it is believed that
whatever we donate in the fire on Lohri,
it directly reaches God”
Meanwhile, Epicenter also came up
with a ‘Lohri special’ like every year. The
celebrations started with the burning of
lohri, followed by folk and popular music
by Satnam Chann and troupe, along with
traditional bonfire and Punjabi delicacies.
“The main aim is to promote art and
culture and we feel proud to offer Gurgaon, a platform to see and experience
the actual culture of India, be it through
Lohri, Diwali, Phoolon ki Holi or Janmasthami. This year, around 750 people
were a part of the celebrations. We have
been observing this festival for the last
six years and with every passing year, we
are experiencing an increase in footfall,”
informed Aditi XXXX, who heads marketing at Epicentre. After all, when it
comes to festivals and fairs, Gurgaonites
definitely know how to do it with enthusiasm and fervour! ø
SPECIAL FEATURE
CITY LIGHTS
Slice Of Life
Punya Vats has been a resident of Gurgaon since 1997, having lived in DLF Phase 1, 4 and DLF5. He has seen the
city’s transition from being secluded to stunning unfold in front of his eyes.
“I wanted to document the story of my city and capture it in all its glory - The buildings, the lights, the facades,
the sights, the reflections, the construction, the curves and anything that catches the eyes”, he says.
We present some photographs clicked by Vats over the year which present, in his words, “the cool side of DLF
and Gurgaon”.
You can check these pictures @punyavats on Instagram and contact him at punya.vats@gmail.com
Skyline That Inspires Awe
G
urgaon should thank the architects of DLF for giving them a much-needed identity. The feast to the eyes starts from the
moment one enters Gurgaon and is greeted by the lights of DLF Cybercity, DLF CyberHub and the iconic ‘Ship Building’
(Gateway Tower). You then look at Golf Course Road and realise how a new dimension is being added to the already picturesque cityscape of Gurgaon.
Overnight working hours at AmEx mean that the DLF5 neighbourhood is never asleep
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Flags are passé. One Horizon Centre commemorated India’s Independence by emblazoning the tricolour atop its distinctive facade
The DLF5 cityscape resembles a game of Tetris
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Citynews
SPECIAL FEATURE
CITY LIGHTS
Lights, Camera, Construction
Y
es, it is frustrating to live in a city that always seems to be under construction. The inconvenience caused by the dust and
the diversions is annoying but we’ve come a long way and we are almost there. The way I see it - every city in the world
with an iconic skyline had to go through the stage we are at. I see the romantic side of a construction site
Incomplete structures and under-construction buildings are a common sight around Gurgaon
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SNAPSHOTS
WALK OF HOPE
Walking Together For
Communal Accord
A countrywide padyatra that is walking to raise the hope of uniting
together as one is now approaching Gurgaon. DCN finds out more about
this well-conceived initiative.
by DCN Bureau
In a world where rising communal
unrest prevails in forms of terrorism,
conflict, rage and violence that dominate
our not only our headlines but also the
environment of our country, a mission
with a vision has decided to spread a
message of peace and harmony, by simply walking across the nation covering a
total of 7500 kilometres across 11 states.
The Manav Ekta Mission led by Sri M, a
spiritual guide, social reformer and an
educationist who is the person behind
this whole initiative, is trying to make
a difference by drawing our attention
to the power of peace, through a courageous effort.
Traveling the length of India on foot,
where the message of peace is reiter-
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ated by talking to people and awakening
the feeling of oneness, these committed
citizens are showing us an alternative.
Similar to Gandhian principles, the effort is to bring all the people under the
same umbrella of unity. Just as Sri M
says, “there is just one truth but we call
it by different names. The source of all
life is one. So uniting human beings is
our priority. We must start with our
country first, naturally. We must work
for this country’s wellbeing to heal its
soul, so that our nation can progress for
the sake of our future generations. It is
for the non-political people to take the
initiative. Therefore, we will walk together carrying a message of true faith,
to restore the spirit of hope, love, peace,
harmony and oneness”.
The Walk which started from Kanyakumari will travel all the way across to
Kashmir. With little halts en route, the
group will talk to people from various
villages and towns to help them unite
and help to promote communal peace.
The message is clear that before religion
caste or creed, we Indians are human
beings first. After covering almost 6000
kilometres in 400 days through the states
of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and
Uttar Pradesh, the Walk of hope now approaches Gurgaon on the 15th and 16th
of February 2016.
Commencing on 15th February, the
Walk starts from Badshahpur and passes
The Walk of Hope will pass through
Gurgaon on February 15 and 16
through Nirvana Country to Vikas Marg
passing Amity International School and
culminating on this day at the Church of
Immaculate Conception, Sector 45. Later
the same day Sri M will address the students of MDI Gurgaon at their campus.
The Gurgaon City Walk resumes on the
16th morning at the Kanhai Church and
will visit the South City Gurudwara and
Sai ka Aangan, Sushant Lok I. Along the
route, the Walk passes by SOIL (School
of Inspired Leadership) and one of the
landmarks of the millennium city HUDA City Centre Metro Station, finally
culminating on the 16that the Aravalli
Biodiversity park where there will be a
tree plantation and Sri M will address
students from the multiple schools.
Speaking to DCN, Bela Mahendru, a
homemaker & Volunteer for Walk of
Hope, says, “I am inspired as this an honest endeavour. The Walk of Hope is making a difference. If nothing else, there
are thousands of ambassadors of peace
getting ready in the form of the Padayatris and Volunteers who are tirelessly
working for it, day and night. While Pallavi of Nirvana country expresses, “It
is a rare privilege to find someone who
is working for a selfless cause with only
the good of humanity in their heart. It
is an honour to be even a small part of
such an undertaking.”
Manav Ekta Mission
The Walk which started
from Kanyakumari
will travel all the way
across to Kashmir.
The Walk of Hope has gained immense
support and encouragement from prominent leaders during the journey including the Prime Minister who has tweeted
his support and the Chief Ministers of
Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Guja-
rat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
All sections of the community in the seven states have actively participated in this
grand initiative for peace and harmony.
“The Walk of Hope appeals to the Gurgaonites to join in and make a difference
to our nation and inspires as an opportunity to participate in a humongous effort
to communicate the basic need to Be Human in daily life. So come and join us in
our mission on February 15 and 16,” says
Vivek Mahendru, Delhi – NCR Coordinator for Walk of Hope.
After Gurgaon, the Walk will cover Delhi, other parts of Haryana, Punjab and
reach Kashmir in April 2016. ø
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Citynews
PEOPLE
YOUNG ACHIEVER
“Following Your
Passion Is Not Risky”
23-year-old Sanil Sachar has
written two successful books and
continues to use art and creativity
as a medium while balancing his love
for books and passion for sports
by Meenakshi Sharma
“Inspiration is like water,” observed young Sanil Sachar as
we caught up with him at the Jaipur Literature Festival where
renowned authors and thinkers had converged to deliberate on
creativity and the written word.
A resident of The Magnolias in Gurgaon’s DLF5, Sanil was at
the fest to speak on creativity, inspiration and following your
passion – qualities that he lives by with a conviction. Even
though he was hobbling around on crutches since he had got
hurt while playing football, he appeared every bit of a true
achiever as he brushed off all concerns and told us, “I got into
this myself and I will get out of it on my own. I certainly won’t
let this stop me from doing anything I want to achieve.”
Sanil did his early studies at Modern School, New Delhi after
which he moved to England to play for a football club for which
he was scouted. Sports and writing are clearly his first loves.
His first assignment came in the last semester of college (Sheffield Hallam University) when he bagged a plum job with Star
Sports at DLF Cybercity, Gurgaon. “I was part of important projects like the Cricket World Cup and the Indian Super League
and I do think I was good at the job”, said Sanil with disarming
modesty. “I wanted to give time to writing and creativity and
while some people may have doubted me, my parents
supported my belief,” he explained.
‘we do plan even if it is one day at a time”. It
Sanil
“I don’t agree that any decision is a mistake as it
is the result of this discipline and planning
Sachar
is all about experience,” he further observed. “I
that he completed his latest collection of
His first assignment came in
am willing to fall face first and feel the pain,”
‘25 short stories, two scripts and 48 poems’
the last semester of college
he added.
called ‘The Dark Side of Light’ published
(Sheffield Hallam University) when he
His mantra in life has been to follow his pasby Rupa recently. He loves doing two to
bagged a plum job with Star Sports at
three things at the same time. “I need to
sion and “entertain, educate and enchant” as
DLF Cybercity, Gurgaon. “I was part of
important projects like the Cricket
constantly find inspiration as ‘fiction is
‘art is a great stress buster’ just the way
World Cup and the Indian Super
spurred by reality’,” he said.
he wants his writing to be. He likes to do
League and I do think I was
Whether it is murder and mystery, romany things at the same time and is degood at the job”.
termined to support his twin passions of
mance and love or even tragedy, he explores
writing and sports as the former fulfills his
all this and more in his writings. At the same
creativity and the latter ensures discipline.
time, he refuses to be stereotyped or believe
Sanil told us how he was always fascinated with
that youngsters today are confused as he said,
books from a young age and started writing when he
“even when we toss a coin, we know what we want.” He
was barely 16. “When I lived in England for five years, I completed had more wisdom to share when he added, ‘failure and success
my graduation in Sports Business Management and also wrote are inevitable but one has to experience life to the fullest.”
my first book Summer Promises and Other Poems,” he said.
Sanil has also been directing and writing for theatre and asA supportive family, according to Sanil, has been a blessing as pires to write for films too with hints of this endeavour in his
it has cushioned him like a ‘bubble wrap’ thus allowing his cre- various short stories. An avid footballer, Sanil can be found
ativity to flourish while helping him follow his dreams. His fa- chasing the ideal words when he is not running after a ball. He
ther Sanjiv Sachar is a consultant at Egon Zehnder, his mother has worked with underprivileged children on a play last Octoa homemaker and his sister is in UK doing her culinary studies. ber as he aspires to inspire, and therefore he lives his life ‘one
While he does not believe in planning, he also admitted that word at a time’. ø
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Citynews
people
JOE BAATH
tralia to do his automobile engineering and living away from home and doing odd jobs like “cleaning toilets” and
“bouncer” gave him a grip on reality.
“Surviving on so many versions of egg
and bread as a student also motivated me
to do basic cooking,” he says.
It was in 2001 that he met his wife, an
American citizen who belongs to Pakistan and who has been and continues to
be his biggest supporter. “She was the
first person to buy me an ESPN Sports
centre t-shirt even before I began an association with them and gifted me a clock
which says Joe’s Diner much before I really started the diner that I dreamt of !”
he remarks.
He recalls how he never realised how
much he loved food till his participation
in the game show and then life changed
during and after MasterChef. Adventure
and versatility seem to be synonymous
with Joe, who took part in MasterChef
India in 2010 and made it to the top four
from a few thousands across the country. He wistfully remembers how he was
known as a happy go lucky man on the
sets till his emotional outburst when his
wife and daughter came to the show!
“I believe in living life kingsize and even
though I am a jack of all trades, I am
good at what I do. I have been a stand up
Happily
Joe!
A towering frame, cheekily cocked
hat and rich baritone complete the aura
around Joe Baath, a well known name
in the entertainment industry. True to
his impressive persona, Eat @ Joe’s, the
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Joe’s happiness permeates Eat @ Joe’s
“I am a traveller
who has no
destination”,
says emcee,
entertainer and
restaurateur Joe
Baath who wears
many hats with
panache!
by Meenakshi Sharma
American Diner at Crosspoint Mall is as
vibrant and energetic as its owner.
We may have seen him innumerable
times on television and heard him on radio or even seen him playing the DJ with
aplomb, so it is rather nice to know that
he is literally the boy (man) next door as
he has been living in DLF City since 1998.
“Those were the days when the police
knew that our bunch of friends was just
having harmless fun hanging out late in
the night”, he laughingly recalls.
Just a few minutes into the conversation
and the affable Punjabi man (originally
called Amarjot) - with a deadly combination of his rustic Ropar roots and a stint
in Australia - shines through. From being the regular host of all the TNA Wrestling events to “modelling, radio, TV
hosting and cooking, I have done it all
and done them well,” says Joe with justifiable pride.
He recalls how in 1994 he moved to Aus-
comic, TV anchor, disc jockey, and one of
the final four contestants at MasterChef
as well as a commentator on the Colours
show ‘Ring Ka King’. I have also done
over 300 game shows and many regional
Punjabi shows,” informs Joe.
He has also been associated with Daler
Mehendi and accompanied him around
the world for his concerts, though he admits, that it has been a roller coaster ride
of euphoria and hardships for him.
“At the age of 12, I had a disability for
two years and had to use callipers. Yet
I was observant enough to help my dad
start his Yezdi bike. I loved observing the
halwai at a young age and could tell my
mom to mash kabuli chana and add it to
the curry to thicken it,” he recalls.
Joe Baath
Just a few minutes
into the conversation
and the affable Punjabi
man (originally called Amarjot)
- with a deadly combination
of his rustic Ropar roots
and a stint in Australia shines through.
He also shares his achievements on the
stage when he says, “As an emcee, I have
conducted more than 2,000 events and
ceremonies all over India and various
parts of the world like USA, Canada, UK,
Singapore, Dubai, Muscat, Bahrain, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Australia and New
Zealand. While hosting these events, I incorporate my skills as a stand-up comedian which I acquired from San Francisco
Comedy College, California USA.”
He is equally proud of his DJ training
from International DJ Academy San
Francisco, California. “Anchoring an
event or convention means being the
centre of attraction of everyone. As an
anchor, I have hosted various events and
ceremonies. My experience as a Master
of Ceremonies helps me improve my anchoring skills,” he explains. Radio is another of his loves and he recalls hosting
shows and attending live events like the
Fanta relaunch as he elaborates, “Radio
is a mysterious medium and has a subliminal presence unlike the TV, theatre
or the movies where all the senses are
involved.”
He believes that he discovered his true
element when he established a rapport
with food. “As an engineer, I believed
cooking was about temperature and time
but once I understood the flavours, I have
been innovating very successfully,” he admits.
He enjoys the Nihari Gosht prepared by his wife and has replicated it as well as his own versions
of the Yakhni Pulao, the pink
salmon, chicken and broccoli
with much success on the MasterChef show. “I love experimenting with flavours and new dishes
that trigger my appetite. I love
everything about cooking- its action and camaraderie,” he admits.
A fact that is evident at his Gurgaon diner where he loves creating new combinations.
Evidently, the secret behind
Joe’s success is his versatile talent of transforming from a sophisticated anchor and host to a
fun loving friend and confidante!
As young fans throng his diner to
pose with him, he quips, “Even at
46, I am a child and that is why I
resonate with young people”. ø
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Citynews
PEOPLE
FACE OF THE MONTH
ajay SETHI
Founder and Managing Partner, ASA & Associates LLP and Corporate Catalyst India Pvt Ltd
A
n All-India rank
holder from
the Institute of
Chartered Accountants
of India, Board Member
of SCS Global, Tokyo &
Singapore and Member
of NIS Global, Ajay Sethi
leads one of the top five
Indian accounting firms
Tell us about your corporate journey?
I began my journey as a CA with Arthur Andersen
in 1989 and within a couple of years decided to
follow a dream of creating India’s answer to the Big
4. As a young man, I was always thinking about
getting into business though it was a matter of
chance that I decided to do my Chartered
Accountancy. In the beginning it was just me in a
small room (barsaati) with an assistant. My dreams
were not grandiose and I only thought of growth as
an increase to five people and more clients. Today, we
have been in the business for 25 years with 24
partners, eight offices in India and four foreign
desks.
To what do you attribute this growth?
I attribute the growth to the people. You need the
right people to reignite the fire and if you want to
attract the right people, you have to sacrifice your
ego for the larger goal. I share a unique personal
bond with all the partners. I recall my grandfather
telling me that lakshmi should be at the level of your
eyesight - neither higher not lower and so I respect
money but also believe in living loan-free and will
never play with someone else’s money. As a person,
once I put my mind to something or zero in on what I
want to achieve, I do everything to make it happen. It
is about honouring my word and never going back
on a commitment.
Tell us more about yourself and your Gurgaon
connect.
Gurgaon is the place for young educated
professionals and has a futuristic vision and yet it
has not made the Smart City cut which is
unfortunate. I see it as a Bangalore – a place for
educated and civilised people. I invested in the city
many years ago and look forward to the community
life in one of the condominiums when I retire. I love
travelling, love reading national geographic and
world history and have recently begun an affair with
the Bhagwad Gita
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Citynews
COVER STORY
TRAFFIC
THE ROAD AHEAD
With Delhi’s Odd-Even experiment stirring up a debate on steps to reduce
pollution and ease traffic congestion, we speak to experts and officials
in Gurgaon to find out what they think
by DCN Bureau
All of India watched closely as national capital Delhi experimented with the
Odd-Even formula. Gurgaon had ringside seats.
The millennium city’s residents, many
of who travel to Delhi for work or even
cross the capital to go to a third state, Uttar Pradesh, have given the thumbs up
to the scheme that was enforced on the
capital’s roads for 15 days starting January 1 this year.
Odd-Even was aimed at reducing smog
in the world’s most polluted capital.
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While the jury is still out on whether it
reduced pollution, the formula of allowing only odd-numbered cars on odd dates
and even-numbered cars on even dates,
was a big hit for another reason. It eased
Delhi’s notorious traffic congestion.
After the 15-day experiment ended in
Delhi, Gurgaon too felt the difference.
“Lots of cars on roads were visible as
compared to the previous two weeks
when the odd-even plan was in force in
Delhi. It takes one hour for me to reach
office from home. During odd-even it
took hardly 30 minutes, which saved me
an hour daily,” said Sanjeev Malik, a resident of Gurgaon who works with IBM
Daksh in DLF Cybercity.
Traffic snarls returned to Gurgaon on
five intersections - Shankar Chowk, Iffco
Chowk, Signature Tower, Rajeev Chowk
and Hero Honda Chawk – and many other places as Delhi’s Odd-Even ended.
LOOKING AT SOLUTIONS
There is now intense debate on whether
Odd-Even is the answer to Gurgaon’s
traffic and pollution woes. Sudhir Kapoor, General Secretary of the DLF City
Residents Welfare Association, gave a
thumbs-up to the formula, but said that
while this has worked in Delhi and may
be considered for Gurgaon, it is important to keep in mind that “Gurgaon lacks
last mile connectivity.”
“As of now, only parts of Gurgaon have
metro reach and even in places where
the metro does go, the last mile needs autorickshaws which are out to fleece hapless commuters,” Kapoor said. Vehicular
pollution, he said, is a major problem in
Gurgaon and “if one follows initiatives
like Car-free Day and Odd-Even,” it could
be reduced.
Mr Kapoor pointed out that in Gurgaon, pollution from construction activity also needs attention. HUDA and MCG
have been sending notices to those who
are carrying out construction in residential areas without following guidelines
like covering the site, he said.
DLF resident Prabhat Agarwal, one of
the founders of Gurgaon’s Raahgiri, is
a big champion of non-motorised travel
to reduce pollution. Several luxury cars
are parked in his driveway, but Aggarwal
chooses to cycle or walk in Gurgaon.
“The Odd-Even formula implemented
in Delhi is not a long-term viable solution and is at best an emergency measure,” he says.
The scheme, he says, has however succeeded in sensitizing people into understanding that “cars are not the most efficient method of commuting”.
It has also made the “government focus
on long term sustainable solutions for
the growing problems of traffic congestion and pollution,” Aggarwal says.
PROMOTE NON-MOTORISED
TRANSPORT
The IIT and IIM alumnus says there is a
need to promote walking, cycling and using public transport as two-thirds of any
person’s trips out do not need a car. “One
third of our trips can be covered in a less
than a 20-minute walk while another one
third are within cycling distance,” says
Agarwal.
He, however, agrees that for old people
and kids, it is dangerous to cross roads
and walk or cycle in potholed Gurgaon.
He also says that cycling around the
city has made him realize that there is
a lack of secure cycle parking spaces, no
dedicated cycle lanes and the risk of accidents on roads with fast moving traffic.
“We can promote cycling in a big way if
such challenges are tackled,” he says.
Agarwal is also a part of Gurgaon’s
‘Car Free Day’ initiatives and has cofounded a group called the India Cycle
Service, to promote cycling as a means
of commuting.
“Schools and companies have taken up
the cause and we have been able to sensitize the public and get support from
many quarters for this cause,” he says.
Rohit Malik, Director of DLF Estate
Developers Limited (DEDL), says that
DLF is helping decongest traffic through
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Citynews
COVER STORY
TRAFFIC
Prabhat Agarwal, one of the brains behind the path-breaking
Raahgiri, firmly believes that Gurgaon needs fewer cars on its
roads and more people cycling and walking.
He Suggests:
l S
ecure cycle parking spaces and dedicated lanes for cyclists to use. Currently, there is a risk of accidents with cyclists having to share Gurgaon’s
roads with fast moving traffic. “We can promote cycling in a big way if
such challenges are tackled,” he says.
l C
reating convenient paths from residences and offices to the closest
metro station and better use of the many over-bridges, subways and
street-level zebra crossings in the city. “The mindset needs to change to
make commuting easier for pedestrians,” he says.
l I
ncreasing parking fee to discourage people from bringing out their cars.
“There should be no subsidy on parking making it a deterrent to driving.
Wherever in the world real estate is pegged at costs as in India, one cannot assume that parking is on public property,” he says.
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ationing the use of motorised vehicles to attack pollution. “While burning crop is also pollution, it is not toxic in the manner that vehicles are,”
Aggarwal says. He believes luxury diesel cars create serious pollution
and anything said to counter that is “hogwash.”
road-widening and building underpasses
and flyovers. “To help commuters navigate the roads, the focus is on proper
footpaths, cycling tracks and foot overbridges,” Malik said.
Angad Singh, a young Android developer, says, “Gurgaon’s transport policy
should prioritise people over cars. Instead of investing in expensive freeways
and flyovers, Gurgaon could invest in
wider walkways, cycle tracks, buses, and
BRT. These are not only more cost effective; they are also environment friendly,
require less space, support vibrant communities, and more equitably serve all of
city’s residents.”
Prabhat Aggarwal says it is important
to make it easy for people to walk to the
closest metro station from homes and offices.
“Everywhere else in the world, pedestrians use level and zebra crossings, but
in India we have a mindset that discourages crossing the road at street level.
This too needs to change to make commuting easier for pedestrians,” he says,
offering the example of busy streets in
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London and Singapore, where one can
cross the street at every 50 metres in a
safe and simple manner.
FOCUS ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Experts, officials and residents agree
that Gurgaon needs a better transport
system to be able to sustain initiatives
like Odd-Even.
“Anything which helps to de-congest
is good but the main necessity of the
Instead of investing in
expensive freeways
and flyovers, Gurgaon
could invest in wider
walkways, cycle tracks,
buses, and BRT.
Angad Singh
A Young Android Developer
Gurgaon commuter is a city bus service
and we are committed to that. We are in
the process of finalising agreements at
the earliest. The fundamental of transport is a city bus service and all other
modes support it,” says Gurgaon’s top
bureaucrat, Deputy Commissioner TL
Satyaprakash.
Satyaprakash says the administration
has been unable to provide a city bus
service due to a major conflict among
policy makers in Haryana on whether it
should adopt a net cost model or a gross
cost model.
In a net cost model operators shoulder
the burden of loss and possibility of risk.
In the gross cost model, a corporation or
a public agency has that responsibility.
No city bus service makes profits anywhere in the world, says the official.
“People may say Bangalore and Andhra
Pradesh are making profits, but they are
not if you see that much of the rolling
stock buses were given by the government.”
“It’s easy to put up city buses but there
should an agreement amongst policy
makers as to what we need and how we
run it. This is a teething problem. We are
in a process,” he says.
Devinder Chopra, who retired from the
United Nations and is a voluntary worker
for the community, has lived in Gurgaon
for decades and has seen the city grow.
“In 58 years Gurgaon has had one bus
station; smaller cities in Haryana will
have better bus stands,” he rues, adding,
“Transport for middle and lower middle
class doesn’t exist here.”
A commute that would cost Rs 25 or 30
if Gurgaon had a bus service, now costs
at least Rs. 200, Chopra points out.
“There are three to five lakh people who
come to Gurgaon in groups and individually for work and need proper transport.
In fact, we are lucky we got the metro.
However there too, the three wheelers
get on to you and it’s a mess. Haggling
apart, does he have a number on his uniform or a meter? Every six months we
hear they will put meters on three wheelers but they fleece you. This is not a millennium city,” Chopra says.
Gurgaon, which provides Haryana
with nearly half its revenue, must get
more administrative attention and better
services, he says. “At least give this city
what it deserves.”
Chopra too hails the metro as an important milestone in connecting Gurgaon,
but flags poor last mile connectivity as a
big problem.
It is not just traffic jams that worry
Gurgaon. With more people and more vehicles has come more pollution.
POLLUTION WOES
Haryana Pollution Control Board scientist Ranbir Rathi says pollution is meas-
ured in particulate matter and the focus
of attention is particulate matter of 2.5
micron.
“While in Gurgaon we have 100 to 150
of PM 2.5, in Delhi it’s much higher at
around 300 to 400,” Rathi explains. But
100-150 is alarming enough.
The scientist says that apart from vehicular pollution, dust on the roads also
contributes. “It’s never cleaned with a
vacuum cleaner which would really help
in reducing pollution. It keeps on circulating now,” Rathi says.
The scientist says autos that run on
CNG “are fine” but petrol vehicles are
dangerous as “they add kerosene to petrol as cost decreases.”
Pollution also increases during traffic
jams, Rathi says. “If the roads are made
broader and side lanes are built it will
help. If vehicles decrease in number of
course there will be less pollution but how
less is a matter of study,” he explains.
He also warns that diesel generator sets
at residential and commercial complexes
and in shops are very harmful as is the
burning of garbage.
“We burn solid waste instead of proper
disposal. That causes a lot of pollution.
We have fines in place by the National
Green Tribunal Principal Bench but
RWAs have to ensure this is stopped.”
Arvind Kumar, a resident of Jharsa
village employed with MCG, suggests
that polluting Industries, especially
chemical units, be relocated to the outskirts of the city. “This shall curb pollution,” he says.
Arvind believes Odd-Even will be a
success in Gurgaon only if new car registrations are curbed. “Only one vehicle
should be allowed to be registered for one
individual,” he says ø
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Citynews
FEATURE
GARDENING
For The Garden
Of Your Love
Winter being the best time for a blooming
and floral garden, DCN talks to experts to
understand what it takes to build a perfect one
at home
by Reena Dhankher
Come winter, it’s just not the chilly
breeze that invigorates; the ensemble
of pinks, reds and yellows with their
myriad hues also provides us the much
needed dose of fragrance and freshness,
something each one of us yearn today in
times of rising pollution levels.
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One of the most natural sources to enjoy a breath of fresh air at home, gardens have turned into a necessity today.
And, Gurgaonites are leaving no stone
unturned to make them as beautiful as
they can. Although the challenge is bigger for those who have enough space
in their homes for a lushly garden than
those who resort to the terrace concept,
what to plant is always a task and therefore awareness before a visit to a nursery
is indeed wisdom.
While building gardens, one of the
most important aspects is where to
start. Chandani Maurya, an employee
with Bhawna Nursery, Gurgaon emphasises on bordering. “The foremost step
in any garden is the bordering which
gives it a neat and patterned look and
also an outline to the shape of the garden. For this, one may use a plant like
Hamelia which gives only orange flow-
ers and is mostly used for borders. However, it requires sufficient sunlight,”
she tells us.
The border can also have plants like Enermi, Golden Duranta, Lalsa and Badelia. Once the bordering is complete, the
next step is to make lanes for plants. “As
soon as the lanes are readied, the plants
need to be grown in an ascending order
so that there is symmetry when you
look at them. The smallest height plant
should come first, then the medium and
finally the tallest one. Palms, Date Palms
and Bottle Palms can be used for the
corners to give the garden an exquisite
look,” she further adds.
In case the focus is on indoor plants,
there are various options that can be explored. Interestingly, there is a Christmas
plant, also known as Poinsettia, whose
leaves change colour as per season. Although it is an indoor plant, care needs to
be taken to give it sunlight once a month
and water it every two days. Money plant
too is a popular choice for indoors. The
plant is supported by a stick in the middle around which it’s wrapped and water needs to be poured in from the top to
reach the roots.
However, when it comes to winter
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Citynews
FEATURE
GUEST COLUMN
GARDENING
SUNIL K JAIN
Pleasant Parks
G
ardens apart, freshness and fragrance can also come from well
maintained parks that boast of
lush green and floral lawns with tracks
to walk and benches to relax!
For years, DLF has been instrumental
in designing and maintaining parks and
even winning awards for the same. Talking to DCN, Baljit Singh, Asst Vice President –Estate DLF Ltd talks about the
efforts involved in building fine-looking
parks. “Once we decide to make a park,
we first start by uprooting the area that
is thoroughly cleaned after which we do
the soil treatment which involves the in-
secticide and disease control against termite, fungus bacteria, virus, caterpillar,
black spots and root fungus. We then level the land for shrubs and ground cover.
As far as grass selection goes, DLF uses
selection no 1, used by dibbling method
and carpet.”
He also stresses the importance of fertilisers at this stage. A combination of
soil, jamuna sand and manure is spread
finely. Vermi compost or cow dung is
also used quite frequently which protects the plants. Sprinklers control the
irrigation system and after one month,
grass is cut by two to three centimetres
of its thickness. Finally weeding is
done by hands to clean the lawns and
plant flowers and shrubs.
Singh adds, “While we use shrubs like
Calandria, Hamelia Patents, Hamelia
Dwarf, TMC Variegated, TMC Dwarf
and Tecomastans, we make use of fertilisers like Dap or Urea which help to
make plants green with 18 percent nitrogen in them. In winter, we usually
have plants like Petunia, Poppy, Flocks,
Ice Plant, Cosmos, Dahlia and Candula
to name a few.”
The DLF nursery acts as a hospital for
the plants. There is a green-house which
helps in the temperature control of
plants. The poly house is where seedling
is prepared. “There is also an irrigation
system to water the roots. The plants are
kept in polybags and finally planted in
colonies and parks,” Singh informs.
Prevention of Money Laundering Act
We Cannot Afford To Ignore
Money laundering has developed into a critical threat to
the financial system of every country, mainly as regard the
respective veracity and sovereignty. To counteract this serious
threat the International Community came up with a comprehensive legislation, and have also, made a declaration emphasizing the need to combat money laundering, to which India is
also a signatory. This statute came into being so as to fill the
gap in the criminal justice system where attachment of proceeds of crime was not possible in the related criminal acts.
The Act contains punishment for
offences of money laundering as
rigorous imprisonment upto a term of
10 years along with a fine of
INR 5, 00,000/- besides provisional
attachment of suspected properties
gardens, plants like Petunia, Dog Flower,
Pansy, Dalia, Salvia, Danthers, Pramola,
Kalenchu and Berbina are few of the
commonly used ones. Wasim Ahmed,
owner of Bhawna Nursery also talks
about Hibiscus that can last all year
long. “Available in a variety of colours
like yellow, orange, pink, white and red,
this plant requires adequate sunshine
and hence the climate of Gurgaon is apt
for its growth. However, it also requires
pesticide treatment, every 15-20 days,” he
informs.
In fact, when it comes to taking care, all
plants need to be nurtured in different
manners so that they can bloom successfully. Magnolia, a common flower needs
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a great amount of care for the first one
month with constant use of fertilisers
and watering every two days. These flowers are initially grown in big pots.
Similarly, though roses are a favourite
among all garden lovers, not many are
aware which ones generally survive and
bloom! Khan informs, “The rose which
has seven leaves will mostly not bloom
but one with five leaves will beautifully
bloom in sunshine and with regular
watering every two days. October is the
month to trim them and every 20 days,
one spoon per plant, if the Rose Mix Fertiliser that contains calcium, bonneville,
neemville and agromille is used, the
flower will gain its true character.”
Talk of flowers and you cannot leave
out fragrance, which is their soul. They
blend together to form a pleasing combination. Maurya says, “Nycthanthes or
Harshringar as it’s commonly known is a
plant that not only has a sweet fragrance
but offers other benefits too. The flowers
are white with an orange stem and look
beautiful when they bloom at night. The
leaves of the plant, on the other hand, act
as herbal remedy for knee pain.”
Yet another flower that blooms beautifully at night, is the Cestrum Nocturnum
Jasmine, famous by its Hindi name ‘Raat
Ki Rani’. Surprisingly, the flower closes
during the day. But at night, it fills the
environment with delicate fragrance. ø
The need for anti- money laundering act was also felt as a part
of commitment amongst nations to fight narcotics trafficking,
terrorism and other planned crimes by targeting their financial resources.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), under the Department
of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, has
been assigned the power to investigate cases of money laundering. Various authorities under this Act are authorized to initiate proceedings of attachment of property and to lounge prosecution in the designated special courts. ED is also an important
investigative agency mandated to enforce FEMA and Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) brought into force
w.e.f. 1st July 2005 and amended few times therafter.
Money Laundering is basically an act of washing of the tainted money earned from illegal activities and mixing up the said
illegitimate money with the legitimate funds, in a manner that
the original source is concealed and it appears as if earned
from a legitimate source. The Act contains punishment for offences of money laundering as vigorous imprisonment upto a
term of 10 years along with a fine of INR 5, 00,000/- besides provisional attachment of suspected properties. The basic inputs
of defaulters are provided by CBI, Police, Customs, SEBI and
Pollution Control Board.
Banks, Financial Institutions, and other intermediaries are
obliged to maintain complete record of suspected transactions
and furnish the same to the ED who also identifies the client /
customer and the beneficial owner of such transactions. Certain offences under the Indian Penal Code, Immoral Traffic Act,
Customs Act, Prevention of Corruption Act, Passports Act,
Copyright and Trade Marks Act, Information Technology Act,
Pollution Control Board Act, and Customs Act are part of the
Scheduled offences under PMLA.
During our day-to-day banking transactions and business activities there are possibilities of getting misled and misguided;
therefore, PMLA forces us to be careful. For example, the money moves into a county by overvalued exports, undervalued
imports and variation in quality and quantity of exports/imports by using techniques like over- invoicing, under- invoicing,
multiple- invoicing, over/under shipments or no shipment and
manipulation in description of goods etc.
The PMLA has also recently been amended vide Black Money
Act, 2015 ø
The author, a practicing Chartered Accountant, has presented papers on Taxation,
Accounts, Finance and Insurance in seminars and addressed tax planning lectures in
various forums. He has been a member of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(PHDCCI), Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and other prestigious bodies.
He is happy to provide free consultation on tax planning matters to
senior citizens. His email id is: sunil@sunilkumarjain.com
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Citynews
Project Update
DLF Cybercity
BHUBANESWAR
Welcomes DLF Cybercity
by DCN Bureau
The salubrious surroundings of
Odisha’s capital city will soon be buzzing
with activity as it is now getting its very
own business hub in the ideal location of
Infocity, Bhubaneswar.
DLF Cybercity is fast emerging as a
prominent commercial business destination in Bhubaneswar and will soon
host some of the best IT/ ITES companies like Mindfire, IN2IT Technologies
and Luminous Infoways. Suzuki NEXA
has already inaugurated its facility on
the site, and many other organisations
are ready to start fit-outs.
Optimum Space
Many MNCs have taken multiple units
in this premium DLF Cybercity project
where office units are available in various plinth areas that range from 1137 sq
ft to 2651 sq ft.
Mindfire Solutions, planning to operate
on the entire 10th floor with an area of
over 44,000 sq ft, is in the process of setting
up its facility. Once completed, it would offer direct employment to nearly 800 people
at its DLF Cybercity, Bhubaneswar office.
Efficient and Aesthetic
Design
The state-of-the-art integrated business
district of DLF Cybercity has been designed to incorporate large and efficient
floor plans that provide ample working
space and scalability options where all
typical floors have dedicated individual
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office spaces.
The building has been designed with
delectable finesse by renowned architect,
Hafeez Contractor. It has an attractive
facade overlooking the landscaped gardens while the lower ground and upper
ground floors comprise retail shops and
the food court area.
Safety Features
The 54-acre plot includes nearly 40
acres of open area, including green
space. DLF Cybercity provides the best
walk to work environment available
in the city and is all set to redefine the
entire experience of a business district
with brand new offices and facilities
for retail.
The building also follows the best safety standards and procedures. Some of
the key systems and value-additions include 100% power backup, central airconditioning, 24-hour CCTV security
system and excellent accessibility.
Salient features of
DLF Cybercity,
Bhubaneswar
n Statutory approvals have been received from the competent authority.
n The Occupancy Certificate has been
received.
n M/s Mindfire Solutions (one of the
largest IT Companies in Odisha) has almost completed its fit-out work and is expected to commence commercial operations after receiving the OC.
Various clients, mainly in the IT / ITES
sector are expected to shortly commence
their fit-outs and are in the process of finalising their plans.
n Plan for the second phase of development has already been submitted to the
authorities for approval, which is expected shortly. The second phase proposes to
focus on IT/ITES and Accommodation
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Citynews
around town
events
Golfing
Her Way To Success
The last edition of the Golf Expo held in 2015 saw participation by top golf brands and manufacturers
17-year-old Gaurika Bishnoi, who recently
won the All India Ladies Amateur
Championship 2015, speaks to DCN about her
victory, challenges and road ahead
Teeing Off in April,
by Reena Dhankher
A sports freak since her childhood,
Gaurika Bishnoi had tried her hand at
everything, from tennis to basketball.
But it was golf which gave her a direction in life. She started learning the
game when she was barely 13 and she
could connect with it instantly. In a span
of few years, Bishnoi has already bagged
quite a few awards and accolades, both
at national and international level. The
latest in her list of achievements is her
victory at the All India Ladies Amateur
Championship, 2015.
The 17-year old excitedly describes the
semi-finals and tell us, “After 9 holes
Seher Atwal, (Delhi Golf Club) was 4
up from me and it is a difficult task to
recover that gap in only 9 holes remaining, but on 10th hole Seher did 4 putts
on the green and now she was just 3 up
from me . I gained my confidence back
from there and I kept on recovering and
the match was pulled till the very last
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hole. On the 18th hole she hit her second shot in the water and my shot was
on the green. I won on 18th hole with
1 up.It was a nail biting fight and she
gave a tough fight to me”
She further goes on to add, “When I
finally won the tournament, it was a
proud feeling. I want to thank my coach
Anitya Chand for this since he has really worked hard on me and also ONGC
for their support.”
So, how does she manage time for studies amidst her golf practice and these
tournaments? “Honestly speaking, the
tug-of-war between the two has been an
integral part of my life but I have learnt
to strike a balance. It has not been easy
but I am doing fine,” says Bishnoi even
as she tells us that this year she is completely focused on her XII boards.
On the other challenges in her journey, she informs us that she had a bad
knee injury last year. “It was a cause
of concern but I had decided I would
not let it come in the way of my love
for golf. Of course, my determination
apart, my parents’ unconditional support was and will always be my biggest
motivation. They have helped me follow my passion and touchwood, I am
lucky because they really understand
my choices.”
So studies and golf apart, what are her
other interests, we ask her and Bishnoi
reveals that she loves baking cakes
and making cookies and ice cream! Of
course, like most girls of her age, she
loves listening to EDM, John Mayor
among many others.
On the road ahead, the young golfer tells
us that she wants to play more international championships in future though
she wants to wait till her boards are over.
“I want to turn all my dreams into reality
and carve a niche for myself in the world
of golf,” she signs off ø
The Largest Golf Expo
If you are a golf aficionado, here is the
good news. The Indian Golf Expo 2016,
South Asia’s largest golf exhibition, is
coming to DLF Club5, Gurgaon on April
20 and 21. The idea of the 2-day expo is
to promote participation of the game
among Gurgaonites while giving them
an opportunity to have a unique interactive golf experience by meeting instructors and teaching professionals.
The event would bring together eminent international speakers such as Iain
Roberts- Mission Hills, China, Gregg
Patterson-The Beach Club, Los Angeles, Cui Zhiqiang- China Golf Association, James Prusa-Sky72 Golf, Korea,
John Neylan-Turfcare Expert and John
Gransbury-Water Management Expert,
Australia to name a few who will talk
about the passion for the game and more.
The expo will also feature a knowledge symposium, an exhibition of golf ’s
leading brands, a turf grass seminar, a
coaching summit, a giant pro-shop with
exclusive deals, golf simulators, putting
and chipping competitions, networking
lunches and dinners, award ceremonies
and an Invitational Golf Tournament.
All leading global golf brands and manufacturers will also be present and like the
2015 edition, a footfall of over 2000 visitors is expected. Indeed, an unmissable
event in the golf calendar of Gurgaon!
So, if you are a golf enthusiast, get
ready to explore your passion and meet
India’s top professionals and amateurs
in an exciting, up, close and personal environment ø
Citynews I February 2016
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I 35
Around Town
TRAVEL TALK
EVENTS
GUJARAT
Melodious
Journey of
Hemant Da!
Christmas Celebrations at
the Sixth Element School
by DCN Bureau
Christmas is the time of celebrations
and spreading smile to one and all, and
this is what the children experienced at
The Sixth Element School, Gurgaon, as
they celebrated with enthusiasm and fun
unlimited.
It was time for parents to get into action
and the level of excitement, was visible
with the way kids were dressed up. All
over there were shades of red with little
Santas dancing in glee! Seeing them one
felt like asking for a gift, surely a hug.
The day began with singing Christmas
Carols and everyone’s favorite Jingle
Bells. What was the most beautifully presented part was the story on Santa and his
enormous team of elves busy preparing
gifts for everyone. It was exciting for children to see the gifts being prepared and
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some asked “Maam Santa gift kab dega?”
The teachers enacted in a short play, the
story of Jesus’s birth and celebrated his
birthday by cutting the yummy chocolate
cake. This surely wasn’t enough for all
as then entered the team of Santas! Yes
there was actually a team of three cute
Santas dancing in sync on the melodious
tune of Jingle Bells with children singing
on top of their voice along with teachers.
Other than celebrating the festival with
the school children the management and
staff members did not forget the backbone of the school, their nannies. They
not only invited their children but made
them feel like a part of everyone. These
kids ate, sang and danced on the rhythmic carols and along with the chubby
Santas. At the end, whether rich or poor,
Santas showered their love on all and
gave gifts to all! ø
As ‘Tum Pukar Lo’ reverberated in
the air, the audience, each one of them,
went on a musical journey remembering the legend who gave a new meaning
to music with his sense of notes and enchanting voice. It was an evening that
paid tribute to the matchless voice of
the golden era, Hemant Kumar.
The event was organised by Global
Cultural Foundation and Ramneek
Arts at the Epicentre recently and the
chief guest for the evening was Saurabh Singh, Joint Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon.
With talented singers like Col R C
Chadha, Lilly Singh, Anandita, Rahul
and Suman Chawla, all of whom sang
Hemant da’s songs, the audience remained glued to their seats till the end.
Each song had an emotion that brought
out the flavour of that by gone era!
A Multi-Hued Holiday
Col Chadha, in particular, sang Hemant da’s songs with great accuracy
and similarity of voice that left the
audience wanting for more. Songs like
‘Yeh raat ye chandani phir kahan’, ‘Kahin deep jale kahin dil’ and “Tumhi
mere meet ho’ made the atmosphere
and the crowd nostalgic.
Summing up the mood of the evening,
Dr Anju Singh from among the audience said, “After a long time, I heard old
songs being sung live by such talented
artists and Hemant Kumar’s songs are
always soothing and pleasant to the
ears. It was indeed a lovely evening.” ø
The state has an enormous tourism potential from centuries old buildings,
amazing salt marshes in the desert to ancient temples, mega industrial
towns and rare wildlife
Text and Images by Krishan Kalra
Gujarat, for me, was always limited to
Ahmedabad /Gandhinagar and Baroda;
occasionally I could add Anand and Jamnagar – made famous by two visionaries
– and that just about made up most Indians’ picture of the state. The unfortunate
Bhuj earthquake and Godhra carnage
also got the state headlines but for wrong
reasons. However when Amitabh Bachchan became ‘brand ambassador’ of the
state and started talking about tourism
opportunities, it evoked a different response.
Winter 2012, travelling close to the
south western coast of the state, from
Bhuj to Diu, changed our view radically.
In nine days, we covered an enormous
range of locations – centuries old buildings, amazing salt marshes in the desert,
ancient temples, mega industrial towns,
rare wildlife, birthplace of the tallest national icon – and realised the huge tourism potential of the state. That holiday
will remain etched in our memory as one
of our most enjoyable travels.
QUAINT EXPERIENCES
The flight landed at Bhuj around 4.30
in the afternoon. We took the driver’s
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TRAVEL TALK
GUJARAT
advice for a quick visit to some local
sights before dark. He was right; Aaina
Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) and Prag Mahal, built in the 18th and 19th centuries
respectively, are both ‘not to be missed’.
The latter one designed by famous architect Colonel Henry Saint Wilkins (who
also did Sasoon Hospital, Bombay Secretariat, St. Paul’s Church at Pune and
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Frere Hall at Karachi amongst other
iconic buildings) is a fine example of Indian craftsmanship combined with European architectural design.
About an hour’s drive on excellent roads
took us to village Dhordo and ‘Gateway
to Rann’, our abode for two nights. There
was this beautiful cluster of conical
roofed huts around a big central com-
pound and ours, called the Rajwadi room,
was a suite. Tastefully furnished inside,
it had all amenities of a decent basic hotel; clever mix of Gujarati and Rajasthani
décor, with a quaint satin canopy over
the huge four poster bed. After a sumptuous dinner - of bajra roti, khichri with
dollops of ghee, bhajias, gur and halwa
served lovingly as if in a close relative’s
home – we learnt that a sneak peek at the
Rann was possible but we shouldn’t linger on without the permit, which was to
come in the morning. This is necessary
because of the proximity to Pakistan border. One look at the enormous expanse of
white sand and salt was spell binding; but
we had to keep more of that for the next
day!
Next morning, Nadu Khan 67, our excellent guide took us to Banni – quaintly
charming villages, last ones before the
border, where local master-craftsmen sell
exquisite traditional handicrafts, India
Bridge, 100 km short of the border and
Guru Dattatreya temple at Kala Dungar
perched at an altitude of 1,500 feet. The
ancient temple offers a vantage point to
view the efficient rain water conservation system below.
Anticipating some tongue lashing from
an old Muslim about the shameful massacre at Godhra, I raised the question cautiously. His answer stunned us, “Whatev-
er happened was Allah’s wish Sir; what
Modi has done for us no one did since
1947; we have an all weather road, school,
hospital, 24 hour electricity and piped
water, good milk yielding cattle, factory
close by to employ our young………..everything that we could wish for, he is our
messiah, we pray for his long life.”
It was 28th November, a full moon night
and my wife’s birthday. The Great Rann
was something out of this world; ethereal
and humbling; this endless expanse of
salt marsh in the desert between Kuchch
and Pak’s Sindh province, looking like
snow, reminds you about the insignificant speck that man is in the universe.
But for the deliberately blinking lights
of our taxi, we wouldn’t have found our
way back! A huge tented city was taking
shape for the 56-day Rann Festival starting 15 December, that attracts thousands
from all over the world. We lingered on
and marvelled at the ever-changing scenery with the clouds playing games with
moon; till it was a little nippy. Mind-blowing experience, indeed!
HISTORY AND HERITAGE
The Dhordo-Bhuj-Jamnagar drive next
morning had its own charm. First we visited the 19th century Kuchch Museum at
Bhuj built in Italian style on the bank of
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TRAVEL TALK
GUJARAT
‘with the grace of God’, smart market
savvy pundits who could put any MBA to
shame, clean and well maintained places
and the Dwarkadheesh temple – it was a
great experience, literally an overdose of
spirituality for one day!
Next morning was only a short drive
from Dwarka to Porbandar – one temple
town to another –the birth place of the
Father of the Nation which also has a
connection with Lord Krishna! The Sudamapuri temple here is devoted to the
Lord’s dear friend.
The major tourist attraction at Porbandar, however, is Kirti Mahal - the
three-storeyed immaculately maintained
house where Mohandas Karamchand
Gandhi was born. The pictures gallery
is a goldmine of rare photos from Gandhiji’s life – a place where one can spend
a whole day browsing through the life of
that dhoti clad fakir who single-handedly
brought down the mighty British Empire
to its knees.
THE MAJESTIC GIR LIONS
Hamirsar Lake, displaying great collection of Kshtrapa inscriptions, arms from
the region and specimens of local crafts.
Uncharacteristically, a longish bad patch
of road later, we reached Jamnagar – the
pride of Industrial India with world class
factories of Reliance and Essar. The place
was dotted with huge wind turbines installed by Suzlon, Tata Chemical’s Mithapur plant and nearby ports of Kandla
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and Mundhra, all icons of progress. Of
course, the beautiful sarees and temples
in town were an added attraction!
Day 4, we were on the road to Dwarka,
ancient capital of Lord Krishna’s kingdom. Fabulous ‘food for the soul’ with
several beautiful temples – including a
major one “Bet Dwarka” on an island,
made the trip worthwhile. Overcrowded ferries which seem to survive only
Day 6; on to perhaps the most exciting
part of our holiday – Gir, the only place in
the world outside Africa, where lions can
be seen in their natural habitat. The forest also harbours other predators like the
panther and hyena, smaller animals like
Indian deer, sambar, spotted deer, blue
bull, chinkara, chowsingha and the long
tailed langur. Not to forget, bears as well!
The 170-km drive itself was interesting
– a lovely tree-lined stretch to begin with,
beautiful bridge over the backwaters, immensely beautiful coastal road, stately
palm trees, dhabas with garishly decorated shamianas – perhaps remnants of Rahul Gandhi’s visit the previous day - and
rows and rows of wind turbines on which
our hopes for renewable clean energy in
the area are pinned.
40 kms short of our destination, we
passed Chorwad, birthplace of another
national icon Dhirubhai Hitalbhai Ambani. An impressive pravesh dwar marks
this place – no less than a temple!
A quick check in and lunch at the very
pretty resort ‘The Fern’ – without doubt
the best hotel in our trip - and we set out
for the jeep safari. Luck favoured and
soon we spotted a lion and a lioness basking in the fading sun, perhaps their well
earned siesta after a kill and lunch. We
had plenty of time but I was kicking myself for not carrying a good camera and
tripod. Our phones didn’t exactly give us
any close up shots. Another jungle safari
next morning plus a drive through a sort
of open zoo and we got a real treat of not
only watching the king and queen but
also many other animals.
The resort itself provided many action
photographs of shikaar by the British officers and the Indian rulers along with an
enviable collection of books and trophies.
CENTRE OF CULTURE
The next morning, a short drive brought
us to the fabled town of Somnath, marked
by its loudly painted multi-coloured
houses. Somnath is one of the most revered temples and an important centre
of culture and nationalism. The legendary temple has an ancient Jyotirlinga.
Looted and destroyed, built and rebuilt
several times, it represents the eternal
beauty and strength of the Indian society.
The present splendid structure was rebuilt about 60 years ago, at the exact spot
where the original shrine was located.
Sardar Patel was instrumental in initiating this construction. Despite the presence of thousands of pilgrims every day,
the place is extremely well organised
and spotlessly maintained. After sunset
they have an enchanting light and sound
show, with thespian Om Puri’s voice
over, recounting the facts and legend of
the place. Located on the sea shore, with
waves lashing at its boundary walls, clever use of lights, casting vivid images on
the steeples and intricately carved walls
and balconies of the magnificent temple,
the show casts a spell and makes you literally live through our glorious history.
Our great, multi-hued holiday having
come to an end all too soon, next morning
we drove for an hour and a half through
scenic countryside to reach Diu with its
predominantly Goan buildings, an ancient fort and the small airport for our
return flight via Mumbai. ø
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Citynews
TRENDSPOTTING
TATTOOS
“My tattoo is a surprise for someone I
love since her birthday is round the corner. I have been saving my pocket money
to get this done.” For school student Sagar Kumar, a tattoo is the best birthday
gift he can give his girlfriend.
Once a traditional folk art, tattoos are
a craze today and how! From the young
to the old; the neighbour next-door to celebrities and models, everyone loves to
flaunt a tattoo. There was a time tattoos
were associated with rebels, punks and
hippies but today they have taken the
fashion world by storm. And, the trend
The tattoo trend has been in vogue since long.
From celebrities to common people, none is left
untouched by its charm. DCN explores what
makes tattoos so popular
by Reena Dhankher
This Beauty Is
Not Just Skin Deep!
refuses to fade away.
ORIGIN OF TATTOOS
Although not much information is
available about the exact origin of tattoos, it seems to be a centuries old trend
initially seen in Egypt as is evident from
the marks on the mummies dug out from
different sites. Satty, a tattoo artist at
Angel Tattoo studio, Gurgaon, tells us,
“Mostly tribes used to have tattoos on
their bodies for identification purpose.
Like a farmer would have a different design from that of a warrior”.
To this, tattoo artist Raju Pandey, from
Funky Monkey Tattoo studio, adds,
“Evani tattoos, popular in Malaysia, had
an interesting element attached to them.
You had to literally earn them, either by
showing proof that you have defeated the
enemy or by pleasing the tattoo artist for
days together!”
He further informs, “Different countries have their own style. Even within
India, while Madhya Pradesh practices
the dot and line style, in Nagaland,
snake skin designs are popular. Interestingly, there is this community called Tharu in Nepal, where it
is mandatory to have a tattoo after
marriage for in laws to accept the
bride. The designs would involve
peacock, flowers and birds.”
Of course, goes without saying,
the methods of tattooing were also
different during those days! Satty
informs, “Initially ink for tattoos
was made with seeds and ink leaves
were burnt to produce ink. The tattoos were made by a nail from the
fish tail. Even hammers were used
with a nail attached in front to
make designs. It was much later
that fully automatic coil machines
and rotary machines came in. And,
since the last seven years, even needles have become thinner.”
PATTERNS & DESIGNS
IN VOGUE
What makes a tattoo eye-catching is its
design. Here, Pandey has an interesting
point to make. “Designs become an artwork when they have a meaning. With
only design, you tend to get bored but a
meaning will always keep you inspired.
Tattoos should not only decorate your
body but your soul too,” he explains.
Satty adds, “People love religious designs like trishul, Om, Jesus, khanda,
Ganesha and Krishna. In fact, there is a
religious sentiment attached to tattoos
now. While 3D tattoos today are much
liked in Egyptian designs, the Mavri
tribe designs are equally popular since
they have their own pattern”
According to Pandey, the tattoo trend
has witnessed a peak of sorts in the last
three years. “Today, some of the styles
that are in vogue include grey wash, portrait, calligraphy, scripts and abstract,”
he explains. Of course, it also depends
on individual taste. While some like the
fashion element of animals, flowers,
birds, tribal designs, abstract and even
Zodiac signs, others prefer getting names
tattooed for the emotional aspect of it.
An interesting aspect Satty highlights is
‘tattoos for people with burnt skin’. “Tattoos can easily be used to hide burnt skin
patches though working on burnt skin is
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TATTOO ART
The present methods
are high on quality
and technically
sound which also
help reducing the
pain associated
with the process
a much more delicate affair and could require greater number of sittings,” he adds.
THE ART OF TATTOOS
The tattoo art has evolved over the
years and the present methods are high
on quality and technically sound which
also help reducing the pain associated
with the process.
Satty speaks of more than 50 types of
needles which can be used for tattooing depending on the designs. “The artist chooses them with his experience of
the art. Today, machines have RPM and
power that can be controlled and are
speed consistent and user friendly. The
machines are now much lighter than before,” he explains.
Pandey tells us that the most commonly used needles are RL (Liner) for thin
lines and MG (Magnum) for shading and colour.
The entire process involves the
selection of a design and size as
per choice and the artist helps to
customise it. This is where expertise comes into play to make it
look creative and stylish. Once the
design is final, it is applied on the
skin with the help of a stencil and
finally tattooed to perfection.
As far as colour goes, there are
various options to experiment with
including red, green, blue, orange,
yellow, pink and black. More tones
can be created by mixing colours.
Pandey informs, “Earlier we used to
have powder colour which we mixed
with water. However, today, complete hygienic inks are available.”
Satty adds, “The inks today are
made of organic pigments and may
change a little from the original colour.
Tattoos are made by permanent ink that
is put in the second layer of the skin
called the dermis.”
FOR THE LOVE OF
TATTOOS
While Kumar has already readied the
‘gift’ for his girl, he is now eager to see
her reaction. “I will send her a WhatsApp message late night so that my message early morning can make her smile,”
he tells us. People have their own reasons
for getting a tattoo.
For Jatinder Singh, it was the excitement that he wanted to experience. Being
a Sikh, he decided to get a Khanda made
with the face of a lion. “I searched on
internet to find out what would go well
with a khanda and the artist suggested a
lion and I am happy with the outcome. I
was apprehensive about the pain but after 30 seconds, I got used to it,” he says.
For Harpreet Kaur, on the other hand,
it was the religious sentiment. “I got a
religious quote done even though I cannot tolerate pain of any kind.” Nobleson,
Manager at Funky Monkey, echoes similar thoughts. “I got the face of Jesus on
my body. I am a Christian and the Lord is
closest to my heart.” Indeed, tattoos are
becoming an integral part of people’s
lives today, literally. And, it looks that
they still have a long way to go ø
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Citynews
SOCIAL QUOTIENT
DLF FOUNDATION
DLF Joins Hands With Dist Admn
For Dialysis Unit In Civil Hospital
The foundation has also launched a Mobile Medicare Unit for the
underprivileged in far and interiors of Noida
DLF Foundation Conferred Excellence In CSR
Award From UBM & Times Now
by DCN Bureau
As a response to increased accountability and expectations from various
stakeholders, a growing number of
companies put environmental and
social purpose at the heart of their
strategies. DLF’s CSR Department
was recently honoured with Excellence in CSR Award by UBM India and
Times Now. Giving Back 2015 – CSR &
NGO Awards recognised the contribu-
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tion of Indian corporates and NGOs,
celebrating the very best in CSR and
sustainability. The award ceremony
took place on December 22nd, 2015 in
Mumbai.
Giving Back 2015 – CSR & NGO
Awards celebrate business excellence
and innovation in corporate social responsibility across a broad range of
disciplines including sustainability,
community development, healthcare,
education and leadership. The winners were selected by a high profile
and wholly independent judging panel of experts. The awards night was
attended by over 300 guests from corporates & NGO community. A panel
discussion was also held, aimed to inspire and educate organisations in all aspects of CSR and share best practices. ø
When
DLF
Foundation
started, it envisioned empowered communities with access
to equal opportunities so that
inclusive growth can take place.
Providing the undeserved, access
to quality healthcare is one of the
major areas of intervention DLF
Foundation is striving for.
With increasing prevalence
of Chronic Kidney Diseases
in India, there has been a huge
pressure on private hospitals
to provide dialysis treatment
thereby creating an increasing
gap in the demand and supply.
Also, there are many people
who, due to lack of resources,
are unable to afford the cost for such
treatments in private hospitals. Owing
to lack of infrastructure for provision of
such treatments in the public health sector of Gurgaon, the district administration of Gurgaon has decided to establish
a state-of-the-art four -bedded dialysis
unit in the Civil Hospital, Gurgaon.
DLF Foundation has contributed an
amount of Rs. 20 lac to facilitate the
initiative. The unit will provide services to over 10,000 people annually. The
contribution was handed over to T.L.
Satyaprakash, Deputy Commissioner,
Gurgaon at his office by Vinay Sahani,
Advisor CSR, DLF Ltd and Ritesh Sinha, Director Programs, DLF Ltd. The
project is proposed to be a joint venture
with OBC, District Innovative Fund and
Sheetla Mata Shrine Board. Artemis will
be the technical partner and
will be imparting manpower
training.
Meanwhile, taking a step forward towards increasing access
to quality healthcare for the
underprivileged in far and interiors of Noida, DLF Foundation has recently launched its
Mobile Medicare Unit in Noida.
The unit was inaugurated by
District Magistrate of Gautam
Buddha Nagar, Nagendra Prasad Singh. Director-CSR, DLF
Ltd Ritesh Sinha and Senior
Vice President, DLF Ltd Rajeev
Singh were also present for the
inaugural ceremony.
The Mobile Medicare Unit will provide
OPD services to the underprivileged sections in the targeted villages in Noida
at a very nominal rate. OPD services
will be augmented with provision of
medicines and diagnostic tests to ensure
proper treatment. The unit will also
reach out to the communities to spread
awareness about various health and hygiene issues. ø
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Citynews
Communities
KOREANS
Koreans find synergy in Gurgaon’s multicultural society
by Meenakshi Sharma
Perfect Harmony
There is a bit of Korea in each one of
our lives. Be it in the shape of a car, TV
set or home appliance, the small Asian
country has occupied a space in our
homes. But here in Gurgaon, it works in
a completely contrary way as well, for a
lot of Koreans have found a home away
from home in the Millennium City.
The Gurgaon Connect
“Gurgaon is the best city for foreigners,”
declares the charming Hyeyoung Lee
as she fusses over her Korean guests at
the popular restaurant Miso at Global
Foyer on Golf Course Road in Gurgaon.
Lee has been living in India since 2011
and bought Miso four months ago as she
considers it the best place for the community to bond and eat. Along with Chef
Seoungeun Park, they have a formidable
product that is a little Korea for those
away from their country.
Sharing her background, she remembers how she went to cooking school in
Korea and then joined her father’s company in Noida since 2011. It is only a few
months ago that she made Miso her business and is busy looking after it. “Miso
means smile”, she explains.
One of their regular customers, young
Voonsang Kim who works in Building No.
5 in DLF Cybercity cannot agree more. He
tells us how he often brings his close associates and clients for lunch to Miso as it
gives them an authentic meal in familiar
surroundings and a ‘home feel’.
Kim is a Gurgaon supporter as he says,
“Despite the construction and the pollution, we love Gurgaon and have been
living here for four years.” While his
Managing Director lives in DLF Belaire,
he lives in Palms with his wife and two
young children aged nine and six. “We
are quite happy with the facilities and
the education that our kids enjoy,” he
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tells us.
Similarly, Koog Ja Yoon and her husband Choinag Woong are equally at home
in Gurgaon and love meeting their own
countrymen and the locals at their New
Korean Shop at Gurgaon which sells cosmetics, Korean spices, herbs, teas and
noodles and is very popular with the Koreans, Japanese and the Chinese.
The couple tells us that they have been
running this shop in Galleria for the
last one year even though they have
lived in Gurgaon for over two years and
in Delhi for six years. Yoon loves her
home in Pinnacle which she finds very
comfortable and which also gives her
ample opportunity to enjoy a good quality of life. While they are at the shop
Owner Hyeyoung Lee believes ‘Miso’ means smile and perfectly describes the community
every day, Sundays are reserved for the
church though they still come to work in
the afternoon. They proudly tell us how
their daughter studied Fine Arts at Delhi University and is now working back
home in Korea.
While her shop is loved by all, she does
admit “Indians are friendly as well as angry!” She explains some of the qualities
exhibited by the customers she meets
at the shop. “They are more business
minded and find everything I sell costly
though Koreans are happy with our
products”.
While both Yoon and Woong are amused
to see dogs and cows on the streets and
the proximity of villages to Gurgaon,
they enjoy the city thoroughly. In fact,
the two love relishing Indian food such
as the “naan, sabzi, chicken curry, puri
and chapatti.” Even Lee loves Indian
dishes like “tandoori chicken, dosa and
aloo paranthas.” Her favourite shopping is at Ambience Mall Vasant Kunj
and DLF Place Saket while her children
study at MMI.
Family and Celebrations
Festivals and celebrations hold a lot of
importance in the lives of Koreans as
Lee tells us how well her family bonds in
Korea during festive time.
Incidentally, while the world celebrates
New Year on 1st Jan, it is only in late Jan
or early February that Korea welcomes
the New Year as per the lunar calendar.
Hyeyoung recalls how they prepare,
“rice cake soup and other traditional
food” for the festivities and the daughterin-law of the house presents interesting
combinations of rice, soup and main
dish with meat and seafood for the family and friends.
Yoon and Woong too wistfully recall
their family festivities where everyone
from the grandfather to the grandchild is
part of the celebrations during their New
Year in February. To this, Voonsang Kim
adds, “the one thing common between
India and Korea is that family means a
lot to both of us unlike the Europeans.”
Yoon shares how they traditionally wear
a silk or cotton Hanbok, celebrate festivals and honour old people as also gift
fresh, clean money!
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Citynews
Communities
KOREANS
Spotlight
Bone Marrow Transplantation
(BMT) for
Thalassemia
D
r. Satya P Yadav has a vast experience of over 15 years in the
field of Pediatric Hematology
and Bone Marrow Transplants
and has carried out over 65 Pediatric
BMTs at FMRI. He has been the Secretary of Organ Transplantation Group
of Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP)
and National Coordinator for National
Training Programme Practical Pediatric Hematology.
A Piece of Korea
in Gurgaon
While there are many similarities between the two cultures as Kim and Lee
point out, Yoon and Woong point out the
many differences in food habits as well.
Many like Yoon and Woong love to visit
Gung or Miso or even the Sibang bakery
in Southpoint for a good treat. Most of
these places don’t believe in Indianising
the cuisine and make sure to give a traditional feel, from their way of cooking, to
even their way of serving.
While rice cakes in soup or a dish of
steamed raw cuttlefish may not appeal
too much to the Indian palate, with the
increasing number of Asian expats in
Gurgaon, authentic Korean and Japanese restaurants are ensuring that they
can a taste their home cuisine in the Millennium City.
Gung (the Palace) also makes you feel
like you are in Korea. This restaurant,
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The Korean shop at the Galleria is very popular with Indians and Asians
in Sector 29, has walls adorned with pictures of the head chef and the mother
of Korean owner, Kim Jin Bum, posing
with Korean singers, actors, and even the
South Korea president. Along the sides
of the main centre are sliding doors that
have a Korean seating arrangement,
with ample leg space, a live grill in the
middle of the table and a very private
atmosphere. They maintain the true flavours and source meat like pork belly,
tenderloin, and even some of the veggies, from Korea itself. They rightly believe that the Koreans want the taste of
their home food, so it’s important the ingredients are genuine so that the taste is
exactly the same. Some of their popular
dishes are “octopus cakes, shellfish and
pork gelbi”
At Miso, Lee shows us the traditional
eating arrangements at Miso where the
shoes are removed and guests sit on the
floor with the private dining area available for food and conversations. She also
tells us that up to 85% of their guests are
Koreans, 10% Japanese and Chinese and
only 5% are Indians. Her guests love the
smoked barbeque duck, the noodles and
the peking duck.
It is interesting to see how Gurgaon is
living up to the tag of a global city by ensuring that it is a safe haven for people
who have made it their home and this
very intermingling of customs and traditions makes it such a wonderful opportunity for cross cultural communication.
Lee puts it beautifully when she credits DLF for making so many positive
changes in Gurgaon as she says, “I
think we are at the centre of a changing history of India and with so many
international influences, Gurgaon is
becoming an important city. PM Modi’s
initiatives have resulted in more Indian-Korean business opportunities and
as a result Miso is hosting many foreign delegates who have arrived here
for doing business.” ø
What is Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT)?
Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT)
has been used to treat patients diagnosed with leukaemia, aplastic anaemia, thalassemia major, lymphomas
such as Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma and immune deficiency disorders.
In this, the patient’s diseased bone marrow is destroyed and a healthy marrow
is infused into the patient’s blood-stream
which migrates to the cavities of the large
bones, engrafts and begins producing
normal blood cells.
What are the results of Bone Marrow
Transplantation (BMT)?
The results have improved over the last
two decades due to improvements in
preventive strategies, effective control
of transplant-related complications, and
the development of new preparative
regimens. The younger the patients, the
better are the results. In low risk (class 1
and class 3) patients, the probability of
thalassemia-free is 85%, rejection is 8%
and the mortality is 6%.
Are there risks, complications and
infections after a Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT)?
There is a mortality risk, which is significantly lower than some decades ago; it
goes from 3% to 6%, depending on the
class of risk of the patient, his health
conditions and the age. BMT may not be
successful causing a rejection, because
of disease recurrence or regimen-related
toxicity. In about 30% of the BMTs, there
might be complications. The probability depends on some variables, like the
class of risk of the patient and the outcome of the transplant.
Regimen-related toxicity refers to side
effects that patients may experience
during the course of transplantation
like graft-vs-host disease (GvHD),
bacterial infections, fungal infections, viral infections, gastrointestinal and hepatic complications, neurologic complications, pulmonary
complications, and late effects after
stem cell transplant. Patient has to
be monitored for some rare late effects.
What has to be done to know if
a thalassemia patient can have
a Bone Marrow Transplantation
(BMT) from an HLA matching identical donor?
1) We need to know:
n The age of the patient
n If he has brothers and sisters
n When he started the blood
transfusions
n The history of the iron chelation
n The most recent checked iron concentration
n If he is Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) positive
n The class of risk.
2) We need to know if there is an HLA
matching identical donor in the family
(father, mother, brothers and sisters).
3) If there isn’t an HLA identical donor
in the family and also from the bank, the
mismatched Haplo Identical BMT from
parent can be done.
Is there a cure for thalassemia major?
Yes, it is Bone Marrow Transplantation
(BMT), the only definitive cure for thalassemia, with no more need for blood transfusions (thalassemia free).
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Citynews
WINE & DINE
TEA
Gurgaon Finds Its
Tea
Of Life
DCN takes a look at the growing popularity of tea in the city while also
shedding light on the varieties available and their origin
by Reena Dhankher
Life is like a cup of tea. It’s all about
how you make it. And Gurgaonites are
enthusiastically learning how to make
their cup of tea. There was a time when
coffee was the queen and tea took a backseat since it was all about milk and sugar, without much attention to flavours.
Today, the tables are turning! The last
couple of years have seen immense popularity of a huge variety of flavours that
have changed the way people consume
tea. Tea is now making a comeback as a
connoisseur’s beverage.
The origin of tea goes back to the era of
Shang Dynasty when it was consumed as
a medical drink. NK Puri, a DLF Phase 3
resident, former Planter with Goodricke
who has spent years in tea plantations
and is an expert on this beverage, tells
us, “Camellia sinensis (whose leaves and
leaf buds are used to produce tea) was an
indigenous plant found way back in 1850s,
or even before, in Assam. The seeds were
brought from China and planted but the
plant could not grow well in Assam as it
could not take the heat and found Darjeeling more suitable to grow in. That’s how
Darjeeling got into tea. The ideal climate
of the region with its rainfall, hills, slopes
and natural drainage of the soil, fog and
mist worked in its favour.”
50
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THE CUP THAT CHEERS
The Origin
“Camellia sinensis
was an indigenous
plant found way back
in 1850s, or even
before, in Assam”
NK Puri
A DLF Phase 3 resident, former
Planter with Goodricke
Initially, tea used to be considered an
exquisite hospitality drink. In fact, during British rule, it was a drink which the
rich and elite classes took pride in consuming.
But times have changed. As former
tea taster and son of NK Puri, Divya
Puri puts it, “Tea is a beverage that cuts
across barriers. From the drivers and
guards to the CEOs, everyone enjoys a
cup of tea. That’s probably the reason
why the preference for tea has been going
up in America, which was traditionally a
coffee drinking nation. Of course there
is a select market for speciality Teas, Darjeeling Tea has been revered by Royals and
connoisseurs, “Good Darjeeling Tea Speaks
to your soul”. Green Tea is popular in urban
areas for health reasons. Today Indian’s are
travelling across the world, and are getting
exposed to other types of teas like white
and oolong teas. In fact, even India today
has more tea consumers than coffee except
for the southern part of the countryside
where coffee still rules”.
One of the major reasons why tea is
gaining popularity is because of the variety of flavours that are available today,
most of which are an outcome of exten-
Tea Halt in Galleria Market
sive research. Elaborating on it, NK Puri
informs, “Tocklai is a place where a lot
of research is done on growing various
varieties of tea which can gave high
yield and better flavour. Though certain
gardens had their own R&D which tasted
and propagated certain teas with nice
flavours, when they found certain bushes with better flavours, they propagated
them too. In vegetative propagation,
every cutting you take and the plant you
make from it will have the same genetic
base, characteristic and flavour.”
Talking about the manufacturing process, he explains, “It is mostly two types.
While in Darjeeling, the orthodox method
is followed, in Assam, CTC (Crush Tear
and Curl) as well as orthodox methods
are in practice. CTC is a process in which
a leaf after withering is put through CTC
machines which are basically rollers. The
leaves get grooved in them and cells of
leaves are ruptured and that starts the fermentation process. In orthodox, you have
rolling tables and in that process cells are
broken. So, in orthodox method, you end
up with long leaves while in CTC, they
become small ball like.”
EVERYONE’S HOT FAVOURITE
No wonder, with such distinct ways of
preparation and a wide array of flavours,
tea is becoming a hot favourite beverage!
Explaining about the flavours region
wise, Suhail Kapur from from San Cha
Tea Boutique tells us that the major tea
growing regions in India include Assam
Valley, Darjeeling, Kangra in Himachal,
Sikkim and Nilgiri Mountains. “The
Kangra mountain tea is earthy in taste.
The Assam leaf tea, which is the world’s
best black tea and also the original Eng-
lish breakfast tea, has a woody and malty
character. Nilgiri tea is fruity and lemony while Sikkim tea has a musk and
fruity flavour. However, the Darjeeling
tea is the famous of them all because
of its unique region and climatic conditions. In fact, the same tea bush gives
three unique flavours in three seasons”.
NK Puri agrees as he points out, “Darjeeling tea is like liquor! At various
times of the year, you have different liquors like light in spring, the second flush
from May-June is brighter liquor with
muscatel flavour and finally autumn is
dlf
Citynews
WINE & DINE
TEA
Extensive research has ensured that a wide variety of tea flavours is available
about light tea with a lot of fragrance.”
That’s probably the reason why Darjeeling has been given a special geographical
indication status. NK further goes on to
add, “Darjeeling tea is like champagne.
Just like champagne has to be made in
Champagne (France), authentic Darjeeling tea has to come from Darjeeling for
that unique taste.”
Similarly, Jasmine tea has to come from
China if one wants the original flavour!
“If you are buying Jasmine tea and it’s
not from China, it’s not the real one,” explains Suhail Kapur. In China, the buds
are plucked in April and that’s the best
quality Chinese tea. Then, they wait for
the Jasmine tea that happens in July.
They put real Jasmine flowers over the
white tea for it to naturally soak in and
this they do seven times over to get the
real flavour! “That’s what distinguishes
a good Jasmine tea from an average one.
Yin Zhen White Jasmine tea, also called
the Silver Needles, is their finest. However, for those, who are not too much
into floral tea with fragrance, Oolang tea
is a great option. It is smoked green tea
and is usually liked by men. It is a little
stronger in taste,” he informs.
So, what brings about the variations
in all these flavours? Suhail Kapur explains, “All teas come from the same tea
bush. The difference is in the oxidation”.
NK Puri has another point to make.
“Even within Darjeeling, no two estates
52
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will have the same flavours. They will
be different and it depends on the slope,
how much sun its gets, elevation of the
area and also which type of tea is being
planted, whether it is pure China hybrid
or a clone,” he points out.
TASTE, AND HEALTH TOO
Tea tasting, for us, might be all about
liking or disliking a flavour but for professional tea tasters, it is their expertise
at work! A tea taster has to look into
many aspects before selecting his tea
besides freshness. “Every region is different with its own unique factors which
affect the flavour of tea - rain, sunshine,
soil, type of tea bush within one region,
the type of tea cultivars and the different
clones planted in different times. Within
one tea garden, there can different altitudes which can make the flavour of tea
different,” says Sanjay Kapur, a well-
known tea taster.
To this, NK Puri adds, “Taste of tea also
depends on the person making your tea.
With one sip that swirls down the throat,
a tea taster realises whether fermentation is less or more. So, a lot of expertise and effort also goes into making tea
which you gain when you work out there
in the plantations.” He explains that one
of the biggest challenges for a tea taster
is when different tea clones are planted
in different parts of a garden. A taster
has to identify the clone and the flavour,
desirable to him, keeping in mind the
various criteria and customer preferences. “Therefore, a tea taster has a significant role to play at the government
auction held every week,” he points out,
As Sanjay Kapur puts it, “At the end of
the day, it is the tea taster’s verdict that
would ensure fabulous flavours for customers since all gardens compete in the
auction by sending their best varieties”.
So, how does a tea taster go about his
job? Tasting tea Divya Puri believes that
the first thing a tea taster usually looks
into is the “appearance of the tea leaves,
then comes the aroma and finally the
most vital element the character of the
liquor and the appearance of the infused
leaf. In fact, an experienced tea taster
can judge and say where the tea is from
and if during plucking or during manufacture, something has not gone right,”
he maintains.
Discovering new flavours: Tea like never before
Agreeing with his father, he adds, “The
way you make tea can also make a lot of
difference. Tea is best when you have it
black but you can add milk or sugar to it
as per preference. If the quality of tea is
good, it will give colour and taste in one
go else as it brews, the first cup will be
usually light, the second one will pick
the true flavour and the third will be
strong. An important thing to take note
is storage of the tea leaves. Tea is heterogeneous and it picks up any strong smell,
in an Indian kitchen we tend to keep tea
with Masalaas, if the container is not air
tight, the tea will get tainted. Also use
the right utensil for making tea are making the tea is important. Aluminium will
never give the right colour while stain-
less steel gives best results. And good water is the key to a good cup”
Giteesh Sasan, a former Tea Planter,
also believes that a good cup of tea is not
just about taste; it is also about health.
“Tea not only has an advantage over coffee for its reduced caffeine content, it
works as a therapy for relieving stress.
And, black tea without sugar and milk
can even help in reducing weight,” he explains. To this, Suhail Kapur adds, “Tea
also has theanine which is a good relaxant. Oolong tea, in particular, is great for
health. It is semi oxidised and has got
the benefits of both green and black tea.
And, black tea, which is fully oxidised,
does wonders for the heart,” he informs.
GURGAON’S ‘MERI WALI CHAI’
With the love for tea growing, people today have their own reasons for enjoying
their ‘meri waali chai.’ So, for Gunjan
Kapoor, tea is an addiction while young
professional Amit Bhandari calls it body
fuel in a hectic life.
Gunjan loves her morning cup with
milk. That she feels passionate about
tea is evident when she tells us that she
has recently got the Dilmah tea from Sri
Lanka since she loves its taste. “My tea
usually has to have lot of ginger, elaichi,
laung...basically masala chai. While we
enjoy tea at Chai Point, Cyber Hub daily,
sometimes I love the masala chai at Roots
Cafe in Sector 29, not to forget the Kul-
lad waali chai at Chaayos which I simply
freak out on,” she adds.
On the other hand, Amit loves tea as he
finds it desi. “Since I am a sales guy, I also
love having roadside tea,” he says. Interestingly, Amit feels the trend towards tea
has changed after Chai Pe Charcha. Saurabh Singh, Manager at Chai Point, believes the tea trend has particularly gone
up in the last few years. “People love tea
just like the way it’s made at home. We
have a variety of flavours including sugarless tea for diabetic people. In winters,
the hot favourite is ginger tea. We are
looking forward to start tulsi tea too. One
distinct feature of Chai Point is that tea
is made in bowls, not machines.”
The Galleria Market last week saw the
inauguration of ‘Tea Halt’. Co-founder
Jiten Rao tells us the reason for starting the cafe. “We could feel the love that
Gurgaon people carried for tea. And, we
brew it as per our customer’s choice.
What is interesting is that people are experimental with leaf tea as it is light on
stomach. We have a tea called Kashmir
Kahwa which keeps the body warm and
of course, the Haryanvi tea with lots of
milk and sugar, just as they like it, is also
one of our specialities.”
Well, whether it’s catching up with
friends, meeting deadlines at work or
just relaxing in solitude, tea is always a
companion. So, keep enjoying your cup
of tea, Gurgaonites! ø
dlf
Citynews
COLUMN
PET CARE
heart disease in senior dogs is chronic
valvular heart disease. Thickening and
irregularities of the valves of the heart
may lead to abnormal blood flow within
the heart chambers, eventually causing
heart enlargement and heart failure.
A chest radiograph and an echocardiography, as performed at CGS Hospital
will help in diagnosis and subsequent
treatment.
Diabetes: Aging dogs tend to have
a higher risk of developing diabetes.
Whether due to diet, poor insulin secretion or resistance to insulin, diabetic
dogs can often be helped with medication. Routine fasting and post-meal
blood glucose evaluation as well as a
urine test to check for glucose in the
urine is key to accurate diagnosis.
Care For Your Elderly Canine
“They come to us as notorious little brats, win our hearts over as mature
sturdy young individuals, protect and become possessive of us when in their
prime and fondly stay by our side as they grow wiser”
by Dr. Ashwani K. Khola
Senior pets require additional care
and management as they grow old gracefully. It is however, helpful to be aware of
certain common diseases and disorders
that affect geriatric dogs.
Arthritis: Your dog’s joints have
flexed and extended millions of times as
he ran after balls and tumbled with his
human and canine buddies. Arthritis is
much more common in dogs that have
hereditary disorders of the joints such
as hip or elbow dysplasia and in dogs
that have injured a joint. In addition, if
a dog is overweight, increased stress is
placed on his/her joints, accelerating
the progression of arthritis. This is a
good reason to keep your furry friend fit
54
dlf
and trim, even in his/her senior years.
Make sure your elderly canines have a
soft bed to lie on. It will help ease their
aching joints.
If your dog is very stiff when it stands
up, if it avoids stairs, is reluctant to jump
on the couch or into the car, or limps
when it first starts moving; ask your
veterinarian to check for arthritis. The
routine evaluation includes a physical
palpation of the skeletal system, a neurological examination and radiographs. A
little carpentry can make it much easier
for your arthritic dog to get around. If
you have steps leading to the backyard,
make a ramp for her to walk up and
down. Make sure you apply a non-slip
surface to the ramp.
Dental Issues: Cavities, loose teeth
and bleeding gums can prevent geriatric
pets from eating their regular meals. A
thorough oral examination is warranted
to help resolve this issue. Senior pets
can be maintained on a ‘senior pet commercial diet’ or
a nutritious soft home-made
diet, according to the pet’s
specific need. Dental scaling
done under sedation is recommended in pets with severe
dental tartar.
early diagnosis. We at CGS
Hospital provide a comprehensive diagnostic plan to
pin-point kidney disorders
that includes complete blood
tests focusing on kidney
function, ultrasonography
of the kidneys and urinary
bladder.
Prostate Problems: Tu-
Urinary Incontinence:
Eye Disorders: Just as in people,
cataracts can develop in aged dogs
resulting in cloudy vision. Sometimes,
tear production lessens and the surface
of the eye is not properly lubricated.
Dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca) is a
common problem affecting older dogs,
especially small ones with bulging eyes
such as the Shih Tzu, Pekingese and
Pug. Artificial tear drops can be administered in each eye twice daily.
Kidney Disease: Kidney disease is
one of the most common metabolic diseases of older dogs. With early diagnosis
through blood tests, some dogs can do
quite well on a special diet and medications. The key to successful treatment is
Many older dogs suffer from
the inability to control their
urine. If your dog starts to
leak a little urine while he is
sleeping or if he can’t seem
to make it through your workday without having an accident, a visit to the
veterinarian is in order. Be sure to bring
a urine sample collected first thing in
the morning in a sterile container.
Some of the causes of incontinence can
be cured, while some have to be managed.
In older dogs, kidney failure and urinary
tract infections are the main reasons for
incontinence. If your dog begins to drink
and urinate more frequently, a veterinary
exam should reveal the reason. If kidney
failure is the cause, a low-protein diet may
help slow the kidney’s degeneration. Your
veterinarian also will have other recommendations specific to your dog’s needs.
Bladder Stones: Older dogs tend
to have an increased risk of developing
urinary bladder stones. Often, these
stones are harmless, but can cause an
obstruction if the dog attempts to pass
a large stone, that lodges in the urethra.
Periodic abdominal radiographs can
help determine the presence of urinary
stones and subsequent treatment.
Heart Disease: The most common
mours of the prostate occur
with equal frequency in both
neutered and intact males. A
strong, healthy dog will probably last longer than a dog that
is stressed by disease or environment early in his life. Even
though a dog may be slowing down, there
is no reason the older years can’t be
some of the best years. With regular veterinary attention, daily care and proper
nutrition, a geriatric dog can still experience a happy and healthy life. ø
The author holds a Masters’
Degree in Vet Medicine and is
currently a Sr. Veterinarian at
CGS Hospital, Gurgaon.
(“Should we neuter Oscar or spay
Zoey?” Next month’s article will
throw light on the pros and cons of
neutering and spaying.)
dlf
Citynews
FEATURE
MENTAL HEALTH
Spotlight
HELP AT HAND
Sambandh Foundation’s
Fight Against Mental Illness
Community Integration Centre, a
joint project with the Haryana Government, supports people living with
schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
in their journey of recovery through
a day program and telephonic/email
support. A job club prepares members for picking and sustaining jobs.
It is free of cost.
Outreach Programme helps to
bring people with any mental illness,
living in isolation, back into the
community. Families are supported
through ‘Family SHG’ and also
through individual counselling for
their care-giving role. Mental health
awareness/promotion programs are
organised through talks and street
plays at the Civil Hospital, Gurgaon
and nearby villages and schools.
by DCN Bureau
Mental Illness, the term itself depicts
its gravity. And, therefore it is extremely
important to deal with it the right way.
It was a dedication to this cause that
brought together a few families from
Gurgaon and Delhi who decided to facilitate the process of recovery from mental
illness as well as from the emotional and
financial burden it creates. That’s how
Sambandh Foundation was born in 2011
with each trustee having a unique personal experience of coping with a loved
one with mental illness.
The foundation conducts programmes
that are culturally relevant based on latest research designed by Nancy Beck, an
internationally renowned name in mental illness recovery. Nancy, in fact, is personally involved in training staff from
the foundation every year. To know more
about mental illness and ways to deal
with it, DCN caught up with Rita Seth,
Trustee and Head Mental Health Group,
Sambandh. Excerpts from an interview
How would you define mental
illness?
Mental illness is a medical condition that
drastically disrupts the lives of those diagnosed and their families. It can affect
56
dlf
persons of any age, race, religion or income causing major changes in the person’s thinking, mood, ability to relate to
others and carry out activities related to
daily living. It is caused by a chemical
change in the brain, just like chemical
change in the pancreas causes diabetes.
About 10% of the Indian population is
affected by mental illness. This includes
common mental disorders (CMD) like
mild depression, anxiety and
severe mental disorders (SMD)
like schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder, anxiety disorder and
OCD. 90% of common mental disorders and 50% of the
severe mental disorders are
never treated and not even diagnosed.
How do you identify
cases of mental illness?
it is commonly mistaken for bad behaviour, poor upbringing and teenage defiance. Families live in denial, experiencing a feeling of guilt and shame.
What does the treatment for
such cases involve?
Early medical evaluation by family
doctor or a psychiatrist helps. Although
there is no cure for mental illness, the
good news is that with proper
support and education,
recovery is possible. Medication brings symptoms under
control and family support
and social acceptance help a
person to live a natural life in
the community.
Rita Seth heads the
Mental Health Group at
Sambandh
Deterioration in personal
hygiene, de-motivation, social
withdrawal, anxiety, depression, setback
in performance at school /workplace,
hearing sounds and seeing things others
cannot hear or see and losing touch with
reality are some of the common symptoms. As these are behavioural changes,
How can the social
taboo part be handled?
Getting rid of the internal
stigma, seeking help and sharing responsibility with people you trust
can help a long way. Fear and social
taboo related to mental illness is due
to lack of awareness and education in
society. Multimedia and awareness programmes can bring about a change. ø
Not Wise to Have
A Wisdom Tooth
O
ne of the most common dental problems is the appearance
of wisdom tooth which is the
third moler that usually appears between the age of 16 and 24. This
is the most commonly found dental issue
that people often tend to ignore and have
little knowledge about.
According to Dr Heman Verma, “There
can be as many as four or more wisdom
teeth that may exist in a mouth. A panoramic X-ray is useful to analyse and confirm the actual position of the number of
wisdom teeth and their growth.”
The presence of wisdom tooth often
causes problems as food particles get
stuck in the gum area around them. The
brush often is unable to reach the position of this tooth. He further adds, “Sometimes partial eruption can lead to presence of bacteria around the tooth which
can lean to tooth decay and also gum diseases. In this condition, the patient might
have pain, swelling around the tooth and
stiff jaw.”
As far as solutions for this problem are
concerned, removal of the tooth is the best
option. The younger the person, the easier
it is to extract the wisdom tooth. The roots
in younger people are not developed and
bone is weak. Dr Heman Verma explains,
“The wisdom tooth if often found under
gums and incision is required to pull it out
and remove the part of bone above it.”
Dr Priyanka Verma, on the other hand,
informs that wisdom tooth is not always
misaligned and can be a valuable asset if
it is in correct alignment. However, often it
is misaligned.
“The removal process can last up to an
hour where the gums and bones are cut
to take the wisdom tooth out. The tooth is
extracted in small sections to ensure that
the amount of bone removed remains less.
The wound is then stitched and patient recovers from the discomfort with healing of
the same,” she says, while adding that the
professionally qualified team of dentists at
Dental Stylers ensures that the process is
as smooth as possible.
In fact, the team has been instrumental in
handling dental surgeries with most ease
and comfort to make the visit of the patient a memorable one.
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: hemanverma@hotmail.com
www.dentalstylers.com
dlf
Citynews
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Citynews
UTILITIES
UTILITIES
STATUS REPORT
WHO’S WHO
DLF city
The
City
Status of Projects
Pace of Habitation in Plotted Properties
Name of Project Status
New Town Heights
Handover/Finishes in advanced stage
1I
3658
69.38
The Primus Terrace/upper floors slabs cast. Rough finishes in progress
2
3220 67.04
Regal Garden Terrace/upper floors slabs cast. Rough finishes in progress
Corporate Greens
Possession starting soon
Skycourt
4th-10th floors slabs cast. Club finishing in progress
Ultima
GF, 1st and 2nd floor slabs cast in Towers H &L; K; E, J & S
The Crest DLF5
Finishing & Services activities commenced
SI. Pace of Habitation in Group Housing
Phase
II 3
III
4
IV
Total
Project
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
Total No. of Plots
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
Silver Oaks Condominium Association – DLF Phase-I 0124-4287457
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
Cmde. Hitendra Singh
President
Dr. Amish Vora
Vice president
Mr. Rohit Kapoor
Secretary
Mr. Naveen Thukral
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
Beverly Park-II – DLF Phase-II
Mr. Adil Shiavax Nargolwala
Ms. Anita Kapur
Mr. Naresh Arora
Ms. Nandini Roy Choudhary
President
Vice president
Secretary
Treasurer
Manager
President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
9999270000
9818078883
9810036324
9810019787
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. Sachin Jain
President
Mr Nitin Gianchandani
Vice president
Mr. Sameer Nigam
Secretary
Mr. Syed Ibrahim Ahmed
Teasurer
9811240572
9818183275
9899970269
9810122090
Trinity Towers Condominium Association – DLF5
Mr. Jawahar Lal Vij
President
Mr. Hitesh Puri
Secretary
Mr. Rajul Kulshrestha
Treasurer
9818967911
9910263846
9899892911
Summit Condominium Association – DLF5
Mr. Nitin Chopra
President
Mr. Rajiv Chopra
Vice President
Mr. Tejinder Singh
Secretary
Ms. Nira Mongia
Joint Secretary
The Pinnacle – DLF5
Belvedere Tower – DLF Phase-II
0124-4068251
Ms. Savita Malhotra
Dr. Manoj Talwar
Mr. Amit Malik
Mr. Deepak Sahai
9810063523
9810056302
9811084744
9811600888
0124-4228770
Mr. RC Kesar
Ms. Parul Kaushal
Mr. Atul Sarin
Mr. Kuljit Singh
Mr. Jai B Yadav
Belvedere Park Condominium Association – DLF Phase-III
Prof K Sundram
President
Mr. V K Vatts
Vice President
Mr. N Mishra
Secretary
Mr. Gagan Chawla
Treasurer
Mr. Madan Sen
Estate manager
9818621084
9818902080
9811199826
9810274750
8800731747
Wellington Estate – DLF5
0124-4228162
Ms. Neena Bhattacharjee
Mr. Vineet Bagga
Mr. Ajay Jain
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
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Hamilton, Windsor and Regency Park-II – DLF Phase-IV
0124-2396331
Dr. Kamlesh Bajaj
President
Wg. Cdr Pran K Kaul (Retr)
Vice President
Mr. Virender Sareen
Secretary
Mr. Vijay Sood
Treasurer
Mr. Yogendra Rajput
Condominium Mgr
9910501633
9811147596
9910109013
9650275500
9871622323
The Aralias – DLF5 0124-4144848
Mr. Rajbir Sharma
9650493525
Estate Manager
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Property Manager
President
Vice president and Treasurer
Secretary
DLF City Residents Welfare Association (Regd.)
0124-4055094, 2561888
Mr. J S Damija
President
9810402438
Mr. Sudhir Kapoor
Secretary Gen
9811555743
DLF City Senior Citizens Council (Regd.)
0124-2570417
Mr. Ganesh Dutt Gureja
President
Mr. Mohan Gulrajani
Secretary Gen. 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
9810638595
9818253979
ContactTelephone No.
Mr. Madan Singh
0124-4272776
Mr. Bramprakash
0124-4292418
Mr. Attar Singh
0124-4055277
Mr. Y C Sharma
9873603572
Mr. Dinesh Bajpai
9711497034
Mr. Sanjeev Saxena
9654132300
dlf
Citynews
TRANSIT LOUNGE
SIMPLE KAUL
‘I Love
Creating
Happy
Spaces’
The charming and articulate Simple
Kaul is a television actor and model
and has recently turned into a
restaurateur. During a recent visit to
Gurgaon, she tells us how much she
loves offbeat and young cinema and
creating happy interiors for her friends
by Meenakshi Sharma
It is a beautiful winter evening at DLF CyberHub, the entertainment destination of Gurgaon when we meet Simple Kaul,
a vivacious young lady who has appeared in numerous soaps
from Shararat, which was her first, to Maniben.com, Baa, Bahoo Aur Baby, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Jeannie Aur
Juju and her personal favourite, Suvreen Guggal.
“I transit this city very often, sometimes every month as my
Though she lives in Mumbai, Simple transits Gurgaon very often
62
dlf
T STYLES
UPER EX
Indian Ethnic Creaaons
Wholesale Prices
SIMPLE KAUL
“I am a diehard
romantic
person just like
some of my on
screen avatars”
husband lives here while my work requires me to be in
Mumbai,” she confesses. She loves reading as was apparent at a book launch event where she told the audience
how much she enjoys books as she has done English Literature from Delhi University.
She loves theatre and modelling and has walked the ramp
many times. Her love for music is also a fact though not
many people know that she has learnt music and dreams
of releasing an album. “I have learnt Hindustani classical
music in my early life and love listening to and singing old
songs!” She has released her singing videos on YouTube
but now wants to give some more time to this passion.
While her first show Shararat was different and classy
and helped her make a mark on the small screen, she
mentions that her favourite TV show till date has been
Suvreen Guggal. “I worked with my good friend Mohit
Malik and the young show resonated with my belief and
character.” In reality, she admits, “I am a diehard romantic person just like some of my on screen avatars”.
While her film wish is yet to come true, she continues
to dream about it and hopes that it would be a ‘good film
with a good team.” Her personal favourite as far as movies go are Queen last year and Bajirao Mastani this year.
“All the films I love are the ones which have fabulous acting, mostly offbeat and young at heart,” she explains.
She has now moved to another first in her career. “Only
three months ago, I and Mohit Malik launched “The
Homemade Cafe” in Mumbai and I am loving the new
challenge of making this venture successful,” she confesses. While she does not have any show on air at the
moment, she has done an episodic in Shapath and will
continue enthralling us on the small screen.
So what’s next for Simple? “My friends believe I am
great with designing interiors and I have been able to put
my creativity to use both in my own restaurant and in
the homes that I am doing. I love creating happy spaces,”
she maintains.
Gurgaon is another happy space for Simple as her husband lives and works here. “I have lots of friends here
and feel really comfortable. It is clean and upmarket and
better than Delhi and of course I love DLF CyberHub,”
she says with her trademark smile. ø
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dlf
Citynews
ENTERTAINMENT
CELEB TALK
MOVIE
PREVIEWS
English
Deadpool
Directed by Tim Miller, this is an American superhero film which revolves around Wade Wilson’s
search for a person who had almost destroyed his
life. The star cast includes Morena Baccarin, Ryan
Reynolds and Gina Carano
How to be Single
The film is based on the novel of the same name,
written by Liz Tuccilo. A romantic comedy directed
by Christian Ditter, the film stars Dakota Johnson,
Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie and Leslie Mann.
The Revenant
This one too is based on the novel, The Revenant
by Michael Punke and is a true story. The plot
forms around circumstances when Hugh Glass
(Leonardo Di Caprio) is left almost dead left by his
team after he is mauled by a bear and how he fights
to get back home to his family. The film also stars
Tom Hardy.
Ranbir and Katrina
Finally Call It Quits?
by DCN Bureau
It’s official. Well, we can’t say that
since an announcement hasn’t come but
all is definitely not well in the RanbirKatrina love story. Rumours of a break
up are doing rounds in the social media.
It seems Ranbir has moved to his parents’
home whereas Kat is still staying alone
in the house they had rented together
though none of them has confessed anything before the media.
Adding spice to the entire theory is also
the news of Salman Khan and Katrina
Kaif being spotted together at suburban
nightspot in Mumbai recently. However,
Salman, who it seems is dating Lulia
Vantur, has nothing to do with the alleged break-up between the love birds
though Deepika Padukone might just
have something to do with it, at least indirectly!
It seems there were compatibility issues
between the two actors for quite some
time and Ranbir’s friendly interactions
with Deepika during the promotions of
Tamasha added fuel to the fire. During
the same time, Katrina, who is otherwise known as a reserved actress, in an
explosive interview with GQ had gone
ahead to say, “I can’t enforce my will on
the people in my life. Their choices are
their own. I may not be happy with them
but I hope that as they mature or as they
evolve, their choices will change!”
She had even confessed that her greatest fear is that if and when she gets married and is standing at the altar or the
mandap, he (the groom) may not love
her completely. “That he may not know
his mind well enough to be making those
commitments. The anticipation of heartbreak is my only fear,” she was quoted
saying.
Soon after reports of their relationship falling apart had started doing the
rounds but a recent picture of the actors
kissing on their balcony, had buried all
Hindi
Fitoor
A romantic film directed by Abhishek Kapoor
and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Fitoor is
based on the famous novel ‘Great Expectations’ by
Charles Dickens. The music of the film, starring
Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif and Tabu, has
been composed by Amit Trivedi.
Neerja
The film is biographical on Neerja Bhanot, a
flight attendant who fought with terrorists to save
her passengers and was later murdered by them.
Sonam Kapoor plays the role of Neerja. The cast
also includes Shabana Azmi and Shekhar Ravjiani.
the rumours. But now with Ranbir moving to his parents’ house, it seems the
two have finally called it quits, that too at
a time when they are shooting for a film
together, Jagga Jasoos.
Well, whether the news is true or not,
only time will say but yes one thing is
for sure, very soon, reports of a possibility of Ranbir and Deepika coming together again would start doing rounds!
It’s a star’s life, after all! ø
Jai Gangaajal
Directed by Prakash Jha, this film is a crime
thriller and action drama which will see Priyanka
Chopra in the lead role and Jha as a supporting
actor. It is the sequel of Gangaajal and Prakash Jha
has produced it, done the screenplay and written
the story as well
For corporate and bulk bookings
(Book minimum 50 tickets) (Timings: 11am-7pm)
Phone: 8860003310 email: dtcorporatebooking@dlf.in
Tickets also available at
64
dlf
bookmyshow.com
dlf
Citynews
I May 2014 I 65
ENTERTAINMENT
LAST WORD
‘Bajirao
Mastani’
Sweeps Filmfare
Awards
Ranveer and Deepika have reasons to celebrate! Their film Bajirao Mastani
has walked away with nine Filmfare awards including Best Film, Best Picture,
Best Actor (Ranveer Singh), Best Actress In A Supporting Role (Priyanka
Chopra), Best Singer Female (Shreya Ghosal), Best Choreography (Birju
Maharaj) and Best Action (Sham Kaushal).
Mastani Deepika Padukone also won the Best Actress award, but for her performance in Shoojit Sircar’s Piku which also fetched Amitabh Bachchan the
critics’ award for best actor. Bajirao Mastani beat the other favourite Kabir
Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan in almost all the categories. Bajrangi Bhaijaan won
only a Best Story award for K Vijayendra Prasad. Moushumi Chatterjee won a
richly-deserved lifetime-achievement award while Kangana Ranaut got the
critics’ award for best actress for Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Will
Leonardo
Get It This Time?
>>
66
dlf
Leonardo Di Caprio could finally be bagging his first Oscar for The
Revenant even though he has missed out on an Academy Award four
times! The actor has really worked hard for the film, where he plays the
character of Hugh Glass who is left almost dead by his team after he is
mauled by a bear. It seems Leonardo had to spend up to five hours
every day in makeup having his gross fake wounds applied.
Meanwhile, his Titanic co-star Kate Winslet has predicted that the
actor’s luck is likely to change and that he is going to definitely bag the
Academy award this year.

TRAffic conGEsTion

Transcription

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