extras 1

7

THE NOW! SPECIAL 8-PAGE PULL-OUT

NOW!

extrasextrasNOT TO BE SOLD SEPARATELY

300 ML

Dhakkan Kholo

Aur Jeeto

300 ML

Dhakkan Kholo

Aur Jeeto

VOL. 2 NUMBER. 02

STILL CRAMPED

To awake is to openone’s eyes and mind to

a realm of greater reality,”reads a message fromSwami Tejomayanandaji,Head of Chinmaya Mission.To awaken the youth to thegreat potential that is avail-able in the country,Chinmaya Mission is organ-izing a Nation AwakeningQuiz.

“In the nation’s glory liesthe individual’s glory andvice versa. So, awakeningto the grandeur of MotherIndia is also to awaken toyour own greatness.Through this quiz we aretrying to bring that inspiringclimate wherein great he-roes may rise,” says SKSarda, General Secretary,Chinmaya Mission, Sikkim.

Regular students ofX1th standard to final yeargraduation students orthose who have passed Xthstandard and are in the agegroup 15 to 21 years as onAugust 15, 2003 are eligi-ble to participate in the pro-gramme.

The first quiz round willbe held in individual schoolson Sept 21, 2003, while thesecond round will be at dis-tricts level at Namchi,Geyzing, Mangan andGangtok on October 2,2003. The state round willbe held on November 2 atGangtok. The regional,Zonal and National Compe-tition will be held on Decem-ber 7, 2003, January 10,and January 12, 2004.

“India’s strength was al-ways in the field of abstractideas, which resulted in thediscovery of numerousachievements but thepresent youth is unaware ofIndia’s potential and its an-cient and modern achieve-ments. Our hope is thatthrough this quiz the youthwill be awakened to rebuildand lead the nation into thenew age,” adds Mr. Sarda.

NATIONAWAKENING

QUIZ

Chinmaya’smission totickle theabstract

For students preparing for IIT, JEE, TOEFL, GRE, and othercompetitive exams, help is at hand. A well known softwarecompany has tied up with a local company to offer stu-

dents the smart way to prepare for the latest examinations throughthe internet.

Sikkim Tours and Travels has started a subsidiary to enterthe field of education and human resources. Now, even studentsfrom remote areas who have access to the internet, will be ableto know the methodology and requirements for entering any com-petition. Plenty of solved test papers will also be available. Doubtsand clarifications will be addressed by a team of subject experts

from various parts of the country and guidance will be im-parted as and when required.

“There is rapid growth in education in Sikkim. But oftenthe students don’t have an idea about how to prepare forcompetitive exams. We will guide them and provide ac-cess to the latest study techniques. This may enhancesome hardworking and intelligent student’s career towardsgreener pastures,” says Lukendra Rasailly of Sikkim Toursand Travels.

With more and more students networked to the internet,whether through personal computers or cyber café’s, thedream of competing for the best institutions is now just a clickaway. For further information call 222188, 227191.

Dial-up for guidancea NOW REPORT

The Traffic personnel have taken some proactive action to free some space at MG Marg by keep-ing it out of bounds to extravagantly sized vehicles. However, more than the size, it appears it wasthe combined lack of traffic sense and civic sensibility, which crowded the main thoroughfare.

extras 2

8

presentsGOOD AFTERNOON, GANGTOK

PANORAMA COLOR LAB offers a panorama of photoservices: Mounting and Hard-board lamination, enlargements,slide processing and framing in imported mould.

MG Marg, Gangtok, Sikkim - 737 101. ph: 225098 / 222488

Pan o r amaColor Lab

Getting the right mark

extraneousTHE GANGTOK STATE OF MIND

MigtinWhere in Sikkim will the

Indo-Tibet trade have itstrade-post?

---------------------------------

NAME:

......................................................

Address

....................................................Last Week’s answer: NathulaWinner: Rashim Tamang,Bahai School

WHAT’S UP, SIKKIM

CONTEST

WIN A FREE MEAL

FOR 2 AT

HOTEL

Tibet Road, Gangtok. ph: 224101

Italian, Mexican, Chinese,

Indian and

Continental cuisine

A W A R D SrubbishNOW!rubbishNOW!, now has a weekly award that will see no celebrations when it is announced. “The NOW!Rubbish Awards” each week, goes to a locality which the office camera finds to be specially dirtyand littered. Not just an embarassment for the department responsible for clearing the mess, eachpic also speaks of the social consciousness of the residents. Needless to add, we will be thegladdest when the awards need to be discontinued for want of areas filthy enough to make it to thisspace. This is the third instalment. The award this week goes to Nam Nang and the dump ithas approropriated next to Star Cinema Hall.

CONTEST

WIN A COFFEE & SNACKS COUPON

WORTH Rs. 100 AT BAKER’S CAFE,

MG MARG, GANGTOK

Tick the right answer and rush entries to NOW! office at Tadong to

fresh everyday

- QUESTION OF THE WEEK -

HOW MANY COUNTRIES

PRODUCE COFFEE?

� Two

� One

� Seventy-five

coffeeNAME: .........................................

ADDRESS: ...................................

Last week’s answer:wash with soda

water. Winner: Choden Sherpa, TNA

Complex

Buzz

. . .

BAZAAR

HASINA MAAN JAYEGI

Hasina Maan Jayegi was thegeneral refrain all of last weekas news filtered in of the SSPsupremo’s meeting with theCongress (I) chief and his get-ting what he claimed wereverrry positive vibes. While thewill she, won’t she drama con-tinued, there was never anydoubt about the gentleman’sardour for this marriage ofconvenience.

The “Baraat” consisting offifty or more SSP leaders andcadre left for Delhi on Satur-day and the grand receptionwas announced for Tuesday.But till the time this pagewent to print, there was noconfirmation whether the“madam” had finallyblessed the “merger”.

As for the state Con-gress, they are maha-miffed at being denied therole of “the Wedding Plan-ner” and can only say intrue filmi style “Yeh ShaadiNahin Ho Sakti”!

RUBBISH!

The first recipient of thenewly instituted “NOW! Rub-bish Award” was the dump atArithang. You’d think it wouldhave shamed the authorities(in this case the Panchayat)into finding some long-term so-lution, but no such sensitivityto public opinion is apparent.The garbage has turned into asmall hillock and threatens toswamp the whole road. Ac-cording to residents of thearea, the day after the photowas published in this paper,

Rs. 50 was collected from eachhouse and Rs. 100 from theshops to clear the garbage onan “emergency” basis. Some ofthe garbage was removed butthat’s the last anyone has heardof the clean up drive.

The dump has again be-come intolerable for the resi-dents and passers-by. Some so-lution has to be worked out. The

area is easily accessible,UD&HD has to step in and havethe garbage removed since itseems to be beyond the capa-bility of the local body. Betweenthe two, the residents are hav-ing one stink of a time!

TIGHT-LIPPED

The information age may be onbut our government officials arestill stuck in a time warp. Go toany department for the mostbasic information and they act as

if they are being asked to giveaway some nation-damaging-secret. That’s of course whenthey don’t want to use the me-dia for their own ends. TheRight to Information Bill mayhave been passed by Parlia-ment but most have not evenheard of it. Not only are youdirected to the DepartmentSecretary for even minor que-

ries, most are also quite of-fended to be bypassed.Since the Secretary is not al-ways the most accessibleperson, anyone from theJoint Secretary level upwardsshould be given the right to

disburse official informa-tion as and when required.Transparency in govern-ment dealings should bethe norm and the right ofevery citizen to ask for in-formation needs to behighlighted.

KAHAN JAANA

Yana ko Dekne YahanAana, was what we hadbeen promised by Blues,the new nightclub in town.On Saturday the Disco

had a quiet opening. GaanaBajaana was all there but noYana, much to the disappoint-ment of all guests.The place has a good vibe butthey better do something abouttheir sound proofing since thewhole neighbourhood re-sounds with the unique tribalmusic played by DJ Poison andDJ Venom. Quite a potent com-bination! Next week come seeKatrina Kaif.

extras 3

9

rajdhaniWHAT THECAPITAL’SBEENUP TO

Kalimpong Supply AgencyNH Way 31 A, Gangtok (Sikkim) Ph: 226237, 9434103124

Deals in: Genuine Spare Parts, Lubricants & Batteries

D i s t r i b u t o r : E x i d e , A m r o n , S h e l l , P r e s t o l i t e

PRESTOLITE batteris start from:for MARUTI - Rs. 1250/-for COMMANDER - Rs. 2550/-

All incidents and characters mentioned are

purely NOT fictional and bears ABSOLUTE

resemblance to persons living, NOT dead!

THINGS NOT TO DO IN

by KARCHOONG DIYALI

Don’t this! Don’t bloody that!Doesn’t that read like I’m

doing exactly what I DON’T wantothers to be DOING unto me? Imean, doesn’t the title suggestam imposing upon the tired-&-weary-by-now Gangtokians?So, let me put some DO’s in thisweek for ‘targeted upliftment andbetterment ’ of our barefeetpopulace.

First up, this one’s for all youguys at the Education or anyother Dept. concerned. Pleasemake sure that the next editionof the any primary textbook con-tains the ‘One Way & RestrictionTimings Of Gangtok Traffic.’ Oreven better - why don’t you guystry and incorporate it in the Com-petition Refresher! Actually,something even more frequentthan that is welcome. Anybodyseen the overlapped (andoverwritten) time frames onthose signs?

Another DO. This one is forthose unemployed but happy-with-the-loan lot. Anybodythought about opening a sign-board painting venture aroundevery turn, in front of any roadfork, before any climb, afterevery incline, at all traffic points,in front of bureaucrats’ resi-dences, occasionally before BIGrestaurants, in front...

Heavy rainfall led to a landslide in an arealocated 7 kms between Selep Tanki andRatay-chu washing away some 300 feet

of water pipes bringing water from the source atRatay Chu to the reservoir at Selep.. Although supply hasbeen temporarily restored, work is underway to find a per-manent solution. The continuing showers are not helpingmatters and delaying the process, officials inform.

MK Subba, Assistant Engineer, PHE, further revealedthat a landslide on the kutcha road leading to the troubledsite has made repair works even more difficult. Bulldoz-ers have been put into action to clear the road to the mainlandslide, it is learnt.

Since the temporary arrangement does not func-tion at optimum level and because water supply hasto be cut off while repair work is in progress, Gang-tok is facing a shortage of water supply at present.However, Mr. Subba assured that this “crisis” will beover soon.

Incidentally, Selep Tanki has three tanks - the firsttank has a full carrying capacity of 10 lakh gallons, thesecond of 7 lakh gallons and the third has a capacity of

SLIDES SLICE WATER SUPPLYby TINA RAI

3 lakh gallons. At the time of going to print, Gangtok was receivingwater only from the second tank since the other twotanks had to be shut down while repair work was

underway. The Department, however, assured thatcomplete supply would be resumed by the timethis issue hits the stands.

Gangtok consumes about 6 million gallons ofwater per day and although shortage is as yet rare,the quality of water drops substantially during mon-soons when muddy water in the taps becomes com-mon. The AE admitted that water does get muddyduring this part of the year and explained that this

was so because particles seeped in through theseveral weak joints in the underground supplylines. He, however, maintained that the water wasstill “consumable” because it is chlorinated atSelep.

He further informed that the water supply net-work in Gangtok was scheduled for a major work-over thanks to an AUSAID funded project whichwould solve all of Sikkim’s problems. This projectwould see to it that water supply pipes became moreorganised and proper in the capital as against thehaphazard system of the present where they runalongside sewage lines in through jhoras.

The Department of CulturalAffairs in collaboration with

Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre,Kolkotta organised a culturalprogramme entitled BharatUtsav 2003 for the seventh con-secutive year at Community Hallon June 27 and 28.

This programme, inaugu-rated by the Health Minister, DDBhutia, was organised with a

Cultural bondinga NOW REPORT motive to promote cultural har-

mony and peace in the country.This two-day affair had partici-pants from various parts of thecountry showcasing their cul-tural and folk dances along withlocal participants presentingvarious cultural dance forms likeLepcha dance and Nawmatidance etc. Some Members ofParliament who arrived in Sikkimon June 26 also attended thisUtsav on the opening day.

World Music day was celebrated on June 30, Mon-

day, at Community Hall, Gangtok.The programme was jointly or-ganized by the Department ofCultural Affairs, Government ofSikkim, Eastern Zonal CulturalCentre and Mayal-Nur-Kurnum.Although World Music Day is tra-ditionally celebrated on the July10, this year, the local celebra-tion had to be deferred till the 30th.The programme started withSaraswati Bhajan by BabitaGhataney. This was followed withthe rendition of Lepcha, Bhutiaand Nepali songs. The GangtokMLA, NK Pradhan presided overthe functions as the chief guest.

Connemara Sikkim

FOR BOOKINGS, CONTACT:

Karma or Helena at

9832054928 & 9434012239

Weekend For LocalsSPECIAL MONSOON OFFER!!!

1. Qi Gong 2. Swedish Massage

3. Aroma Therapy

4. Energy Transformation

Friday Evening to

Sunday Evening JUST FOR RS. 3000/-

upto 35% discount onraymond SUIT LENGTH

PANT PIECES& SAREES

on

ly a

t:

&

O C M

Gautam - MafatlalNew MarketGangtokPh: 222238

A DAY FOR MUSICa NOW REPORT

Everyone’s got complaints and the best thing about a de-mocracy is that these complaints can be voiced. “ActionMail,” is a platform where the public mails us their griev-ances and we get them the replies from the concerned

authorities. If you too have a problem that needs redressal,just mail your complaint to us at NOW! Gairi Gaon, Tadong,Gangtok, East Sikkim or email us atsikkimnow@ rediffmail.com.

extras 4

10

The XIVth Dalai Lama’sOn the occasion of Hi s Holiness

68th Birthday on 6th July, 2003

“We, the Tibetan people living in Sikkim, would like to

wish you a very long and prosperous life.

We pray to return to Tibet under

your guidance very soon.”

- Tibetan Welfare Office -Gangtok

extras 5

11

LiTNOWWHEN THE HILLS WRITE

Bookworm Asks CONTEST

the winner [decided by draw of lots from allcorrect entries] wins a discount voucher

worth Rs. 100 from Rachna Books andPublications

books and

p u b l i c a t i o n s

Near Community Hall Gangtok Sikkim

�224336 �rachna_books@yahoo.co.in

In whichyear was the Nobel Prize for

Literature first awarded?

LAST WEEK”S

ANSWER:Jack Kerouac.

WINNER:

No Correct Entries

Aseem was back selling vegetables in the haat bazaar - be-tween Yusuf Bhhaiya and Rani Bahini, one in a grid of many.It was early in the morning, the third one of his resurrected

career, when he finally had the time to scrutinize the changes inYusuf and study Rani Bahini surreptitiously.

Rani took his presence as she would any new neighbour’s. Shedidn’t recognise him. Of course, Aseem told him-self, she had been barely three. Sweti Didi, hermother with whom he’d been intimate with, hadpassed on a few years ago. After her mother’s deathRani Bahini, then in the seventh standard, had takenover and had established a regular clienteleamongst bachelors and unescorted husbands do-ing their groceries. She’d seen so many people mov-ing in and out of Aseem’s present location. It was anunlucky spot; the story among the vendors sug-gested. None had prospered there and in some casestheir ill fortune followed them out of it. They quotedAseem’s recent history when a skeptic raised a point.

Yusuf, though still as biting, had shrunk into a ca-daverous visage, far from his earlier health. So far hehadn’t said why. Aseem, who had known him to be ofa quiet sort, felt it might be an inner wallowing of theaccumulated pains from previous years that hadbrought it on. People who regularly regurgitated emo-tionally were spared this sunken look. Yusuf had beenwarm when Aseem had stopped by the shed like struc-tures to announce that he’dbe occupying the recently va-cated slot. He lookedunsurprised; he’d heard ofAseem troubles.

“Good to see you’re com-ing back Bhai. Pecchle walasaala chootiya thaa.” He hadsaid, lapsing into Hindi foreffect. Aseem had laughedand accepted it as a compli-ment.

Yusuf and Sweti Didi hadbeen there, 19 years ago in1984, when Aseem hadhawked vegetables for whatseemed like the last time. He had been twenty five then and a re-cent migrant in a new town filled with recent migrants. This meantthat ostracisation, however subtle, took its time in coming. Havingfled Bangladesh in the early contractions of its bloody birth, he hadcome to Sikkim via Islampur. It had looked promising and his ex-pectations weren’t belied.

Sweti Didi came from Yambung, a village between The NewTown and Soreng. She’d abandoned a listless, alcoholic husbandand defiantly come to the new town with her year old daughter.

“I want her to study and have a better future than that of a veg-etable vendor.” She’d been acerbic, and had enjoyed humiliatingher husband the few times he came to ask for money. Aseem, aftertheir histories unfolded in the years to come, frequently balancedthem when mutely raging against the despair induced by smallplaces. Both had fled oppression and having found a freedom,asked for nothing more.

“I might be leaving soon.” He’d told his surprised neighbours.“I’ve been selected for the Gorkha regiment.”

“You joke too much, Bhai. Did they come to your house and askyou to join? You haven’t mentioned anything so far.”

“I went for the selection in Lebong ground last week.”“Congratulations. Why didn’t you tell us then?”“I didn’t even tell my own parents. I’d told everybody I was go-

ing to visit a sick friend.”Failure would have been embarrassing.His parents had been surprised as well. And contrary to his

expectations, disappointed.“What do you want us to say, chhoro. We’re getting old and

infirm. There’ll be no one to look after us. You have two youngersisters who have to be married off. Our ancestral property inYambung is being appropriated by your Uncle. And you want toleave for a dangerous job in a foreign land. We aren’t destined forpeace as parents. Hagi Ama?”

Ama nodded. She had been the only one who knew of his am-bition and resultant moves. He thought she loved him enough to lethim go. It turned out she loved him more.

“But Appa, I’ll be able to help the family much more with themoney that I get from this job. I’m just twenty three. I don’t want tobe seen selling vegetables for the rest of my life.”

“Bha Bha Chhoro. Be happy you’re just selling vegetables. Iwas cultivating them in your age.”

Arguments and emotions were traded. Until Appa spoke hisfinal words of the crisis.

“Go if you want to, chhoro. A man’s destiny is his own making.

But you will not have our blessing.” Behind him, Amla avoidedAseem’s gaze.

To then go back and sit behind piles of vegetables, occasionallyshooing away a cow or two. It would have been a climb-down forAseem. An aunt owned Hotel Pipalay, adjacent to the cinema hall. It

ran well. It had facilities for, the signboard pro-claimed, “Fooding and Lodging”. The lodgingidea didn’t work very well. It was far away fromthe taxi stand. The restaurant, on the other hand,remained fairly busy for a large part of the day.

Appa soon found out that she was leav-ing, having recently married for the secondtime. She wanted a larger life, she told Amla.Ignoring the popular observation that it wasunwise to get into a commercial arrangementwith a relative, Aseem took over. On a halfyearly lump sum basis.

It worked for some years. The woodencinema hall, one of the first in its area, gaveway to an empty expanse. Some said theowner was making losses, it wasn’t com-mercially viable. Others said the video par-lours proliferating in the bazaar showednewer movies. And some bought TV sets.The groups weren’t mutually exclusive.

Once the cinema hall disappeared, thehotel remained mostly empty. It wasn’t located in

the main market. The taxistand too was far away. Andthe rest of the town was a blurof desolate heat punctuatedby concrete houses. The ho-tel’s fans whirred for a fewfaithfuls, drawn there by sen-timent and ignorance. Theyweren’t enough of them.

The townspeople saidamongst themselves laterthat Aseem might still havemade something of HotelPipalay if he hadn’t got intobad company. Husbands toldtheir wives that he was on

drugs. Cough syrups, pills meant for hallucinating madmen, mari-juana. The wives expressed incredulity for Aseem was handsome,polite. Their husbands asked them to look into Aseem’s eyes inthe evening when he sat outside on the steps of his hotel, after hisfootball sessions. They did and saw in them a redness that couldbe the doing of nothing but drugs. Or protracted crying, which wasn’tconsidered a possibility.

Marriage might have changed him, they added, if he’d marriedsomeone responsible.

“There’s nothing much someone like that can do for you. You’veseen no other life than that of a truck driver’s daughter. From Mellito Bagpul everybody had heard of her.” Her subsequent actions asAseem’s wife seemed to lend credence to their talk. They all agreedthat Aseem was too sensible to have left his house and that toowith his parents in it, on his own. And who had fought viciously theaunt who came to reclaim Hotel Pipalay.

The aunt had returned, drawn, she told her neighbours, by non-payment and magnified tales of Aseem’s apparent hedonism. Sto-ries, which she had heard in faraway Kalimpong.

“Didi, I’ve heard he keeps three girls in your hotel at times. Thepolice raided the hotel for Phensydyl. Nothing was found but thevery fact that the police came…” Behind her back, her neighboursspeculated her second husband had beaten her into flight.

At the end of it, Aseem had tried to manage Hotel Pipalayfor seven years.

to be concluded

Nancy, Sumi

and the Old

WomanOnce a little girl whose name wasNancy Derrick, who was a nicegirl, met an old woman whoneeded help.The old lady said, “Can you tellme the way to the village, I willgive you five rupees for takingme there.”Nancy said, “Old woman you donot need to give me any moneyfor you are old and when you areold you hardly earn any money,so I don’t need any money fortaking you to the village.”The old lady thanked Nancywhen they reached the villagesafely. She turned out to be thevillage headman’s mother.In the same village, lived anothergirl whose name was SumiTerassa, who was a very bad girl.On day, she too met the sameold woman. The old woman said,“Can you tell me the way to thevillage, I will give you five rupeesfor taking me there.”Sumi replied, “Old woman youhave to give me ten rupees fortaking you there.”The old woman agreed.After some days, the villageheadman said to the villagers,“Today, my mother is going togive a prize to some of the littlegirls for their kindness to her socall everyone in the village nearthe old oak tree at 2 pm today.”Then, the old woman climbed upthe stage and said, “I am veryhappy and thankful to a little girlwho helped me when I forgot myway. But the next time, I was sur-prised to see a girl so unhelpfulthat she asked ten rupees fortaking me there. Now, I am go-ing to give a prize to the little girlwhose name is Nancy Derrick.”Then, Nancy came forward andreceived the prize and thankedthe old woman. The old womangave the next prize to SumiTerassa. But as she saw theprize, she found just Rs. 10 in itand filled with shame she camedown without even thanking theold woman.The little girl Nancy was so nicethat she went to Sumi and gaveher the prize, but Sumi said,“Now, I have learnt a lesson andI don’t deserve the prize. It isyours Nancy, you deserve it.”Thereafter, they became bestfriends and were both kind andnice and ready to help someonewho was in trouble.

- DECHEN WANGMUThe writer studies in class

VIA at Tashi Namgyal Acad-emy, Gangtok

buddingTALENT

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN WRITE?why don’t you then throw those

short-stories, poems, vignettes,

essays in the public domain and

see whether they are appreciated

or trashed...

THE BEST ENTRY EACH WEEK,

APART FROM SPACE iN litNOW!

WILL ALSO WIN A COFFEE-TABLE-

BOOK from RACHNA Books &

Publicationssend your creative writings to

NOW! Gairi Gaon, Tadong, Gangtok -

Sikkim and see whether it

makes it to the litNOW page

Small FullCircles

-the first of two installments-

by CHETAN R. SHRESTHA

extras 6

12

WOMENNOW!

EXTRA SPACE FOR THE FAIRER SEX

Thali

AT WHAT TIME AND ON WHICH CHANNEL IS

“SHAGUN” AIRED?

Rs.100 at

SEND A CORRECT ANSWER AND WIN FREE MEAL

PURE VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

ANSWER ______________________________________________

NAME ______________________________________________

ADDRESS ______________________________________________

YAMA BUILDING, MG MARG, GANGTOK - 737101, Ph: 228587

KNOW YOUR SOAP CONTEST!

Last week’s Answer: Pyaar Zindagi HainWInner: Lily Rai, Syari

WORTH

MESSAGES FROM THE HEART

Sweet NothingsFor GUGS

Guess who’s my favourite?

Lots and lots of love

Mama

Dear Missus

Nightmares of Bhoot’s

“Manjeet” scared me off

home. Office ambience

much safer.

- Women often feel they will be-come big and muscular like mendo with weight training. The truthis that women will have a hardtime building any significantmuscle to that level, simply be-cause the sex hormones ofwomen called Estrogen has veryless response to muscle build-ing compared to thetestosterones in men. Muscle-bound women body builders eathuge quantities of food and of-ten take hormones to achievethat kind of development.- The other big reason thatkeeps women away from weighttraining is their belief that onceyou stop doing weights, muscleturns into fat. Fat and muscle aretwo separate tissues. One can-not turn into the other. But if youcontinue to eat as you havebeen and stop excercising, youwill put on weight.- Many women also think thatweight training will damage theback. In reality, it works the other

way round. It strengthens yourback muscles and improvesposture. People tend to slouchbecause they may not havestrong muscles to hold the spineerect.- There are some women wholike the idea of weight train-ing, but shy away believ-ing that they should firstlose weight before start-ing weight training. Thisis a misconception. Weighttraining on its own can helpyou lose weight faster.Excercises like squats withweights and dead lifts burnmore calories than justcardiovascular workouts.- Many women thinkweight training isp a i n -

ful. When you are weight train-ing, you should perform the ex-ercise until you feel muscle fa-tigue - lift the weights till yourmuscles are too tired to do itanymore. What you feel in theaftermath is not pain, but fatigueor some soreness that comesbecause the muscles have notbeen used for some time.- Another myth is that weighttraining is only for the young. Youare never too old to start weight

training. As we growolder, so do our bod-ies. Weight traininghelps our body to be-come stronger andhelps in fighting os-teoporosis and alsostrengthens thejoints. You can ei-ther use or lose

muscle. This proc-ess burns

Muscle your way into powerWeight training is a great way to lose fat and streamline yourphysique. But for most women, weight-training conjures upimages of beefed-up women weight lifters they have seen onTV. Most women also see weight training as a guy thing.Legden Dorjee Bhutia, Mr. Sikkim 2003 and owner of GoldGym busts a few myths on the subject.

more calories and helps you loseweight faster too. Therefore awoman’s body becomes leanerand fat free. As a woman’s bodygets muscular, her femininecurves are defined better. In ad-dition, as women tend to getmore stressed than men be-cause of their multiple roles, therelease of endorphins duringexercise acts as a natural stressbuster.

How do you start?- Start training under profes-sional supervision. It is importantto weight train with correct pos-ture and breathing.- Verify the qualifications of thetrainers.

So Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixreleases and sells 1.2 lakh copies in India alone.

A footballer gets sold for a whopping $41.3million. Our cricketers are denied the spoils ofthe World Cup owed to them.

And I’m far, far away from all the action inthe little old town of Manali. Away from money,materialism and a mobile network! It’s wonder-ful to live life without a care.

But, hey, who says I’m not getting some ac-tion of my own. Like my high-powered break-fast meeting the other morning with Santa andBanta Singh!

So I wake up to these two little Sardarji boys,Santa and Banta, in their India T-shirts, whoknock on my door and say, “Mandira didi, aapke saath humein photo khichwani hai…”

I desperately want to decline, but thesechaps are so cute and so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 7 in the morning that I have to say yes.

With his widest grin to camera, Banta asksme, “Hamari team ko World Cup ki jeet ke paisemil gaye ki nahi? Yeh sab woh Ehsan Mani karraha hai. Hamne Pakistan ko jo haraya tha. Wohhamare team ki jeet se jalta hai...”

I try to explain to them the story of the con-tract issue, but in vain. They can’t see beyondthe fact that ever since Mr Mani’s arrival thingshave gone wrong for “hamari team”.

Santa and Banta drag me to the dining hall,

You arenevertoo oldto startweighttraining

- Educate yourself on weighttraining techniques, but work inthe presence of a professionaltrainer.- Set goals for yourself in a real-istic time frame.- Begin with light weights. Youneed to get your body used topumping iron.- While training, ask about whichpart of the body and the muscleyou should contract. Check ifyou are contracting the rightmuscles.- Gradually increase the weights.The key is to work with weightswhich are neither too light or tooheavy.- Rest for atleast 48 hours be-fore you workout again.

luring me with ande ki bhurji and paranthas.While waiting for our gourmet fare, Santa says,“Didi aapko pata hai, woh Bhajji bhaiyya hai na,woh hamare Ludhiane ke hain.

Hamare padosi hain. Pata hai didi, unki unglibilkul theek nahi hai. Maine hi unse kaha tha kibhaiyya Sachin bhaiyya ki taraha aap bhi apnaoperation karva hi lo”.

“Good idea,” I tell him, but a forlorn Bantaadds, “Bechare Bhajji bhaiyya ko pehli baarcounty khelne ka mauka mila aur ungli nephansa diya naa...”

Santa and Banta are extremely well-informed,I thought. With my new-found cricket-related sta-tus (and to include myself in their conversation!)I ask them what they thought about the impend-ing Australia-Bangladesh series.

The ande ki bhurji and paranthas had ar-rived, and through several mouthfuls Santaemphatically stated, “Yeh sab runs aur averagesbadhane aur record todne ke liye ho raha hai.

Otherwise why would the sabse best teamplay the sabse worst? Hainji didi? Aap hibataiye?”

Absolutely flummoxed by the extent of theircricketing knowledge, I ask Santa and Bantahow they know so much.

“Hum buddhu thodi hain! Par humarichhodiye, apni bataiye. Aap World Cup mein itnechhote chhote baniyan kyon pehan rahin thi?”

As I sat there dumbfounded, I thought tomyself, with Santa and Banta sitting across me,the joke was on me!

Breakfast with Santa, Banta

by MANDIRA BEDI

Anyways, see you tomorrow

Mister

Dear B

Admission’s can be tough,

but remember, there’s no

achievement sweeter than

the one into which sweat

and perseverence have

been poured

all the best, C

extras 7

FACTORNOW! EXTRA FOR THE YOUNG

DINNER FOR TWOWINNER GETS FREE

AT

LITTLELITTLELITTLELITTLELITTLE

italylittle

SNOD Complex, Deorali,

Gangtok.Ph: 281980

053

ACROSS

1. Bad luck (10)

6. Cook just below the boiling

point (6)

7. Illustrious warrior (4)

10. Dish of raw vegetables (5)

11. Drive back (5)

12. Metal-bearing mineral (3)

13. Seizes with teeth (5)

14. Small assemblage (5)

16. Respiratory organ (4)

18. Takes fright (6)

19. Significance (10)

Solve the crossword correctly. Rush it to Oberois (MG Marg) or NOW!, on or beforeSunday and a lucky draw of all correct entries will decide who wins FREE DINNER FOR TWO atLITTLE ITALY, DEORALI.SNACKS COUPONS TO BE COLLECTED FROM NOW! OFFICE

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: ACROSS: 1. THROMBOSIS 8. MOVIE

9. BRIDE10.JERM 12.NETTLE14. SUBTLE 17. ECHO 21. ROADS

22. CRAWL 23. WATERLEVEL DOWN: 2. HOVER 3. OVEN 4. BI-

BLE 5. SWIFT 6. SHERE 7. SMUG 13. TEE 14. STRAW 15. BEAST

16. LASER 18. CRAVE 19. OILS 20. ACRE WINNER:Y. CHETTRI,

TADONG

DOWN

1. Thin fogs (5)

2. Ignorant person (9)

3. Excessive dose (8)

4. Exclamation of disgust (3)

5. Small pond (4)

8. Act of exploding (9)

9. With child (8)

13. Ringing instrument (4)

15. Deputised group (5)

17. Breach (3)

CROSSWORD

THE

13

ONLY DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND - EX CINEMA HALL IN THE HIMALAYAS

4 FREE

DENZONG

4 FREEONE CORRECT ANSWER TO THE FILMI

QUESTION WINS 2 TICKETS TO

Identify this actor.

Answer: __________________

Name: __________________

Address: __________________

moviesmoviesLAST WEEK’S ANSWER:Kareena Kapoor.WINNER: Sudarshan, Ranka

Here To Eternity, MBA stu-dents of Manipal pre-sented Reincarnation,

the band from neighbouringDarjeeling that rocked music lov-ers of Gangtok on the night ofJune 28 at Sangram Hall. Rein-carnation started with KulaShaker and went on to delivertracks from Deep Purple, PinkFloyd, Iron Maiden and the likesof all the other heavy bands.

In between they sang numbersfrom their Nepali Album “HijoSamma”. The crowd responded wellto “Timi Bina,” a romantic ballad. Butwhat had the crowd swinging on their

Everybody comes to HollywoodThey wanna make it in the neighborhood

They like the smell of it in HollywoodHow could it hurt you when it looks so good

[Chorus:]Shine your light now

This time it's gotta be goodYou get it right now

'Cause you're in HollywoodThere's something in the air in HollywoodThe sun is shining like you knew it would

You're ridin' in your car in HollywoodYou got the top down and it feels so good

I lost my memory in HollywoodI've had a million visions, bad and good

There's something in the air in HollywoodI tried to leave it but I never could

[chorus]There's something in the air in Hollywood

I've lost my reputation, bad and goodYou're ridin' in your car in Hollywood

You got the top down and it feels so goodMusic stations always play the same songs

I'm bored with the concept of right and wrongEverybody comes to Hollywood

They wanna make it in the neighborhoodThey like the smell of it in Hollywood

How could it hurt you when it looks so good[chorus]

'Cause you're in Hollywood 'Cause you're in HollywoodIn Hollywood [repeat three times]Check it out, this bird has flown

[chorus]'Cause you're in Hollywood 'Cause you're in Hollywood

In Hollywood [repeat three times]Push the button Don't push the button

Trip the station Change the channel [repeat twice]

madonnaHollywood

americanlife

RESURRECTED

toes was their cover version of Guns and Roses “Sweet Child of Mine”.What really made this band stand apart from other bands was

their stupendous energy on stage. Ballistic showmanship to backtheir towering talent.

The evening, in retrospect, appears to have been all about re-incarnations. Opening for the evening was local band Still Watersin its new reincarnation. The band now has a new vocalist in Diwash.

Before grabbing the microphone, Diwash admitted that StillWaters was taking the stage without much practise since both heand the lead guitarist, Sonam, were down with chicken pox andfever till only a couple of days back. Once on stage, there were nodiscordant notes from the new set which rocked the audience withcover versions from Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, AC DC and so on.The band also performed their new song, “Animated Love”.

The organisers must have spent some extra cash on the showas was apparent from the set designs for which they hired a pro-fessional - Doniv Rai. Two motorcycles on stage and some imagi-native use of existing props provided the right ambience for someover-the-top rock. All the hard work paid off with the audience leav-ing completely satiated. Reincarnation promises to return with moregood stuff in the near future.

extras 8

extracurricular...NOW!

OVIEREVIEWMOVIEREVIEWMOVIEREVIEW

14

MUSIC REVIEW

FACE WEEKofthe

FUTURE NOWthe

is

TASHIMOVIE

� THE HULK

� MATRIX RELOADED

� WRONG TURN

� DUMB & DUMBERER

� THE ITALIAN JOB

TOP5CLUB

NOW SHOWING AT DENZONG

DOLBY DIGITAL; SURROUND EX

SIMULTANEOUS RELEASE, FROM FRIDAY

Mo

vies

fo

r re

view

pro

vid

ed b

y TA

SH

I M

OV

IE C

LU

B

11:15 AM

2:30 PM &

5:30PM

ATTENTION SHOPKEEPERS: If you have a new product on your shelves which

you feel the readers of NOW! ought to know about, call us at 270949 with details.

Those featured in the Face Of The Week

win a FREE PORTFOLIO photographed

and produced by

PHONE: 225082 / 228840

alphabets

HARRY POTTER AND THE

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

PS ROAD, OPP. HOTEL TIBET

John Abraham,

Tara Sharma

& Mahima Chaudhary

ANUPAMA SUBBA, actress and government employee

presents

JOHN MAYER - Room For

Squares LISA M. PRESLEY - To

Whom it May Concern LINKIN

PARK - Meteora GARETH

GATES - What MY Heart Wants

To Say SYSTEM OF A DOWN

Oberoi’sNEW ARRIVALS @

ARIES Some may get a good profit in their business. Expenses willbe high. You will enjoy the company of good friends. Some may be ina position to encash money previously tied up. Court affairs will besettled amicably. Political people may find good improvement.TAURUS Financial status will be very good. You will encash your as-sets wisely. Your social status will be good. You will enjoy the companyof good friends. Expenses will be there. Those in employment may geta promotion. people will be happy. Support from superiors will be earned.GEMINI Changes will be for the better. Cash flow will be very good.You will see a marked improvement in your status. You will receiveencouraging communication on the work front. Be cautious when youinvest in property. You will be able to minimise your loan amount con-siderably. Overall you will be very successful.CANCER You will be in a happy and cheerful frame of mind. You willfind success in your business activities. Financial status will be good.Those who are appearing for exams may find easy success. You willearn a good name and enjoy the appreciation from superiors.LEO An easy going period ahead. Some may inherit ancestral property.Those in employment may get a promotion. Changes will be for thebetter. Appreciation from superiors and sub-ordinates will continue. Somemay go on a pilgrimage. Some may take on new business activities.VIRGO An easy going period ahead. Cash flow will be normal. Im-provement in you activities is indicated. Some may get an additionalincrease in income from their allied business. Peace of mind will pre-vail. Avoid being aloof and withdrawn. This will make you sink intodepression. Meditation will give you mental peace.LIBRA You will soon be part of the jet set. So get your travel bags outof the closet. Your social status will be good and you will enjoy thecompany of good friends. Uncommon and unnecessary expenses willbe there. Tension through your juniors may take place.SCORPIO You will have financial gains. Some may be interested to takenew business activities. Business will be very brisk and busy. Changeswill be for the better. Encouraging communications will be received.SAGITTARIUS Expansion in business may take place unexpectedly.Your worries will be over. Your health will be stable. You have a goodunderstanding with your life partner. Changes will be for the better.Support from your superiors will continue. Tensions will be reduced.CAPRICORN Changes will be for the better. You will enjoy the sup-port of your friends. Happiness will prevail throughout. Export busi-ness will be very brisk. Mental happiness will be yours. A change ofenvironment will bring you mental peace. You will enjoy the companyof good friends. Some may get a promotion.AQUARIUS Support from your superiors will be there. Those in em-ployment may get a promotion. Tensions will be reduced. Happinesswill prevail.PISCES Some may be separated from their family on account of work.However a change of environment will bring you mental peace. Yourhealth will be stable. Your worries will be over. Cash flow will be good.Court affairs will be settled amicably. Happiness will prevail.

There is something distinctly odd

about the news that the video for

Madonna’s current single Ameri-

can Life was withdrawn. The official line

is that Madonna was worried about of-

fending people - a novel concept from a

woman whose fame has been based on

provocation.

Madonna, after all, is not a woman

noted for the subtlety of her approach.

She felt the best way to encourage

greater openness about sex was to pub-

lish a book featuring pictures of her

hang-gliding in the nude. She tackled the

subject of racism by making a video in

which she snogged a black Christ and

danced in a field full of burning crosses.

That’s Madonna being normal.

American Life preaches that money

can’t buy you happiness and that fame

isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Listeners

reeling from this shock revelation are ad-

vised to press the pause button and

compose themselves before track two,

Hollywood, on which Madonna exclu-

sively divulges that not everyone who

wants to make it in the movies succeeds.

American Life calms down a bit after

that, as Madonna stops rapping and her

lyrics return to more familiar topics. There

are songs about how great her kids are,

what a tragedy her mother’s early death

was, and what an all-round credit to the

human race Guy Ritchie is - the latter

surely a more controversial suggestion

than anything on the title track.

Finally, and most importantly, she

starts coming up with the sort of sub-

lime pop melodies that are noticeably

absent from the first half of the album.

Nothing Fails has a wonderful choral fi-

nale. Intervention marries a New Order-

like ambience to a chorus that one of

those Swedish pop factories would kill

to come up with. The closing Easy Ride

is fantastic. And yet, there is something

underwhelming about the sound of

American Life, a sense of musical deja

vu, of retreading old ground. In a weird

way, you can’t blame Madonna.

Over her 20-year career she has been

visually original, a provocative stylist, an

intelligent lyricist and a sublime melodist,

but she has never been a ground-break-

ing musician. Blessed with a sharp set

of ears and a perfect sense of timing,

her skill has lain in repackaging the cut-

ting-edge innovations of club music for

a mass-market pop audience: the

electro-funk of mid-1980s New York,

house, trip-hop, trance and, most re-

cently, the French disco of Daft Punk.

- TONED DOWN HERMIT

MADONNA - American Life

A B O O K S H O P

AMERICAN WHAT?

Director Rob Schmidt’s film

makes it seem as though

homicidal inbred mutants

freely roam the dark hills of West Vir-

ginia, stalking and destroying nubile

25-year-olds.

This won’t win any rewards - espe-

cially from the West Virginia tourist

board - but all that matters in movies

such as this is quick pacing, an involv-

ing story, and a villain so creepy he’ll

sneak into your nightmares. No mat-

ter - horror movies, in which the black

guy always dies first - have never

been a bastion of political correctness.

For “Wrong Turn,” it’s check, check

and triple check. The featured group

of Noxzema-faced campers must run,

screaming for their dear lives, from not

one but three deformed psycho moun-

tain men, rendered strikingly by the

makeup department.

With the help of dim lighting and a

subtly trembling score, every tree

branch or hill appear as foreboding

as Dracula’s coffin.

One nifty set piece follows another,

with the heroes sneaking around the

cabin while their grotesque enemies

sleep, and the good guys later scamp-

ering away from the baddies through

tree branches.

The usual horror conventions apply:

Bad guys leap out of dark corners,

blood splatters far and wide, good

guys die off in inverse proportion to

how many movies in which the actor

playing each has starred. But dang if

this thing doesn’t have you gripping

the armrest anyway.

Goldilocks - Ver. ‘03!