Home Blog Page 78

Wizards of Oz

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

Australian 'word nerd' David Astle with countrymate and writer Judith Rossell, on a visit to the city, give us a peek into their creative minds

It's a first time visit for both. And what better way to know a city than through interactions with its younger residents. Australian authors David Astle and Judith Rossell have been interacting with students across schools in Chandigarh as part of Australian government’s school outreach programme in India. Prior to Chandigarh, they were in Delhi to participate in the Bookaroo Children’s Literature Festival.

“I am just a year younger to Chandigarh. I was born in 1961,” Astle is quick to let us know. No, he really doesn’t look that old.

Photo By: Vikram Joy

Interestingly, his first introduction to Punjab came many years ago when he read Salman Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children’. As for Rossell, who is on her first ever trip to India, the sights, sounds and smells might be unfamiliar but she admits they are exciting, to say the least. We met up with the two taking a break post a hectic workshop schedule at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Chandigarh.

What’s a word nerd? It’s not often you meet someone who is better known (and handsomely paid, we are told) as a “full-time word nerd”. “I love playing with words, twisting them up to make new words. I have always been fascinated with word play even before I could read sentences. It’s a disease, I tell you,” quipped Astle as he introduced himself. His name might be unfamiliar to most of us here but back home in Australia, Astle is a professional crossword maker for newspapers like The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He’s also a famous Wordplay columnist and has authored a number of crossword and puzzle books for children. “I like breaking down words, finding words within words, double meaning words…I love the duplicitous nature of words,” said Astle who conducted word play workshops with children in the city. “I am fascinated with Hindi as well,” said Astle who has in a short span of time has learnt many words in Hindi. “I encourage children to use language as a toy and to have fun with it. I encourage lateral thinking and love to teach children the art of word play,” explained Astle as he went on to share an example. “For instance why is a cow called a ‘gai’ when it is actually a girl and the milk is so cool that it is called ‘dhoodh’ as in dude,” chuckled Astle who admits he’s going to have fun with Hindi a lot more when he gets home.

Before that he would be visiting Chennai for school workshops and will also be a part of the Kahaani Festival in Jaipur.

Photo By: Vikram Joy

Just as there are voracious readers, there are prolific writers. Judith Rossell qualifies for both. An Australian illustrator and writer, Judith Rossell has authored children’s books for nearly two decades. “It started with my love for drawing and it naturally progressed to writing books for children,” said Rossell who has illustrated more than 80 books. Though her titles are not yet published in India, they are widely available and read in UK and USA. Some have also been translated into nearly 20 languages. We were curious to know whether India or an Indian character has featured in any of her works. “Not until now,” replied Rossell as she went on to add, “My latest book is part of a series and is set in Victorian England. The central character is Stella Montgomery who lives with her three dreadful aunts. The plot packs in adventure, mystery, magic…it would be interesting to send Stella to India of the 1880s but that would mean a lot of research on my part,” said the writer.

Rossell also mentioned how writing for children is a very popular genre for writers in Australia. “I was at a huge publishers’ meet recently and was told that children’s books form the major chunk of book business in Australia,” informed Rossell. Unlike in India where reading storybooks and non-curriculum literature among children is reportedly on the decline, Rossell is happy to state that it quite the opposite in her country. “Parents also read to their children a lot. I grew up reading a lot of Enid Blyton books as my mother is English,” said Rossell who loves to draw. As part of her visit to schools in India, she has planned drawing workshops for students. “It’s interesting to interact with them,” summed up Rossell who will head to Mumbai next.

Pumpkart Pumps Out App

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

Chandigarh-based Pumpkart.com, a start-up selling water pumps (B2B segment) online, has announced the launch of its mobile App that empowers retailers, industries and institutions to order and pay for pumps electronically

In pursuance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a cashless society, city-based Pumpkart.com, a start-up selling water pumps (B2B segment) online, has announced the launch of its mobile App that empowers retailers, industries and institutions to order and pay for pumps electronically.

Keeping in mind the demonetisation and a world going cashless, Pumpkart has introduced some more payment options in collaboration with Paytm, where users can pay directly from their wallet or on delivery with the help of Paytm’s new mobile app PoS service. To make business much easier and successful, Pumpkart has also announced payment options such as cheque, NEFT/RTGS, etc.  “To coincide with the launch we are offering a 30-day credit service to all B2B buyers. The user can pay for the purchased material anytime within 30 days after the purchase.

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

The company is currently focusing on expansion in the northern region through its app, primarily in Chandigarh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. It has an expected forecast of getting associated with 10,000 retailers in this region by end of this FY,” says KS Bhatia, founder and CEO, Pumpkart.com.

Categorized into three user bases — retailers, industries and institutions, the app is very user friendly. The retailers simply need to sign up and upload the relevant documents and get access to thousands of pumps at a single place. The users can buy pumps from different categories, browse through product details for every pump and once the pump is selected, the user can get it delivered to any address they want.  But what if you don’t know which pump suits your requirements? The app resolves this problem too. It offers a very simple yet smart feature which is called the ‘Select Your Pump’. One needs to just fill in his or her requirements and a suitable match is suggested by the app.

Triveni Sangeet Sabha’s Show on March 4

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

Kathak exponent Pandit Rajendra Gangani will be performing along with Pandit Kalinath Mishra and Nandita Puri

Triveni Sangeet Sabha will conduct its next programme on March 4 at Bhargava Auditorium, PGI, (Sector 12 Chandigarh) at 6.30 pm. Kathak exponent Pandit Rajendra Gangani will be performing along with Pandit Kalinath Mishra and Nandita Puri. The entry to the event is free.

About the artists:

Rajendra Gangani, disciple of Pandit Kundanlal Gangani began his training at the age of four. The renowned Jaipur Gharana saw the emergence of an outstanding performer in the talented scion of a family of dancers serving the art of Kathak for centuries. Pandit Rajendra Gangani graduated from the Kathak Kendra in 1984 and has since mesmerised audiences all over the world. He has choreographed several group compositions and dance dramas. An accomplished musician and composer, he also has a mastery over the tabla, Pakhawaj and harmonium.

He has won numerous prestigious awards, notable among them are ‘Sangeet Raj’, ‘Shashtriya Natya Shiromani’ and the ‘Sangeet Natya Academy Award’ bestowed upon him in 2003 by the President of India (late) APJ Abdul Kalam.

Photo By: Sumit Kumar
Nandita Puri is a kathak exponent hailing from the Jaipur Gharana. She is fortunate to have Padamshree Dr Roshan Kumari as her Guru who is a renowned danseuse of India. She has won accolades performing extensively in India and abroad in festivals like Khajuraho, Ellora Fest, Taj Fest, Karveer fest etc. She holds the title of Nritya Prabhakar and Pravin from Prayag Sangeet Samiti. A government scholarship holder Nandita has performed widely under the ageis of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

Pandit Kalinath Mishra is a renowned tabla Nawaz from the Banaras Gharana. He is the disciple of Pandit Madan Mishra and the legendry Pandit Kishan Maharaj. He has a unique style of playing, wherein he infuses tremendous energy in his nimble fingers causing the table bols to flow in beautiful melodious sounds. Pandit Kalinath Mishra is also a solo percussionist but his ability to enhance the renderings of other artists makes him an exceptional accompanist. He has accompanied eminent artists like Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit Harish Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit VG Jog, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Brij Narayanan to name a few. He has participated in numerous festivals in India and abroad. He has also developed many tabla presentations, a popular one being ‘Tabla Tandav’ which has over 30 percussionists.

A Warm Gesture

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

A heart-warming campaign, Wall of Kindness, provides homeless people with clothes

A beautiful city must have a beautiful heart, too. It is heartening to see the idea of ‘Wall of Kindness’ catching on in Chandigarh. Outside schools and houses, people are hanging clothes or other items for any needy person to take away. The campaign to help homeless people anonymously started from Iran and it has spread to Pakistan, China, and India.


rnPhoto By: TS Bedi
rn

Usually, the movement’s motto is written on the Wall of Kindness: “If you don’t need it, leave it. If you need it, take it’’. In winter it was a blessing for the poor and the destitute who look for woollen clothes. The social media has helped promote the idea and, at some places, people have even started putting out books.

Volunteer organisation Yuvsatta, which brought the idea to Chandigarh, collaborates with schools and colleges to motivate people to hang their extra clothes, shoes, and utensils on ‘Neki Ki Deewar’. Yuvsatta coordinator Pramod Sharma has a Wall of Kindness outside his house, too. “We are going to involve the other educational institutions as well in the humanitarian work, to expand this project to the entire Tricity,” he said.

It was in September last year at Carmel Convent, Sector 9 that Devi Sirohi, chairperson of the Chandigarh Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, inaugurated the first kindness wall in the city in the presence of Sister Supreeta, the school’s principal. “We promote human values and friendship in a peaceful city,” Sirohi said.

The next wall was prepared at Ishwar Singh Dev Samaj Senior Secondary School in Sector 21. Dev Samaj College chairman Nirmal Singh Dhillon did the honours. College principal Agnese Dhillon and school principal Sumati Kanwar were also present.

St Stephen’s School, Sector 45, also adopted the idea, and headmaster Louis Lopez dedicated the wall to the “humanitarian legacy of Mother Teresa”. Carmel Convent’s mathematics teacher Preeti Swami, who runs the institution’s ‘Peace Club’, said: “When Yuvsatta has inspired our students to realise their duty to society. They are pinning not only clothes but also shoes, water bottles, books, and other material to the wall.” “It works systematically, as all classes get their turn to participate,” she said.

So if you like the idea and would like to donate clothing, look for a Wall of Kindness in the city or make one of your own.

KWID’s New Avatar

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

India has unveiled the new ‘KWID LIVE FOR MORE’ edition with singer Harrdy Sandhu in attendance

Renault India, one of the fastest growing automotive brands in India, unveiled the new KWID LIVE FOR MORE edition in Chandigarh recently. The unveiling of the vehicle was done by the popular Punjabi singer, Harrdy Sandhu at Benchmark Motors in Panchkula. Available in 0.8L, 1.0L and AMT variants, the LIVE FOR MORE edition features bold accents and thoughtful design enhancements.

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

What’s new: There is a new contrast-coloured roof-mounted spoiler, chromed front bumper liner and tail gate strip to give it a unique sporty look. Furthermore, the smart grey and red/white graphics along with electric red accents on the grille, wheel covers and dual tone roof rails complement the remarkable styling of the car.

Inside the cabin, the interior trim gets red-coloured accents on the door panels and a stylish dual-tone red & black steering wheel. Other than these, the first-in-class features like the 7-inch touch screen infotainment system, digital Instrument cluster,  SUV inspired design, one-touch lane change indicator, radio speed dependent volume control, pro-sense seat belt pre-tensioners with load limiters will be offered.

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh
 Renault introduced the Renault KWID with the Easy-R Gear Box – an all-new 5-speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) technology derived from Renault’s rich and successful expertise in Formula 1 last year. It offers a clutch free driving experience that combines the fuel economy and performance of a manual transmission with the convenience of automated gear shifting. The Innovative Shift Control Dial with three modes Reverse – Neutral – Drive has been smartly designed for ease of use. An advanced control unit automatically optimizes gear shifting in accordance with driving conditions for smooth and regular acceleration to offer a comfortable and stress-free driving experience.

How much does it cost? The KWID LIVE FOR MORE edition is priced Rs 3.38 Lakhs to Rs 4.36 Lakhs (Ex Showroom Panchkula)

Hope In Their Hands

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

One of India's leading fertility experts and pioneer in the field of assisted reproduction, Padmashri Dr Kamini Rao brings her expertise to Chandigarh offering help to couples dreaming of having a baby

Their life was perfect. Prashant K (name changed to protect privacy) was a high profile manager working with a MNC and his wife, Renu (name changed) was a kindergarten teacher in a leading private school. Married for over a decade – it was a love marriage – Renu came from a Punjabi family while her husband was a Brahmin Hindu. Excelling in their respective fields, the two had their own apartment in a posh neighbourhood, had an active social life and they never missed an annual holiday overseas. But, the couple who lived a hectic and fast paced life were yet to start a family. Everything seemed normal but Renu just couldn’t conceive.


rn
rnPhoto By: Life in Chandigarh
rn 

According to Padmashri Dr Kamini Rao, one of India’s leading fertility experts and pioneer in the field of assisted reproduction, infertility is increasing all over the world and the problem in Chandigarh is no different. The World Health Organisation states that infertility affects 8 to 12 percent couples (50-80 million) across the world during their reproductive lives.

The incidence of infertility has increased and as Dr Rao points out there are many reasons for it like socio-economic issues, pollution, delayed marriage and also stress levels, diabetes, hypertension, etc. “This has become a co-morbid situation, not just in Chandigarh but all over,” says Dr Rao who has recently opened doors to her first Milann Fertility Center in Chandigarh.


rn
rnPhoto By: Life in Chandigarh
rn 

Situated in Sector 46 A, the healthcare facility brings to Chandigarh the latest technology in the field, offering renewed hope to couples dreaming of having a baby. The facility offers various services related to women’s health and fertility care including counselling, IVF, IUI, ICSI, endoscopy, donor programmes, ultra-sonography, pathology, investigations and andrology. Dr Rao is also now spearheading work in the area of uterus transplant in India, claimed to be a unique surgery in the whole of Asia. A uterus transplant gives women, who are born without a uterus or have lost it to a disease, a chance to have babies. In a uterus transplant, surgeons implant the uterus harvested from a living or cadaver donor into a patient who lacks a functional womb. “For now, the cases that are appropriate can be brought down to Bengaluru. Very soon, the Milann center in Chandigarh will also be eligible to carry out uterus transplantation,” said Dr Rao.

Established by her in 1989, Milann has been a pioneer in the field of assisted reproduction and has helped thousands of couples from India and abroad. Along with 27 years of experience and robust clinical expertise in fertility treatment, Milann’s mission is to turn hope into happiness. Headquartered in Bengaluru, Milann has five hospitals in the state and one in New Delhi. The Center has been awarded as ‘India’s Best Fertility& IVF Center, 2016’ by Praxis Media and also been ‘Ranked No.1 Fertility Center in India’ by Times Health Survey 2016.

“With state-of-the-art IVF lab and the best experts in the field of fertility treatment, the Center in Chandigarh will provide adequate care and treatment for assisted reproduction to the couples. We plan to expand our footprints across the country,” said Jasdeep Singh, CEO, Milann – The Fertility Center.


rnPhoto By: Life in Chandigarh
rn

We asked Dr Rao on what made her choose Chandigarh and she said, “Delhi and Chandigarh were our main focus in the North due to the kind of mixed population we find there. Also, as per our internal research, the IVF facilities in these cities are not yet very well developed. These cities have regular instances of complicated cases, and we realized Milann with its legacy, expertise and state-of-the-art facilities will be able to provide the quality of treatment which is required for couples. The team in Chandigarh regularly work with me and we successfully manage even the most complicated cases.”


rn
rnPhoto By: Life in Chandigarh
rn 

Incidentally, the Milann center in Chandigarh is not a routine services center. It is also a training-and-teaching center which opens the opportunity to other doctors and students from medical colleges around to come and learn as well as study for fellowship in reproductive medicine. Milann is recognized by the national board, state board and also four other universities for PHD.

When it comes to facilities on offer, which are not available with potential competitors, Dr Rao informed, “Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and Pre-implantation genetic disorder (PGS) is one of the unique and cutting edge facility that we are providing. We are going to look at the genetic disorders in the embryo before implanting it in the woman. For example, for couples who might have chances of having children with hemophilia or chromosomal abnormalities, we will be able to identify the normal embryo for transfer and this will prevent the defective embryo from being transferred.”

Rose Festival 2017

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
Helicopter rides were the star attraction of the 45th Chandigarh Rose Festival.
It’s the most looked forward to event on the city’s cultural roster and the 45th Chandigarh Rose Festival didn’t disappoint this time round. And thankfully neither did the weather. Apart from the showcase of a variety of roses, the festival packed in activities, dances, cultural performances, musical nights and competitions but the highlight was a helicopter ride. As many as 622 people went on the helicopter rides in the three-day festival that concluded on February 19. The seven-minute ride was priced at Rs 3,500. It began from the Sector 17 parade ground, flew over the Rose garden, then the Sukhna Lake and then came back to the parade ground.

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

The Mayor of Chandigarh Asha Jaswal distributed various prizes to the winners in different categories.
Another popular addition this year was the ‘Newlywed Couple Competition’ that saw 15 newly married couples compete for the prizes. While the first five winners were given free lunch vouchers by Hotel Mount View Chandigarh, the winner took home a three-night tour package to Dubai. The second prize was a three-night tour package to Goa while the third prize was two-night stay at Hotel Ramada Plaza, Zirakpur with complimentary breakfast and dinner. A free air ticket to Hyderabad was the consolation prize.

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

The musical nights brought in the likes of singer Sukshinder Shinda who performed at Leisure Valley. He even dedicated a special song to the festival. It was titled ‘Red rose waango tu vi fabhti’. The finale was indeed special with singer Adnan Sami enthralling everyone with his popular numbers. Here’s looking forward to next year.

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

Rose Festival 2017

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

Helicopter rides were the star attraction of the 45th Chandigarh Rose Festival

It’s the most looked forward to event on the city’s cultural roster and the 45th Chandigarh Rose Festival didn’t disappoint this time round. And thankfully neither did the weather. Apart from the showcase of a variety of roses, the festival packed in activities, dances, cultural performances, musical nights and competitions but the highlight was a helicopter ride. As many as 622 people went on the helicopter rides in the three-day festival that concluded on February 19. The seven-minute ride was priced at Rs 3,500. It began from the Sector 17 parade ground, flew over the Rose garden, then the Sukhna Lake and then came back to the parade ground.

rn

 

rn


rnPhoto By: Life in Chandigarh  

rn

 

rn

rn

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh
rn

 

rn

rn

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh
rn

 

rn

The Mayor of Chandigarh Asha Jaswal distributed various prizes to the winners in different categories.

rn

Another popular addition this year was the ‘Newlywed Couple Competition’ that saw 15 newly married couples compete for the prizes. While the first five winners were given free lunch vouchers by Hotel Mount View Chandigarh, the winner took home a three-night tour package to Dubai. The second prize was a three-night tour package to Goa while the third prize was two-night stay at Hotel Ramada Plaza, Zirakpur with complimentary breakfast and dinner. A free air ticket to Hyderabad was the consolation prize.

rn

 

rn

rn

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh
rn

 

rn

rn

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh
rn

 

rn

rn

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh
rn

 

rn

The musical nights brought in the likes of singer Sukshinder Shinda who performed at Leisure Valley. He even dedicated a special song to the festival. It was titled ‘Red rose waango tu vi fabhti’. The finale was indeed special with singer Adnan Sami enthralling everyone with his popular numbers. Here’s looking forward to next year. 

rn

 

rn

rn

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh
rn

 

rn

rn

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh
rn

 

rn

rn

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh
rn

 

A Dancer’s Journey

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

Acclaimed kathak dancer Nandita Puri walks us through Shringaar, her artistic abode and initiative to encourage art and culture in the city.

How do you introduce someone who needs no introduction? Well, it’s a dilemma journalists face very often. So, we leave the formalities and let our subject, the beautiful and talented dancer Nandita Puri take over. Bo to a renowned classical singer in the city, Primila Puri, Nandita Puri is a well-known face in the television industry. But as she admits so herself, she has treated acting (she was a part of many Hindi daily soaps) as her second profession, and it will always come after her first love, kathak.

Photo By: Sumit Kumar
Puri started formal training at the age of 19 as a disciple of Padmashree Dr Roshan Kumari, under whom she learned for five years. She has, ever since, immersed herself in the Jaipur gharana of kathak, which focuses on nritya or pure dance and is known for its dextrous footwork, Carrying forward the legacy, Puri shares with us her love for the art form and how she continues with Shringaar, her unique initiative to give the art and culture scene a much needed boost.

What is Shringaar?

Puri teaches kathak at Shringaar in Sector 16 which is a beautifully crafted location; a treasure house of sorts inviting you to loosen up and explore the treasure which lies within you. Walk into her place of work, which is rightly calls her place of worship, and you tend to forget everything and automatically flow into the realm of tranquillity. Set up along with her husband Dan Dhanoa, Puri has transformed a part of the place, which is originally her mother’s house, into one serene beauty. With dance lessons taking place in the studio facing a beautiful garden, which can accommodate 180 people, it steers clear from the traffic and other disturbances. It never feels like the place is in the heart of a city. Her husband, a former actor who works in the merchant navy, is also an art collector and has been a key contributor here. “When he first came here, he got excited after seeing all the empty walls,” quips Nandita.

Photo By: Sumit Kumar
An art collector and a sculptor himself, Dhanoa came up with the idea of making it a stage for upcoming artists to showcase their art and that is how an art gallery found its way in the basement. “So he said, let’s have a space where we can encourage people to put up their paintings and other art work. It is not a big commercial venture,” shares the dancer.

Together, they organise exhibitions, hold workshops to revive the dying art culture in the city. Over the last three years, the two have organised eight workshops. They have also been magnanimous in opening this abode to other artistes and have experts take yoga classes at the venue in the mornings.

Photo By: Sumit Kumar
Not quite happy after coming to Chandigarh, almost nine years ago, Puri felt that the city was not as culturally up-beat and energetic as Mumbai is. It was not until three years ago that she decided to give Chandigarh, which she considers as the best city to live in, its own cultural hub and that led Shringaar.

But what came as a disappointment to Puri was that most people wanted to lea Bollywood style of dance. Despite that, she kept teaching kathak and now, after two-and-a-half years, she has 14 students who train under her. “I feel I am doing my bit in a sort of effort to keep the classical traditions alive” says Nandita. “Here, they lea only classical. Sometimes we do folk to ease them off the discipline, but no Bollywood,” she adds.

Photo By: Sumit Kumar
An artist who has never said no to a dance performances, and has whole heartedly stepped up to perform at every opportunity she has got, even when it came to spending money from her own pocket, Nandita found acting, which although came her way accidently, as a blessing in disguise. It gave her the financial freedom she needed in the early days of her dancing career. Both Nandita and her husband are of the view that the city, despite being designed by an architect and having its own art schools, lacks the enthusiasm and knowledge for art. Being a part of the family which is art oriented and with an aim to do everything she can to promote art, Nandita actively gets involved, along with her classical singer sister Chandrika Budhiraja, in the programs organised by Triveni. Triveni is a music organisation, which was founded 15 years back to promote classical art forms by her mother, classical singer Primila Puri, a disciple of Ustad Munawwar Ali Khan, along with other artists from the city. It has performances four times in a year which she loves to be a part of.

Next on the cards for Nandita is a purely classical ballet with the concept of healing with music. While it will take her sometime to bring it Chandigarh as it will first be showcased in Mumbai, she is working on another surprise element for the city. It is going to be a workshop, which she’s busy planning for. It will bring in fitness, dance and enjoyment together. “We are going to start with slow music and yoga and moves on to Sufi dance, folk dance and classical dance. This is for those people who don’t have the time to come and lea classical but still want to lea dance,” she tells us. We can’t wait to enrol.

A Tribute to Ishwar Pratap Singh Mann

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

The former President of the Chandigarh Golf Club died in harness. Again, only one to do so

Ishwar Pratap Singh Mann, ‘IPS’ to his friends, was among the most lovable people not only in the Chandigarh Golf Club, of which he was the President when he left us in tears at age 63, but also the entire golfing fraternity. No wonder, he remained on the governing committee of the club for several years, besides being its captain and now president.

rn

rn

Photo By: Raman Bhardwaj
rn

 

rn

His wife Manmeet Mann, an educationist, encompassed the feelings of his circle of friends, in saying that he was a ‘fakir’ who was there for everyone without expecting anything in return. “He was so full of life. He used to always tell me we should leave whatever we are doing while at the top, not when we are on a downward spiral. That’s perhaps what he did, left us at the pinnacle of his golfing pursuit.”

rn

 

rn

He was an avid sportsperson all his life. Was school captain of St John’s School, Chandigarh, in 1971, the year he passed out from school. Later he became captain of the Panjab University lawn tennis team. In fact his was a family of achievers in sports. His father, late Brig AS Mann (AVSM) won the Punjab University Blues in athletics way back in 1941-42 and his son Gurbaaz Mann is an international golfer, now settled in US.

rn

 

rn

IPS took to golf much later and represented India in Senior Asia Pacific Golf. In 2010, he was member of the first ever Indian team to win a bronze in the championship. He was again member of the team in Australia (2011), Hong Kong (2012), Vietnam (2013) and as recently as 2015 in China.

rn

 

rn

One of his closest friends, Sanjit Bala, feels that remembrances with IPS were so much that even a book wouldn’t be enough to document them. “Every day spent with him was better than the previous one and that’s why we always used to look forward to opportunities to meet him.

rn

 

rn

Past President of the club Birender S Gill also said he had lost his closest friends. “I very fondly remember the several fishing outing we used to have in the Gobind Sagar and in the Beas. He would have fishing equipment worth lakhs in his inventory. The rubber dingy we used to take on these outings was also safely stored in his factory.”

rn

 

rn

CSR Reddy, president of the CGA Golf Range, and recently elected office-bearer of the Indian Golf Union (IGU), said, “His contribution to golf in the city was unparalleled. Having been captain of the course, he had vast knowledge of upkeep of the course and greens and was always game when it came to promoting golf, whether it be holding tournaments or training of youngsters.”
1...777879Page 78 of 79

LIfe in chandigarh

About us

Anchored by a senior journalist, LifeInChandigarh.com is a digital endeavour, a news portal with a positive and progressive outlook, to keep you up to date with the latest developments as they happen in the Chandigarh tricity area.

Latest Articles

Raja Warring To Take On ‘Deserter’ Ravneet Singh ‘Bittu’, As Cong Names 4 More LS Candidates From Punjab

Elections 0
  Releasing a fresh list of four party candidates from...

Congress’ First List Of 8 Candidates For Haryana Fails To Impress

Elections 0
Apart from Kumari Sejla from Sirsa (SC) and Deepender...

SC Rejects Pleas For 100% Verification Of EVM Votes With VVPAT slips

Elections 0
However, two directives issued to allay the apprehension of...

Most Popular

Raja Warring To Take On ‘Deserter’ Ravneet Singh ‘Bittu’, As Cong Names 4 More LS Candidates From Punjab

Elections 0
  Releasing a fresh list of four party candidates from...

Congress’ First List Of 8 Candidates For Haryana Fails To Impress

Elections 0
Apart from Kumari Sejla from Sirsa (SC) and Deepender...

SC Rejects Pleas For 100% Verification Of EVM Votes With VVPAT slips

Elections 0
However, two directives issued to allay the apprehension of...

Subscribe

Copyright 2023 Life In Chandigarh All Right Reserved.