Chandigarh Bytes

Category: TCB

  • Everything you need to know about the Le Corbusier Centre, Chandigarh

    Everything you need to know about the Le Corbusier Centre, Chandigarh

    Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, or more popularly known as Le Corbusier created the master plan for City Beautiful. He is also known as the pioneer of modern architecture. So it only makes sense that the city he helped create, pays a tribute to him.

    With the opening of the Le Corbusier Centre, this is exactly what the Administration aims for. The most interesting part is that the Centre is set up in Sector-19. The Sector-19 office is the place Corbusier used while preparing the City’s master plan.

    Le Corbusier Centre
    Le Corbusier Centre

    Le Corbusier Centre is a haven for tourists and architecture students, especially. The place depicts all the works of Le Corbusier. It also dwells on various aspects of his life which are not known to the public. It is a great place if you want to know about the cultural heritage of Chandigarh.

    What is interesting is note that ever since it has been opened, it is being visited by lots of researchers, scholars, historians etc. It is because of the fact that all the information available here is authentic. The Centre is also recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

    Le Corbusier Centre
    Le Corbusier Centre

    The office designed is also in consonance with the cost effective and climate friendly designs that are the focus of every building in Chandigarh. One on visiting the place can see a lot of experimental and innovative designs in the building. According to various experts, this will help the visitors get an insight into the genius. The building also introduces the concept of sustainability and green environment.

    Thus, it is easy to see that Le Corbusier was way ahead of his time. No doubt, this place does full justice to him. It is certainly, a must visit for every city resident, tourist and student of architecture. This tribute to him is a great way to thank him for his contribution to our city.

  • Literary festival EUNOIA- 2017 of Department of English, Panjab University is here!

    Literary festival EUNOIA- 2017 of Department of English, Panjab University is here!

    The Literary Society of the Department of English and Cultural Studies in Panjab University, Chandigarh is coming up with its annual fest!
    The Literary Society of the Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh is organising a Literary Festival EUNOIA- 2017, on 28th February and 1st March’ 2017. Just in case you are wondering, EUNOIA means the goodwill a speaker cultivates between himself/herself and his/her audience, a condition of receptivity. Also, it is the shortest English word containing all five main vowel graphemes. Certainly, you can count on the literary souls to come up with such creative names.

    Literary Festival EUNOIA- 2017
    Literary Festival EUNOIA- 2017

    So this cultural event will invigorate participation from different institutions across regions and will encourage a vivid exhibition of skills and talents under the categories of Stage, Art, Theatre and Literary activities.

    The event will see a plethora of events including the following-

    1. A.C. Bali Declamation Contest
    2. K.K. Grover Declamation Contest
    3. Film Screening/ Panel Discussion
    4. Creative Writing (Poetry, Essay, Short Story)
    5. Paint a Poem
    6. Literary Quiz
    7. Poster Making
    8. Turn Coat
    9. Air Crash
    10. Slam Poetry

    Also, The venue for the fest is Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh. Further, the timings for Literary Festival EUNOIA- 2017 will be 10 AM to 7:30 PM on both the days.Literary Festival EUNOIA- 2017

    EUNOIA’ 2017 promises to bring an exciting and jubilant plethora of creativity through its literary ardour. Also, the judges for the events will be respected personalities in the field of language and literature. Further, the declamation competitions are the flagship events of the fest. Additionally, the winners of these competitions will be awarded at the annual convocation of the University.

    Finally, for registrations and queries, you can contact the following students in charge:
    Anisha Patnaik +919988708689                                                   Gurleen Babra +919646407131
    Tarundeep Singh +919560619184                                                 Mehak Talwar +919671844005
    Further, you may also keep checking their Facebook page for regular updates- fb.com/eunoia2017
    So what are you waiting for? Get your literary soul out and win some!
  • Meeting home baker- Dr. Asheena Batra of COCOMOM cakes

    Meeting home baker- Dr. Asheena Batra of COCOMOM cakes

    Chandigarh is seeing a huge crop of home bakers. So I thought of catching up with one.

    The home baker in focus is Dr Asheena Batra of COCOMOM cakes.

    For Dr Asheena Batra­, an alumnus of College of Dental Sciences,­ Davangere, and denti­st turned-baker, noth­ing satisfies her lik­e doing things with h­er hands.
    Also, she is a passionate Art ­of living teacher and­ a mother of two youn­g ones.
    This same passion mad­e her chose dentistry­ as a course of study. ­Upon graduating, she ­worked for 10 years b­efore she finally dro­pped the dental pract­ice for cake-making.Like many people who ­have left the known f­or the unknown, tongu­es wagged when she de­cided to resign from ­a very prestigious pr­ofession. According to s­ome, making cakes­ doesn’t require s­erious training, only­ psychomotor or manip­ulative skills.

    COCOMOM cakes
    COCOMOM cakes

    However, Asheena powered on. She did it for two ye­ars on a part-time ba­sis but she finally t­ook it up on full-tim­e two years ago. Toda­y, she not only makes­ or sells cakes for p­eople of power and in­fluence or sells cake­ ingredients. Man­y seek her for knowl­edge and tutorials on­ cake making.

    “Many p­eople actually wonder­ed why I wanted to le­ave dentistry for bak­ing, but with time wh­en they saw my passio­n for cake-making, th­ey had no choice than­ to support me since ­they saw that I had a­ flair for it,” she s­aid when answering qu­estion about people’s­ reaction when she wa­s leaving dentistry f­or cake-making.
    Yet, despite her wide­ fulfillment as a bake­r, she still harbours­ some love for her fi­rst profession, denti­stry like a baby that­ cries to repossess w­hat is taken from it.­ “I miss dentistry an­d I love it. Maybe so­metime in future, I w­ill look somewher­e to do dentistry on t ­a part-time basis. I ­intend to go back, bu­t not fully.”

    COCOMOM cakes
    COCOMOM cakes

    Speaking further abou­t her home, she expla­ined that her busines­s prevents the opport­unity to still attend­ to her home. Hence sh­e balances her home a­longside her career e­ffectively. “Some tim­es, I bake from home and it makes it easie­r. Initially, I was at­ home, but now that I­ am outside the home ­it is a bit easier fo­r me. I can be there ­for my family wheneve­r I want. Sometimes w­hen I really want to ­be at home I take tim­e to stay and attend ­to, my family. I creat­e time to go to my ch­ildren’s school somet­imes and to attend to­ other things.” she discloses.

    For some cake-making ­is simply mixing whit­e flour ingredients b­ut for her it goes be­yond that as expertis­e is essential in the­ craft. She further e­xplains, “You need ski­lls, innovation, awar­eness of new trends i­n the industry and so­me idea about market ­situation. I advise b­akers that they must ­ensure that they use ­good ingredients. Put­ your own idea into i­t so that you can hav­e unique cake. I have­ a line of cakes. We­ have some cakes made­ without white flour ­and we have the conve­ntional cake that peo­ple like.”

     

    You can check out her Facebook page here- fb.com/COCOMOM.cakes

  • #TCB: Places to visit in Chandigarh- one for every mood

    #TCB: Places to visit in Chandigarh- one for every mood

    They say there are not a lot of places to visit in Chandigarh. But is it true? When I think of going out, I am spoilt for choices. Really? Yes! Because there is something for everyone and for every mood.

    1. For when you need to be alone.

    Places to visit in Chandigarh
    Places to visit in Chandigarh – Art Gallery

    Wanting to be alone is the perfect opportunity for you to explore some new places. Thankfully, Chandigarh is a haven for loners. You could go visit the International Doll Museum or the Government Museum and Art Gallery. These places are really perfect for those looking for some me-time. At the same time, they are really informative and wonderful to look at.

    2. For when you need the funnies.Places to visit in Chandigarh

    You may not know it, but Tagore Theatre and the Panjab Arts Council are constantly staging plays. Mostly, they are the comedy and guarantee you a good laugh. The sad part? They generally do not get advertised a lot. But you can always drop by once in a while. Rest assured, you are bound to enjoy yourself!

    3. For when you are hungry.Places to visit in Chandigarh

    Let’s face it. Food is no problem in Chandigarh. There are loads of places for you to tingle your taste buds. Right from Sector-35 to Sector-26 to Sector-9, you will find a plethora of places to eat everywhere.

    4. For when you are hungry, but broke.Places to visit in Chandigarh

    But I understand that eating at all the above-said places is not always feasible. Especially, if you are a student on a shoestring budget, you might want to go for some affordable places. For those times, you always have the Stu-C in PU or the Chinese Market of Sector-15 or the bay shops of Sector-34 that serve lip smacking food at all times.

    5. For when you are feeling adventurous.Places to visit in Chandigarh

    There are times when you want to do something fun with your friends. Well, there are places for that too. The recently opened Mystery Rooms in Sector-35 is a great place to solve some ‘mysteries’. On the other hand, you can also go to the Adventure Zone in Amravati Enclave. There you can indulge in some paintball fun, or climb walls or ropes and do much more!

     

    So, you were saying?

  • The History of Chandigarh: What was it like Pre-Independence?

    The History of Chandigarh: What was it like Pre-Independence?

    We all know that the city of Chandigarh was conceptualized post-independence, in 1952, as the first Prime Minister Sh. Jawaharlal Nehru’s dream city. Consequently, Chandigarh is generally perceived and thought of as a modern and dynamic city, which has nothing to do with the ancient times (Unlike the other historical cities of India).

    But have you ever wondered, what was the city like, or rather say ‘the site where the city stands’, before it was fabricated into the present-day Chandigarh by French architect Le Corbusier? The city has its own share of a rich medieval and ancient history.

    The history of Chandigarh spans right from prehistoric times till the modern history. The gently sloping plains on which modern Chandigarh stands today, was in the ancient past, a wide lake ringed by a marsh. The fossil remains which have been found at the site indicate a large variety of aquatic and amphibian life, which was supported by the environment at that time.

    History of Chandigarh

    What is even more surprising, is the fact that about 8000 years ago, the area was also known to be a home to the Harappans. In fact, Sanghol, a village about 43 km from Chandigarh is a widely regarded archeological site. The remnants of the ancient Harappan civilization have been found here. Archeologists say that as the site was a part of the Punjab region, it had many rivers nearby where the ancient and primitive settling of humans initially began.

    Since the medieval through the modern era, the area continued to be part of the large and prosperous Punjab Province which was divided into East & West Punjab during the partition of the country in 1947. Post-partition, the city was conceived not only to serve as the capital of East Punjab but also to resettle thousands of refugees who had been uprooted from West Punjab.

    A unique blend of modernity and rich historical heritage. Chandigarh has something of everything!

  • When MTV Bollyland took the City by Storm

    When MTV Bollyland took the City by Storm

    MTV Bollyland is in its third edition. After a gig at Kolkata, MTV Bollyland took place in Chandigarh on Saturday.

    The event conceptualised by Viacom 18 is a cross between Bollywood and the famous music festival- Tomorrowland. The event aims to bring together the top performers of the country along with famous DJs to create a new genre of music called BDM (Bollywood+EDM).

    On Saturday, this is exactly what the city witnessed.

    The gates to the MTV Bollyland event in Sector-34 opens at 7 pm and a see of people rush in. Opening for the star lineup, CJ and Weed perform their renditions of various English artists including Adele. Also hosting the event are RJs from Radio Mirchi.MTV Bollyland

    But it is the appearance of famous rapper Raftaar that drives the crowd crazy. Then there is no looking back. Belting his famous tracks one after the other, the crowd joins in. But the highlight of his performance is when he gets down from the stage to interact with the audience.

    Later, famous Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor takes the stage and gets the crowd singing to her tunes. But this is not all. The party is just getting started and giving an EDM tadka to the event is a performance by DJ NYK whose foot tapping remixes of Bollywood numbers gets everyone on their feet.

    What follows next is a jugalbandi between Raftaar and DJ NYK. With the former singing to the music of the latter, the atmosphere in the concert is beyond words. Soon after, Kanika joins in too and her rendition of Baby Doll leaves the audience wanting for more.

    MTV Bollyland
    MTV Bollyland – Raftaar Performing Live

     

    But this is not the end, the king of Bollywood remixes DJ Kiran makes an entry on stage and drives the listeners wild! Everybody is dancing their hearts away.

    And if you think this is all that happened at the event, then you are wrong. Because after a party ends, there is an after party!

    Hypnotic Club hosted MTV Bollyland’s afterparty where the audience partied away the night with the star performers of the event!

  • Chandigarh is on the radar of Youtube India!

    Chandigarh is on the radar of Youtube India!

    Are you a YouTuber? Are you planning to be one? Most importantly, are you from Chandigarh? If the answer to all these questions is Yes, then I have got some great news for you!

    YouTube India has come up with a new campaign. It is called “See Something New from Chandigarh”. The focus of this campaign is to promote and encourage new content creators from the region.

    YouTube India
    YouTube India

    This campaign was launched by Satya Raghavan, Head of Entertainment Content of YouTube India. Talking about the campaign, he said that the reason behind this is the rapid growth of content from the region.

    “The Punjabi content is growing at a rapid pace on YouTube, and it especially grew in the year 2016. Earlier, it would be only related to songs, but now the people are coming up with content about food, technology and comedy which is very encouraging,” said Satya Raghavan, Head of Entertainment Content.YouTube India

    Of late, many talented individuals from the city have launched their YouTube channels. Sahil Khattar from Chandigarh hosts a YouTube channel for Being Indian. The channel has a million subscribers and is very popular with the youth. Also available on YouTube are various channels related to cookery, music and fashion.

    There are almost 400 million Internet users in India. Further, according to various statistics 55 per cent of this Internet consumption comes by way of smartphones. 220 million users are connected with smartphones for using internet only.

    So what are you waiting for? Get that YouTube channel of yours up and running!

  • This is the reason you won’t see any personal statues in Chandigarh

    This is the reason you won’t see any personal statues in Chandigarh

    Chandigarh, we all know, is different from any other city in more than one ways.

    Being a resident of The City Beautiful, I bet you would’ve never come across those imposing life-size statues, of bronze and steel, commemorating a person ar persons, which can be easily spotted in any other city in India, where it is common to find each of the ‘chowks’ named after an individual and a statue erected. The beautiful and expansive roundabouts (‘Chowks’) of Chandigarh, an enormous number of gardens, cultural hubs and open spaces, all this, but still no personal statues in Chandigarh?

    Reason? Reason has been clearly stated on the website of Chandigarh administration itself!

    Statues in Chandigarh
    Statues in Chandigarh

    As per the website of Chandigarh administration, in the ‘edict of Chandigarh’ prescribed by Mon Le Corbusier, the planner of Chandigarh, he has explicitly stated that,

    “The age of personal statues is gone. No personal statues shall be erected in the city or parks of Chandigarh. The city is planned to breathe the new sublimated spirit of art. Commemoration of persons shall be confined to suitably placed bronze plaques.”

    Well, a visionary and master-planner as Corbusier was, he knew that the enormous wide spaces of the city may go on to be used to glorify and memorialise individuals, which was against the very spirit of Chandigarh, which was being planned as a modern, progressive and inclusive city. So, in order to make sure the city is able to conserve its spirit and character, all through the passage of time, Corbusier put in this condition, to be followed by the residents and administrators of the city.

    Thankfully, the Chandigarh Administration has so far been able to follow this ‘edict of Chandigarh’. We only hope the city continues to maintain its modern and progressive character in the future as well, and we don’t get to see any of the statues in Chandigarh!

  • TiECON Chandigarh 2017 : Biggest Entrepreneurial Conference in the City

    TiECON Chandigarh 2017 : Biggest Entrepreneurial Conference in the City

    To all the entrepreneurs from the city, and to all the ‘wannapreneurs’ out there, this is for you! This is your opportunity to learn, and experience entrepreneurship, and that too, in the city itself! (Yay, you don’t have to head to Delhi for this one..)

    Chandigarh is all set for the second edition of the annual entrepreneurial conference TiECON Chandigarh.

    Before we give you more details, let us tell you that TiECON Chandigarh 2017 is scheduled to be held on February 17 and 18, 2017 at Hyatt Regency, Chandigarh.

    The conference is being organized for the second time in a row, by the city chapter of the global network, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). TiE is a not-for-profit organization of entrepreneurs and professionals, with the aim of to nurture and support a whole generation of entrepreneurs. The city chapter itself is a very dynamic network, with some of the most well-known faces of the startup ecosystem of the city in its fold.

    Buoyed by the success of the first edition of TiECON Chandigarh. held last year, the organizers have come up with an even bigger and grand TiECON Chandigarh 2017, with an interesting lineup of speakers and events. This year, the event will see more than 70 speakers from across India, and abroad share their experience and learnings in the world of business, entrepreneurship, and innovation, and will discuss the future of entrepreneurship in Chandigarh. The organizers have also made space for about 50 exhibitors from across India, displaying their innovative products and services.

    The theme for this year has been set to ‘Entrepreneurship in Times of Change’.

    The 2-day TiE conference has been one of the most sought after entrepreneurial event in the city. Especially for those who attended the event last year, they had been waiting for this all through the year. Believe it or not, the entrepreneurial extravaganza can prove to be your next big opportunity!

     

    Main Attractions @ TiECON Chandigarh 2017.

    • 70+ Speakers, including entrepreneurs, investors, and professionals from all walks of life.
    • More than 50 exhibits featuring the best of innovations from across India.
    • Showcase your own Startup and get your idea validated!
    • Networking and Mentorship.
    • Question and Answer Sessions.

    Mark these!

    • Dates: 17-18 February 2017
    • Timings: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
    • Place: Hyatt Regency, Industrial Area Phase-1, Chandigarh
    • Tickets: INR 1,500 onwards (special discount for students)
    • Website: http://www.tieconchd.com/
  • Mercedes Trophy qualifiers set to be held in Chandigarh

    Mercedes Trophy qualifiers set to be held in Chandigarh

    Mercedes Trophy is an annual golfing event that is much more than just playing corporate golf. Why? Because golf enthusiasts from all over get to showcase their sporting skills next to golfing experts.

    This time the ninth leg of the tournament will be held in Chandigarh. There will be more than 200 participants in this prestigious event. Only the top 4 golfers will make it to the next chapter of this event. The tournament will begin tomorrow at the Chandigarh Golf Course.

    Mercedes Trophy
    Mercedes Trophy

    The qualifiers are a two-day event. The previous one took place in Kolkata.

    The winners from the qualifying rounds being held in the 12 cities will later compete at the National Finals to be held at the Oxford Golf Resort at Pune from March 15-17 later this year. The 12 cities where the qualifiers will be taking place are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Pune, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Gurgaon & New Delhi.

    What is more that golfers from the city are eyeing the top 3 spots at the National Finals? Why? Because a top 3 finish will guarantee them an entry into the World Finals which will be held in Stuttgart, Germany this year.Mercedes Trophy

    Further, one winner will also travel abroad for the British Open Championship. He will get a chance to play at the famous Royal Birkdale Championship course the day following the tournament.

    The Mercedes Trophy tournament is in its 17th edition in India. The event sees 25 days of qualifiers in total. It also engages about 2500 golfers from the country. Mercedes Trophy is perhaps the largest participative golf tournament in the country. The event is particularly popular amongst corporates in India.

    Globally, Mercedes Trophy 2017 bears witness to the participation of approximately 60,000 golfers from across 50 countries battling it out for the top prize. This makes the event one of the world’s largest sporting events.