Surat's Power Puff Gals

                                                             Kimi Dangor                                         

                                                                  Durva Gandhi

                                                      

Malvika Mehta

                                                                     Puja Kedia  

 

Anxiously awaiting their Board exam results, an entire generation of Surtis is poised to put their best foot forward on the route that will lead them to what they want to be in the future. While the boys are set with their one track agenda of ‘We want to be millionaires’, the uppermost question on the minds of our girl students is ‘what field should I venture into?’

Last month, Surat’s super sports girl triathlete Pooja Chaurushi added another sparkler to her tiara by racing through adverse alien conditions and rough terrains, and winning a gold in the women’s sprint event at the South Asian Triathlon Championship .This takes her international medal tally to four, and this fantastic 21 year old is set to win a whole load more. What Pooja has achieved takes years of hard training, dedication and focus.

If you are amongst those who have through your school years not been particularly inclined towards either athletics or academics and are more confused than ever before of what the future holds for you, let me have the pleasure in pointing out a few Surti gals who have tread with their dainty feet roads that have been less travelled by localites and have achieved outstanding results while pursuing their hobbies.

Like the other very talented Puja we are lucky to have in Tapi town is professional photographer Puja Kedia.Young, spunky, and with a spectacular eye for the right click, it’s an absolute pleasure to watch the result of what her camera has focused upon. Puja has the knack of making everything look beautiful. It comes from the kind of person she is. She brings romance into her pictures whether its classical Kathak poses by an artist performing at the English cemetery where she literally makes the music of tablas and ghunghroos come alive or romantic wedding clicks which bring mushy tears to the eyes or funny captures of Surtis enjoying life around town that speak about the very essence of their spirit.

Then there is the charmer Kimi Dangor daughter of the brilliant late architect Bomi Dangor. Kimi shifted base to Mumbai in her twenties and made it on her own to become one of the most read writers on lifestyle and fashion. A die hard fashionista herself (she describes herself as a recovering shopoholic) Kimi has an ardent following in women who want to know whats trending in the fashion scene.She is the fashion police on what bag is in, which cut is out, whats a classic, who is the copy cat and is the ultimate guide on the ‘it’ look and more. Being self made, she has a perfect line of advice for beginners,"The best way to begin is start small."

Another Surti star is Durva Gandhi, voted Elle ‘woman to watch out for’ in 2009, she has moved on from being an art collector to a curator to a designer to a publisher and has released this month her book called, “Secrets of the Art Millionaires” where she spills the beans on the do’s and don’t’s of collecting art –the way the auction houses and people of the ‘inner circle’ of art do, to make money while investing in whats aesthetic. Durva was always a bright child, way beyond her age. She is spiritually inclined which brings calm to her otherwise vivacious personality.

Surat’s new kid on the block is the petite and sweet Malvika Mehta –voted Femina Style Diva Goa 2012, this pretty miss is pursuing the pleasure of being a make up artist now.Confident, stylish and a thorough optimist, she is set to conquer what she ventures out to achieve.That is the attitude that wins the world.

You can connect with all of the above achievers on the online social network, to be inspired, to know more and to make your hobby your career. Good luck.

http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=ashleshaa+khurana+crest&bav=on.2,or.&bvm=bv.45512109,d.bmk&biw=1024&bih=672&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=cNtzUaS3KcWHrAfz54GIBg            

Bullet Battalion's Motorcycle Diaries .........va va vroooommmmmm!

                                     BULLET BATTALION’S MOTORCYCLE DIARIES


Get your motor runnin’, Head out on the highway

Looking for adventure and whatever comes our way ......


Steppenwolf’s classic number from Born To Be Wild is what could aptly descirbe Surat’s Bullet Battalion. For a team that was formed barely more than a year ago, this gang of bikers has covered more than 7000 kms countrywide.

“We began with a team of four guys and now have 20 members to our non- profit organization with no commercial interests.”Says Ravi Bhatia - one of the core members of BB since its inception. All members of Bullet Batallion own classic models of Royal Enfield that are either 350 cc or 500 cc and have a passion for hitting the highway for day rides, as well as indulge in long distance travel once every two months.

The Battalion is all for bike -buddy bonding and its members vary in their age group from 24 to 42 years. “Age is just a number, on our recent day trip to Wilson Hill in Dharampur, we had a 61 year old rider enthusiast from Valsad join us, and his Bullet was a 1971 model that zipped with zeal.”Says an engineer groupie, who prefers to remain incognito; the BB gang also has as its members’ businessmen and bankers who hum in unison, the feeling of Steve Earle’s song:

“Nowadays I got me two good wheels and I seek refuge in aluminum and steel

It takes me out there for just a little while and the years fall away with every mile”

In June last year, a few BB guys cargoed their bikes to Chandigarh and then set forth for a journey to Ladakh. “We practiced for four months before attempting to ride upto the highest motorable peak. It was a dream come true that got us motorcycle lovers very emotional. The route was scenic yet tough, it also had a 22 km stretch of sand that had us sweating even in minus degree temperature; but, every time we gave up on ourselves the road beckoned us invitingly, tempting us to tour on.” Says Ravi Bhatia.

Alongwith their yen for riding, they also developed the art of motorcycle maintainance hence they carry along clutch wires, tyre tubes, air pumps and are well equipped to handle minorbreakdowns. Helmets are compulsory; long distance rides require bikers’s boots and jackets that are armoured to protect shoulders and backs. Pure passion drives this battalion who feel while others are commuters, they are comrades hence they ride in a single line alignment, at 60 kph, and ensure that the fastest rider is at the end, each rider is responsible for the one behind him thus no one is left out.

While alternate Sundays are reserved for city rides to Suvali and Dumas, on the 27th of April, they plan to make the metal hit highway mettle to Mumbai and catch an IPL match.

BB rides and Kms:

Padamdungri 250

Saputara 350

Ladakh 3000

Dandi 110

Kutch 650

Gira Fall, Dang 250

Valsad 180

Wilson Hill 300

www.facebook.com/Bullet.Battalion

Not another brick in the wall

Not another brick in the wall



Few things in life match up to the energy and infectious enthusiasm of youth.Dressed down, with dishevelled hair, armed with a ‘devil may care’ attitude, life in college is all about imagining how destiny can be designed. As Eleanor Roosevelt rightly said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Last week, Surat’s senior citizen and highly respected architect Ar.Tarun Dave, suggested to this columnist that,”You have shown us Surat’s glorious past,now its time to show the city its forthcoming potential .”

What better way to discuss future trending than to talk about the generation next, hence, today’s column is about the recent annual festivel organised in totality by ASAC- Architecture Students Activity Council, the student body at the Faculty of Architecture, SCET.

‘Whats new, one would ask, don’t all colleges do that?’ Here is why this one was different:

Earlier in this year, these very students made special efforts for a presentation on Surat’s ancient ship building technique- they had sourced an old boat from Surat’s Machiwad area, and set it up near the college amphitheatre with masts and sails. In exotic yet frugal fashion, they had lit up the entire pathway with bulbs that beamed from within paper plates partially stapled to represent oyester shells.

Coming back to the festival, aptly named EVOLVE, its concept depicted and revolved around evolution of the living form of thought.Nourished by little other than Kalubhai’s chai and affordable canteen bites, students took time out from tedious submissions to construct a fish pond and an eco-friendly amphitheatre. Bhumit Shah and his team painted some wonderful graphics on walls, numerous artistic hands set up sculptures and installations. A team led by Dhruv Rupawala and Abhinav Kelawala took inspiration from Rajarshi Smart’s art and put up an exquisite version of an autorickshaw ,converting it into a trolling three wheeled monster with a multi expressional kathakali dancer’s face. Various proffessional workshops on paper pulp, bamboo, canvas painting, film making and theatre were held taught by renowned artists that arrived from all over India .Students grooved to college rockstar Ian Christian’s rock band‘Morphine’.

ASAC chairman Dhruv Gusain pointed out,”Our student body of three hundred like minded people who love to experiment gave birth to EVOLVE.” Working as a team with pure gumption, these tweenie boppers multitasked as artists, witty writers, marketing gurus who succeeded at raising funds and sponsorship support by a leading hardware brand and hotel ,to bring out a first rate journal edited brilliantly.They then approached 4 eminent architects from metro cities and impressed them enough to visit Tapi town. Ar.Krishnarao Jaisim from Bangalore thanked ASAC for,” An eventful evening at a very fascinating venue with a fascinating lot of students.” Ar.Sonal Sancheti from Mumbai acknowledged,” There is culture to the college, that I can see through a smallest thing like an invite.I think you all are in a great place.”

An educational institute is as good as its students prove to be.Having historically bagged 4 prestigious National Awards this year including The Nari Gandhi Trophy and The Rueben Trophy citations; these are exemplary architects of the future. All they ask from us are ears that will listen, tongues that will appreciate and hearts that will understand. They know where they are headed, and no brick in the wall is going to stop them from what they are poised to achieve in the Surat of tomorrow.