Those wondering what peppy, effervescent Gul Panag gets up to, when she's not holding forth on a range of issues on social media, or standing for elections, will be happy to know that the dimpled actress, voice artiste, model, and former beauty queen from Chandigarh hasn't lost or sacrificed her legendary fizz to nation building
Those wondering what peppy, effervescent Gul Panag gets up to, when she's not holding forth on a range of issues on social media, or standing for elections, will be happy to know that the dimpled actress, voice artiste, model, and former beauty queen from Chandigarh hasn't lost or sacrificed her legendary fizz to nation building.
The daughter of defence personnel, Panang, as reported in the Daily Dossier, has recently collaborated in a musical venture with singer-song writer DEB (his music has been nominated for the Dadasaheb Phalke and IRAA awards.)
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Priyanka Chopra and Gul Panag
The musical video aims to send the message of digging deep within and connecting to the traveler inside. Talking about digging deep: here's an example. While watching the Punjabi Panag, we were reminded of that other Punjabi actress, the other outspoken and thoroughly modern colleague of hers, with equally beguiling dimples, Priyanka Chopra. Why did one woman achieve international fame and the choicest of assignments while the other didn't?
The luck of the draw, or the roll of the dice?
Grace under pressure
Those who know us know that we have always been a supporter of strong independent women, women who have had tough lives but still manage to conceal their struggles, who still manage to rise up in the face of often unfair adversity and perform their daily duties with dignity and grace.
Last year on Women's Day, during a ceremony to confer the 'Nari Shaktri Puraskar' award on six well deserving women, the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee had made a strong speech, and reminded the audience that the "empowerment of women and their equality, liberty and dignity are not a distant goal or fond aspiration of women in our country but one of their sacred rights".
And word comes in, that this year our school friend and a woman of substance, Dimple Kapadia who embodies all the qualities of an empowered woman received the 'Nari Shakti Samman' award. We have known Dimple from our teenage years and seen her through all her ups and downs, never complaining and always rising to each new challenge that life put in front of her.
And what makes the award even more special is that it was presented by another woman of substance, our friend, advocate Abha Singh, who herself has always challenged the patriarchal leanings. Whether it was taking on Salman Khan or Sanjay Dutt, Singh has never been afraid of speaking up and incidentally makes a good candidate for the recognition too.
It's a bird, it's a plane...
Could there be anything hotter than the sight of India's ironman, Milind Soman running barefoot from Ahmedabad to Mumbai a distance of 570-km via Silvassa, for the Great India Run, billed as the country's first multi-city ultra marathon?
Milind Soman
We think not. The supermodel TV actor, entrepreneur and fitness icon who celebrated turning 50 last year by participating in the gruelling Ironman race in Zurich, began his journey last week and covered 67 km on the first day itself to reach Anand.
Which, when you think of how much endorphins and euphoria that such vigorous running must release – is not a coincidence at all.
Remembering Rani
Our mention of the late social activist and Supreme Court lawyer Rani Jethmalani last week resulted in a flood of memories from her legion of peers and admirers.
Rani Jethmalani
The fiery, attractive daughter of the equally fiery Ram Jethmalani, and elder sister to lawyer Mahesh (Tony) Jethmalani, was legendary for her passion to empower the disfranchised. "She was the least ambitious but most compassionate lawyer amongst us," said a colleague of hers who had often sparred with her on many a case.
"Nurturer, mentor and conscience keeper," said another, whom Rani had taken under her wing. Jethmalani had passed away in early 2012 succumbing to a terminal illness. Women's rights issues were very close to Ms. Jethmalani's heart. She founded the Mahila Dakshata Samiti to campaign against the social evils against women.
Commit-2-Change, a non-profit organisation, where she served as a board member, described her as a lawyer who made "most significant advances in the area of dowry and dowry-death related cases. Her innovative use of public interest litigation in criminal trials challenged societal and cultural trends," one of her obituaries had noted.
Like a deflated tyre
We kid thee not, this really happened. According to a habitual participant of what is arguably modern India's biggest bugbear: the talkathon/shmoozefest, the daughter of a regional female political heavyweight who'd been invited to speak at a women's conclave, was throwing her weight around in response to the lionising that she was receiving by all and sundry.
As a favour to her hosts, she mincingly agreed to meet a few hapless guests, one of whom just happened to be not only one of the fest's main sponsor, but also the daughter of a powerful clan. "Because she is so retiring and modest, the lady did not once identify herself, content to take a backseat while the other women ingratiated themselves with the political scion who was puffed up with her power," says the serial attendee.
"So you should have seen how she reacted when she realised that the person she'd been patronizing and dismissive about through out the tea, was the daughter of the person who'd created her Mom's boss; it was like the air had escaped suddenly from a punctured tyre," says the HP. "That's why I keep telling you to come to these things, you learn so much about human nature." Indeed.
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