The road leads you to the place where you shall re-discover your food preferences. Roadies KoffeeHouz presents a truly kick-ass lifestyle dining experience with a strong focus on food, music, events and communities.

It’s difficult to cull out a dish of your choice as everything sounds very unique and delectable from the descriptions in the menu card.

However, we settled for the Pesto Cito, Guacamole on Feta Sourdough Toast, Hummus Falafel Feta, Fantastaco Chicken #Tacos, and #FriedChicken With Mushroom Country Gravy, tongue-twisters literally.

This savoury feast was accompanied with a boost of caffeine with Brownie Fudge Off Roader and Mucho Choco Chopper.

Every dish is a delight for the taste buds, but my personal favourite is the Fantastaco Chicken Tacos. Every bite of the tacos transported me to #food nirvana, resulting in a tremendous #foodgasm. The pleasant and extremely welcoming staff was the icing on the cake. We loved every bit of this place, the food, and the ambience. You should go and try it too!

Website: www.roadieskoffeehouz.com
Location: Mohali – Open 24×7 | Chandigarh – Mon-Sun 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Address: Roadies Koffeehouz: SCO 84, Sector 82, JLPL Industrial Area, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab 140308
Roadies Koffeehouz: SCO 488, 35C, Sector 35, Chandigarh, 160036
Roadies Koffeehouz: Aroma Complex, Himalaya Marg, Sector 22, Chandigarh, 160022
Cuisine: Sandwich, Pizza, Salad, Burger, Desserts, Coffee, Beverages
Average Cost: ₹1,000 for two people (approx.) – Exclusive of applicable taxes and charges, if any.
Must try at Roadies Koffeehouz:

COFFEE

– brownie fudge off-roader

– mucho choco chopper

The cold beverages are served in special cans sealed in front of the customers. The speciality coffee blend, exclusively roasted for Roadies, features a speciality Arabica and a phenomenal naturally processed Robusta from the gorgeous hills of Coorg. This blend has been created after months of careful profiling and experimentation and is one of the finest representations of Indian speciality coffee.

– Pesto cito

– Guac on feta sourdough toast

– Hummus falafel feta

– Fantastaco chicken tacos

– Fried chicken with mushroom country gravy

Roadies Koffeehouz takes its customers seriously and focuses on freshly-cooked dishes with house-made sauces, mixes, and marinades.

Three student designers of INIFD (Inter National Institute Of Fashion Designing), Chandigarh got an opportunity to showcase their creativity and talent at the spectacular ‘INIFD Launchpad’ during the Lakme Fashion Week that concluded recently at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai held from October 12-16.

INIFD gives an opportunity to its students to showcase their designing abilities at the most coveted Fashion weeks at international platforms – London Fashion Week for 7 seasons and New York Fashion Week for 6 seasons and for 33 seasons for India’s premier Lakme Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI.

Samiksha, Aakash and Yashika (from left to right)

The INIFD Launchpad show is one of the most awaited shows by student designers. It is an opportunity for student designers to transfer their artistic knowledge from their from class desks to the ramps of prestigious Lakme Fashion Week. 20 student designers were selected from out of 1000 students across the country.

Bollywood actor and Bigg Boss 7 winner Gauahar Khan donned creations by our city girls Samiksha Chouhan and Yashika Chugh from the Department of Fashion Design, INIFD. Another student Aakash Verma from the Department of Interior Decoration closely worked with renowned show directors of the industry to design sets of fashion shows.

Samiksha & Yashika’s designs were inspired from street style dressing coastal town Puducherry. Their collection was named PUTU PUKKAL offering a delightful charm into the multi-layered wonderful mix of local and French cultures.

The collection offered comfortable, reversible and convertible outfits in linen in fresh colours of yellow and lime green. Handcrafted techniques of appliqué work, cut work, hand embroidery, and hand painting were also incorporated.

The old-world charms of Puducherry lie in its distinctive yellow walls, French architecture, Big French windows, the wild bougainvilleas, and the most important common feature that runs through the entire town, the love for art, graffiti, and artistic flair.

Aakash on the other hand got first-hand exposure, practical experience and intense insight into the planning, installations, and execution process involved in the designing of sets on such a huge platform.

Eminent designers like Rajesh Pratap Singh, Satya Paul, Anamika Khanna, Shantanu & Nikhil, Pankaj & Nidhi, Abraham & Thakore, Shyamal & Bhumika, Rina Dhaka, Gaurav Gupta to name a few, unveiled their latest collections at the Lakme Fashion Week.

Everybody is busy preparing to greet goddess Lakshmi into their houses on Diwali, before that we indulge massively in holding cleanliness drive in our houses. What is the most important tool that aids us in doing so? It is our indispensable jharoo. This is one thing which is present in every house all the time. What we forget to do is being thankful, Diwali gives us an opportunity to do so. It is a ritual in many parts of India to buy a jharoo on dhanteras.

Some people buy new brooms on dhanteras and symbolically worship them alongside Goddess Lakshmi. “We generally buy a new broom and then use it for Diwali and later also,” Says Neha Shukla, who lives in Panchkula but belongs to Bihar.

We clean our houses every day with this most significant utility tool and never even care about it. Maids or we ourselves just throw it in one corner of the house.

Rituals and customs do not arise out of anywhere. Everything in Indian rituals and traditions is symbolic, it is a custom to worship the jharoo at the time of Lakshmi puja. Might sound strange, but why worship the jharoo?

Jharoo is considered to represent goddess Lakshmi. Goddess ‘Sheetala’, worshiped in Hindu culture, Buddhism and some tribal cultures holds a broom in her right hand. She is a goddess associated with smooth transition of seasons.

“As a routine affair, we never touch the broom with our feet, so its that important,” says Archana Sharma, a homemaker from Mohali.

“Yes, my mother does worship the jharoo on Diwali, although I do not know the procedure of the ritual,” says Rita from Uttar Pradesh who lives in Chandigarh.  Some people even donate brooms in temples on Diwali.

It gives us the message that anything small if we use it daily without paying attention to it generally, must be respected. Besides, the jharoo is a symbol of cleanliness. It is not without reason that Aam Admi party made it the party symbol.

It also represents our inner purity, clean thoughts, clean mind and clearing away of all the cobwebs of unwanted ideas, notions and perceptions. A broom removes all negative energies and laziness, logically thinking it cleans the house and so is an important device in our day-to-day life.

Some important notions about the broom;

1. We should not touch the broom with our feet
2. Keep it at a secluded place away from sight
3. A broom should be laid on the floor and not against the wall
4. Do not keep it in the kitchen area, store room or dining room

The festive season always rings in energy and good vibes in our lives. The atmosphere is vibrant, people are visiting malls, going shopping to refurbish their homes, wardrobes, kitchens, etc. Diwali festive season is the right time to avail discounts. Though people also shop online, the bedecked Elante Mall, the seventh largest shopping mall in north India and the 10th largest in India, has created an eclectic atmosphere by lighting up the entire place. A visitor just immerses in a feel-good factor with its stupendous and elaborate lighting.

The electric lights are providing a bright look to the entire place. The traditional markets too are lighted up as people move around making preparations for Diwali.

Elante Mall houses some of the biggest foreign brands like Zara, Marks & Spencer, Lifestyle, Home Centre, Hamleys, Apple, Samsung, MI Store, Tommy Hilfiger, Brooks, etc.

The Indian brands occupying their stores include Shoppers Stop, Westside, Big Bazaar, PVR , Reliance Digital, Da Milano, Needle Dust, Ethos, Talwar Watches, Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Soch, Madame, Lenskart, Pure Home, Mother Care, etc.

With an average footfall of 65,000 per week and an average footfall of 1,00,000 on weekends, Elante Mall remains on the top with other shopping malls in the Tricity still trying to catch up.

Aayush Khatkar, CYSS
Aayush Khatkar from the CYSS, Chhatra YuvaSangharsh Samiti), the student wing of Aam Admi Party has won the election for the post of president of Panjab University Campus Students’ Council.

As the early leads starting coming in with Ayush manitaining the lead of about 500 votes, the students had little iota of doubt if NSUI or ABVP would be able to cover it up.

Belonging to Jind in Haryana, Aayush is a LLM student in University Institute of legal studies and has been active in PU politics since 2017. His father is a farmer and his mother, a home maker. According to him, his USP  is being present in the hostel 24×7 to address the students’ issues.

Students waiting eagerly for the results at Stu-C

Calling his party the one with a progressive ideology, his main focus is working on the lack of proper infrastructure in Panjab University, like hostels, lab equipment, cleanliness, etc.

He feels the participation in elections was less this time because of the two-yr covid gap, “The first , second and third year students were all new voters and voting for the first time, so they were not much aware of about their leaders,” he said.

In the 2019 polls, Chetan Chaudhary of the Student Organisation of India (SOI) was elected campus president, while Kanupriya of Students For Society (SFS) became the first woman president in 2018.

To beat the heat, or to enjoy the pleasant weather in spring or autumn, the nearest that we know is of people heading to Kasauli. You can’t afford more than a day away to the hills for trekking but you still urge a whiff of fresh air from your mundane life, just try a trip to the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary near our very own Sukhna Lake.

Kansal Forests

Nepli and  Kansal are a lot nearer, just behind the Sukhna lake. Its refreshing to watch the varied flaura and fauna on the outskirts of the Tricity.

The Department of forests and wildlife, Chandigarh Administration, has opened up two 9-km treks for avid trekkers to Nepli and kansal forests for which permits were issued earlier, but now it is completely through online mode on https://www.chandigarhforest.gov.in.

Bade Pathranwala Dam in Nepli

All you need to do is register online for these treks. The dates of the treks are mentioned here:

Registration for 9-km Trek

Maximum 500 persons will be allowed on ‘First Come First Serve’ basis to participate in the trekking on one particular day.  One guide for a group of 50 persons is provided. The final list of participants is emailed.

People are participating in huge numbers. Abdul Qayum, IFS, Chief conservator of forests says, “1000 people have already registered since October 2 when the registrations started for this year”.

Chief conservator of forests, Debendra Dalai, IFS, has a word of caution for the tekkers, ‘Please do not treat the trek as a fun exercise, it is a proper trek where any kind of hooliganism or fiddling with Nature or animals can result in the person being arrested”.

Log Hut at Kansal

3-km Trek in Lake Reserve Forest (behind Sukhna lake)

This trek is open from morning to dusk for the general public, one can go any time free of cost.

Timings For Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary

Oct 1– Nov 30: 10 am-5 pm (last entry)

Dec1– feb 28: 10am to 4;30 pm

March 1– Sept 30: 10 am to 6 pm

Bird Park Timings: closed on Monday and Tuesday

(Similar timing for bird park as well)

The sanctuary remains closed for three months from July to September in the rainy season.

Charges for Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary

Entry fee Rs 30 (children 5-12)

Rs 50 –Over 12 yr old(Indian)

Rs 100- over 12 yrs (foreigners)

Free – Children Below 5 yrs/ school children educational tour

Parking Fee

Rs 20 two-wheeler

Rs 50 four wheeler

Rs 100 bus

Excitement is palpable among the students of Punjab University and its affiliated colleges as the counting of votes and announcement of the office-bearers of the Panjab University Campus Student’s Council (PUSCU) takes place.

ROUND 2 PU ELECTIONS
• NSUI 182
• CYSS 125
• SFS 86
• ABVP 98

Aayush Khattar from AAP student wing CYSS is leading, with Madhav Sharma from SOI in the second position, closely followed by Gurwinfer Singh from NSUI.

According to an in-house exit poll conducted by the PU students themselves, NSUI may emerge the winner followed by CYS  with ABVP as the second runner-up.

A total of 21 candidates from different student bodies are contesting for the four PUCSC posts. Eight candidates, including two girls, are in the fray for the post of president.
Counting of votes is being held at the gymnasium hall.
As many as 14,984 students were eligible to vote in the polls. The elections were held after a gap of two years because of the Covid pandemic. Generally, student polls are held in September.

RELATED STORIES:
PU Elections:-Stu C Hostels Buzzing with Political Fervour
PU Elections: Know Your Presidential Candidate

In the 2019 polls, Chetan Chaudhary of the Student Organisation of India (SOI) was elected campus president, while Kanupriya of Students For Society (SFS) became the first woman president in 2018.

Green Diwali, clean Diwali … With concerns over air pollution rising due to the rising AQI (Air Quality Index), we are all hearing a lot about green crackers these days. With the Chandigarh Administration giving a go-ahead to the use of green crackers on Diwali and Gurpurab, let us find out how how are they different from our traditional conventional crackers.

The components and elements required for creating a green cracker are not easily available for everyone which may be a reason for many manufacturers to not take it up.

However, almost 70% of India’s crackers are manufactured in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, which continues to be the leading supplier of green crackers.

-The raw materials used in these crackers are less polluting.  Their chemical formulation ensures that the particle emission into the atmosphere is reduced by suppressing the dust. These crackers release water vapour or air as a dust suppressant and for diluting the gaseous emissions.

– Regular crackers emit about 160 decibels of sound whereas green crackers’ emission rate is limited to 110-125 decibels.

-To differentiate green crackers from traditional ones, a green logo and Quick Response (QR) have been developed.

-Green crackers also have polluting chemicals like aluminium, barium, potassium nitrate, and carbon, but the quantity is so reduced that the emission is about 30 pc. Some of the green crackers do not use these chemicals at all. But they do not contain barium nitrate which is one of the most hazardous elements in traditional firecrackers.

No ‘laris’ allowed

Sale and use of joined fire crackers , even if they fall in green cracker category have been banned.

No online selling

No e-commerce website is allowed to accept online orders within UT jurisdiction. The SHO of the area will be held liable.

Dates for purchase of crackers Oct 22, 23, 24 from 10 am to 7:30 pm

Timings  for bursting of crackers   8.00 pm to 10.00 pm

Gurupurab (from 4.00 am to 5.00 am and 9.00 pm to 10.00 pm)

Air quality satisfactory last Diwali
As per the detail report on Air Quality Index received from the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee, the air quality during the Diwali month in the year 2020 and 2021was found to be moderate/satisfactory, therefore the Chandigarh Administration has allowed the use of green crackers in the city.

UT, MC to spend Rs 18 lakh to illuminate Chandigarh

• 8 govt buildings to be decorated

• Punjab Raj Bhawan

• UT Secreteriat, Sector 9

• Capitol Complex

• DC office Sector 17

• UT guest houses in Sector 6 and 18

• MC building in Sector 17

• Mayor’s house sector 24

• 7 round-abouts to be decorated

Sector 35 Chandigarh is a teenagers’ delight to hang out, especially when it comes to eating joints. If you haven’t visited Café Cha’a brewers yet, you have missed out on something for sure. Tea in kulhads most of us know of, the novelty here is the other healthy recipe — kulhad pizza.

The 25th edition of CII Chandigarh Fair 2022’s Home Decor exposition held at the Parade Ground, Sector 17, has become the talk of the town.

Interesting artifacts and handicrafts on display are getting tremendous response at the CII Fair which is on till October 17.

10 concurrent expos, including Home Decor, Realcon (Real Estate), Haute Couture, Persona, Kitchen Central and International Arcade, are being held at the four-day fair.

Over 300 stalls are displaying a variety of products from Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and Uttarakhand. 280 plus exhibitors from 40 cities across India are participating. The exhibition offers a plethora of exteriors, interiors and amazing kind of home decor.

The exposition has a lot more to offer — with metallic life-like art and quirky figurines. A brass display of idols, lamps, and figurines is exigent. Various Diwali gifting options such as blankets, bedsheets, fancy lights, food hampers, dried flowers, etc., are available.

Kumhar, the Garden store displays a fascinating fairytale feel to its products that can transform any outdoor space into a page from Alice In Wonderland. Toadstools, pandas, flamingos, bunnies and little woodland creatures are carefully placed within the stall that exude an otherworldly charm about the stall.Triple (M) International is another store that has shipped its display all the way from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh to showcase its delicate Naqashi work on wooden furniture and home decor items. With wood sourced legally from Assam, artisans from Saharanpur who are known for their handwork in Naqashi, work on designer pieces to create one-of-a-kind furniture pieces.