If you appreciate Hindi literature ,  a five-day ‘Kitab-Utsav’ at Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16B, Chandigarh, is just the right place for you.

Hosted by Rajkamal Prakashan, it has brought together authors from across the nation, including Sahitya Academy winners such as Surjit Patar, Badrinarayan, Gaytri Bala Panda, Arjumand Aara and Bhupendra Kaur Preet.

MD of Rajkamal Prakashan Ashok Masheswari says, ” Promotion of Hindi has been at the core, We have also published international classics in Hindi, and our books have been translated from Hindi into English, Punjabi, Bengali, German, Russian, and French”.

At the Kitab Utsav in Chandigarh, along with discussions on various books, Rajkamal Prakashan will be releasing its latest work.

Over the years, the publishing house has worked with eminent writers such as Kaifi Azmi, Mahasweta Devi, and Girish Karnad.

The literary event is part of the 75th anniversary of Rajkamal Prakashan, a renowned publishing house of Hindi literature founded in 1947.

This literary event is being held in various cities. Varanasi, Bhopal, and Patna have hosted previous editions of Kitab Utsav , the most recent being one which was held in Patna in November, 2022.

Love is definitely in the air and the Tricity is bursting with activity as the Valentine’s Day draws near. The proof of the pudding lies in the eating they say, and there is enough proof of what’s in store in the Tricity with different kind of events planned over the weekend and on Valentine’s Day to celebrate love in its myriad forms. From a bazaar to a baking workshop, there are many events lined up. Here we bring you five such happening events across the Tricity where you can plan a date with your significant other or go on your own and have some single fun:

Baking workshop

They say that the way to one’s heart is through scrumptious food. With that thought in mind, a baking workshop is being held where you can learn to bake different delights. There is also provision for a fun couples’ activity. The workshop is called ‘Bake Date with Chef Neha’ and is taking place at Mera Qi in Sector 18, on Sunday 12th Feb

Date and day: 12th Feb, Sunday

Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Venue: 544, Sector – 18 B, CHD

Contribution: ₹1200 per person

₹1800 for 2 persons attending together

You can pay using GPay to reserve your spot

Contact: 8586999219 Neha Sankhla

Note: All ingredients will be provided and you will be learning one eggless and one with egg item

Picnic date

With spring setting in, it is definitely time to be outdoors. Taking this forward in the form of a community creating exercise, Tricity Picnics has organised a get-together which aims at spending some quality time outdoors with your loved ones. From a couples’ picnic to a Galentine’s Day (all girls’ event on  February 13) event  to even one meant to pamper just oneself as an act of self care, city-based Tricity Picnics can plan anything for you. They offer different packages for all your picnic needs. So head out and spend some quality time amidst Nature with your partner, your pals or just your own beautiful and adorable self.

Contact: 8284844220

Love is in the Fair

Another interesting love-themed event taking place in the Tricity is the Fahrenheit Fair’s Valentine’s Edition ‘Love is in the Fair’ which is being held at Commons at Bella Vista, Panchkula on February 12 from 12 noon to 9 pm. You can look forward to a fun-filled day full of shopping, art, music, delicious food and refreshing drinks along with some great vibes.

Date and day:  12th February, Sunday

Time: 12 noon – 9pm

Tickets: Free Entry For All

Venue: Commons At The BellaVista, Sector 5, Panchkula

Social ‘s Stop Light Party

If you are someone who is looking to head out and have some fun along with some like-minded individuals then Social in Chandigarh might be just right for you. They are celebrating Valentine’s Day with a twist for all their customers. They are hosting a Stop Light Party where it is the drink you choose which will reveal if you are ‘Committed’, as you grab a Red Light; in case you hate labels, you grab the SOCIAL Light; and if you are single, you pick up a Green Light. It’s happening 9pm onwards at Elante Social with DJ Aman on the deck and at Social, Sector 7, Chandigarh with Meld from 10pm onwards.

Offers galore

There are also many other restaurants and cafes across the Tricity which are offering love-filled menus and offers to make your day even more cheerful. If you want a good dining experience then you can head over to Olive Cafe & Bar in Chandigarh and savour their specially curated menu for Valentine’s which is available till 14th February. You can contact 8872300001 / 9779974200 for reservations.

If, on the other hand, it is a love made cup of tea that you are craving, then Cafe Cha’a Brewers is offering a one plus one offer on their tea selection for couples till 14th February only.

Location: SCO 328A, Himalaya Marg, 35B, Sector 35, Chandigarh

Contact: @cafechaabrewers

Did you know there is a Sculpture Park in Chandigarh, the first-of-its-kind in the country? Yes, you heard it right! There is one in Chandigarh, which is tucked away in Kalagram, Manimajra (Chandigarh), on the bustling Chandigarh-Kalka highway. The unique park is under the management of North Zone Culture Centre (NZCC), engaged in the preservation and promotion of art and culture, especially the dying art forms in the country.

The unique Sculpture Park brags about housing a rich repertoire of wooden and stone sculptures lying cheek-by-jowl over meticulously manicured sprawling lawns at Kalagram, offering an experience of a kind and an insight into the exquisite works of art on display. Besides being the Mecca of art, it’s a perfect rendezvous for a family to spend quality time there, basking in the sun on a cold winter afternoon and exploring the enigmatic rock-hewn larger-than-life images speaking the language of silence!

Speaking to CityWoofer, NZCC programme officer Yashwinder Sharma says “The garden sculptures have been divided into many categories, viz temple sculptures, abstract sculptures, realistic sculptures, tribal scriptures and contemporary sculptures and so on and so forth”.

Most of the sculptures are based on abstract themes depicting various facets of human life in a typical artistic tradition. The stone idol of reclining Ganesha to a replica of a human brain to the sculptures portraying a quintessential woman in her predominant roles as a doting mother, an affectionate spouse, a darling daughter and so on, tell it all.

What is more noticeable in these sculptures is the fact that each work of art on display here bears the name of the artist with the date of the creation engraved on it. The recurring theme of the work, ranging from the mundane to metaphysical, sensuous to sublime and so on, is amply reflected in the works.

The finely-chiselled images of various shapes and sizes have been sculpted out of black, white, pink, yellow colour stone, sourced primarily from Baslana, Jaipur, Udaipur and Gujarat and some other places.

However, a good number of wooden sculptures on display at the park are made from Talli (Sheesham), and teak wood. The finely engraved images speak volumes of their evocative sensitivity and their stoic silence that eggs you to speak to them in their language of silence.

Sharma informs with oodles of optimism “The NZCC organised some theme stone sculpture and wood carving camps with a view to promote creative activity in the City. The innovative idea augured well with certain acclaimed sculptors from various parts of the country attending these camps. Prominent among those big names were Padma Shri recipient Biman Bihari Das, Shiv Singh, D Rajasekharan Nair, Latika Katt, M Dhirmani, Pankaj Gehlot and many more who later became legends in their own rights. Some of the sculptures dotting the park have been carved out by students of College of Art, Sector 10, Chandigarh.”

When asked what was so special about the outdoor Sculpture Park, Sharma says, “The idea behind bringing the unique feature to the City Beautiful, was to take the sculptures out of the confines of indoor museums and art galleries so that the access to these treasure troves of art becomes easy. The initiative helped NZCC to ignite public interest towards popularising sculptures, besides giving a quantum push to tourism in the city. We are also toying with the idea of having terracotta, fibre and metal sculptures added to involve more art enthusiasts”.

The water sculptures at the Sector 17 plaza, the Garden Sculptures at Leisure Valley in Sector 10 and Terrace Garden and the Museum and Art Gallery in Sector 10, which have earned Chandigarh a title of the City of Sculptures, are a virtual visual treat to tourists from home and abroad. However, the Sculpture Park at Kalagram housing some 220 stone and 60 wooden sculptures is a class apart, inviting art lovers in great numbers. The park was conceptualised with a view to create adequate space for artists and sculptors to showcase the magic of their deft hands and write success stories. However, it is a matter of grave concern that some of the sculptures are lying in a state of neglect.

Silhouetted against the backdrop of the distant Shivalik ranges, the sculpture park offers a commanding view. As you leisurely stroll  into the sprawling five-acre sculpture park through the pergola-laden walkways, flanked by stone images on both sides, you catch a clearer view of the sculptures.

As you step ahead through the serene corridors, you come across stunning statutes, carved out of stone by the iconic sculptors, some of them national awardees. In a matter of minutes you are into the fairyland with your gaze fixed on the sculptures arranged in a perfect order, with the ornamental trees and other flora making a perfect canopy, as if extending a rousing welcome to the visiting guests.

A random visit to the park reminds you of the historic Khajuraho (MP) which has the country’s largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, the Ajanta and Ellora caves (Maharashtra state) and the rock-hewn Masroor temples in the Kangra Valley (HP) where inquisitive art aficionados throng to in their thousands from across the globe to know more about the intricate art works steeped in history of ancient and medieval architecture.

Evolving into a hub of cultural and creative activities year round, the Sculpture Park became the cynosure of all inquisitive eyes when the North Zone Culture Centre (NZCC) held the first-ever sculpture camp here in 2002, which witnessed some of the country’s top notch sculptors, who showed up on special invitation of the host and showcased the magic of their nimble fingers dwelling on diverse themes. The unique initiative had invited rave reviews and had become the talking point in the corridors of creative and cultural activities.

There are a good many distinct features that have earned Chandigarh a slew of endearing epithets, like the City of Roses, the Smart City, the Heritage City, the City of Gardens et al. The dream city has remained the one-stop destination for the connoisseurs of art and architecture, besides nature enthusiasts from across the globe. Amongst those prominent landmarks dotting the city is the historic Rose Garden, Asia’s largest, that attracts tourists in great numbers.

Sedately nestled in Sector 16, the Zakir Rose Garden in chandigarh is the first of its kind botanical garden in the country exhibiting some 1,600 varieties of rose of vibrant colours having 50,000 plants, besides ornamental trees and shrubs of medicinal value, including bel, bahera, camphor, yellow gulmohar, harar, to name a few.

Named after the third President of India, Zakir Hussain, the exotic Rose Garden in Chandigarh, which was built in 1967 under the supervision of Dr MS  Randhawa, an agriculture scientist and the first Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh, is the biggest in Asia, making it a perfect abode of Nature’s charm in full bloom for tourists and Nature enthusiasts from home and abroad.

The garden is a spectacle to behold when in full bloom during the months of February and March. The colourful fountains aglow with effervescent lights here make your evenings misty and mirthful. You may also do a bit of bird watching as you are ears to the serenading sounds of the waters.

The best time to visit the Rose Garden is in the months of February and March when in full bloom during the season. It’s a double delight for the visiting enthusiasts as they also become a part of the annual feature the Rose Festival.

Rose Festival

The Rose Garden in Chandigarh is host to the annual Rose Festival held in the month of February or March each year that showcases a spectacular variety of roses like tea rose, climber rose, green rose, miniature rose, and many more are put on public display during the festival. Rose Festival 2023 is being held from Feb 17-19.

The Garden is bedecked with countless exotic varieties of roses and other eye-catching floral exhibits on the annual festival lending luminosity to the landscape.

The annual festival also features a string of competitions, including the ‘Rose prince and Rose Princess’ competition, rangoli competitions, brass and pipe band competitions, floral hat and headgear display, photography exhibition, etc.

The festival offers a fair of typical traditional foods to tickle the foodies’ taste buds, while musical bands and some top singers regale music lovers with their soulful renditions.

Leading voices from the Punjabi music industry, including artists such as Jasmine Sandlas and Jazzy B, lyricist, composer and producer Bunty Bains, and Speed Records founder and director Satvinder Singh Kohli, among others were at the event to share their perspective on the Punjabi music industry.

Artists, artist managers, labels, and aggregators made the most of the opportunity to learn about how they can maximise their growth on Spotify through educational sessions on ‘Spotify For Artists’, and panel discussions on trends in the Punjabi music industry, making music, and the relevance of audio streaming.

In India, Punjabi has become one of the most popular music languages, with Punjabi artists across pop and hip-hop topping charts regularly. In 2022, Spotify Wrapped data saw ‘Excuses’ by AP Dhillon, Intense, and Gurinder Gill emerge as the most streamed song on Spotify in India – with over 19 crore streams, and the late Sidhu Moose Wala’s ‘Moosetape’ the most-streamed album over the year, and four out of the 10 most streamed songs in India were in Punjabi.

“When we look at music streaming, a majority of the listening for Punjabi music is taking place on Spotify, which shows how we’ve been able to curate the right kind of artists and playlists for our listeners not just in India, but across the world. We want to bring more artists from Punjab onto our platform enabling them to reach a wider audience in India, and across our global markets. The masterclass and industry expert sessions in Chandigarh bring us a step closer to that goal,” said Rahul Balyan, Head of Music, Spotify India.

Spotify’s flagship Punjabi playlist, Punjabi 101, has become a go-to for listeners to discover the best and biggest hits in the language, and at over 850,000 likes today, it is one of the most popular playlists on Spotify in India.

While the majority of streams for Punjabi music on Spotify come from India, the language also continues to grow in popularity around the world, particularly in diaspora countries, including Canada, the UK, USA, and more.

‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’ this oft-repeated adage reverberates best with the premier endurance sports company Tuffman which hosts running, cycling, and swimming events , and triathlon for sports enthusiasts across the country. As the Tuffman events kept churning out ‘Tuffman’ titles one after the other through the years, about 500 till now, some women ultra-runners expressed gender bias though wittingly on being recognised as ‘Tuffman’ and not ‘TuffWoman’.

Now, the ‘TuffWoman’ title will be announced for the first time at the first ultra-run of the year –-  Tuffman 24 Hour Stadium Run Chandigarh  being held at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Sector 3, Panchkula, on February 11-12. This step is an appreciation of the toughness of women runners to egg them on to reach greater heights of graduating from half marathoners (21. 1 km) and full marathon runners (42.2 km) to ultra-runners (Above 43 km; 50 km in Tuffman ultra runs).

“Only 5 per cent women participate in our events, so it is a little difficult to provide logistics. Now we have come up with special merchandise with ‘TuffWoman’ logos to make them feel proud of their achievement,” says Sanjay Mangla, founder and owner, Tuffman.

“Not that women were not rewarded earlier if they accomplished the target, they were also given the title of Tuffman along with men. There is no relaxation in terms of timelines for finishing the marathons for women,” he is quick to add. They will also find a place in the Tuffman Wall of Fame on its website.

CityWoofer talked to owner and founder of Tuffman, Sanjay Mangla, in a free-wheeling conversation.

Did you have a strong background or interest in sports/ athletics which pushed you into the sports business?

I was always into sports, in school I played badminton; my children, my wife, we all are into one sport or the other, plus the coaches I work with — everybody around me created a support system which kept pushing me into taking bigger challenges.

How did your interest in endurance sports (running , swimming, cycling) start?

After marriage, I put on a lot of weight, so one day, I thought of going for a one-night walk in Delhi. Slowly, I increased the number of kilometers I walked, and gradually I started running.  Then, I participated in the 24-hour run category in Delhi where I completed a distance of 100 km  in 22 hours and stood third.  That’s where the interest began.  When I started participating in pan – India events, I found loopholes in their arrangement and management. I thought if I would have held this event, how would I have done it.

When did you first hold a marathon?

I am a great travel buff, so first I picked up all the places where I had already travelled to which included Shimla, Manali, Jaisalmer, Goa, Andaman . I held the first marathon at Mashobra in 2014 which was a trail run. At the first event, there were about 40 people who participated and now there are about 600 people who participate every year in the  Shimla Ultra. Every year, we hold marathons in all these places.

How’s the participation of Tricity residents?

In Chandigarh, we hold half marathons hosting 3, 5, 10 and 21 km categories. In 2019, about 1800 people participated in the Tuffman Chandigarh Half Marathon and in 2022, the numbers rose to about 2800. So, the participation from the Tricity residents has always been overwhelming.

Tell us more about the Tuffman TRI 113 held in Chandigarh?

Tuffman stands for India, TRI means triathlon and 113 stands for 113 km which equals 70.3 miles which is the standard distance for any triathlon. The Tuffman Triathlon involves three sports: 1.9 km swimming, 90 km cycling and 21.1 km running, everything to be completed within 8:30 hours.

How do you select participants for the ultramarathon?

We go through their certificates of participation in earlier events to know their capabilities, and after that, we look out for any medical conditions that a participant may be facing.

What is the difference between Inspiring Tuffman and Tuffman title?

‘Inspiring Tuffman’ is for the smaller distances like half marathons and lesser distances while the Tuffman title is only for the ultra runners and triathlon winners.

Tuffman pan-India calendar

January: Tuffman Jaipur 10K, Jaipur

February: Tuffman Island Ultra & Half Marathon Andaman

March: Tuffman 24 Hours Stadium Run Chandigarh

April: Tuffman Kasauli Hills Half Marathon

June: Tuffman Shimla Ultra & Half Marathon Mashobra

August: Tuffman TRI 113 Chandigarh

September: Tuffman Chandigarh Half Marathon

November: Tuffman Beach Ultra & Half Marathon Goa

December: Tuffman 12 Hours Stadium Run Gurugram

All faces in the packed-to-capacity Tagore Theatre looked glum and every eye lachrymose. The occasion was the first death anniversary of Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar, affectionately known as the Nightingale of India, who passed into eternity on February 6, 2022. Memories of Lata’s melody came alive at the mega musical show organised at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, Chandigarh on February 5.

The programme, christened ‘Alive Forever Lata Mangeshkar’, was organised by Musical Waves in association with Rotary Chandigarh Midtown and Patheos Welfare League. Bollywood’s proverbial ‘baddie’ veteran actor Ranjeet, graced the musical evening as celebrity chief guest.

Sharing his fond memories with the Lata Mangeshkar, veteran actor Rajit went nostalgic as he narrated an incident dating back to the days of his earlier days in the dream city of Bombay (now Mumbai). “I had my first encounter with Lataji at an award function. The moment she spotted me on the stage, she called me out through some one. I was aghast. I went to her and introduced myself, timidly though. She immediately turned witty and said “You are doing good” adding Par Koi Achha Kaam Kar lo (Do some nice stuff), leaving all around in splits. He also dedicated a song to her as an invocation to Goddess Saraswati –Jindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hai jo mukam, woh phir nahir aate (film Aapki Kasam – 1974)

As many as 15 acclaimed singers from Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh regaled the music lovers with their scintillating renditions, one after the other. They handpicked some of the popular numbers immortalised by the Swar Kokila Lata Mangeshkar, and the iconic music legends like Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh and Manna Dey, who ruled the golden era of divine music bequeathed by them to the generations to come.

Prominent among those who doled out some of the choicest musical numbers of the legendary singers of the times included Param Chandel, Brijesh Ahuja, Tarun Chandel, Rajesh Ulfat, Vikas Singla, Deepak Garg, Abhijeet, Rani Suman, Sangeeta Sehgal, Komal Bhardwaj, Guri Kaur, Vaishali, Rutvi Singh, Dr Swarthi, Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj and Dr. Gurpreet Singh Mavi.

However, the show-stopping renditions of the musical soiree in the memory of goddess of music and muse, which included the invocation song Tum aasha vishwas hamare, tum dharti aakash hamare doled out by Komal in her dulcet voice; Naam gum jayega chehra yeh badal jayega, meri aawaz hi pehchan hai… (film Kinara – 1971) a duet by Brijesh Ahuja and Sangeeta Sehgal;  Meri kahani bhoolne wale, tera jahan aawad rahe… (film Deedar -1951), Madhuban mein Radhika Naache re, Girdhar ki muraliya baaje re… (film Kohinoor – 1960) and Chehre Pe giri julfen keh doa toa hatta dun mein gustakhi maaf.. by Dr Gurpreet Singh Mavi (film Suraj – 1966), forcing the audience to groove to the melodoius tunes of the bygone era.   Suresh Nayak, a prominent face in the field of music, arranged the music score.

Only a few possess creative genius. Among those few, if you are suffering from a handicap, it makes us look within ourselves to look for our achievements, inspite of all our possessions.

On these lines, a unique visual art exhibition is on at the Nexus Elante Mall Visual Art Gallery to promote the art work of differently-abled artists, along with other amateur and professional artists. Before we get into the details of the art exhibition, let us delve a little  into the lives of these specially-abled artists which will intrigue you and make you view life through a different prism:

Artist Profiles

Sunil Kumar, from Haryana was born on 17th April, 1992. “When I was a kid, my arms were amputated after I suffered an electric shock in an accident when I was 4 or 5 years old. My parents abandoned me at PGI hospital, Chandigarh India. A kind-hearted social worker brought me to Saket, where I am residing currently”.

Initially, I used to write with the help of my mouth but due to long term use, it was affecting my eyesight. So, Sonika ma’am and my other teachers advised and encouraged me to write and draw with my foot. Now I write & draw beautifully with my foot. I also do other things in the same way like operating cellphones, laptop, computer, remote, play piano, etc.

Nitika Sachdeva, hearing impaired, cannot explain her emotions through words but the most wonderful and talented individuals are the ones who don’t fit into boxes and defy their challenges and turn them into inspiration. Here is a special and gifted artist with an undying passion, evergreen dedication and selfless surrender to creativity. She started to draw and colour at the age of 4, now she is 20. She expresses her art in the form of pencil sketches, watercolor, oil and. even through digital media using line animation. She has done Bachelor degree in Fine Arts from Govt College of Arts, Sector-10, Chandigarh. She is currently pursuing her Master’s program.

Harmanpreet Singh is a differently-abled artist (hearing impaired), with a passion for art since he was a little kid. Art has been my way of connecting with the world without my disability limiting me. “From scribbling on the walls of my house, I went on to get a masters diploma from the Government College of Arts, Chandigarh. It is a very oft-spoken about story in my household where my grandma boasts that I picked up a paint brush even before I learnt sign language,” he says.

His preferred medium has always been oil paints. “I like to paint buildings that have resonated in my mind on my travel trips. It’s through them that I have been able to discover my own unique style. The contrast of light and dark in my paintings is what captures my audiences and makes them connect with my pieces,” he adds. He works as a senior artist at Coloured Rims, a home decor company, helping them develop a new variety of digital artworks for sale purposes.

Jagwinder Singh was born on 3rd April, 1991 in Punjab, without both his arms. He and his family had to struggle to get him admitted to a school. Questions about his inability to use hands became the motivation for him to use his feet for writing and other works. He was interested in drawing from his childhood, mostly influenced by his father who is a needle-worker. Watching his father do embroidery was his first creative insight. After finishing school, he did a two-year diploma in art and craft.

Jagwinder has won many prizes since his school days in art competitions, in both district and state level. After working as a teacher for more than a year, he got a government job at the soil and water conservation Department, Patiala. Jagwinder’s indulges in his creative flair in watercolour and pencil sketching. He was part of an art exhibition in Singapore, where seven of his paintings were sold. Other than being an artist, he is a prospective national para cyclist.

About the workshop

The participants include 50 budding amateur and professional artists, ranging from 15 – 90 years of age, from a wide range of professions such as businessmen, Chartered Accountants, doctors, engineers, IT professionals, lawyers, students, teachers, housewives, and special children. The artists are from various neighbouring states — Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Delhi NCR, and Jammu. Over 150+ artworks and craft items are on display.

Work of local amateur and professional artists is also on display with provision of sale of paintings and craftworks.

Art lovers can buy artwork at 50 percent discount and support the local artists and buyers will also get a chance to win a free painting at the end of every month.

This exhibition has been curated and organized by the Creative Karma group which aims to promote local artists by conducting various events such as free visual art classes, art workshops and visual art exhibitions etc. The exhibiton has been conducted under  the ‘Armaan Art Initiative’, in   association  with   Shanky Studio, Social Substance, SAI and Creative Karma.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Punjabi film Director Royal Singh, producer Parag Vijra, and Vishal Kalsi, another reputed name in the Punjabi film industry.

Salim Roopani, Centre Director Nexus Elante Mall says, “We are very excited to hold this unique art exhibition for our patrons. The Tricity has got the chance to experience this amazing visual treat.”

Curator of the exhibition, Suruchi Sharma, says, “The selection of artwork was a tough thing as we have been getting a lot of incredible artworks from all over but we had to choose best out of all”.

We all have a vision for our future. To put it into words and make a mind map of it is a little difficult. What if you get some help creating it? Keeping this in mind, a one of its kind event, a vision board workshop is being held in Panchkula by Ocean Bloom Books, an independent publishing house for children.

Srishti Agrawal, the founder of Ocean Bloom Books, who will be conducting the workshop, spoke with CityWoofer to guide us as to what we can expect from the workshop.

What is the aim of the workshop?

The motive is to combine life goals and their manifestation with different aspects like money, love, family, self-love, spirituality, fun, etc. Keeping this in mind, we will help participants prepare a vision board for themselves by guiding them after talking to them.

What should a participant expect from the workshop?

Individually addressing their concerns, we will start with talking about a participant’s life vision, his motivation, mental health and career planning goals. All the participants will then make their own board, along with some interesting activities, to enhance the experience, ending with discussion and sharing of ideas.

How has the response been  as it is a novelty for Tricity residents?

The response has been good so far, want to keep a small batch so that everyone gets a chance to talk and share his/her ideas, probably 10 people in one batch.

What was the driving force behind it?

To interact with people and understand what goes on in their minds, to guide them find direction and also learn from them. The idea seemed in sync with the motive of Ocean Bloom Books and the kind of books that we make.

Do you plan to host more such events in the future?

Definitely, next time want to do a vision board workshop for school students, art therapy sessions and more workshops.

About Srishti Agrawal

A Chartered Accountant, Srishti left her secure career to pursue her passion for writing, propagating education and making an impact on the world with  one book at a time. She has authored kids’ books on financial literacy ‘Business Baby’ (an amazon best seller), and ‘ Occupations and Professions’. She has curated many colouring books on different topics including mental health, her affirmations colouring books being one of the most loved.

About Ocean Bloom Books (OBB)

Ocean Bloom Books, founded in November 2021, is a woman-led Indian publication house for children books. Their first book ‘Business Baby’ was a finance literacy book for children which was also a socially inclusive, gender neutral and globally relevant book, an ideology that OBB stands for.

OBB writes books on rather unique concepts with a vision to bring about a change and fill the gaps in the market. For instance, books on business, money, professions for children in a way they understand and enjoy. Their colouring books on mental health, and other art books have gained much appreciation.

OBB believes that the foundation of a particular mindset and perspective is laid in childhood. So setting the right examples and depicting a world where there is acceptance for all ethnicities, shapes, sizes and genders is of utmost importance. For this reason, each illustration in OB books is made with immense thought and keeping in mind these values. Lastly, OBB makes books for the global audience.

Date: 12th Feb, 2023

Time: 11 am – 1 pm

Fee:  Rs 1100/-

Contact:  9971090029

Materials provided:

One Board (which you will create during the workshop can take it home)

Stationery – For Workshop purpose only

Art and craft supplies to use to create the board (including pictures and much more)

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KaYGZUZYK4xP0NDjaI4cvtNE0WsyIjT1EDvaNJExAxM/viewform?edit_requested=true

For all the techies out there, glued to their laptops, PCs, and other gadgets,  the IT Companies Association (ITCA) is hosting the ITCA Tech Run – 2023.

A 5-km Tech Marathon – 2023 will be held on Saturday, 11th February, 2023 with arrangements for light refreshments followed by music and dance event.

Anybody above 18 years of age can participate in the event, non-IT people are also welcome.

“Health and fitness of IT professionals who have prolonged screen time is a prime concern. From time to time, IT companies keep holding such events to de-stress their staff like, cricket tournaments, Friday Special, etc,” says Tejinder Singh, MD, ReadyEdge Technologies and also the ITCA President.

The main sponsor of the event is Sivanta Group, with KKR rental solutions and Subhash & Mangat Group as co-sponsors.

Some of the companies whose IT professionals will participate are:

Netsterz Infotech Pvt. Ltd.

Webguruz Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Webchefz Infotech Pvt Ltd.

Midriff Info Solution Pvt. Ltd.

Paradise TechSoft Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

ReadyEdge Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Krishna Innovative Software Pvt. Ltd

Aerial Telecom Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Rank Spiders

Tech Eco system

WorksDelight Inc.

Alobha Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Jeronone technologies pvt ltd

Kav interactive

Naxtre Technologies

Organizer: IT Companies Association
Event: ITCA Tech Run – 2023
Date:  11th February 2023 Saturday
Time:  7 am
Venue: Chandigarh Club Sector 1
Distance: 5km

Age Category:-
18+ Years (Male/Female)

Fee:  Open for all and free, except the Gold Ticket for Rs 350