Citygritty 8212; Pune

Skin careShe came, dazzled that famous smile, and before you knew it, was gone. Actress Madhuri Dixit was in the city to inaugurate Cute...

Skin care
She came, dazzled that famous smile, and before you knew it, was gone. Actress Madhuri Dixit was in the city to inaugurate Cute,8217; the laser machine facility at the Joshi Hospital. Dressed in a plain blue sari, the dhak dhak girl had the audience clapping even before she rose to address them. She began her short speech in Marathi by apologising for her weak command over the language. 8220;Please forgive me if I include a few English words in my speech as I do not speak Marathi as fluently as I should,8221; she said to an audience that obviously did not mind too much.

8220;While earlier women had to resort to applications of chandan for a flawless complexion, now they can avail themselves of modern technology,8221; she said. Citing the stress laid on the appearance of eligible women, some of whom cannot get married due to patches or acne marks on their ski. She also made a request to the hospital: 8220;I will feel happy if you can make this facility affordable to these women as well.8221; The woman with the million-dollar smile also has her heart in the right place.

Gas Bag
Even bomb scares can have their lighter moments. After the panic-struck passengers of a particular compartment on the Deccan Queen disembarked on the Thane Railway Station platform, following a bomb-scare announcement, they noticed that one black air-bag still lay unclaimed on the compartment8217;s luggage rack. An impromptu investigation revealed that the baggage apparently did not belong to any passenger. The next logical conclusion: that was the bomb!

Panic scaled new heights and there was a scramble to call the attention of the authorities to the bag. Ladies screamed, kids bawled and everyone moved as many steps backwards as they could. In the midst of all this hullabaloo, a middle-aged man stepped out of the compartment8217;s bathroom, scanned the empty bogey, and apparently putting two and two together, calmly slung his luggage 8211; the lone black air-bag on the rack 8211; on his shoulders and clambered down with a 8220;What happened?8221; The collective sigh of relief was loud enough to drown the noise of a passing train.

Law8217;s labour
Not many know the nitty-gritties of the Law, but Arun Bhatia, former Pune Divisional Commissioner, took it upon himself to ensure that people were made aware of the laws that affect their lives. The Law has a provision through which the collector can issue a notice for the closure of a licenced liquor shop if he receives a petition from the panchayat or a women8217;s organisation.

Bhatia8217;s office identified 3,932 haathbhattis in 1,479 villages, and with the help of complaints made by more than half the women in these villages, notices were issued to 33 such liquor shops. Twelve have already been shut down since yesterday. Goes to show that where there is a will, there is a way.