Pune Citygritty

Getting personalGreeting cards are perhaps the best way to convey your feelings to your near and dear ones. A variety of them expressing myr...

Getting personal
Greeting cards are perhaps the best way to convey your feelings to your near and dear ones. A variety of them expressing myriad thoughts and feelings are available in the market. But what happens when you don8217;t get a card of your choice, when none seems to convey what you want?

Well, it8217;s Hallmark to the rescue. On the evening of July 1, it launched the Personalised Cards8217; facility in Pune. Now you can choose your own designs from over 30 alternatives, or even design your own card, express your emotions, and have the card printed. And, what8217;s more, your name, as well as that of the person you have addressed the card to, can also be printed at the back of your Personal Card8217;.

Kamaal ki shaam
The O O Jaane Jaana guy, Kamaal Khan, was in town on June 30 to help the Happy Home Group, dealers in plots and landscape projects, celebrate the success of its last project and the inauguration of its new project, Riverdale, at the Balgandharva Rangmandir. Khan, along with his dance troupe, enthralled the audience for an hour and a half, performing a few numbers from his album and from Backstreet Boys.

A lucky draw, with the first prize as a Cielo, was another major attraction. And you can bet that the Happy Home members returned home really happy.

Forces request
That the censor board and the defence services came down heavily on Major Saab for presenting a distorted view of the National Defence Academy is more than obvious in the movie, or rather the apologetic note on which it begins8230;and ends.

At the outset, there is a formal note of gratitude to the NDA, preceded by the words that go somewhat like this 8211; though the movie has been partially set in the NDA, the incidents that take place in the movie do not happen at the academy. We respect the sanctity and the integrity of this most prestigious institution in the country8230;

Still number two further emphasises 8211; the army does not allow its officers to support a beard except on religious or medical grounds.

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After that, throughout the movie, every time there is a scene that seems to be making a mockery of the NDA and, believe us, there are many!, the camera zooms inside the commandant8217;s office, who dutifully booms at Amitabh Bachchan, 8220;Major Rana, this is not done at the NDA,8221; with the latter giving a very unconvincing 8220;Yes, Sir!8221; in return.

Nearing the end, when Bachchan and his team of cadets have succeeded in thwarting Bendre8217;s marriage that seems to be the raison d8217;etre of the academy8217;s existence, we have the commandant marching into the scene yet again, bellowing, 8220;Major Rana, this is not done at the NDA. Please report to my office for an enquiry.8221; This is followed by a note on the screen, read out in Bachchan8217;s baritone voice, 8220;Major Rana agreed that it was wrong on his part to take the cadets out of the academy, and he was duly court-martialled for it.8221; Talk about having to say sorry in 20 different ways for homework not done well.