Vivek Gupta is a senior correspondent at Chandigarh. He covers Panchkula, besides writing on medical education.
Articles by Vivek Gupta
RLA offices to have another HSRP fee counter from tomorrow
There is some relief for city residents as the vendor affixing high-security registration plates (HSRP) in Chandigarh is set to open additional counters at the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA) office in Sector 17 and sub-offices in Industrial Area and Sector 42 from Wednesday.
Updated on Feb 18, 2014 10:18 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
No headway in opening new centres to tackle crowd
There is still no headway in opening new locations for the convenience of vehicle owners, even as chaos continues to prevail at the offices of Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA).
Updated on Feb 12, 2014 11:18 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
High-security plates: No relief in sight
There is no immediate relief in sight for the city residents struggling to get affixed high-security registration plates (HSRP) at the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA) offices.
Updated on Feb 12, 2014 01:32 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Challan drive on, but work on high-security plates crawling
Even as more than half of the old registered vehicles from the CH-01-AR to AN series are yet to get mandatory high security registration plates (HSRP) affixed, the local police have started challaning them.
Updated on Feb 11, 2014 12:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Old registration number plates lying scattered at RLA office
In a blunt violation of the Motor Vehicles (New High Security Registration Plates) Order, 2001, the old registration plates of vehicles being replaced with high security registration plates (HSRP) lie scattered at the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA) office in Sector 17 here.
Updated on Feb 10, 2014 12:36 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
The Legend lives on
After ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, Punjab mourns the loss of another one of its legends, actor Dara Singh, who passed away in Mumbai on Thursday morning at the age of 83. The glorious journey of the world-famous wrestler from Amritsar turned larger-than-life actor, who succumbed to a cardiac arrest, will continue to inspire Indians at large.
Updated on Jul 13, 2012 12:13 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta
Metal Hearts
In the early '60s, there was a rock band in Shillong that went by the name of Night Wings, which somehow couldn't make it big. Then, in the late '90s some students from Northeast tried to reinvent this band as Night Wings - II, influenced by the heavy metal mania. However, that too didn't survive for too long.
Updated on Jul 09, 2012 12:11 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta
Of 'golden' melodies
Forty years of musical innings, and singer-composer Bappi Lahiri's sheen is still intact. "I have just returned from a New Zealand tour, and I am surprised to see the way audiences responded to my recent song, Ooh La La," says Bappi, who was in Panchkula.
Updated on Jun 28, 2012 05:55 PM IST
None | Vivek Gupta
Formula none
Success has no stereotypes for 3 Idiots-fame actor Sharman Joshi who strives for new expression with every role. Latest in the list of his successful films is Ferrari Ki Sawaari. Sharman was in the city on Saturday along with director Rajesh Mapuskar to further boost his latest release's prospects.
Updated on Jun 24, 2012 08:37 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta
From voices to choices
One of the most melodious voices in the 1990s, Udit Narayan understands why he is not a popular voice in today's Bollywood.
Updated on Jun 22, 2012 05:50 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta
Against the current
With bold and beautiful actress Gul Panag playing a strong character in her debut Punjabi film, Sarsa - directed by critically acclaimed young filmmaker Jatinder Mauhar - it is only obvious to expect a defining film in Punjabi cinema, which still lacks in the script department.
Updated on May 20, 2012 06:00 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta
A beautiful mind
Writer Jerry Pinto says writing is akin to a wall with many windows. While one of the windows open to him as a poet, another projects him as a writer of Bollywood's beautiful but somewhat-doomed women such as Helen.
Updated on May 18, 2012 05:45 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta
A calculated leap
Miss India Earth 2012, Prachi Mishra, says that she has achieved what she desired. "Leaving a corporate job and trying my luck in the glamour world was a well thought over decision because I was confident that I would reach among the top contestants," says this software engineer
Updated on May 15, 2012 12:47 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta
A wordsmith's pen portrait of Imran
There are only some who manage to keep their calm when standing in front of a mike. London-based India-born writer Frank Huzur is not one of them. The writer in him, however, is completely word savvy. And his words have flown rather vociferously in his recent book, Imran Vs Imran, a detailed biographical sketch of former Pakistani cricketer and captain-turned-politician, Imran Khan.
Updated on May 06, 2012 01:13 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta
Does success have a sequel?
The sequel to cult Haryanavi film Chandrawal is set to release this Friday. The film created history with its unprecedented financial success in 1984 in the regional film industry. "Haryanavi film industry is almost dead, but with the release of Chandrawal's sequel, we hope to infuse new blood in the industry," says Nishant Prabhakar, director and co-producer of the film.
Updated on May 03, 2012 06:23 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Bitumen-kissed
Through India's hot desert, alongside its beautiful coastlines, onto smoothest highways and among country's colourful people: this is how these five well-geared passionate bikers from Delhi embarked upon their over one and half months' long pan-India journey, which culminated in Chandigarh on Friday.
Updated on May 01, 2012 12:28 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta
Ageless words
Itne badnam hain hum to iss zamaane mein, tum ko lag jayengi sadiaan hum ko bhulane mein. These lines by poet Gopal Das Neeraj sum up his more than seven-decade-long tryst with pen. At 88, the acclaimed Hindi poet and popular lyricist is relentless and inquisitive.
Updated on Apr 29, 2012 09:08 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Groove gurus
In 2004, four music addicts came together to pursue their passion. Today this Delhi-based music band, known as Jalebee Cartel, has single handedly put India on the map of international electronic dance music (EDM) genre.
Updated on Apr 29, 2012 06:22 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
'Conventional roles don't interest me'
Kunaal Roy Kapur's quirky character in Delhi Belly still causes a laugh riot. But for Kunaal, these characters are the answer to his quest for space in cinema.
Updated on Apr 22, 2012 04:59 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Poised for stage
Dressed in white with a scarf around his neck, actor Rajit Kapur looks tranquil. But the creative churnings in his mind want to breach the banks.
Updated on Apr 21, 2012 04:28 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Irshad, the playwright, in City Beautiful
Irshad Kamil, the lyricist, gives way to Irshad Kamil, the playwright, during a visit to the city. The Malerkotla-born writer, who spent a significant time in Chandigarh pursuing his master’s degree in Hindi from Panjab University, will read his play, Bolti Deewarein, at Tagore Theatre on Friday evening in an event organised by Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Updated on Apr 20, 2012 05:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta
'Rascals was a mistake'
Whether tickling audience's funny bone or knocking out bad guys with blood-curdling roar, Bollywood's 'intense' actor Ajay Devgn knows his job. But a film such as Rascals breaks the momentum. In the city on Tuesday, he says that Rascals was a mistake.
Updated on Apr 19, 2012 06:17 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Piyush Mishra’s intensity sets him apart
This fine theatre actor made an impact with his small but memorable role in Dil Se back in 1998. Though Piyush Mishra had a role in Ketan Mehta’s Sardar and also in popular TV series on Doordarshan, Bharat Ek Khoj, it were mainstream Bollywood films like Maqbool, Gulaal and, recently, Rockstar that fetched his acting prowess due recognition.
Updated on Apr 18, 2012 12:02 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Virtual passion
In 2006, a software engineer decided to bring together all the Hindi and Urdu poetry that was scattered widely on virtual space. What started out with a few hundred poems through a website - kavitakosh.com - has turned into the biggest encyclopedia of Hindi/Urdu poetry on the internet
Updated on Apr 17, 2012 06:31 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Write product of '80s
Palash Krishna Mehrotra has inked freshness into the non-fiction genre of writing. The young writer's quirky yet realistic style goes beyond the stereotypical academic, journalistic or sociological works that overpowered non-fiction in India for decades.
Updated on Apr 16, 2012 06:09 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Cinemascope re-scripted
If a newspaper report could turn into pathbreaking Hindi film Paan Singh Tomar, it is the effort of film's scriptwriter, Sanjay Chauhan, which goes beyond words.
Updated on Apr 15, 2012 08:01 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
On a new track
In his latest album, Punjabi pop singer Shankar Sahney has turned to light classical genre and has recorded it with none other than Asha Bhosle.
Updated on Apr 14, 2012 02:44 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Dyed in passion
I never learnt music but I learnt from life," singer-composer Kailash Kher unravels the mysticism behind his music as he comes to town on Thursday to introduce band Kailasa's latest album Rangeele.
Updated on Apr 13, 2012 04:56 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
The sandalwood farmer
After retiring from international cricket in 2008, Australian left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist or 'Gilly' as he is fondly called, carried strong Indian projections on his mind, apparent in the business he pursues and the food he loves to eat.
Updated on Apr 12, 2012 04:15 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh
Shamita talks about her latest design
It is not easy being a star sibling. Actor Shilpa Shetty's kid sister Shamita Shetty may not have been able to find a foothold in Bollywood but she has certainly homed in on another 'exciting' career-interior designing.
Updated on Apr 08, 2012 05:04 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Vivek Gupta, Chandigarh