Spirit of Id
Awaiting the new moon, families get ready to celebrate Id-ul-Fitr. Parbina Rashid takes a peep into their kitchens
and their wardrobes
They come from different states and bring along with them different flavours to add to the city’s cosmopolitan culture. But the connecting thread for these three families remains the same - simplicity - the essence of Islam. Muslim families in the city are getting ready to celebrate Id-ul-Fitr with their families and neighbours the right traditional way. The celebrations promise to be elegant and simple.

Festive Flavours Delicacies are cooking and Gayatri Rajwade meets up with the chefs to bring back must-have recipes for Id It is a time of renewal, reflection and spirituality, a time of celebration too. When Ramzan ends this week Muslims all across the city will come together for Id-ul-Fitr for this sacred and social festival that marks the end of this holiest of months. Vakil Ahmed Ansari, Senior Chef de Party of the Dera restaurant at the Taj Chandigarh lives in Sector 22 and goes through a gruelling daily schedule at the hotel everyday. That has not deterred him from keeping his fast for the month and praying five times a day. He is eagerly awaiting the sighting of the moon so that he may go home to Delhi to celebrate this holy festival with his family. He lays forth a tidy list of delicious foods that are "must haves" on Id proper. GET GOING: Vakil Ahmed prepares for the big day.

And now lawn bowls 
Arvind Katyal
The game of Lawn bowls is all set to attract sportspersons in the City. Sports-lovers in the City will get an opportunity to exert themselves on the bowling greens similar to the ones, one finds in Western countries. As the name suggests, Lawn bowls is played on grass and should not be mistaken for the indoor sport of Ten Pin bowling.

green space
The first step
Joyshri Lobo
People who live in flats and love to see plants around them are not blessed with open spaces to test out their green thumbs. Let’s attempt to add a little greenery to the lives of such people. As children, in our science class, we learnt that the carbon dioxide we exhaled was converted into oxygen by the plants around us.

youthspeak
School after school
In a government school, the attendance in a senior secondary class, which during the morning assembly is nearly 75%, drops down to only 2 or 3 students by the fourth period. Since there are hardly any students, teachers leave the remaining periods free.

Weddings on the cards
Gagandeep Arora
Indian weddings are getting more stylish and showy affair than ever. Right from computerised kundlis to Internet match-making, from expensive apparels to glitzy parties, weddings were never the same. From pre-wedding ceremonies to the grand bash, it’s all happening here in a flashy way.

Slippery Soaps
Gauri
“Mom, did you see those wonderful danglers which Kashish is wearing?” What a breathtaking range of saris Komolika has! Ah! poor Tulsi, God knows when will she ever get rid of her problems? Uh! All the serials look like “clones” of each other. Well, do you also feel like this when it comes to talking about serials or daily soaps?

Bollywood Buzz
Diana Hayden’s comeback
Former Miss World and actress Diana Hayden may have stayed away from the big screen for a while, but now she is all set to make a comeback in Bollywood. Diana’s debut film ‘Ab Bas’ was unable to make a mark on the block, but now she has decided to do only selective films.

Film & FASHION 
Jack worried about kids’ bags!
The load of children's school bags is a cause of worry not only for Indian parents, but also for Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson. The star is disgusted with the weight of books his kids, Lorraine and Raymond, carry to school, and is trying to figure out how to lighten their bags.

FACEWATCH
Sitting Pretty
She loves to live her life off the main highway, preferring the rocky and dusty dirt track instead. A second-year postgraduate student of Ancient History from Panjab University, Meenu Bharti loves music, dance, badminton and volleyball.

• Health and Fitness

• Tarot Talk

Spirit of Id

Awaiting the new moon, families get ready to celebrate Id-ul-Fitr. Parbina Rashid takes a peep into their kitchens and their wardrobes

They come from different states and bring along with them different flavours to add to the city’s cosmopolitan culture. But the connecting thread for these three families remains the same - simplicity - the essence of Islam. Muslim families in the city are getting ready to celebrate Id-ul-Fitr with their families and neighbours the right traditional way. The celebrations promise to be elegant and simple.

Qemami sevaiyan

For Raziq Ahmed and his wife Kaneez Asghar, Id means reviving that old Allahabadi flavour in their kitchen. The family, which migrated from Uttar Pradesh about 45 years ago, still swears by ‘qemami sevaiyan’. “You do not get finer quality of sevaiyan here. So we get them from Allahabad,” says Raziq. And the dry fruits come straight from Dubai where both of his sons are settled.

Despite easy options available in the market, the husband and wife would still prefer to celebrate Id the hard way. The cooking starts a day before, for Kaneez has to execute single-handedly the dishes like Kebabs, pulao, chats and dahi bhalle, while Raziq lands a hand in cleaning.

“Since Id is followed by Saturday and Sunday, we are expecting plenty of visitors this time,” says Raziq. His usual circle comprises about 10 Muslim families and plenty of non-Muslim families.

What about new clothes as it is mandatory to wear new dress on the day? “Simple white kurta - pajama for me and a colourful suit for my wife,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes.

Catchword: Saadgi

Sober and simple celebration is what Afaq Alam and his wife Shahnaz plans for this Id. “With Prophet Mohammad emphasising on the word ‘saadgi’ is there any other kind?” asks Afaq. Originally from Bihar, Afaq did his engineering from Aligarh Muslim University and a teaching job in the Punjab Engineering College brought him to Chandigarh.

“With holidays in the college, most of my friends have gone home. So we are expecting mostly the neighbours this time,” says Afaq.

Permanent in his guest list are two young boys from his neighbourhood, Abhishek and Abhinav, who can recite the ‘kalma’ fluently.

But for those who are still in town, do not lose heart. For Shahnaz is going to whip up some gastronomical delights like pulao, two types of sevaiyan, chole and dahi bade. No readymade food from outside for Afaq family too. It has to be home cooked.

And the dress code? It is familiar: White kurta pajama for Afaq and colourful suit for Shahnaz.

Family time

For Akhtar mahmood and Safrun Mahmood, Id means going back to home town Malerkotla and spending a couple of days visiting old friends and relatives.

An Associate Professor in the Department of Experimental Medicine at PGI, though Safrun has barely come out of the Divali fatigue (for she just threw a big Divali party for her colleagues), she is already busy planning the Id menu — kebabs, korma, pulao, sevaiyan, seer korma — the list seems to be a mile long.

With her Professor husband busy at the University till the last minute, Safrun is to take care of other things like packing of the family suitcase - the new dresses for her two daughters, the white kurta pajama for him and of course the new suit for herself.

“After we come back we are going to invite our neighbours for a treat,” she says.

That’s what we call the Id spirit!

Festive Flavours

Delicacies are cooking and Gayatri Rajwade meets up with the chefs to bring back
must-have recipes for Id

It is a time of renewal, reflection and spirituality, a time of celebration too. When Ramzan ends this week Muslims all across the city will come together for Id-ul-Fitr for this sacred and social festival that marks the end of this holiest of months.

The day is spent in feasting, visiting friends and relatives, going to the shops for trinkets, toys and clothes. For the celebration is "in opening the fast, not breaking it." as Vakil rightly points out! 

What's Cookin Chicken Korma Ingredients 1 whole chicken, cut up in small pieces and skinned. 1/2 cup fried onions 3/4 cup plain yogurt (dahi) 2 teaspoons garlic paste 2 teaspoons ginger paste 5 cloves 4 cardamom sticks 1 1/2 sticks cinnamon 2 to 3 bay leaves 1 heaped teaspoon coriander powder 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup oil Heat oil in a pan and add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Immediately add the chicken, ginger and garlic paste and cook uncovered on medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the coriander powder, cayenne pepper and salt and cook for another ten minutes, uncovered. Puree fried onions and yogurt in a blender or food processor with 1 cup of water. Add to the chicken. Cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the chicken is tender. ShirKhurma Ingredients 120 grams vermicelli (sevayyian) 4 cups milk 1/4 teaspoon saffron 5 tablespoons sugar or more if required 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder 10 almonds 15 pistas 2 tablespoons kishmish 8 to 10 drops of rose essence 1 1/4 tablespoon ghee 2 silver vargs (leaves) Heat the saffron in a small metal bowl on a low fire, shaking the bowl all the time so that the saffron threads do not turn. When cool, crush it with fingertips and keep aside. Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan, lower the fire, put in the vermicelli and fry to a light golden colour. Pour 1/2 cup water. In a few minutes the vermicelli will become soft. Pour milk and cook for eight minutes. Add sugar and simmer for another few minutes till it thickens a little Cut almonds and pistas into fine slivers. Add half of these with cardamom powder, kishmish, crushed saffron and rose essence. Pour the ready Shirkhurma in a big glass bowl and sprinkle the remaining slivers of almonds and pista. Garnish with silver varg and serve hot or cold.

And now lawn bowls 
Arvind Katyal

The game of Lawn bowls is all set to attract sportspersons in the City. Sports-lovers in the City will get an opportunity to exert themselves on the bowling greens similar to the ones, one finds in Western countries. As the name suggests, Lawn bowls is played on grass and should not be mistaken for the indoor sport of Ten Pin bowling.

Playing format

The game is played on a 34 to 40 metre square of closely cut grass called the greens. It is divided into playing areas called rinks.

The bowl must be delivered with the correct thrust along the correct line. It can be delivered either forehand or backhand and has to be closer to the jack than that of the opponent. One point is scored for each bowl. After throwing all the balls in one direction and counting the score, the direction of play is reversed. The next round is played in the opposite direction.

Methods of play

Bowls can be played as singles, or in teams of pairs, triples, or fours. In a team of four players games, each team member has a particular role to play:

The first, or lead, places the mat, delivers the jack and centres it before attempting to bowl as close as possible to the jack.

The second or two keeps the score card and scoreboard up to date. The two will normally be required to improve or consolidate the position achieved by the lead.

The third may be called upon to play different types of shots in order to score more, or to place bowls tactically to protect an advantage. The three also advises the skip on choice of shots, and agrees the number of shots scored.

The skip is in overall charge of the rink, directs the other players on choice of shots, and tries to build the ‘head’ of bowls to his or her advantage. The first to reach 21 shots is the winner.

green space
The first step
Joyshri Lobo

People who live in flats and love to see plants around them are not blessed with open spaces to test out their green thumbs. Let’s attempt to add a little greenery to the lives of such people. As children, in our science class, we learnt that the carbon dioxide we exhaled was converted into oxygen by the plants around us. This is reason enough to have these beautiful, living creatures around our homes. They add energy to our life fields, food to the table and class to the décor.

Let’s start our miniature herb and salad garden in the nerve centre of the home- the kitchen. It has ideal warmth and humidity for growth and more often than not, an airy window facing the morning sun. It also has a frequent human presence which is essential for energy exchange and growth. So sing and chatter away to see your plants flourish.

The simplest seeds to grow and often found in the kitchen jars are basil, tulsi, fenugreek (methi), coriander (dhania, to be broken in halves by rubbing vigorously between the palms), wheat, whole green moong, whole chana, moath, mustard, spinach, rye and radish.

Radishes, carrots, small onions and cloves of garlic are ideal for green and salads.

Arrange the following things to start A window ledge or metal shelf 4” to 6” pots with clay under plates. Remember only clay breathes Equal measures of sand, clay and sterile cow manure. All are available in bags at any seed store Bits of broken pottery or terracotta Some charcoal Seeds Powdered neem and peanut khali. Neem discourages insects An old blunt knife or fork to dig around Procedure: Mix the sand, clay, manure, khali and bits of charcoal on a newspaper. Put a layer of broken pottery in your pot for drainage and then add the soil mixture one inch short of the top. Sprinkle the seeds sparingly and cover with a thin layer of soil. For carrot and radish greens, place the cut tops, leafy side up in the soil and press down with your fingers. Lightly moisten by letting water drip through your fingers. Too much water will make the seeds float to the top. Place the pots and under plates on your ledge. The seeds will sprout in a week or two. Till then watering should be done sparingly. When the seedlings have at least six leaves, fork or pinch out the extra plants so as to give the rest enough nutrition. Snip the roots and use these leaves as flavouring for a salad. Small onions and cloves of garlic, when sprouted, offer fresh greens too.

youthspeak
School after school

In a government school, the attendance in a senior secondary class, which during the morning assembly is nearly 75%, drops down to only 2 or 3 students by the fourth period. Since there are hardly any students, teachers leave the remaining periods free.

Young and bubbling with creative vibes? Have something to say? Well, send your views on something you feel strongly about to lifestyle@tribunemail.com or Lifestyle, The Tribune, Sector 29-C Chandigarh. The best will find place in Lifestyle.

Weddings on the cards
Gagandeep Arora

Indian weddings are getting more stylish and showy affair than ever. Right from computerised kundlis to Internet match-making, from expensive apparels to glitzy parties, weddings were never the same. From pre-wedding ceremonies to the grand bash, it’s all happening here in a flashy way. No expense is spared and no detail is too trivial to be ignored.A wedding invitation is one such expense one can’t ignore as it is the first intimation that one’s relatives, friends and guests receive regarding the wedding and it’s what sets the mood of the whole affair.

The style and pattern of wedding cards have undergone a sea change from the past. Wedding cards these days have a more artistic and classy look. Box-shaped cards and cards made of tissue sheet and raw silk are in vogue these days. Card designers have even taken a clue from the past and designed a farmaan (king’s order) type wedding invitations, which are in great demand.

Most about-to-be married people want their wedding invitations to be as special as their special day. They wish to get away from the usual run-of-the mill wedding invitations.

Priya, a city-based software professional who is going to get married soon, says, “Through invitation cards, we seek the presence of our near and dear ones at the most auspicious day of our life. So there is no question of taking it lightly. In fact , special attention needs to be given for selecting an invitation card. For my wedding, I have selected a card made of plastic sheet instead of the usual paper cards with the wedding programme engraved on it.”

Mr Sanjay of Nimantran in Sector 17 says, “Now, people do not want the usual stuff and demand some unique card. Cards made of tissue sheets, raw silk and plastic sheets are in vogue these days. We have around 500 designs of wedding cards ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 150. Price, however, does not matter for upper middle and rich class. Sky is the limit after all. What matters is the uniqueness of the wedding invitation to match their status.”

According to Mr Sanjay, its not just about the wedding cards its about the whole package. As per the latest trends, people go for matching sweet boxes and carry bags.

Mr Anil Sharma, another city resident, says, “It’s my son’s wedding in November and for the invitation, I will go for a decent and elegant card. After all, a wedding invitation reflects your status. At the same time keeping the budget in mind, we are planning to have two types of invitation cards, one for special guests and another for the regular ones.”

Mr Ram Chandra, a city-based trader, is, however, not at all happy with the customer’s demands. He says this business is a big headache, you never know what the customer demands. Trends change so frequently that you fail to understand what is in and what’s out.

“Customers these days are not bothered about the price of the card. We are doing brisk business in hand made and box-shaped cards which costs anywhere between Rs 80 to Rs 150. Farmaans are also a hit among customers,” says Ms Priyanka Tayal of Azad Hind Store.

One can also order cards on the Internet where numerous varities are enlisted. Just at the click of a mouse, one can get the card of his choice. So, what’s your pick?

Slippery Soaps
Gauri

“Mom, did you see those wonderful danglers which Kashish is wearing?” What a breathtaking range of saris Komolika has! Ah! poor Tulsi, God knows when will she ever get rid of her problems? Uh! All the serials look like “clones” of each other. Well, do you also feel like this when it comes to talking about serials or daily soaps? Not a difficult question for those who are addicted to them to death and for those too who don’t even pay an ounce of heed to them.

Now every channel has something interesting for its viewers. Interesting as in our “dear TV serials”. But are they actually fascinating?The perspectives can be many because so is the choice.

However, ever since the K-factor has taken over and started dominating the TV medium, almost every lady has started relating herself to one or the other characters. Be it Tulsi of ‘Kyunki...”, Parvati of ‘Kahani...’, Prerna of ‘Kasauti..., Kumkum of ‘Kumkum’ and the list is endless. Undoubtedly, the type of characters that are portrayed in the serials, especially females, are women who are educated, modern housewives and the like.

“Even though I spend half of my day outside the house being a working woman, I cannot afford to miss the prime time serials. I find them very real because of the characters,” says Alka, an executive in public sector.

Also, it has set its “appointment viewing” as for most of the ladies today, daily soaps are more important from routine kitchen politics. And interestingly, leave aside the age barrier, when it comes to viewing serials, there is not any gender discrimination also.

“The serials are not just a mode of entertainment but at times, end up being a cause of argument for me and my wife. When I come back home late night from office, I know that I will have to wait for my wife until she is through with her “very important job” of watching serials. And for that matter, I too have to accompany her,” asserts Sunil, an architect.

“The best thing about the serials is not the story but the latest fashion and the jewellery which is quite fascinating and very attractive. The stylish ‘bindis’ and chic Indian wear is what attracts me the most,” feels Suman who is a house wife.

Whatever may be the opinions of people, a little in favour and some against, this “chat-pat” and spicy mix of soaps would remain an all-time favourite of the people. In addition, it has at least been successful in lessening the communication gap, which is very much evident in today’s busy life, as serials today are for the entire family and not just for a particular age group. 

Bollywood Buzz
Diana Hayden’s comeback

Former Miss World and actress Diana Hayden may have stayed away from the big screen for a while, but now she is all set to make a comeback in Bollywood. Diana’s debut film ‘Ab Bas’ was unable to make a mark on the block, but now she has decided to do only selective films. “I haven’t signed any film this year. I have become very choosy with what I do. It has to be right, and when I know it is right, I’ll sign. I don’t want to do 10 films a year. That’s not the way I am,” she said. — ANI

Sanjay surrenders Porsche

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt on Wednesday surrendered his ‘Porsche’ car to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in view of the ongoing probe into the alleged evasion of import duty by a car importer. Dutt’s secretary Kaleem Khan said here today that since Dutt was abroad on a shooting assignment, he surrendered the car to the DRI on the actor’s behalf. — PTI

Hearing on Pooja’s petition adjourned

The Sessions court on Friday adjourned, till November 25, the hearing on the petition filed by actress producer Pooja Bhatt seeking recall of process issued against her by a lower court and dismissal of a complaint which had asked for a ban on posters of her film ‘Rog’ on the ground that they were obscene. The complainant had pleaded that the posters of the film — which was released in January this year — were in bad taste and obscene and hence they should be banned. The posters of course have disappeared off the streets long back. — PTI

Baba Sehgal’s second innings

After being away from the limelight for about three years, India’s first ‘rap’ singer Baba Sehgal is all set to create thunder, this time on the silver screen, by playing a villain in the movie titled ‘Thodi Masti Thodi Dhoom’. The film starring Sanjay Kapoor and Hrishita Bhatt has been directed by Vicky Ranawat. Baba would also host two shows on television - ‘Le Jayenge Le Jayenge’ on Star Plus and ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’ on Zee Punjabi. He said for the last three years he was in US for some ‘’personal reasons’’ but now he had decided to make a comeback in the world of entertainment. — UNI

Hinglish titles in Bollywood

Giving Hindi films Hinglish titles seems to have become a fashion with filmmakers in Bollywood these days! This is specially so if one casts a look at titles of various films released over the last month. Be it Chocolate, Kal-Yesterday and Tomorrow, Mumbai Godfather, Sauda-The Deal, Rain, Vishwas-The Power of Truth, every other film seems to have either English, or a mix of Hindi and English titles. The reason, as Chahat Khanna, an actor of the forthcoming film ‘The Film’, pointed out is that a majority of these filmmakers feel that giving English titles to their films or adding English appendages to them, would enhance the acceptability of their films with the multiplex audience, which is the target audience of a majority of filmmakers these days. This is not limited to small filmmakers as even some big budget ventures have English titles. The big budget films with English titles released in the past include Ketan Mehta’s Mangal Pandey-The Rising, Boney Kapoor’s No Entry, Vivek Agnihotri’s Chocolate, Ramgopal Verma’s D Company, James and My Wife’s Murder. Among the forthcoming ventures with English titles are Vashu Bhagnani’s Shaadi No 1, Ramesh Sippy’s Bluffmaster, Yash Chopra’s Nikki N Neal, Sojoy Ghosh’s Home Delivery and Deepak Tijori’s Tom Dick and Harry. These films are slated for release in the next two months. — UNI

Bachchan meets HIV-affected kids

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday urged people to make efforts for the eradication of AIDS and polio. “It is the duty of the people everywhere to work for the eradication of these diseases”, Bachchan said at a function organised by UNICEF at Filmcity in Goregaon, where he met HIV-affected children. Bachchan also shot 30-second and 60-second TV capsules targeted at domestic and the global audiences on eradication of these two diseases. — PTI

Yashraj Films sign up Shahrukh

Shahrukh Khan has been signed by Yashraj films for their next venture to be launched shortly. Shahrukh will play the lead in the venture, yet untitled, to be directed by Shimit Amin, trade sources said. Rest of the cast is being finalised. Shooting will commence in mid-2006, the sources said. — UNI

Film & FASHION 
Jack worried about kids’ bags!

The load of children's school bags is a cause of worry not only for Indian parents, but also for Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson. The star is disgusted with the weight of books his kids, Lorraine and Raymond, carry to school, and is trying to figure out how to lighten their bags. "I picked the bags up, and I thought, 'For the love of God, this will destroy their posture, their structure, or something’. It's just too many books," Contactmusic quoted him as saying. — ANI

'Jaws' scariest movie of all time

Steven Spielberg classic "Jaws" has been voted the scariest movie of all time. The sequel "Jaws 2" also featured on the list with the fifth position, said contactmusic.com. The poll was conducted by the Internet website hollywood.com on the occasion of Halloween. "The Exorcist" came second in the list. "Alien", "The Mummy Returns" and "What Lies Beneath" also made it to the top 10. — IANS

Bruce Willis has a crush on Halle

Hollywood actor Bruce Willis has reportedly admitted that he has got a "little crush" on his former neighbour and moviestar Halle Berry. "I do have a little crush on Halle," Contactmusic quoted him as saying. The ex-husband of Demi Moore, confessing his attraction for the Oscar winning actress, has however claimed that, when the pair used to be neighbours, it was Halle who made the first move by bringing him the script for the thriller "Perfect Stranger," which he happily accepted. "She knocked on the door and said, 'I'd like you to take a look at this,' and I'm doing it," said the actor. But, while Willis is excited about working together with his new love in the upcoming movie, he's unsure if the actress also harbours same feelings for him. "Never say never, but moving away didn't help our romance, that's for sure!" said Willis. — ANI

Richards and Depp dress up as pirates

Rocker Keith Richards, who is the inspiration behind Johnny Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in 'Pirates Of The Caribbean', has said he and Depp dress up as pirates for fun. "We got dressed up in all the Pirates of the Caribbean gear about three weeks ago in Los Angeles. He is pushing me to appear in the sequel," the Sun quoted him as saying. "I thought he did a good job of me actually," he added. — ANI

Sandra's hubby to open burger bar

Sandra Bullock's hubby Jesse James is reportedly planning to open a burger bar this winter in Long Beach, California, near their house. "Called Cisco Burgers, it will have burgers, fries and shakes. The burgers will be in the shape of crosses, resembling the iron cross logo of James' company, West CoastChoppers. Jesse is hiring tattooed waitresses and he's going to put in leather booths and biker paraphernalia." Contactmusic quoted a source as saying. "Sandra loves this kind of food," the source added. — ANI

Paris Hilton is a pro at downing whisky

Sexy actress Elisha Cuthbert has claimed that she struggled to keep up with famous socialite, Paris Hilton's hard-drinking in Australia, when they made House Of Wax. The blonde actress has revealed that she got the hotel heiress to swap her turquoise drink for whisky when both of them went head- to-head to see who could down more shots without staggering. "We went out once or twice to go head-to-head on the shots. I can drink, I can hold my liquor, but I think she beat me," The Sun quoted her as telling Glamour magazine. — ANI

FACEWATCH
Sitting Pretty

She loves to live her life off the main highway, preferring the rocky and dusty dirt track instead. A second-year postgraduate student of Ancient History from Panjab University, Meenu Bharti loves music, dance, badminton and volleyball.

—Text and photo: Kuldip Dhiman

Health and Fitness

Say no to self medication! Don’t indulge in popping pills without consulting your doctor. A mild soreness in the throat should be tackled with salt water gargles. Adequate rest can take care of a little fatigue.

— Dr Rashmi Garg is senior consultant, Fortis, Mohali.

Tarot Talk

What the cards say today...
P. KHURRANA

ARIES : You may be on a short fuse, so avoid people or situations that you know will try your patience. You have the patience and verbal skills to discuss complex issues. Lucky Number:10, Lucky colour: White.	LIBRA : It is important that you remain open and receptive no matter what comes your way. What appears to be an unimportant matter could be a key to your future success. Lucky Number: 19, Lucky colour: White.
TAURUS : You're not likely to encounter many problems, but the one or two that do arise may prove stubborn. You will be most effective by sticking to the subject. Lucky Number: 2, Lucky colour: Blue.	SCORPIO :  Pay close attention to the messages your subconscious is sending you. Your dreams may be pointing the way out of a difficult situation. Lucky Number: 13, Lucky colour: Black.
GEMINI : Someone may seem annoying to you and it won't be any surprise at all who it is. Negotiating the best possible deal is an exercise in good judgment. Lucky Number: 17, Lucky colour: White.	SAGITTARIUS : Don't meet stubbornness with stubbornness or else neither party will get very far. Your intuition tells you one thing, but logic points in another direction. Lucky Number: 16, Lucky colour: Crimson.
CANCER : You crabs are most often led by your emotions, but today is an opportunity for you to step outside of your feelings to see things more objectively. Lucky Number: 10, Lucky colour: Pink.	CAPRICORN :Don't be so eager to impress that you become intrusive or overbearing. Remember, the less you say the more they'll want to hear. Lucky Number: 10, Lucky colour: Pink.
LEO : Strive to avoid any head-on confrontations if at all possible. It's so undignified to count pennies, Leo, but you might have to take a more careful approach to money today. Lucky Number: 8, Lucky colour: Crimson.	AQUARIUS : Don't do things of which the urgency and usefulness is not clearly evident. Be diplomatic. Refurbishing or interior decoration would keep you quite busy. Lucky Number: 2, Lucky colour: Emerald.
VIRGO : Your stamina will see you through, though toward the end you may find that your creativity is at its lowest level. Present your advice with care to those who will listen. Lucky Number: 15, Lucky colour: Yellow.	PISCES: Some dark clouds in your amorous sky are possible. If you show yourself tolerant and receptive, the current tension within your family will quickly disappear. Lucky Number: 8, Lucky colour: Jade.