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Laurels from
Kolkata Gardens: Coaxing bulbs to bloom AND BABY MAKES
ONE TOO MANY? COOL STUFF
Stars dance to her tune Ethnically trendy Decoding Dalit politics
Nibbling pleasure Bon Appetit Pop goes Pasta Kaddu karishma
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It’s a Cosmetic World City women are spending a sizable part of their salaries on lipsticks, nail varnishes, eye-liners, fairness creams and what have you, finds out Parbina Rashid Good time
And now there is a possibility that you would not even have to cross your boss by taking that long lunch break. A few innovative minds have come up with the brilliant idea of providing us exactly what we have been looking for right at our office. Temptations
Meet Daman, one such innovative person, who has been catering cosmetics and costume jewellery to the office-going women for the past three years. The beauty of buying here is one can buy a Taiwan or Singapore-made Revlon lipstick just for Rs 99 or a sleek TianNuo one for Rs 45 only. The assortment of cosmetics that he carries is too tempting –lipsticks and nail paints of all known brands like L’oreal, Maybelline, Avon, Oriflame and Lakme, eye-liner, deodorants of foreign as well as Indian brands, creams and lotions from Lotus to Avon to Garnier. There is even earrings to match your dress. You name it and he has it! On discount
Daman’s fare comes as manna for so many of us working women who has to keep waiting for the last day of the month, for he gives a generous monthly credit facility, besides 10 to 15 per cent discount and various gift schemes. As we are curious to know how much a normal working woman’s average budget is allocated to cosmetics, Daman who has been catering to offices like NIFD, JD Institute of Fashion and a number of boutiques and beauty parlours, let us know, “On an average a woman spends about Rs 500 per month, but it fluctuates from time to time, from person to person.” That is easy to understand as after having a look at his collection so conveniently at your office, even the most controlled one tends to go a bit overboard. Needless to say that Daman’s strategy has clicked well with the workingwomen of the city. “It saves too much time and energy while getting one’s monthly supply during the office hour,” says Sakhshi Bhatia, who shopped regularly from Daman when she was working with JD Institute of Fashion. Sakshi admittedly spends about Rs 3000-4000 on cosmetics and toiletries per month. Feel good
“One needs to feel good and look good for the confidence one requires to fit into today’s competitive world,” she justifies, adding that though she relies on cosmetics for outer beauty, it is good diet and right amount of exercise which gives one the ultimate the boost. However, not every is as wise as Sakhshi. “So many of my friends are blindly trying to apt those anorexic model brigade and in that process they are losing the real beauty. No amount of cosmetics can cover that haggard look,” she says. True, agrees Kishwar Ahmed Shirali, a feminist and social activist. “The younger generation is spending a lot more on cosmetics than nutritious food,” she says, adding how the clever marketing strategies of multi-national cosmetic companies are trapping them. “In our days, we would buy an apple or a banana and eat rather than saving every penny to buy one lipstick,” she says, recalling the days when a girls’ prized possession used to be a bottle of itar, kajal and henna. Changed times
Well, we agree with Kishwar wholeheartedly. But then a banana or an apple does not come with a fairometer like a tube of Fair and Lovely, which actually shows how fair one would become by the end of each passing week. And who would guarantee that the banana would not be laden with pesticide?
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Laurels from
Kolkata Acceptance and awards from Kolkata for the literati matter a lot and this is so because Dilli may be the capital for arts and Mumbai for films but when it comes to literature, it is the approval from the bhadra lok that matters. And a laurel has come all the way from the City of Joy for our city-bred editor here. He is Anil Sharma, editor of Contemporary Vibes, a literary quarterly published from Chandigarh. The one-year-old magazine has vibed well and Anil has been awarded the New Millennium Michael Madhusudan Dutt Award for Best Editor, which will be presented to him later this year in Kolkata. For those who would like to know Michael Madhusudan Dutt (1824-1873) epic poet and playwright, was born on 25 January 1824 in a landed family in the village of Sagardari in Jessore district and his talent blossomed while he was a student in Kolkata. And he was published in the best of literary journals in Britain.
Our Anil here began as a poet but had to work as a lawyer to earn his living. Now that he can afford it, he has returned to literature and his niche magazine is warmly welcomed in the literary circles. The magazine looks at vital issues through literature and is also showcasing the work of regional writers from all languages. Besides, Anil has published two anthologies of poetry Panch Dashak ki Dastak (Hindi) and Five Beats of the Heart (English). And now his collection of short stories called Candid Confession is to be released soon. —TNS
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Gardens: Coaxing bulbs to bloom Earlier on, we talked about phosphorous as an essential ingredient for flowering bulbs. We derive this from bone meal, which is mixed with the soil when preparing pots. Nurseries offer pre-chilled and early blooming bulbs, which give us blossoms at times when we want them, not when they are expected to flower. All this requires meticulous planning. To achieve this, remember to ask and read about the culture, habits, cycles and feeding habits of the plants you are dealing with. To have flowering bulbs in December and January, we should start planting in August or September.For un-seasonal, forced indoor plantings, choose the largest, best quality, unblemished bulbs. As most bulbs flower in spring after a dormant, rest period, to force them we have to create artificial, winter conditions. Pot them and place them in cool, dark spaces - a cellar, unlighted garage or even the lowest shelf in the fridge. Cover the pots with black garbage bags or card board boxes to create darkness. Water them regularly but do not soak them. The soil must never dry out. This darkness has to be maintained for two to four months to encourage healthier blooms. When roots appear from the basal holes and shoots emerge from the top, remove the coverings and move the containers to a slightly warmer place-20-25 degrees Celsius. Allow them subdued lighting and leave them for two weeks or so. The final step is to coax the plant to flower. Flower buds will appear and show a little colour. Move the pots into full light- a window sill, sunny glass room or enclosed balcony. The blooms will open up fast and will continue flowering for a long time. Remember that forcing exhausts a plant. Therefore it is essential to give liquid manure every two weeks. We have already discussed how to make this nutritional soup. Forced bulbs usually bloom every two years as the coaxing is very taxing and they lose energy. Nurse them through the un-productive season and they will give you many years of flowers.
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AND BABY MAKES
ONE TOO MANY?
Most pets will need some extra attention when a family introduces a new baby to the order of the home. Dogs in particular may find it confusing and invasive when a new “member of the pack” enters the scene. A dog socializes in linear packs, which means it considers some family members as dominant to its own position and others as submissive. Initially, a dog probably sees the new baby in a lower pack order and may display dominant behavior. Watch for signs of aggression such as growling, ears down or laid back over the head, and crouching. Dogs who form deep bonds with their owners may also become depressed and stop eating. Before bringing baby home from the hospital, expectant parents should allow their family pets to go into the baby’s room and investigate the crib and other new furniture. If there are baby powders or other smells that the pets will eventually associate with the baby, let them explore the scents. It is probably best, however, to keep your pets out of the room after the baby is home. Carefully allow your pets to see and smell your baby. Parents who panic and pull the child away when a pet approaches are possibly sending the message that the baby is a threat. Plan to spend time with your pets. Let them know they have not been replaced in the household. Pets may fear abandonment or rejection when the focus is switched to the new baby. Plan to take regular walks or have a game of fetch with your dog. Give them personal time, just you and them. Even with these precautions, some pets may never get used to children. Like people, they either accept children or they don’t. If a pet is raised around kids, generally there will be no great behavior problem. If the pet has not seen a “little person” before, you may have to closely supervise the interaction for awhile. Also, if you have a pet that has been teased or mistreated by a child in the past, there will be significant obstacles to overcome. As your children get older, it is imperative they learn how to respect and treat the family pet. They should know that pets feel pain and get lonely when no one is around - just like people do. Praise your children for gentleness and correct them for rough and unkind behaviors toward your pets. Children should also learn that dogs naturally chase, herd, catch, and fetch. Playfully grabbing a tail or running in the yard may be a dog’s invitation to chase and jump-a very natural response for a dog. Remember, in many instances, your pets were your “babies” first. They don’t really understand what is happening. Find ways to show them you love them just as much as always. Take quiet walks or hang out in the yard on a cool summer evening. Make meal times special times to be with you. A little bit of affection goes a long way toward making your furry family members happy.
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Spirituality set in modern designs
As part of its spiritual series, ORRA launches its ninth collection, the Navgraha Collection, as a tribute to the nine sacred stones. ORRA has continued to create a unique series of spiritual jewellery collections, with exquisite designs drawing inspiration from Indian sculptures, scriptures, mythology and culture. The Navgraha collection has more than 15 designs of pendants and rings carved using the precious Navratna stones and pure Belgian diamonds, each unique from the other. Beautifully crafted in 22 carat gold, the Navgraha collection will be available with a ‘Pothi’ describing the significance of the piece along with a shloka for the worship of Navgraha. With Prices starting from Rs. 6000 onwards, the collection is available in Chandigarh at ORRA diamond boutique at SCO 48, Sector 17-E. Click-N-Seal
Prince Plastics International Pvt. Ltd. has launched Click-N -Seal which is a 100% airtight food preservation system and has unique features that suits modern day lifestyle. Click- N- Seal is part of the umbrella brand called Prince ware, launched recently by Prince to bring innovative preservation products for the households. Click-N-Seal being a 100% airtight does not allow air passage hence retains the freshness of its content. It’s modular and stackable storage design saves space while clear transparent material helps in easy identification of content. Click-N-Seal ensures that no mixing of different food smells in refrigerator takes place with the content in it thereby freeing the content from the odour of any sorts. It also comes with Unique SILON™ seal and Perfect Secure Locking System. Moreover, it is
microwaveable. Click-N-Seal comes in various sizes and shapes in the range of Rs. 70/- to 500/- Avon glimmer sticks
Grab attention with Avon glimmer sticks! Get eyes so dramatic and lips so defined that you can’t help looking gorgeous and stunning. This summer accentuate your style with Avon glimmer sticks Lip and Eye Liner that are available in a range of colors so vast that won’t let your wardrobe down. Avon glimmer sticks are retractable and self-sharpening, available in five attractive colors of Pink Bouquet, Dark Berry, Perfect Plum, Caramel and Raspberry for your lips and four eye-catching shades of Majestic Plum, Cosmic Brown, Starry Night Blue and Blackest Black for your eyes. Priced at Rs. 225, Avon glimmer sticks, Lip and Eye Liner is available with all Avon Beauty Advisors only. Godrej launches Glossy
Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. (GCPL), a leading player in the Indian FMCG industry, has launched its new premium dish wash liquid, Glossy, a specialized liquid cleaner for expensive and special utensils like glassware, non-stick ware, crockery, etc. Glossy is formulated for gentle yet effective cleansing of special utensils. It is meant to be used for the special kitchenware that requires gentle care. Glossy, with ‘shine advancers’ gives a sparkling shine to the utensils after cleaning, increasing its appeal on kitchen shelves. The formulation also ensures that there is no damage to the kitchenware. Glossy is available in two sizes, a normal 500 gm bottle for Rs. 50/- and a new small bottle of 120 gm for Rs. 15/- Masti unlimited
Frito Lay India, the leading convenience foods company of India, has launched its exciting new tea-time snack with Kurkure Masti Squares. The new square shaped Masti Squares can be consumed just like that or can be used as a snack base to create versatile toppings. The delectable Masti Squares is available in an exciting new flavour – “Sweet n Sour”. Offered at two price points: 45 grams pack priced at Rs.10/-, 110 grams pack at Rs 20/-, the new Kurkure Masti Square comes in a refreshing pink pack and is available across key cities in India 100th Store Celebrations
Fashion aficionados, here more to splurge and spend!! Cotton County has just opened its 100th exclusive outlet this month. Inspired by the trends, creativity, dynamism and individuality the monsoon collection has been designed as the most preferable wear available now in exciting prices. The collection comprises a whole new range of fashionable denim, shirts and trousers in special fabrics and washes for this season with an accent on Comfort, Style, and Class & Elegance.
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Capitalising on memory bank Moppets are god’s sweetest creations, but this cherubic one outfitted in a bright sunflower-yellow pair of shorts is button-eyed, sparkling with curiosity and remarkably assured for a three-year-old and soon has all the grown-ups in the room clucking and cooing over him like a posse of fussy hens! For, Jagpreet Singh is no run-of-the-mill cherub! He can, at this age, name the capitals of most countries in the world, recite the names of the ten Sikh Gurus (pronounced duru!), the names of the Sahibzadas, even the names of the planets in our solar system apart from typing out his name on a computer, slowly but surely! His wisdom recently got an added fillip when the FIFA World Cup was on and there were so many countries to delve into, so many capital cities to remember! “What is the capital of South Africa?” we ask, plump in the knowledge that it’s Johannesburg. “Pretoria” pat came the reply! (Oops!) And it does not stop here, the longest river, the highest mountain, the biggest desert—this little angel knows them all! “The questions never stop,” says his father Jagmohan Singh, a technician working as ground staff on Dornier aircrafts in the Indian Air Force, who has recently moved to Chandigarh from Bangalore, “and he never forgets what he has heard once, either,” smiles Jagmohan proudly. Living in the south of the country has meant that Jagpreet can only speak English but that has not stopped him from making lots of friends in his nursery class at Mount Carmel and wrapping the teachers around his little finger, who utterly charmed think he is a computer incarnate! His infinite astuteness is no recent phenomena for at the age of two, Jagpreet could recite all the letters of the English alphabet, could count through innumerable numbers and knew more than a dozen nursery rhymes apart from sundry information like Gandhiji is the Father of the Nation! The conversation meanders to a close when sugar-sprinkled ‘Little Hearts’ biscuits arrive courtesy the cackling hens in the room and which are studiously and diligently consumed by Jagpreet. “They are tasty that is why I am eating them,” he proclaims. As we turn to go, we see him clutching his bag of biscuits and talking about a traut (truck) which he wants for his birthday this year. But this is no truck-driver in the making, for he has his eyes firmly set on being a fighter pilot no less. After all dad is hero, never mind all the capitals of the world combined!
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Stars dance to her tune We have all been dancing to their tunes, struggling to shake a leg the way they do with so much panache, élan and oomph! If our Bollywood divas and style-bhais have this effect on us, ever wonder who makes them dance to their tunes? Well, the choreographer does, of course, but it comes as a huge surprise when one discovers a choreographer who is only as old as these dancing queens and kings career spans! Meet Pony Verma, the person behind those breathtaking dance items. In the city and on the sets of a frantically filming Jane Bhi Do Yaro one can spot this young (only a 20 something!), vibrant bundle of energy sweating and toiling while shouting commands for the dance steps at the top of her lungs. On being questioned as to how she started as a choreographer, she replies amongst ear-splitting screams, “It all started six years back when director Priyadarshan gave me my first break with the movie Ye Tera Ghar Ye Mera Ghar starring Suneil Shetty and Mahima Chaudhary.” While swearing by the versatile Saroj Khan’s enormous body of work in choreography, Pony nonetheless, takes pride in telling everyone that her “guru” remains Priyadarshan. After her recent success in Kyon Ki, Garam Masala, Hulchul, Hungama and the latest big-buzz film Anthony Kaun Hai with none other than Sanjay Dutt Pony earnest desire is to make the legendary Amitabh Bachchan dance to her beats. This plucky lady who has many stage shows to her credit started out as an assistant with ace choreographers Ganesh Hegde and Vaibhavi Merchant. “It was my work in Garam Masala which brought me recognition as a choreographer, Pony adds. With a little training in Kathak, she specialises in western dances such as pop, hip-hop, disco et al and her take on the song and dance sequences in the movies, is rather poetic. “Movie is a cake and a choreographer’s job is to make the cake look even more beautiful”. Being the youngest in her family she has had all the support from them when she started and it’s still going strong and being on location for most shoots means that it is her family she misses most. But, with her forthcoming ventures, ncluding big budget films like Bhaagambhag starring Akshay Kumar and Govinda, Don’t Stop Dreaming with Taz of Stereo Nation and Namaste London to be directed Vipul Shah, time with family will have to wait. Until then all one can say to this pint sized bundle of talent is Good Luck.
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Ethnically trendy
If you are having any doubts about the glittering desire of so many damsels to pick up a piece of heritage for themselves; ask artist Seema Puri. She will tell you all about the trend that shining around the beauteous necks, or dangling from the ears, of the residents. “The ethnic Victorian hand-made jewellery, embellished with stones in myriad hues, especially designed to give it a contemporary look, is fast pushing other ornaments out of the vanity boxes”, she says. “For, the traditional to funky ornaments are for just everyone — right from all those pretty damsels studying the book of style in colleges to young business executives working in multinational organizations”. Puri believes that the antique jewellery collection embellished with charm is the expression of elegance in itself. “That why the jewellery, designed with the help of semi-precious stones, glass and even American diamonds, is exported to countries across the seas,” says Puri. Well, if you haven’t picked up the stuff, just hop into your car and drive down to Aroma Hotel in Sector 22. An exhibition of exclusively crafted jewellery, brought to you by “Gauri Collections”, is on till August 13 from 10 am to 8 pm. “The stuff on display is not very expensive either. You can pick up earrings, necklace sets, pendants or even bangles by pulling out as less as Rs 500 from your handbag. It is actually affordable and attractive for those who cannot buy real gold and diamond studded Victorian jewellery,” concludes Puri, the artist behind the exhibition. — Saurabh Malik
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Decoding Dalit politics The irony is inescapable. While the power-hungry politicians are riding high on the crutches of dalit politics, wooing them with a promise of greater reservations, the plight of downtrodden dalits remains worsened. For, while the reservations have been misused by the already well-off SC’s (thus infuriating the deserving non-dalits); the lowest rungs of the social ladder have remained unaffected, helpless, homeless. Capturing the pitiable plight of these clans is famous Punjabi short-story-writer Desraj Kali. Hailing from a similar background, the storyteller feels deeply for the downtrodden dalit community and women. “Both women and the lower caste artisans are relegated to the lowest rungs of our social fabric. And I’ve tried to capture this in many of my stories – Chanan di lik, Kath-kali, Phakiri, Zakhaman de raste.” Presently working as the Assistant editor, in a Punjabi daily called Navan Zamana, Kali says that while journalism gives him bread and butter, writing stories nourishes his soul. “I’ve been into journalism for more than 7 years and have worked with papers like Nawan Zamana, Desh Sewak and Panj Dariya.” But writing stories is his catharsis. “I can put all my sensitivity, empathy and ideology into writing, while journalistic news should just be racy, factual and readable,” he reasons. But how does he demarcate boundaries between writing fiction and journalistic reports? “My instinct tells me what to do with a particular story. Like once I went to cover the bulldozers’ levelling of the encroachments by the Bhagat Biradari artisans. For Government, it was just the encroachments it was doing away with. But I saw dreams and homes being enmeshed. And so I wrote a sad story on this episode called Bairakan, using a lot of cinematography in my writing.” Extremely emphatic to the sad plight of lower castes, this impassioned writer uses his fiction as a canvas to create visuals of unmatched colour. No wonder, his cutting edge writing transforms the reader into the heartland of dreams undreamt, desires buried.
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FILM & FASHION The sister of Heather Mills’ first husband has launched a full-mouthed attack on the former model. Dianna Karmal has accused Heather of manipulating men as part of her pursuit of “money, fame and VIP status”. Karmal has further added that the 38-year-old presents a false picture of a doting mother and a caring wife, while in reality she is a control freak driven by the trappings of fame and wealth. She also claimed that before vegetarian Heather met Sir Paul McCartney she used to eat meat and wear fur. “She is like a chameleon. She draws in men making them believe she is their perfect dream woman. They she gets more demanding, bored and moves on,” The Mirror quoted her, as saying. “She only became vegetarian after meeting Paul. She loved meat. And her anti-fur stance is laughable. She used to wear her mum’s fur coat. She creates a persona for herself to fit the situation,” she added. Jagger takes voice coaching
Singer Mick Jagger felt the need of taking voice coaching after being in the singing business for almost 35 years. Natasha to sing for Rocky
Singer Natasha Bedingfield has been asked to record the theme song for the new Rocky movie.
According to ananova.com, veteran actor Sylvester Stallone personally asked her to record the song titled Still Here after he became a big fan of her debut album.
The song will be used for the sixth of the series titled Rocky Balboa. A source said: “Sylvester went up to Natasha at a party in Los Angeles and personally asked her to get involved. He heard her debut album and loved her voice. Natasha was completely shocked. She found it hard to believe that a legend like Stallone had heard of her.”
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Nibbling pleasure
And it’s not just chocolate brownies that they are going for. Cappuccino mousse and blueberry cheesecakes too are hot-off-the-fire passion among the residents taking break in the cool comfort of air-conditioned coffee bars and fast food joints. You may find it hard to believe it, corporate bosses are not the only ones pulling out currency notes from their wallets for the not-so-inexpensive delight. Even students in university and college campuses are going in for stuff after saving the best for the last. The whiff is unmistakable. As you cross the joints offering a heady combination of dessert cold coffee topped with rich caramel and apple pies, the aroma lures you indoors. The tang mingles with a hint of cool music wafting out of the overhead speakers to give all-in-one flavour of taste and thrill. If you are hot for the stuff, just drive down to your favourite haunt and gratify your taste buds with an abundance of cashew and honey walnuts, even vanilla chocolate chip. Right folks; for once, forget all about counting those loathsome calories. Order mouth-melting date walnut or a piece of nutty carrot cake. You can even go for platter full of chocolate excess. You see, until a few years ago, one had few options as the restaurants and fast food joints across the city were not offering rich variety in nibble to enhance the flavour of high coffee. But now the stuff in bite-to-eat category is more and merrier. Pick up the menu card and you will find nibbles like walnut pie and even “pineapple upside”. You can also pick up truffle, nicely. A word of caution here: As some of the dishes mentioned in the menu card are full of cream, just do not hesitate in asking the member of the staff serving at table, lest you land up with consuming more calories than you had initially planned. If you are going to Bakes and Beans in Sector 10, remember to go in for “apple pie”, along with your favourite coffee. For just Rs 40, you’ll get the stuff. Or else, go in for eggless truffle. It is actually worth tasting. At Food Swings in Sector 17, pick up “cake crumble”. In case you are going to Sector 11 Barista, ask for “Mr Fudge the Brownie” in the “Indulgence” category. Costing less than Rs 40, it is scrumptious. You can also go in for “apple excess” and “dark temptation” in the “Indulgent combos” category. For the stuff, you will have to pull out something like Rs 55 plus taxes from your wallet. You can ask for cashew, honey or walnut cake at Oven Fresh in Sector 17, or from Sector 35. The stuff is simply irresistible. To top it all, the ambience and the setting is fit for a perfect evening for two. Sounds yummy, indeed!
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Bon Appetit Kandla Nijhowne 
When it comes to greens, I’m a true-blue, dyed-in-the-wool, Capricornian. Short of grass in the garden, I’ll eat anything leafy and crunchy. I throw poise under the restaurant table and hungrily polish off the parsley and carrot garnishing, like a goat let loose. Raw vegetables, I daresay, are healthy to consume, so we can devour truckloads of them with a clear conscience. It’s the best way to boost our intake of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. I bring you two salads today, both blending ingredients of varying taste, colour and texture, and marrying the appropriate dressing to enhance their flavour. Apple and Cream-cheese Mould
½ packet Lemon jelly crystals Method
Dissolve the jelly crystals in water. Add, when cooled, to the mayonnaise. Mix in the cream cheese prepared by blending paneer in the liquidizer till smooth and creamy. Season and add sugar and lemon juice. Stir in the apples,grapes and whipped cream. Lightly oil a mould (even a steel kitchen bowl will do), and spoon in the salad mixture making sure you leave no air pockets. Chill till firmly set. Unmould and decorate with sliced red apples and mint sprigs Salad of Chickpeas and
Cottage-cheese
1 bunch lettuce Method
Soak the chickpeas overnight, then cook in salted water. Whisk together, the oil, lemon juice, mustard and parsley in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Tear lettuce into bite sized shreds and add to the bowl along with the tomatoes, pimento, onion, cucumber, chickpeas and grapes. Toss
gently to combine. Scatter the cubed cheese into the bowl, mix together and readjust seasoning if need be. Serve chilled, on a bed of lettuce. Queries to the author can be sent to
lifestyle@tribunemail.com
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Pop goes Pasta Italian food to the non-Italians is a simple one word affair: Pasta, be it lasagne, spaghetti or macaroni, and outside of Italy this one ‘expression’ symbolises the country’s whole range of food. We, in this city far from authentic Italian delicacies, can certainly be called Pasta lovers if the supermarkets and restaurants offerings are anything to go by. Take your pick from Peshawari supermarket in Sector 19, which has a whole range of Italian and Indian pastas on offer. And guess what rules peoples palates according to owner Rohit Gawri, Penne does. “It is the most popular choice amongst our customers,” he elaborates, and this one along with other tongue twisters like fettuccine, farfalle and of course macaroni and spaghetti. “We also have semi-cooked pasta from Sun Feast which contain ingredients like olive oil and herbs such as oregano and basil. Apart from this, pasta sauces from Cremica are available with us. We recommend combining Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses with the pasta and we have dinner rolls and garlic bread in our bakery to accompany the meal,” suggests Gawri. M G Stores in Sector 9 has a whole rack dedicated to Pasta. Vinod Mittal, owner, gives us a low-down on what is on offer. “Our store has a wide range of pastas from the Italian company Agnesi along with other products like sun-dried tomatoes vinaigrette dressings, pasta sauces (pesto rosso /mushroom / tomato & basil / garden combination) and herbs and spices like rosemary & chilli flakes.” Restaurants in the city also serve a variety of pasta dishes in keeping with the demand. The Manor in Sector 26 has choices for its vegetarian and non vegetarian diners. Sandeep Kumar, manager, recommends the following. “For our vegetarian customers we recommend Spaghetti Agli Olio and Penne Arabiata and the non-vegetarians should try our Penne Prawn Vodka, Spaghetti Bolognaise and for cheese lovers we have the Penne Cheese Sauce with exotic vegetables.” Copper Chimney also in Sector 26 has Arabiatta (choice of Italian pastas: penne/spaghetti) with basil tomato and mild chilli flakes for vegetarians while the non-vegetarians can enjoy Greek chicken in Spaghetti. The restaurant also has some pasta based sizzlers, Twin pasta and stuffed vegetable wheel for vegetarians and Hungarian Chicken for non vegetarians. Side orders recommended with pasta are garlic toast and french fries. Pizza Hut gives its pasta lovers a choice between fusilli (spiral pasta) and spaghetti with mushroom sauce and a tomato based sauce. Manager Tejinder recommends the Pasta Mint Salad for salad fanatics while its salad bar also has pasta as one of the main ingredients which can be had in combination with leafy green, healthy delights along with dressings. And while pasta is irresistible to most of us, dietician Neelu Malhotra gives us a word caution. “While buying pasta try to go in for whole wheat pasta and cooking it at home is definitely healthier as it has the appropriate amount of salt and spices. Children can be given pasta everyday combined with one slice of cheese and vegetables and for those who are conscious of their weight pasta can be consumed once in a while but in combination with a lot of vegetables.” Finally a big no-no to the accompanying mayonnaise and fizzy cold drinks for combined with pasta it makes for a “very high calorie packet meal,” spells out Neelu. So take your pick and get pasta-ed!
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Kaddu karishma
It has the synonym as ‘tasteless’ by many. Though it is nutritious but majority, especially youngsters generally have little fondness for it. So, though it may be weird to think that this gourd can be used for preparing one of the best sweet dishes, but it is true. Kheer, no doubt is an evergreen dessert but the gourd dish has the ability to compete it. The appetizing delight does take 30 to35 minutes to be prepared and it tastes incomparable. Many cannot afford to think that gourd can be used as a major part of the dessert. But it is true; this dish can be a lip-smacking one. All what one needs is simply experiment it. Take a gourd and grate it. Now roast it very light in ghee or refined oil. Boil the milk and continue to heat it. Stir it. Now add bread by removing its outline of brown. Keep the mixture stirring for 7-8 minutes. Now add the roasted gourd. Add sugar according to the quantity. Put dry fruit in it. The luscious dish is ready. The best part is that this dish can be offered in either ways i.e. in winters this can be served hot and in summers it can be offered as an ice cream after freezing it. After having this dish anyone would fall in love with it.
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Health tip of the day
Neck pain is caused due to incorrect posture during work or sleep and manifested as headache, pain in the upper back or the whole arm. People having weak muscles around neck are more prone for neck pain. — Dr. Ravinder Chadha |
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The much-overdue raise is finally here. So what do you do? Take a long lunch break for once, and if your office is located somewhere on Madhya Marg, rush to the Kaya Clinic or one of the Avon outlets to buy that long-desired cram that will work wonders with the complexion. So what even if it cost as much as Rs 900 (for a Kaya skin lightening cream exactly costs that much). Have you not just received that Rs 1000 raise this month and after toiling yourself in the sun and rain the year round to earn that money, is it not justified?
The arrival of a baby is a wonderful and joyous occasion for a family, but there is one member of the household-the family pet-who might need some special attention and understanding to help it cope with the new addition.
Ethnic is contemporary amidst so many city residents living life on the glamour lane. Not just in heavy furniture carved out of teakwood, but also in jewellery. That’s, perhaps, the reason why striking ornaments with a heavy Victorian touch have made a comeback in Chandigarh. 
Lip smacking nibbles — to go along with sparkling cut glasses filled to the brim with thick-layered coffee, topped with cream and a wee bit of excitement — are tickling the taste buds of city residents like never before. 
Indian Sweet dishes have a unique quality—Even after one’s had his fill of the main course and feels almost full up, these are forcibly fed to the guests by over courteous hosts. And so yum are these, that one gorges them, on and on. One such delicacy is a dessert prepared with sweet gourd. Yes, gourd i.e. kaddu neither sounds nor tastes pleasant; still it has a reason to be loved.