Special connection
We talk to couples who blow candles and cut the cake on the same day

The day one is born is special indeed, but sharing it with the one you are sharing your entire life with, is just awesome. Three 'star struck' couples who share their birthdays reveal what it means to them. "Ours was an arranged marriage and it was only a few months later that we realised that we had the same birthday," says Dr Birinder Pannu. The couple has been celebrating their birthday (March 27) together for close to 50 years now. "Over the years the way we have celebrated our 'birthday' has changed.

Preetam Singh Pannu and Birinder

Eat, Pray, Love
Youngsters bond over the dining table with their parents
Remember the time when parents would call up repeatedly to ask when all would come home so that the family could eat out together at a nice restaurant. How often parents checked availability of children so that they could eat out. Raise a toast to the aware and responsible generation who has altered the trend and given it a refreshing change.

Youngsters dining out with their parents on a given weekend is a common sight

Story of a robot
Bollywood diva Aishwarya Rai and Tamil superstar Rajnikant's mega-budget Endhiran is expected to hit the screens September 3. Produced by Sun Pictures and directed by Shankar, Endhiran is said to be one of the most expensive films. It's made at a budget of Rs.190 crore. Rajnikant had hinted that the film may be released some time in August. But if sources in the Tamil industry are to be believed than Endhiran will be released simultaneously in India and abroad September 3 on more than 1000 screens. The formal announcement regarding the release date is expected to come soon. Meanwhile, director Shankar has revealed the film's story on his blog. "It revolves around a robot, who, all of a sudden turns into a human being and mingles with society," Shankar posted on his blog.

Bang on
To a novice scores of rock genres are complex and incomprehensible, but then so are the music notes. Think death metal, alternative, punk. Delhi based Boddhisattva's take an exception and are quite sorted with their assorted genres of music; think inspirational music, hindi, English, Bollywood, covers, original compositions. In city for a performance at Café Oz-9, the six band member talks what they play best; music.

All is green
Cate Blanchett launches eco-friendly theatre
Hollywood star Cate Blanchett has launched an eco-friendly construction project at her Sydney Theatre Company headquarters in Australia to save energy. The Academy award winning actress, who is the artistic director of the company, has thrown her support behind the 'Greening the Wharf' initiative, which will see 1,900 solar panels installed at the Wharf Theatre in Sydney, reported a publication online.

Piece of music
Old melodies always transcend joy beyond comprehension. The same feeling of joy could be felt as amateur singing sensations of the region, especially from medical fraternity sang to a large audience in the thirteenth edition of Sur Sangam-10 held at Inderdhanush Panchkula on Saturday.

De-addict
The menace of addiction among youth in our region, especially in the rural areas, has reached alarming levels. Much of this can be attributed to lack of understanding of this as a disease and thus denial of proper treatment to the addicted," stated Dr. Hardeep Singh, sr. consultant psychiatry, Fortis Hospital, Mohali in an advisory issued on International Day for Drug Abuse.

Pet pal
People for Animals, Chandigarh has the perfect companion for anyone who is ready to be loved unconditionally and just forever and ever:

Warm effect
Metro Ortem Limited has come up with its latest innovation, Ortem Sogo Digital Induction Cooking system in collaboration with Sogo of Europe. It uses induction heating (IH) technology for quick and uniform heating which is notably more energy and cost efficient form of cooking. And by using less energy your monthly cooking costs will markedly decrease.

Kids' day out
The NZCC sponsored twenty days art and theatre workshop concluded with the presentation of a multi coloured cultural programme titled " Bachpan ke Rang" by all the 60 participants at Kalagram on Saturday. They were given tips by well known Gagan Mishra and Kapil Sharma, NSD alumnus.

Soft corner Girls enjoy a scoop of ice cream on a hot summer evening. Photo: S Chandan

Pro-health factor
Most of us think of bacteria as something that causes disease. However, researchers have found that certain kinds of bacteria can actually help us stay healthy. Commonly known as 'friendly bacteria', probiotics and their benefits have been explored in India only in the last few years.

Weather or not
Which facial and spa should you go for? Let the season decide…
It wasn't very tough for beauty experts at saloons to tell us the most common question asked by people who need a facial or spa. They didn't rake their brains or took more than a minute to figure out which out of the endless number of queries tops the list. The unanimous choice was "Will it help my skin glow? And that's it! Even when the experts offer much more than the age-old guarantee of facial glow, people still restrict the aim of hours long massage to a 'psychological shine'.

Back-up plan
One of the most common problems facing the modern day working class executives or employees happen to be cervical spondylosis. Computers have become all pervasive and long hours on the computer almost invariably leads to this problem sooner or later.

BODY wise
It's raining health
Hot jalebi's, pakoras and tea is the favourite diet of most of the people during the rainy season. And exercise? Well that's another story. Many of us put on extra kilos during this season because of the fried foods we add on in our diet and because our exercise schedule goes for a toss. But don't let the rains wash away your good health. Follow these helpful tips and enjoy this beautiful season.

Oh, Valentina
Hollywood beauty Salma Hayek's daughter Valentina is a budding singer and charmed her mother's co-stars by serenading them on set. Hayek took her two-year-old daughter to the sets of the Adam Sandler comedy Grown Ups and she charmed all with her singing skills, reported People magazine online.

Wedding bells
Hollywood actor Orlando Bloom will marry his fiancee, Australian model Miranda Kerr in Los Angeles, says a friend of the actor. "It is where they spend most of their time and where their mutual friends live," a website quoted a friend of the Pirates of the Caribbean star. The move might come as a disappointment for Adam Marshall, mayor of Gunnedah, Australia, who pledged to hold a street parade and employ a brass band if Kerr's marriage to Bloom was held in her hometown.

Hair again
She had ditched her hair extensions and opted for a pixie cut while embarking on her career as a fashion designer, but Victoria Beckham is back to her WAG hair style again. The former Spice Girl stepped out today for the first time following rumours she and husband, footballer David Beckham, were planning to split earlier this week.

Faking it
Actor Adrien Brody went to great lengths to prepare for his role in the upcoming film High School, including smoking specially created marijuana substitute. The Academy award winning actor plays a pot-smoking dealer in the film and Brody smoked a special fake weed, as his character gets high, reported a publication online.

(Bad)man
Robin Williams wants to play villain in next Batman movie