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For the time of your life The grand affair of marriage is over and now the couple looks forward to those blissful moments of togetherness in some exotic locale. But in most cases, both partners holding some demanding job or business ventures, time is in short supply here. However, there is good news for those couples who cannot afford a long holiday but willing to make the most of whatever little time they have -- hotels and resorts in and around the city offer special honeymoon packages that spell total comfort and luxury. Before you scan through the packages, take a minute to think whether you would like to relax in the lap of nature with your partner or soak yourself in the luxury of a swanky resort with a jacuzzi and sauna bath. Because options come in abundance.
Gung-ho over adventure
For, those of you who believe that life is nothing less than an adventure, head for places that offer adventure sports like Shimla, Manali, Kullu. Looking for adventure by the water, well, then Baikunth Resorts also organise adventure camps in Sangla. The highlight of the evenings there is bonfire with soft music and sound of the river. You can also take your pick from a vast list -- paragliding, river rafting, trekking, rock climbing, skiing, parasailing and scuba diving. But make sure you take up the right sport in the right season. Places like Manali offer special packages for honeymooners too.
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RUGGED CHARM He has always been around but you rediscovered him in Race. Yes, we are referring to Saif Ali Khan who kept you drooling throughout the movie with his Moorish looks. One has to admit, with those heavy stubble and brooding eyes, he exuded a raw masculinity, enough to make you go weak in the knees, the same way as George Clooney and Brad Pitt do with their unshaven looks. Or, for that matter Abhishek Bachchan in his newer avtar! Not that growing stubble is a new phenomenon, neither our knowledge that it gives a man certain character. But here is a scientific study to prove the point now. According to a research conducted by Northumbia University team, ladies are more smitten by men with stubbly chins than those with clean-shaven faces or full beards. Though the study was carried out on British women aged 18 to 44, for us it has a universal ring. After all, don’t we find men with stubble tough, mature, aggressive, dominant and masculine? We talk to certain city-bred celebrities and second the opinion of our British counterparts. Nandita Puri, kathak dancer and actor, feels having stubble makes one stand apart from the rest. “Most of the time it arrests a second gaze,” opines Nandita. For Kulraj Randhawa, the Kareena Kareena girl, the stubble look is definitely in and she loves men who wear one. “It gives them a macho look and a devil may care attitude which I find simply irresistible,” she says. Model turned television actor Karishma Randeva finds men with a light stubble ‘hot’. PR person Neha Grover likes the stubbled look because it strikes the right balance between the ‘kid’ and ‘uncle’ look. “I go for the mature look and a guy with a stubble just fit into that mould. While clean-shaven guys look a tad too feminine, the full-bearded ones give an unhygienic feel,” says Neha. For Karan Wahi, director of Wahi Groups, it was encouragement from the opposite sex which made him denounce his clean shaven look for the stubbled one. “Women in India prefer a little masculine look which a light beard can render. Stubble that Abhishek Bachchan supported in his latest flick Sarkar Raj made him a look manly,” he says. If the number of young men turning up at beauty salons for a customised stubble is to be believed, it’s quite a rage with our young and fashionables. “Man between 18 and 30 are coming up everyday to get their stubbles trimmed. It may be either ear-to-ear or highlights on some specific area or even a sharp-edged side-lock,” says Aryan of Sanjivni Beauty Parlour and Hair Clinic-17. And the gadget he uses to achieve the desired affect is a clipper in combination with threading. Sounds a little painful, but hey, if this the way to a woman’s heart, then no harm trying!
parbina@tribunemail.com
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Shelf help
Piping hot
A PEEP into the cookbooks corner of various bookstores in the city shows that there are volumes of books available on regular Indian cooking, low-calorie desserts and rush-hour cooking. As far as the authors are concerned, Nita Mehta, Tarla Dalal and Sanjeev Kapoor are the show-stealers. “Also, with the changing dining tastes, city residents are going for books which have multicuisine recipe options. Italian Khana by Ritu Dalmia is quite in demand,” tells Ajay Arora, Capital Book Depot -17. And who are the buyers? “People from all walks of life and across all age groups come to our store. Some women even buy books for their cooks!” quips Ajay Arora. Any men buying recipe books? “Men do come in and usually buy books on wine, cocktails and baking,” tells Pankaj Singh, Browser-8. Women in the city are exploring Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Italian options along with Indian cooking. “A good cookbook is not just a collection of recipes. It helps you to see food in altogether different perspective. I love buying these books,” says Harmohini Mahal of Mohali. In vogue
HEALTH food is the latest craze. And your options for low-fat delicacies are Indian Low Fat Cooking by Roshi Razzaq, Low Fat Sauces by Linda Fraser, Healthy Eating for Kids by Anita Bean and Mridula Bajljekar’s Fat Free Indian Cooking. Books on low-calorie desserts, zero-oil cooking, cooking from fruit and vegetables are also available. In audio and video books section, Camellia Punjabi’s 50 Great Curries of India is quite a hot-seller. This UK based Indian restaurateur is famous for punjabification of Chinese cuisine. Prashad, a book by another stalwart and noted food critic and celebrity columnist Jigs Kalra, is also a must-have. Indian cooking seems to be catching up fast outside India too. Oxford has come up with Indian Food — A Historical Companion. A word for the wine connoisseurs: Don’t forget to flip through Wine Lover’s Journal and Larousse Encyclopedia of Wine. Another new trend is recipes for diabetics and heart-patients. Given the variety of recipe books available, one can prepare a multi-course meal for diabetics, dessert included! These books are available in regional languages also and price ranges from Rs 50 to a few hundreds. To add to it, many stores are offering decent discounts on recipe books. E-Appetite
WELL, so much in books. Plenty is available on the net too. Apart from the usual stuff, one can find recipes for baby food, how to make leftover-luncheon, exotic puddings and what not. While allrecipes.com and epicurious.com are quite a hit among the tech-savvy cooks, Sanjeev Kapoor and Tarla Dalal again dominate the food blog scene in the country. Food fanatics can share their views with the master chefs; offer suggestions and even look for tips to better their favourite recipes. So, if you thought nothing could tempt your spouse into the kitchen, you could always try presenting a cookbook. Who knows, next you find is a feast waiting for you on the dining table. mona@tribunemail.com |
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Circle of grace WEDDING, an occasion as big as the name, calls for detail. Detail of every bit. And when all emphasis is being laid on clothes and accessories we forget to make sure how do our locks look. And in all this rush, what good is a Ritu Kumar lehenga, if your hair fall apart? So let your hair and hair accessory fall in place and match it well with the gown or dress that you plan to wear for the wedding. Offers Harveen Kathuria, clinic head Cleopatra: “It is important to coordinate your dress and hair accessory when you are attending a wedding. For instance, if you have an intricate work on your dress (suit or lehenga) you cannot put simple pins or plastic hair sticks in your hair. Instead, orchids or roses tied together in a silver spiral, allure. A bunch of yellow and red roses look good too.” Adds Harveen: “there is a huge range of hair accessories to choose from depending on whether you are going for a mehndi ceremony, marriage, sangeet or cocktail party. All said and done, natural flowers make for the best hair accessories.” Another key consideration is the impact of the accessories on the whole look. “You can tie your hair in a neat bun or a plait with one odd flower tied to hair with a pearl stick,” advises Samiksha Sodhi, Mohali based hair stylist who owns Style Check, “And if you are wearing a dress with gold work then hair accessory should also be in the same colour. At the same time, you can occasionally mix gold and silver, but this combo does not look good on everyone,” adds Samiksha. So, the bottom line is accessorise but gracefully. Avoid hairpins or clips, which look too casual. Zahid Khan another hair stylist tips: “Long hair have more options for hair accessories as compared to short hair. Sterling hair prongs are recommended for heavy hair dos’. You can use pearl or swarovski hairpins to add that extra glitter. At the same time, hair sticks in varied shapes and sizes especially the traditional ones bring grace to the hair do.” Faux flowers can also serve the needful if you want to leave your hair open. And you bet, they add a touch of feminism and grace to your styling. In case you don’t want to conform to any of these styles, you can certainly create your own. Not to miss is the queen tiara. You can create one with small flowers like fresh Jasmine or Nargis. But remember to coordinate the accessories with the hair do and the wedding outfit, lest you end up looking like a
mannequin. jasmine@tribuenmail.com |
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PEER PRESSURE “WHO wants to go to the class? Let’s all bunk and go to a movie instead!” shouts your friend. Another time, the coolest kid in your class offered you beer and you didn’t say no. Why? You do not want to appear as a ‘misfit’ or reject a friend’s plea. Now answer, do you do what you feel right or give in to your peer pressure? Your friends think that they know best for you and give their opinion whether it is wanted or not. You depend on them to solve your problems, but what happens when they become your real problem? Peer pressure comes into play when we are influenced to do something we usually would not do, or stop us from doing something we would like to do. This could be because we want to be accepted by our peers. It influences us in different ways like our fashion choices, decision to have a boyfriend or girlfriend or our academic performance. And some moral choices like alcohol and drugs use. And you get sucked in because you don’t want others to make fun of you! Shares Sarika Sharma, a BCom student from MCM-36: “It is not unusual to want to get accepted by your friends. Sometimes when you are with friends, you end up doing things that you usually wouldn’t have done.” And does that include making only fashion choices or going a step further? “I wouldn’t mind trying few things out, if it makes me popular,” she says. Satinder Singh, a law student from PU says: “Sometimes it’s the direct pressure from a friend or a peer and sometimes the pressure is from us. Stepping into the college life means making new friends, shedding inhibitions and fitting in.” Agreed. We want to try new things, to make it to the ‘with-it’ crowd, the cool-capers or the rebellions. Peer pressure is not always obvious to us. We may only smoke to impress a passing group of girls or act boisterous to make an impact. Just because the dude in your group has an arm candy, you start hunting for a girlfriend to match up to his standards. According to Rajshree Sarda, city-based counsellor: “When we are feeling unsure about ourselves, we may be more likely to feel the effects of peer pressure. But it can be positive influence also and help to challenge and motivate us to do our best.” So the next time you feel that you are being pulled into something that interferes with your sense of right and wrong, remember that you are an individual, and the so called ‘cool-crowd’ will not look so cool then.
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Generations apart Bold and beautiful. The diva of yesteryears, Kitu Gidwani is the actor we all love to watch on screen. Having given some dazzling performances, Kitu made her debut in television with Trishna in 1984. In the industry from past 24 years, she has seen the media grow in leaps and bounds. Here she talks about television today and yesterday, theatre and more… Tell us something about Saas Vs Bahu, a dance reality show that you are acting in. It’s a show that would see daily soap ki saas compete against her bahu. For more, wait and watch out for the show. Did you have any qualms about doing this show? No, I was offered the role and I immediately game for it. I am good dancer, so, I thought I could make the most of my talent. What do you have to say about television now and
then? I don’t see any quality work on TV now. Actors today are nowhere close to actors of my generation. These days the focus is heavily on face value otherwise it is hollow from inside. Everyone here is cashing in on 15 -minute fame. Take your pick, theatre or television? If you talk about creativity, talent and great learning, then there is nothing like theatre. But, there is no money in theatre. On the other hand, television does not satiate craving for good work as an actor, but it pays good money. Been there done that... I have acted in films, television soaps and plays. I’ve also done French plays, but that was long time back, almost 15 years. Now we don’t have French plays in
Mumbai. What’s better- television or films? Both are different schools of acting and can’t be compared. What’s on cards? I am doing Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion, a romantic comedy with Mithun da an Dimple Kapadia and the new serial Saas Vs Bahu. |
Angelina steals Cruise's thunder ANGELINA Jolie will soon be stepping into Tom Cruise's shoes, as the espionage thriller 'Edwin A. Salt', earlier meant to star the actor is now being rewritten for the actress. After talks with Tom Cruise didn't reap any fruit, movie bosses are reportedly close to strike a deal with Jolie. In fact, they have already green-lighted changes in the movie to suit the actress' needs. The film, about a CIA agent who’s accused of spying for the Russians, will be directed by Philip Noyce. Many actors, including Cruise, were eyeing the project, but ultimately it was Jolie's interest that got Columbia Pictures seriously thinking about a rewrite. However, new-mum Jolie is not new to action flicks. She has earlier played a gun toting badass in Mr & Mrs Smith and the recent Wanted. — ANI
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Cancer cure
STANFORD University researchers have devised a way to improve chemotherapy's effectiveness against cancer, and reduce its side effects. The researchers say that they have found out how to get a higher proportion of a given dose of medication into tumour cells, to avoid "spillovers" that can kill the healthy cells. They believe that their method can reduce the amount of medication needed to be injected into a subject to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. "That means you will also have less drug reaching the normal tissue," said Hongjie Dai, professor of chemistry and senior author of a paper published in the journal Cancer Research. This advancement attains significance as it may make the medication more effective against the tumour.
— ANI |
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Charming Casanova Rajiv Kaplish Bachna Ae..
It’s not the kind of movie the audiences have been waiting for aeons. It also does not come as a whiff of fresh air. It is popcorn entertainment at best and candyfloss romance at worst. It would be naive to expect more from the stable of Yash Raj Films. Unlike the demure Sonam Kapoor of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s overblown fantasy, three drop-dead gorgeous women — ravishing Minissha Lamba, sultry Bipasha Basu and stunning Deepika Padukone — now give him company. Cheating on two, but falling in love with the third, the incorrigible skirt-chaser realises the meaning of true love when rejected by the latter and pines for forgiveness of his two ex-flames. He devises an ingenious way to seek redemption — to meet the women and apologise to them for breaking their hearts. Director Siddharth Anand claimed in an interview to a news channel that the film was full of surprises and there were many twists and turns in the story. Nothing of that sort. The proceedings are as predictable as the denouement. What primarily hold the viewers’ interest are Ranbir and the music. From the innocent lover boy of Saawariya to the Casanova of Bachna Ae Haseenon, Kapoor comes a long way. He may not be a performer who slips into the skin of the character, but his charm is infectious. The way in which he wooes Minissha on the exotic locales of Switzerland and then shies away from any commitment is quite refreshing. His encounters in Amritsar with Kunal Kapoor whom his ex-ladylove marries are also full of mirth. Deepika still appears to be overwhelmed by the raging success of Om Shanti Om. Though looking sprightly, she seems to be in constant danger of bursting into laughs every time she faces the camera. She is too glamorous to play the role of a cab driver even if the place happens to be Sydney. Minissha looks fetching — nothing more nothing less. Bipasha first as Ranbir’s live-in partner and subsequently as a supermodel throws tantrums, which are melodramatic. Her skin show may appeal to some sections. Hiren Paintal as Ranbir’s friend is hilarious. Two songs, Bachna Ae Haseenon and Khuda Jaane, are well-picturised and enhance the visual appeal. Not a bad idea to pass time during the weekend holidays. Showing at Fun Republic, DT Malls, PVR Cinemas Rumi tussi great ho! God Tussi...
Sulking Arun has no one else but God to turn to. Finally, God (Amitabh in what suspiciously looks like a Reid and Taylor suit) relents and meets Arun. He gives him all his powers for 10 days to run the world. Arun fulfills the wishes of all and everything seems to be honky dory. But on the last day of giving the powers back to God, everything goes wrong and vidhata has to intervene to set the things right. What follow are happenings and events which only a great filmmaker like Jaffery can shoot and explain. Showing at: Batra PVR, DT Cinemas, Fun Republic, Suraj ( Panchkula)
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Matka Chowk
Chandigarh sees a lot of small accidents. I am used to speeding past stunned looking scooterists holding their heads in their badly scraped hands while a motley crowd of pedestrians, street urchins and tea stall owners mill around for the pure pleasure of bloodshed and shock. Most of the times, the victims are two-wheeler riders who seem to think that motion has no relation to space and mass. When their faith is jolted, they find themselves prostrate on the street, most of the times very fortunate to have escaped death. I was clearing the furniture market chowk the other day when I heard a clang of metal and turned to see a young girl standing and trembling – the scooter that she was apparently riding lay half-way under the belly of a white Ambassador. The girl looked unscathed and stunned. Everyone at the Chowk stopped for a fraction of a minute. The Ambassador sped on, much to my amazement. As I waited, the girl lifted her vehicle, mounted it and was gone as if nothing had happened. In many other countries, this would be unthinkable. The other day, a young girl told me that she had a narrow escape. On the way to work, her rickshaw was hit by a vehicle. The rickshawalla of course, thought nothing of a red light. The elderly gentleman, who was driving the car, came out and took her to the hospital despite her protests and minor cuts on her arms. He then bought her some chips and a drink and dropped her at the office and said –“Take care, beta.” I have no stomach for gore and mangled limbs. I flee a scene of accident with great speed and eyes averted. However, this one was a little different. On one of these rainy afternoons, we were returning home from school. Close to a busy crossroad loomed ahead what looked like an accident. The area was crammed with school children merrily walking about. Some policemen in khaki were in sight. There stood a Maruti with a lady driver gesticulating widely and explaining her point of view to a policeman who looked quite disinterested. My daughter looked out of the window and said –“Where is the victim?” I said – “Oh, don’t look!” She replied – “Mom, this is quite sweet! Look out.” Since there was no way to make any progress in the melee, I looked out. The victim was sitting on the footpath looking badly shaken and pale. Next to him was sitting the resident kelawalla of that corner. He was holding out in one hand a badly corroded plastic bottle of water to the victim and in the other - a kela. I agreed to what my daughter said. This was a rare sight. A Chandigarh style accident, maybe! |
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Write to Renee I am a 34 suffering from anger and depression. My life has not been easy, ever since I remember. I was raised by a so-called short -tempered mother, who used to beat me often. Because of my mother’s attitude I got married to the first man who proposed to me thinking that I would perhaps find love in marriage. But this did not happen. My husband is an angry man who used to beat me. I have a daughter. I left my husband’s home and back to at my mothers’ house. Why is this happening to me? I am sad and miserable. Please tell me what to do. Neha Ahluwalia Life has not been fair. But you stop lying back and waiting for good things to happen. Just take charge. Remember god helps those who help themselves. You must have clarity of thought and a clear goal. You are living a pattern. Until you don’t work on your relationship with your mother you will continue to attract the same kind of situation again. Make an effort to break out of this pattern. This might take a while but it will happen. Only then will the situation in your life start changing and your life will start moving into a better future. Reach out with love. You will only receive what you send. I am 50, have been divorced for the past 15 years. I have a daughter and son who live with my wife and I have the visitation right. My wife left me thinking I am a loser. She is from an affluent family. I have always been content with my life the way it is. Recently, my wife seems to have had a change of heart. She visits me frequently on some pretext or the other and also my friends have been suggesting that she wants to comeback. Frankly, I feel quite happy with my life and do not desire to go back to my stressful existence. What should I do? Manmohan Singh The mere fact that you are asking this question states that you are considering getting back together. Well, if her reason for leaving you was just your laziness and you are willing to make amends, it does sound like a good idea, especially for the kids. On the other hand, 15 years is a long time, much happens in people’s personalities. Well, if you feel you have the urge to be a responsible family man again and your ex-wife willingly accepts it, I think it would be nice for your kids to have a normal happy family. Give it a try I am sure it will be well worth it. I am 20, pursuing B.Com, and I am a loner and feel lonely even when I am with friends. I don’t have anyone to share my feelings and problems with. In short, there is a deep void inside me, which is bothering me everyday. I tried to share my dilemma with a girl with whom I was fascinated but strangely she is not taking interest in me. I really feel isolated from this world. I am extremely depressed. Sometimes, I even feel like ending up my life. Please tell me what to do. Munish I feel you are over reacting. Cheer up! Life can be blissful if you allow it to be. You are just going through one of those phases. Trust me, you will step out of it soon. You sound like an extremely sensitive guy who probably has never felt emotionally secure at home for some reason. That’s why that deep sense of loneliness. Do try and confide in a good friend or discuss your problem with a councellor. Life is too precious to ever think of finishing it. Look for a focus anything that is an achievable goal, anything that will give you satisfaction. Visualise your desire and you will able to manifest. Send a message to the Universe to attract the right friend. Once you have your energies in balance your life will be happy and fulfilled. May God be with
you. (This column appears weekly) |
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In his long span of acting career, Milind Gunaji has turned down many a offer which required him to sport a clean shaven look, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayange, a part which finally went to Parmeet Sethi. Why, is it because he wants to maintain the macho image, we ask? “No, in the contrary, my stubble gives me a softer look. My eyes are quite strong and dominating feature in my face and the beard neutralises it. Rather, it gives me an artistic look,” he answers. And he is quite proud of his sprouts. After all, it makes him feel closer to his teenage idol Clint Eastwood!
WITH the number of eateries multiplying and people eagerly hunting for places to please their palate, Chandigarh boasts of a burgeoning food culture. However, amidst the eating-out syndrome and food-blog explosion, the good-old cookbook has retained its appeal and continues to enamour food-buffs. They are a hit with the city folks.
God is not great, but Rumi Jaffery is. A director like Rumi can get an inspiration from a mediocre Hollywood flick like Bruce Almighty, add some masala to his product and pass off the potboiler as a great piece of humour. Rumy replaces Morgan Freeman with Amitabh Bachchan and Jim Carey with Salman Khan and God Tussi Great Ho is born. Things just don’t seem to be going right for Arun Prajapati (Salman Khan ), a TV anchor. His show is a flop, his dad, Prajapati Sr (Anupam Kher) constantly ridicules him, his rival, Lucky (Sohail), misses no opportunity to run him down, is desperate to win over the affections of his ladylove (Priyanka Chopra) and Arun’s sister can’t get married because she has marks on her face.