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Cover stories
It's the day to keep a date with your books new and old; to turn the pages of some old favourites even it they're soiled and you've read them twenty times. For April 23, is a day that symbolises world literature; to be more precise, it's the World Book and Copyright Day. A UNESCO mission, this day also marks the death or birth anniversary of various authors, including Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca. Quite apt to have a day for literature, when we have days as frivolous as chocolate day and a hug day. We at Lifetsyle ask celebrities from the tricity and the film fraternity (who often make movies inspired by books) to re-discover the pleasure of reading. jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com
Readers rejoice
World Book Day falls on April 23 every year. This day is celebrated throughout the world to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property. To mark the occasion the British Library-9 plans to organise various events in the British Library.
The program schedule is: Inauguration of Books Exhibition at 11:30 am Literary quiz competition at 11:40 am Treasure hunt at 5.30 pm |
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Unfaithfully yours
Thou shalt not commit adultery, says the Seventh Commandment of the Hebrew Bible. But the truth is that infidelity is the biggest relationship-wrecker around the globe. In a recent survey conducted by a popular magazine, 41 per cent of Indian men admitted of having strayed. The corresponding figure for the fairer sex was 8 per cent. Ludhiana topped the list with 47 per cent respondents in the city confessed to have committed adultery, while Delhi stood second at 39 per cent. The cybersphere has added a new dimension to the guilty pleasures. The web is loaded with portals offering services to clients, who like to jump from bed to bed, and whose number is swelling with each passing day. Religious take
Globally, every religion and society looks down upon adultery and is forbidden in all major religious norms. Traditional Hindu view holds marriage as a sacred relationship, which extends over several lives. The sanctity of marriage should be maintained and upheld all the times. The marriage vows are meant to ensure that both spouses would perform their obligatory duties to uphold dharma and remain faithful to each other. The God considers adultery a sin, says the Bible. Under Muslim law, adultery by a person (whether man or woman) is a violation of the marital contract.
Law wise
Though religions abhor adultery, incidentally laws around the world do not take the issue seriously. While in most Western countries, adultery is decriminalised, in India, the laws are vague and archaic, making infidelity difficult to prove in court. Under Hindu Marriage Act, adultery is a ground for divorce, but it's sparingly used for this purpose. "Even if there is case of adultery, people hardly ever make it a sole ground for filing a divorce case. Usually, they bank on cruelty and desertion, as they are easier to prove," says Kanchan, advocate, Punjab and Haryana High Court. "Though family laws need major overhauling, our parliamentarians, unfortunately, have shown little interest in the exercise. The bills are presented and get lapsed due to he lack of political will," says Anil Malhotra, a lawyer specialising in family laws.
Shrinkspeak
Interestingly, psychologists have a different view on adultery. With the basic principle of psychology being non-judgmental, shrinks prefer to not label adultery right or wrong. Says Punita Singh, counsellor, Carmel Convent-9: "The changing lifestyle where in married couples are hardly spending any time with each other are fuelling extramarital relationships. The tendency of taking marriage for granted, especially in Indian set-up, is wrecking the bond." Dr Parmod Kumar, consulting psychiatrist and director, Silver Oaks Rehabilitation Centre, dubs infidelity as a 'middle class' phenomenon. "Adultery has been prevalent in society since time immemorial. In both, upper and lower class it's more or less an accepted norm. It's the middle class, where this really becomes an issue," he quips. So, where lies the solution? "Like any other relationship, marriage too needs to be worked on and requires efforts on daily basis," suggests Punita. And even if come to know that your partner has once fallen for the forbidden fruit, it is no reason to call off the relationship, says Kumar: "The primary relationship is paramount. In couples that approach me for counselling, I often see that it's not that the cheating partner has found love outside marriage. The very understanding that what could be the repercussions which can extend to generations is sometimes enough to make the defaulter toe the line," he adds.
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Best of Bs
Leena Yadav's Teen Patti, which is said to be inspired by Hollywood flick 21, will see the union of two of the biggest names from Bollywood and Hollywood, with Amitabh Bachchan and Academy-winning Ben Kingsley coming together for the first time.
"The possibility of meeting up with two decorated personalities and in fact working with them together, seems awe inspiring," the actor wrote informing the fans about his upcoming interview with famous TV presenter David Frost. Kingsley, who shot to fame with his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi, is the latest Hollywood star to join the cast of the ambitious film, which already boasts of a cameo by former Bond actor Pierce Brosnan. Some unconfirmed reports suggest that Richard Gere will also throw in a guest appearance in gambling thriller. Bachchan, however, refused to divulge all the details saying, "There are some important names being mentioned for the shoot, but unless it all happens it would be premature to talk of them. Perhaps a little later when we are deep in progress on our work." Besides Bachchan, the film stars R Madhavan, newcomers Siddharth Kher, Dhruv Ganesh, Vaibhav Talwar and Shraddha Kapoor. — PTI
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Gorgeous gudiya
Bollywood's top heroine Katrina Kaif will be the subcontinent's first actress to be a model for an Indian Barbie doll, a British newspaper has claimed.
Kaif, a former model from London, told 'The Daily Telegraph' that she felt "honoured" to be chosen as the face of the Barbie doll, which goes into production in September, coinciding with toy maker Mattel's 50th anniversary. Kaif, who was voted most popular Bollywood celebrity in Google's 2008 India Zietgeist list, said that despite being from London, Britons hardly "recognise" her. "Becoming a film star in India has been a dream come true but you do always have to put on a performance, so sometimes it is good to get away. That's when I head back to London. I can walk down Finchley High Street and no one recognises me. I certainly can't do that in Mumbai or Delhi," she was quoted as saying. — PTI
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Shah Rukh said it was not easy pleasing people in Kolkata where emotions run high and admitted there was tremendous pressure on his side. "We are under a lot of pressure. We are a hyped team because the owners are from film industry and because we have the most passionate city backing us," the Bollywood actor said. "For good and bad, the Kolkatans love us one night and one night they do get angry with our decisions. But I promise you guys that the dream I have is to come to Kolkata with the IPL trophy and dance. Will do some new steps for Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo," he said. Incidentally, Sourav Ganguly played a cameo role in today's win with two quick wickets even though he didn't get a chance to bat. Shah Rukh took the occasion to pledge his support for Ganguly and said for him, the former India captain remained the greatest KKR player. "I want him to be the Player of the Tournament this year. Whoever feels he is not given importance in the team, let me tell you that for me, he is the greatest Knight Riders player. He and (Chris) Gayle will compete for the 'Player of the Tournament' award," he said.— PTI
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Cheers to Chitrangada
"There's nothing like combining our passion with the profession that we choose. And that is exactly what I did. It's very encouraging to receive this award, it will inspire me further to keep my passion burning, every morning and every night," Chitrangda said after she received the award. Among other recipients for outstanding work in their respective fields were Siddhi Kumari (politics), Malini Ramani (fashion), Pooja Irana (visual arts), Seema Chandra and Nidhi Razdan (media), Anjum Chopra (sports) and Leena Nair (business). — IANS |
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Halla bol
Music director and singer, the brilliantly talented Anand Raj Anand is back with a bang with his magnum opus Anandrisation. The album, which consists of eight songs, is a result of close to three years of dedicated work and effort.
The songs in the album consist of Romantic, Sufi, Techno and Trance, House but the similalarity will be that all of them will depict colours of Indian culture. The taste will be Indian with a feel of global audience. Hence you can call it a global album. The canvas is huge; the granduer can be felt in all the songs... Anand has been an established music director for the past two decades, having composed music for over 100 films and written lyrics of over 20 soundtracks. In the last three years all six of his songs have been declared super hits. One of them Dil de diya hai jaan tumhe denge was officially declared by Red FM as a record by playing continuously for 1000 days in a row. Apart from this he has sung Billo Rani, which was also extremely popular. His recent hits include films like Welcome and Shootout at Lokhandwala. Anand Raj Anand has recently composed and sung Halla Bol for Shilpa Shetty's Rajasthan Royals (defending champions of 2008) team as part of Indian Premiere League (IPL) 2009. Shilpa, who is a dear friend and admirer of Anand, remarked that the composition is brilliant and has the mass appeal that she was looking for. His future projects consist of Chai Garam, Chaloo Movie Inc and forthcoming projects of Percept Picture Company, Subhash Ghai's yet untitled movie, and two projects for Sanjay Dutt's home productions. — TNS
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Coffee couture
We can bet on it - no other drink as coffee has evolved so much since its origin. Modifications in the form of milk to water proportions, coffee content, temperatures, trimmings and what not, every possible experiment has been done with the very plain filter coffee to make generations fall in love with it. In more precise terms, we have caffeine rich, sweetened and spiced, Morning Glory in the morning to help us stay active through out the day. Another interesting choice in the same category is, First Light, a coffee made of rich caramel sauce and espresso with a swirl of whipped cream." Lots of chocolate, ice and milk foam have been used to add taste to the afternoon coffees, Solar Eclipse and Summer Breeze. Rhicha talks further about the evening luxuries, "Yellow Caramellow is coffee with a dash of caramel sauce, banana flavour and whipped cream. Also we have here All Day Refresher garnished with cookies. For night time, Sunset Brew would rather serve as the perfect dessert as coffee is served with chocolate brownie." The coffee flavours for the day were decided keeping the people's physiological and psychological behaviour in mind. "We conducted a research in which we discovered facts like people look for something energizing in the morning and soothing in the evening. Hence the menu was drawn." In times of immense competition, she feels the USP of the café joints helps it do well, "Ours is probably the only cafés in India, which from planting to processing and roasting coffee beans, serves coffee. Thus the quality never suffers." ashima@tribunemail.com
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Ca(f)eat emptor
It's easier to change your religion, not coffee. The allegiance is ok but can you seriously make out your Latte from the Macchiato, which by the way, are pronounced as lah-tay and mah-kyah-toe? Or does the permutation, combination of steamed milk, whipped cream, foamed milk, espresso and their proportions make you duck for cover? Most people swear loyalty to either cappuccino or the mocha, but would drink either, if given no choice. It takes more than money to order a perfect cup of coffee. Time to know your beans.
Don't the adage goes, espresso is to Italy what champagne is to France. Technically what's it to begin with? Espresso lends itself to becoming the base for other drinks, like mochas, lattes, cappuccino, macchiato. Says Vikas Chauhan, with popular city café joint, "Most people don't know the technical or finer nuances of their coffee, atleast not in this part of the country. Down south coffee is more popular, naturally people can make out their beans." He adds, "Non-connoisseur's generally are influenced by fancy names. At times, some people are even influenced by how it sounds or looks rather than the method of preparations or ingredient proportions." So café latte is espresso, steamed milk, milk foam and café mocha, in simplest of terms is café latte with chocolate. The difference roots from the type of beans to technique of preparation or what goes inside. "Basically we employ only two types of beans, which in themselves are basic, Arabica and Lavazza, considered Italy's favourite and we have 120 varieties of coffees, comprising every possible flavour. Two types of beans and 120 varieties, one can imagine," says Amandeep Dhir, chief brew master, Barista. Oh that reminds, Barista, did we tell you, is the café equivalent of a bartender. Resuming the 'coffee awareness drive', everybody's favourite, cappuccino is equal parts espresso, steamed milk and foam while macchiato is plain espresso with froth. Remarks Arjun Singh, assistant café manager, of a city coffee bar, "We use the means Arabica, Robusta, Teaberry, countless coffees, but the most popular one's Devil's Own." He agrees, "People do get influenced by names and at times order on the basis." Not as many would care for a mocha, because it were espresso, milk, chocolate but for the name like Darkest Sin! Coffee just as wine, cannot be dealt with in a few hundred words. Each to his own. —Manpriya Khurana |
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Making a difference
Thank god! Someone's doing something. Something about the environment, the earth, the effluence, the ecosystem, et cetera. Precisely the belief, a quick recce of the Botanical Garden on Wednesday, reinforced. Never mind the minority, where there's an effort, there's a difference. Whenever there's an occasion, there's a reason.
On World Earth Day, Department of Environment, Chandigarh Administration with volunteers of Yuvsatta, put together art 'n' craft workshop with 'Trees' in focus. Trees there were, not in the customary green, yellow, brown hues, but red, blue, black! Black tree too had its logic; "I painted my tree black because it depicts sadness, everywhere trees are being cut, this is to portray the black mood," says Hirdey Kant Sandilya, fine arts student, participant. Scores of eager beavers in school uniforms, were busy with colours and cause. "We've taught them a few techniques, collage making, sketching, printing, brush stroke," says Ravinder Sharma, faculty, college of arts, adding, "They might be very young but they are very receptive, have a positive attitude and are fully aware." Aware of the cause that is, "They will be the ones overtaking the responsibility of future, on whom everything rests," says Parmod Sharma, coordinator, Yuvsatta. Affirms Ishwar Singh, director, Department of Environment, "They are the future generation, the idea behind involving school students was they are the best carriers of message, can get their parents convinced." The endeavor or the event doesn't end, "Otherwise also we keep celebrating World Environment Day, Biodiversity Day and the like throughout the year part from the eco-clubs in school and other activities like lake cleaning." He adds, "This is just a token of celebration of the day, the idea is to sustain the effort the other 364 days as well." The holistic 360-degree approach at sustaining and maintaining the environment transcends much further. He says, "Long term planning cannot have a straight line answer, it requires tackling creation of pollution at source as well. Maximum pollution occurs on the road, even the roads need maintenance so there are less bumps, less pollution. We are soon coming up with Greening Chandigarh Action Plan." Sounds green enough. manpriya@tribunemail.com
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Pregnancy woes
The findings come from a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). Out of more than 41,000 pregnant women, 96 met the criteria for broadly defined bulimia in the first trimester of pregnancy. Sixty seven reported that they also had bulimia six months before pregnancy, while 26 had developed bulimia after becoming pregnant. Women with bulimia reported a higher prevalence of life-long physical abuse, sexual abuse and major depression compared with others. — IANS
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A 193cm tall woman Vanessa Elliot has revealed that she was always considered the odd one out in a crowd, until she found the Tall Women's club. She says that though she doesn't always notice her towering height, people often remind her of that. "The only time it's brought to my attention is when someone else says something, and kids are the worst. They're like 'Mummy, mummy, look - a giant!' she said. "But, if I got defensive every time somebody said something, I'd be in that many fights. You just pretend you didn't hear," she said. "I have no idea what that actually looks like to other people until I walk past a reflective surface and I think, 'Oh my God'," she added. However, Vanessa has found The Tall Women's club, which has many other women of the same height, with whom she can share her views. The club's first meeting attracted 25 women. "I was so excited to meet other people like this. Some people looked at us funnily but they were looking at us, not just me. So I was like, 'I don't care, I've got my friends with me'," Vanessa added. — ANI
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Relatively Speaking Bond emotionally
S. Chaudhary Get connected
Niti A Chandra Enforce through law
S. S. Dhawan Adapt please
Pooja Manu Gupta |
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City-bred actor and VJ Ayushmann Khuranna is interested in reading non-fiction. "I like books that have a touch of reality to it." Ask him what he's reading and pat comes the reply, "I have just finished Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger and now I have my eyes on, The Empires of Indus by Alice Albinia." 
For actor Vansh Bharadwaj reading is a passion, but now he gets very little time to do it. "I do read, but not a lot, as I don't get much time now." But he adds, "Whatsoever, I do keep reading short stories. They are interesting and best of all is that I can finish one story in a go." Right now he is reading Dharamvir Bharati's short stories. 
"I am an avid reader and for me it's not one single book that I read but several at a time," says TV actor, Mita Vashist. Ask her if reading really make a difference and she says, "Definitely, it widens your perspective of life, increases your knowledge and gives wings to your imagination."
"Reading as a habit is dying a slow death," says actor Mangal Dhillion. A vociferous reader, he says, "I used to and am still reading, but the books I read now are spiritual than fiction or non-fiction." Reading Reincarnation (Coming Back) by Swami Prabhupada he says, "Why youngsters, no one is reading these days. People don't have time for reading. Life has become mechanical. One needs peace of mind to read and who has that these days?"
Amitabh, who is currently in London to shoot the last schedule of the film, posted on his blog, "...soon after we get into a photo shoot and reading rehearsals for the shoot, with Sir Ben Kingsley. He plays an important part in the film." 
The 24-year-old actor, with her combination of pale skin and classical Indian features, from her Kashmiri father and English mother, bagged the doll deal after her arch rival Aishwariya Rai Bachchan missed out on the Barbie contract.
Bollywood actor Chitrangada Singh, who made her debut with the critically-acclaimed Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi in 2005, was conferred the Young Women Achiever Award-2009 on Monday.
The high point of the album is in its making which took around three years to get complete was finally winded up with 100 musicians at Yashraj Studios in April 09, this has happened in the digital age where any other composer today are not practicing live music and it's the blessing of 100 musicians that has made this magnum opus album possible, says Anand "This album is a culmination of 3 years of passionate work. When I started working on the first song of the album, my enthusiasm and the joy gradually grew over the period of time until I winded up the album with the last song the bliss and the joy as a composer was at its peak…. Hence the title Anandrisation, and I feel that this excitement and joy felt in the making of the album will be a sustaining factor for my listeners too. I always wanted to be myself and somewhere inside me I was and the brilliant effect of live music has given the songs a magical touch, which will be well received by the audience. I have also specially flown in arranger Andrew Mackay from London to give it an international feel. "
And the outcome of these changes is steamy cappuccinos, smooth lattes, icy frappes, frothy mochas, so on and so forth. Before we thought that finally the potential of coffee has been explored, Café Coffee Day informed us, "There is something new on the table." The request followed, "Would you like to check it?" And we did it. Rhicha Sinha, Manager Food and Beverage, CCD introduced us to their yet another experiment, "We have seven new coffee flavours, each with a theme suiting a particular time of the day, coffees one should have in the morning, afternoon, evening, night and the ones that can be consumed at any time" 
Bulimic women also have lower self-esteem and are more dissatisfied with life and their relationship with their partner, according to a new study.
Bulimia is a disorder among young women who go on eating binges and then feel guilty about it. Bulimia in pregnancy can have serious consequences for both mother and child.
The older people may belong to any income group; they need to be looked after. Very often we can see the oldies sitting idle, looking blank, scanning through the newspapers or relaxing in the armchairs, with disillusionment writ large on their faces. They are the most vulnerable group of the society. Obviously, with the disintegration of the old joint family system, their children and grandchildren live away from them, for better prospects, either by choice or by necessity. Though many helpful agencies and NGO's are coming forward yet there is no solution for their seclusion. They crave for the company of children. The pangs of the old age would be lessened, if the youngsters give them just one hour a day to play with them. Not only the elders will cherish and relish the company of the young, the young will also benefit from the knowledge and experience of the elders. The emotional attachment between Gen X and Gen-Y is the need of the hour.
As for as possible it would be good if our elders can stay with us. But if the same is not possible, the best we can ensure is to speak to them at least once a day. Thanks to the telecommunication industry, the telephone charges have gone down drastically and a short call everyday is affordable. It would be a good idea to encourage senior citizens to form their own group where they can meet people of their age, may be go for a walk together or just sit in a nearby park and chat for sometime. A company of peers will surely make their life more happy and bright and something to look forward to.
I believe joint family life is heaven while nuclear family life hell. When elders stay with the young, there is guidance and solution for every problem but modern lifestyle gives no space and respect to elders. It's time that laws are made and enforced to make sure that elders get to live a dignified life. Human rights commission should also take up old generations' cause.
I was moved by the plight of an old couple, touching their 80’s forsaken by their four sons all settled well in their respective careers and families. The old couple now lives in a small, top floor, left alone to fend themselves in this decrepit age, their property appropriated by the sons. It's pathetic to see those very parents who left no stone unearthed to give their kids best of bringing up so neglected. To avoid this unpleasant situation, we need to make sure to give good sanskaras to our children. The elders need to be adjusting too; they can't go on harping about their good old days and need to adapt keeping in mind the hectic lifestyle of the modern generation. Problems occur when they are not ready to cope up with changing times.