Ice caps and glaciers are melting. Sea levels are rising. Rainfall is shifting. Temperatures soaring, forest cover contracting by very hour. Add to that the human accidents that pose a serious threat to animal habitat. Some of the gravest environment issues that need immediate attention like saving the seabirds from burning fossil fuels, the call for rescuing the Ganges and the life systems that it supports, its rising pollution levels and dying tributaries and survival of animals around the world that inhabit the toughest and worst-hit areas from global warming like Amazon, Indian subcontinent and Polar regions.

Feel the concern now! Well, that’s why the World Environment Day this year was a big affair. While some involved the masses, other lone planet rangers of the cause found their own way to make a difference. Read Gaurav Gaur, literally.

This young activist and a lecturer at the Department of Social Work, Panjab University, got innovative and creative with his cause of spreading awareness, using art once again for saving our planet. Painting his body with the symbols of life, trees, earth, he became a medium for nature’s call, with ‘Your Planet Needs You’ message plastered on his body.

“If you are concerned for something and want others to feel and share the concern, you need innovation and creativity to further your cause,” says Gaurav. He went around the city, starting from Sector-22, on a bicycle, motivating the young and old alike and sensitizing them towards environment. “Just reading about global warming would not help, one needs to actively become a part of the solution. And for that innovation becomes the key,” he says. So, art became his tool for change. Also, it was high on fashionl, “A guy actually commented, Hey dude, nice T-shirt, until he took a closer look and realised that it was body painting,’ he shares.

His affair with social issues is four years’ long and this not the first time he has used art for a cause, “I have carried out active campaigns on HIV AIDS, distributed free condoms and used to drive around in a car, painted with slogans and punch lines, regarding the issue,” he says.

His efforts won him admiration from non other than the Queen herself and he was amongst the four volunteers across the globe, invited for visiting Buckingham Palace last month. “It was a huge platform to take up my cause and the experience was awesome. The help is not always in cash but kind and the visit gave the perfect push to my efforts.”

Moving from the city, the concern and sentiments towards our environment were shared equally and artistically well throughout the country. Some propagated it through art and others preferred fashion. T-shirts printed or painted with ‘Plant More’ or ‘I love Earth,’ were a common sight. But some went wild, dressing up in leaves and making tattoos their medium of expression.

Scores of activists undertook a march on Friday to raise awareness on World Environment Day. Dressed in white t-shirts with trees printed on them, they marched through the lanes and parks of the city, to spread awareness on the factors posing a threat to the environment. “The idea is to be aware of the planet we are living in and do something to save the environment, which is being slowly destroyed by man. I think it’s our responsibility to do at least something about it,” said Ranjani Sreedharan, an activist. And what a way to do it in style!

It’s chutney-dripping, lip-smacking, tongue-tickling chaat that we are talking about. A hit with us North Indians, this is the one thing that we can never say ‘no’ to. In the tricity there are more chaat joints than one can count, but a few places that have created a niche for themselves. Krishna Chaat Bhandar in Sector 34, the famous chaatwallah of Sector 23 market, a small vendor outside Neelam Theatre-17, Gopals-35, Sindhi-17, Anupam Sweets in Sector 11 Panchkula and Khatani in Mohali are few shops that serve this tangy delight in the most palatable way.

Though the chaat menu is not elaborate, it’s usually the khatta mittha pani and saunt and pudina ki chutney that does the magic to salted papris, bland bhallas and tasteless golgappas. But that’s the real trick, as everyone cannot make that perfect tangy and sweet recipe. And it’s only after trying all of them, we are certifying these guys as the best chaat makers in the tricity.

The rush they have substantiate our claim.

Back to the topic, we’ve all had chaat made out of spicy whole potatoes in light peppery gravy, chaats made of mashed samosas in green and white tart chutney and the much-loved papri chaat, but they all taste different. Try asking the chaat makers and they would never give their closely guarded secret recipe to anyone, despite all the entreaties.

Though you cannot compare these joints as they have their unique points, Krishna Chaat Bhandar-34 serves one of the best golgappas and his USP is five type of golgappe ka pani. Starting with khatta pani, he serves pudiana flavoured golgappas and goes on to hing, khatta mittha and last but the best, dahi golgapas. Smooth and sweet in flavour, the taste lasts in the mouth for a long time.

For Sector 23, the man serves great tasting papri chaat and aloo tikki chaat. But it is his mint-flavoured spicy water in the golgappas that leaves a lasting impression. And for the Sector 17 (outside Neelam Theatre) joint, his best is chilled filtered water mint golgappa ka pani. It’s quite an appetizer in this blistering heat.

Now for Gopals-35, Sindhi-17, Anupam Sweets in Sector 11, Panchkula, and Khatani in Mohali, all are fast food joints that serve a variety of things along with this khatta mittha delicacy. In these joints the papri chaat and bhalla papri chaat comes layered with sweet saunth chutney where half the paapris are put in a whipped yoghurt mix, and the other half in the sweet saunth and pudina chutney. A piece or two of bhalla adds to the flavour. Arranged in a tempting way, garnished with julians of ginger, black channa and chukundar (beetroot), this is a must try.

For golgappas it’s no fun to have it here, as you have to fill them yourself and then eat. But in the end it is tart and sweet gastronomic journey! Isn’t it?

jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com

Eating lots of curry may help you lose weight, research suggests. Scientists believe that haldi, or turmeric, which is used in most Indian meals, has an active ingredient that can help fight obesity.  A meal that includes haldi will lead to less weight gain than one without the yellow powder.

This is because haldi contains a plant-based chemical called curcumin, which suppresses the growth of fat tissue in mice and human cell cultures, according to a study by Tufts University in Boston, published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Curcumin is also easily absorbed by the body, the researchers said, after experiments on mice.

“Weight gain is the result of the growth and expansion of fat tissue, which cannot happen unless new blood vessels form, a process known as angiogenesis,” said senior study author Mohsen Meydani of the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts.

“Based on our data, curcumin appears to suppress angiogenic activity in the fat tissue of mice fed high fat diets,” he said in a statement. In particular, turmeric is effective when added to a high-fat meal, suggesting it could help fight obesity. Researchers gave one set of mice high-fat diets and another set the same food with 500mg of curcumin added to each meal.

After 12 weeks, the mice which were fed curcumin weighed less than those which did not eat it.

The next step will be to perform clinical trials on humans, said the researchers. —IANS 

They say it’s the worst enemy of clear skin, but eating chocolate could actually prove to be a lifesaver for people who abandon their social lives just because of acne. Acne Care chocolate bars are said to deliver antioxidants and micro-nutrients that help clear the skin.

Makers of the revolutionary new chocolate, which is set to hit Australian shelves, claim that pimple-plagued sufferers will experience dramatic results within just two weeks of eating the chocolate.

Developed by US-based Frutels, the chocolate-coated treatment is believed to be the first of its kind and supports the body’s defences and clarifies the skin from within.

Frutels recommend consumers eat between two and five chocolates a day for the fastest results, reports News.com.au.

A company spokesman said: “This product takes beauty foods to another level by not only tackling acne care in an ingestible form, but by using a food that has been associated with causing acne to make these claims. “Chocolate has long been taboo for acne sufferers.” —ANI

Hindi movie buffs have quite a few reasons to cheer after a literally dry summer at the box office. With the strike by film producers ending, there will be an array of big-budget Bollywood films on offer --- from Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminey and Yash Raj Films' New York to Sajid Nadiadwala's Kambhakkht Ishq and Saif Ali Khan's Love Aaj Kal.

The row between producers and multiplex owners over revenue sharing began in February. As a result, producers and distributors decided not to push any new releases in multiplexes after April 4.

So, the films that were due to release in May and June were pushed back. Industry sources now say that the tussle has ended, therefore, films with big star casts and huge budgets will release in close succession.

One of the much-awaited films is Bharadwaj's Kaminey, which narrates the story of identical twins and their journey to fulfil their dreams. The film will see Shahid Kapur playing a double role for the first time and also stars Priyanka Chopra.

Shahid fans will get a double treat with Paathshaala, which is also likely to release around the same time. There were reports that Shahid's character in the film is similar to Aamir Khan's in Taare Zameen Par, but the film's producer Ahmed Khan dismisses them.

Director Kabir Khan's New York is a romantic thriller based on international terrorism. It is a contemporary story of three friends --- John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh -- and how their lives are turned upside down in New York.

Then Sajid Nadiadwala's $20 million Kambhakkht Ishq will see Akshay Kumar playing a stuntman in Hollywood and Kareena Kapoor will play his lady love. The highlight of the film is the presence of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards.

Also in the line are a few debuts.

Saif Ali Khan debuts as a producer with Love Aaj Kal, Kamal Haasan's daughter Shruti Haasan will foray into Bollywood with Luck opposite Imraan Khan.

Others that will fight for attention are Bipasha Basu-starrer "Pankh", director Satish Kaushik's Tere Sang. 

Sonam Kapoor has finally managed to take revenge from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and that too in a very unique way. If rumours are to be believed then Ash had reportedly stopped Sonam from walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Reportedly Sonam has now started calling Ash as Aishwarya ‘Aunty ji’. To clarify herself, Sonam even explained that since Ash and her father Anil Kapoor have worked opposite each other, she calls her aunty out of respect. Ash has not reacted to this statement yet, but this can be the beginning of yet another cat fight between Ash and Sonam.

The both will reportedly be sharing the stage at IIFA 2009. For, IIFA Brand Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter-in-law AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN will perform during the awards nite on June 13. Also performing at the show will be Sonam Kapoor, who will make her debut on stage, and Kareena Kapoor. -Agencies

The Soldiers of the Earth campaign, an all encompassing, environmental awareness generation programme launched by TERI Press, India's first green publisher, in collaboration with the ONGC is all set to go to the grassroots with the start of their school awareness programme in early July.

The campaign is aimed at sensitizing children and young adults towards a greener future aided by promotional comic series of the same name, authored by Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar. 'I have been working closely with TERI and IIFA to highlight the climate crisis."To take this effort forward, we decided to launch the comic book series as a tool to reach out to kids. Children are our future, it is very important to teach them about nature, which is irreplaceable,"says Akshay. This is not the first time whne the Champion of cause is taking such initiative. — ANI