On screen, she is almost a blink and miss personality. Off screen, the radar sparkles with chuckles of her daughter. Nevertheless, twice a year, August 15 and January 26, she comes running through the golden fields, fluttering her dupatta, flashing that innocent smile. Ganga of Pardes resurfaces as a beautiful reminder, and so does Mahima Choudhary. But, this time she comes before the 'dates'. We catch up with her at the opening of Zaira Diamond showroom in Sector17 on Sunday.

And, she does come across as a beautiful reminder. "I am not doing films anymore. I am busy doing events and shows," she smiles, a trademark that she flaunts with poise. "I am open to projects even if it is about running around the trees. All the same, the role definitely should have some substance."

She sparkles with radiance like the beautifully carved Zaira diamonds. "See, I have picked a nice ring for myself. It goes without saying, women would always have a heart for diamonds," puts in Mahima.

Talking about matters of heart, it is all swelled up with love for her daughter. "Motherhood has changed everything for me. I am exhausted, I have no time to sleep or rest. The focus has shifted from 'I' to 'her', still, I love every moment of being with her. I had a yearning for a family, a baby, now that I have it, it makes me feel immensely satisfied," adds the actor.

One thing for sure, motherhood has definitely added an extra sparkle to her person. Mahima laughs, "My mother has a far better and great looking skin than me. Do you want to know the secret of my flawless shining skin? It is because of the white makhan I take back with me from Chandigarh."

Colours of life and one is actually here. Holi. "I couldn't have a blast last year. This year, however, I have bought coloured guns for my daughter. Holi will be great fun this time."

IPL comes back to India. A reason to rejoice of course! So, now we get to see 'entertaining cricket', and of course, melodrama, juicy updates on Twitter, glimpses of Bollywood stars and divas cheering on the terrace, bouncers, Yorkers, sixers, howzzat - cricket can be so much fun. What say! And what has the dimpled beauty, Priety Zinta, hooked to every ball and run has to say about the action-packed days ahead.

"Fantastic," comes the reply. "Home is where heart is, and we feel great that IPL has returned home amid fans and fanfare," shares Preity, in the city to meet Chief Minister, Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal for the upcoming matches.

Cricket, cricket, and a lot of cricket, but Bollywood is missing its Zaara. She smiles, picks her notepad, digs into the neatly jotted notes regarding her team details, "Yes, yes, I am out of the action for a long time. I thought I would do movies last time, but then the action shifted to South Africa. Now, it's come back here. No time for a balancing act," she adds.

Follows her explanation, "I don't think I would be able to do justice. Besides, if I sign a project, the producer and director would want me to shoot immediately. How on earth will I shuttle from the location of shoot, which could be Greece to India? Once, I am done here, I would get back into action."

But is not it true that out of sight is out of mind? "This does not bother me. I have been doing one or two films in a year, which say about my acting. And I am sure when I spring back into action, I would again find a place in the hearts of my fans."

Well, then till that time she can depend on Twitter for a direct connect between her fans. "Twitter," she pauses, "Twitter is good. I went on Twitter because I came to know somebody was impersonating me. I also feel it is a good way to compact yellow journalism. So, many actors these days are on Twitter, for they also feel this is the best way to put our direct viewpoint in front of public. Barring aside the silly rumours on Tweets, this is a good thing. I just wish I have enough time to tweet," chips in Priety, who feels she has enough understanding of cricket.

On a signing note, we play a soft ball, to which she hits a four. More movies on sports like Chak De, Iqbaal? "It is not about more movies on sports, it is about a good storyline that sends across the right message. If a film is made primarily on a sport, it would end up as a documentary. Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander was a good movie, with a good 'sporting' message. Story lines like these do the needful." This one has definitely hit the boundary.

jasmine@tribunemail.com 

Aaj Biraj mein Holi re rasiya!
I love the lilting folksy notes and simplicity of this rural song. Having danced to it at school functions makes it even more unforgettable. But the most popular Holi song to date remains Rangg barsey......., immortalised by Amitabh. It has gained "anthem-stature"! It reigns supreme, being a perfect blend, evocative, teasing and amorous, even rendered so aptly in bhang-soaked stupor by the Big B himself! Holi is here once again, and so is the Holi fever and Holi fervour!

What will we do this time? Where will we do it and to whom will we do it! As teenaged juveniles we had a bagful of tricks that we were eagerly waiting to let loose on unsuspecting innocents. Dunking victims in vats full of colour, sometimes "seasoned" with cowdung (Yeckk!) was the ultimate delight to behold. I'm sure you will forgive my use of the word 'seasoned' here...what can I say...I'm into cooking na! Another popular prank was some crazy chemical called khujli-powder which resulted in a person going into a scratching frenzy like an agitated lunatic! The villainous boys at school would mix it with gulaal, and a light smearing of the stuff was enough to set the scratch rolling! Believe me it had no antidote and only "time would heal"! Watching an Eastman coloured human scratching uncontrollably was quite akin to observing chimps and monkeys showing similar behavioral patterns at Chhatbir!

We've been brought up on a diet of Hindi movies where the Holi scenes showed hero, heroin and all and sundry resplendent in pristine white, flinging gulaal onto one another. In the real, cruel world, this can cause so much misery! A burst of colour chucked at your face can only cause a burst of tears as it lodges in your eyes, as excruciating as sawdust! I wish the revelers would simply smear, instead of creating a cloud of colour for the corneas to squint through! Poor me, I'm a contact lense wearer, so imagine my plight. Each year, at the end of the bash, one pair of disposable lenses goes shaheed as I salvage them out of sore, red-rimmed eyes and flick them out of the car window! I am in a critical mood, aren't I? Perhaps I should print this, laminate it and hang it outside my door, this year and every year following at Holi time!

Can someone enlighten me as to why we feel so ravenous during the festive season? A festival day is, after all is just another day, and yet we throw our diets out and tuck in like there's no tomorrow! Of course it will be tomorrow, when we shall repent and resent at leisure, accompanied by a bowl of insipid soup! Lazy afternoon celebrations have to have a supply of chilled bubbly for the beer guzzlers, for Holi means madira, gujiyas, food and more food! Even the fragile finger-bowl fraternity suddenly doesn't bother a brass button about grimy cuticles while they tear at murgi and poori with great aplomb. We look like multicoloured dalmatians, rubbing shoulders with purple and silver painted pals straight from a science fiction flick! God help you if you unwittingly make a pass at a passing by tray laden with bhang ka pakodas! I've been that route and all I know is that I didn't know what planet I was on! It felt like I was flying, swimming, laughing, wailing, all in rapid succession!

A Holi gathering without some riotous sangeet would be very lukewarm indeed! No matter how many snazzy numbers a jockey belts out, nothing can beat our traditional nagaara. Even the most benign of us will spring from inaction into dancing at hearing its rhythmic, thunderous throb. So people! Take my advice, even though it's bordering on preaching...Don't behave so grown up! Don't be paranoid about the unholy, post Holi mess! Don't be stressed over shampooing those tresses later! Take those problem patellas where the music is! Get rocking and shock everyone including yourself! Hope you have a roaring time! 

Herein lies the ultimate license of liberty, 'don't mind, holi hai.' Oops…Little flirting, bit of frolicking, some teasing, slight squeezing… you get the picture. The festival is just an excuse, acting fresh seems to be the intention. So what if a string of equally colourful asterix abuses follow from the fairer gender! Err…'Cherry cheeks, rosy lips, crimson chin, eyes are blue, amidst myriad hues, it's holi hai and I love you'! If the Valentine is all red, pink, crimson, the Indian version packs in red, green, blue, yellow, even scarlet, indigo, emerald…Soak in the colours, the spring, the spirit. Who needs sun, sand and sea?

"Yes, the festival, at times is used as an excuse to be a little playful and frisky. Last year my friends and I, in the varsity grounds, were passing by and a couple of boys got a little restless. Since it was all harmless, even we laughed and shrugged it off,"

laughs Neha Vasdev from the Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University. She recalls, "Last year we celebrated it at the hostel with mud, water, water pipes, friends and loud music. Every year, there's strict security. Otherwise, we guess, the boys might even climb the walls to take a look."

RJ Abhimanyu of BIG FM opines, "More than anything else it's a festival of togetherness. But yes, if two people are playing together, putting colours on each other does bring them together and increases the comfort level. Like you can splash colour on anyone and they can't even refuse, because it's holi." He has plans in place too. "I'll celebrate it like any other youngster, will take my car out, go to a friend's place, will drive slow at around 40kmph with loud music and lots of honking."

Using the tradition, to get acquainted, get known, get close, make friends is perhaps as traditional as the tradition itself. Did someone once not share "My friend once played the Santa and entered the girl's house he had a huge crush on."

Back to the spectrum of colours, the rainbow mood and the revelation spree continues. Shares Harmandeep Singh, student, Government College-11, "Honestly, it is an excuse to be in the bold or daredevil mood with the opposite gender but that's about it. If it's happening with the consent of the girl, it's ok, otherwise eve-teasing is a big no with us too." Continue with the masks of hues…under thick coats of paints, everyone's a stranger anyways, but that's where they draw the colorful line.

manpriya@tribunemail.com

Beam Global Spirits and Wine, is yet again poised to surprise the Sauza Tequila lovers with a completely fresh and unexpected Holi gear. Sauza Tequila has introduced limited edition of specially designed Sauza Flip Flops for Holi. Sauza lovers can now add a little more colour and panache to the festival in Style!

Available in select key markets across the country, the special limited edition is designed keeping in mind the festive occasion of Holi. It aids adding zing to your Holi attire..

According to Harish Moolchandani, CEO and managing director, India and Indian Sub-Continent, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, "Sauza has been known for being fresh and unexpected. Sauza Holi Flip Flops are the perfect extension. These limited designer holi pack is sure to make heads roll and add that bit of glamour to a colourful festival of Holi. You can always expect Sauza to add fresh & unexpectedness to your life!" — TNS

Rose Fest - day three. Enter. The last day packed in quite a horde. Sunday was the saving grace and it was every inch a carnival should be, colorful and crowded. Place where hoi polloi meets hoity toity and happily so.

Negotiate through the parking to the green lawns, and it's a mirage of events, goings on, each corner with a different activity, its own music. At the entrance, Haryana Folk artistes with dance moves, traditional music and currency notes tucked in the finger tips, welcome the visitors.

A few yards away, there're tattoo artists at work, while live portrait sketchers busy translating people on the canvas. The announcer, over the microphone, guiding the goings on. Over to the contest of the day, On the Spot Painting Competition; there're a deluge of categories and groups and themes and of course the participants.

Shares Shiv, participant from Government College of Art, "This is for the first time I've participated in a competition at this fest. They gave us the freedom to paint our own theme." Their junior counterparts were not that lucky. The social messages theme, Go Green, Save Environment were bold and clear. Shares D.S. Kapoor, "We gave them the themes keeping the age group and category in mind. As the age group grows, their thinking should also grow, so it's mostly social message theme for them."

Did we forget, roses were there too, in between, here and there, far and near.

To check the rose quotient of the residents, Rose Quiz competition had the teams and the participants battling it out…Which great king has been shown in portrait holding a rose? For the ignorant, Akbar. The poem Black Rose has been penned by which poetess?…No prizes for getting Amrita Pritam right.

A foreigner couple could be seen soaking in the scene, too much for the eye to take in at one go. Never mind the language barriers. "We've just reached from Italia. We just landed here, it's all very nice and colourful." Then they just ought to wait for the festival of colours!

Some are clearly in the Sunday mood, others in the carnival. The leftovers were there, just for the competitions. A few parents clutching their kids or vice-versa. Before the evening and the Kunal Ganjewala night sets in, later in the afternoon, it's awards time and the prizes for the on the spot painting competition went to Kawin Sharma, Krisha Sethi, Shaurya Pahuja, Khushboo Garg, Chandni, Kiran Preet Kaur, Rahul Aggarwal, Rahul…The winners took home the CFL lamps along with the lessons in conservation in tow.

A riot of colours, imagination and creativity unleashed… Celebrating Holi is a more than just celebrating a festival, it's about having fun with colours any which way you want. So, a group of prominent artists from the city got together on Saturday afternoon to play holi on canvas and were joined by the students of Dikshant Global School-12, Panchkula.

The one-day-workshop-cum-celebrations, Phagun Aayo Re, saw a houseful, with students of pre-nursery to class ten sharing palatte with artists from Shantiniketan, Kolkatta. Ela Chaudhary and Bibekanand Kapri from Shantiniketan taught them the nuances of textile designing and sculpturing. "The students played around with fabrics, tie and dye, batiks and lots of hand designing," said Ila Chaudhary. With Bibekanand, students made sculptures out of shesham wood and sand stone. "Some of them actually took their work back with them as souvenirs," he said.

The canvas too had imprints of a child's imagination without the textbook impressions of a tree or an apple. "I was surprised to see the children do well without any formal instructions being given about painting," says Manjit Singh, an artist from the city. But well, when does painting need a degree or theory? All you need is a free flowing mind. "Sure, depending on their freedom of thought and innocence. Probably that's why painting along with them was easier than teaching them," he said.

Though Bibekanand had the children occupied with his stone figures and tools, his experience was as satisfying as his students. "I have been staying in Chandigarh for a year now and feel that it has a brilliant environment for art learners. With surroundings that encourage your creative sense and tools of proper learning, you can start young and then grow as an artist faster." Bibekanand specialises in Egyptian art and modifying it accordingly. He has done solo shows along with Ila, who has also won national awards for her works. — TNS

A month after giving birth to two kids and Angelina Jolie was back in shape. Not an inch more at the waist, not a kilo extra in the body weight, Jolie was quite an inspiration to all mothers. But was it too soon to lose weight after baby? Doctors also claim, "it is either of the extremes, women take to rigourous exercises post delivery or become complacent, both having untoward repercussions." It gets worse in case of working women, who are figure conscious and want to lose all the extra pounds at the soonest possible.

Dr. Swapna Mishra Gynecologist, Fortis cites some examples of the same, "Recently a woman with a fifteen days old kid called me to ask if she can join aerobics class. Also there was another woman who was being pressurized by her husband to get back to normal shape after a week of delivery."

What instead advisable is a gap of six months before taking to strenuous gym exercises. "Because a woman's internal organs are pretty week post delivery, exercises can harm the uterus," informs Anju Huria, Head of the gynecology department, GMCH-32. Light exercises after normal delivery are though prescribed to tone up the lose muscles fifteen days after the delivery, "Pelvic floor and abdominal muscle exercises relaxes and tightens up the muscles simultaneously, thus helps lose weight too."

Light exercises should be done in routine only after six weeks of normal delivery and four months after a caesarean. For those who want to waste no time, as advised by Dr. Swapna is, "A brisk walk can be of great help. It increases the basic metabolic rate, thereby improving the digestion and diminishing the appetite." Another sureshot way of losing weight is breastfeeding the child, "Breastmilk is very high in calories, so when you breastfeed, you automatically lose calories and weight too."

Besides the solutions to weight gain, equally important is assessing the causes that lead to addition of pounds. Dr. Anju points out that it is natural to gain 10-15 kgs depending on the body type, "Women gain more weight because of diet. Especially in North India, it is mandatory to have food products made in desi ghee post delivery, which in fact is harmful for women."

Also the belief that diet has to be increased double fold, since a woman has to eat for her child also, is a misnomer. In no conditions, a woman requires more than 300-400 calories in a meal. Excess of it causes weight gain, which is difficult to lose as women can't take to strenuous gymming till six months, "It's advised to gradually increase the level of exercises. Doing exerting work out can cause internal injuries too," adds Swapna.

Women who have had a caesarean, weight loss might take a little more while than the usual. "It's compulsion for women working in the corporate sector to look fit but post delivery, it is vital to let body take its own time to get back into shape. Till accept the body as it and the gradually work to begin to tone it up." Everyone's not an Angelina Jolie. 

Holi, the festival of colours, is here once again and the city is gearing up to paint itself into all the diverse shades of the rainbow in its merrymaking. Dr SPS Grewal, CEO, GEI, region's leading eye care chain, has advised the public to be mindful of their eyes, while enjoying the festivities this Holi.

Speaking on the precautions needed to keep eyes safe this Holi, Dr Grewal said, "In earlier days, colours for Holi were derived naturally from flowers & vegetables. These colours were not only eco-friendly but also a lot safer for both eyes & body. However, nowadays we are dependent on synthetic and artificial colours."

Heavy chemicals, used to make synthetic colours stronger and lasting, make them toxic to the eyes & the body. Synthetic colours can cause irritation of eyes & skin, swellings, allergies and even temporary blindness.

Dr. Ashima Goel, a city based dermatologist warns against the use of synthetic colours, "Those who have a history of skin problems like acne or rashes are at a higher risk of skin allergies. Presence of any toxic substance in the colour can even result in contact dermatitis." It can even take a month's time to get rid of colour patches on the skin.

Be careful while choosing colours. "There is no guarantee that colours that are claimed to be herbal are safe. They can be adulterated too, so it's advised to first do a patch test of any colour and leave it on the skin for minimum 20 minutes," says Dr. Swamidas Mehta.

Only naturally made, healthy & eco-friendly colours should be used. Dr. Goel suggests colours should be preferable made at home, "Mix turmeric in water or leave beetroot soaked in water for over an hour for red colour."

Protect your hair by applying a heavy layer of coconut oil. Dr. Mehta recommends, "Wear full sleeves clothes and apply moisturizer on your face and hands. Keep washing the face at regular intervals to avoid any skin reaction."

Be equally conscious for your eyes. Eyes might take longer than skin to recover from any reaction, "Certain other precautions can be helpful in keeping eyes safe. Protect your eyes by closing them while colour is applied to your face. Keep wiping eyes with a clean piece of cloth regularly. Wear sunglasses to protect eyes from coloured water," says Dr. Grewal. — TNS

Ever wondered why munching one cookie is not enough to satisfy your taste buds? Well, researchers have found the answer for you: the culprit is glucose-fructose syrup. The Daily Mail reports, research shows processed snack foods often contain glucose-fructose syrup, an ingredient that makes your brain think you need to eat more.

Glucose-fructose syrup is a type of sugar based on one found in fruit that is used to add bulk and moisture to foods. It's a common ingredient in processed snack foods, cereals, yogurt and fizzy drinks, reports The New York Daily News.

Dr. Carel Le Roux, a consultant in metabolic medicine at Imperial College London, told the Daily Mail that fructose can scramble messages to the brain about being full.

"When we eat sugar, our body releases insulin which tells the brain that we have had enough to eat.

"High insulin levels are one of the factors that dampen the appetite," she said.

The expert added: "But fructose doesn't trigger as much of an insulin response as regular sugar, so the brain won't get the message that you are full." — ANI

People who complain they have no time to exercise may soon need another excuse. Some experts say intense exercise sessions could help people squeeze an entire week's workout into less than an hour. Those regimens - also called interval training - were originally developed for Olympic athletes and thought to be too strenuous for normal people.

But in recent years, studies in older people and those with health problems suggest many more people might be able to handle it. If true, that could revolutionise how officials advise people to exercise - and save millions of people hours in the gym every week. It is also a smarter way to exercise, experts say.

"High-intensity interval training is twice as effective as normal exercise," said Jan Helgerud, an exercise expert at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Intense interval training means working very hard for a few minutes, with rest periods between —AP