Hot garlic sauce, chicken fillets, tomato onion paste, sprinkle of herbs, lemon juice and a million watt smile. A million watt smile…and you think we added it for effect? It might not come as a revelation to you, but a broad and even broader smile is a key ingredient in cooking. And the effect, it shows on your face, when you lick the gravy sticking to your fingers without caring much about the ‘exotic factor’, and it shows on the tip you leave with the bill. Ever thought how a magical smile, a fun loving passionate mind and a heart can work in combo to toss up a yummy dish?

Chef Vineet

Here is what the study says – ‘Anything cooked in a happy ambience with a delectable smile is more healthy than the one cooked with an absent mind or a frown.’ Now, does this mean the chefs and mummies back home need to be in ‘splits’ while preparing food? Could be. We let chefs from the city zero-in on their ‘favourite ingredients’ (we definitely don’t mean parsleys, ajinomoto, herbs etc) for cooking a soulful dish. Here’s what they say.

“Has to be a broad smile and a touch of love as well as passion,” says Raman preet Singh, executive chef with The Lobby-26. “We call it the ‘hand of love’, it goes without saying that any dish cooked with love and passion will definitely taste better than the one cooked with no interest. Also, food prepared by your mother will taste different as compared to that prepared by the cook. Technically, it might not be bad, however, that touch of love would be missing in the servant’s preparation.”

Heard of the times when ‘maharajs’ were appointed to look after the kitchen. They wouldn’t even let the members of the house enter the kitchen without taking off their shoes. You couldn’t imagine getting up from bed and walking straight to the kitchen. “This is because the kitchen or any place where food was prepared was considered sacred. This is still the case, but we don’t follow such rules strictly, with an exception at a few homes,” adds Raman preet.

“Not that I keep giggling while making food,” says Chef Anjum Hasan, Lucknawi food consultant. He adds, “At the same time I cannot deny the fact that if I cook anything with a heavy or an occupied mind, I am bound to go back. I can miss some main ingredient or add something extra. Of course, one doesn’t need to keep peeping into a joke book while cooking. It is important to be cool and calm. One more ingredient can change the taste of the dish - passion. If one cooks with passion, trust me it shows, rather the taste is in every morsel you eat.”

What about passionate and fun-filled cooking adding to the ‘health’ element of the dish? “Health comes with the state of mind while preparing the dish. A good mood affects the choice of ingredients too,” says Ramit Kohli, Souf chef, Hotel Taj, Chandigarh.

“In a happy mood, any cook is likely to pick up better ingredients, put the right kind of masalas for the right mix, which anyway will be healthy. It is a fact that when your heart, mind and soul are in the food making process, it turns out to be healthy and tasty.” As for chef Vineet, Shivalik View-17, “ anything done from heart bears good results. Whatever is in your mind reflects on the food as well. If you are iriitated for some reason, the food will taste too spicy or too bland. And if the mood is fantastic expect a mind blowing dish, even if it is not exotic.” Chef Vineet is always excited about creating new things. “Whenever I think about food, I am excited. Net result is that I end up creating something innovative or something great out of the usual.” An excepted fact now, food prepared with a smile tastes any day better than the one you make without investing much thought. “Of course, chips in KD Thakur, general manager, Ghazal-17, “the taste of the food is directly propotional to the state of mind. Any kind of anxiety or sadness can ruin the entire palate. On the other hand, if you can just smile and enjoy what you are cooking, people will get noticed no matter what. Preparing food is a sacred activity, if the rules are followed, trust me it shows.”

Beware of the bad mood! Echoes Neeraj Chaudhary, beverage manager and chef, Taj, “In a way maybe. Not that I will end up making ‘jala hua khaana’, the dish would be okay, but that extra topping of love, smile, passion and that yum flavour would be missing.”

jasmine@tribunemail.com

The 56-year-old actor, who appeared as the iconic British spy in Golden Eye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day, before being replaced by Daniel Craig insists he loves the projects he is currently involved with and wouldn't want to return to the action franchise, it is reported.

"I enjoyed my time as Bond, but I don't miss him. I don't have any desire to do Bond again. I love who I am as an actor right now," Brosnan said.

The star admitted he might not have the physical capabilities to star in the movies anymore anyway. "I'm aware of my lack of stamina, particularly working with a young cast on Remember Me with Robert Pattinson, the latest heart-throb. Things do rattle and shake at times, but that's the challenge of life anyway," Brosnan said.

The actor has previously admitted he doesn't think he "nailed" playing the iconic spy as well as he could have because he couldn't stop relating with other actors who have played 007 before.

The actor, who took over the role from Timothy Dalton, said, "It was one of those things I always struggled with. I never felt that I really nailed it. There was always a hint of Sean Connery and Roger Moore that was so indelible in my own mind." —PTI

Hollywood actress Megan Fox claims she is not a party person and her domestic lifestyle keeps her sane.The Transformers star, who is engaged to actor Brian Austin Green, thinks people would be surprised to know how much she prefers home life to wild parties.

"Oddly you wouldn't think it, but I'm very domestic. That keeps me sane. I sort of distance myself from the Hollywood crowd. I don't go out and socialise that way," Fox said. — IANS

Hollywood beauty Kristen Stewart is troubled by fans who pose as her on the Internet and send messages to her friends and family.

Kirsten Stewart

The Twilight star's friends complain to her that they are plagued by fans, who clutter their social networking pages, in a bid to contact their idol.

"My friends all have Facebook pages and stuff because they are normal people. But they are constantly being plagued because they somehow find out I'm friends with them and then the impostors try to go on and message my brother pretending they are me. My brother and my friends always complain to me about it," said the actress.

The 20-year-old shot to global fame after appearing alongside Robert Pattinson in the vampire film franchise and the fame brought along hordes of fans.

She recently admitted she felt lucky to have been supported by her family during her rise to fame. Stewart cites her loved-ones as the reason why she didn't go off the rails like some of her famous peers.

"My family is amazing. I had, like, the perfect upbringing. It sucks for people like Lindsay Lohan, but it's not her fault that she's so off the rails and she's smart, very smart," said Stewart. — PTI

Only those countries remain invincible who cherish the selfless sacrifices of their martyrs; we must bow to the valiant warrior, resolute social reformer, voice of the poor peasantry and above all a devout Sikh, Banda Bahadur, who emerged as a colossal on the military firmament of the otherwise mighty Sikh armed forces and was blessed by the great Guru Gobind Singh," says veteran freedom fighter Hukam Singh Bhatty while taking pride in promoting the mega spectacle of light and sound on the life of Banda Singh Bahadur.

"Without any prejudice I feel the pages of history have not given him his due," laments Bhatty. "His transition from a humble human to the all-time great general of the Sikh forces needs to be veritably documented without distortions," he adds.

Bhatty says the light and sound spectacle on Banda Bahadur, a venture of the Punjabi Kala Kendra and Theatre Arts, will go a long way in depicting the life and rare achievements the martyr. The rupees one million production will unfold facts about Banda Singh Bahadur

Born as Lachhman Dev in the sleepy village of Rajouri in Poonchh district of Jammu & Kashmir in 1770, Banda Bahadur grew up as a daring hunter who had a mastery over his bow and was a skillful swordsman. But after an incident where he killed a pregnant deer, he converted to a 'bairagi sadhu' and his guru renamed him as Madho Das.

But as luck would have it, he secured the blessings of the great Guru Gobind Singh and took on the feudalistic forces for the benefit of poor, landless farmers and humanity as a whole.

HS Bhatty, founder of Punjabi Kala Kendra, Mumbai, along with late Balraj Sahni and Rajiv Mehta, says Banda Singh Bahadur was not rightly highlighted in history. "He was the first secular land reformer, the first to remove untouchability; unlike Moghuls he never attacked mosques, never wore the crown. The production is our humble tribute to the great warrior on his 300th anniversary," he says.

According to the director Rajiv Mehta, who plays maulvi and other roles in the historic drama, the production features the best theatre artists from the region, including Parvesh Sethi, Yogesh Arora, Kapil Kalyan, Narinder S Neena, Dr Kulbir Kaur, Amrik Teja, Balkar Sidhu, among others. Yogesh Arora scores music while Pammi Hanspal and Leelka Nautiyal are in the playback. Shammi Narang has given the voice over.

Supported by the Chandigarh administration, the premier show opens at the Tagore Theatre on June 17 at 7.00 pm. Repeat shows will be held on June 18 and 19.

Fujifilm India Pvt. Ltd., announces the availability of its new and exciting 30x optical zoom camera - the FinePix HS10 in Punjab & Haryana. Serious photographers wanting the versatility and performance of an SLR system without the bulk or expense can now go in for the all new Fujifilm FinePix HS10. It has a powerful class-leading 24-720mm (30x) zoom lens that covers a uniquely versatile 24-720mm (equivalent on a 35mm camera) range from true wide-angle to ultra telephoto. From sweeping landscapes, interiors and large group shots to distant sports or wildlife action, the FinePix HS10 is ready for every photographic challenge thrown at it. What's more, sophisticated photographic controls, advanced functionality and SLR-like handling in a single compact, affordable unit make FinePix HS10 an excellent buy.

According to Kenichi Tanaka, managing director, Fujifilm India, "With a range that would require at least two bulky 'super zoom' lenses on an SLR, the FinePix HS10's built-in 30x wide tele-zoom lens is its crowning glory. Fujinon lenses are acclaimed world over not just by photographers but by television broadcasters and industrial users as well. Not to forget their use in orbital satellite for capturing high resolution photos of the moon surface!

The large command dial, manual focus ring, twist and zoom lens barrel, bright, clear electronic viewfinder, high quality tilting LCD screen and deep hand grip ensure the FinePix HS10 handles at least as well as a digital SLR, despite its compact dimensions. AA batteries provide excellent performance (up to 700(TBD) shots per charge when using NiMh cells) combined with the convenience of a universally available format when shooting for extended periods away from mains power. In common with all enthusiast-level FinePix models the FinePix HS10 features a range of advanced Fujifilm technologies for picture-perfect results, including ultra-fast Face Detection, Intelligent Flash, automatic red-eye removal and up to 400 per cent expanded dynamic range. — TNS 

If you are seeking a career in animation then here's a bit of information. "Animation is not just about bringing figments of your imagination alive, but an art that needs apt technique to perfect." The statement of hope comes from Sathish Veno Gopal, country manager, India Subcontinent for Corel.

Providing for such future animators, Corel announced its association with FireBox Group of Institutes of Information and Technology (FGIIT), a venture of FireBox Animation Studios.

"It's an attempt to make students aware of the technical as well as utility aspects of the software and help them give an international accreditation through certification from Coral headquarters in Canada," says Sathish.

The partnership will authenticate FireBox Animation Studios and FGIIT as its authorised training centre for the region. FireBox Animation Studios is also India's first animation company having accreditation from Dubai Accreditation Center (DAC) and International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

"Students here will have edge over others, as they will get international certificates that is valid in 186 countries. And it will also help them get a fair chance to get into national and international markets in the animation industry," said Ashwani Kumar, the managing director of FireBox Animation Studios and FGIIT. Corel products have been multipurpose in use and this training will make Corel and non-Corel features utilitarian by making the most using these software technologies. "The primary emphasis of this partnership is to upgrade the production standards and applications through the software while opening up the students to a bigger market in the meantime," adds Sathish. — TNS

After breaking the Rs 100 subscription price barrier in the DTH industry in 2008, Tata Sky Ltd., reveals yet another pricing milestone in the DTH industry. Tata Sky announced the launch of its much anticipated Tata Sky High Definition (HD) service at a matchless price of just Rs 2,599. Tata Sky HD would be made available across the country in all leading consumer electronic outlets. The service will support the most advanced 1080i picture quality, 16:9 aspect ratio and 5.1 surround sound.

Tata Sky HD offering will include channels like National Geographic HD and Discovery HD. Many more channels like Star Plus HD, Star Movies HD and popular sports channels will also get added to the pack. The other unique feature will be the blockbuster movies being shown in HD. The service will be launched with the superhit movie 'Kites' being shown exclusively on Tata Sky in HD format.

As part of the launch phase, all existing Tata Sky subscribers can now upgrade to Tata Sky HD and avail the HD Gold Pack for an entire year, absolutely free. All new Tata Sky HD subscribers would be offered the HD Gold pack for the first two months, absolutely free.

Vikram Kaushik, Managing Director & CEO, Tata Sky Ltd. said, "From day one, Tata Sky has led the way in introducing optimum solution for consumers looking at a great value point. Time and again, we have reinforced the trust of Tata and superior technology of Sky to provide a world class service to our subscribers". Tata Sky Ltd., is committed to offering viewers the best of pay television through its nationwide satellite television service. Tata Sky offers subscribers over 191 channels and interactive services in DVD quality picture and CD quality sound. — TNS

Riding high on its 2009 success, the Gillette Mach3 India Gaming Championship (IGC) in association with Zapak is back this year and promises to create an even bigger BANG. Owing to last year's overwhelming response from 1.16 million participants, the Gillette Mach 3 India Gaming Championship 2010 aims to attract 2 million participants and will expand to 34 cities from the previous 8, making it the world's biggest online gaming championship.

The Gillette Mach3 India Gaming Championship 2010 is based on the idea "Be a winner, Change your World". The lucky winners are entitled to receive prizes worth Rs. 1.5 crores. — TNS 

When electronic books outnumber the hard copies, that's another clear sign of a tech savvy library having arrived. At British Library-9, the ratio is a healthy one to two. "We have as many as 20,000 books and as many as 45000 electronic books and these soft copies books are available all the time. And we are shortly introducing the audio book collection," says Christina Singh, deputy manager.

What's academic about the interiors is, perhaps, only the presence of books on racks. Thrown in is generous splash of red and blue lounge chairs. Other than the décor, there's FIFA frenzy in full display. "That's because members can log into our website and vote for their favourite team." Meanwhile, the summer workshop for children is on. Think painting, dancing, sketching, stereotypical summer fun. There're workshops for each age group. The list of extra-curricular activities stretch to physical education project, Cambridge exams administered to each age group.

The limited space has a lot of sections, segmented into lifestyle, children's section, graphic novels, music, DVDs. She adds, "I think what separates this library from the others of its ilk is the customer service. Which is perhaps, why, apart from the tricity, we even have members coming in from Patiala, Ludhiana and such neighbouring cities."

As for the crowd, there're those enjoying summer holidays rubbing shoulders with ones preparing for the entrances. Adds Christina, "Let alone school students, we even have toddlers coming over, while some are retired officials." The books available comprise strictly British publications or those with some UK connection. "Either the author should be British or the story but there has to be some UK connection, even if that's a tangent."

Shares Nupur, a member, "I come here for the preparation of the IELTS and the online collection is quite exhaustive. In fact, majority of the students that come here, do so for the English language entrances." She further points to the bright and cheerful interiors, "Apart from this, the interiors are not monochromatic or boring that give you a very bookish feel."

manpriya@tribunemail.com

It isn't easy finding just the right tutor on how to play the drums. Perhaps, there aren't yet pronunciation classes available on the French brands, nor do the finishing schools come by the dozen. How to eat with chopsticks, how to pronounce Coco Chanel, how to play piano, and trigonometry word problems? Welcome, the universal teacher.com!

"Apart from academic activities like downloading softwares, I've used the net for learning dancing, catching up on a few salsa steps, to be precise," shares Taruni Aggarwal, final-year student, Chandigarh College of Architecture. She adds, "A few of my friends used to learn music on the net."

How to pull the right strings in a guitar, how to beat the drums, seven notes of piano, club dancing, basic steps of salsa sans partner…the list of e-tutoring sites and subjects is as endless as the search results. What attracts the hits on the sights is the unparalleled anytime-anywhere comfort. Shares Akash Pahuja, former student, University Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology, "We used to browse and learnt a bit of art of living, couple of dance steps on the net, especially the locking and popping forms, since these dance forms have not yet been introduced in India. At least not in the city."

The list of advantages doesn't end here. "What I like the best about online tutoring is the privacy it affords. A lot of times, in a singing or a music class you might be conscious or at least aware of the other people's presence. In your room, it's learning without any hesitations and without any hitches like, "Oh my god! Somebody's watching me, I hope I'm not looking funny or something," shares Amanjot Virk, functional English student, Government College.

Apart from the privacy, there are no strings attached…start learning how to give interviews, leave it mid way, google on how to hold the golf club, move over to how to make a presentation; even how to make a paper boat…nobody's watching.

Says Taruni, "I think tutoring through the net is very helpful. Moreover, there is that anytime access. I might feel a bit stressed in the middle of the night, I can google anything I want to learn." She adds, "Moreover, it saves so much time, I don't have to drive all the way to the hobby classes."

That is, in case, the classes in the chosen area of interest are available. As for the umpteen learning possibilities, classes are a combination of Google, eHow, Youtube. There's how to have top notch table manners, how to pay a compliment, play along conversation, even make a first impression! By the way, there are close to 20,000 search results on dining etiquettes online. One claims to teach bungee jumping. Yet another tutors on how to tee off. Talk of the most practical things. Opines Akash, "Learning an instrument is difficult through the net, as are so many other things. It's more widely used for subjects that are difficult to find books on." He adds, "Though I do have friends who've learnt how to do rapping through the Internet."

About 44 percent of suicides by children between 10-14 years of age are due to bullying, revealed a new study. According to Charity Beatbullying, 26 out of the 59 cases reported in the national media in eight years were certainly connected to bullying.

But research claims that the number of youngsters who killed themselves because of persecution could be as high as 78. The official total number of children who killed themselves between 2000 and 2007 is 176. Official data also recorded 1,769 suicides of 15 to 19-year-olds between the same periods. Beat bullying said that facts and data indicated that the total number of bullying-related adolescent suicides could be in the hundreds. Every child suicide case related to bullying cited school as the main place of abuse. The research also showed a higher tendency of bully-related suicide among girls aged between 10 and 14, with 65 percent of such deaths involving girls. — ANI

Boys who attempt suicide before the age of 18 are more likely to be aggressive towards their partners as adults, claims a new study, highlighting the need for intervention among the teens having suicidal tendencies.

The American research is based on data from 153 males from higher-crime neighbourhoods, who were assessed yearly from ages 10 to 32, and their partners who participated when the men were aged 18 to 25.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, found that about 58 per cent of youth who attempted suicide went on to injure a partner, compared to 23 per cent of young men who did not do so.

"The study began when these men were kids, before anyone knew who was going to become violent," said David Kerr of Oregon State University, who led the study. "That is quite different from research that starts with violent men, or women from a domestic violence shelter, and tries to look back in time for explanations," said Kerr, who is researching on youth suicide, depression, and health-risking behaviours.

The study also did not rely on just one source of information, such as men's own reports of aggression. Instead, the researchers had data from official domestic violence arrest records, women's own reports of injury, and live observations of the couples. The researchers controlled for other problems suicidal youth can have which are also linked to violence to partner, such as aggression, depression, substance use, and family abuse history.

They still found that young men who attempted suicide were more aggressive toward their partners. — PTI 

First name, nickname, first love, latest crush, lines for me… remember something? Welcome to the world of slambooks, ever so popular among teenagers. Who hasn't heard of them? Who hasn't signed one? We all must have done it at least once.

The growing popularity of online networking sites such as Facebook, Orkut etc may have diminished the importance of these cute trendy books among college-goers and university students, but teens still have a liking for them.

Says Geetika Sharma, Class 10th student at Bhavan Vidyalaya, "For me this slambook is a creative way of sharing and preserving memories. The photo album reminds me of the golden days spent in each other's company."

Slambooks sure are a treasure trove of memories, both good and not so good. Says Dr Mohanmeet Khosala, chairperson, School of Communication Studies, PU, "It was a big thing in school. I also got it filled by friends and teachers; some were interesting, most were clichés. I don't think it's much used in universities and colleges, but it's fun to go through old stuff. But now that I'm on the other side of 40, nostalgia is more to do with my kids growing up rather than my own growing up years".

And are slambooks a more interesting way of preserving memories as compared to the net? She adds, "Certainly, but in an era of push buttons relationships nostalgia is beautiful only if the bonds are strong. But today, when the bonds are difficult to come by, where's the question of nostalgia? And when memories themselves are transitory, who worries about the permanence of the medium that preserves them".

Whatever said and done, slambooks are a great tool for preserving memories of those special incidents in one's younger days, all those gossips and much more. And the markets are loaded with slambooks in various shapes and colours. Says Amit Kumar, owner of Archies-22, "From among the list of different slambooks available, including Archies, Celwin, Love and Bites, Famay, Lotous, Disney, Hallmarks, Goldleaf, Adarsh etc, Archies, Disney and Hallmarks are popular because of their attractive designs, colours features, fonts and paper quality." He adds, "The sale of these books is more among school-goers. The price ranges between Rs 30-300."

So, go on, use the good old pen!