Green, beautiful, serene and well-planned. That’s what Chandigarh symbolises. Traffic congestion, long signals, road accidents and parking chaos. That is another face of Chandigarh!

How? The number of cars (add luxury) we see on roads and the number of lifestyle diseases we suffer from have increased. We may talk about it and make it sound more complex. But some are acting on it and the solution seems simple—bicycle. However, cycling is restricted to a few enthusiastic foreign tourists and well, a few volunteers from the city.

“Chandigarh offers a great way to put on our green plugs by adopting cycling as part of our daily life. The reason may vary from person to person. With a wide canopy of greenery, wide roads, specially built cycle-tracks running parallel to every road, it invites us to hop on and enjoy a leisurely ride,” feels Sandeep Jassal, wellness and lifestyle consultant who has made it a point to adopt and promote cycling for the past few years. He is founder of the Live Life More foundation that asks people to take up cycling as a healthy medium of transportation, both for themselves and for the environment.

“Cycling is a feel-good exercise and it adds years to your life by safeguarding you from lifestyle diseases. We have ample spaces for the purpose, so why are we still acting ignorant?” he asks.

Dr HK Kharbanda, a homeopathic practitioner from the city shares, “I have been hooked to cycling for the past 10 years now and I like it. It helps me staying fit and promote green transportation.” Whether it’s going to his clinic in Sector 22 from his Sector 45 residence, or just biking for leisure, he swears by his eco-friendly ride. “It might take a little extra time to reach your destination, but it’s a lot more safer. And, only the use of cycle can reduce the vehicular pressure from city roads,” he says.

Another young and creative example comes with Saawan, a city-based visual artist, who has been riding since childhood. He has, in his own way, promoted cycling, “I use it in my art work, people across Asia watch my uploaded videos wherein I promote cycling and then it has been my only mode of transport since class seven, so my friends and peers get the message,” he says. Sawan feels that the problem of mass acceptance of it as a mode of transport lies in the mindset. “We don’t consider it a luxury, though there are innovative and hi-tech cycles available in the market. But we will rather spend on a car. Then people don’t have time for it may be, with busy lifestyles and no inclination towards it.” Pradeep Bhagat, principal, College of Architecture too is a die-hard cyclist, but says that it is difficult to adopt the exercise, given the fast pace lifestyle.

Chandigarh has been promoting the concept of cycle tourism for quite some time now. The efforts include providing rented bikes for a cycling expedition at Sukhna Lake and Tourist Information Center in Sector 17. “The CITCO has put around 10 ultra-modern bicycles, fitted with gearboxes, at Sukhna Lake. Anyone interested in cycling can take these bicycles on rent. One rarely misses a trip to Sukhna, that is why we have displayed our bicycles on a big stage there so that people can easily come to know about this option available here,” AK Malhotra, general manager, CITCO, informs. “We have also planned a Cyclathon on the eve of World Tourism Day which will have known names in the field of cycling and citizens participating.

But still foreign tourists clearly outnumber the domestic ones in enjoying a healthy exploration of City Beautiful. But it’s not just about tourism, acting on the local level will solve a dozen problems. “There is a need to develop this habit from childhood. Children are more for fancy cars and bikes instead of cycles. Panjab University campus is an excellent place for cycling, instead what we see is a line-up of the most expensive cars. We still associate cycle as a cheap mode of transportation and not a ‘status’ symbol, which is why promoting cycling is such a difficult task,” says Jassal. But Dr Kharbanda feels there is another plus point that goes for cycling, “It can save us a lot of money we spend on fuel.”

What we need maybe is a brand endorser—a celeb to do the needful.

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To me music is the manifestation of the mind in the highest level, a fine art – essentially contemplative and sophisticated art form. Living thousands of miles away in the UK, we find solace in our music which keeps us connected to our roots in Punjab,” maintains Prabhjyot Kaur, young vocalist and practicing lawyer from Birmingham where she was born and raised.

The versatile vocalist pair of Prabhjyot and her younger sister Jaskiran Kaur, a medico, is familiar at functions and music fests in Birmingham, India and European countries. Their performance at the Birmingham Symphony Hall before Tony Blair and other dignitaries encouraged them to scale new horizons. In the city with her celebrated mentor Ustad Tari Khan for a performance, she shares her quest for music.

“Music is an integral part of my family and means the world to us. We inherited from my father, Amar Singh, a musicologist and a former lecturer at RR Bawa DAV College-Batala. He migrated to Birmingham in the eighties carrying with him the rich musical heritage of Hindustani classical, devotional and folk music. As a performer and teacher he promoted our music to a spectacular level. It was with his effort that Indian music was recognised and accredited up to degree level at Sandwell College Birmingham before he established a teaching institute, the Amar Sangeet Kala Kender. More and more non-Indian students are learning and savouring the bliss of our music. My sister Jaskiran, who learns sitar from Guru Narinder Narula, and I teamed up for two devotional albums which were well received and our latest album of ghazals and songs is in the offing,” she says.

She considers herself lucky to be in the blessed tutelage of the most indomitable percussion wizard and composer in the sub continent Ustad Tari Khan, a torchbearer of Punjab Gharana.

Known for doing intense roles, actor Sonu Sood plays a young politician in upcoming film Dabangg. But he reveals that he was actually supposed to play the lead role, now being essayed by Salman Khan. "The film was brought to me before Salman came on board. Initially, I was supposed to do Salman's role of a cop... but when he decided to be a part of the film, I was offered the role of the youth politician that I'm now playing," Sonu said.

The actor, whose acting skills came to the fore in films like Yuva and Jodhaa Akbar, says he is not afraid of being overshadowed by the superstar. "I'm not scared that I'll get overshadowed in the film because of the presence of Salman. I completely trust Abhinav Kashyap, the director, who was Mani Ratnam's assistant director during Yuva.

"I know him since those days. Also, the character I'm playing is quite strong; so being sidelined was something that never bothered me," said Sonu, whose character in the film is named Cheddi Singh. Directed by Kashyap and produced by Salman's younger brother, actor Arbaaz Khan, Dabangg is set to hit screens Sep 10. Apart from Salman and Sonu, the film also stars Shatrughan Sinha's daughter Sonakshi, Om Puri, Dimple Kapadia, Vinod Khanna and Mahesh Manjrekar among others.

Sonu calls his character in the film a modern-day Gabbar Singh of Sholay fame. The actor adds that he got into the skin of his character by recalling the mannerisms of some of his classmates from engineering college. "Cheddi Singh is a very powerful guy in his area and is very unpredictable. He is like a modern Gabbar. He rules the place he is in. But then things change for him when Salman's character makes an entry," the 37-year-old said. "When I was doing my engineering, I had a lot of friends from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who were into youth politics; so I know the body language of people from that area. I know how they react to things, their mannerisms...That actually helped me get into the skin of my character," he added. Sonu, who made his Bollywood debut with Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh in 2002, was better noticed as Abhishek Bachchan's brother in Mani Ratnam's Yuva (2004). He then went on to do films like Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005), Sheesha (2005), Siskiyaan (2005) and more recently Singh Is Kinng (2008) and Jodhaa Akbar (2008) among others. Even though the actor is hungry for more meaty roles, he is happy that he has been able to survive in the indutry so long. "I'm happy with the way my career is moving but still there's a lot of hunger in me to do more...I want lots more to be offered to me. But still I'm happy with what I've achieved because it wasn't easy for a person like me, who is not from a film background, to come and get work in the industry," Sonu said.

"Now I just work on my survival tactics. I only do films that really excite me as an actor. I give 100 per cent to my character, I do rehearsals, I get involved and give my inputs to the director too. Also, I'm very focused that this is the place for me. I have nowhere else to go and I have to survive in this industry by hook or by crook. I take this as a challenge," he added. — Agencies

Hollywood actor Kate Winslet turns adviser to co-star Evan Rachel Wood on sets of their new film Mildred Pierce. Winslet gave tips to Woods on how to face the camera while filming a nudescene.

Wood admitted she was worried about baring all for her role in Mildred Pierce but was reassured by her co-star, Winslet who has stripped on screen several times. "I was quite nervous about it and Kate looked at me and said 'Listen to me alright. I've done everything, alright. And one day you're going to look back on this and you're going to be so happy you've done it. And it'll be great, just do it. OK?' I couldn't really say no," she said.

The 22-year-old actor also revealed she was recently shocked to discover she has fans. "I've started to get fans now. It's weird, I was on set and there were all these girls lined up on the sidewalk and I assumed they were all there for Kate and they all shouted at the same time, 'Evan Rachel Wood, we love you' and I didn't know what to say so I just said, 'I love you too!'. I was so shy, that had never happened to me before." — IANS

The toilet used by Hollywood heartthrob star Gerard Butler while shooting Machine Gun Preacher has become a hall of fame with fans swarming the place. The local store in Melvindale, Michigan, is giving tours around the bathroom, since the Scottish hunk once relieved himself there. "Gerard, who's in the Detroit area shooting 'Machine Gun Preacher', stopped to the use the restroom one day and later posed for pictures with the owner's two daughters. 

Once he went back to work, the girls invited all their friends to take a tour of the place where he relieved himself, and it's been the talk of the town ever since," said a source The 40-year-old star is not the only celebrity to find fame in a toilet.

Inception star Leonardo DiCaprio recently had to hide in a public bathroom after soccer fans watching the World Cup in South Africa saw him pop into the room. The toilet cubicle was suddenly inundated with members of the public desperate to catch a glimpse of the actor. —PTI

Hollywood actor Blake Lively has said she isn't fond of hanging out with stars and makes very few friends in the world of showbiz. The Gossip Girl star isn't comfortable in the world of celebrity, despite dating co-star Penn Badgley - and doesn't "collect" friends.

"You know, I don't have many friends that are actors, the ones I do have are people I've worked on films with for months. I don't go around collecting people for my BlackBerry because I want to have phone friends," said Lively.

The 22-year-old beauty also admitted she doesn't know how long she will play Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl - which is about to begin airing its fourth season - and plans to make "risky" career choices.

"We have six-year contracts but who knows how long TV shows ever run. They don't always go the full-term contracted. We're in season four," said Lively. — PTI 

A teacher has been hailed as supreme, even to the gods, in our old epics and scriptures. Even today, Teacher's Day celebration is treated as a pious occasion, believing that the education imparted by an ideal teacher will make a person master of his destiny. Lending befitting credence to the auspicious day, the acclaimed academician Prof Nirmal Datt, better known as a poet, chose to release his book, 'The Easiest Way to Learn English' (Translation without Tenses) at a function at the MCM DAV College.

A former Head of English Department, DAV College -10, Prof Nirmal Datt felt all through his 37 years of dedicated teaching at the graduate and post graduate level that books and education must help a man in practical life, especially the young students who could develop his inborn creative potentialities without much strains.

Speakers present at the function opined that the book will certainly help all categories of the readers of English language and is a unique contribution of Prof. Datt who has a vast teaching experience. The book has been written with Hindi/Punjabi speaking students in mind. The most prominent feature of the book is that it helps the reader learn English first, and then discover that he has mastered complexities of English grammar in the easiest way possible. An interesting thing about the book is that it does not mention the word 'tense', which has been found to be scary by many. The book will be of great interest and use for the teachers of English also; it has the potential to give confidence to school students, clarity to college students and competence to those who are preparing to crack competitive examinations. The author helps the students by explaining the nuances of the language in a simple and easy-to-grasp idiom. Each Chapter ends with a revision exercise to help the learner understand things better. The sentences selected for translation have a freshness and fragrance around them. 

If you are still in love with the retro music and fashion, Score is the place to be every Thursday. The disc in Sector- 8 introduces 'Retro Nights' every Thursday for party- goers 40 years of age and above.

Retro is the way to be and so is the forever-green old music. Based on this Sore brings out an evening full of Retro Music amidst subtle retro ambience and the exquisite Jura, single malt with sumptuous food from Chef Harish.

Apart from the music, the food too is especially prepared keeping in view the retro mood blend.

A lot of effort has been put forth to find the retro numbers of 70's and 80's that will transport people to the yesteryears of glory. So, put on your dancing shoes and get ready to rock!

Regulars at retro nights could aspire to be member of retro club, a club where who's and who of the city will get associated to all lifestyle product launches and loads of other surprises in the offing.

Jivo Wellness has launched- Jivo Canola Oil, one of the healthiest cooking oils known to mankind. Unlike other cooking oils, Jivo Canola Cooking Oil provides the highest unsaturated (good) fats and the lowest saturated (bad) fats amongst all cooking oils in the world.

Having the best ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 as compared to all available cooking oils makes it better than even olive Oil. Canola Oil is believed to reduce risk of high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, coronary heart problems, cancer, memory loss, diabetes and also cures Indigestion.

According to RPS Kohli , director and promoter of Jivo Wellness, "Heart is in the stomach" and is a popular expression which can be notoriously true for those of us with large appetites, which refuse to make the necessary lifestyle changes. The relation between heart and stomach is bit deeper though.

Priced at Rs 160 per litre. — TNS

It's an almost universally acknowledged fact that love for food leads to overeating, which in turn leads to obesity. There's another factor responsible for weight gain, which was always thought to have been giving the opposite results; of killing the appetite. As per a recent study conducted by the experts at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, "Stress on a daily basis can lead to overeating and consequently, obesity. If, following stress, we consume larger and less frequent meals, the conditions are favourable for weight gain-especially in the abdomen." In simple terms, the same would mean that stress leads to overeating and weight gain. Manju Mathur, chief dietician, GMCH feels that the chances of one eating more under stress is same as that of starving. She calls it the psychosomatic effect on the body when a psychological problem leads to physiological disorders.

"Our body secretes certain hormones that stimulate our appetite. Under stress, people prefer to stay alone and often resort to eating to deal with depression," she says. Mathur adds that there have been cases to prove the point, "Stress can trigger our appetite. Eating very frequently diverts mind from the problems bothering us." After sometime, the process of binging under stress forms a vicious cycle. Dr Adarsh Kohli, additional professor, department of psychiatry says, "People who eat more under stress gain weight, which hence leads to more stress and so on. The cycle needs to be broken by identifying the issue leading to stress." The problem is similar to situations where in some people prefer to sleep more and some can't sleep at all. "Under stress or tension, the body tends to be at either of the extremes depending on the personality traits."

A breakthrough can be achieved only if the patients resort to other methods of dealing with tension. Mathur suggests, "Regular counselling sessions with experts can decrease the level of stress. Also, one must undertake a physical activity to channelise the negative energy, which otherwise is spent on eating." Those under stress have to make a conscious effort to avoid weight gain and obesity. "Overeating will gradually bring a change in the metabolic rate of the body and it will adjust to increased diet, causing a sudden weight gain".

Students are at the maximum risk of binging under stress. Binging gives them a sense of security and help them combat tension. Madhu Sharma, dietician, advanced pediatric center says, "During exam time, it's observed students tend to nibble or indulge in late night snacking only to divert their mind. Binging gives them a sense of security. It's a become a comfortable way to channelise all negative thoughts, leading to weight gain." She suggests people should rather take up activities like yoga and meditation. "Undertaking positive activities will also maintain their weight levels in accordance to their height." Otherwise, as Adarsh Kohli says, "The vicious circle will be difficult to break."

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Twenty five year old, Sunita (name changed) was slightly concerned when a few months back her hand shivered when she held a cold drink bottle. Like any person her age, she shook her hand vigorously and gave it a few jerks hoping that numbing sensation and the shivering would go away. But alas, as days passed this problem started getting more frequent and one day she realised that while walking even her feet had a similar sensation with the slight tremor.

Being an educated science graduate, Sunita apprehended that she might be having some neurological problem but she was shocked when the doctor told her that she could be possibly suffering from Parkinson's disease. Like most of us, Sunita too thought that she couldn't be, as Parkinson is an old age related disease and affecting people in their 60s and 70s. However, s0ubsequent tests proved her wrong and confirmed that she too was like several other young people who had become victim of this disease at such a young age.

"It's an alarming trend. We are now coming across a number of youngsters afflicted with Parkinson's, a disease that strikes people only after 60. And, most symptoms even among the young (movement affected, disorders of mood and behaviour, thinking, and sensation) are the same," said S K Prabhakar, head of neurology department of PGI and specialist in Parkinson's among the young and adults. More than 50 young people in the age group of 20-40 have been detected with Parkinson disease in PGI's Neurology department. Dr Prabhakar says that most of these patients were males.

Since people perceive this disease to be associated with old age, youngsters suffering from it tend to ignore the initial symptoms like shakiness in hands or feet. But in the long run symptoms manifest more frequently and become stronger affecting the movement and this hampers the functioning of the patient. One is unable to walk. It starts and ends abruptly.

Sadly, the progression of the disease is faster among the young. The problem starts early and leads to twisting and turning of the feet. In addition, in young patients, it causes increased stress that leads to isolation and depression. As the disease progresses, the necessity for physical and emotional adaptation presents daunting challenges.

Dr Prabhakar says, as of now, no direct cause is known for young people falling prey to this disease but studies were on to pinpoint the same. The incidence is more in India than in Western countries. It may be genetic. But that's not proven because no genetic testing is done in India. Family history may be 10- 15 per cent as few of cases were reported in the study, says Dr Prabhakar. "If any kind of symptoms occurs at an early age, don't get panic but concern specialist as Parkinson's treatment is different for youngsters," he cautions. 

Disease diary

Parkinson's is a chronic and progressive degenerative disease of the brain. A dyskinesia is found in a young patient with Parkinson's disease. It is more commonly a jerky, dance-like movement of the arms or head and usually manifests itself after several years of treatment.

Fish oil capsules could save lives of 10,000 heart patients every year, finds a recent survey. A review study reveals omega-3 supplements prevented the deaths of almost one in 10 heart patients.Regular use also prevented around eight percent of hospitalisations caused by symptoms such as breathlessness and fluid retention, reports the Daily Mail.

British cardiologists say international guidelines are now being rewritten to advise that heart failure patients take a daily dose, according to the European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine. Around 5,00,000 prescriptions were written last year in Britain for Omacor, a fish oil supplement and pharmacy-only medicine that cannot be bought in health food shops. Review author Prof Martin Cowie, speaking at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Stockholm, said that if 5,00,000 patients took supplements regularly around 10,000 lives a year might eventually be saved. — IANS

Why does it feel like the toughest thing in the world to get up on a Saturday and hit the gym or to get off the couch and do the laundry? It's all in your genes, says a new study. Scientists now claim a desire to keep fit and do regular exercise is hereditary, and the discovery means that in the future, drugs could be created to treat laziness in people by targeting the genes that cause it in the first place, reports The Daily Express.

The find could also help combat obesity. A study has already confirmed that a healthy diet with regular bouts of exercise is the best way to stave off cancer, heart trouble, diabetes and even Alzheimer's disease. University of California Riverside researchers showed that mice bred to enjoy running produced offspring that also liked it, indicating the baby mice had inherited the trait of high activity.

"In humans, activity levels vary widely from couch-potato-style inactivity to highly-active athletic endeavours," said Professor of Biology Theodore Garland Jr. With this discovery, "Down the road, people could be treated pharmacologically for low-activity levels through drugs that target specific genes that promote activity," he added.The study will be published in this month's edition of Proceedings of the Royal Society. — ANI