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Cold byte
And the best part about winter - its cuisine. The list is long - from traditional sarson ka saag and makki ki roti to sweets made of jaggery, the healthy soups and not so healthy spirits. But it all comes with loads of calories. “The basic metabolic rate (BMR) of the body increases by three per cent in winter, giving a boost to the appetite as well. Food consumption increases manifold to keep the body warm, resulting in sudden weight gain at times,” says Nancy Sahni, dietician, PGI.
Without being conscious of the fact, people also add to the calorie content with umpteen cups of coffee and tea during winter. Says Madhu Arora, dietician, GMCH 32, “With every cup of coffee, one also takes in milk and sugar.” She suggests that soups benefit the most when served without cream, “Function of the soup is to boost appetite. Adding cream to it makes it a heavy dish, which rather kills the appetite.” She adds that one should avoid readymade soups that contain mono-sodium golutamade. Jaggery sweets are also high on calorie content. “Not many people know that one slice of jaggery gachak is equal to three chapattis and one small pinni means you are eating one and a half chapatti. Hundred grams of groundnuts have 40 per cent fat. Enjoy these winter delicacies in limit.” Kebabs and other chicken dishes replace the summer preferred light food comprising pulses and salads. “The calorie content of non-vegetarian food is far more. One raw leg piece means 200 calories and one complete meal of chicken has 350 calories. The way is to strike a balance. Reduce the number of chapattis and other protein rich food,” Malhotra suggests. Another convenient way to stay warm in winter is by taking hard drinks. However, Nancy Sahni suggests that one shouldn’t have more than 60 ml of spirits in a day. “The combination of wine and cheese is a hit. Processed cheese is loaded with sodium that can increase blood pressure. Prefer cottage cheese and nuts, since they are healthier options. Try sesame seeds, which are rich in calcium.” Madhu Sharma has some more details, “One ml of alcohol has seven calories. So the usually advised limit is 60 ml, which not many people follow.” Hope it rings a bell. ashima@tribunemail.com
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Living is an art
From the little space we managed to find, we could see over a 1,000-odd people struggling hard to fit into the gymnasium hall of MCM DAV College for Women on Tuesday…just for one glimpse of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. In the mixed voices around, we could easily hear people calling out to their guruji and he did oblige by climbing up the dais. And after he said, "When women take responsibility of a task, they yield far better results than men," what followed was a huge round of applause from an audience that comprised mainly of women. He even justified his stand: "Recently, Art of Living fed 35,000 slum children of Ahmedabad with five tonnes of food, which was all prepared by women. I have my doubts if men could accomplish the task." Here to inaugurate the two-day seminar on 'Global Environmental and Climate Change', he shared his thoughts on climate deterioration, careless use of cosmetics and the topic close to his heart, emotional pollution. "Just like pollution in a certain area affects the atmosphere of another place, negative vibes from a depressed person can affect everyone around." However, one can clean the emotional environment by listening to music, meditating and pursuing yoga. Prior to this, he urged people to stay climate conscious, "Use herbal products, encourage organic farming, maintain hygiene in your surroundings and don't waste natural resources. Every effort we put will make our life more enjoyable." Now, that's what we call the true art of living! Eco-crusader Our opinion about NGOs before this encounter with Ramninder Chowdhary was — non-profit organisations that work for the betterment of society. Not that the opinion has changed, but there's more to the concept. Know it from Chowdhary, who gave up his job of senior vice-president of Reliance Industries to work for the cause of environment. "There are 3.4 million NGOs in India. By that count, there is one NGO in the service of 400 people. So why don't we see a lot of change happening?" he questions. For the same reason, he doesn't want his organisation to be recognised as an NGO. "Ours is a private trust that helps create eco-awareness amid people of Nilgiri hills. With the highest forest cover in India, the area supports 30 tribal communities, houses half-a-million people and plays host to one million tourists annually. We realised how sensitive the area was." He doesn't cite any philosophical reason behind his endeavour. "I am just being very practical and selfish; I am working for the environment so that my grand-children can enjoy what I have." His organisation focuses on teaching primary students the importance of green and clean surroundings. Toon boon
Here is a devise to lessen the effect of chemicals and details of chemicals processes. PK Srivastava, a scientist, has come up with the novel concept where cartoons drawn alongside the theory illustrate the scientific procedures. He calls it 'scientoons'. "Since I conduct research on drugs and pharmaceuticals, the subject that doesn't interest people, I thought cartoons would help draw more attention." |
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Festive felicity
Shares Rohit Sachdeva, coordinator, Soch, "With Soch this year we wanted to go bigger and keeping with the theme Outta Da Box, we actually wanted to keep everything unusual and innovative."
Come November and there's the mother of all events—the PEC Fest. It's already been quite a while since the suggestion boxes have been put up around the corridors. "This time we want to segregate the technical and the cultural part to lend more specialisation to the entire schedule. We plan to turn PEC Fest into an entirely different cultural extravaganza," Kshitij, head, PR committee and final-year student, shares the outline. Think LED screens inside the campus grounds to mark the countdown to the fest; sky balloons to announce the kick-start to the event. He adds, "There's always an endeavour to outdo the previous benchmarks. We want to turn it into the biggest cultural extravaganza of the region with already a hundred plus events being planned. Each year we have an adventure sports section with one sport, but this time we are looking at a multitude of these activities." Think go karting; paint the ball and the likes.
Enter March and lined up is the lengthiest and one of its kind Archo, the inter-college extravaganza of the Chandigarh College of Architecture. Shares Bani Amrit Kaur, final-year student, "Till now, we were all dispersed for our training. When we come back, we might start off with the initial outlay. It's, as usual, going to be a 14-day affair in March." Then there's Cyanide by University Institute of Chemical engineering and Technology. While the list is yet by no means exhaustive, each one promises to be bigger, better and bolder version of the other, its own. What's lined up is the sure-shot chance at fun with just the change in venue every week. manpriya@tribunemail.com
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Young STAR Manpriya Khurana
She wants to capture Mount Everest. But what makes YPS product, MCM president, stand apart from any other youngster on unfettered flights of fancy is she's taken 19,090 feet steps towards it! And what makes her make it to this 'Young Star' list is she's part of the all-women team that set the record of being the first-ever to have conquered Mt Rudugaira in 2010. Divya Gurnay, psychology honours, MCM College, shares, "It was very challenging, both physically and mentally. To be honest, every single person in the 15 member team went through those moments of doubt." She adds, "Ever since I was a child, I have been into trekking, as that was a school culture and compulsory for us but this year scaling Mt Rudugaira, which is higher than the highest peak of Europe, Mt Elbrus, was a very fulfilling experience." Post an advanced course in mountaineering, she now qualifies for an instructor's course apart from the expeditions to Himalayas. Back to the beginnings and school days, "I was a school captain, head girl, best all rounder during my schooling." Thrown in are the stints in horse-riding, martial arts. For those sensing a correlation, perhaps a streak for the daring and the dangerous sport? "I am somebody who likes challenges, and after you've given your best, it gives you that high. In fact I'd rather not want something given to me on a platter; it should be a reward well-deserved and earned." Moving on, and then there are statistics like 24 medals in athletics, string of prizes in debates, half-a -dozen similar extra-curricular achievements; 75 per cent in overall academics in second year of college is the recent status on the scholastic front! As a college president, pushing others is next on the agenda. "Given the infrastructure of our college, thankfully I don't have to work towards basic necessities unlike many of my counterparts. But where I actually want to contribute is that since we have so many avenues, students should themselves come forward with research." As for the future plans, "Let's see, I have lots of plans, but it's going to be either, Police Services, Army or the media." Either's gain is the other's loss!
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A report has revealed that teenagers are increasingly posting explicit images of themselves on Internet, and consequently at danger from paedophile networks. A report by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) highlights an increasing trend of risqué images that young people have taken of themselves appearing on the web. "Children are engaging in risky behaviour. They are putting up images on Internet for their boyfriend or mates without thinking about the consequences," Sky News quoted Zoe Hilton, the head of safeguarding and child protection at CEOP, as saying. "They are not thinking of their digital footprint. It could be looked at by future employers or swapped among sex offenders. The core message is children need to be educated," she added. Hilton also claimed that some privacy settings on social network websites were "very confusing and not easily explained". She said the rise was partly down to a greater awareness of the problem, more children using the web, young people increasingly posting explicit images of themselves online, and an increase in grooming. Most incidents were reported through the ClickCEOP button, put on websites used by children, to make it easier to report problems. — ANI
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ACT wise
Any actor without a godfather has to prove himself each time he seeks a new role in films or even in big TV serials," observes Shailendra Srivastva, who played inspector Gajpati Rao in the recently released film Rakta Charitra. Standing tall at 6 feet 2 inches, green-eyed Shailendra, has stamped his versatility as a villain in over 50 TV serials, three hit Bhojpuri films and as many as 12 Hindi feature films. In the city on a personal visit, he shares his experiences. "After graduating from my native town Balia, I shifted to Delhi to pursue theatre. But the sudden demise of my father stalled my dream," he shares. But not for long as he managed to work with NSD artistes and other theatre groups, which paved the way for his entry into TV serials. His maiden role in the serial Space City Sigma on DD made him famous and he has maintained the standards in his next 45 TV serials. He has not looked back since and essayed roles of inspector Satpal Singh in Gadar, a Maharaja in Sardar, Lt Lal Singh in Neta ji, inspector Gajpati Rao in Rakta Charitra, among others, which have been highly appreciated by cinegoers and critics alike. "I am more excited about my roles in Paan Singh Tomar, which is being screened in Dubai and London festivals, and forthcoming films like Aaj Bhi, Untouchable, Ho Nahin Sakta etc," says Shailendra. He has received the best villain award for three Bhojpuri films and been nominated for his role in Bihari Babu. "Working with Amitabhji was a great learning experience. He is very caring, modest and cooperative," he shares. On commercialisation of TV and films, Shailendra says the onus is on the audience to reject or approve a particular programme. "Even films like Paa are beaten by blockbusters like Dabangg at the box office because people are just after entertainment, meaningful or not," he rues. "Director Ram Kumar Verma has offered me a more challenging role in his next film, I wish to emulate my idol — Pran Saheb," he signs off.
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FORT-hright
These documentaries bring to us facts from the past. Though on starkly different subjects, the documentaries will help us know out rich culture and heritage better. Before taking up the project of making a series of documentaries on the forts of India, GS Chani and Gyandev Singh believed what majority of the history books claim — Aurangzeb was a fanatic and a cruel ruler. "We visited the Aurangabad fort, which made us realise that everything that Aurangzeb did was justified. He unlike other Mughal rulers never took out money from the state exchequer. He earned his living by stitching caps and writing Koran Sharif," informs Chani who visited 26 popular forts of India to put forth before people several, lesser-known, facts through the series. And they have treated forts as pointers of our history. "The monuments are usually studied to get clues about the military organisations and battles of a certain period. A lot of cultural activities took part in the forts, thus they connect to our present." The forts also give ample information about the art of that time. Boondi fort in Rajasthan is 13,000 years old. Its painted walls reflect the culture of those times. In the Agra fort, they have focused on the inlay marble artwork. "Every fort has a tale to tell. Mohammed Bin Tughlaq built the Daulatabad fort and it was there that, for the first time, the concept of currency was introduced," Chani adds. The first in the series is on Zanzeera fort, near Alibaug, the documentary on which was shown at Tagore Theatre on Monday. Gyandev Singh has given the background score of the documentaries and each one is in tandem with the times when the fort was used by the king to rule his area. The history of Golconda fort is presented through its traditional folk art, Barra Katha. Idol treatment
Here's a chance to know Sobha Singh through his works, his not-so-popular studio in Palampur and his family. A 45-minute documentary on the life of the great artist by Canada-based Narinderpal Singh focuses on his life's journey. "Everyone knows that the present day painting of Guru Nanak Dev Ji is Sobha Singh's creative imagination. He has done over 3,000 paintings of the first Guru of the Sikhs, but what people don't know is his source of inspiration." Narinder claims that Sobha's works are on the same lines of Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci's creations. "All three of them specialised in portraits." In the documentary, he has interviewed grandsons of Sobha Singh to know more about his personal life. "Art lovers know a lot about his contribution, but when it comes to his personal life, there's hardly any research work." The documentary was showcased at the Spinning Wheel Film Festival. Besides making documentaries, Narinder's also working with UNESCO as a filmmaker and researcher. The film will next be shown at the Sikh Art and Film Festival Evening Gala in New York on November 19. ashima@tribunemail.com |
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Vega's new collection of pedicure tools pampers your feet, and makes them look beautiful all day long. The foot scrubber effectively removes hard, rough and dry skin on the feet and knees. The fine quality pumice stone from Vega will spring clean the soles of your feet in no time and will give you beautiful, smooth, callus-free feet. Perfect for pedicures and regular maintenance of heels, the pedicure file softens and smoothens your heels and removes hard, dry skin. The diamond foot paddle quickly smoothens and softens dry, rough and callused feet, whereas the dual-action callus smoother with two different surfaces softens and removes hard, dry skin with just a few strokes. The foot brush with natural bristles and emery is useful for rough areas and the wooden black emery pedicure file, with a better grip and easy usage, helps to smoothen delicate areas. Now it's time to enjoy a salon quality pedicure at home. The pedicure products are attractively priced between Rs 55 and Rs 180 and are available in trendy colors and chic designs. — TNS
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The gloss has an easy, full colour application and is equipped with special moisturising formula that keeps lips soft, smooth and attractive. This rich and creamy lip gloss is available in dazzling eight shades from infinite berry to continuous copper and is priced at Rs 329 for 3 ml. Delivering everything you need for beautiful striking lips, this handy lip gloss is a perfect addition for your handbag. — TNS
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Hollywood couple Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard have recently opened a village for orphaned and abandoned children in India. The SOS Children's Village set up in Alibaug village in northeast India, will accommodate 140 children, who will live in small groups in individual family houses and go to a nearby school.The couple, which is the global brand ambassadors of SOS International, said they were overwhelmed by the response they received when they visited the village."I've never been greeted like this by anyone, I've never seen anything like this," Sky News quoted Gyllenhaal as saying."I tried not to have any expectations... I have never been to India before so I didn't know what to expect. It's exceeded anything I could have imagined," she added. Sarsgaard said he is optimistic that the village will change the lives of those who live there."Everyone involved really believes in what they are doing. There is a real sense that this is different... the way everyone reacts and participates is ideal," he said.The couple toured the village and met the families living there before they were treated to a traditional dance at a dedication ceremony.The village has been built in partnership with lifestyle brand Esprit. — ANI
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Hollywood biggies Robert De Niro, Hilary Swank and Ashton Kutcher are in talks to star in the ensemble love story New Year's Eve. The film, a follow-up to this year's Valentine's Day, is being directed by Garry Marshall. Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer are in negotiations to star in New Year's Eve. Hilary Swank and Ashton Kutcher are circling lead roles as well.The movie revolves around a group of New Yorkers as they navigate their way through romance over the course of New Year's Eve. De Niro will play a bitter dying man in a hospital, while Pfeiffer will be a frustrated executive secretary who decides to tackle her unfulfilled resolutions. Swank would play a producer of the famed Times Square New Year's Eve show. Kutcher would play a guy who hates New Year's Eve. The film is slated to go on floor mid-December in New York. — PTI
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Hollywood beauty Anne Hathaway says she was 'mortified' while stripping for intimate scenes with Jake Gyllenhaal in their new movie Love and Other Drugs.The 27-year-old star plays a woman suffering from Parkinson's disease who falls in love with a viagra salesman in the movie."It's racy, very racy. I keep asking people if it is too sexy for them. However, it is just part of the job. That being said, it is intensely mortifying taking your clothes off in front of other people, but it is also intensely mortifying doing a lot of things in front of people and I've learned how to deal with that," the Devil Wears Prada star said. Hathaway said the experience was so discomforting that it has made her consider not appearing in other such scenes."Who knows if I will ever do it again, it depends on the material." Gyllenhaal said the film was a 'nude fest' but added that felt comfortable with Hathaway because they had done a similar scene in Brokeback Mountain."I think that is hopefully what love is about and that is what these two characters do in this movie. I hope people would want to see that, and if not then we're both naked," Gyllenhaal joked.But the actor said it was really brave of Hathaway to be normal on the sets."...in all seriousness, it was very brave of Anne. I think women tend to be objectified more than men and she really does bare a lot, not only literally but figuratively.Her performance was incredible. "We're friends and we understand the process of acting, and as a result of that we felt comfortable, even when it was awkward, and we try to joke about it. I try to be as respectful as possible," he added.The film is based on the biography of a viagra salesman Jamie Reidy from the 1990s. — PTI
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Debutant director Danish Aslam was not interested in telling another run-of-the-mill love story and so he decided to explore space issues in relationships in his forthcoming film Break Ke Baad. "Space is a word that is used a lot in a modern relationship. It's almost a break-up mantra. I wanted to explore that concept rather than a conventional love story where two people don't know each other, meet and fall in love," Aslam said. "I wanted to show what happens to two people, who have known each other for their entire life, if their relationship breaks. I found the concept more exciting than just writing run-of-the-mill love story." The basic premise of the multi-layered plot is romance and it is through Imran Khan and Deepika Padukone that the director will tell his story on celluloid. It is scheduled for a November 26 release. "It has got three different layers actually. One is a simple story about a relationship between two people and what happens when there is a problem in their relationship. "The other layers are a coming-of-age story where these two characters feel claustrophobic within the family bindings as everyone wants them to get married. Then they move to Australia where they live independently," said Aslam. After working as an assistant director to Ashutosh Gowariker in Swades (2004), Siddharth Anand in Salaam Namaste (2005) and Kunal Kohli in Fanaa (2006), he couldn't stop himself from making a love story. "I wrote the story two and a half years ago. I knew that I wanted to make an urban love story. I wanted to make a movie that I could relate to... I have also worked as an assistant to directors like Kunal and Siddharth who have made films of different genres. The choice of genre came from there and I liked the concept," said Aslam. "It's a very commercially viable film, but that's not intended. I didn't want to make a very intense film," he added. Aslam says he doesn't believe in penning a story keeping the lead actors in mind. "I don't believe in writing for any particular person or any particular actor because I think that limits you in your story telling. When you write a story and if you have an actor in mind, you tend to see from that actor's perspective whether he would be able to do that. That draws a limitation. I finished the story and only after that we started thinking who can actually fit the script," said Aslam. Aslam says Imran portrayed the role easily as he portrayed his original self but Deepika had to push herself because personally she doesn't believe in escaping a relationship. "Imran is not acting in the film, he is just being himself. He is a diehard romantic and believes in commitment. In real life too, he is committed for a very long time and that is what he is actually playing in the film. "As far as Deepika goes, I like the spontaneity of an actor that she brings to her character. She is playing a person who is experimental, wants to see the world and doesn't believe in commitment. Deepika had to do a lot more because she doesn't believe in that philosophy in real life," said Aslam. Talking about the genre of the film, he said: "I personally have a big problem with the genre definition. I don't understand how films are defined on the basis of genres. There are lots of movies, which I don't know which genre to put it in. — IANS
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Winter is round the corner and how one longs for a steaming cup of coffee inside a cozy quilt on a foggy morning! It is not without reason that on a recent trip to Shimla, actor Abhishek Bachchan said: “Wish Mumbai has winters too!”
Everything that becomes part of the home menu - sarson ka saag, stuffed paranthas, sweets like panjiris and pinni, and nuts – are all loaded with calories. “Almonds and walnuts are concentrated sources of energy, but cashewnuts and pistachio have high fat content,” says Sunita Malhotra, dietician, PGI. Also avoid fried dry fruits, as they are rich in sodium. “People take in a lot of nuts through jaggery sweets. We don’t discourage this diet but it’s important to keep in mind that a mere 50 gms of revris and gachak is equivalent to 200 calories,” she adds. 
It's a season of student endeavours and it's as eventful as it gets! There's a budget and there are benchmarks, and there's keeping (or copying!) with the Joneses syndrome, with the big daddy of campus fests in the region—IIT Delhi's Rendezvous—having flagged off the session and set the milestone for the year. Back in the city, with the very local Soch rolled over, here's a low down to what to look forward to from the stable of various departments.
He adds, "For our cultural night we didn't want it to be the usual Bollywood stuff or star night or rock show. Last year it was a qawwali and this time we kept a Sufi night. And to take care of the social cause factor, there was a blood donation camp as part of the three-day national media fest." 
Beginning of the year, in between the settling, amidst the festivals and for three days, campus 'echoes' with the Goonj of UIET. "Everything's at a very initial stage, it's too premature to list the exact events and surprises but our endeavour will be to make it quality over quantity thing," shares Anshul Kashyap, third-year student. He adds, "Our effort is always to stand apart from other fests, offer what has not been offered and make it an experience that students look forward to. Otherwise, the success of any fest, to a large extent, depends on the marketing budget." 
Finding time to run to the spa for a pedicure can be hard to come by, but a pedicure in the comfort of your home is much easier! Vega, India's leading head-to-toe beauty accessories brand, introduces its new collection of Pedicure tools. This range includes the foot scrubber, pumice stone, pedicure file, diamond foot paddle, dual action callus smoother, foot brush with emery and a wooden black emery pedicure file. Now grooming your feet takes a new meaning.
Now say goodbye to dull and chapped lips this coming winter as Avon launches its first moisturising lip gloss, Perfect Wear Extralasting Lip Gloss. This new lip gloss will not only make your lips soft and supple but give them a sparkling shine that will last for eight hours.
