I have been told that I have a great voice. It feels nice...people want to borrow my voice to impress their girlfriends

His voice intrigued me to the point that I wanted to pick up my mobile phone and talk to him right then. “Do you want to talk right now,” he asked, his voice vibrated. I am at utter loss of words. “Yeah, if you can,” my voice muffled. “Go on then,” the mesmerising voice that can evoke thousands of desires, can seduce you, a voice that can soothe a baby to sleep and still rock, echoed in my ears. How it had given me sleepless nights from the day I heard him! “Hi. I am Neelesh Misra, Yaad Sheher Ka Neelesh Misra.” Neither do I know him like others nor want to check out his profile on Facebook. I just love his voice. Some voices have it, they reverberate in your mind and heart - a stranger’s wrong number call on your mobile, a voice overheard in a bus…some voices remain forever.

Pied piper

Neelesh Misra, the voice which is said to have jaadoo as well as nasha (comes from his number Jadoo hai Nasha hai from Jism), knocks the heart when he begins his narrative of Yaad Sheher, an imaginary sheher on Yaadon ka Idiot Box on 92.7 Big FM (A story-telling and song format show). It is with the stories of a small town, imaginary sheher called Yaad Sheher that Neelesh weaves the magic of his voice that falls like raindrops, sometimes with force and sometimes with subtle magnetism. As for the Bollywood lyricist, creative director of Band Nine, Neelesh is surprised at the kind of response he gets from the show. But we choose to believe it is his voice. He smiles, “I have been told that I have a great voice. It feels nice.” His Twitter and Facebook profiles are flooded with responses – ‘I am falling in love with your voice. Can I borrow your voice for a day; I have to impress my girlfriend. It is through your voice that I feel connected to you. I believe every word you say ’— and many other responses that he gets almost everyday.

A voice cascades down

Most people share that the most intriguing voices have been those, which were heard unassumingly as a matter of chance. This could be at a bank’s counter, somewhere in an advertising jingle (Surf Excel Daag Achey Hain, the unknown lady with a great voice) or anywhere on the radio. As RJ Pankaj and RJ Sophie from 92.7 Big FM add, “Most of our listeners haven’t seen us in person. It is the voice that establishes a rapport with them; it is the voice that touches the chords of their heart. The show, the content is obviously important but the first impression is through the voice.”

Fake It

Fake Voice is a voice changer software that helps you change your voice to male, female, old, young, teen, hard, robot, shrill, or some one totally new. Just integrate Fake Voice with your IM and do voices with your friends.

Develop a sexy tone

The goal here is to plug the ‘bass’ into all your resonators (a resonator is basically where your voice vibrates from) so you can be heard clearly, and conscisely. When doing your phone game, you will be astounded at how many girls will get turned on by your phone voice. For more log on to http://www.growyourgame.com/how-to-develop-a-sexy-booming-voice/

It’s a common saying - the optimist looks at the world through rose-tinted spectacles. But proving that the world looks better without the glasses, Bausch and Lomb gave a makeover to four youngsters with contact lenses. “We did a survey with youngsters and got to know that young girls and boys would like to make friends with a person with spectacles, but would never like to date them,” says Sunil Gadgil, general manager, marketing, Vision Care, Bausch and Lomb.

He is geared to play Tere mast mast do nain, Tujhe bhula diya and other such romantic numbers in the run up to Feb 14, but Suketu, one of India’s most popular DJs, says the spirit of Valentine’s Day parties is fading away.

“When I started Djing, Valentine’s fever was big. In fact, I feel it was bigger than what it is now. I think over the years it has died down slightly,” Mumbai-based Suketu said.

Suketu, who released his first album 440 Volts in 2002, says it’s no longer a necessity to play music at a Valentine’s Day party if you are a known DJ, unlike before.

“It’s not important to have a Valentine’s Day party. If you are spinning at one, it’s great, but if not, it is no big deal and is understandable and very much acceptable, unlike on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve,” he added.

In fact, he is not going to spin at all on February 14.

“I am not playing anywhere on Valentine’s Day itself, as it is on a Monday this year and people don’t really want to get out and party. They prefer a dinner with their Valentine.”

Nevertheless, what are his favourite picks? “For 2011 Valentine’s Day, my favourite songs are ‘Tere mast mast do nain’ from Dabangg, Tujhe bhula diya from Anjaana Anjaani and Tonight I’m loving you by Enrique Iglesias,” he said.

Suketu likes to keep his own Valentine’s Day a quiet affair with his wife.“Now that I am not doing a gig on Valentine’s Day, it’s definitely a romantic dinner with my wife, preferably at home as I’ve been travelling a lot. We will be cooking together as both of us are foodies and very good cooks. Then we will relax over a bottle of wine,” he said.

Suketu is also looking forward to some good work in 2011, as he will be remixing the music for Race 2 among other films. He will also launch his new album soon. — IANS

I am a regular at Cotton Fab as it provides variety. The stuff is authentic as well as reasonably priced," says Balbir Kaur, a homemaker from Sector 21. On at Kisan Bhavan-35, Cotton Fab has craftsmen from across the country with their wares.

Jewel deal: Silver jewellery with stones, vibrant beadwork and lovely wooden, brass and silver boxes to store them are a hit. A small piece can be yours for Rs 250, for a brass box be ready to shell out Rs 1,500. If you are aiming at a silver box, a nice large one is priced at Rs 20,000.

Suit yourself: Chanderi, Kantha, Benarsi, Jamavar, Chicken, Kashmiri, stitched as well as unstitched, there is a whole range. And going by the way women are thronging these stalls, suits seem to be a hot favourite. Starting from Rs 300 for a kurti, you can find matching slacks and dupatta as well.

Sari figure: The sari might not have as many takers but there are some precious pieces to be picked up. Benarsai, Mangalgiri, Pochampallly, Matka, Muga, there is enough to choose from. Starting from Rs 600, there are varieties for regular wear, party and even for the brides. A hand-woven Benarsi for the bride comes at Rs 20,000. It takes two months for five craftsmen to finish one. Stoles are in: Or so it seems seeing the wide variety of stoles here. Cotton, silk, woollen, the range starts from a modest Rs 100.

Home allure: Beautiful, lacy tablemats, sofa covers, curtains, bedspreads, there are different items on display. A five-piece Benarsi bedspread starts from Rs 3,500.

Woven style: Winters are almost over, but then if you want to stock up some shawls or jackets, you can try woollies from Himachal Pradesh. The range starts from Rs 300.

Namesake: Get your loved one's name written on rice grain and flaunt it in a key ring, just for Rs 30.

On till Feb 13

A container full of basil on a woman’s window sill was once a signal that she was looking for love! If folklore is to be believed, there are many herbs that are associated with attracting luck in love. Love is in the air and rightly so when the yearly celebration of love, the Valentine’s Day, is round the corner.

If you want your love to last not just a day but the whole year, we get you ‘love herbs’ that are supposed to act as a charm. What’s more, you can easily grow these common plants in your garden or in pots in your balcony!

Basil: This cousin of common ‘tulsi’, that most houses have, basil is supposed to act as a love charm. It’s supposed to promote harmony between lovers (which couple isn’t looking for that).

Mint: It’s charm lies in its delightful aroma. Easy to grow, ‘pudina’ just needs lots of water.

Bay: ‘Tejpatta’, it’s a kitchen essential. The legend goes that if you place some bay leaves in a red bag under your pillow, you’ll dream of your lover! Take a cue from Madhuri Dixit in ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’.

Calendula: Loves me loves me not…if you have tried removing one petal at a time to know about specific someone, this is the plant. And this one is supposed to bring long lasting love.

Rosemary: “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance,” says Ophelia in William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. This one is famous for its pleasant aroma and is supposed to increase your sensitivity to touch.

Is love powerful enough to lower one's blood pressure, reduce depression and speed the healing of an injury? Well, science says, yes it is! "Our relationships help us cope with stress, so if we have someone we can turn to for emotional support or advice, that can buffer the negative effects of stress," the Washington Post quoted Julianne Holt-Lunstad, of the Brigham Young University, as saying.

Holt-Lunstad's study found that happily married people have lower blood pressure than unmarried people. But unhappily married people have higher blood pressure than both groups.

So, when it comes to blood pressure, at least, you're probably better off alone than in a troubled marriage. Loving spouses tend to encourage preventive care, reinforce healthy behaviors such as exercise and flossing, and dissuade unhealthy ones, such as heavy drinking, according to many studies. Romantic relationships also can provide a sense of meaning and purpose in life that can translate to better self-care and less risk taking, said Holt-Lunstad.

Arthur Aron, a social psychologist at Stony Brook University in New York, does brain scans with fMRI machines of people at various stages of the romantic journey: newly in love, in long-term relationships and recently rejected.

In his studies, Aron has consistently found that feelings of love trigger the brain's dopamine-reward system. Dopamine is a powerful neurotransmitter that affects pleasure and motivation. — ANI

I am a 28-year-old guy working as a pilot in a private airline. I get attracted to girls, but somehow my relations never last. I wonder if I am very overbearing in my approach. I long to have a relationship that is serious and meaningful. In school also, I did not have many friends. I always seemed to chase away most of them. Do you think something in wrong with me?

Amrish Rathore, Shimla

What you watch on TV may say a lot about your fears and attitudes about crime, suggests a new study. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers surveyed hundreds of adults about how often they watched various kinds of crime TV-- made-up dramas, documentary-style 'real crime' programmes and local and national news.

They found that how each type of programme depicts crime was a factor in viewers' opinions on everything from their fear of crime to their confidence in the justice system to their support of the death penalty.

"The results support the idea that programme type really does matter when it comes to understanding people's fear of crime and their attitudes about criminal justice," said Lisa Kort-Butler, lead author of the study.

The more frequently people watched non-fiction crime documentaries like 'The First 48,' the more fearful they were of becoming a crime victim, found the study.

Frequent viewers of fictional crime dramas were not affected by the programming to believe they would become crime victims, and their support of and confidence in the criminal justice system also was unaffected by their viewing habits. Interestingly, though, the more frequently they watched crime dramas, the more certain they were in their support of the death penalty. — ANI

A new survey has found that almost three-quarters of British men have shed a tear in front of others. According to the poll for Clinton Cards, four out of five men are happy to ‘express their emotions’, 84 percent do not think twice about telling loved ones ‘how they really feel’ and 71 per cent have cried openly.

It takes just a month for one in 10 men to express their true feelings in a relationship, increasing to almost a third by the time they reach the three-month mark. Men in Newcastle are most likely to express their emotions - 93 per cent. — ANI

Some of us are born to be pessimistic, according to a study, which found that the level of a chemical in the brain affects how we see the world. Researchers at University of Michigan discovered that levels of a molecule called neuropeptide Y (NPY) directly relates to whether we have a "glass half empty" or "glass half full" attitude towards life.

Those with lower levels of the substance are much more negative and find it more difficult to deal with stressful situations. They are also more susceptible to depression. The research team believes the amount of NPY in the brain is genetically programmed and hopes the discovery could lead to early diagnosis of and prevention of psychiatric illness.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the scientists scanned the brain activity of a number of volunteers as they viewed neutral words (such as ‘material’) negatively charged words (like ‘murderer’), and positively charge words (like ‘hopeful’). In response to negative words, subjects with low levels of NPY showed strong activation in the prefrontal cortex, which is involved with processing emotion, while subjects with high NPY demonstrated a much smaller response.

In a second test, healthy subjects reported their emotional experiences during a stressful challenge.

Saline solution was injected into the jaw muscle, which produces moderate pain for 20 minutes, but no lasting harm.

The level of pain was adjusted for each person until it was for them a four on a scale of one to 10.

These subjects rated the positivity or negativity of their feelings both before and after the pain challenge.

Those with low NPY were more negative both before and after the pain -- meaning they were more emotionally affected while anticipating the pain and while reflecting on their experience immediately afterward.

Lastly, scientists compared NPY levels with major depressive disorders to see if there was an association between the condition and low expression of NPY.

Subjects with low-expression of NPY were more likely to suffer depression, it was found.

"We hope they can guide us toward assessing an individual's risk for developing depression and anxiety," Dr Brian Mickey, a psychiatrist and lead author, said. — ANI

Vichy gives you the fast rejuvenating deoxidizing moisture care with pro-regenerating antioxidant Citrus Polypheno-Vichy Aqualia Antiox. The unprecedented high-potential antioxidant complex exclusively selected by Vichy Laboratoires, has demonstrated its capacity for protecting stem cells and progenitor cells against UVA-induced oxidant stress. It thus preserves the skin's regenerative capital to create a new epidermis. Protected against oxidant aggressions, the stem cells and regenerative cells regain all their vitality and self-regenerating activity.

The Vichy Aqualia Antiox helps erase signs of fatigue like dull skin, dark circles, fine lines and pigmentary contrasts.

Price : Rs 1090 for 50 ml. — TNS

Filmmaker Chandraprakash Dwivedi's new offering Mohalla Assi will see Bollywood actor Sunny Deol in a new avatar, essaying the role of a dhoti-clad orthodox religious priest.

"The movie is based on Dr Kashinath Singh's novel Kashi Ka Assi. Assi is a ghat in Banaras and the film is based in a famous and historical Mohalla (locality) on the southern end of Banaras and the River bank of Ganga," Dwivedi, who dons the directorial hat seven years after Urmila Matondkar-Manoj Bajpai starrer Pinjar said.

Starring Sunny Deol, Ravi Kishen and Sakshi Tanwar, the film, set in the post-Independence period, is slated to release in August 2011.

The director said Sunny Deol plays the lead role in the movie and takes on a very fresh and different character, of an orthodox religious priest (Pundit).

"Sunny is determined to do justice to every aspect of his role, including his look. He will be donning the full garb of a pundit, all the way from the typical dhoti, kurta, gamcha, kolhapuri chappals ...right down to the choti on his head," Dwivedi said.

Speaking about his new look, Sunny said, "the script of Mohalla Assi is very different and interesting, especially the character I play is very unique- its not quite like anything I have played yet. You will see me in an entirely new avatar. It's true that I will be playing a pundit; therefore, I will be dressed in clothes that are typical for a pundit, with a choti to complete the look." Dwivedi said the movie is a satire and Sunny just seemed like someone that could do justice to the character, as he has proven to play serious roles equally as good as he plays comic roles. — PTI

Hollywood star Nicole Kidman, who has won an Academy award nomination for her role in The Rabbit Hole, said that she broke into tears when her name was announced.

The 43-year-old actor had to explain her emotional state to her two-year-old daughter Sunday who was perplexed by her teary reaction.

"Poor Sunday. They said my name, and Keith was like, 'Yeah!' and jumping around the kitchen. And Sunday is like, 'What's happening? Why are you crying?' Because I was crying.

She said, 'Why are we sad?' I said, 'No. We're not sad, Sunday. We're happy.' So, that would be my memory of this nomination, my daughter and my husband jumping around the kitchen," she said.

The Moulin Rouge star, who is married to country musician Keith Urban says that life has only become better following the arrival of their second daughter Faith Margaret, who was born via a surrogate mother last year.

"I think I'm just at a place in my life where I'm in my 40s and realise I've been very fortunate. I'm very grateful, because I've certainly lived through my fair share of pain and loss. So now, to be where I'm waking up in the morning going, 'Thank you, God,' is a very beautiful place to be," said Kidman, who previously won the Academy award in 2002 for her role in The Hours. — PTI

Actor Ben Affleck says that despite his global fame he only has a few friends and one of them is fellow Hollywood heartthrob Matt Damon.

The 38-year-old actor says over the years he has learnt who his true friends are and is glad that he has known Damon, 40, for the past 30 years.

"If I was ever in trouble the one call I'd make would be to Matt Damon. We've been friends for 30 years. I can't believe I'm old enough to say I've had a friend for 30 years.

But he is a friend, and a partner in a company we have together," said the Pearl Harbour star.

And Damon was the person whom he turned to advice while directing his Oscar nominated Boston drama The Town.

"He saw The Town in five different versions and each time he saw it he presented me with pages and pages of very smart notes. I've got to a stage in life where I have learnt who my real friends are. You don't need many, you just need good, solid friends," said Affleck The two friends had begun their rise to fame with Good Will Hunting, which was written by and starred the duo and went on to win an Oscar. — PTI

Just a month after she was released from court-ordered rehab, troubled Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan is set to be charged with felony grand theft, when she appears in court. When Lohan appears in court on Wednesday, she will be charged with the theft of a $ 2,500 necklace reported stolen from a jewellery store last month, said LA District Attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison.

Los Angeles police said the 24-year-old was under investigation for taking a necklace from a Venice store.

Detectives had later obtained a search warrant to try to retrieve the item from Lohan's home, but it was turned in to a police station before any search was made.

The police said they had no update on the case and did not say whether the actor had made arrangements to turn herself in at court or at a police station. — PTI

Indian beauty Frieda Pinto has outrun Hollywood stars like Natalie Portman and Julia Roberts in a new 'Most Beautiful Women in Film' list.

Compiled by the Los Angeles Times magazine, the list has the Slumdog Millionaire star at number 38, followed by Oscar-nominated Portman and Hollywood's own Pretty Woman Roberts.

Pinto even piped Sharon Stone and Elizabeth Taylor, who were at 43 and 44, respectively.

French actor Isabelle Adjani, 55, known for her roles in Queen Margot and Possession, topped the list comprising 50 names.

Adjani is followed by Brigitte Bardot, Kim Basinger, Monica Bellucci and Halle Berry. — PTI