We think that the young need special attention, as it is their consumption choices and patterns today which will determine the quality of their life on this besieged planet tomorrow. By sensitizing them to what their rights and responsibilities are, we hope to alert them to a hundred traps that the market lays out for them.

It aims at turning them into junk-food addicts, besides confusing them about their identity, by changing and controlling their preferences. In the current issue we bring you a detailed article on fast food.

We invite our young readers to share with us any healthy and quick recipes they might have, for our other readers to use. We think consumer health is of utmost importance. We are pleased to announce that Dr Sarita has Kohli has agreed to strengthen and support our efforts to bring a researched article on dental health to our readers. We also explore the market to help you choose the right products for your mouth care. If there are any questions about the information we bring you, Dr Kohli will be pleased to answer them.

With the world entering our markets, consumer choices have widened considerably. Sometimes this can be confusing, especially if it concerns hazardous choices. That is what we call the entire range of hair dye options in the market today - HAZARDOUS! For all the enticing 'colours' that are being swirled around, the consumer needs to exercise extreme caution when selecting products that have complex health implications built into their use. We bring you detailed information on the do's and don'ts of this range of products.

The common perception is that consumer items seldom present the buyer with very glamorous choices. To disprove this, we bring you our in-focus story on gold as a consumer choice of enormous interest, especially in India. Indians have had a very long and intense relationship with gold. It has involved our economy, law, arts and
crafts, medicine, food and astrology. It involves even our gods, and of course, women. Altogether, as a marketable commodity its cultural ramifications have been enormous. We bring you an exciting mix of both the commercial and the cultural in our feature on gold.

Our Legal File focuses on the problems of flat owners in India's metropolitan cities.

We have our regular Product Test cover story, this time on 'Stereo Two-in-Ones.' This is actually an item that has acquired iconic status in India, as 3/4ths of India's population aspires to own it. We help you choose the best, as always.

Do not forget to check us out on www.consumer-voice.org.

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