Innholdsfortegnelse for January 1, 2018 i India Today

Our Nov. 6, 2017 cover How you see the Gujarat assembly election results depends on where you stand on the PM Narendra Modi Appreciation Spectrum. For many who see him as a moderniser, reformer and a man uniquely placed to transform the India story, the elections have been a singular triumph, battling 22 years of anti-incumbency, three young leaders representing various facets of Gujarat’s disenchantment, the fallout of two extremely tough economic decisions and the complete absence of credible local leadership. The BJP has bettered its vote percentage in the 2012 assembly elections (48.3 to 49.1) even though it translated to fewer seats (99 out of a 182-seat assembly compared to 115 five years ago). For those who are not admirers, the results are proof of a decline in his…

While many spoke of a close, tense race in Gujarat, recent numbers released by Facebook show that online chatter about the elections revolved almost entirely around the BJP and incumbent CM Vijay Rupani. The BJP was equally dominant in online conversations about elections in Himachal. The numbers are from October 12 to December 12, and offer evidence of the BJP’s hold on the young, urban, middle-class male. 69 % Facebook users discussing the Gujarat polls focused on the BJP, 31% on Congress 8 % Users focused on ‘social issues’, 40% on the ‘economy’ and 21% on ‘law and order’ 40 % Made ‘economy’ top the ‘most discussed issues’ in Gujarat; health (6%) was the least discussed 60 % Facebook users discussing the Himachal elections focused on the BJP; 40% on…

In this book, Bibek Debroy and Kishore Desai have brought together 18 people from the NITI Aayog and elsewhere in the government to survey corruption in India. Between them, they cover public procurement, higher education, trade, the medical and pharma industry, procurement and distribution, elections, cash payments, land and property transactions, legislation, institutions set up by the government to tackle corruption and other minor topics. This is a pretty broad agenda. The treatment of every topic must start with a factual survey. In many of these areas, there is considerable official literature; most of the papers try to survey it. These surveys take up most of the space in the book. There has been little concrete action to prevent, curb or punish corruption; while the government has produced reams of…

The arrest of Bedar Bakht alias Dhannu Raja from Gopalganj district on December 1 has turned the National Investigation Agency (NIA) scanner on Bihar as a likely haven and recruiting ground for Islamist terrorists. Bakht was picked up after LashkareTaiba (LeT) suspect Abdul Nayeem Sheikh was arrested from Charbagh bus stand in Lucknow on November 28. Nayeem’s interrogation led to Bakht and his Biharbased associates. According to intelligence officials, Nayeem, allegedly involved in a 2006 case in which a huge consignment of arms meant to target politicians was seized in Aurangabad, also used Gopalganj as a base for two years, from early 2015 to March this year. He opened ‘Smart Learner’, a private English coaching centre in the town, which investigators say, was a front to cultivate and indoctrinate youth…

1 PATEL RAP The Patel agitation had its effect in the Saurashtra-Kutch region, where the BJP won just 23 of 54 seats—against 35 in 2012 2 RURAL REVENGE The BJP did not win a single seat in seven of the state’s 33 districts and only one seat each in eight other districts 3 OBCs PLAYED TRUANT The party’s hope that the Patel movement would produce an OBC backlash was belied 4 SELECTION BLUNDERS The BJP repeated 98 of 121 sitting MLAs, but only 49 of those could win. 5 POLITICAL ARROGANCE The shenanigans to stop Ahmed Patel’s Rajya Sabha re-election backfired. Five of seven defectors it gave tickets to were defeated…

Books House A bungalow in Pune has been converted into a recreational and creative arts space to celebrate literature, theatre, music and poetry in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu and English. Gyan Adab, as it is called, hosts poetry and book readings, skits, music programmes and workshops. This Time Next Year The little town of Dambuk, Lower Dibang, Arunachal Pradesh is turning out to be one of India’s surprising cultural destinations, thanks to the annual ‘Orange Festival’. Billed as a ‘music & adventure festival’, it has hosted headliners such as rock dinosaur Yingwie Malmsteen and, in its last iteration, Krautrock dinosaurs Tangerine Dream. (Yes, you just missed it.) There are oranges on offer too: orchards are the town’s day job the rest of the year. If citrus fruit is your thing, you…

Jaisree Misra’s memoir of building a house in Kerala—A House for Mr Misra (Westland, pp: 208)—is pure merchandise, with a pretty cover, reassuringly large print, and contents untroubled by inordinate thought. If you were chary of picking up pap about a foreign-returned innocent taking on the construction bureaucracy of Kerala, by page 5, once the writer has flaunted her London life, flanked by the Borough Market and the Tate Modern, not to mention macaroon boutiques, you will actively hate her. Mr and Mrs M decide to build a modest beach house in Veli, near Trivandrum. A disgruntled neighbour throws coastal regulations in their faces. Lo, they find someone who can make their problems go away. Not to keep you in suspense, the house gets built. So how does a writer…

Former BBC news presenter Teresa Driscoll’s story of the mysterious disappearance of the 16-year-old Anna Ballard from a club in London, I Am Watching You (Thomas and Mercer, pp: 300), is perhaps one of the best psychological thrillers released this year. The novel begins on a train as Ella Longfield eavesdrops on the two young men chatting up Anna and her best friend Sarah. Travelling without any adults for the first time, Anna and Sarahare going to London to celebrate the end of GCSEs—a gift from Anna’s parents. Intrigued to learn that the two young men are ‘fresh out of prison,’ Ella follows Sarah to the toilet, where she overhears her having sex with a man she has just met. She’s tempted to trace the girls’ parents and raise an…

Mystic Yoga The Ancient Way Ayurveda, the indigenous science of food and medicine recommends making food your medicine. And you could learn how with Mystic Yoga's programme, The Mystic Living, a 50-hour-course that includes lessons in yoga and the basics of Ayurveda, customised to the needs of every individual participating in it. Everyday Healing “In addition to introducing participants to basic concepts and terminology, we teach them disciplined eating, portion control, food combinations and how to detoxify and revitalise their body,” says Saurav Maheshwari, 35, co-owner. So, you could learn to make eight different kinds of drinks that together make for a rather effective detox routine or trump up a mix of herbs and spices. At 20/A, Camac Street Juicy Moustache Green Revolution When 40-yearold Rahul Yadav’s teetotaller father was…

Voices Liberty Terms and Conditions Apply Hadiya, previously Akhila, converted to Islam and subsequently married Shafin Jahan. However, these choices, guaranteed to her as basic rights in the Constitution, are now up for debate in the Supreme Court. Today, Hadiya is struggling to convey to three men in India’s highest court that her decisions were made of her own free will. Guneet Kaur, Lawyer Hadiya’s continuous confinement reflects our everyday reality as women—the brazen denial of our individual agency. Patriarchy’s unwillingness to accept that women have the ability to think and make sound decisions. A 25-year-old doctor was shuttled from one guardian to another de facto guardian by the highest court. Her decision to choose a partner or a certain way of spiritual life is the subject of a national…

People were making vacation plans for the next year and I wouldn’t even buy flight tickets for the next week,” says Gautami Tadimalla, 48, without losing her calm for a moment. “It took me time to accept the permanence of life and plan for the future,” she adds. Poise in the time of grit is perhaps the most defining character she has been associated with, in the industry and outside. A breast cancer survivor, Gautami was diagnosed with the disease at 35. Now, 13 years later, she is back in the industry with renewed rigour, a new attitude to life and a more refined process to her craft. SCREEN BEGINNINGS In a liberal family of doctors from Bengaluru, a radiation oncologist father and a radiologist mother, Gautami grew up with…

CAN PATIENTS AID ASSOCIATION (CPAA) Established with the aim of treating cancer holistically in 1969, CPAA works to combat every aspect of the illness, from raising awareness through lectures to promoting early detection through cancer screening camps, covering the cost of treatment through a unique insurance plan and complete patient care through medical, financial, social, and psychological support to ensure compliance and rehabilitation. The charitable, non-governmental organisation in association with New India Assurance provides insurance coverage to patients against costs incurred for their treatment. Unique initiative CPAA has an adopt-a-cancer-patient scheme, where the organisation tries to find sponsors who make a one-time donation for end-to-end treatment of their adopted patient Motto Total management of cancer in India Cost Free Location Mumbai, Delhi and Pune Website www.cpaaindia.org BREAST CANCER INDIA Breast…

While companies interested in attracting and retaining talent aim to offer a level playing field for women and men, there are still some challenges that are difficult to overcome. For instance, the professional setback that women can experience when they become mothers. It is a fact that women are likely to reduce the hours they put into work, or quit their jobs altogether, to care for their children due to lack of alternative, affordable, quality childcare services. With more women leaving the workforce, this can also pose a significant attrition cost to an employers’ bottom line to rehire and retrain new employees. Increasing access to quality childcare has therefore become vital for companies who want to enable both parents partake equally in the workforce. Companies that want to invest in…

@ShougatDasgupta Sanskari Feminism In Goa, Ram Madhav, a higher-up in the BJP and former higher-up in the RSS, was quoted as holding Draupadi “singularly responsible” for the internecine war between the Pandavas and Kauravas detailed in the Mahabharata. Madhav posted his speech on Facebook and in his version he holds her only “partly responsible”. Instead, he claims to be celebrating Draupadi’s “sheel”, the character that made her the “first feminist of the world”. Her principal qualification, according to Madhav, appears to be that she refused to listen to any of her five husbands. On social media, people, including journalist Patralekha Chatterjee, were quick to take Madhav to task. If Madhav thought his Facebook post would show up the unfairness of the way his remarks were presented in the media, it…

According to numbers released on December 15, the newspaper industry in India, unlike in many parts of the world, is in rude health. New publications are still opening in their thousands, while few are shutting down. The encouraging news, for those who still believe in print, whether as readers or journalists, was delivered by the Registrar of Newspapers for India in its annual publication, ‘Press in India’. 114,820 Registered publications in India; 16,993 dailies or out a few times a week; 97,827 periodicals 46,587 Hindi publications, highest of any language in India, with total circulation of nearly 240 million 1,116,428 Largest daily circulation in India—Ananda Bazar Patrika, Bengali, Kolkata 4,007 New publications registered from 2016 up to March 31, 2017, up 3.6% from the previous year 14,365 English publications, second…

What’s brewing between Ratan Tata and Mohan Bhagwat? Last December, at the height of his battle with Cyrus Mistry, the chairman emeritus of the 149-yearold group paid the RSS sarsanghchalak a ‘courtesy visit’ at the Sangh’s Nagpur headquarters. Now, the buzz is that he will accompany Bhagwat to a shakha in Mumbai for a ‘swagat pranam’ (welcome salute) and one-hour lecture to volunteers. House Rules Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam was all set to host BJP leaders during PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Thiruvananthapuram to meet the kin of Cyclone Ockhi’s victims. Except that chief secretary K.M. Abraham warned him about the impropriety of using Raj Bhawan as a political venue. Ergo, the meeting was shifted to the Thycaud state guest house. WHY THEY DID WHAT THEY DID Reading between…

Four tiger deaths in just 45 days could seriously imperil Madhya Pradesh’s push to regain its place as India’s ‘tiger state’. The fresh big cat mortalities, from unnatural causes, have taken the total number of deaths in 2017 to an unacceptable 25. Fifteen of these deaths were recorded in forest areas in and around the Bandhavgarh National Park. In the latest instance, on December 11, an adult tigress was found dead near Kachodar in Umaria district. A day later, one of her cubs was discovered, similarly electrocuted by traps laid by poachers. That both carcasses were found three days after the death points to lackadaisical monitoring—wildlife officials responsible for tracking the felines in Bandhavgarh clearly had no idea this had happened. In two earlier instances in November, an adult male…

ON FEBRUARY 4, 2016, a 15-year-old aspiring singer uploaded a video on YouTube. There’s no burkha but there’s a guitar which she gently strums to sing Rihanna’s “Stay”. Instead of the angst of Secret Superstar Insiya, there’s tenderness. The video didn’t go viral (66,000 views and counting), but it caught the attention of someone who mattered. Two months later, the teenager found herself sitting in composer Amit Trivedi’s studio in Mumbai and signing a contract for a production she did not know was Aamir Khan’s. A secret superstar was born—Meghna Mishra. “I filled a form without really reading it,” she says. “Only later did I realise that I was getting my big break in an Aamir Khan production.” True talent speaks volumes and it doesn’t always need a reality TV…

Thanks to Youtube, Indira Gandhi’s charm and intelligence are today accessible to anybody with a web connection and a smart phone—much to the detriment of our current rowdy and inarticulate crop of pols. A different picture of the iconic leader emerges from Indira: A Life of Courage— produced for the 100th anniversary of India’s first and only female prime minister. The photographs are on display at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust till January 31, 2018. Beginning with a 1918 photo of Indira as a wideeyed toddler seated with her parents, the book chronicles her evolution from idealistic schoolgirl—part of a westernised elite, yes, but sincere nonetheless—to the intractable “Mrs Gandhi” who ordered the Emergency in 1975. Steeped in nostalgia, it’s a hop, skip and a jump away from propaganda—a reminder…

An intriguing collaboration between Konyak writer Phejin Konyak and Dutch portrait photographer Peter Bos, The Konyaks: Last of the Tattooed Headhunters hints at a bygone ethnocentric exoticism in its title, and there’s a touch of that luridness in Bos’s efforts to capture the customs and artistry of the Konyaks on film. Phejin’s text, however—as much a frank and emotive memoir as an anthropological treatise—for the most part saves the book from feeling like cultural appropriation. This is especially evident in her discussion of the custom of headhunting, where the point of view of “the observed” undercuts the usual pedantry of the anthropologist observer—perhaps inadvertently. After all, she presents it by way of an (unnecessary) apology, writing, “I have now come to realise that it was a distinctive way of life…

WORMWOOD A mélange of documentary and crime drama, this Eroll Morris web series uses archival footage. It traces a son’s search for the truth behind his father’s death—at the hands of the CIA. Real-life son Eric Olson plays the part in the series. Netflix RUNAWAYS The latest TV series from the profitspinning studios of Marvel Entertainment, Runaways infuses the superpowers of the X Men with the charm of Archie and the gang. Amazon Prime JEAN-CLAUDE VAN JOHNSON The man known to action movie fans as JCVD plays for laughs in this Entouragestyle spoof of the star’s “real life”. Amazon Prime…

1 Include pure ghee and honey in your winter diet. Moderate consumption helps balance the kapha dosha. 2 Take an inch each of raw ginger and raw turmeric, grate and boil together in water. Add a dash of black pepper and consume. It will help cleanse the body and fight aches and pains. 3 Half a tablespoon of mixed seeds—white sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, flax and watermelon work best for your daily dose of essential oils. 4 Replace tea and coffee with fresh infusions made of herbs such as mint and tulsi. 5 Don't eat when stressed. Eat when you are in a proper frame of mind. A positive mind is important.…

Imagine: No Child left invisible Shelja Sen The one theme that runs throughout the book—all skills of learning and teaching are also strengthened through regular practice. If only all teachers were like Shelja Sen, the psychologist. Published by Harper Collins 254 pages; ₹350 Curious tales From the himalayas Shaguna and Prarthana Gahilote A hungry fox encounters a frog looking for enlightenment at Ladakh. Let sisters Prarthana and Shaguna Gahilote take you away to the Himalayas. Published by Puffin India 208 pages; ₹199 Prithviraj Chauhan: the emperor of hearts Anuja Chandramouli Prithviraj Chauhan as a pin-up? The right wing would agree. Anuja Chandramouli, emerging as the queen of historical fiction, goes where the story takes her, whether it is Padmavati or Prithviraj. Published by Penguin India 288 pages; ₹299…

1 Don’t panic It is important to not go into a downward spiral, something a lot of people do. If you have caught it early, breast cancer is the most treatable type of cancer. 2 Find a good doctor It is very important that you trust your oncologist. There is also no harm in going to several doctors for consulation before you find the doctor you trust. 3 Follow instructions It is essential to follow the doctor’s instructions and diet. Not taking precautions can mean you are not giving yourself the practical chances you need to survive. 4 Commit to the treatment, all the way Chemotherapy is usually a three-week cycle and your immunity levels take a hit. Even a common cold can become a complication. 5 Be practical Be…

ANANDA SHANKAR JAYANT, 56 Breast cancer survivor Classical dancer, choreographer, bureaucrat, Hyderabad Of the belief that dance is not only her spiritual journey, but also her greatest communication tool, and a weapon to deal with whatever life throws at her, Ananda Shankar Jayant, a trained Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer, refused to bow down to cancer. An officer of the Indian Railway Traffic Service, 1987 batch, Jayant was about to travel overseas for a conference in 2008 when she discovered a lump in the left breast. After undergoing a mammogram, she left for the conference and when she returned after two weeks, her husband broke the news to her about the lump being malignant. “Initially, it did upset me but only for a brief spell. I decided not to allow something…

What is Delhi about if not land and money? Delhi of a certain kind, of course. The kind that needs a golf cart to motor through their farmhouses; that swathes their women in diamonds and no dignity; that ensures their men are trust fund babies for the rest of their lives; that think little of the lives of others. Former journalist and now a filmmaker, Preti Taneja’s We That Are Young is a searing expose disguised as King Lear, and one of the finest novels to have come out of the new liberalised Delhi, of manicured public prettiness and ungoverned private cruelty. How did you get the nuances of a rich property-based family living in the outskirts of Delhi so well? Some of my earliest memories are of running around…

The buzz around Bitcoins has been growing louder in the country, and now for the wrong reasons. On December 13, the income tax department conducted surveys at nine major Bitcoin exchanges across the country, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Gurugram, on suspicion of alleged tax evasion. Reports say that the I-T department is set to issue notices to 400,000-500,000 high net worth individuals, who have been trading on the exchanges of this unregulated virtual currency. Despite the crackdowns against this cryptocurrency, Bitcoin trade has been surging in India. Industry sources estimate that there are eight million Indians who trade in this digital currency, which works without a central bank or a single administrator. The value of Bitcoins has spiked 2,000 per cent since January this year, and as on…

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his decision to withdraw high-value currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 on November 8, 2016, one of his stated objectives was to choke the flow of money to terror groups. “Enemies from across the border run their operations using fake currency notes,” he said in his televised speech. A year later, official statistics don’t seem to support the PM’s convictions. Cross-border terrorism in J&K has, in fact, gone up between November 1, 2016 and October 31, 2017. There were 341 terror incidents during this period compared with 311 a year ago in the same time span, MoS for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir told the Lok Sabha on December 19. In December 2016, a month after the November 8 announcement, the prime minister…

Over 30 years ago, I drove from Shillong, capital of Meghalaya, through the town of Nongstein and then to Tura, the second largest city of that small state. I was assured of good road conditions and a journey of six or seven hours—it took me 12 hours, much of it on bumpy jungle tracks. There wasn’t a single signboard to tell us we were going the right way. We did come across a sign that warned of tigers and my Bengali driver let out a trembling moan and prayer. When we hit a fork in the road, he asked in desperation, “Which way?” Go straight, I said, counting on luck. It turned out to be the right decision. A few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the…

A year ago, the splendour of the Royal Opera House in Mumbai was unveiled after an extensive six-yearlong renovation. But the transformation, it turns out, wasn’t complete until late October this year, with the opening of The Quarter. Located inside the Opera House, The Quarter, which comprises a jazz club, a cafe, a restaurant and a mozzarella bar, is the brainchild of businessman and investor Nakul Toshniwal, musicians Ranjit Barot and Ashutosh Phatak and restaurateur Nico Goghavala. Live at the Quarter, a 1950s-inspired jazz club in the backyard, attracts a mix of young collegegoers and older music aficionados. The intimate venue offers a living room experience with masters of the industry—from the homegrown Parekh & Singh to the Grammy award winning band Tinariwen, or upcoming acts by John McLaughlin &…

Pp: 264 Among the first Indian wars to be documented in photography, the so-called “sepoy revolt” comes to life in this handsome volume—which includes rare archival photographs from the Alkazi Collection. Edited by Rosie Llewellen-Jones, a British scholar with the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, the book pulls together contrasting essays to deconstruct the narratives typically associated with the Gadar or Uprising of 1857. Among the main characters are the warrior queen of Jhansi Lakshmi Bai, who was killed by British troops; the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, who took responsibility for the rebellion though he had no hand in starting it; and the Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib, who spoke of the pain of the failed uprising in his letters. “The British public reaction to the Mutiny was initially…

Wild coffee trees grow in the dense jungles of the mountains of the Kafa region of Ethiopia, straining thin and tall toward the light and yielding a few precious fruit in alternate years. For those who gather wild coffee, unlike for growers of cultivated coffee, it is a matter of survival, not profit. Reading Jeff Koehler’s treatise on coffee, Where the Wild Coffee Grows (Bloomsbury, pp: 288, $19.99), from its origins in Kafa to the gimmickry of 21st century roast boutiques, is often a hard slog through statistics. When it does draw the reader in, it is poignant. The first such instance is Koehler’s history of the war that ended the kingdom of Kafa. Menelik II, the ambitious and well-armed emperor of Ethiopia, besieges Kafa, which owns a few hundred…

Q As the UN Environment’s Goodwill Ambassador for India, what do you hope to do? Spreading awareness and advocacy on critical environment campaigns is top of the agenda. The primary focus areas this year will be clean air, clean seas, climate change and wildlife protection. Q What do you look for in a script as a producer? I look for gravitas and substance that can outlast the theatrical experience. I have always believed that cinema is one of the greatest instruments of positive social change. Stories can be light, engaging and poignant, but they need to say something. Q What has been your most challenging role so far? Finding my voice, understanding what it is that truly makes me happy! Also, if I had to pick a role, it would…

A Glam Affair The Kolkata Chapter of the Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2017 that showcased ensembles by ace designers Nikhil Thampi and Shantanu & Nikhil saw a sizzling mix of oomph and glitz played out to a pulsating live performance by Grain Ft, Kavya Trehan and Kamakshi Khanna. In a fascinating interpretation of this year's tagline Style-More Than You Think, the collections exuded matter-of-fact ‘power’ and ‘strength’ while keeping the glam quotient soaring. The evening’s showstopper, actor Siddharth Malhotra, dapper in a Shantanu & Nikhil Navy Blue and Red Jacket worn over a smart black kurta, was easily the highlight of the evening. Nikhil Thampi From stunning, sleek monochrome numbers to a generous use of metallic work—a Nikhil Thampi signature, Thampi’s collection, Sylph, is dreamy and powerful all at once.…

✓ YES It will address subjugation of women Triple talaq isn’t only regressive but also denies women of their basic right to equality. Women for years have been oppressed and triple talaq is one of those practices, which subjugates women even more. Women and men both should have equal rights to take a decision. Triple talaq is often misused and several women have been victims to various social and economical problems. It’s high time reforms should be brought according to rationality. Women must also be made aware of their rights to stand strong. The right to divorce should always be mutual. Akansha Jain, Delhi ✓ YES It’s a step towards equality The legislation against the practice of ‘instant’ triple talaq is a necessity, for the proper enforcement of fundamental rights…

ON HOW TO LOOK POLISHED AND GROOMED COLEEN KHAN AFFONSO Stylist and salon expert for Veet, Skincare brand, Mumbai Tip 1 Focus on your complete well-being In order to look good, you need to pay attention to what you eat and how you exercise. slow down and reduce stress levels. a healthy outside starts from the inside. Tip 2 Facials are worth the fuss Regular facials, at least once a month, help in improving the skin’s elasticity and restoring the glow. in case you are hard pressed for time, home packs can do the job. those with oily skin can put honey on the face for 20 minutes and curd with sandalwood powder for dry skin. also, keep the skin free of unwanted hair; use hair removal creams. Tip 3…

Nee Pathi Naan Pathi, Tamil (1991) One of my favourite films where I play a character called Niveda. She is an illegitimate daughter of a respectable man in the society. Though the parents have had an enduring relationship, she is fiercely supportive of her mother. When Niveda falls in love, a crisis unfolds. The journey of how she finds herself and walks away with courage and peace was deeply interesting. Sukrutham, Malayalam (1994) Based on a novel by author MT Vasudevan Nair, the film is the story of a writer played by Mammootty who gets diagnosed with cancer. He goes into a spiral and wants to find someone for his wife while he is still alive. When he goes into a hospice, his wife turns to another man out of…

A WOMAN KNOWS HER BODY BEST. REGULAR BREAST SELF-EXAMINATION CAN HELP HER KNOW THE CHANGES IN HER. Renuka Prasad Honorary Secretary, Indian Cancer Society, Delhi My tryst with cancer began two decades ago in 1997 when it was by chance that I found the peasized lump in the inner quadrant of my left breast. My heart dropped. There was turning back, running away from it; I felt it was the end of the world, it spelt devastation. Devastation or not, I had to go forward and get it examined. Earlier the better. Even if it’s a false alarm. I was recommended a mammogram, followed by an FNAC, which is a fine needle aspiration, in which a sample of fluid from the lump is taken and tested to confirm malignancy. I was…

It is difficult to look after your skin in winter than it is in summer. Spending more time indoors with heating on, going in and out of the car and office, windy days and low humidity all negatively contribute to the unwanted changes we notice in our skin during winter months. The colder weather and drier conditions can result in flakiness leaving the skin looking dull and feeling tight, coarse and uncomfortable. 1 Increase intake of water, change your diet As your skin is likely to dry out due to decreased humidity levels, you must replenish the top level of moisture your skin gives off to protect itself by drinking sufficient water. Drink minimum of eight glasses of water per day. Must follow add foods high in omega 3 fatty…

There’s a pretty popular rumour that has been doing the rounds since 400 BC, when comedy was first invented (believe me, I’ve checked). It is said in hushed tones by audience members at an open mic, proclaimed in all caps by men on the Internet and most times, women comics repeat this to themselves in the green room, moments before they go on stage—women just aren’t funny. As a longtime woman and as someone who does comedy, I can, with full authority say that women definitely are not funny. It’s because they are hilarious. Anyone who goes through life facing sexism, patriarchy and gender-based stereotypes all the while bleeding for five days every month has got to have a sense of humour about them. As with most sexist notions, the…