Cord connection
Stem cell banking is the latest trend that the city’s neo parents are following
An increasing tribe of parents are gifting their newborn children an ‘elixir’ - the umbilical cord. Generally discarded, as biomedical waste, this group of brave, new parents are shelling out as much as Rs 60,000 for preserving the cord for a period of 20 years. Marketing savvy executives of stem cell banks are on the prowl in the tricity, explaining to prospective parents the benefits of preserving the umbilical cord. Stem cell research, a new frontier of science, they would tell you, has established that stem cells, particularly the ones from the umbilical cord, help treat as many as 75 serious diseases.

Swati and Sachin with Yashasvi

Living by the mile
Avid bikers from the city have travelled far and wide to satisfy their craving for adventure
At 4,185 metres above sea level, stuck in a heavy storm in an area prone to landslides, with a thousand feet deep gorge on one side of the road near Kedarnath…one sure can dub this as ‘real’ adventure. “From a trek in the mountains, river-rafting with trained personnel, to even bungee jumping and sky-diving. The ‘so-called’ adventures were in fact misnomers,” says Nitish Sharma, a final-year engineering student who associates the word ‘dare’ with testing human endurance. “I tested mine by travelling 800 km on a bike on one of the most dangerous tracks.”

Pitter-patter raindrops
Excuse me, please!
Rain rain…don’t go away, come again every day! Monsoon helps us in more ways than just bringing down the temperature. But it never boasts of so many blessings it showers. Here are a few we could count and there are many more that are hidden. Let’s appreciate the generosity.

Rain check
Meteorologically speaking, the monsoon is a land, atmosphere, ocean coupled systems; but that’s for those who define the season in certain mm of rain! It’s a season beyond rains; of raindrops; of tiny drizzle; of pitter-patter sound; of misty windscreens; of cloudy days and of scented air…get the picture? Countless books might tell you 101 things to do during the rains. Circling out the interesting options for all categories.

Solid grounding
City-based Anay Goswami has won the best cinematography, film and direction award at the Star Entertainment Jalsa for the movie The Japanese Wife
For someone who started with International acclaim before national awards, being grounded isn’t the obvious thing. But Anay Goswami doesn’t believe in the obvious. The city guy, who first impressed at Cannes and Oscars, has done it back home as well. By wining the best cinematography, film and direction award at the Star Entertainment Jalsa for the movie The Japanese Wife.

Skin-deep solution
Most of us are unaware of the extent to which the changing climatic conditions, increasing pollution levels and global warming affect our skin. These environmental factors have a harsh effect on our skin, eroding away the basic nutrients and salts that give it a healthy and vibrant glow. If we do not take the right precautions at the right time, these problems could surface in the form of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots, taking away our skin’s youthful glow and radiance. This surely calls for the need of a deeper skin care solution that protects till the innermost layer of our skin.

Pangs of love
Dating, marrying and then, probably, divorcing might be a regular course for the western world. But going by the news reports on honour killings that flash in the media so often, are we Indians still far away from accepting love matches? We did a quick check with city folks. "In big cities or towns it's almost acceptable," says Rishi Soni, a B-Tech student. "I have at least a dozen friends who are in a relationship. And their parents know of it. There is only a fraction of orthodox parents who still do not accept love matches," he adds. And it only worsens the matter. "If denied, children do the stuff for sure, just to try it out," he says.

Past imperfect
Kids who suffer abuse are likely to have mental disorders later in life, reveals a study. Most studies of child maltreatment and later mental health outcomes have relied on reports of past abuse, according to background information in the article.

Relatively Speaking
Divided house
Sadly, our society is still not open to love matches. The reasons may vary from lack of education to being steeped in superstitions, conservative thinking and not being exposed to modern values. We all read stories of honour killings and this must be checked. Also, love is misunderstood by youth and elders alike. While for the youth, it is just passion, elders view it as impractical emotion. Personally, I define love as how one wants to lead one's life. And I strongly feel that everyone has the right to live life on his or her own terms. A couple that decides to live together needs no certification from the society to do so.

Out of wedlock
Over a third of babies (34.4 percent) born in Australia in 2008 were to mothers who were not married, registering a whopping rise in such births from 8.3 per cent in 1970. "For many children it's been a good revolution, but it depends on the extent to which they are in safe and stable homes," said the director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, Alan Hayes, after a study. The big rise in ex-nuptial births was to cohabiting couples, he said. However, the proportion of babies born to single women on their own remained stable since the early 1990s.

Renee Writes
Hang on there
I am 32-year-old working in a multinational. I have just been transferred from big city to a small town office. Here I feel like a complete alien, as I do not know anyone. Although back home I had a fairly good social circle I seem to be turning into a more and more of an introvert. I feel rather unhappy and lonesome and do not seem to know how to deal with this? I feel that the people in office treat me differently as I am termed as the 'Big City Girl'. It seems be thought of almost as a reason to be looked down upon. I have no friends here and feel like chucking up my job, but the salary is very attractive and I do get to travel. How do I make life better?

In no men's land?
Veteran actor Anil Kapoor's younger daughter Rhea who makes her debut as a producer with 'Aisha' says that Bollywood was never a man's world. The 23-year-old said Aishwarya Rai was the international face of Bollywood and there were several examples of women producers who have done well even at the international level like Mira Nair.

Royal(ty) issue
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has once again sparked a discussion on the royalty issue that gripped the Bollywood music fraternity and producers earlier this year, saying "composers and singers make millions by performing on hit songs by way of live shows".

Rediscovering Kangana
Having directed her in upcoming gangster film Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Milan Luthria can't stop raving about Kangana Ranaut's acting skills and says she is yet to have her moment of glory in Bollywood.

Kiss and tell Hollywood's latest heartthrob Robert Pattinson's waxwork at Madame Tussauds in London has reportedly received the most kisses among all the other statues. Fans have kissed the figure of the Twilight star more than any other waxwork in the museum in the last year.

Robert Pattinson

Noisy company
In a noise match between rock and roll icon Mick Jagger and Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, the actor won, thanks to some help from the notorious South African vuvuzela.The stars were in Cape Town to watch the World Cup quarter final between Germany and Argentina and DiCaprio was sitting directly behind the Rolling Stone legend. Jagger who was engrossed in the game was irritated by DiCaprio's incessant tooting on his red vuvuzela. He was caught on camera looking furious and at one stage put a hand over his ear to shield the noise.

Ex-file reopens
Hollywood star Uma Thurman has confirmed her rekindled romance with Swiss businessman Arpad Busson after she was spotted attending his son's school sports day alongwith the tycoon's ex-girlfriend Elle Macpherson.

No camera shy this one!
Emraan Hashmi is very happy acting and, unlike other stars, says he will not move an inch away from front of the camera to take on responsibilities of directing or producing films until he's booed out by audiences. "Not at the moment. I'll act till the audiences kick me out or boo me out from the halls, saying we don't want to watch this man's movies' any more...I'll think about doing something else then," said Emraan. Emraan Hashmi

Romantic problem
National award winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar is anxious about his first romantic comedy film tentatively titled Dil Toh Bacha Hai Ji. "...starting the shoot of tentatively titled Dil Toh Bacha Hai Ji from tomorrow (Tuesday). Lots of anxiety and nervousness even after directing so many films," Bhandarkar posted on Twitter.

Director’s cut
Imran Khan is just four films old, but he is already toying with the idea of turning director later in life.