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Cord connection
Stem cell banking is the latest trend that the city’s neo parents are following
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. If a child or a sibling, god forbid, falls victim to any one of these diseases; the preserved umbilical cord can make a huge difference to the treatment. Though all are not convinced, the city has many takers for stem cell banking.
Shachi Bedi, a city entrepreneur, delivered her first child in March this year. “When the scope of stem cell banking was explained to us, we decided that it would be in the best interest of our child to invest,” she says, a willing convert, to what is known as ‘biomedical insurance’. “I wish one never needs it. But if I can afford it, I don’t mind investing,” explains Bedi, Stem cell banks collect, process and store the stem cells in liquid nitrogen. The parents are assured that they will be able to retrieve it, if it becomes necessary. The one-time cost is Rs 60,000 upwards. There are representatives of at least three private stem cell banks offering the service, operating from the city, though the actual banks are located in Gurgaon or Chennai. Swati Singh, a lawyer residing in Sector 19, was advised to preserve the umbilical cord by her sister, who happens to be a doctor. “Keeping the health prospects of my child in my mind, I found it worth investing,” says Singh, the proud mother of one-and- a-half-month-old Yashasvi.
“With so many diseases which haven’t found a cure yet, stem cell banking makes sense,” says Dr Pooja Chugh, a medical officer at Dera Bassi. Although it is expensive, the cost is worth the security it offers, says Dr Chugh who delivered a boy last month. “Being a doctor, I was worried about the procedures and preservation methods. My enquiries convinced me and I am satisfied with the service, the certificate and the unique password given to us,” she shares. “We started a little over two years back, and the response is tremendous,” says Anish Malik, regional head, Cryobanks International India. “Our contact numbers are on our website and we keep doing awareness programmes. I even get calls from villages in Punjab,” he adds. “Stem cell banking is increasingly gaining ground in the northern region,” says Mayur Abhaya, executive director, LifeCell. “We have received a great response from Chandigarh and Ludhiana, the rest of cities are slowly picking up,” he says.
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Living by the mile
Avid bikers from the city have travelled far and wide to satisfy their craving for 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.” And a few more tested their limits with just the bike for company. Adventure for them is picking up the bike, carrying a bag on their back, just sufficient money for food and travelling as many kilometres as possible in one go. “It’s thrilling to challenge your physical and mental strength,” shares Manoj Narwat, who along with Nitish and two friends went on the trip. If this is less, how about covering a distance of 3,000 km (one-way) on a bike minus any company? “Extreme adventure,” says Manpreet Singh, a DEL employee. Two years back, Manpreet made it to Goa on a bike. There’s more to his story, “I didn’t carry any luggage except a small bag. All I had with me was Rs 4000 and the idea was to buy things of need on the way.” He covered the whole trip in mere two-and-a-half days. Nights were spent in temples to save money. “I spent just eight hours in Goa after such a hectic journey. The only rest I had was on my way back to the city when I took a lift from a truck for 100 kilometres.”
Manpreet has been to Leh on a bike as well, but the trip to Goa stands out because, “Covering almost half of India on a bike was adventure in real terms.” On the cards is a trip to Hemkunt Sahib, “What tempts me more to go for it is the fact that people keep on warning me about the terrain and weather,” he says. Rohit Bhatia, a photographer, travelled 1,500 km from Roorkee to Pokhra Lake in Nepal. Instead of choosing a latest hi-tech bike model, he preferred 1955 BFA model. “Now that makes it a complete dare test. I knew the bike would trouble but then there is a bit of adventure in repairing it too when you are alone at a place you have no clue about.” He travelled from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwer, some 300 km, on a 1972 model Bullet, for his honeymoon. Anything for the love for bikes! ashima@tribunemail.com
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Excuse me, please!
ashima@tribunemail.com
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Rain check
Then there are the “ubiquitous evergreen activities” applicable to all seasons. Like lounging on the terrace, being couch potatoes, sleeping away to glory…like we said, the list is not exhaustive! manpriya@tribunemail.com
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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.
"I wasn’t informed that I would be getting the award. My dad’s
congratulatory call broke the news to me. Anyway, it always feels good
when your work gets acknowledged," says the alumnus of Government
College of Art, Chandigarh. Capturing the wild Sunderbans and bringing
out the beauty onscreen, shooting at a 100-year-old house in Japan and
countryside of Kolkata, Anay has had quite an experience with The
Japanese Wife. "Three years back when I started on this movie
with Aparna Sen, it seemed like a big challenge. But the experience has
been overwhelming." Sure, but the work behind the camera wasn’t
all that easy. "Shooting in Sunderbans during the peak of summers,
in 45 degree temperature and 99 per cent humidity, wasn’t easy. Add to
that no electricity. The point wasn’t to beautify the screen, but to
add a layer to it," says the FTII pass out. And breathtakingly
refreshing it was! Giving his creativity a subtle touch at FTII, Anay’s
initial success came with his student films. Working along with Vibhu
Puri, another city-based filmmaker and fellow FTIIan, Anay reached
matured while working on movies like Chabiwali Pocket Watch,
which won him his first award for cinematography in the Emerging
Filmmakers’ section at Cannes Film Festival. It was India’s official
entry to student’s Oscars as well. "I won the Kodak award for
Asia Pacific region and went on to win at Cannes." Later, Chauras
Chand happened, based on the life of poet Paash, which was selected
for the International Film Festival of India in Goa in 2005.
Throughout, his school of thought remains. "Good cinema doesn’t
just mean pictorials, it’s a combination of elements that blend in
rather than stand out. There has been a lot of shift in ideas
internationally, maybe towards the invisible kind of work."
Precisely the reason why he has made it to the list of country’s
finest cinematographers already! Although The Japanese Wife was
his first film, he has worked on Dil Kabbadi (2008) and is
already in for international assignments. He is now looking forward to
working with Aparna Sen in her upcoming projects and another UTV
production, which is due for release this year. Ask him what he wants at
the end of the day and he replies, "A good night’s sleep."
Simple, yet not obvious! nehawalia@tribunemail.com
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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. Marriage is a lifelong commitment and one definitely needs to spend time with one's spouse, feels Rishi. But as for the society as a whole, "Love marriages are still frowned upon. The way things are moving, I feel we are still far from accepting love relationships as a normal part of life," he adds. "To each ones own," feels Deepak Sandhu, creative head, Crossfit. "We are still in a transition stage when basic values are changing and two generations have different viewpoints," he says. "Though I feel parents should let the kids be responsible for their future, even children should wait a while, at least till they are adults, before entering into a love affair," he adds. Children have the right to love, opines Anand Sharma, assistant professor, Government College of Art-10. "On one hand we are moving into the 22nd century and on the other, we indulge in cruel practices of the bygone era in the name of honour killings," he says. "I have seen so many friendships blossom into beautiful marriages. I feel it's time that kids and parents take each other into confidence before embarking upon such a journey," he adds. "'To love' directly implies 'your choice', which is traditionally not accepted in our society," says Sherry Sabbarwal, city sociologist. But the scene varies from place to place. In metros where one doesn't even know the neighbours, the family is on one's own and there is no societal pressure. But in more orthodox communities, 'to love' is considered a rebellion against the set norms and results in honour killings. "Today, when kids are earning at an increasingly early age, in most metros parents have not accepted but, yes, resigned to kids' wishes," she says. As for the future, she says: "It is for sure going to be a very acceptable part of society though the pace of change will be slow."
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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. Doubts have been raised about the reliability and validity of these reports, given that past maltreatment is often unreported, memories can be reconstructed and the reports can be unstable over time. Dr Kate M. Scott, and colleagues at University of Otago-Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, linked national child protection agency records with data from a nationally representative community survey of mental disorders among young adults age 16 to 27. The survey included 2,144 young adults, 221 of whom had a history of child maltreatment as indicated by child protection agency records. After adjusting for demographic and socio-economic factors, a history of abuse or neglect was associated with having any mental disorder and with five individual mental disorders-including anxiety, mood and substance abuse conditions-both over a lifetime and in the previous year. The strongest associations were with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder. When asked in young adulthood, 15 percent of the participants in the group without a child protection agency record reported maltreatment. "After excluding these individuals from the comparison group, the magnitude of associations increased, with child protection agency history conferring a 10-fold higher odds of 12-month PTSD, together with elevated odds of other anxiety disorders, mood disorders and drug use disorders," wrote the authors. The findings suggest that maltreatment, not just the memory of maltreatment, is associated with mental health disorders in young adulthood. "This implies, first, that targeted mental health interventions with present or past clients of child welfare agencies are indicated in addition to the interventions currently provided to stop or reduce the maltreatment; and second, that concerted population-level strategies are required to address the needs of the many other children who also experience maltreatment," said the authors. — ANI
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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. I M Soni, Chandigarh Still conservative
Suchet Kumar, Ropar Love rules
There were times when our society did not allow love matches. Young girls were not allowed to venture out of four walls of their house. Choosing a suitor was a social taboo and the prerogative rested with the parents or family priests. The innocent girls had no choice, but to accept these decisions without grumbling. But those days are passé, albeit we still do come across incidents of honour killing. Nevertheless, love matches are now almost acceptable to our society, especially in the urban areas. There are hardly any parameters set by the society now, and in times to come love matches would be totally acceptable. Meenakshi, Chandigarh Generation gap
Manjeet Kaur, Mohali Lifestyle invites responses from readers on the following issue: Is changing societal structure leading to loneliness? Please e-mail the responses in around 200 words to lifestyletribune@gmail.com or post along with your photo and contact number to 'Relatively Speaking', Lifestyle, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh. The best few responses will be published. |
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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. "It's difficult to generalise about the effects on the children," Hayes said. "It depends on whether the cohabiting relationship is long-term and stable, whether it leads to marriage, or whether it is fragile and part of a series of relationships." Rebecca Huntley, director of Ipsos Mackay Research, said for many members of the cohabiting young generation, the sign of commitment was the decision to have children and to buy a house together. But later, when they could afford it, the couple splashed out on a big, ostentatious wedding. "They see the wedding as a party with 150 friends," she said. "For their parents' generation a wedding was the licence to buy a house and have the children." The proportion of couples who have lived together before marrying reached 78 percent in 2008, compared with 23 percent in 1980. The percentage of working parents has also increased, with 63 percent of mothers of dependent children in jobs (mostly part-time) compared with 43 percent in 1981. — IANS
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Hang on there
at lifestyletribune@gmail.com or Life Style, The Tribune, Sector 29-C, Chd 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? Ruchita Kakkar, Chandigarh You must realise that modern life brings its own level of complexities. Learning to cope with our environment is one of the things, we have to learn to deal with life. Just leaving the job would be no solution. What is the guarantee that your new job will not transfer you out or that you will feel comfortable there? Do not worry about being labeled a Big City girl. Deep inside they are probably envious of you and perhaps wishing to be, in your shoes, but showing you down gives their egos a boost. When you are trying to build a career you do have to deal with some insecurities, but then we all pay a price for growth. Just hang on there, you are mature enough in years, try and be friendly with you colleagues, ask someone out for lunch or tea or organise a small do at your place for office staff. Watch them slowly open up to you and watch your own self easing out. Be open about it
I am an army officer, 32, and just back from a non-family station posting. I have a 3-year-old and my wife lives with my old parents while I am on postings. Recently I got an anonymous letter saying that my wife in my absence was having an affair with my neighbours' unmarried son. This has disturbed me immensely. I feel it is really not possible, as we have shared a very good relationship. But now since I am back with her at home, each time I look at her I wonder what is the truth. In the process I have become cold towards her and I am always irritable with the whole family including my daughter. Should I ask my wife directly as to what is the truth? Ronnie Manchanda, Panchkula Despite your discipline and training you seen to be rather lost on the personal front. Of course you should lay all the cards open in front of your wife. I am sure this is a prank by some nasty person. Tell your wife the whole story. May be she just has an innocent friendship with the boy next door. Specially if you are just caring for your old parents and have a little kid to care for, a small and harmless conversation between two young people can be misconstrued into anything. Nevertheless I feel your must put your heart and mind to ease so that you are comfortable with not yourself but also your behaviour towards others in the family is good. If there is more to it then meets the eye, well I feel only your wife and you can work it out face to face. Don't be judgemental
My daughter is about 23 and has just taken up a new job in a different city. She has always been a very bright girl and I am very proud of her. She has always excelled in almost every field. She has a car and a flat of her own and a great salary. Until now we have enjoyed a great relationship and I have never really worried about her. Recently when she came home she has been tired and withdrawn, seems to snap at everything I say. We seem to have no rapport at all. She is not even very friendly with her younger sister any more. She now has a new boyfriend I wonder if it is the right relationship for her and the cause for her confusion. How do I tackle this issue? Is there any way I can find out what bothers her. Samita Bohra, Chandigarh The more you will push her to give you a reasonable answer to her behaviour the more rebellious will her answers be. Objections from friends and family are not what anyone wants about their choices of friends and boy friends in particular. Alternately it could also be her job stress. Sometimes we are very good students but dealing with a new job situation is definitely very stressful comparatively. Don't worry I'm sure she will settle down slowly. Meanwhile give her a lot of love and show her that she can bank on you. Do not be judgemental. I'm sure she will confide in you if you show understanding and patience. |
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. "Bollywood is also a woman's game. It was never a man's world," she said. Aisha, inspired by Jane Austen's Emma stars Rhea's elder sister Sonam and Abhay Deol, and releases on August 6. She said director Rajshree Ojha and Devika Bhagat who has written the screenplay and dialogues narrated the script to her and Sonam. "Both of us liked the script and our father agreed to be our guide," she said. Rhea said the film shot in Delhi, Rishikesh, Mumbai is a young, vibrant and a fresh. "My dad is happy with the end product and so am I. I am confident of the way the film has turned out," she added. Rhea said she has no plans to follow the footsteps of Sonam and added that she was looking forward to handle the production responsibilities of Anil Kapoor Film Company (AKFC). She, however, is not averse to take up direction after establishing herself as a producer. "I may direct movies after I am comfortable with the production setup," Rhea who worked as production assistant on 'Wake Up Sid!' said. — PTI
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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". "A wrong perception has been built up, giving an impression that composers do not make money from a hit song. The fact is that the composers and singers make millions by performing on hit songs by way of live shows," Bhatt posted on micro-blogging site Twitter. "Whereas the producers take the entire commercial risk. How can you ask for an equal share in the profit when you don't share the loss?" he added. However, Bhatt's comment didn't go down too well with writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar. "No one is asking for a penny from the film's profit. We are asking for our rights and dignity," Akhtar wrote on Bhatt's account on Twitter. Aamir Khan-Javed Akhtar and Sonu Niigam-Vidhu Vinod Chopra have already had an altercation in this regard as the music industry is demanding 50-50 share in the profits that the producers make from the music of the film. But producers are resisting it. — IANS
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"Kangana is undervalued by our industry. She is immensely talented but has yet not touched the highest spot. But we'll see her there in a very short while," said Luthria. "She brings to the screen a lot of sensuality and glamour. She carries off even skimpy outfits and different kind of looks. She is someone who has the body and the face to carry that," he added. The 23-year-old has bagged critical acclaim for her performance in movies like Gangster, Woh Lamhe, Life in a... Metro and Fashion. Luthria had words of praise for Emraan Hashmi as well and said both of them were similar in some ways. "Both Emraan and Kangana are very flamboyant in their approach. They've lived very dangerously with the kind of roles they've done and have always pushed the envelope..."That's what has given them a very commercial connect with the audience. They are like underdogs and do things that others don't," the director added. — IANS
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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. "A lot of puckering up goes on here at Madame Tussauds London and our studios team are on a constant clean-up mission where some celebrities are concerned," said museum spokeswoman Liz Edwards. "Robert Pattinson has been an instant hit with the ladies since he joined the attraction in Mar ch and Daniel Radcliffe has attracted more and more attention from female fans as Harry Potter fever starts to build up in the run-up to the final film release," she added. Veteran actor Helen Mirren has proved to be the most-kissed female star. "Dame Helen is a hit with men and women alike, and although she doesn't get the lipstick marks Daniel and Robert do, guests go out of their way to plant a peck on her cheek," said Edwards. — PTI
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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. Following the game, the Titanic star headed to Boulders Table Mountain National Park where he enjoyed a stroll on the board walk. Walking with pals, he snapped pictures of himself against the cloudless blue sky. Keeping a low profile, the actor wore a cap from his hometown university, University College Los Angeles and big dark sunglasses as he walked around unrecognised in the crowd of hikers. The park is a popular tourist attraction due to its thriving penguin colonies. Leonardo has long been an environmental activist, supporting South Africa. In 2002 he joined Global Green to attend the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. — PTI
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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. The 40-year-old actress had spoken about her plans to marry the London-based multi-millionaire after romancing him for an year in 2008, but had called off the relationship in November next year. The Kill Bill star Sparked rumours of a reunion with Busson after they were spotted enjoying an intimate date in January this year, Contactmusic reported. And Thurman's outing on Tuesday in London's Hyde Park to support Busson's son at a school sports day comes as a confirmation of the renewed relationship. Thurman was snapped chatting to Macpherson, 47, when the trio put on a united front during the day out. Australian supermodel Macpherson has two sons Arpad and Aurelius with the businessman. The pair was engaged in 2003 but broke up 2005. — PTI
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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. The actor has repeatedly portrayed roles with negative shades in movies like Gangster, Jannat and the upcoming Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. Asked if he was being typecast, Emrann said while the roles were all "dark", they were still different. "Most of my characters have dark tones and are anti-establishment. They rebel...They have similar traits. But it would be typecasting if I do one role again and again. Shah Rukh Khan plays a lover boy in every film...that doesn't typecast him. He plays an eternal romantic character on screen. If I play an angry young man or a hot blooded criminal in every film...that might typecast me but not these," he said. — IANS
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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. "For the first time, (I am) trying rom-com (romantic comedy) for a change from topical and hard hitting cinema...So need all your wishes and blessings," he added. Bhandarkar is known for realistic films like Page 3, Traffic Signal and Fashion. Dil Toh Bacha Hai Ji will feature actors like Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Shruti Haasan. — IANS
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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.
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.
Ditto for Simranjeet Singh Gill, a businessman who has covered the distance from Leh and Goa on his bike, Royal Enfield. With the kind of biking experience he has, he can drive for up to 650 km without taking a break. Like Manpreet, he too prefers to go all by himself. “Just the feel of covering 3,000 km all alone thrilled me. Adventure reduces to a mere picnic if you take your friends along as that guarantees safety. You know that you have friends to fall back upon in case of any emergency.” He suggests that one should travel alone to far-off places only if one is confident of managing affairs in adverse situations. “Anything can go wrong; the bike can break down, an accident can take place or one can run out of money. So one should be conscious and have the presence of mind to deal with any given situation.” Manpreet too is for covering thousands of kilometers on a bike without a pillion. “It gave me a sense of freedom. I drove for as long as I wanted to and took rest as per my wish. There weren’t any compulsions.”
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.
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.
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.
Albeit our society has undergone a lot of change, love matches are still not totally accepted? In rural India due to the patriarchal set up, joint family system and low education levels of girls, their freedom to choose a partner is limited. Even in urban areas, parents don't encourage their wards to choose their life partner, as match-making is generally a status-enhancing exercise. Although with increasing corporatisation and both men and women entering into the elite workforce of business corporations and government services, love matches are becoming common. In my opinion, our society hasn't given total consent for love matches but in coming times due to higher education levels and exposure, love matches would surely be accepted more and more. 
The elderly in society generally do not accept love matches. They expect a lot from their kids. Not only career, getting their children married also holds a great charm for them. Mothers generally start match-making procedure without even consulting their children. In today's world where people are very career conscious, this sort of behaviour usually results in friction between parents and their children. Parents wish to go for arranged marriages whereas the children feel that they are big enough to decide on their own. There is no harm in this, but today's youth seek different partners. Their so-called love blossoms many times! This is the reason why elders in the society generally do not accept love matches.
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.
Imran Khan is just four films old, but he is already toying with the idea of turning director later in life."I would certainly like to direct a film some time but not in the near future. Right now I've really got my hands full in acting and I am getting to do work that I like," Imran said. "It's very satisfying for me; so right now I am not going to stretch into direction but it is something that I really intend to do," he said. After I Hate Love Storys, the 27-year-old will be next seen in Delhi Belly and Break Ke
Baad. — IANS