|
|
Enter, harbingers of social change
A look at innovative entrepreneurs who use technology
to effect social engineering
Kavita Kanan Chandra
Mobile vans help to bring education at the doorstep of the disadvantaged sections
|
If technology is used in
a prudent manner it can impact the lower strata of the society in a
positive way. A few social entrepreneurs are doing yeoman service to
the nation by bringing about a remarkable change in the quality of
life of farmers, villagers and children of the disadvantaged sections
of society. By bringing technology to the doorstep, they provide
hands-on solutions. Their organisations have won numerous awards and
accolades for their efforts but their greatest triumph is to bring
smiles on the faces of the beneficiaries. RamjiRaghavan of Agastya,
Rikin Gandhi of Digital Green and Sanchaita Gajapati Raju of SANA
speak about their work.
ARTS
’Art &
Soul
Armour for the Samurai
B. N. Goswamy
One
may know them from a distance, a long distance, but one is certainly
aware of them: samurai, those legendary warriors and swordsmen of
Japan. Who, for instance, can ever forget Akira Kurosawa’s great
epic, perhaps the greatest action film ever made: The Seven
Samurai? Sixty years have gone by, and yet one can recall the
electricity with which the screen got charged each time Toshiro Mifune
appeared on it;
Broad brush
Fitness
good
health
For women on the go
Dr Anjali Mukerjee
Women usually give priority to their family’s nutrition and health needs but hardly take care of themselves
Working women generally do
not find time to look after themselves. Here are a few tips for
working women to help them stay healthy and fit.
Start the day with a healthy breakfast: A good breakfast will not only
help you to pull along the day without the afternoon slump but also
prevent you from feeling famished, overeating and weight gain. If you
are away on a holiday or business trip and find a little choice, opt
for a glass of cold milk with cornflakes or fruits (any amount) or a
sandwich without butter with cucumber and tomato or egg and toast with
no butter or steamed idlis or dhoklas, or khakra
and buttermilk.
Listen to your heartbeat
Dr Vanita Arora
If your heart beats at irregular pace often, it is important to take note
of it rather than ignore it as it can be a warning sign for a heart ailment called arrhythmia
Heartbeats get abnormal after
exercising, running, or after doing some strenuous work. There is
nothing to worry about. But if your heart beats at irregular pace
often, it is important to take note of it rather than ignore it as it
can be a warning sign for a heart ailment called arrhythmia.
'Love hormone' may protect against addiction
Addictive behaviour such
as drug and alcohol abuse may be associated with poor development of
the so-called "love hormone" system in our bodies during
early childhood, Australian scientists say. The groundbreaking idea
has resulted from a review of worldwide research into oxytocin, known
as the "love hormone" because of its important role in
enhancing social interactions, maternal behaviour and partnership,
said researchers at the University of Adelaide.
Society
Towards Greener Pastures
Deepak Rikhye
Many of us are, as PG Wodehouse lamented, “chained to the city”. For children to understand the importance of environmental studies, a few visits to natural environs would help
Implementing a policy to
transform a subject into what a child will respond to with enthusiasm,
is within the realms of possibility. If children are unable to connect
with the environment, the result is unfortunate. A disconnect implies
that decision makers of the future would be unable to enforce
recommendations for the benefit of the environment. The "clear
stream of reason," defined by Tagore, is only possible with
knowledge.
consumers
beware!
Railways liable for poor catering
Pushpa Girimaji
Recently, during my travel
from Bangalore to Delhi by Rajdhani Express, I and my friends were
harassed by the catering staff who serve food and the attendants who
supply blankets. They wanted a big fat tip at the end of the journey,
but being students, we could only give what we could afford. They were
unwilling to accept it and humiliated us in front of other passengers.
Considering that we pay the Railways for the food and the service, why
should we be forced to pay more? What action can be take in such a
situation?
Travel
Cat’s own country
Kuching in Malaysia’s forested state of Sarawak is a contented little riverine town basking in its history
Hugh & Colleen Gantzer
It’s a purrrrr-fect setting
for its furry, iconic, animal. In this snug, warm, Malaysian town,
there are statues of cats at a traffic roundabout, others gracing an
impressive column and also a museum dedicated to cats. All because a
creative PR-minded official realised that if the name of the town is
mispronounced, slightly, it could refer to the furry feline that has
charmed people from before the Pharaohs to long after Andrew Lloyd
Webber. Globetrotting
Entertainment
Name game a la Bollywood
Film titles have never been as innovative or controversial as in the present times
Nirupama Dutt
Catchy and crazy are the two
adjectives that can best describe the titles today of Bollywood films
with filmmakers in a race to come out with names that will act as
teasers and embed themselves in the memory of the people. What is
interesting is that these titles are working and working out very
well. The mood of the masses is for smart titles and the wackier the
better.
Hit machine
Jasmine Singh
Anurag Singh, whose Jatt & Juliet has become a cult film in Punjabi cinema, is all set to recreate the magic with his latest release
Disco Singh
There is just about thing that he can never bring himself to
do- to get a portfolio shoot done. "It gives me creeps, this is
something that will never happen," says Punjabi film director,
Anurag Singh who has made Jatt & Juliet, the
most-talked-about film in Pollywood and Bollywood. The good-looking
director does not talk nineteen to dozen, rather he carefully selects
his words, measures these before laying these in front of anyone.
|
