|
Forlorn fortifications
Weather-beaten citadels
and moat-girded forts in Punjab, unkempt and neglected, are visible
reminders of the state’s heritage
Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu
 THE fact that undivided
Punjab was well-located on the inroad to Hindustan left many an
invader chuffed. Rulers at the receiving end began building citadels
of varying sizes and strategic needs. The landscape was studded with
impregnable edifices whence the potentate in residence defended his
moat-girded abode from behind ramparts and lofty barbicans. Over time,
with the advent of modern warfare, they were rendered obsolete.
Railway station as fort
ArtS
Freedom fighter who died
unsung
Dr Atamjit Singh’s
latest play Mungu Comrade chronicles the life and struggle of
Makhan Singh, Kenya’s trade union activist
Nonika Singh
LIKE life, history, too,
can play favourites and be kind to some and not so generous to others.
In the last century lived a Punjabi, a Sikh who fought for the Kenyan
freedom struggle and is considered as the founder of Kenya’s trade
union movement. Makhan Singh, the freedom fighter died unsung and
would have been at best a footnote in history if Zarina Patel had not
cared to write the book Unquiet: The Life and Times of Makhan Singh.
Broad brush
Fitness
good
health
Smart
swaps
Enjoy your favourite foods
without compromising on taste. The key lies in substitutes that are
tasty as well as healthy
Naini Setalvad
India
is a foodie's paradise. Our faces light up when we add some 'good
food' to our regular mundane days. From our weddings to our meals, we
believe in a simple saying, the bigger the better. For us a good meal
is incomplete without the strong aromas and fiery taste of our
ingredients. Sweet, salty, spicy and tangy, our taste buds get
satisfied only when one or more of these masalas tickle our
palates.
Unlucky
stones
Pregnancy can be a beautiful
time for a woman but it needs careful monitoring
Dr Bhim Sen Bansal
Urolithiasis
(urinary stone) is the most common reason for non-obstetrical
abdominal pain in pregnant women. This occurs in almost one in 1,500
pregnant women. The stones occur in the ureter twice as often as in
the kidney and affect both ureters in equal frequency. Almost 80 to 90
per cent urinary stones are diagnosed after the first trimester.
Don’t
drink during pregnancy
Dr Swapna Misra
FOR
decades, researchers have known that moderate to heavy drinking during
pregnancy can cause birth defects. Even small amount of alcohol can
harm a developing baby. A recent study by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that about one in eight
pregnant women in the US report drinking at least one alcoholic
beverage in a month.
Society
Meet the man of many
words
Suparna-Saraswati Puri
BORN in the idyllic
environs of Siliguri, the Dhiren Bhagat and Chevening Young Print
Journalist, who dodged school books for playing badminton, ran the
course of an enthused media aspirant with national dailies. He
established his credentials as an academic with a Masters in
Anthropology of the Media and a doctorate from SOAS, London, it is
Somnath Batabyal's dexterity to traverse media, scholastic expanse and
fiction writing that lends him a distinguished mien.
SOUL
TALK
Travel
A Utopian getaway
White sands, warm waters
of the Indian Ocean, picture-perfect sunlit days, breezy nights, balmy
mornings and iridescent sunsets — the coral islands of Maldives
provide an ideal escape
Anand and Madhura Katti
Beautiful necklace of
emerald gems lying on the blue velvet of the Indian Ocean is aptly
called Maladiv, ‘garland of islands’ (in Sanskrit). The
archipelago of 1,200 circular, oblong and crescent-shaped coral
islands are scattered across the ocean. A quarter of these are either
inhabited or house tourist resorts. Male International Airport is
exclusive to Hulhule Island.
GLOBETROTTING
Entertainment
A
tale of triumph and hope
Gautam Bose’s 52-minute
documentary Come With Me celebrates the lives of four women, located
in different geographical, social and economic spaces, who were once
labelled as patients with mental disorders
Shoma A. Chatterji
IN
a patriarchal world, women often find themselves labelled as mental
patients trapped within institutions without their illness having been
diagnosed before institutionalising them. Come with Me is a
revealing 52-minute documentary that celebrates the triumph and hope
of women who were once thought of being patients with mental
disorders.
Making her mark
Swara Bhaskar, the perky
actor of films like Tanu Weds Manu and Raanjhanaa, is
not just another chip of the block. The actor is back with another
unconventional role in her latest movie Machhli Jal Ki Rani Hai,
a paranormal thriller
Nonika Singh
IN an industry bustling
with glamour pusses, wannabes ready to shed clothes at the drop of a
hat in a bid to climb the ladder of success, Swara Bhaskar strikes a
note that is as refreshing as distinctive. All set to make her mark
yet again in a paranormal thriller Machhli Jal Ki Rani Hai,
here’s an actor with a difference.
|
