While most of us are turning the pages of travel magazines, checking online sites, calling up travel agents, collecting pamphlets, sharing notes on best travel destinations, there is a special category of people, spread across the length and breadth of the country, trying to cook up genuine excuses for not taking their families out for vacations. They have complied with the fact that they would hardly get to enjoy the cherished and most-awaited word. This, however, does not stop them from sharing their experiences on the most enjoyable holidays they had or the places they would like to explore.

Sukhpal Singh Nannu, Chief parliamentary secretary, Revenue

The idea of a holiday is like a dream. I would want to spend quality time with my family, and take them out on adventure tours. I would like to explore places in down South and some countries abroad.

What a blast: I went with my family to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Mahabaleshwar, Ooty and Mysore. This so far has been the most exciting family outing that has left a lot sweet memories. My kids often talk and show me pictures we clicked. I feel bad that I cannot take them out on vacations during the specific months, like the other kids do.

I wish I could: I am an adventure freak, which means I try and explore my abilities by taking up challenges. I would like to do all kinds of adventure activities like river rafting, rock climbing and paragliding. In fact, I am in favour of promoting adventure sports in a big way.

Navjot Singh Sidhu, MP, Amritsar

Holidays are important for proper functioning of mind and body. Taking a break from the monotonous schedule is mandatory for a politician. It rejuvenates the mind, giving a direction for future. In addition to this, a vacation is a good way to introspect oneself, charge up the batteries and take on work with a fresh outlook.

The time of my life: The most memorable vacation was the time when I visited Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh. I stayed in the Forest Rest House. I think it was the time when I was closest to god and nature. It also gave me a chance to get up close and personal with cultural diversity of that place.

I wish I could: Sangla Valley figures on the top of the list of places I would like to go for a holiday. Pristine beauty, calm and lovely Baspa river flowing by the side, it is nothing short of a heavenly abode.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, MLA, Himachal Pradesh

My friends often check out for places they would like to go the minute the have a break. To me, holidays mean spending time with my family and my kids. My work as an politician takes to different places, cities and countries. When it comes to holidays, I want to relax, chill out and spend time with my family.

Home is the best: Himachal Pradesh indeed is the best holiday destination. I have been to other places like Mumbai, Kerela, Pondicherry, Goa, but there is nothing like the serene mountains and the whiff of fresh air. Everything is so real and fresh.

Heavenly abode: Sangla Valley and Dharamsala are two places I want to go back to time and again.

Captain Ajay Yadav, Finance Minister, Haryana

Leisure holidays are a thing of the past. Now, it means work combined with some days off. Vacations to me are all about going to religious places like Vaishno Devi, Tirupati and Shirdi, to name a few. All the same, I feel that there are umpteen unexplored sites in India which are better than any other exotic locales. Places like Srinagar or Gulmarg are like heaven on earth.

Down the memory lane: I can never forget my journey from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari by road. It was one hell of fun. Christ Church in New Zealand is the other destination that I will cherish for a lifetime.

Wish list: Srinagar, New Zealand and Canada are places I would like revisit. The common thing about the three places is the splendid environment, something we long for.

jasmine@tribunemail.com

Colloquially speaking, we've come a long way and have a way to go. The concept of office spaces and design was the parallel of industrialisation and confirmed just as well to Darwin's theory of evolution. Here's how. Noor Dashmesh Singh, an architect, director of Noor, based in Mohali, revises some traditional design practices and trends that have significantly redefined today's offices.

"I have been reading a lot on how offices have evolved starting from the 1800s when businesses were more domesticated and operated from home only. The systems at this time were referred to as honeycomb system, then the industrial revolution for the next hundred years changed the way offices looked." He adds, "Post this era, industrialisation and railway systems propelled mass production office systems."

In came 1950s and it was now possible to erect structures like the pioneering Empire State Building. Adds Singh, "There was a complete shift in social attitudes by now, and cellular offices gave way to open office systems. The concept of office landscape, that correlates physical setting and work processes and translates it into space design, entered the scene."

Noor Dashmesh Singh

Cut to present and the offices that we see today. Did he mention the landmark Google offices? "Google offices operate on an altogether different philosophy." He adds, "Nowadays there's a mix of a lot of things…Automation's being increasingly used, even in design there's an inevitable use of technology, Internet is the key. Now we have the Green Buildings concept." For the ignorant, it's one that uses less water, optimises energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces vis a vis conventional buildings. "Green buildings concept can be drawn in at the time of conception of construction projects. They use the LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) standards, for example if somebody wants to have his buildings assessed, he can do so, wherein we take into account several factors like AC loads, thermal intake of the buildings."

Talk of architecture, office designs and Chandigarh, what does he have to say? "It's still an evolving field and all the more in India…In the city, Secretariat is a modernist building, then some of the recent trends are reflected well in IT Park." For instance, the latest with lighting. Here's a random tip on some of the trends. "They use all indirect and suspended lighting, in which the it reflects of the ceiling and bounces back…Office spaces and design reflect a lot about the organisation as well as their policies."

Perhaps, every work building could do with a little bit of innovation, invention and latest technology, set standards in sustainability practices and perform environmentally. Every office, be it the call centre next door or the elliptical blue room called Oval Office.

manpriya@tribunemail.com

American actor Sarah Thompson, who debuts in Bollywood with Prakash Jha's Raajneeti says that she wants to see herself doing more Hindi movies in the future.

"I always wanted to travel to India. When I was approached by Prakashji for the film, I jumped at the offer," Sarah said.

She recalls her three hour long breakfast meeting with Prakash Jha in Los Angeles for the story narration a year ago. "I had done some initial research of my own on India and its politics. I discussed politics, family and the differences in Indian and American political systems with Prakashji and I was on board as Sarah, the American girlfriend of Ranbir Kapoor," she said.

The 31-year-old actor refused to discuss her character in detail saying that she would not like to divulge any details except the fact that she follows Ranbir to India for love. After Brazilian model Gisele Monteiro (Love Aaj Kal), Mexican actor Barbara Mori (Kites), Sarah is the latest foreigner who has taken a fascination for Bollywood.

"I am in discussions with few directors and am keeping my fingers crossed," she said when asked if more Bollywood movies were on cards. — PTI

There is no change in the venue of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards, which will be held in Colombo June 3-5, the organisers said Saturday, refuting reports of pressure from the Tamil film lobby to shift the event out of the Sri Lankan capital.

"We are not under any pressure. There is no change in the venue and we are going ahead with the schedule," Sabas Joseph, one of the directors of Wizcraft that organises the gala said. "If Indian cricketers can play in Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan players can come to India to play T20 matches, why can't we go there? It is just another way of bridging the gap," he said.

There were reports that the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce Association had threatened to boycott Bollywood stars who attend the IIFA programme.

According to the reports, they wanted the venue to be shifted out of Sri Lanka following allegations of genocide against Sri Lankan Tamils during the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and continuing discrimination against them.

Director Mani Ratnam and actor Arjun Rampal have, meanwhile, said that they won't be attending the Colombo event due to other professional commitments.

Actress Aishwarya Rai too won't be attending the IIFA, her spokesperson had said. — IANS

The hellraising actor Dennis Hopper, who shot to fame after directing and starring in the cult 1969 dropout movie Easy Rider, died yesterday. Renowned for his hard living and drug-taking reputation he kept to the very end, the actor lost out to cancer. Hopper reportedly smoked two ounces of marijuana a week to ease the pain from his cancer, and divorced Victoria Duffy, his fifth wife of nearly 14 years, only months before his death to ensure that she received none of his fortune.

Hopper began acting in the 1950s, starring alongside James Dean in the classic teenage movie Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. But it was the counter-culture classic Easy Rider, which he co-wrote as well as starred in, beside Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson that propelled him to international stardom. He won an Oscar for the screenplay with co-writer Peter Fonda. He was also named Best Supporting Actor in a rare, heart-warming turn as an alcoholic high-school basketball coach in the 1986 drama Hoosiers.

Hopper was born in Dodge City, Kansas, in 1936. A move to California with his parents at the age of 13 sparked an interest in acting, and he later trained at the renowned Actors Studio in New York, studying with Lee Strasberg.

Easy Rider, regarded as one of the seminal films of American cinema, helped usher in a new era in which the old Hollywood guard was forced to cede power to young film-makers such as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. The low-budget blockbuster, originally conceived by Fonda, introduced mainstream moviegoers to pot-smoking, cocaine-dealing and long-haired bikers.

Hopper fell ill last September. He continued working almost to the very end, both on his cable TV series Crash and on a book showcasing his photography. Hopper is survived by four children. — Independent agency

Hollywood actress Sarah Jessica Parker paid tribute to late designer Alexander McQueen at the Britain premiere of Sex and the City 2, by wearing a strapless dress from her collection.

"There's only person I could have worn tonight and that was Alexander McQueen," hellomagazine.com quoted her as saying.

The Sex and the City star who plays fashion-conscious Carrie Bradshaw in the movie donned a black armband and wore a strapless dress, which she teamed with shoes and a clutch bag, which were all from the tragic designer's collection.

She also wore a Philip Treacy Cloud hat, which was covered with swarovski crystals.

"Every single inspired, original, lofty, whimsical, stunning, brilliant and jaw dropping detail was Alexander McQueen," she added.

McQueen committed suicide in February this year. -IANS

A click on the Google about underwater baby deliveries says that the method was invented way back in 1960s in Russia by Igor Charovsky, a researcher. Then in the same decade, in France, Frederick Leboyer practised it on his patients. He made mothers deliver the baby inside water. The process made it easier for the baby to adjust to surroundings gradually as the warm water felt like womb. Thus it saved the child from undergoing a birth trauma.

Almost 50 years down the line, doctors do agree with the advantages of this baby delivery method but with restraints. The method of delivery is most common in the US, however, the percentage of such deliveries remains a minor 2-3 per cent everywhere.

Dr Anju Huria, head of the department, Gynecology, feels the underwater deliveries are a mere fad. "Not much has been proved through objective researches about the benefits of this method in comparison to the normal delivery. The claim that delivering the baby underwater is less painful is more of a psychological belief as this has been asserted from the very beginning." Also, she feels had the process be very successful and safe, the health care world would have adopted it in no time.

Less labour pain inside water can be justified only with the theory of buoyancy that makes the delivery less painful. "Water being a coolant has a soothing effect on woman in labour pains and is a fantastic pain reliever. Such deliveries don't require injections or strong medication to lessen the pain," says Dr. Swapna Mishra, Gynecologist, Fortis. There are certain shortcomings of the process that can't be ignored. As Dr. Mishra points out, "Underwater, it becomes difficult for the doctors to monitor the child's heartbeat. Water needs to be constantly changed or chances of infection might increase. Also, it gets messier inside water as blood mixes with it." Dr Huria has another point of concern, "In normal delivery, the child gets accustomed to breathing as soon as he is out of the womb. But in case baby born underwater, he might inhale water or water might enter the mother's womb."

Sterilization of water is another challenge to cope with. Dr Mangla Dogra, a city-based gynecologist, says "Also needs to be maintained is water and air embolism that is all precautions should be taken to ensure that water doesn't enter the blood vessels of mother." She doesn't support the idea of providing the similar atmosphere to the child outside the womb because, "The child's body will have to eventually adjust to the outside world." As for the rest of the claims, she says, "Not much can be believed since not much has been proved."

ashima@tribunemail.com

In today's fast paced world, a working woman in India has to do multitasking — take care of household chores, look after children and rush to her workplace in crowded trains or buses, sit in front of computers for eight to 10 hours. Hence, she does not get enough time to look after herself and this leads to spine problems, says Dr Rajendra Kumar Kanojia, Assistant Professor in the department of Orthopedics at PGI, Chandigarh.

"Increase in stress levels cause neck and shoulder girdle pain in women, who have to spend long hours on computers. This is due to incorrect sitting posture, poor ergonomic chairs, improper positioning of computer monitors, etc. Increased stress also contributes," said Dr Kanojia, adding that neck pain is quite common in BPO workers. Also low back pain is common in office-going females. Bad posture and lack of exercises are other common causes.

Another problem that has been noticed is the high incidence of gym-related injuries. Lack of professional trainers and unsupervised exercise regimes cause innumerable problems, says Dr Kanojia. "Exercise should range from floor work (stomach, lower back and core stability) to core stretches targeting the back and neck (knees to chest stretch, lying twist stretch and head turns etc)," advised Dr Kanojia.

Multitasking also takes its toll and females usually make up for lack of time by skipping proper diet and having junk food while on duty. Also, not doing exercises post delivery, cause loose abdominal musculature, which is a great supporter of the spinal column. It helps us to stand erect with proper spinal curvature. If you lack strength in abdominal muscles, it leads to poor posture and backache.

He says that the skeleton structure of the back and neck is very complex. A combination of bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons not only to protect the central nervous system, but also provide body strength, posture and upper body flexibility. The important thing to remember when dealing with spinal problems is that not all lumbar or neck pain will be serious. It feels like that because the back is used in every key movement we make (lying, sitting, rising, walking carrying, bending ...)

anujaj@tribunemail.com

Shalabha is a Sanskrit word. Shalabha means the locust or grasshopper. In this asana, one makes a pose that resembles the natural shape of a locust. While lying on the abdomen, one raises the legs in a manner that puts the weight of the body on to the lower abdomen. This causes all the blood flow from the lower limbs to centre on to the viscera in the lower abdomen. The steps of the asana are as follows-

w Lie down on your stomach with your head turned to one side and the arms alongside the body with palms facing upward.

w Place your chin on the floor. Slide your hands under your thighs, with the palms pressed gently against the top of your thighs.

w Inhale slowly and then raise your legs off the floor as high as possible. Keep your feet, knees, and thighs pressed together.

w Remain in the posture while holding the breath. You can support your legs by pressing the hands upward against your thighs.

w Hold the posture for as long as you can hold the inhaled breath then slowly return the legs to the floor while exhaling.

w Remove your hands from under your thighs and place the arms alongside your body. Turn your head to the side and rest.

The multifaceted persona of legendary Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan, that of a lyricist, singer, actor and above all folk dancer with abundant energy, came alive at a charitable concert held at Parade Ground on Saturday.

It was not just another concert for Maan as he put his soul, mind and music to create awareness for breast cancer, a noble cause already pioneered by the organisers of Rani Breast Cancer Trust, a leading NGO supported by many more institutions.

The cheering audience in and outside the venue, which kept swelling, greeted the star performer as he took the center stage, dancing along with the usual gusto.

Maan opened up with an invocatory item exuding the secular ethos Meri rakhiyo laaj Gurudev .. replete with the holy utterances of his revered Sikh gurus, sages, seers and Sufi saints. The very first item established the musical prominence of the artiste as he freely traversed all the three octaves with ease, especially in the khairaj.

He used an abstract and symbolic image of Chhala to delineate many didactic verses in his touchy salutation to motherhood and poignant delineation of evils of female foeticide prevalent in the region.

To meet out the demands of music aficionados, he presented songs weaving the patriotic fervour therein.

On demand, Maan turned to romanticism with Bada pyar aunda tere laaryan de naal, saanu dil vich vasa ley, Shehar tere vich, Tang darvaaje hoye, Cycle chhariyan da and many more leaving the audience mesmerised, rather intoxicated with soulful melodic strains.

With his grounding in Punjabi folk music, Maan using pastoral idioms virtually translated the soul of Punjabi culture in his gayaki. The vocal support by accomplished singers and musicians augmented the concert level.

Earlier, Bittu Sandhu, chairperson of Rani Breast Cancer Trust, introduced the star artiste and aims and objects of the NGO. She called upon all and sundry to come forward to save humanity from breast cancer and contribute their best to the noble cause.