The Indian Panorama

Month: January 2014

  • HOW TO STOP BABIES FROM WAILING

    HOW TO STOP BABIES FROM WAILING

    Here’s how to stop colicky babies from wailing and going utterly red in the face If your baby is younger than four months old and cries for more than three hours in a row on three or more days a week for at least three weeks, chances are he is colicky.

    Colic, as applied to a baby under four months of age, describes a crying spell when your baby’s face becomes very red and both legs are drawn up to their stomach as if they’re in great pain. This crying spell usually comes in the early evening, can reach screaming pitch and last from one to three hours. It doesn’t usually respond to soothing techniques that work at other times and for parents it can be difficult to endure.

    The cause of this spasmodic crying isn’t known. It is at its worst up to three months of age but disappears by four months. Recent research has failed to confirm that colic is caused by pain, even though it looks as if your baby is in pain. As your baby is contented during the rest of the day, it means that this crying bout isn’t related to a serious physical problem. Colicky babies are usually healthy and thriving.

    Watch the signs
    While babies normally cry when they’re wet or hungry or frightened or tired, a baby with colic cries inconsolably and excessively, often at the same time of the day, frequently in the late afternoon or early evening. If your baby has colic, his belly may look enlarged. You may notice that he alternately extends or pulls up his legs and passes gas as he cries. Your baby cries no matter what you do to calm them, becoming redfaced and drawing their legs up. Other symptoms include frowning, grimacing, long screaming fits, and loud tummy rumblings, while passing wind or faeces (poo) around the time the crying stops.

    See the doc
    It is recommended to see your doctor as soon as possible if you find you cannot cope with the nightly crying sessions. Colic tends to peak around six weeks, improves significantly between three and four months. By five months, your baby should be over it. Your doctor will also advise you on how to tackle the problem.

  • THINGS TODAY’S WOMEN WANT FROM MEN

    THINGS TODAY’S WOMEN WANT FROM MEN

    As most matrimonial ads typically go by the, “fair, slim and homely girl needed for a wellsettled boy” phrase, women’s demands have undergone a drastic change.

    “Tall, dark and handsome” has now been replaced by “broadminded, understanding and a good cook.” While both men and women are known to fantasise about their prospective spouses, what makes it more exciting are the expectations they have. Women, in recent times, are known to outnumber men in listing out modern expectations from their prospective spouse, cooking being one of them.

    In a recent survey conducted by a matrimonial website, a whopping 51.9 per cent women said that they want their prospective spouses to help in household chores. While, 39.5 per cent want a spouse with culinary skills. Marriage counsellor Vedika Shreshtha, says, “The modern woman is independent, smart and speaks her heart, that makes her demands different from the stereotypes. Hence, if she thinks her prospective spouse should fulfill certain criteria, why not?” She also adds, “Remember those days when prospective grooms would come to the bride’s home to see her walk and talk.

    Modern-age women are not just rendering this trend as passe but are paving a new path to have a stronger wedlock with better transparency.” Both men and women discover different things about themselves after marriage. It is often observed that these things are mostly shocks and not surprises. A guy who seemed open-minded when you met during courtship, suddenly seems an alien after staying together for a few days. Hence, these criteria when laid out before marriage can clear the air between the couple. “We, too, have long working hours, in fact, sometimes even longer than men, and our jobs are as stressful.

    Hence, if I expect my husband to help me with the household chores, what’s so annoying about it? If he can expect me to be by his side during highs and lows, can’t I expect such a small thing from him,” says Bijalpita Dasgupta, an engineer by profession. Many feel that men who know cooking can be great companions for life, as they believe in sharing the simple joys in life like giving your better half a deserving break from the kitchen.

    Ranjeeta Kalyanchandmooda, a wedding counsellor, feels that undergoing an HIV test and a fertility test before weddings is not just a criteria, it should be a mandate. “STDs are very common these days, and it could affect anyone anytime. If the person’s medical conditions are prior known to the spouse, the person can be treated accordingly, and a right decision of marrying the person or not, will be solved easily.

    It also relieves women from being in the blame game of being unable to bear a child, etc,” says Ranjeeta. Opening up about your liabilities and investments to your partner will make it simpler. “It will not just make the couple feel secure about each other, but also work in case of emergencies since the other half knows the kind of savings they have,” says Amit Dharia, a financial advisor.

  • WEB GETS NEW DOMAIN ADDRESSES: .GURU, .BIKE

    WEB GETS NEW DOMAIN ADDRESSES: .GURU, .BIKE

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The humble .com is set to receive some competition from a new set of unusual web addresses such as .guru and .singles! Internet users will now be able to register in targeted and specific domains ending in .guru, .bike, .singles, .plumbing and .clothing among others as a US company is offering a wave of new web addresses.

    Donuts Inc will kick off the general availability period for seven new internet domain names, marking the beginning of a new era for the Internet in which users will have unprecedented choice in how they identify and brand themselves online. The new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) – the first of hundreds Donuts will launch this year – are .bike, .clothing, .guru, .holdings, .plumbing, .singles, and .ventures, the company said.

    Anyone can register names in these gTLDs on a first come, firstserved basis from accredited registrars worldwide. According to the company on February 5, .camera, .equipment, .estate, .gallery, .graphics, .lighting and .photography will be open for registration by anyone interested in an online identity connected to these terms. “Starting this week, new, relevant and specific Internet naming options will be available on a scale never before seen,” Donuts co-founder and CEO Paul Stahura said.

    “This is a unique opportunity for businesses, brands, organisations, and individuals to find an online identity that speaks precisely to their products, services and interests,” Stahura said. In addition to this launch, Donuts hit another major milestone when it signed its 105th new gTLD contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN).

    “We have ambitious goals as part of our commitment to leading the development and innovation of the new gTLD marketplace,” said company cofounder and Executive Vice President Jonathon Nevett. “Reaching 105 gTLDs under contract is a good landmark, but we won’t be satisfied until all of our remaining contracts are completed and all our gTLDs are fully available to the public ,” said Nevett.

  • Scientists create embryonic-type stem cells without embryos

    Scientists create embryonic-type stem cells without embryos

    LONDON (TIP): In experiments that could open a new era in stem cell biology, scientists have found a cheap and easy way to reprogramme mature cells from mice back into an embryonic-like state that allowed them to generate many types of tissue.

    The research, described as game changer by experts in the field, suggests human cells could in future be reprogrammed by the same technique, offering a simpler way to replace damaged cells or grow new organs for sick and injured people. Chris Mason, chair of regenerative medicine bioprocessing at University College London, who was not involved in the work, said its approach was “the most simple, lowest-cost and quickest method” to generate so-called pluripotent cells — able to develop into many different cell types — from mature cells.

    “If it works in man, this could be the game changer that ultimately makes a wide range of cell therapies available using the patient’s own cells as starting material — the age of personalized medicine would have finally arrived,” he said. The experiments, reported in two papers in the journal Nature on Wednesday, involved scientists from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Japan and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the United States.

    Beginning with mature, adult cells, researchers let them multiply and then subjected them to stress “almost to the point of death”, they explained, by exposing them to various events including trauma, low oxygen levels and acidic environments. Within days, the scientists found that the cells survived and recovered from the stressful stimulus by naturally reverting into a state similar to that of an embryonic stem cell.

    These stem cells created by this exposure to stresses — dubbed STAP cells by the researchers — were then able to differentiate and mature into different types of cells and tissue, depending on the environments they were given. “If we can work out the mechanisms by which differentiation states are maintained and lost, it could open up a wide range of possibilities for new research and applications using living cells,” said Haruko Obokata, who lead the work at RIKEN. Stem cells are the body’s master cells and are able to differentiate into all other types of cells.

    Scientists say that, by helping to regenerate tissue, they could offer ways of tackling diseases for which there are currently only limited treatments – including heart disease, Parkinson’s and stroke. There are two main types of stem cells: embryonic ones, harvested from embryos, and adult or iPS cells, which are taken from skin or blood and reprogrammed back into stem cells. Because the harvesting of embryonic stem cells requires the destruction of a human embryo, the technique has been the subject of ethical concerns and protests from pro-life campaigners.

    Dusko Ilic, a reader in stem cell science at Kings College London, said the Nature studies described “a major scientific discovery” and predicted their findings would open “a new era in stem cell biology”. “Whether human cells would respond in a similar way to comparable environmental cues … remains to be shown,” he said in an emailed comment. “I am sure that the group is working on this and I would not be surprised if they succeed even within this calendar year.”

  • WATER TO REPLACE INK IN YOUR PRINTER!

    WATER TO REPLACE INK IN YOUR PRINTER!

    BEIJING (TIP): Imagine a simple printer at your office or home that uses water instead of ink to print reams of papers. Possible, say Chinese researchers.

    But the catch is not in the printer but the paper. According to scientists at Jilin University in Changchun, China, the printed characters last for a day on a special paper that can then be re-used. “Every time you print, it’s fresh,” Sean Zhang, professor of chemistry, was quoted as saying.

    “We are using a commercially available inkjet printer. We just filled the cartridges with water and put it back. It’s like normal printing. The magic is in the paper,” Zhang, a former researcher at Hewlett- Packard Labs in Menlo Park, California, told DiscoveryNews. This method allows the paper to be reused several times and could potentially have cheaper running costs. How did they produce this special paper? The team developed a special coating on the paper that responds to the water.

    They were able to print various Chinese and English characters using blue, magenta gold and purple colours, using water as a key that activates the dye molecule. “The next step is to combine colours to go black,” Zhang added. According to Kira Barton, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, “going toward more sustainable techniques of printing is helpful and beneficial”.

  • A TOOL TO TELL HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE WASTED ON FB

    A TOOL TO TELL HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE WASTED ON FB

    LONDON (TIP): If you’ve ever had sleepless nights wondering how much of your life has been idled away on Facebook, a tool has at last been developed that means you can stop wasting your time.

    Created to coincide with the social media site’s 10th birthday next week, the calculator estimates to the minute how much of the past decade you have spent posting, liking and poking. While the networking website Facebook itself does not release information on individual user log-in times, by accessing data on when you joined the site and how often you’ve posted things to your feed, the tool is able to guess roughly how many days of your life “you’ve wasted” .

    Developed by Time Magazine, it then gives you the option to “brag about it” via Twitter or, naturally, Facebook itself. Though the results may be depressing, they translate to big profits for the company set up Mark Zuckerberg and a few friends on 4 February 2004. Analysts have said that Facebook may have had its best ever quarter in terms of revenues, which for 2013 are forecast to have risen almost 50 per cent to $7.6 billion, according to the Financial Times.

  • DISCOVERED: A RIVER OF HYDROGEN IN SPACE

    DISCOVERED: A RIVER OF HYDROGEN IN SPACE

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Astronomers have discovered a never-beforeseen river of hydrogen flowing through space into a nearby galaxy around 22 million light years from Earth.

    This very faint, very tenuous filament of gas is streaming into the galaxy NGC 6946 and may help explain how certain spiral galaxies keep up their steady pace of star formation, researchers said. “We knew that the fuel for star formation had to come from somewhere.

    So far, however, we’ve detected only about 10% of what would be necessary to explain what we observe in many galaxies,” astronomer DJ Pisano from West Virginia University said. “A leading theory is that rivers of hydrogen – known as cold flows may be ferrying hydrogen through intergalactic space, fuelling star formation.

    But this was too diffused to detect, until now,” he said. Spiral galaxies, like our own Milky Way, typically maintain a rather tranquil but steady pace of star formation. Others, like NGC 6946, which is located approximately 22 million light years from Earth on the border of the constellations Cepheus and Cygnus, are much more active, though less-so than more extreme starburst galaxies. This raises the question of what is fuelling the sustained star formation in this and similar spiral galaxies.

  • GOOGLE SELLING MOTOROLA PHONE BUSINESS TO LENOVO FOR $2.9 BILLION

    GOOGLE SELLING MOTOROLA PHONE BUSINESS TO LENOVO FOR $2.9 BILLION

    SAN FRANCISCO (TIP): Google is selling Motorola’s smartphone business to Lenovo for $2.9 billion, a price that makes Google’s biggest acquisition look like its most expensive mistake.

    The deal announced on January 29 will rid Google Inc. of a financial headache that has plagued the internet company since buying Motorola Mobility for $12.4 billion in 2012. Motorola has lost nearly $2 billion since Google took over, while trimming its workforce from 20,000 to 3,800. Google had previously recovered some of the money that it spent on Motorola by selling the company’s set-top operations last year to Arris Group Inc. for $2.35 billion.

    Google is also keeping most of the patents that came with the Motorola purchase. It’s unclear if Google will have to absorb a charge to account for the difference between what it paid for Motorola Mobility and what it is getting back. The Mountain View, California, company may address the issue Thursday when it announces its fourth-quarter earnings after the market closes. Most investors viewed Motorola as an unnecessary drain on Google’s profit, a perspective that was reflected by Wall Street’s reaction to the sale.

    Google’s stock gained $28.08, or 2.5%, to $1,135 in extended trading. While Google is backpedaling, Lenovo Group Ltd. is gearing up for a major expansion. Already the world’s largest maker of personal computers, Lenovo now appears determined to become a bigger player in smartphones as more people rely on them instead of laptop and desktop computers to go online.

    Lenovo already is among the smartphone leaders in its home country of China, but it has been looking for ways to expand its presence in other markets, especially the US and Latin America. The company had been rumored to be among the prospective buyers for BlackBerry Ltd. when that troubled smartphone maker was mulling a sale last year. This marks Lenovo’s second highprofile deal this month. The company announced plans last week to buy a major piece of IBM Corp.’s computer server business for $2.3 billion.

    Buying Motorola will enable Lenovo to join Apple Inc. as the only major technology companies with global product lines in PCs, smartphones and tablets, putting Lenovo in a better position to become a one-stop shop for companies to buy all their devices from the same vendor, said Forrester Research analyst Frank Gillett. “This makes Lenovo a company to watch,” Gillett said in an email. “The personal device manufacturer business is consolidating, and manufacturers must compete in all three device markets, plus emerging wearable categories, or get left out of the next market shift.” After it takes over, Lenovo plans to retain a Motorola management team led by Dennis Woodside.

    Google had reassigned Woodside, one of its top executive, to run Motorola Mobility in hopes he could engineer a turnaround. Under Woodside, Motorola released two new smartphones last year, the Moto X and Moto G. The phones attracted lots of headlines, but didn’t sell as well as anticipated, analysts say. Lenovo executives also said they aren’t planning to lay off any more Motorola employees and that the subsidiary would remain based in its current headquarters in Libertyville, Illinois. “We buy this business, we buy this team as our treasure,” Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing said during a Wednesday conference call.

    Google is retaining most of Motorola’s portfolio of mobile patents, providing the company with legal protection for its widely used Android software for smartphones and tablet computers. Gaining control of Motorola’s patents was the main reason Google CEO Larry Page decided to pay so much for Motorola Mobility at a time the smartphone maker was already losing money and market share. Most analysts thought Page had paid too much money for Motorola and questioned why Google wanted to own a smartphone maker at the risk of alienating other mobile device makers that rely on Android. Selling Motorola’s smartphone operations will “enable Google to devote our energy to driving innovation across the Android ecosystem,” Page said in a statement. Lenovo is picking up about 2,000 Motorola patents in addition to the phone manufacturing operations.

  • BANKS CAUTIOUS AFTER RBI FOREX DIRECTIVE

    BANKS CAUTIOUS AFTER RBI FOREX DIRECTIVE

    CHENNAI (TIP): With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently banning the use of remittance funds in any form towards overseas foreign exchange trading, banks have swung into action.

    The ban also includes trading over electronic/internet portals or by use of credit/debit cards. A recent mailer by HDFC Bank to its customers stated that “the bank would be constrained to take necessary action by closing credit/debit cards in case of any overseas forex trading transactions observed on your card account and report the same to the regulator.”

    “On our part, we have resorted to disabling functionalities on such world wide web platforms that are used for such currency trading,” Praveen Kutty, head, retail and SME banking, DCB Bank said. Bankers said the move was due to a security clampdown to prevent money laundering among others.

    “Sometimes, using of international credit card or debit card may also result in trading in certain futures contract which maybe currently outside the regulator’s purview,” said a banker who did not want to be identified. In its notification the RBI had said that it has been observed that some “banking customers continue to undertake online trading in foreign exchange on portals or websites offering such schemes wherein they initially remit funds from Indian bank accounts using credit cards or other electronic channels to overseas websites or entities and subsequently receive cash refunds from the same overseas entities into their credit card or bank accounts.”

    This is in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999. The circular further added that any person indulging in such activities would make themselves liable to be proceeded against with for contravention of FEMA, besides being liable for violation of regulations relating to know your customer (KYC) norms or anti money laundering (AML) standards. “Kotak Mahindra Bank is fully compliant with RBI rules and regulations including this and the same has been communicated to our credit and debit card customers,” a spokesperson of the bank said.

  • AIRTEL 3G SUBSCRIBER BASE UP 18%

    AIRTEL 3G SUBSCRIBER BASE UP 18%

    NEW DELHI (TIP): India’s leading GSM service provider Bharti Airtel has posted an increase in its data ARPU (Average Revenue per Unit) at Rs 75 in the third quarter of 2014, against Rs 70 in the previous quarter.

    Bharti Airtel’s blended ARPU has also reached Rs 195 during the quarter, up from Rs 192 in the previous quarter. Interestingly, the company’s voice ARPU grew just 1 percent to Rs 161 in the quarter. The telco’s non-voice mobile revenues have been growing at a steady pace.

    Airtel’s non-voice mobile revenues now contribute 17.2% to the total revenues, wherein data service’s share stands at 10.3%. The contribution of messaging and VAS segments to the total mobile revenues plunged at 6.1%, as compared to 6.7% in the second quarter of 2014. The telco has posted a strong growth in its data subscribe base. Bharti Airtel witnessed addition of 3.8 million data subscribers, leading to overall data customer base to 54.4 million.

    During the third quarter, Bharti Airtel’s 3G customer base increased by 18% sequentially to 9.5 million with data usage per customer increasing by 8% q-o-q. The company had 8 million 3G subscribers in the second quarter of 2014. Data usage per user also increased to 249 MB in the third quarter, against 231 MB in the previous quarter. Due to reduction in data tariffs, Data realization rate per MB declined marginally to 30.1 paise.

    Airtel also increased the number of 3G sites in the country during the quarter. It now operates 28,179 3G sites in the country, up from 26,616 3G sites in the previous quarter. Idea Cellular, which recently posted its quarterly results, also showed a strong growth in the data segment with 2.5 million new 3G subscribers. The company’s total 3G subscriber base stood at 8.7 million in the third quarter. Idea Cellular’s blended ARPU also reached Rs 169, while blended data ARPU (2G+3G) jumped significantly during the quarter to reach Rs 91, up from Rs 55 in the previous quarter

  • Tata leads race to sell mini UAVs to Army

    Tata leads race to sell mini UAVs to Army

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Tata Group is set to ink an agreement with the government to sell 1,200 trucks to the defence forces in a deal valued at close to Rs 1,000 crore.

    In addition, it has emerged as the lowest bidder for a contract for mini-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from the Indian Army’s Northern Command, although the terms of the deal are yet to be finalized. The twin deals come at a time when the group is looking to ramp up its presence in the defence segment through several of its group companies and has managed to generate an order book of close to Rs 8,000 crore.

    The salt to software conglomerate saw revenues of close to Rs 1,700 crore during the last financial year and is expecting a growth of around 40% during the current financial year, Mukund Rajan, member – group executive council and brand custodian, Tata Sons told reporters.

    While Tata Motors is expected to sign the deal for the 6×6 trucks after Tatra was blacklisted over its alleged involvement in the irregularities, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) is the top contender for the mini-UAV contract. TASL vice-president Sukaran Singh said that the company has been approached by several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) work related to aircraft components.

  • THE BHAGAVAD GITA

    THE BHAGAVAD GITA

    CONTINUED FROM Vol 2 ISSUE 3

    Destination of unsuccessful yogi

    Arjun said: The faithful who deviates from the path of meditation and fails to attain yogic perfection due to unsubdued mind — what is the destination of such a person, O Krishn? (6.37) Do they not perish like a dispersing cloud, O Krishn, having lost both (yog and Bhog, the heavenly and worldly pleasures), supportless and bewildered on the path of Self-realization? (6.38) O Krishn, only You are able to completely dispel this doubt of mine. Because there is none, other than You, who can dispel this doubt. (See also 15.15) (6.39) The Supreme Lord said: There is no destruction, O Arjun, for a yogi either here or hereafter.

    A transcendentalist is never put to grief, My dear friend. (6.40) The unsuccessful yogi is reborn in the house of the pious and prosperous after attaining heaven and living there for many years, or such a yogi is born in a family of enlightened yogis. A birth like this is very difficult, indeed, to obtain in this world. (6.41-42) There he or she regains the knowledge acquired in the previous life, and strives again to achieve perfection, O Arjun. (6.43) The unsuccessful yogi is instinctively carried towards the Eternal Being (Brahm) by virtue of the impressions (Samskaar) of yogic practices of previous lives. Even the inquirer of yog — the union with God — surpasses those who perform Vedic rituals. (6.44) The yogi who diligently strives, becomes completely free from all sins (or imperfections) after gradually perfecting through many incarnations, and reaches the Supreme Abode. (6.45)

    Who is the best yogi?
    The yogi is superior to the ascetics. The yogi is superior to the (Vedic) scholars. The yogi is superior to the ritualists. Therefore, O Arjun, be a yogi. (6.46) I consider the yogi-devotee — who lovingly contemplates on Me with supreme faith, and whose mind is ever absorbed in Me — to be the best of all the yogis. (See also 12.02 and 18.66) (6.47)

    7. SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND ENLIGHTENMENT

    The Supreme Lord said: O Arjun, listen how you shall know Me fully without any doubt, with your mind absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, and performing yogic practices. (7.01) I shall impart you Self-knowledge (Jnaan) together with enlightenment (Vijnaan), after comprehending that nothing more remains to be known in this world. (7.02) Scarcely one out of thousands of persons strives for perfection of Selfrealization. Scarcely one among those successful strivers truly understands Me. (7.03)

    Definitions of matter, consciousness, and spirit
    The mind, intellect, ego, ether, air, fire, water, and earth are the eightfold transformation (or division) of My material energy (Prakriti). (See also 13.05) (7.04) The material energy is My lower Nature (Aparaa-shakti, Prakriti, matter). Know My other higher Nature (Paraa-shakti, Cetanaa, Purush, Spirit) by which this entire universe is sustained, O Arjun. (7.05) Know that all creatures have evolved from this twofold energy; and I – — the Supreme Being (ParBrahm, Krishn) — am the source of origin as well as dissolution of the entire universe. (See also 13.26) (7.06)

    The Supreme spirit is the basis of everything
    There is nothing higher than Me, O Arjun. Everything in the universe is strung on Me, the Supreme Being (ParBrahm Paramaatma), like jewels are strung on the thread (of a necklace). (7.07) O Arjun, I am the sapidity in the water, I am the radiance in the sun and the moon, the sacred syllable AUM in all the Vedas, the sound in the ether, and potency in human beings. I am the sweet fragrance in the earth. I am the heat in the fire, the life in all living beings, and the austerity in the ascetics.

    (7.08-09) O Arjun, know Me to be the eternal seed of all creatures. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, and the brilliance of the brilliant. (See also 9.18 and 10.39). I am the strength of the strong who is devoid of lust and selfish attachment. I am lust (Kaamadev, Cupid) in human beings that is in accord with righteousness (Dharm) (for the sacred and sole purpose of procreation after marriage), O Arjun. (7.10-11) Know that three modes (Gunas) of material Nature — goodness, passion, and ignorance — also emanate from Me. I am not dependent on, or affected by the Gunas, but the Gunas are dependent on Me. (See also 9.04 and 9.05) (7.12) Human beings are deluded by the various aspects of these three modes (Gunas) of material Nature; therefore, they do not know Me who is eternal and above these Gunas. (7.13)

    Who seeks God?
    This divine power (Maya) of Mine, consisting of three states (Gunas) of mind, is very difficult to overcome. Only those who surrender unto Me easily cross over this Maya. (See also 14.26, 15.19, and 18.66) (7.14) The evil doers, the ignorant, the lowest persons who are attached to demonic nature, and whose power of discrimination has been taken away by divine illusive power (Maya) do not worship or seek Me. (7.15) Four types of virtuous ones worship or seek Me, O Arjun. They are: The distressed, the seeker of Self-knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the enlightened one who has experienced the Supreme. (7.16)

    Among them the enlightened devotee (Jnaani-bhakt),who is ever united with Me and whose devotion is single-minded, is the best. Because I am very dear to the enlightened, and the enlightened is very dear to Me. (7.17) All these seekers are indeed noble; but, I regard the enlightened devotee as My very Self. One who is steadfast becomes one with Me and abides in My supreme abode. (See also 9.29) (7.18) After many births the enlightened one resorts to Me by realizing that everything is, indeed, My (or Supreme Being’s) manifestation. Such a great soul is very rare. (7.19) Persons whose discernment has been carried away by various desires impelled by their Karmic impression (Samskaar), resort to celestial controllers (Devas) and practice various religious rites. (7.20)

    God can be seen in an image of any desired form of worship
    Whosoever desires to worship whatever deity (using any name, form, and method) with faith, I make their faith steady in that very deity. Endowed with steady faith they worship that deity, and obtain their wishes through that deity. Those wishes are, indeed, granted only by Me. (7.21-22) Such material gains of these less intelligent human beings are temporary. The worshipers of celestial controllers (Devas) go to Devas, but My devotees certainly come to Me. (7.23)

    The ignorant ones — unable to understand My immutable, incomparable, incompre-hensible, and transcendental form (or existence) — assume that I, the Supreme Being (ParBrahm), am formless and take forms or incarnate. (7.24) Concealed by My divine power (Maya), I do not reveal Myself to the ignorant ones who do not know and understand My unborn, eternal, and transcendental form and personality (and consider Me formless). (7.25) I know, O Arjun, the beings of the past, of the present, and those of the future, but no one really knows Me. (7.26) All beings in this world are in utter ignorance due to delusion of pairs of opposites born of likes and dislikes, O Arjun.

    But persons of unselfish deeds, whose Karm or sin has come to an end, become free from the delusion of pairs of opposites and worship Me with firm resolve. (7.27-28) Those who strive for freedom from the cycles of birth, old age, and death by taking refuge in Me fully comprehend Brahm (Eternal Being); the nature of Brahm; and Karm, the power of Brahm. (7.29) The steadfast persons who know Me alone as the mortal beings (Adhibhut), temporal Divine Beings (Adhidaiv), and the Supersoul (Adhiyajn) even at the time of death, attain Me.

    8. THE ETERNAL BEING
    Arjun said: O Krishn, who is the Eternal Being (Brahm)? What is Adhyaatm, or the nature of the Eternal Being? What is Karm? Who are the mortal beings (Adhibhut)? And who are Divine Beings (Adhidaiv)? Who is the Supersoul (Adhiyajn), and how does He dwell in the body? How can You be remembered at the time of death by those who have control over their minds, O Krishn? (8.01-02)

    Definition of supreme spirit, spirit, individual soul, and Karma
    The Supreme Lord said: The immutable Atma (Spirit) is called Brahm (Eternal Being). The nature (including the inherent power of cognition and desire) of Brahm is called Adhyaatm. The creative power of Brahm that causes manifestation of the living entity (Jeev) is called Karm. (8.03) Mortal beings are called Adhibhut. The expansions of Divine Personality —such as Naaraayan, Mahaa-vishnu, Ishvar, etc. — are called Divine Beings (Adhidaiv). I am the Supersoul (Adhiyajn) residing inside the body as the supreme controller (Ishvar), O Arjun. (8.04)

    Theory of reincarnation and Karma
    The one who remembers Me exclusively even while leaving the body at the time of death, attains Me; there is no doubt about it. (8.05) Remembering whatever object one leaves the body at the end of life, one attains that object, O Arjun, because of the constant thought of that object (one remembers that object at the end of life and achieves it). (8.06)

    A simple method of God-realization
    Therefore, always remember Me and do your duty. You shall certainly attain Me if your mind and intellect are ever focused on Me. (8.07) By contemplating on Me with an unwavering mind that is disciplined by the practice of meditation, one attains the Supreme Being, O Arjun. (8.08) One who meditates on the Supreme Being (ParBrahm) — as the omniscient, the oldest, the controller, smaller than the smallest (and bigger than the biggest), the sustainer of everything, the inconceivable, the self-luminous like the sun, and as transcendental or beyond the material reality — at the time of death with steadfast mind and devotion; making the flow of bioimpulses (life forces, Praan) rise up to the middle of two eye brows (or the sixth Chakr) by the power of yog and holding there; attains Krishn, the Supreme Divine Person. (See also 4.29, 5.27, 6.13) (8.09-10)

  • SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    CONTINUED FROM VOL 2 ISSUE 3

    The Sikh Gurus never believed in the exclusivity of their teachings. The Gurus undertook travels to spread their message to peoples of different cultures in their own native languages. The Gurus did not believe in the ideas of any language being ‘sacred’ or ‘special’. It is in this spirit that various Sikh scholars have undertaken efforts to translate Sri Guru Granth Sahib into a number of languages in order to spread the teachings of the Gurus and to bring the Sikh religion to the people of the world as Guru Nanak wished.

    O Nanak, their faces are radiant; the Music of the Shabad, the Word of God, wells up within them. || 4 || 22 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL: Make your deals, dealers, and take care of your merchandise. Buy that object which will go along with you. In the next world, the All-knowing Merchant will take this object and care for it.

    || 1 || O Siblings of Destiny, chant the Lord’s Name, and focus your consciousness on Him. Take the Merchandise of the Lord’s Praises with you. Your Husband Lord shall see this and approve. || 1 || Pause || Those who do not have the Assets of Truth – how can they find peace? By dealing their deals of falsehood, their minds and bodies become false. Like the deer caught in the trap, they suffer in terrible agony; they continually cry out in pain.

    || 2 || The counterfeit coins are not put into the Treasury; they do not obtain the Blessed Vision of the Lord-Guru. The false ones have no social status or honor. No one succeeds through falsehood. Practicing falsehood again and again, people come and go in reincarnation, and forfeit their honor.

    || 3 || O Nanak, instruct your mind through the Word of the Guru’s Shabad, and praise the Lord. Those who are imbued with the love of the Name of the Lord are not loaded down by doubt. Those who chant the Name of the Lord earn great profits; the Fearless Lord abides within their minds. || 4 || 23 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL, SECOND HOUSE: Wealth, the beauty of youth and flowers are guests for only a few days. Like the leaves of the water-lily, they wither and fade and finally die.

    || 1 || Be happy, dear beloved, as long as your youth is fresh and delightful. But your days are few – you have grown weary, and now your body has grown old. || 1 || Pause || My playful friends have gone to sleep in the graveyard. In my doublemindedness, I shall have to go as well. I cry in a feeble voice. || 2 || Haven’t you heard the call from beyond, O beautiful soul-bride? You must go to your in-laws; you cannot stay with your parents forever. || 3 || O Nanak, know that she who sleeps in her parents’ home is plundered in broad daylight. She has lost her bouquet of merits; gathering one of demerits, she departs.

    || 4 || 24 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL, SECOND HOUSE: He Himself is the Enjoyer, and He Himself is the Enjoyment. He Himself is the Ravisher of all. He Himself is the Bride in her dress, He Himself is the Bridegroom on the bed. || 1 || My Lord and Master is imbued with love; He is totally permeating and pervading all. || 1 || Pause || He Himself is the fisherman and the fish; He Himself is the water and the net. He Himself is the sinker, and He Himself is the bait. || 2 || He Himself loves in so many ways. O sister soul-brides, He is my Beloved. He continually ravishes and enjoys the happy soul-brides; just look at the plight I am in without Him!

    || 3 || Prays Nanak, please hear my prayer: You are the pool, and You are the soul-swan. You are the lotus flower of the day and You are the water-lily of the night. You Yourself behold them, and blossom forth in bliss. || 4 || 25 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL, THIRD HOUSE: Make this body the field, and plant the seed of good actions. Water it with the Name of the Lord, who holds all the world in His Hands. Let your mind be the farmer; the Lord shall sprout in your heart, and you shall attain the state of Nirvaanaa. || 1 || You fool! Why are you so proud of Maya? Father, children, spouse, mother and all relatives – they shall not be your helpers in the end.

    || Pause || So weed out evil, wickedness and corruption; leave these behind, and let your soul meditate on God. When chanting, austere meditation and self-discipline become your protectors, then the lotus blossoms forth, and the honey trickles out. || 2 || Bring the twenty-seven elements of the body under your control, and throughout the three stages of life, remember death. See the Infinite Lord in the ten directions, and in all the variety of nature. Says Nanak, in this way, the One Lord shall carry you across. || 3 || 26 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL, THIRD HOUSE: Make good deeds the soil, and let the Word of the Shabad be the seed; irrigate it continually with the water of Truth. Become such a farmer, and faith will sprout.

    This brings knowledge of heaven and hell, you fool! || 1 || Do not think that your Husband Lord can be obtained by mere words. You are wasting this life in the pride of wealth and the splendor of beauty. || 1 || Pause || The defect of the body which leads to sin is the mud puddle, and this mind is the frog, which does not appreciate the lotus flower at all. The bumble bee is the teacher who continually teaches the lesson. But how can one understand, unless one is made to understand? || 2 || This speaking and listening is like the song of the wind, for those whose minds are colored by the love of Maya. The Grace of the Master is bestowed upon those who meditate on Him alone. They are pleasing to His Heart.

    || 3 || You may observe the thirty fasts, and say the five prayers each day, but ‘Satan’ can undo them. Says Nanak, you will have to walk on the Path of Death, so why do you bother to collect wealth and property? || 4 || 27 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL, FOURTH HOUSE: He is the Master who has made the world bloom; He makes the Universe blossom forth, fresh and green. He holds the water and the land in bondage. Hail to the Creator Lord! || 1 || Death, O Mullah – death will come, so live in the Fear of God the Creator. || 1 || Pause || You are a Mullah, and you are a Qazi, only when you know the Naam, the Name of God. You may be very educated, but no one can remain when the measure of life is full. || 2 || He alone is a Qazi, who renounces selfishness and conceit, and makes the One Name his Support. The True Creator Lord is, and shall always be. He was not born; He shall not die.

    || 3 || You may chant your prayers five times each day; you may read the Bible and the Koran. Says Nanak, the grave is calling you, and now your food and drink are finished. || 4 || 28 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL, FOURTH HOUSE: The dogs of greed are with me. In the early morning, they continually bark at the wind. Falsehood is my dagger; through deception, I eat the carcasses of the dead. I live as a wild hunter, O Creator! || 1 || I have not followed good advice, nor have I done good deeds. I am deformed and horribly disfigured. Your Name alone, Lord, saves the world. This is my hope; this is my support. || 1 || Pause || With my mouth I speak slander, day and night. I spy on the houses of others – I am such a wretched low-life! Unfulfilled sexual desire and unresolved anger dwell in my body, like the outcasts who cremate the dead. I live as a wild hunter, O Creator! || 2 || I make plans to trap others, although I appear gentle.

    I am a robber – I rob the world. I am very clever – I carry loads of sin. I live as a wild hunter, O Creator! || 3 || I have not appreciated what You have done for me, Lord; I take from others and exploit them. What face shall I show You, Lord? I am a sneak and a thief. Nanak describes the state of the lowly. I live as a wild hunter, O Creator! || 4 || 29 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL, FOURTH HOUSE: There is one awareness among all created beings. None have been created without this awareness. As is their awareness, so is their way. According to the account of our actions, we come and go in reincarnation.

    || 1 || Why, O soul, do you try such clever tricks? Taking away and giving back, God does not delay. || 1 || Pause || All beings belong to You; all beings are Yours. O Lord and Master, how can You become angry with them? Even if You, O Lord and Master, become angry with them, still, You are theirs, and they are Yours. || 2 || We are foul-mouthed; we spoil everything with our foul words. You weigh us in the balance of Your Glance of Grace. When one’s actions are right, the understanding is perfect. Without good deeds, it becomes more and more deficient. || 3 || Prays Nanak, what is the nature of the spiritual people? They are self-realized; they understand God. By Guru’s Grace, they contemplate Him; such spiritual people are honored in His Court.

    || 4 || 30 || SIREE RAAG, FIRST MEHL, FOURTH HOUSE: You are the River, All-knowing and All-seeing. I am just a fish – how can I find Your limit? Wherever I look, You are there. Outside of You, I would burst and die. || 1 || I do not know of the fisherman, and I do not know of the net. But when the pain comes, then I call upon You. || 1 || Pause || You are present everywhere. I had thought that You were far away. Whatever I do, I do in Your Presence. You see all my actions, and yet I deny them. I have not worked for You, or Your Name. || 2 || Whatever You give me, that is what I eat. There is no other door – unto which door should I go? Nanak offers this one prayer: this body and soul are totally Yours. || 3 || He Himself is near, and He Himself is far away; He Himself is in-between. He Himself beholds, and He Himself listens.

  • Indian-American student develops 3-D printed loudspeaker

    Indian-American student develops 3-D printed loudspeaker

    NEW YORK (TIP): Led by an Indian- American student Apoorva Kiran, scientists at Cornell University have 3-D printed a working loudspeaker – seamlessly integrating the plastic, conductive and magnetic parts – and ready for use almost as soon as it comes out of the printer.

    The thrilling discovery means that rather than assembling consumer products from parts and components, complete functioning products could be fabricated at once, on demand. Kiran and Robert MacCurdy, graduate students in mechanical engineering, worked with Hod Lipson, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, to develop this unique technique, said a press release by Cornell University.

    “Everything is 3-D printed,” said Kiran, as he launched a demo by connecting the newly-printed mini speaker to amplifier wires. For the demo, the amplifier played a clip from President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech that mentioned 3-D printing. “A loudspeaker is a relatively simple object. It consists of plastic for the housing, a conductive coil and a magnet. The challenge is coming up with a design and the exact materials that can be co-fabricated into a functional shape,” Kiran said.

    Kiran used one of the lab’s Fab@Homes – a customisable research printer that allows scientists to tinker with different cartridges, control software and other parameters. For the conductor, Kiran used a silver ink. For the magnet, he employed the help of Samanvaya Srivastava, a graduate student in chemical and biomolecular engineering, to come up with a viscous blend of strontium ferrite.

    After making a detailed digital model of the telegraph, they printed it on a research fabber. 3-D printing technology could be moving from printing passive parts toward printing active, integrated systems, added the release. But it will be a while before consumers are printing electronics at home. Most printers cannot efficiently handle multiple materials.

    It’s also difficult to find mutually compatible materials – for example, conductive copper and plastic coming out of the same printer require different temperatures and curing times. Creating a market for printed electronic devices could be like introducing color printers after only black and white had existed. “It opens up a whole new space that makes the old look primitive,” the release added.

  • Another Indian-American jumps into combative US House race

    Another Indian-American jumps into combative US House race

    WASHINGTON (TIP): An Indian-American Republican candidate has jumped into an already combative electoral House race in the Silicon Valley featuring a former aide of President Barack Obama challenging the sitting fellow Democrat.

    The new entrant to the race between the seven-term Democrat incumbent Mike Honda of San Jose and his main challenger, former Obama administration trade representative Ro Khanna, is Vanila Singh, a Stanford Medical Centre anaesthesiologist. India-born Singh, 43, who came to the US as a toddler, says she entered the South Bay contest because it is “time to do my civic duty”.

    But her critics, according to SFGate.com, say the man who recruited her to run, Chicago businessman Shalabh ‘Shalli’ Kumar, “has a far more divisive agenda”. Kumar is founder of the Indian Americans for Freedom, a super PAC or an independent-expenditure only Political Action Committee, which can spend unlimited amounts as long as it doesn’t coordinate directly with the candidate.

    Singh acknowledges that after “multiple conversations” with Kumar and other Republican insiders late last year, she filed to run Dec 26 – a day after switching her voter registration from “declined to state” to Republican. In recent weeks, Singh met Kumar, who chairs the Indian American Advisory Council of the House Republican Conference, in Washington, D.C. said SFGate. Kumar told ethnic publication IndiaWest that he approached Singh to be part of a “project” he founded with Republican House member Pete Sessions to build a Republican congressional “team” that supports a “pro-India” agenda.

    However his critics, according to SFGate.com, suggest his agenda includes securing a visa for Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Modi’s US visa was revoked in 2005 because of his alleged role or inaction during the 2002 Gujarat riots. Singh, according to SFGate, says she has received no money and “no promises” from Kumar or his super PAC. “I’m not part of his project per se,” and Kumar’s agenda “is not mine”, she was quoted as saying.

  • Indian-origin researcher brings new twist to sodiumion battery technology

    Indian-origin researcher brings new twist to sodiumion battery technology

    WASHINGTON (TIP): An Indian-origin researcher Gurpreet Singh, assistant professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering in Kansas State University and his team demonstrated that a composite paper – made of interleaved molybdenum disulfide and graphene nanosheets – can be both an active material to efficiently store sodium atoms and a flexible current collector.

    The newly developed composite paper can be used as a negative electrode in sodium-ion batteries. Singh said that most negative electrodes for sodium-ion batteries use materials that undergo an ‘alloying’ reaction with sodium. He said that these materials can swell as much as 400 to 500 percent as the battery is charged and discharged, which may result in mechanical damage and loss of electrical contact with the current collector.

    Singh said that molybdenum disulfide, the major constituent of the paper electrode, offers a new kind of chemistry with sodium ions, which is a combination of intercalation and a conversion-type reaction, asserting that the paper electrode offers stable charge capacity of 230 mAh.g-1, with respect to total electrode weight. He said that further, the interleaved and porous structure of the paper electrode offers smooth channels for sodium to diffuse in and out as the cell is charged and discharged quickly. This design also eliminates the polymeric binders and copper current collector foil used in a traditional battery electrode. The research has been published in the journal ACSNANO.

  • Indians a rising force in California politics

    Indians a rising force in California politics

    SACRAMENTO (TIP): When Neel Kashkari announced he was running for governor, he became the latest Californian of Indian descent to step onto the political stage, the most recent example of a rising trend in one of America’s most ethnically diverse states.

    Kashkari is part of a surge of second-generation Indians emerging in politics, despite their relatively small population in California. While Sikh Californians have been farming in California’s Central Valley for nearly a century, the last couple of decades have brought a wave of technology workers and entrepreneurs into Silicon Valley, where they have formed a tight-knit, supportive and financially successful community.

    Tapping into that donor base will be key to the Republican Kashkari’s campaign, even if many donors will have to cross party lines to support him. The growing roster of candidates and elected officials of Indian descent includes Democrat Ami Bera, a doctor who holds a Sacramento-area congressional seat; Democrat Ro Khanna, who is challenging for another in the San Francisco Bay Area; Vanila Singh, a Republican who recently announced she is entering the same Bay Area race; and Republican Ricky Gill, who attracted millions of dollars from Indian-Americans in the Central Valley before losing a tight congressional race two years ago.

  • Indian-American physiotherapist sentenced to 10 years in jail

    Indian-American physiotherapist sentenced to 10 years in jail

    MICHIGAN (TIP): An Indian- American physiotherapist has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay over $10 million in restitution for his role in a multi-million dollar healthcare fraud and money laundering scheme.

    Chiradeep Gupta, 39, of Michigan was sentenced by US district judge Denise Page Hood in the eastern district of Michigan. In addition to the 120 months prison term, Gupta was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay more than $10 million in restitution, jointly and severally with his co-defendants, acting assistant attorney general Mythili Raman of the justice department’s criminal division said in a statement on Friday.

    Gupta, a physiotherapist and partowner of a home healthcare company, was found guilty at trial in October 2012 of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and three substantive counts of money laundering. The fraud scheme totaled almost $11 million.

    According to evidence presented at trial, Gupta and his co-conspirators submitted false and fraudulent claims to federal social insurance program Medicare through a home healthcare company, which purported to provide skilled nursing and physical therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries in the greater Detroit area.

  • Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

    Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

    STORY: Nelson Mandela walked a long, hard path – how did the world join him?

    REVIEW: Straight away, Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom shows you an icon in a whole new light. Many know about Nelson Mandela’s fight against South Africa’s apartheid, his imprisonment for decades, his faith in non-violence. While this film shows all that, it also shows more, capturing a man who began as deeply confused, full of conflicts and charm, gravity and fun.

    It is as Nelson Mandela moves from being an upcoming lawyer in 1940s Johannesburg, full of jazz bars and pretty girls, courts and cruel cops, a friend telling Mandela he’s becoming a man to watch, to the wry rejoinder, “Maybe I should sell tickets” – to an African National Congress member, addressing demos and blowing up plants, that his character evolves. We then see Mandela grow into the Madiba the world knows. Along the way, Mandela loses more than his freedom.

    Fed up by his philandering, his first wife leaves. His mother is furious while he struggles between pleasures and principles. When Mandela meets Winnie, a tough social worker, his identity becomes sharply defined. He goes from being a light-hearted seeker of joys to a fully determined fighter against apartheid. Mandela and his associates are imprisoned for life – but battling solitude and savagery, Mandela grows larger than life. This fast-moving film extends beyond one icon.

    Alongside Mandela, it follows the anti-apartheid movement itself, from peaceful boycotts to blowing offices up, terrible civil war and a return to peace. It captures the tremendous romance of Africa, its gold-pink vistas as beautiful as blush, its rhythms, vibes and colourful tribes. And it presents fabulous performances. Naomie Harris is brilliant as Winnie Mandela, capturing her seething trauma – imprisoned and tortured, Winnie’s “Don’t touch me” to a policeman chills – her insistence on violent revenge, and her break-up with Madiba.

    Alongside, Idris Elba’s Mandela towers gracefully, full of complexity, yet simple enough to emphasise you cannot hate another without hating yourself. The camerawork skillfully captures individuals and crowds while the soundtrack, from jazz to Bob Marley, makes you live the world’s energy to free Mandela. Watch this – while making you laugh and cry, it takes you on a wondrous walk

  • KATE MOSS NAMED NEW FACE OF ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

    KATE MOSS NAMED NEW FACE OF ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

    Supermodel Kate Moss is the new face of late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen’s eponymous label.

    The 40-year-old fronts the campaign for the label’s spring-summer 2014 collection, which according to the fashion house aims to “capture the iconic British model as an otherworldly woman in a darkly surreal environment”, reports contactmusic.com. In a short film captured by photographer Steven Klein in East London, Moss is seen in a short yellow crop.

  • HILARY DUFF HOLIDAYS WITH ESTRANGED HUSBAND

    HILARY DUFF HOLIDAYS WITH ESTRANGED HUSBAND

    Actress and singersongwriter Hilary Duff went on a family trip with her estranged husband, retired professional ice hockey player Mike Comrie, and son Luca.

    The family of three headed out for a hike Sunday, reports eonline.com. “Daddy and son Sunday hike,” Duff posted along with a photograph of her estranged husband and their 22-monthold tot walking on a trail. The 26-year-old actress made her first red carpet appearance post-split at the 2014 Grammy Weekend Reception party in West Hollywood, California.

    While she stayed mum on the break-up at the event, she seemed to be in great spirits while chatting and laughing with friends before Lorde performed for guests. A source close to the couple told E! News that the couple’s split was truly amicable and they didn’t call it quits for any particular incident. The duo rather drifted apart over time despite trying couple’s therapy to mend their relationship.

  • AMEESHA FALLS FROM STAIRS

    AMEESHA FALLS FROM STAIRS

    Ameesha Patel badly bruised her hands and legs while shooting for an action scene. A unit source said, “It was a chase sequence in which Ameesha, who is being chased by a man had to rush down a flight of stairs.

    However, while shooting, the guy who was chasing her tripped, dragging Ameesha along with him.” Both got injured in the mishap. A doctor was immediately summoned to the set. “Ameesha’s feet and hands are swollen and she has been advised bed rest,” said a source.

  • SHRADDHA PLAYS A FEARLESS JOURNO

    SHRADDHA PLAYS A FEARLESS JOURNO

    Though director Vishal Bhardwaj tried keeping Shraddha Kapoor’s role and character in ‘Haider’ under wraps, his efforts eventually turned futile.

    Recently, Shraddha was spotted flashing a press correspondent’s card as she started shooting for the project with co-star Irrfan in Srinagar. According to the sources, she plays a journalist in the movie who is not just fearless but also doesn’t mind risking her life for a story. “Her life motto is to bring out truth at any cost,” a source said.

    On the other hand, Irrfan was seen wearing traditional Kashmiri outfits with a special hat. “His role is an important one.” In one of the shots, we spotted Shraddha chasing Irrfan while holding a pen and a diary as if she’s asking him some questions. While Shahid, who will be joining the crew in a day or two, is completely changed from what he essayed in the last leg of the shoot in 2013. “Now he will be bald and clean shaven.

    Since it’s a final schedule of the shoot, Vishal asked Shahid to prepare himself mentally and physically for a vital sequence. Shahid is anxious, and it showed when he posted this on twitter. “Reading scenes for the final schedule of Haider. Nervous and excited. Last four days of hair I can run my hands through. Snowed out Kashmir calling.” Tabu will reportedly join soon. The shooting is currently going on at Residency Road in the city and Press Colony.

    When contacted K Jamsheed, who is a line producer for the film, said, “It’s going to be a long schedule of 20 to 25 days.” He stated that major chunk of the film will be shot in Srinagar, but the unit will move to Pahalgam and other nearby areas soon. Also, the director is not taking any chances with the filming of scenes. Probably he’s not too keen to see the repeat of what happened last time when the students of Kashmir University objected to hoisting of the national flag atop a makeshift bunker, leading to cancellation of the shoot.

  • JAI HO

    JAI HO

    STORY: A braveheart commoner stands up against injustice and spreads a life-changing mantra of the circle of goodness, giving and generosity.

    REVIEW: There is nothing ordinary about this aam aadmi. He rips, roars and ravages the raavans with a single blow – like a Stallone on steroids. Jai (Salman) is an ex-Army officer, who runs a garage part-time and plays incredibly good (looking) Samaritan fulltime, beating up baddies to bloody pulp with anything from hockey sticks, chains, scaffolding and even a mighty pen.

    During one ‘good-deed’ demo, he’s hit by a brainwave – a thought that can change the world! His funda seems profound but is simple. Goodness is redeemable. If someone shows you a random act of kindness, you pay it forward to three people. And they’ll pass on the ‘act of kindness’ to three more each. A multiplier effect on millions – snowballing into a mass junta movement of goodness.

    The film has the heart and the haath (read: fist) in the right place. But there’s more than just ‘do-gooder’ drama in this potboiler with purpose. Jai gets embroiled with a nefarious neta, Dashrath Singh (Danny) and his heavyweight hooligans, who’re a ‘pain in the rear’ of the aam aadmi. It sparks a raging war between the udaas aam aadmi and khaas politicians.

    ‘Jai Ho’- A remake of Telugu film ‘Stalin’ (inspired by Hollywood film ‘Pay It Forward’) resonates with the current mood of the country. Sparking an optimistic hope of a Utopian world. Sohail presents our ‘Hero of the Masses’ fabulously – with all Salmanisms perfectly in place. The premise pompously alerts us of cliches and trappings of a commercial masala fare.

    The screenplay is not as inspiring as the noble message, the story cuts into too many episodes and the underlying idea is repetitive. Tabu and Danny leave a decent impact. Debutante Daisy grooves well and shows impressive confidence. The bone-crunching, blood-splitting scenes are a delight for action addicts. The story is laced with light-hearted humour and massy music.

    Like most Salman Khan films, this one too rests solely on his undeniable superstardom. There is one explosive moment of revelation in the film – when Salman tears off his shirt to show off his greased, stabbed, scarred and sensational sinews. Nothing else matters for ‘bhai’ fanatics. It’s ‘the’ paise wasool moment. Rest assured, they will ‘pay up’ and ‘take it forward’.

  • Cong rues Rahul resurrecting 1984 riots, giving Modi an edge

    Cong rues Rahul resurrecting 1984 riots, giving Modi an edge

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Congress is concerned that Rahul Gandhi has inserted anti-Sikh riots into the political discourse, shrinking its elbow room to attack Narendra Modi on the issue of anti-Muslim carnage. Rising protests from Sikh groups and the figuring of 1984 riots in news bulletins has put Congress in the firing line of the 1984 riots that was till now confined to individuals like Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler.

    Even in 2009, the drama over anti- Sikh riots was provoked by the limited issue of Congress giving election tickets to Kumar and Tytler before retracting. If the Sikh riots continue to dominate headlines, they could draw parity between Congress and BJP among opinion-makers and a defensive “secular” party would be hamstrung in raising the ante against Modi on the issue of riots. The key worry is the 1984 issue may now figure in every public interaction Modi makes and it would be difficult to duck the issue.

    With each passing day that Congress is having to defend itself, there ruling camp feels it is losing its aggressive edge against Modi. It may be an advantage for the Hindutva strongman who is trying his best to soften his rough edges dating back to anti-Muslim riots and appear a moderate. This has implications for the postelection scenario given that BJP would be needing allies who have “secular” roots. That NCP is already making conciliatory noises in favour of the Gujarat chief minister is an eye-opener.

    There is a sense of regret in Congress that Rahul could not tackle the question on riots effectively.While conceding too much ground, without putting Modi on the defensive on Gujarat riots, his ambivalent response prised open the 1984 issue for debate. Instead, he could have simply referred to the apologies issued by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 10 years ago. When cornered, he could have apologized in line with senior Congress leaders and settled the issue for good. Many in the party blame the poor background briefing to Rahul for the fiasco.

    Now, there is hope that Rahul would make up for the lapse in the coming TV interviews that are lined up. While leaders are happy that the reluctant leader has finally decided to communicate with the public and interact with the press, they would want him to appear engaged. This when future interactions may not be easy to navigate now that he has bared the chinks in his armour. Amid the post-interview disappointment, a big plus for insiders is that he managed to keep his cool and did not walk out like Modi did with a famous TV anchor. It would have been disastrous PR in the present negative atmosphere.

    COPS USE WATER CANNONS ON IRATE SIKH PROTESTORS
    Rahul Gandhi’s remark on 1984 anti-Sikh riots triggered massive Sikh protest in the national capital

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Over 300 irate Sikh protestors clashed with the police when their agitation over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots turned unruly outside the Congress party’s headquarters in Delhi. The agitators were protesting against the injustice perpetrated on Sikhs in the 1984 riots in Delhi and the slow pace of trial, following Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the in an interview to a television channel.

    The irate protestors, which mainly included Delhi Sikh Gurudwara committee and Shiromani Akali Dal party members, demanded an apology from the Gandhi scion who said in the interview that ‘some Congressmen were probably involved in the 1984 riots’. Rahul had said in the interview that the Congress government at the time tried its best “to stop the killing” during the riots. The Sikh protesters demanded that he should reveal the names of party leaders involved in the massacre. The protesters waved black flags and climbed onto the barricades placed outside the Congress headquarters by the cops who found it difficult to defuse the protest.

    Water cannons were later used by the cops on the Sikh protesters to quell the agitation. Earlier, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal too had lashed out at the Congress for “protecting” party leaders involved in the 1984 riots. He reportedly said that instead of taking any action against the tainted leaders, Congress has not only been protecting them but they were being rewarded by the party with pivotal posts.