Newborns learn while asleep

Newborns learn while asleep

Sleeping newborn infants are better learners than previously thought, according to a University of Florida researcher.

The boffin's study could lead to identifying those at risk for developmental disorders such as autism and dyslexia.

"We found a basic form of learning in sleeping newborns, a type of learning that may not be seen in sleeping adults," said Dana Byrd, a research affiliate in psychology at UF who collaborated with a team of scientists.

The findings give valuable information about how it is that newborns are able to learn so quickly from the world, when they sleep for 16 to 18 hours a day, Byrd said. "Sleeping newborns are better learners, better 'data sponges' than we knew," she said.

In order to understand how newborns learn while in their most frequent state, Byrd and her colleagues tested the learning abilities of sleeping newborns by repeating tones that were followed by a gentle puff of air to the eyelids. After about 20 minutes, 24 of the 26 babies squeezed their eyelids together when the tone was sounded without the puff of air.

The research team's paper, published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describes the results of their experiment with the 1- or 2-day-old infants, comparing them with a control group using EEG and video recordings. The brain waves of the 24 infants were found to change, providing a neural measurement of memory updating.

"While past studies find this type of learning can occur in infants who are awake, this is the first study to document it in their most frequent state, while they are asleep," Byrd said. "Since newborns sleep so much of the time, it is important that they not only take in information but use the information in such a way to respond appropriately."

Not only did the newborns show they can learn to give this reflex in response to the simple tone, but they gave the response at the right time, she said.

Learned eyelid movement reflects the normal functioning of the circuitry in the cerebellum, a neural structure at the base of the brain.

This study's method potentially offers a unique non-invasive tool for early identification of infants with atypical cerebellar structure, who are potentially at risk for a range of developmental disorders, including autism and dyslexia, she said.

The capacity of infants to learn during sleep contrasts with some researchers' stance that learning new material does not take place in sleeping adults, Byrd said.

The immature nature of sleep patterns in infants could help explain why, she said.

"Newborn infants' sleep patterns are quite different than those of older children or adults in that they show more active sleep where heart and breathing rates are very changeable," she said. "It may be this sleep state is more amenable to experiencing the world in a way that facilitates learning."

Source: ANI

Friendly people ‘are more attractive’

Friendly people ‘are more attractive’

Friendly or outgoing people are more attractive, a new study suggests.

In the study, Gettysburg College psychology professor Brian Meier and his research team found that people who were high in the personality traits of agreeableness or extraversion were rated by strangers as being more attractive.

Meier''s team assessed the personality of 217 men and women.

The photos of these men and women were shown to unacquainted strangers who rated their physical attractiveness.

They found that the men and women who had higher levels of agreeableness or extraversion were also rated as more physically attractive even though raters did not know or interact with the individuals.

Meier said: "The results suggest that there is some truth to the 'beautiful is good'' stereotype or the 'halo effect.'' People have a tendency to think that attractive people also possess 'attractive'' qualities - such as being friendly, outgoing, and smart."

He added: "Interestingly, it appears that grooming is a key mechanism. Friendly or outgoing people were also better groomed in the photographs, which made them appear more attractive to others.

"Because the photographs were taken unexpectedly, friendly or outgoing individuals seem to be better groomed on a daily basis, which likely helps them receive the social interaction they desire."

He concluded: "Grooming is a strong predictor of attractiveness that can be easily controlled by the individual unlike more physical characteristics such as weight or skin blemishes. Thus, sociable people seem to already know that a neat appearance goes a long way in drawing others'' attention."

The paper titled "Are sociable people more beautiful?," has been published in the Journal of Research in Personality.

Source: Indian Express

Teenagers ‘using secret online language to deceive parents’

Teenagers ‘using secret online language to deceive parents’

Can you crack their cryptic codes?

Teenagers are increasingly using a secret language on social networking sites like Facebook to stop parents from judging them by their social activities such as partying and drinking, a new study has found.

Instead of writing they are drunk, teens post "Getting MWI" -- or mad with it; being in a relationship is known as "taken" or "Ownageeee" and "Ridneck", a corruption of redneck, means to feel embarrassed, according to the study.

Meanwhile, girls posting "Legal" are indicating that they are above 16 and legally allowed to have sex, researchers have found.

Lead researcher Lisa Whittaker of Stirling University said that the slang had been created to keep their activities private, and cited the example of one girl who was sacked after bosses found pictures of her drinking on the website.

"Young people often distort the languages they use by making the pages difficult for those unfamiliar with the distortions and colloquialisms. The language used seems to go beyond abbreviations that are commonly used in text messaging, such as removing all the vowels.

"This is not just bad spelling, which would suggest literacy issues, but a deliberate attempt to creatively misspell words. The creation and use of their own social language may be a deliberate attempt to keep adults from understanding what is written on the page.

"By doing this they are able to communicate with their in-group and conceal the content from the out-group. This further adds to their online identity," 'The Daily Telegraph' quoted her as saying.

The researchers are to present their findings at a seminar at the Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data and Methods in Cardiff next week.

Source: Indian Express

Working couples, women's careers still take backseat: study

Working couples, women's careers still take backseat: study

Women might be on a more even footing at work but at home their careers tend to take a backseat to their husband's job with women most likely to quit when both are working long hours, according to a U.S. study.

Researcher Youngjoo Cha, from Cornell University, found that working women with a husband who worked 50 hours or more a week found themselves still doing most of the housework and the care giving and were more likely to end up quitting their job.

An analysis of 8,484 professional workers and 17,648 nonprofessionals from dual-earner families showed that if women had a husband who worked 60 hours or more per week it increased the woman's odds of quitting her paid job by 42 percent.

Cha said the odds of quitting increased to 51 percent for professional women whose husbands work 60 hours or more per week, and for professional mothers the odds they would quit their jobs jumped 112 percent.

However, it did not significantly affect a man's odds of quitting his job if his wife worked 60 hours or more per week, according to the study published in the American Sociological Review in April.

For professional men, both parents and non-parents, the effects of a wife working long hours were negligible, according to the study called "Reinforcing Separate Spheres: The Effect of Spousal Overwork on Men's and Women's Employment in Dual-Earner Households."

"As long work-hours introduce conflict between work and family into many dual-earner families, couples often resolve conflict in ways that prioritize husbands' careers," Cha, who used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, said in a statement.

"This effect is magnified among workers in professional and managerial occupations, where the norm of overwork and the culture of intensive parenting tend to be strongest. The findings suggest that the prevalence of overwork may lead many dual-earner couples to return to a separate spheres arrangement -- breadwinning men and homemaking women."

Source: Reuters

Mums working part-time have healthiest kids

Mums working part-time have healthiest kids

A new Australian study has found that mums working part-time raise healthier children than their counterparts who stay at home or have a full-time job.

The study, "Do Working Mothers Raise Couch Potato Kids?" shows that kids of part-time mums have less junk food, watch less TV and are less likely to be overweight or obese.

The study group carried out face-to-face interviews with mothers and measured their child's height and weight at ages four to five, and again two years later, at six to seven years of age.

"When mothers work part-time, there's obviously something about the way the house is run, and the way parents are looking after their children that is protective," the Daily Telegraph quoted co-author and associate professor Jan Nicholson, principal research fellow at Melbourne's Murdoch Children's Research Institute, as saying.

The study of over 4,500 Australian pre-schoolers found part-time mums let their children watch about an hour less telly each week than both stay-at-home mums and full-time working mothers.

Their kids consumed fewer snack foods, had more time to exercise and were exposed to less junk-food advertising.

The researchers said: "Although employment reduces the time parents spend at home, mothers go to considerable lengths to insulate time with their children.

"They reschedule activities, sleep less and allocate less time to personal care and leisure to ensure that time with children is protected."

The research also showed that women engaged in full-time work are likely to have unhealthier children.

The reason why stay-at-home mums have less healthy kids in spite of having more time to implement healthy behaviour is not fully understood, and researchers believe closer examination of household dynamics is needed.

Source: Indian Express

Nearly third of children globally are couch potatoes

Nearly third of children globally are couch potatoes

American children aren't the only couch potatoes with nearly one third of children globally spending three hours a day or more watching TV or on computers, according to study of over 70,000 teens in 34 nations.

From Argentina to Zambia, Regina Guthold of the World Health Organization in Geneva and her colleagues found most children aren't getting enough exercise and it made no difference if they lived in a rich or a poor country.

"With regards to physical activity levels, we did not find much of a difference between poor and rich countries," Guthold told Reuters Health. "Growing up in a poor country does not necessarily mean that kids get more physical activity."

The study, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, looking at 72,845 schoolchildren aged 13 to 15 from North and South America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The children were surveyed between 2003 and 2007.

The researchers defined adequate physical activity as at least an hour of exercise outside of gym class at least five days a week.

Children who spent three or more hours a day watching TV, playing computer games, or chatting with friends -- aside from time in school or time spent doing homework -- were classified as sedentary.

The researchers found only one quarter of the boys and 15 percent of the girls were getting enough exercise by these definitions.

A quarter of boys and nearly 30 percent of girls were sedentary and didn't get enough exercise with girls less active than boys in every country aside from Zambia.

Uruguay had the highest percentage of active boys, at 42 percent, while Zambia had the lowest, at 8 percent.

Girls from India were the most active, with 37 percent meeting exercise recommendations, while girls from Egypt were the least active, with just 4 percent getting adequate exercise.

Children in Myanmar were the least sedentary, with 13 percent of boys and 8 percent of girls classified as sedentary. The most sedentary nations were St. Lucia and the Cayman Islands, with 58 percent of boys and 64 percent of girls spending at least three hours a day in sedentary activities.

While the study didn't look at the reasons behind the lack of physical activity in various nations, Guthold speculated that urbanization could be a factor as well as access to cars and TVs.

She said schools can help children become more active by having physical education classes and educating students about the importance of exercise.

Adding lanes for bicycles, pedestrian crossings and other changes to promote walking and biking to and from school could help too, she added.

"Even with the limitations that questionnaire data (suffer) from, I guess it's pretty safe to say that we have a huge problem with physical inactivity among schoolchildren around the globe and that we should take action," said Guthold.

Source: Reuters

Too much time on TV for kids equals weaker relationships

Too much time on TV for kids equals weaker relationships

Spend too much time in front of TV or computer? Well, chances are that your relationships with parents and friends will not be that great.

That's the conclusion of a new study which has been published in the March issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"The availability and attractiveness of screen time activities has provoked excitement about the opportunities afforded by these options, as well as concern about whether these displace other activities that are important for health and development," the authors write. "One area of interest is how screen time may affect the quality of relationships with family and friends."

To reach the conclusion, Rosalina Richards, Ph.D., of the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, and colleagues studied 3,043 adolescents age 14 to 15 in 2004. The teens completed a confidential questionnaire about their free-time habits, as well as an assessment of their attachment to parents and peers.

Overall, the more time teens spent watching television or playing on a computer, the more likely they were to report low attachment to parents (in other words, difficulty forming a relationship or emotional bond). The risk of having low attachment to parents increased 4 percent for every hour spent viewing television and 5 percent for every hour spent playing on a computer. Conversely, teens who spend more time reading and doing homework reported a higher level of attachment to parents.

The researchers also assessed interview responses from 976 individuals who were age 15 years in 1987 to 1988. Among these teens, more time spent viewing television was associated with lower attachment to both parents and peers. For every additional hour of television, teens had a 13 percent increased risk of low attachment to their parents and a 24 percent increased risk of low attachment to peers.

"Recommendations that children watch less television are sometimes met with the concern that being unable to discuss popular shows or characters may inhibit peer relationships," the authors write. "The findings herein do not suggest that less television viewing is detrimental to adolescent friendships."

Source: Indian Express

Fed-up women 'long to be men'

Fed-up women 'long to be men'

Women are women. But, one in four females who are fed up with the pain of pregnancy and pre-menstrual tension would prefer to be men, a new survey has found.

In the survey, 15 per cent admitted that when they also battle mood swings, they want to be male. A further nine per cent said they think men have it easier physically. And more than half, 55 per cent, admitted they were not at their happiest stage of life.

Some 87 per cent confessed they never felt at ease with the physical changes to their body during puberty. And 12 per cent were also unprepared for pregnancy, the poll of 2,048 women by Seven Seas Femibion health supplement has revealed.

Overall, women still love being women, however. Thirty -six per cent said it's because they can express the emotions. This increased to 40 per cent for over 55s, the survey found.

"Hormone levels are central to women's wellbeing. It's vital to have a balanced diet and nutritional support when your body needs it," medical expert Dr Rosemary Leonard was quoted by the 'Daily Express' as saying.

Source: Indian Express

Men 'always look at women's assets first'

Men 'always look at women's assets first'

It may appear vulgar, but a new survey has revealed that a man looks at a woman's assets in his first glance, rather than her face.

In the survey, half of the male respondents have confessed that they look at a woman's assets even before they look at her face. And, four in 10 men have admitted they look at women's assets at least 10 times a day.

Men from Newcastle are the most likely to sneak a peak at a girl's cleavage before looking them in the eye, the poll of 1,000 adults has revealed.

What's more interesting is that the survey has found that many women have even admitted to checking out other girls' assets up to seven times a day, the 'Daily Express' newspaper reported.

Nine in 10 women look at their rivals' assets, with almost half admitting to having "breast envy" towards friends or work colleagues, the survey has found.
More than half of British women are also unhappy with their breasts with 63 per cent wanting bigger breasts, while almost half of men think their partner's assets are beautiful and wouldn't want them to change them in any way, according to the survey for cosmetic surgery firm 'Transform'.

Source: Indian Express

Sweat or looks make women 'irresistible' to men

Sweat or looks make women 'irresistible' to men

Ladies, how irresistible you are to men lies in your perspiration or looks, for a new study has revealed that clues to the genetic make-up of any woman are in her sweat or appearance.

Scientists have claimed that the secrets of attraction are hidden in the immune system genes that women inherit from their parents and clues to this are contained in her sweat or appearance, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

They have based their findings on an analysis of the DNA of 150 students from the University of Western Australia.

The subjects, including would-be doctors and engineers, filled in detailed questionnaire about their love lives.

Their DNA was scrutinised for variation in genes known to influence the immune system. The more diverse these genes, the stronger a person's defence against disease, the findings have revealed.

The results of the genetic tests were then matched up with the survey answers. This showed that the women with the most varied major histocompatibility (MHC) genes, had the most sexual partners.

However, the scientists can't be certain why a woman's immune system affects her success with men. They aren't clear whether her genes make her irresistible to the opposite sex -- or whether she finds them irresistible.

"It is possible that MHC diverse women have more sexual partners because they actively seek more partners, rather than because males prefer diverse partners," the scientists said.

A third possibility is that women with strong immune systems are simply more choosy about who they want to settle down with.

"None of these explanations are mutually exclusive and, regardless of the underlying mechanism, the effect of MHC diversity is intriguing and deserves further investigation," the scientists said.

The findings have been revealed in the 'Animal Behavior' journal.

Source: Indian Express

How to maintain a healthy romantic relationship

How to maintain a healthy romantic relationship

Maintaining a healthy relationship can be a very strenuous exercise, and the only way one can be successful is to understand the development of one's own love history.

According to Dr. Mark Beitel, a licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at Greenwich Hospital's Center for Integrative Medicine in Cos Cob, CT, the only way to overcome experiencing the same negative romantic outcome is to break the pattern.

"Certain conditions for loving, and being loved, are created and then maintained across a person's lifespan," Beitel explained.

"Negative life experiences can damage the developing capacity for love. People get stuck because the conditions that they have set up for loving tend to operate just outside of awareness," he said.

We all yearn for the kind of love that works. In fact, the very experience of loving is good for your health.

Beitel explains that brain chemicals like oxytocin and endorphins are released during the experience of love. These substances are associated with pleasure and well-being.

There are simple ways to put yourself on the path for a healthy happy love life. It starts by taking better care of yourself.

"It is much easier to develop the capacity to love yourself and others when your biology is in balance," Beitel, who works with patients on their mental health while encouraging them to seek help with nutrition and exercise as well, said.

One way to iron out the developmental wrinkles in the capacity for love is simply to be more present, or mindful, in everyday life.

"The practice of mindfulness can also help us to see our loved ones as they are rather than as we want them to be," he said.

"Negative expectations run outside of awareness, so increasing mindfulness gives them less room to operate.

"Seeing others clearly reduces the confusion, biases, and inappropriate expectations that prevent us from connecting authentically," Beitel explained.

Psychotherapy is designed to help a person become aware of repeating negative expectations about love and to correct them so that a more enjoyable love life can be pursued.

Source: Indian Express

All For Love Series - Part III

All For Love Series - Part III

Happily Never After

Director and scriptwriter of popular romantic dramas Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal, Imtiaz Ali, does not know whether happily-ever-after exists, "since the world is designed for relationship disasters. When people decide to get together, it is not a cerebral decision or a love formula, it's an instinctive one. The one that got away occupies a person more, and anyone who is accessible becomes ordinary. No relationship can satisfy all the needs of a person. There is a reason why love stories end when they do". In all his movies, the director believes that if we had the opportunity of seeing what were to happen a few years down the line to his characters, post the kiss-and-make-up; we would not be guaranteed a happy ending. So in a piece of wicked cross-scripting with Sitanshi Talati-Parikh, he plots a volatile fictional love story concocted with the unrelated characters of his two films, to see what would happen if Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan's characters, Geet (Jab We Met) and Jai (Love Aaj Kal), actually met!

The Setting
Ten years after Jab We Met (about eight years after Love Aaj Kal). Geet is married to Aditya Kashyap and they have two children. Jai and Meera are also married. There is a crisis of the "end of excitement".

The Characters

GEET, the essential free spirit, chafes under the boring normalcy of her life. She finds that Aditya Kashyap has changed - or maybe this is who he is - an industrialist who has a lot on his plate. He can't take off anytime he chooses; having children has also changed the equation. While they balance each other out, she is haunted by the fact that now she doesn't have a place to reach; without a destination, there is no journey. She is deeply disillusioned by the fact that she has no train to catch, nowhere to run off to with wild abandon and therefore no major thrill that keeps her going. There is a vacuum inside her, working its way towards a silent depression. Something sparks off a renaissance....

ADITYA doesn't like the fact that his wife, Geet, talks to everyone with unnatural friendliness. This is a part of who she is, and he can't change that, but it bothers him. He tries to bring a semblance of order in her life, but she constantly resists it. While she needs this stability to balance her out, she tends to react violently to it. Work keeps him so preoccupied that he finds he has less time and patience to pander to her impulsive needs.

JAI always believed in the concept of a live-in relationship as opposed to marriage. His love for Meera keeps him going, but the inability to walk out at any time, to experiment, to go with the flow, or change direction if he so desires, makes him feel shackled. The pressures of life are building up and he's just looking for an escape route.

MEERA can't seem to understand what is bothering Jai. She keeps reminding herself that this marriage is what he wanted - he had come looking for her. The fact that he may not be happy worries her, but she doesn't know what she can do to fix it. She decides to wait and watch for an opportunity when things can go back to normal.

The Situation
Day 1

Geet is driving, with a lot of pent-up rage, to pick up her kids from school. She is manoeuvring the Mumbai traffic, amid construction, while simultaneously on the phone trying to negotiate keeping her maid who suddenly wants to quit. She has woken up early to make aloo parathas for Aditya. Her frustration has been building up for a while but she just doesn't have the nerve to tell Aditya, "I can't do this anymore, this is not me!" Suddenly as she is distracted, her car slams into an island, and shudders to a stop. She fumbles, trying to start it while continuing to talk on the phone. The traffic piles up behind her; loud curses can be heard in the background, accompanied by a lot of disgusted gestures.

A car slides into position next to her, a window rolls down and a disgruntled man (Jai) looks at her, saying, "There is a reason why women shouldn't drive. Why don't you do something that suits you more...like look after your home, and leave driving to men?" That chauvinistic statement gets Geet completely riled up - the years of dissatisfaction and disillusionment with marriage are simmering under the surface waiting to explode. She gets out of the car to scream at him. Jai has already driven past, the window is up - with the noise of the traffic and his music in the car, he can't hear her. She can be seen in his rear-view mirror getting smaller and smaller.

She gets back into the car, manages to start it, slams the door and drives after Jai furiously. He enters a tall office building, and the elevator door is about to close behind him, when she wedges a foot into the door. She starts yelling at him, abusing him, trying to get the pent up fury out of her system. She follows him into his office, still yelling about the woes of her life - domesticity, the children, a husband who's forgotten how to live life. The entire office is looking at them. Suddenly, realising where she is, she flushes a deep red, turns around and leaves. Jai's visibly shaken; he doesn't know what hit him. He needs to make a pitch before a very important client, and he can't perform because he's so nervous. Stammering and suddenly not his usual confident self, he doesn't paint a convincing picture. He loses the account...and is completely shattered.

Day 2

Driving to work the next day (at approximately the same time he'd met Geet the day before), Jai, feeling really miserable, suddenly notices her waiting in her car for her children. He immediately swerves to a stop, running over to her to give her a piece of his own mind. His problems are mounting: EMIs, a wife who's threatening to leave him, the competition.... He ends his tirade with, "Maybe I have a wife who's a bigger bitch than you are."

[This is the excitement they are both missing in their lives. An escape from their own problems. Both Geet and Jai are people who would want to breathe more air, do more and say more than their partners.]

The next time they see each other, it's like they've known each other for a long time.... Their vivaciousness and outgoing personalities leave no awkwardness between them. She needs to go back home to Aditya, but Jai suggests an excuse that works well on husbands, she thinks for a moment and gives into the thrill of a new experience, continuing their conversation over another cup of coffee.

Next Week

Jai has an anniversary coming up and Geet needs to shop for Aditya's birthday. They decide it's an excuse good enough as any to shop together. Jai confesses that his wife has hated all the gifts he's bought her in the past, that she's a very sensitive kind of woman. "She would be happy if she thought that I thought about the gift!" Geet thinks it would be fun to help out, while Jai can help her choose something for her "fuddy-duddy boring industrialist-type of husband".

And then...
They continue to meet; putting in the effort to look better, in response to the passion and electricity the air. They connect at various levels - they find their childish pursuits a great diversion, which their spouses would not. They gravitate towards each other. Neither wants to commit, but they believe that they have found their soulmate in each other. They are too volatile to actually be able to have a fulfilling, stable relationship together - and they know that. They are both people who are constantly in conflict, it is difficult for them to reach resolve - but they thrive in the conflict.

The Spouses

ADITYA, when he sees the change in Geet, senses that something is not right. He begins to look back at their life and see what's missing, what is eating away into the Geet he fell in love with. He never confronts her or makes her uncomfortable, but makes an effort to be more attentive. Geet, for her part, can tell that he knows or is aware that something has changed. She finds its oddly disconcerting that he continues to be there for her - often suggesting doing things that she loves, which makes her feel guilty and confused about her feelings. She wants to come out and talk to him abou

t it, but something holds her back - the fear of hurting him. She wishes he would react with anger or violence - not this silent niceness. It makes her feel like a bitch. In the middle of the night, having no one else to talk to, she frequently calls up Jai.

MEERA instinctively knows when Jai is unhappy or is not being faithful, especially with the increasing calls late into the night coming from Geet. Meera's way of dealing with it is very matter-of-fact. She invites Jai out to his favourite restaurant, dresses up in his favourite outfit; and in the middle of the wine and meal, asks him directly, "Jai, I think you're seeing somebody...just tell me about it." Jai looks taken-aback and then decides to come clean. He talks about Geet - a girl whom he has been hanging out with, but insists that there isn't anything serious between them. "I didn't tell you because you'd be upset...but I can see I've upset you anyway. I'm sorry. But if you say the word, I won't see her again." Meera looks at him for a minute and says, "If I ask you not to see her, then I'm making her your lover, so do what you want."

The End

It appears to be a doomed love story of two people who can't get rid of each other. Geet and Jai are the kind of people who consume each other - a relationship that scales the heights and plummets to the depths, making it a nervy ride. They make each other more insecure and it leads them to miss the stability provided by their spouses.
Jai meets Geet to tell her that they should stop seeing each other. Geet reacts explosively - talking about how much they are actually made for each other, and how they are not being unfaithful at all. They deliberate breaking up often. Eventually, in the midst of an emotional scene, Geet perks up with a suggestion - if they must end it, then why not with a bang - something that matches their personality? And she reminds him about the trip they had spoken about taking together...

All For Love Series - Part II

All For Love Series - Part II

Of Pouts, Poses And A Passion!

Part II of our series features diehard romantic Atul Kasbekar, who turned his childhood passion into a successful proposition. He lives most of his life behind the camera, flirting with the world and its 'It' people through its aperture. In a freewheeling conversation with Shraddha Jahagirdar-Saxena, he speaks about the picture-perfect romances that have dominated his professional and personal life
Watch him at work and it is easy to see why he is so passionate about his art. But to call him passionate about people, places...things and brands is to put it mildly. The dominant amour in his life - professionally speaking - is governed by what one may term his sixth sense, the camera, through which he often views the world and its well-known denizens, taking romance to a different dimension altogether.
In the wake of 3 Idiots, 44-year-old Kasbekar laughingly points out that the wannabe engineer-turned-photographer could just as well have been him. For the real-life middle-class Brahmin morphed his childhood passion into a full-time profession. He reiterates, "My story is Madhavan's story. As a child I would take pictures of my sister, my friends, my dog...anything and anyone I could shoot. That was my first genuine love affair. I remembered a famous saying that 95 per cent of humanity goes to work; only five per cent enjoys what they do. So, despite getting very good grades and admission to Mumbai's prestigious UDCT, I chucked it up to follow my dream. I was clear which side of the percentage I wanted to be."

His passion is evident in the area he calls workplace. The place that has launched umpteen faces and campaigns has many of them on its walls, literally. Ask him what still turns him on about his work and he replies, "I was shooting almost everything, till I realised that people photography excites me."

It is not easy getting subjects who have never faced a camera before or those who may be having a bad day to relax and give off their best profile. But that is exactly what Kasbekar says he is a 'world champion' at doing. The man who self-confessedly hates moving in front of a camera, says, "It does not take me very long to suss out what the other person wants. Then you have to be a chameleon and wear different hats - you could be their best friend, a listener...or just keep your mouth shut. At that point of time you have to make them feel the most important person in the world. You have to be a people's person to be a people's photographer and encourage them to flirt with the camera."

In his opinion, it is most important for the man behind the camera to create the right mood so that the subject can set his own equation with the camera. For him that is the romance of it all - the fact that 'no two days are alike'. So whether it is an Aishwarya Rai, a Sachin Tendulkar, a MS Dhoni, a Mukesh Ambani or a Ratan Tata, shooting with each on separate and several occasions has its own element of romance and intrigue. "You shoot with someone even a 100 times and the 101st time will be different," says the seasoned 'campaigner'. "They may have gained weight, they may have lost weight, they may be looking better or worse, they may be having a personal crisis; they may be in the best personal space of their lives.... Every day, every person is different. I have the attention span of a grasshopper. There has to be something interesting about somebody for them to intrigue me."

And, believe it or not, but rarely do his subjects want to talk about themselves. It is not a narcissistic world that these icons who inspire romance, adulation and love in their fans that they inhabit while shooting with Kasbekar. "If I am shooting a cricketer, I will not speak cricket unless he wants to. Or if it is an actor in front of my lens, at most, I will compliment him/her on the last performance. And as far as the stars are concerned, it generally helps to set the zone because I am Zen calm while shooting," Kasbekar laughs. "I am not a screaming nutcase. No one needs the captain of the ship to have a panic attack. The Titanic is sinking, no problem, bring on the lifeboats, women and children first and we will all die. You keep a straight face while saying that. What I do is indulge in a lot of conversation, offer coffee.... And in between, I take pictures. There is something about everyone that can be tapped. Someone like Shah Rukh (Khan) can talk about anything. He is knowledgeable and can be hysterically funny about sport, films, politics, gossip...."

He sees romance in different ways in different people. It could be in the pout of a pretty actress or it could be in the passion that an MF Husain exhibits for his work. Recalling an encounter he had with the legendary artist in Dubai, Kasbekar says, "There is such an unbridled passion and joy in Husain, a constant process of reinvention that is crucial for an artist. With the work he has in mind, it is almost as if he has mapped out his life for the next 10 years. No one told him he is 90 plus. Young artists would baulk at what he is planning to do but he is on a roll. He bought a Bugati - the most expensive production car ever made - got it from the showroom, broke down the door of his home and parked it in his living room. He is a hopeless romantic."

Considering the fact that a fair share of his work is centred on capturing the body beautiful, it would be quite easy to slip into the realm of the bawdy. Kasbekar points out that there is a thin line between being attractive and vulgar. From his point of view, "That comes from the girl's and your sensibilities. I can't draw that line for anybody. For a Taliban specialist, anything outside a burkha is not happening. But in a space like Kingfisher, over the last eight years we have proved that it is possible to make the female body a thing of beauty and not just a sex object. The girls facing the camera can always come up with a take-me-to-bed pout. I tone that down a lot in conversation. I want a look that makes me want to take her home to my mom as well, and not just to her mom. I want a certain soft niceness in the eyes."

According to him the girl who shares the most romantic relationship with a camera is undoubtedly Malaika Arora Khan. She is by his description, to the camera born. "She is so fab," he states. "She will pout, bite her lip, wink. It is not me; it could be anyone behind the lens. She is simply making out with the camera. She comes alive at a photo shoot. This is how you work the camera."

On the other side, how Kasbekar works the camera is completely different. "Romancing the lens for me is a zone. There are some people you go into a zone with. It could be men or women. The rest of the world fades into nothingness. It is as if you are in a tunnel and you have an endorphin or adrenalin rush in your body. It is almost like the most powerful orgasm. It is almost like a drug...."

And he has his own share of crushes too, "I don't know why but I want to shoot Arundhati Roy. She is beautiful and intelligent. I like terribly opinionated people even if I do not agree with their opinions. I wish I had shot JRD Tata and Nani Palkhivala. Fabulously brainy persons are a turn on for me. Another person who inspires that sense in me is Meryl Streep. I see her name on credits and I will watch the movie. I don't care what genre it is or who else is in there."

For him, romance is all-consuming. It is something that makes time fly. He has had his fair share of sowing his wild oats in his growing up years. And yet, he remained a follower of his heart, something that led him to his wife, Vandana. "I am a complete romantic at heart," he states unabashedly. "I met my wife at a friend's party. I saw her across the room and knew that this was it. I spent the next year-and-a-half chasing here because she had heard many things about me and it took me a lot of time to convince her that this was a serious romance."

In an age of no mobiles and no virtual wooing, Kasbekar worked his way into Vandana's heart. "I would simply try to anticipate every possible wish of hers. So if she talked about some Eagles album, I would procure it that evening, record it on a tape and slip it into her bag the next day. I would go all the way from South Mumbai where I lived to Juhu by bus no 83 to drop her and return. I went off to the US to study photography for about four years but ran back every six months to keep the wolves of Mumbai at bay. Eventually she just gave me an 'E' for effort, gave up and gave in. Now we have been married for 19 years."

Vandana, a vital part of his work too, is the quieter of the two - for 'someone needs to listen'. Ask him how he would romance his wife today, and he replies, "What matters is the fact that I do things that are really important to her. She is the least bothered about gifts.... But if I volunteer - her calves or her lower back hurt after a long day - and go into massage mode or do things with the kids that would not otherwise be in my scope of activities that makes her smile a lot more than anything else would. We are both the same age and have been together since we were 19!"

All For Love Series – Part I

All For Love Series – Part I

Romance, love and happily-ever-after are loaded words that can take on diametrically different meanings at any point of time. Last year, we had women pouring their heart out in the Romance Diaries. This year, we decided to get three men to give their version of the big story. We start our series with youth heart-throb and romantic hero, Imran Khan. The young Khan just got engaged, and gets candid with us about past relationships, love and a strict code of honour.

The Quiet Romantic

Recently, Imran Khan got engaged to Avantika Malik after a seven-year relationship. The poster boy of romantic cinema, in his upcoming film I Hate Luv Storys, produced by Karan Johar, plays a true-to-life character that is completely unromantic. On a set of the film, staying in reel and real avatar, the young actor talks candidly to Sitanshi Talati-Parikh about relationships past and present, the insecurities and trials, and the importance of chivalry...peppered with intermittent reflections on what he thinks (or doesn't think) about romance demonstrated by funny pie charts, graphs and comic strips that he has saved on his laptop

I'm honestly the least romantic person you can find, really. By conventional definitions, and by my fiancée's definition, that is. But if she's lasted out this long, clearly she sees something in me!

It's not that I don't like romance...I just don't think it's feasible. When you are wooing someone, you put on your game face - bathe regularly, cut your nails, take her to fancy places, buy her flowers...all of the drama. It's a mating dance...but rather short-lived. As time goes on, how you feel about each other as people, how you treat each other as people, will determine whether your relationship will last.

And yet, I'm big on the proper proposals. I proposed to Avantika a month after we met, asking her if she would be my girlfriend - lighting her room with candles - the works. Somewhere in me, there is a classical streak - I was brought up with values of chivalry. You have to do it the right way - go down on one knee...it just doesn't work otherwise.

You do some things because you know that they are important to someone. I've been working on my last four birthdays, because I couldn't care less. To Avantika, a birthday is really important - the excitement starts to build a month-and-a-half in advance. So, I put in an effort to make a big deal about her birthday. The diamond engagement ring, the surprise proposal - while I know it's something created as a marketing concept by the diamond company, De Beers - I knew it would mean something to Avantika, it would make her happy, so I did the whole deal. I planned the surprise proposal on her birthday (last July) at her farmhouse with a bunch of friends, complete with a red herring to throw her off course. And then, as I pulled out the ring, while going down on one knee...the expression on her face was priceless.

Avantika would want me to be more expressive. When you are in a relationship with someone for an extended period of time, you tend to take on characteristics of the other person. She's taken on my characteristics, I know - and I have done the same. She's calmed down a lot. All her emotions are just below the surface, and sometimes on the surface. At a moment's notice she will erupt with love or anger or violence. My anger is more frigid - the angrier I am, the calmer I get and the softer my voice gets. It's very brutal and it really shrivels people up. When I'm livid, it takes two sentences to bring the other person to the brink of tears. But it takes something monumental to get me angry.

I have never been jealous - particularly in this relationship with Avantika. Even right in the beginning, it never occurred to me that at any point, if she is somewhere without me, something would happen with another guy. If you've been messed with a few times in life, you would imagine it should, but it didn't. I've cheated on one girl in my life and broke up with her the next day - couldn't deal with the guilt. More often than not, I've got the raw end of the deal; it took me a very long time to get over it. There was a grand break-up, followed by extremely short-term relationships - measurable in hours - and in the aftermath of that, I met Avantika.

I had not the slightest clue when I entered the relationship that it would be for keeps. I was 19. What do you think at the time? 'Pretty girl, I am interested in her and she in me; let's just see how it goes.' It started off without any specific intentions and just coasted along. It speaks for itself that we are still in it.

I think the wisdom is false that in this industry it is an advantage to be thought of as single. If you are in a committed relationship and honest about it, people respect you that much more. Emotionally, they like you more, it makes them think, 'This is a good guy, an honest guy.' There are enough people out there who think all Bollywood relationships are a sham. And some of them are. Avantika believes that if she were in this 'circus' with anyone else, it wouldn't have lasted.

Avantika isn't insecure, but there's something else.... She doesn't worry that I might get attracted to an actress or model. What I think bothers her is the fact that people talk to her because she's my fiancée, and if she were not, they wouldn't even look at her; or there are others who just look through her. There is a tendency in these circles to talk to people without having things in common, because you are a part of the same fraternity - and anyone not in that immediate circle gets left out.

We've been through two major trials recently - the first when we started shooting Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na. It involved people who had nothing to do with her life. Generally, your friends are common, but suddenly I'm spending days and nights with people whom she has never seen. That was a very difficult time - she had to come to terms with the fact that I suddenly had less time to spend with her. And the next was when Jaane Tu...had just released - suddenly I became famous and the whole world wanted a piece of me.

I've lived my life believing that you decide who you want to be and you can be that person. You look back, learn and move on. I don't have any regrets about my current or past relationships. If I had done something differently with Avantika, perhaps we wouldn't be here today. Things wouldn't be the same.

If I fall prey to the ugliness that is a part of the underbelly of this industry, it won't be because I am a part of this industry - it would be for the reason that any man in any job would...which is that he is done with the relationship. It certainly won't be because I get tempted by some girl who thinks, 'I want to sleep with an actor.'

The rumours that tabloids pick on for sensationalism can so easily sully a clean relationship. It happened to me once - and because of all the drama, all the sudden awkwardness, it has soured some friendships.

I don't want to be in a position where I give Avantika any cause for discomfort. If I had to choose to cut a person out of my life to give Avantika that security, I would do it - I did it. The very fact that I have done this, and the fact that I have acknowledged her as my girlfriend from the beginning, gives her that kind of security. I don't know whether she would expect this of me in the future, or as a result of my having done this, her faith in me would be stronger and I would not need to do something like that again.

I live my life by a very strict code of conduct - I believe that I must behave in a certain way, be a certain way. Everything that I do must be righteous. Commitment means a lot to me. So, hypothetically, if I was to be tired of my relationship, I would not cheat, I would say, 'End this, and then go find another girl.'

You read about chivalry. Bushido is the samurai code of conduct - the way of the warrior. They have certain principles, where 'to say is to do' - your word is your bond. I was probably eight or ten when I read about these things. I loved the King Arthur legends. It was cool - armour, swords, rescuing damsels in distress, leading chaste lives...and I decided I wanted to be like these guys. It always got them into trouble with the girls - and I still get suckered by damsels in distress. It's an inbuilt thing...every guy falls for it!

I believe if you do the right things, you don't need grand gestures of romance. Men use these smokescreens to cover up their relationship inadequacies. I can neglect my girlfriend all day and turn up with a bunch of roses - that doesn't make it okay. Instead, if I call her twice during the day, we stay connected. The candy floss idea of romance is just that - paint and gloss. Paint is all very well, but it is not going to keep the rain out - it is the unglamorous bricks and mortar that will. The good guys don't need showbiz.

Source: Indian Express

Ten old friends key to happiness

Ten old friends key to happiness

A new study conducted by University of Nottingham researchers suggests that happiness depends upon the number of old friends one has.

The researchers have found that people with at least 10 good pals are likely to be happier than those with fewer than five.

“Having a number of old, close friendship is related to individual happiness,” British tabloid The Sun quoted Dr. Richard Tunney of the University of Nottingham as saying.

“People who were ‘extremely satisfied’ with life had twice as many friends as people ‘extremely dissatisfied’,” he added.

Source: ANI

Lived happily ever after?

Lived happily ever after?

It’s safe to say that most Hindi films end with the hero and heroine getting united or reunited (as the case may be) and leaving us with promises of a long and happy life ahead, full of impromptu songs, dances around trees and multiple costume changes. But anyone who’s ever been in a relationship knows that life is not like that at all. What if we were to meet our beloved film characters a few years after the “The End” sign came on screen? What would be going on with them then?

Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...!

As we all know, towards the end of Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Madhuri Dixit's character Nisha was all dressed up to get married to Salman Khan's elder brother. It was only thanks to a vigilant pomerarian that disaster was averted and Nisha ended up with Prem. Call me old-fashioned if you want, but won't it be really awkward to live in a joint family and sing happy songs with the man you married and the man you almost married?

 

 

Dilwale Duhania Le Jaayenge

Yes, the songs were great; the vistas of Switzerland prompted many a visa application and the triumph of love over parental opposition was historic. But if one were to remove the mustard tinted lenses and look at Raj and Simran's relationship, one might spot a serious problem or two. For one thing, Raj was not even a college graduate. Not being snobbish or anything but I'm guessing that for a middle class girl like Simran, education would mean an awful lot. Secondly, judging by his off-hand attitude towards girls, Raj seemed to show some serious commitment issues. Who's to say he doesn't meet someone else while trekking up to Machu Pichu and love blossoms right there in the middle of the ancient Mayan ruins? All I'm saying is, Simran, keep a close watch on your man!

 

Rangeela

One major fight I see the couple having is over what Aamir "Munna" Khan would wear on their wedding day. Judging by his taste in clothes throughout the movie, it would be something unquestionably hideous and budding film star Urmila "Milli" Matondkar will simply not abide by that. But the question of a wedding outfit will only come up if there is to be a wedding. Let's face it - our Hindi film industry is not very fond of married actresses and Milli had dreamed of stardom for too long to give it up for domestic bliss. Her middle class sensibilities are not going to permit her to live-in with Munna and his borderline chauvinism will not be very pleased with being asked to wait. I see T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

 

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Right, so Anjali (Kajol) clearly had a tomboyish streak in her (which I found totally adorable by the way) that she'd quelled through many years of training and learning to play basketball in a saree. What if the girl got fat? Many women do after getting married and "settling down" you know. What if she decided that her long hair was getting boring and went and got a haircut? Would Rahul (SRK) decide he's no longer attracted to her and put her back into "best friend" category? If I were Anjali, I'd say the man has a lot of explaining to do.

 

Kaho Naa... Pyar Hai

First of all, Sonia (Amisha Patel) has to grapple with the reality that her father was pretty much responsible for the death of the love of her live Rohit. That's years of therapy and paranoia medication right there. Then, because this is a Hindi film and everyone is expected to end up happily ever after, Sonia gets a second chance at a romance with Raj, who just happens to be a dead ringer for her old boyfriend. I see much confusion with names occurring at the most inopportune times. Frankly, this case of substituted ingredients is nothing but a recipe for disaster.

 

Kal Ho Naa Ho

Imagine knowing that you got the girl only because the main hero died of a mysterious ailment. Not good for the ego, is it? I'm guessing Saif's character Rohit probably suffered from some major self-esteem issues in his marriage and will not be surprised if he may have strayed off the path of fidelity owing to his insecurities.

 

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

You know how couples are when they fight. They take the worst quality about each other and use it as ammunition. Now Dev (Shahrukh) and Maya (Rani) are two people who cheated on their original partners to be with each other. And Dev was generally known to be quite a disgruntled so-and-so, what with his broken leg and shattered dreams. Can you imagine the attitude he'd give Maya the next time a student's father spoke to her for an extra five minutes? We can just imagine SRK chanting, "Once a cheater, always a cheater" in his own special hammed way. No sir, not what we'd call a very healthy relationship.

 

3 Idiots

As an involved viewer (with too much time on her hands clearly), I had a lot of questions about Piya and Rancho/Phunsuk's love story. What made Piya go back to that ass Suhas? In the 10 years or so they were apart, was Rancho with no one else? I mean, it's known to get pretty cold in Ladakh and who knows what one might do for a little warmth... Is Piya ready to leave her good job in a posh hospital in Delhi and settle down in Ladakh? And of course there was that matter of the surname change.

Teen girl refuses to marry drunk man!

Teen girl refuses to marry drunk man!

Chances are that Mohammed Abdul Hakim is now sober. And still single. A day ago he was dumped at the altar by the teenage bride-to-be for being a drunkard.

Kulsum Khatoon, a resident of Naharniya village in Madhubani district, Sunday refused to marry Hakim after she was informed that he was habitually drunk.

"Kulsum stunned villagers when a Muslim priest began to solemnize their wedding and she publicly declared that she would not marry Hakim," a local police official said.

She told her father Mohammed Razaullah that she would not marry Hakim. Taking his daughter's side, Razaullah told the bridegroom's marriage party to return.

In rural Bihar, where the social scales are tilted heavily against women, over half a dozen such cases have been reported in the last few months where brides have refused to marry unsuitable grooms because they are either illiterate or unemployed. Till a few years ago, it was rare for a woman to refuse a groom chosen for her.

According to the 2001 Census, the gender ratio was 921 women against 1,000 men in Bihar. The female population is 39.7 million as against 43.2 million males.

Source: IANS

How stress toys work/Health

How stress toys work

A stress toy is a soft object that can easily fit into the palm of one’s hands and be squeezed to reduce stress, muscular and emotional tension as well. Stress toys are usually colourful and mostly come in the shape of a ball and are known as stress balls. However, sometimes, they are also available in the shape of cute animals, fruits, vehicles etc. They are made out of soft materials like high-density foam, polyurethane or soft rubber. Here’s how stress toys work:

• Muscle tension occurs due to stress and it adds to the mental tension faced by a person. When one squeezes a stress toy in the palm of his/her hand, the muscles in the hand contract and relax.
• Also when one breathes deeply while squeezing and unsqueezing the stress toy in their palms, stress gets released little by little. And this form of relieving stress is termed as progressive relaxation.
• When one plays with stress toys, it helps to divert one’s attention from the source of the stress and this in turn provides stability and peace to the mind.
• Stress toys help in improving blood circulation which in turn helps in curbing down toxins in the body and providing oxygen in the body.
• Stress toys provide stimulation of the nerves in the hands. This is a similar technique to the Chinese system of acupressure.
• Using stress toys also help in stimulating endorphins in the brain which is also known as the happy hormones.

Source: Bombay Times

Emotionally insecure/Health

Emotionally insecure?

Everybody has faced some sort of emotional insecurity at some point of time in their lives. Whether it’s feeling insecure when you see your girlfriend talking to a handsome-looking guy or the fact that your friend has lost oodles of weight thus, looks fabulous and you secretly fear that no guy/man is going to even notice you in her presence. Emotional insecurity can also arise on the professional front, for example, a colleague received a promotion and you did not, so now you feel that you might be sacked.

These feelings of insecurity range from rational to irritation and in varying degrees. However, for some people sometimes their insecurities tend to severely affect their personality, behaviour, relationships and social life. And that’s where the problem arises, which needs to be rectified.

Definition
“Insecurity is a feeling of general anxiety or nervousness that maybe conceived by perceiving of oneself to be unloved, inadequate or worthless in a rational or an irrational manner,” says clinical psychologist and trauma therapist, Seema Hingorrany.

A classic example of insecurity would be that wife tries calling her husband at work, and his phone is busy. She then starts conjuring images in her mind that probably he is talking to some other lady or has an extra marital affair. Jumping to conclusions without having sufficient evidence of it is emotional insecurity.

Veena Chakravarthy, psychotherapist, neuropsychologist and counsellor, says, “Emotional insecurity comes when an individual doesn’t value his/her self. Since absence of this gives rise to insecurity, fear, lack of confidence. All of these can trigger emotional disturbances and emotional insecurity.”

Dr Kanan Khatau Chikhal, clinical psychologist, says that in human beings there is a tendency to see ourselves as incomplete. And we feel the need to complete this either through a person or an object. If the search begins with incompleteness then it will also end with incompleteness. An object or person transiently will alleviate the insecurity and after sometime, on will again be reminded of his/her incompleteness.

Causes
There many reasons as to why emotional insecurity can occur in individuals. Hingorrany says that if during childhood a parent is unavailable and self absorbed, children get lost in their own inner world, avoiding any close, emotional connections. As adults, they may become physically and emotionally insecure in their relationships. Also, if a parent is inconsistent or intrusive, it’s a strong possibility that children become anxious and fearful, never knowing what to expect.

Complex Trauma’s like sexual abuse, physical abuse and death of a significant parent can cause emotional insecurities. Adults and children who are genetically predisposed to depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns suffer from emotional insecurity.

Effects
The negative effects of emotional insecurity can be felt on one’s personality, relationships and social life too. Hingorrnay says, “Insecure people tend to be very sensitive to critique and respond with defensiveness.”
Insecurity has many effects in a person’s life. There are several levels of it. It nearly always causes some degree of isolation as a typically insecure person withdraws from people to some extent due to frivolous fights and jealousy. The greater the insecurity, the higher the degree of isolation due to unfavourable demands they put on other people. People with emotional insecurities are more susceptible to depression and chronic psychological pains and other hosts of psychosomatic concerns.
Chakravarthy says, “Emotional insecurity can also give rise to shyness, social withdrawal, problems in relationships, paranoia, aggressive personality, controlling personality etc.”

Coping
Dr Kanan suggests technique like Vipasana and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), where working with the subconscious mind to help avoid emotional insecurity. Realisation that you are the only one who can fill the feeling of incompleteness and not another object or person.

Hingorrany shares the following tips:

• Become aware of your personal strengths and accepting yourself as a worthy person despite the weaknesses you have.
• Listen to how you treat yourself - the internal conversation you have with yourself is vital. Encourage positive self-talk.
• Work each day on improving self-esteem. It will not be an overnight change, but gradually you should start seeing positive results.
• Focus on your dreams and goals, rather than on things and people that cause you stress and negative emotions.
• When something goes wrong try to figure out a solution instead of wallowing in self pity.

Symptoms

• Feelings of sadness and hopelessness
• A loss of interest in daily activities
• Crying is also a common symptom
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Low levels if energy
• Frequent mood swings
• Nervousness
• Fear of change
• Low self-esteem.

Source: Bombay Times

Are you taking the right salt?

Are you taking the right salt?

Here is a guide to the different types of salts, dangers of high salt consumption and expert opinion about reducing salt intake

Every meal is incomplete without this ingredient - Salt - one of the oldest known and used spices. Table salt is not the only salt available; there is more to this flavour enhancing ingredient. Here is a guide to the different types of salts, dangers of high salt consumption and expert opinion about reducing salt intake.

Types of salt
Salt is of three basic types. These basic salts have been modified slightly and put to a variety of uses.

Table salt
Table salt is mined from salt deposits and has most of the minerals removed during the refining process. This salt is harvested by forcing water into a mine to create brine (salt and water mix). The brine is then left in huge tanks and sun dried leaving huge heaps of salt behind. This salt is further refined to create varieties like:

• Iodized salt – contains a small amount of potassium iodide and dextrose added to regular table salt as a supplement to prevent thyroid disease. This salt is mostly used in areas where there is iodine deficiency.
• Pickling or canning salt – is fine grained without iodine or anti-caking preservatives. Anti- caking agents can turn pickles dark and the pickling liquid cloudy. Pickles can be made with table salt, but soon there is degradation in appearance and the pickle might not look appetizing.
• Rock salt – large crystalline variation with a gray shade as the minerals are not removed completely during the refining process.
• Seasoned salt – has come up in the recent years, with the growth of fast food joints. It is normal table salt where herbs like onion or garlic are added.
• Coloured salt: This is a relatively new product. Food colouring is added to salt as a novelty and not to alter the flavour. Using coloured salt as a condiment on the table makes it easier to see how much you apply and helps cut down excess salt use.

Kosher salt
This salt is also made from brine solution, but it is larger and coarse-grained. The difference between table and Kosher salt is that during the evaporation process, Kosher salt is raked to give it a block-like structure, making the salt coarser, flakier and less denser. Thus, this salt can easily draw out blood from meats. Kosher salt can be used in cocktail glasses for drinks like margaritas, as it hardly has any aftertaste. Many chefs prefer kosher salt over table salt as it dissolves fast and its flavour disperses quickly.

Sea salt
Sea Salt is gained by evaporating salt water collected from an ocean or sea. As it is less refined and obtained from various seawaters used, there is a hue of minerals present in it. The different sea salts include:

• Black salt, kala namak, sanchal – It is pearly pink to gray in colour. It has excess Sulphur which provides the salt with its characteristic smell and colour. It is commonly used in Indian cooking. Soumya Venkitachalam, senior nutrition therapist, Fortis Hospital, Mulund states that “Contrary to popular belief, the crude versions of salt like black salt tend to have better flavour, but lack health benefits.”
• Hawaiian sea salt – It is distinctively pink in colour as it contains alaea, a volcanic red clay having high iron oxide content. It is commonly used in Hawaiian dishes like jerky and pig.
• Fleur de Sel, Flower of Salt, Flor de Sal – It is skimmed from the top of the salt water in the early stages of evaporation. The flavour varies depending on the region it is harvested from. Typically it is from France though some of it is produced in Portugal. This condiment salt is good on grilled meats, salads and on vegetables.
• French sea salt – Usually white to gray in colour and contains natural iodine. It has a coarse texture.
  Italian sea salt, Sicilian sea salt, Sale Marino –This salt has a gray tinge and it is high in iodine, fluorine, magnesium and potassium. Harvested from the lower Mediterranean Sea, by hand, using traditional methods of natural evaporation. The delicate flavour of this salt, makes it suitable for salads and sauces.
• Smoked sea salt - This salt is smoked over real wood fires to add the flavour to the crystals. These can be used in soups, salads, pasta and also in grilled dishes like salmon.

Excess salt is a potential threat. Here are some “salty facts”

• The human diet, for millions of years, did not contain any added salt – the only one which people consumed was the salt present in natural sources which equalled to less than 1000 mg/day.
• Today, on an average Indians consume around 10-15gms of salt per day, which is pretty high against the WHO recommendation of 5gms of salt per day.
• Excess salt contributes to various health conditions like hypertension, kidney disease, heart disease, osteoporosis, stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, ulcers, and stomach cancer. Edema (water retention) is also caused by excess salt intake.
• 80% of sodium in the diet comes from processed and restaurant foods.
• An Indian diet is incomplete without pickles, namkeens, papads, oily snacks, bakery products – all of which contribute to the high amount of sodium as well as salt intake.
• And finally, sea salt is not healthier than table salt – all salt comes from the sea, and it doesn’t matter if it’s pink, gray or white, it’s still about 98% sodium chloride.

Reducing salt intake
Venkitachalam says that “For any healthy adult, 4-5gms/day (1tsp) salt can be utilised while cooking but it is important to avoid top salt”. She also adds, “In a tropical country like ours, electrolytes are lost rapidly due to excessive perspiration but research says that extra dietary salt is not needed as sodium homeostasis is maintained by renal conservation of sodium.”

Neethu Vipin, dietician, DY Patil Hospital, Nerul recommends a normal healthy adult to use iodised table salt in moderation. Here are some other tips to cut down on your salt intake:

• Read labels carefully: Salt comes in many forms and it is important to understand the different ways it can be listed on ingredient lists. Mono sodium glutamate (aji-no-moto), baking soda, baking powder, disodium phosphate, sodium alginate, and sodium nitrate all represent sodium. So be careful when you purchase refined products, ready-to-eats, pickles, processed foods, papads etc.
• Cooking: Cutting out salt, slowly will allow you to get used to the flavour of having less salt and as days go by you will notice that the body craves for lesser salt.
• Keep the salt shaker away: The most harmful thing to do is to add top salt to cooked meals. So keep that salt shaker away from the dining table.
• Swap your salt: Switch salt with healthier alternatives such as herbs and spices
• Using salt substitutes: This is generally done only under medical supervision for conditions like hypertension or edema. Lite salt uses potassium chloride to reduce the sodium level in the salt. LoNa salt is low sodium salt particularly used in a clinical set-up, where again potassium is the sodium replacement. These salts do not have a good flavour. Venkitachalam says, “As potassium is used to replace sodium, there is a chance of hyperkalemia (excess potassium in the system), which puts excess load on the kidneys. Also heart patients and diabetics should make sure to use salt substitutes under strict medical supervision.”

World's Youngest Yoga Teacher World Record set by Shruti Pandey India

World's Youngest Yoga Teacher World Record set by Shruti Pandey India

At just six, Shruti Pandey is the youngest yoga trainer in the world.
The bendy youngster has been teaching adults at an ashram, in northern India, for the last two years.
Her trainer, Hari Chetan, 67, set up the ashram 35 years ago and as soon as little Shruti became one of his students, as a tiny four-year old, he spotted her talents.
Now she starts her classes at 5.30am every morning, at Brahmanand Saraswati Dham, in the Jhunsi town, dressed in white leggings and a red t-shirt surrounded by 30 eager pupils ranging from businessmen, teachers, housewives to pensioners.
Shruti said: 'It feels good when people follow my instructions, I feel like a real teacher.
'I got interested in yoga after seeing my brother do it. I tried picking it up myself but it was too hard. So I asked my parents to send me to yoga classes.'
Her brother, Harsh Kumar, now 11-years-old, made the Limca Book of Records at the tender age of five by learning all 84 yoga positions - but he's never been interested in being a teacher like his sister.
Hari, who Shruti also calls her grandfather, think she's a miracle.
'She's a fast learner and a perfectionist. She grasps techniques quickly unlike kids her own age, who get bored with something as patience consuming as yoga.
'Within just six months of her training, she surprised everyone by doing the toughest positions with ease and perfection. She's a natural.'
Shruti can manage some of yoga's most challenging positions. She can easily hold her entire body on the strength of her little arms and hang her legs right over her head backwards.
One of Shruti's fans, 90-year-old Swami Bhanu, a retired teacher, said: 'The best thing about Shruti is she tries to provide an alternative position for the complicated ones that are difficult for an older person like me to do. She's very patient.'
Businessman Lokendra Pal Singh, 48, has been attending Shruti's classes for three months and said, 'I have noticed a positive change in my life. I used to be short-tempered, but now I'm able to control my anger to quite an extent and it's all thanks to a little six-year old.'