Eves November 2009

Rs. 15/ Only South India’s Lifestyle Fornightly

Vol: 5 No: 154

November 16-30, 2009

Rs. 15.00

16 Pages

The Beauty Bistro

Advances in the Treatment of Diabetes

For Your Eyes Only Simbu

Jus’ ask Brinda

Salt & Peper Corner

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LIVING WELL WITH DIABETES W

e are in the midst of a Diabetes explosion, even as we commemorate yet another World Diabetes Day on 14 November. While the increasing incidence of diabetes world over is a cause for alarm, escalating awareness is happening alongside too. Let us comprehend that diabetes is not a disease but an altered bodily condition that is chiefly lifestyle related. Diabetes can be managed effectively to lead a complete and fulfilling life. Eve’s Times brings to you the story of such a person who shares his experiences as a diabetic and unveils the secret behind leading a healthy life. Just recently, Ravi Bhaskaran won an award for being the Best Speaker of the Toastmaster’s club in Chennai. He was the

oldest speaker to win the award. As Ravi launches into pleasant nostalgia, it is hard to decipher that life has been a roller-coaster ride for the septuagenarian. Ravi is an active member of the Madras Players, a renowned theatre group in Chennai, a management consultant for three companies, working part time and an avid participant in the meetings of Toastmaster’s club, of which he is a member. He is also a mentor for organizations and clubs. He is very much in love with Marie Bhaskaran his wife who is sixty six now, ‘but looks half her age,’ he says proudly. And the biggest surprise comes when he says that he has been playing cricket all his life and had played for his college, for the University, moving on to the state level. What takes the cake is that he has been literally on the streets, as a sales and marketing executive and had a roaring career going for him. His hard work, enterprising nature and a positive attitude in life has enabled him to settle down to harmony and peace in his dream home, an independent bungalow in the heart of the city. Ravi’s two sons and daughters have their own bustling careers and are settled with their families in different parts of the world. Ravi Bhaskaran has been a juvenile diabetic since he was sixteen. There was no history of diabetes in his family and it was surmised that an attack of mumps could have probably led to this condition. In 1955, juvenile diabetes was unheard of. Loss of weight, excessive thirst and frequent urination indicated that something was wrong and he was rushed to the doctor. His blood sugar level was sky high! He was immediately put on a single morning dose of insulin injections .This was the time when after the board exams he was waiting to join the college and was nurturing the dream of joining

the college cricket team. Ravi made up his mind to lead as normal a life as possible, if not better and decided to follow the doctor’s counsel faithfully to keep his sugar levels in control. Competition was stiff to be selected in the college cricket team and Ravi emerged successful. His decision to keep quiet about his diabetes came in handy. He played successfully for the Loyola College for five years and thereafter for Madras University where he completed his degree in law and a post graduate degree in Economics from Loyola College, Chennai. “ My mother was very supportive. She used to prepare separate meals for me and also gave me the courage to do whatever I wanted to do ,’ he says with gratitude. Ravi came under the care of the renowned diabetologist Dr.Viswanathan and later moved on to his son Dr. Mohan. He attended free lectures and counseling sessions on diabetes conducted by Dr.Viswanthan, which he says were very useful and

enabled him to plan his life. The sessions still continue in Dr. Mohan’s Specialities Centre in Chennai, helping many juvenile diabetics, the youth and the aged. With a strict regimen of food, exercise and regular shots, which is three times a day now, Ravi says categorically, “ You have to be strict. There is no scope for indulgence at all. This attitude has seen me through thick and thin.” Getting a job with his condition was an uphill task. After about a year, he took up a sales job, because that was the only one that came his way and that too, after he had decided not to reveal about his condition. Those days people were not aware of juvenile diabetes and it was not worth taking a risk divulging details they were not prepared to understand . Thus started his career of 42 years in sales and marketing. His job in different companies in this field took him to Bangalore, Hyderabad and Vizag. He was living on his own and eating out. Despite his hectic lifestyle Ravi has never

November 16-30, 2009

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Ocean Racing - Navigating New Seas T

op Indian laser sailor Ajay Rau made his debut recently in Yacht racing held in Sydney. While Team M finished First in Twilight Race, sailing the Sydney36CR class, this is the young sailor’s first time racing for a professional team. He raced a 60 foot yacht –Kite Runner, and finished 2nd. “It was a great experience being part of a professional team and racing in these massive keel boats. I have a long way to go and there is a lot to learn. This development is the beginning of chasing

my dream of maybe one day competing in ‘Ocean Racing Regattas’ such as the ‘Rolex Sydney to Hobart’ or the ‘Volvo Ocean Race’,” remarked an elated Ajay. The talented world no 15 Radial Sailor has again expressed interest in taking part in the 2009 Down under series. With the 2012 Olympics in London and 2016 in Rio, Sailing is going to be the centre of attention during the next two Olympic Games as both host countries are very strong in this sport and both the locations boast

of some of the best racing conditions in the world. Ajay is one of the rare Indian sailors to make rapid progress in the sport in such a short time.

Second Prize for Chennai TOLIC( Banks / FIs)

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hennai TOLIC ( Banks/ FIs) has been awarded II Prize in the TOLIC ( Banks ) category conducted by Regional official Language conference conducted by Regional Implementation Office , Department of Official Language, M/o Home affairs ( South West) Kochi, JIPMER, Puducherry on 09-10-09 for the year 2008-9. Shri P.K. Chathurvedi, Chairman , Chennai TOLIC & GM, IOB received the prize form Hon’ble Minister of State for Home affairs , Govt of India , Shri Ajay Makan and member secretary Dr. Abdul Khader received the certificate.

November 16-30, 2009

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Doodles Turning the Clock Back?

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sit down to give vent to my impressions on various happenings around me and decide to write about the ensuing Children’s Day and a lot of social issues concerning children today. Every Children’s Day flies past without much alteration in the predicament of millions of unfortunate children with only distant dreams to fill up their lives , not morsels of food that can quell the grumblings of their stomachs

Art Nook

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or education that can satiate their thirst for knowledge. But then my mind is assaulted by the images I saw in the news channels and pictures of today’s newspaper headlines swim before my eyes. I am struck by the fact that today adults are trying to behave much like children. Images of the first day of the session of the newly elected Maharashtra Assembly flash in my mind. The Maharashtra

Assembly turned a venue of vandalism as MNS members damaged equipment, hurled papers and banners and protested against a member from taking the oath of office in Hindi. It brought to me memories of our school days. When the teacher was not around, sometimes, unruly boys or mischievous girls used to crowd around the class monitor and taunt him when he or she was minding the class. In the same newspaper the next piece of headline news was that of 200 advocates who gheraoed justices in Karnataka High Court. The advocates barged into the court hall, raised slogans against the Chief Justice,

Lalgudi’s 80

abused the lawyers present in the court, assaulted some and physically removed them from the court. The lawyers also locked the doors of the hall where the judges were sitting and cut off power supply. One can overlook such instances with a shrug and look at it humorously, guffawing at the infantile behaviour of our politicians and legal professionals. But the stark reality is that we are tolerating way too much either due to apathy, self-centredness, fear or lack of time or inclination to put an end to such display of immaturity and juvenile tendencies on the part of adults on whom we have reposed immense faith and responsibilities.

he Lalgudi Music Forum in association with Sri Krishna Gana Sabha celebrated the 80th birthday of violin maestro Lalgudi G. Jayaraman on October 11, 4.30 p.m. at the sabha premises, T. Nagar. I had gone with my son to attend this concert, being a keen follower of the Lalgudi baani and my son being the student of SP Ramh. The journey to T Nagar was arduous amidst the Deepvali shopping spree and the huge human wave thronging the Panagal Park ! I had decided to take an auto to avoid driving during this time. But what a mistake it was, as autos were not allowed inside and we had to wade through the human crowd to reach Krishna Gana Sabha. Musicologist Sujatha Vijayaraghavan ‘s speech was on with nice anecdotes and glimpses into the maestro’s life. When a

person of the stature of violin vidwan Lalgudi G. Jayaraman celebrates his 80th birthday, there is bound to be plenty of anecdotes to recall and several memories to recount. His rasikas and students recalled incidents from his performances and aspects of his music that left them enthralled. Sujatha, who was associated with Mr. Jayaraman while she was compiling his works, said that if as an accompanist he elevated the concert, then as a musician he made all efforts to ensure that the music was perfect. Her association with Jaya Jaya Devi the beautiful musical dance opera and the kind of interest Lalgudi showed in every nuances of the dance was highlighted. She concluded by saying, “Every artist is a child. Lalgudi has retained the excitement of a child. ”

leaders who can take our country further. At this rate, our so called leaders who seem to be inebriated with power and greed for control will not turn the clock back to their childhood days… but may turn the society toward Neanderthal age! Happy Children’s Day to all the adults out there who would like to revel in the joys of childhood in gay abandon and to those who watch their antics in silence! Ciao Swati Amar

It is high time we think about pressing for an act to outline rules of public behaviour and speech. It appears that unless more and more acts and laws are passed, we may not be able to control those with a penchant for breaking the laws and displaying undesirable behaviour in public. Even as we go to the press, I get to see the footage of Jessica Lal’s killer Manu Sharma out on parole to enjoy a party in a night club.

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Birthday Celebrations

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There is a heated debate on one of the channels with a couple of government stooges trying to defend the decision to allow him to go on a parole under the pretext of his mother’s illness. They also show his healthy mother participating in a public function. My mind screams, ‘enough is enough,’ (Sorry NDTV!) and I determine that I would be the first person to join any movement or body that will empower citizens to come together and voice their opinions, make responsible decisions and campaign for

The celebration also had a lec-dem by ghatam exponent T.V. Vasan and T.V. Ramani on the nuances of Lalgudi music, and a speech, ‘Lalgudi and his music’, by R. Thiagarajan, chairman, Shriram Group.

said, “We have watched his performance. Students like me learnt music listening to his recorded performances. His music belongs to pure Carnatic style. His music gushes like a river, but does not break the banks.”

‘Lalgudi 80’, a commemorative book comprising rare photographs and articles that trace the violinist’s musical journey through the decades, and a CD of a live recording of a concert performed in 1984 at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, was released by Dr. N. Ramanathan, who

R. Thiagarajan of the forum said there were about 500 to 600 hours of recorded music by the maestro that would be archived at Krishna Gana Sabha. Efforts were on to collect video and audio recordings. He said there were offers to fund the project.

Compositions of the Trinity and others in Lalgudi patantaram was presented at 7.30 p.m. by S. Saketharaman, accompanied by Vittal Ramamurthy, R. Ramesh and T. V. Vasan. Saketharamn’s presentation was tailor made starting with Arabhi Sree Saraswati Namosthuthey and followed by the lovely Bindu Malini composition, Entha Muddho Entha Sogaso ! One wished he could have elaborated and delved more into Bindu Malini which is a rare raga and there are only two compositions in this ragaone by Thiagaraja and a melodious tillana composed by the maestro Lalgudi himself. Saketharaman hurriedly concluded the concert after a Bhairavi composition. This was followed by a concert of Lalgudi’s compositions by S. P. Ramh with Vittal Ramamurthy, R. Ramesh and T. V. Vasan. SP Ramh too had his performance filled with lilting compositions of Lalgudi, starting with Nilambari PadaVarnam and ending with Hindola vasantham thillana of his Guru. Since most of Lalgudi’s compositions are pada varnam’s and thillanas,

the kritis were filled up with Lalgudi Gopala Iyer ( grand father’s compositions.) SP Ramh”s sincere rendering of the same was a treat to hear. The book and CD are reasonably priced. One brushed shoulders with veterans like TRS and most of Lalgudi’s disciples like Sankari Krishnan and Pakkala Ramdas were around. One missed Bombay Jayashri though !

By Malini Shankar

November 16-30, 2009

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The g n i n n Wi Smile C

ertain dental procedures performed entirely inside your mouth can make your face look younger. If you lost your back teeth, it will result in a depression on your cheek giving you an aged look. The teeth and bone structure form the foundations for the mouth and surrounding tissue. When that framework is not completely aligned and the bottom teeth do not meet the top teeth with exact precision, then the area around the mouth can lose its tone and therefore its shape. This causes a drooping effect, contributing to an aged appearance. Attractive smiles dramatically improve your self-image. When you have a wonderful smile, you feel like smiling often and would not have to bother about stained or crooked teeth any more. Dentistry is advanced to a great extent today. If you have crooked teeth you don’t have to think that no improvement is possible. Braces are not for kids alone. In fact, today invisible braces are available and no one will know that you are wearing braces. Dentists can remodel and restore chipped or crooked teeth in

few appointments, which will be painless. For removing more or less permanent stains caused by coffee, tea or smoking that cause stubborn stains which tend to accumulate near the gum line professional cleaning has to be done by a dental hygienist . It is known as scaling in dental parlance. Scrubbing your teeth aggressively with commercial abrasives can wear down the enamel which will add to greater misery if you have already lost considerable enamel through wear and tear. When enamel wears down, it exposes the dentin or cementum underneath and jeopardizes the health of the tooth. Dental professionals scrub away stains and plaque with either powdered pumice stone or a device known as the Prophy Jet, which sandblasts the tooth surface with baking soda. Teeth are then polished to a high gloss to discourage deposits and reflect light, giving them a pearly appearance. Polishing and professional cleaning does not cause harm to your teach. To be continued…..

Beauty’ S Peak

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ve’s Times is happy to carry out a column on beauty care by cosmetologist and aesthetician Vasundhra, Chennai’s renowned woman of beauty and influence. Vasundhra’s tips will help the busy women of today to maintain their health and appearance without much ado.

Clear All

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andruff is a problem that many have during winters. This is because the scalp becomes extra dry and the dead cells come off as scaly particles. To prevent dandruff formation, rub warm oil which could be an aromatic oil or pure coconut oil over your scalp before a hair wash. For some the hair

becomes brittle and develops split ends or the hair fall is more during winters. After the warm oil treatment, they can wash of their hair using a quality shampoo and conditioner or use green gram dhal powder to wash off. This will prevent hair fall or split ends. You can even look at applying leave on conditioners that are rich in protein to prevent split ends. Some women feel they are prone to colds during winters if they wash their hair as frequently as they do during the summers. Hence they tend to cut down on their hair wash routine having a head bath only once a week, which is not right. It is important to keep your scalp and hair clean just like you do for

your body. If you have sinus or are prone to colds and coughs you can think of ways and means to prevent such conditions by being extra careful. Wipe your scalp immediately after the head bath. If you can get hold of the Ayurvedic bath powder, which is specially advised for the head, rub a little powder over the scalp in the centre of your head and behind the lower ends of the ears. This will help prevent continuous bouts of sneezing after a head bath, colds and coughs. Or else mix eucalyptus oil in your bath water when you go for a head bath. Have a bath in lukewarm water always. You can also try to mix aroma oils with peppermint or rose flavour to your bath water.

Another home care tip to keep your skin smooth during winter is to add two teaspoons of milk to your bathwater or mix three teaspoons of pure honey in two buckets of water and have a bath. This will keep your skin radiant and smooth during winters. Some women use only traditional methods to maintain their beauty. I know of women who use turmeric powder, green gram dhal powder, garlic and shikakai for their body and hair wash. However, these will not suit everybody and you must decide which products suit your skin type before adopting a proper home care regime. To be continued…..

November 16-30, 2009 Business Etiquette

Page 5 M.D.K.Subramaniam cautions us that Economy is a vicious circle. As the wheels of time revolve, so will global economic conditions.

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he global economic meltdown, despite the fact that it has wreaked havoc worldover in many ways , has been a learning experience not only for financial experts, institutions and governments, but also for individuals. It has instilled in us a sense of insecurity and hence taught us to save, be prepared for exigencies and plan. It has led to cost cutting , created an awareness about the importance of maintenance and multi-tasking. This is the time when talent and skills will be recognized and truly meritorious individuals might get opportunities to prove themselves. This is also the time when we learn to value hard work, commitment, dedication and sincerity and honour employees who have these qualities. Also, uppermost in our minds will be the judiciousness to weigh cost-effective options at every step. Financial experts believe that recession is on its way out. The US has witnessed a positive growth curve, albeit small. Yet, it is a cause for celebration . While the outlook appears to be optimistic,

Financial institutions will come under the scanner of governments and central banks and there will be stringent measures to regulate lending. Financial governance will be an important element in election manifesto and a winning trump card in the contests for public offices. There would certainly be lax after the economy booms and this would snowball into a clamor and perfectly set the stage for the next economic meltdown. The vicious circle will repeat forever no matter whatever may be the levels of investor awareness, corporate governance, government regulations addressing the sale of financial products at the national and international level. As human beings we are prone to make mistakes, learn and rectify them only to make smaller or bigger mistakes of different nature in future! (No pun intended), both monetary and non-monetary. The underlying principle of the wheel of fortune is universally applicable, whether it is the laws of economics or of ecological balance. Hence, the belief, ‘Whatever goes up needs to come down’ holds true in every aspect of human life. It is no exaggeration to say that the present scenario is akin to a breathing gap.

As we think of celebrating the recovery from a full blown recession that has plunged the very foundations of global economy, one is reminded of the infamous ‘Great Depression’ of 1930’s. There are massive attempts to keep a check on financial regulations, implement better measures to improve accountability as well as corporate governance, by appointing managers and CEO’s with corporate conscience. Similar efforts are being taken across nations, to establish powerful machinery to do away with financial mismanagement in corporations and cross cultural trades.

Short terms effects Enactment of laws did little to curtail corporate scams; greater degree of transparency will be demanded in financial systems and policies. Though spending will be restricted by few sections of the society, the idea of thrift will not strive for long, as public memory is short, be it elections or economics. The stock market volatility will be a major concern to all stakeholders. Prudence and extreme sense of caution will prevail among investors.

sets, elimination of flab and being leaner meaner, and efficient. Similarly and hiring replacement would occur at limited

agencies will play larger than life role in deciding the fate of borrowers. However, they will also be subjected to strict scrutiny by governments. Further, banks will think twice before lending inspite of whether the loan applicant is a wealthy individual or a cash-rich corporation, irrespective of the collaterals and guarantees they produce in addition to their satisfactory credit ratings. Shadow-banking system will be the least preferred by customers and governments shall act sternly against those bankers in case of financial malpractices, even to the extent of making them state-run. High-risk lending practices like ‘Future Mortgages and Sub-prime Mortgages’ will be strongly discouraged.

Long term effects

Jobs- a very serious affair, in future

Financial institutions will come under the scanner of governments and central banks and there will be stringent measures to regulate lending. Credit rating

The employment scenario would be bleak for certain months and gradually progress. Even if job markets flourish there would be greater stress on performance, skill

intervals and there will be a great demand for candidates possessing multiple and need based skills as opposed to the present genre of specialists. Manpower industry will face severe setbacks and hence they will diversify and extensively specialize in allied HR areas like payroll processing, Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS) and Training and Development (T&D) activities.

Realty a Reality Real Estate will revive at a very slow pace. Property prices will increase steadily. Commercial markets, especially in prime areas, will have a quicker recovery than residential ones. There will not be any unrealistic escalations at least for the next one or two years. Small, medium investors and large investors with undiversified interests will face setbacks, due to liquidity crunch.

Strengthening Investment rationales Investor awareness will be greater in trading of financial and wealth management products. Investments will only be treated as a luxury and not as a necessity until the economy shoots up to, at least double digit rate in developing countries and a high single digit rate in developed nations. This segment will witness development of multiple products and taxable options at the disposal of average consumers. Financial consultants will be highly innovative and aggressive to push the sale of financial products even as the average investor will demand more benefits at minimum price and not vice versa. Investors will no more be carried away by listening to impressive presentations of consultants. Companies selling complex financial products like derivates and hedge-funds will face severe cost pressures and their schemes and new product launches will be subject to

cconstant surveillance and rratifi a cation of financial policy appointed by the rregulators e states. Global rrespective e financial regulatory agencies will be set up to protect w the interests of Foreign th h Institutional Investors and In n domestic investors. Financial d companies will have no choice but to revamp products and services at a much better proposition to consumers. They will cconstantly aim at spreading awareness in iinvestor in n the interests of selling their products to ensure customer satisfaction and understanding.

Financial reforms and politics: Financial governance will be an important element in election manifesto and a winning trump card in the contests for public offices. Barrack Obama scored a landmark victory to be crowned as the 43rd U.S. President, because apart from others his election manifesto vowed to restore America from the financial mess and mayhem. It also deserves mentioning that his administration has kept its promises. Though there are lots of criticism on his bail out packages and health care insurance reforms, he has maintained in letter and spirit progressive actions for benefit of the tax payers, the unemployed, the sick companies and the economy as a whole. Similarly, leaders through the world will concentrate on enforcing effective systems in regulating financial institutions and companies. ‘All said and done’ the cycle will repeat and the world would certainly witness another recession after several years though it is not possible to forecast the exact time of its occurrence, now. Whatever has been discussed in the essay as trends and expected behavior of consumers, governments and financial corporations will indulge in knee-jerk reactions. It does not necessarily mean change in their mind-set with regards to money-matters. Hence, there would certainly be lax after the economy booms and this would snowball into a clamor and perfectly set the stage for the next economic meltdown. But, from the lessons learned from the present and the past there will be proactive measures to minimise the impacts of recession. M.D.K.Subramanian from Coimbatore.

November 16-30, 2009

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The Health and Fitness Clinic

Advances in the Treatment of Diabetes D

r. V. Mohan, Chairman & Chief Diabetologist of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre and WHO Collaborating Centre for Non Communicable Diseases Prevention & Control, Chennai and President & Chief of Diabetes Research, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation Diabetes mellitus is a growing health problem. It currently affects 246 million people worldwide (5.9% of all adults), and is predicted to increase to 380 million adults within 20 years. Several advances have come about in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. So far the endeavour has been to increase the insulin output from the pancreas and also to make the insulin work better. The earlier class of drugs, Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors were targeted to reduce the impact of carbohydrate on blood sugar. These are oral anti-diabetic drugs used for diabetes mellitus type 2 that work by preventing the digestion of carbohydrates such as starch and table sugar. Drugs like Metformin became popular as the firstline drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, particularly in overweight and obese individuals and those with normal kidney function. Evidence suggests it may be the best choice for people with heart problems. It also helps reduce LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and may aid weight loss. Despite a number of existing therapies, treatment goals are seldom fully achieved. The latest advancement hence is the arrival of a new class of oral hypoglycaemic agent known as Gliptins. Earleir the focus was on increasing the level of insulin . The attention has now been shifted to reducing the glucagon level in the blood, a novel approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes. There are basically two hormones

that are known as incretin hormones which regulate the levels of glucagons in the blood. Drugs now try to enhance and prolong the actions of these hormones to regulate glucagons levels in the blod. Two such hormones are GLP-1 and GIP. Normally, after eating food, patients with type 2 diabetes have a decreased incretin effect. This is due to a reduction in the secretion of GLP-1, resulting in inappropriately low insulin secretion. GLP-1 can be administered to counter this reaction. However administration of GLP-1 in vivo, is problematic, as it stays in the blood for only two minutes. Two main therapeutic strategies have been developed to overcome this. The first involves the use of drugs like Exendin-4, or Exenatide (Lilly) and Byetta which are given as fixed dose injections. These drugs enhance glucosedependent insulin secretion by the pancreatic beta-cell, suppress inappropriately elevated glucagon secretion, and slow gastric emptying. The second strategy is the use of a new class of oral anti-diabetic agents known as Gliptins that enhance and prolong the physiological actions of incretin hormones by inhibiting the enzyme DPP-IV. Vildagliptin (Novartis) and sitagliptin (Merck) are examples of such drugs. For Type 1 diabetes the latest advances have happened in the Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems. A CGM device consists of a sensor which is inserted into the subcutaneous tissues that provides a true picture of glucose control as it averages interstitial fluid glucose levels every five minutes. It sends the information to a beepersized black box called a monitor which stores the results for three or four days. The monitor is taken to the diabetologist’s office where it is placed in a docking station, which is connected to a standard personal computer. Specialized software then downloads the stored information. The data are printed out and you get a graphic representation of what was going on during the monitored period. This helps the patients and the diabetetologist to plan a near-accurate treatment plan to correct any problems.

Insulin pumps are gaining popularity in the control of blood sugar in diabetics where the control has been poor. It improves the control dramatically, thereby reducing the side effects of diabetes. An insulin pump is composed of a pump reservoir similar to that of an insulin cartridge, a battery-operated pump, and a computer chip that allows the user to control the exact amount of insulin being delivered. The pump is attached to a thin plastic tube (an infusion set) that has a soft cannula (or plastic needle) at the end through which insulin passes. This cannula is inserted under the skin, usually on the abdomen. The cannula is changed every two days. The tubing can be disconnected from the pump while showering or swimming. The pump is used for continuous insulin delivery, 24 hours a day. The amount of insulin is programmed and is administered at a constant

rate (basal rate). Often, the amount of insulin needed over the course of 24 hours varies depending on factors like exercise, activity level, and sleep. The insulin pump allows the user to program many different basal rates to allow for variation in lifestyle. In addition, the user can program the pump to deliver a bolus (large dose of insulin) during meals to cover the excess demands of carbohydrate ingestion Insulin pumps are becoming smaller and more userfriendly. Insulin pumps allow for tight blood sugar control and lifestyle flexibility while minimizing the effects of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). At present, the pump is the closest device in the market to artificial pancreas. More recently, newer models of the pump have been developed that do not require a tubing, in fact , the insulin delivery device is placed directly on

the skin and any adjustments needed for insulin delivery are made through a PDA like device that must be kept within a 6 foot range of the insulin delivery device, and can be worn in a pocket, kept in a purse, or on a tabletop when working. Probably the most exciting innovation in pump technology is the ability to use the pump in tandem with newer glucose sensing technology for continuous blood glucose monitoring. However, the cost of the pump, though coming down, is prohibitive and comes to Rs 1.5 to 1.8 lakhs and the consumbles come to Rs. 5,000-8,000/- per month. There have been no significant developments in pancreatic transplantations and the insulin inhalers have failed. However, stem cell therapy seems to be promising, though the research seems to be in the preliminary stages. The endeavour is to

try to convert embryonic stem cells or the bone marrow mysenchymal cells to beta cells that produce insulin. At Diabetes Research, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation we have conducted a research which points out that the risk of diabetes is higher in people who eat more white rice. The risk of diabetes is high among south Indians, which is partly explained by the high intake of white, refined rice. Our study has also pointed out to the tendency for mutation in the HNF1 alpha gene that results in Type 2 diabetes among the youth, which is known as Maturity Onset Diabetes in youth (MODY).

teen mag

November 16-30, 2009

Page 7

Eve’s Times Star Achiever of the Fortnight

Quizzeria?

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ou cannot ignore the importance of Diabetes awareness anymore. With the increasing incidence of diabetes, most probably every family has at least one known diabetic member or a friend. Despite the inundation of information through the media, many people choose not to strain their brain with an overload of information. However, you are the loser if you choose to do that. Now go ahead and find out how much your knowledge about diabetes is and update your information if you are not up to the mark! 1. Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the body either does not produce enough insulin or the cells resist the insulin that is produced. a. True b. False

6. What is the most effective test to diagnose diabetes? a. Urine test b. Fasting glucose blood test c. Vision test d. Post brandial

2. Which of the following risk factors is associated with type 2 diabetes? a. Age b. Weight c. Family medical history d. ethnicity e. all of these. 3. Another name for type one diabetes is a. Pre-diabetes b. Non-insulin dependent diabetes c. Juvenile diabetes d. Gestational diabetes 4. What is the name of the sugar that naturally occurs in fruits and honey?

7. Diabetes is said to be under control when A1 C test is a. 7% or less b. 4% or less c. 9% or less d. 10% or less 8. A physician who treats diabetics has undergone training in this medical speciality a. Oncology b. Neurology c. Endocrinology d. Immunology 9. What is the name of the chemical the body makes when there is not enough insulin in the blood and

a. Glucose b. Brown sugar c. Liquid sugar d. Fructose 5. Another name for low blood sugar is a. Hypoglycemia b. Hyperopia c. Hyperglycemia d. Hypertension

Answers on page 10

easing and tickling your gray cells is said to improve your brain power. So go ahead and play with the numbers and check for yourself if you have it in you to vanquish number puzzles with ease! Happy Sudokuing!

9 6 3

8

7

5 1

8 7

6

6

3

4

9 6

7

8

4

2

10. Diabetic retinopathy is a. Diabetic gum disease b. Slow healing sores c. Diabetic foot problem d. Diabetic eye disease 11. A1C, also known as glycated haemoglobin indicated a patients blood control over what period a. The last 1-3 months b. The last 24 hours c. The last 2 weeks d. The last week 12. What is the normal blood glucose level for people who do not have diabetes a. 20-60 mg/dl b. 150-170 mg/dl c. 70-120 mg/dl d. 120-140 mg/dl

S

ydney seems to be where Ajay Rau has always been reaching milestones in the sport of sailing. Among the top milestones before his inclusion into the Sydney Hobart Race, Ajay Rau took part in his first senior world championships which was also the last qualifier for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He is also a strong favorite to become the first Indian to race the Laser class at the 2012 Olympic Games. He has been campaigning hard since 2006 for the 2012 Olympic Games and has been proudly associated with organizations such as the Mittal Champions Trust, AMM Foundation and Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT). The Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is regarded the toughest offshore yacht race in the world. Often described as 628 nautical miles of sheer torture, it is one of the most grueling long ocean races in the world, a challenge to everyone who takes part.

Brain Teaser

T

it must break fat for its energy? a. Ketones b. Gastrin c. Fructosamine d. Plasma aldosterone

2

3

9 4 Answers on page 10

Ajay will be part of the crew racing “Merit” on board the former Volvo 60 round-theworld racing yacht, taking on some of the most competitive race yachts in Australia and the world. Ajay has the distinction of being the first Indian sailor to participate in this race. The top Indian and Royal Madras Yacht Club sailor, Ajay Rau, is currently looking for companies to sponsor his various sailing campaigns after confirming his participation in the Rolex Sydney Hobart 2009. His Asian Games campaign is on track after achieving India’s all time best result, 15th at the 2009 Laser Radial Men’s World championship. His Olympic campaign is also on track in a bid to become the first Indian to qualify for 2012 in the Laser class. Recently he started crewing on keel boats. Now he is competing in the Rolex Sydney Hobart 2009 which is one of the most challenging yacht races in the world. The Indian sailor is currently based in Sydney and over a short period of time he has been making giant strides in the sport.

teen mag

Page 8

November 16-30, 2009

Teen Fitness

Lost Childhood? on the predicament of our downtrodden brothers and sisters for whom living must be hell.

Hi Friends!

D

id you know that 20 November is universally celebrated as Children’s Day? In India, this date was advanced to 14 November to coincide with the birth anniversary of our first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Before 1959 Children’s Day was universally celebrated in October. It was first celebrated in 1954 under the aegis of the UN General Assembly to promote the welfare of children globally. Later, 20 November was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the day in 1959 when the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. School children must be all perked up and excited just now, participating in the exclusive events and activities that are usually conducted a week before Children’s Day. I am sure many schools may even distribute toffees and goodies on that day. There may be speeches to remind you of the unfortunate underprivileged or differently - abled children, stirring up feelings of transient compassion within your bosoms.

Where have the carefree childhood days gone? I remember the wonderful poems on lost childhood written by poets in English and Hindi which I learnt in school. They were all talking about their carefree days of childhood they left behind when they entered adulthood. But I say that we have lost our childhood much before that. I don’t think beyond the age of two years, remnants of childhood exist today. Pressures of school begin by the time children are two. Then begins the endless journey replete with aggressive competition, academic pressures, austere teachers and tense parents, prejudices and biases, corruption, favouritism and exposure to the innumerable other ills of the real world. When I look at tender backs

bent under the burden of humungous satchels , trudging hastily into the school premises , I cry for the innocence and beauty of childhood that our generation has lost forever. It is good that the present government has woken up to the tip of the iceberg that has finally caught their attention and is taking some measures to ease the academic burden literally and figuratively. As for the huge population of innocent young minds

THE ASCENT OF 21 WOMEN LEADERS OF INDIA INC.

Childhood is about inclusion, about sharing and growing together without differences. Childhood is about innocence and play, where there is no place for discrimination or biases. Childhood is about pure joy and true freedom. This Children’s Day, let us all vow to make a difference to our lives and that of other children in our community. Happy Children’s Day! Until next fortnight Namrata Editor, Teen Mag

“The Voyage to Excellence has documented the success stories of women in our country. Such books build up our confidence and courage. Every girl, woman and the parents of every girl should read the book and understand that we too can ascend the ladder of success-”Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Women & Child Development Renuka Chowdhury.

Do you want to be successful? Get your copy of the most sought after book today by women all over the country. Available in all bookstores in Chennai or call 24526739 to book your copy at a discount!

As a student of law, I am concerned about the Rights of the children to live with dignity . I am worried about their lack of education, paucity of balanced food, play and other basic needs. I feel that every child from fortunate homes should think about making a difference to the lives of underprivileged children. What better occasion than Children’s Day to remember them and do something for them? It will be a great idea if you can, as a child or young adult , sign up to sponsor the education of an underprivileged child, or ask your parents to do for you. In groups or along with your classmates you can strive to campaign for better living conditions and amenities in government schools for these children. You can start a campaign to collect books, stationery, toys , decent clothes and other essentials for children and distribute them in their schools or homes.

During this occasion, on the one hand, I would like my mind to dwell on present day’s children’s plight and

“The book is first-class and a must-read for all as it brings to light the respect that women command in today’s era. Nischinta and Debashish have brought us to an era of command-the era when women command respect, an era when women seek a place for themselves by their hard work” Dr.Kiran Bedi IPS (Formar UN Civilian Police Advisor to the Secretary General)

languishing in poverty, and tormented by back breaking childhood labour at home and outside- that includes street children and runaway kids, delinquents and truants, differently abled, orphans and other deprived children, despite the emergence of a huge number of NGOs, a lot more needs to be done.

N

NUTS ABOUT FITNESS

uts are an excellent source of fiber. They’re a store house of vitamins and minerals such as thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin E, calcium, phosphorous, and potassium. But nuts pack in quite a few calories. For e.g., an ounce of walnuts contains 185 calories and an ounce of peanuts has 105 calories. While it is good to include nuts in your meals, take the help of a dietician to figure out the best way to fit nuts into your meal plan. Well, the fat content of nuts and peanuts is high. But the fats are mostly unsaturated fats – either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated, which have been shown to improve blood cholesterol levels. And because they are plant foods, nuts contain no cholesterol.

Diabetics Going Nuts Nuts are low in net carbs and nuts have a low-Glycemic Index value. They are typically rich in monounsaturated fat which is believed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Almonds, regular peanuts and walnuts are good food choices. Although low on the glycemic index, nuts are calorie-dense and should be eaten in moderation. That said, diet trials show that nuts have a high satiety factor which means they satisfy appetite and help prevent overeating. Remember, how the terrorists who attacked Mumbai were stocked up with dry fruits and nuts?

dietary fiber. To avoid increase in caloric intake, you should not simply add nuts on the top of the diet. Instead, you should substitute nuts for less healthier foods such as refined carbohydrates like white bread and red meats. Almonds, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts can be taken in moderation, of course, because they are high in calories.It is recommended that you try to eat nuts that are not salted because most people eat far too much salt anyway, and you don’t need more from any nuts you may eat.Box

In a Nutshell Buy nuts in small quantities. That way, you’ll eat them before they have a chance to go rancid. If you are planning to snack on nuts, buy them in the shell. It makes it harder to overindulge if you have to do some work. Nuts kept in a cool, dry place will stay fresh for several months. Your best bet is to keep them in the refrigerator in a tightly tied plastic bag or in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. When frozen, nuts will keep for a year or longer. When it comes to eating nuts, forget the salted, oil-roasted, honey coated, or yogurt covered varieties. Stick with raw (or roasted) nuts; forget about all the extras.

Nuts contain lots of fat, but most fats in nuts are mono- and polyunsaturated fats, which are good for insulin sensitivity and serum cholesterol. Nuts are also rich in antioxidant vitamins, minerals, plant protein and

Choose the Star Teenager of the fortnight … Write about a teenager who is simply out of the world…… according to you … well, you have to justify… why does he or she deserve to be the star? If you feel you can be that star… go ahead and propose your name… Send in a list of the star teenager's achievements…

Authors: Nischinta Amarnath Debashish Ghosh

Thought for for the Fornight Eve’sEve’s Thought the Fornight One looks back with appreciation the brilliant teachers, but with to those A three-year-old child is a to being who gets almost as gratitude much fun out who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. green worm. - Carl Jung

teen mag

November 16-30, 2009

Page 9

ADAM’S MADAM

Sriram Parasuram, Classical Violinist & Singer T

here’s nothing that Sriram hasn’t ventured into! A child prodigy who picked up the violin at the tender age of three, an engineering graduate from Bombay University, the holder of an MBA degree from IIM, Calcutta, a fellowship student of music at the University of Akron, USA and the holder of a PhD in World Music from Wesleyan College, USA, and the husband of playback singer Anoorada Sriram, this young maestro has seen and done it all! Over the years, this gentleman has developed a veneer of suaveness, and a readiness to embrace all kinds of situations, both intimidating & exhilarating. It is this remarkable blend of broadmindedness,

spiritual enlightenment and traditionalism alike, which has had him break the public stereotype of the typical ‘creative, passionate & eccentric’ musician. It is little wonder then that his respect for womankind and the magical strengths of the Indian family knows no bounds.

The Women in my Life: My Mother I dote on her. She has made tremendous sacrifices for her children (my elder sister, brothers, and me). Even today, she doesn’t even acknowledge that she has sacrificed so much for us and contends that the returns for her investment back then would be duly

appropriated if she sees a s u us happy, successful a a and at peace with ourselves. From my mother, I learnt to take ‘sacrifice’ as a very positive phenomenon. She taught me that the concept of sacrifice is not only very empowering in a woman but also enriches the lives of others and gives her own life a greater sense of self-fulfillment than before. ‘Thyaga’ is not a deprivation, but rather a core component of the composite Indian culture.

My Sister It is her that I learnt diligence from. She is exceptionally hard working and unswervingly dedicated to her cause. She also possesses

great stamina to study. She acquired a degree in MBBS, topped her batch and is currently practicing medicine in the USA. Her work takes her everywhere and she is a very committed person.

My Wife I met her when I was pursuing my PhD in Wesleyan College. At that juncture, she was studying for her Masters from the same institution. We have been together ever since. We take exceptional pride and joy in each other’s success. Our togetherness is akin to

the jhugal-bandi we play as a team during our classical concerts! In other words, though we are indeed one, our identities as individuals have always been retained as systems and have never been lost in our coexistence. It is from Anoorada that I have garnered much strength. Her diligence, commitment & strength of character have always sought to mesmerize me.

Ideal Woman A woman who radiates gentleness, one who is caring, genuine, giving & honest – and most importantly, one who portrays her ‘Shakti’ to powerfully nurture, strengthen & sustain – not to annihilate or destroy.

Qualities I admire most in Women Devotion to those they love and whatever they do My image of an

Nischinta

Future of Customer Care... Customer: “What?... What do you recommend then?”

Customer: “ *’!^ *%^**%^I7*”

Operator : “Try our Low Fat Hokkien Mee Pizza. You’ll like it”

Operator : “Better watch your language Sir. Remember on 15th July 1987 you were convicted of using abusive language on a policeman... ?”

Customer: “How do you know for sure?” Operator : “You borrowed a book entitled “Popular Hokkien Dishes” from the National Library last week Sir” Customer: “OK I give up... Give me three family size ones then, how much will that cost?” Operator : “Thank you for calling Pizza Magic . May I have your...”

Operator : “That should be enough for your family of 10, Sir. The total is Rs.849.99”

Customer: “Heloo, can I order..”

Customer: “Can I pay by credit card?”

Operator : “Can I have your multi purpose card number first, Sir?”

Operator : “I’m afraid you have to pay us cash, Sir. Your credit card is over the limit and you owe your bank Rs. 3,720.55 since October last year. That’s not including the late payment charges on your housing loan, Sir.”

Customer: “It’s eh..., hold on......6102049998-45-54610” Operator : “OK... you’re... Mr. Karthik and you’re calling from 17 1st Street, Adyar. Your home number is 24914236, your office is 26452302 and your mobile is 9841426625. Which number are you calling from now Sir?” Customer: “Home! How did you get all my phone numbers?” Operator : “We are connected to the system Sir” Customer: “May I order your Seafood Pizza...”

Customer: “I guess I have to run to the neighbourhood ATM and withdraw some cash before your guy arrives” Operator: “You can’t Sir. Based on the records, you’ve reached your daily limit on machine withdrawal today” Customer: “Never mind just send the pizzas; I’ll have the cash ready. How long is it gonna take anyway?”

Operator : “That’s not a good idea Sir”

Operator: “About 45 minutes Sir, but if you can’t wait you can always come and collect it on your motorcycle….”

Customer: “How come?”

Customer: “Wat!”

Operator : “According to your medical records, you have high blood pressure and even higher cholesterol level Sir”

Operator: “According to the details in system, you own a Scooter,...registration number TN-01 V-1123...”

Customer: [Speechless] Operator : “Is there anything else Sir?” Customer: “Nothing... by the way... aren’t you giving me that 3 free bottles of cola as advertised?” Operator : “We normally would Sir, but based on your records you’re also diabetic... Customer Faints without eating the pizza!

teen mag

Page 10

November 16-30, 2009

Perform or Perish a lo loud ud shirt, shi h rt, leather leat le athe herr jacket he ja and an d jeans. jean je ans. s God Go od asks him: Please se tell te me who w wh o are are you, you, so that I may know kkn now whether whe w heth ther to admit a yyou yo u into in nto the t kingdom kingdo of Heaven H He aven av en or or not?

A

Priest P i t dies di and d is i awaiting his turn in line at the Heaven’s Gates. Ahead of him is a guy, nattily dressed, in dark sun glasses,

Now it is the priest’s turn. He stands erect and speaks out in a booming voice: I am Pope’s Assistant so & so, Head Priest of the so & so Church for the last 40 years.

The T Th e guy replies: rre epl plie ies: s: I am Pandi, P and di, Taxi d driver rivver e from Chennai. G o d consults cons co nsults s his ledg le ledger, d er smiles smile sm es and says to Pandi: Please take this silken robe, gold scarf and enter the Kingdom of Heaven .

‘While you preached, people SLEPT; but when he drove his Auto, people PRAYED’

Quizzeria? Answers to the Diabetes Quiz

Sorry 4 disturbing u.

1. a True

it is very urgent,

2. e. All of these

serious matter has

3. c Juvenile diabetes

come up actually,

4. d. Fructose

we are playing cards

6. b Fasting glucose

What happened 2 ur network? W

7. a 7% or less

ssaid “Welcome 2 the jungle, 8. c. Endocrinology

tthe monkey u r trying to call is

9. a Ketones

on the tree....Plz try later.” o

10. d Diabetes Eye

Scientists all over the world

disease

are wondering how long a human being can live without a brain...

11. a the last 1-3 months

Kindly tell them your age...!

12. 70-120 mg/dl

Brain Teaser

Manslaughter

A married couple in their early 60s was celebrating

blood test

I tried 2 call u but the operator

Moral of the story: It’s PERFORMANCE & not POSITION that ultimately counts.

For a woman who needs a good laugh and a man who can handle it.

5. a. Hypoglycemia

and I lost the joker !

‘Just a minute,’ says the agonized agonize Priest, ‘How is it that a foul mouthed, rash driving Auto Driver is given a Silken robe and a Golden scarf and me, a Priest, who’s spent his whole life preaching your Name and goodness has to make do with a Cotton robe?’ ‘Results my friend, results,’ shrugs God.

So Much Sense can u fax me ur photo,

God consults his ledger and says to the Priest: Please take this cotton robe and enter the Kingdom of Heaven ...

Answer

8

9

6

1

2

7

4

3

5

5

4

1

6

9

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2

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7

1

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1

3

4

2

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9

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1

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2

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1

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1

their 40th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant. Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table. She said, ‘For being such an exemplary married couple and for being loving to each other all this time, I will grant you each a wish.’

The wife answered, ‘Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband.’ The fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! - two tickets for the Queen Mary II appeared in her hands. The husband thought for a moment: ‘Well, this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this will never come again. I’m sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me.’ The wife, and the fairy, were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish. So the fairy waved her magic wand and poof!...the husband became 92 years old. :) The Moral of the story: Men who are ungrateful should remember fairies are female!

November 16-30, 30, 0, 2009

Page 11

andering

ahila

E

nuggets of info and my own take on different matters is what I am going to share with you all every fortnight through this column—you may call it news, views or just gossip.

ve’s Times is happy to start a new column colum by Padmini Natarajan who is a prolific freelancer from this part of the country, writing extensively on myriad topics and issues. Padmini Natarajan - unveiled in her own words, ‘ You could call me Dame Quixote! I spend time thinking and writing about issues that impact, women, kids and society...in short I spend energy (sic) tilting at windmills. I am an observer of the human species and love armchair traveling. Of course I have an opinion about everything and will share it with you, readers through this column!’

The Teller and the Listener

W

elcome to my world— we shall begin in the style of yore saying, “Once upon a time there were minstrels”…and bards, sailors and travelling carriers

of news and information. The town crier was an honourable appointment in any society and he was accompanied by a drum beater who attracted the attention of the townfolk at street corners. That is how people heard of what was happening around the world. That was also how knights and gallants, warriors and heroes heard about the beauty of a princess, or a heroine was told about the valour and bravery of an eligible bachelor. News about attacking enemies, miracle makers and holy places spread, by word of mouth, to different parts of the world.

the last century, personality familiarity and music were dispersed to millions through the air. The TV brought in another revolution with images accompanying words, sometimes instantaneously. The Internet threw open a vast world of information, learning, attitudinal stands and lifestyle alterations. Women were always in the news loop, though it was scurrilously misinterpreted as gossip. They were great story tellers who imparted information daily at the well while drawing water, on the river banks as they bathed and washed clothes, over the fence as they hung

Then came the newspaper that spread news to a literate world or by a reader under the tree in village centres. The radio had a greater reach and some of the world’s most important happenings in

E

ve’s Times is happy to announce that Family therapist and ParentTeacher Educator Brinda Jayaraman will answer any query you want to ask relating to interpersonal interactions. Send in your questions to [email protected] or to our office directly.

I

am an employed woman belonging to Chennai, with modern views. (This does not mean the much misconstrued ‘modern’- as in women competing with men in smoking, drinking, having affairs etc.) My parents feel it is time for my marriage and I too don’t mind entering into matrimony. I am looking for a man who I expect would be a person I would love, respect and grow together with. I am looking at a partner who would not have stereotypical notions of a typical homemakercum-working womanexpecting her to complete all the household chores, take care of children and just go to work. I have a lot of ambitions and dreams and would like a person who would be a partner in this enterprise as much as I would like to be his partner in his endeavour to grow and evolve. My problem is that I have not found a single such

person despite my education in countries abroad. I find most men boring and laidback or chauvinistic. They are not able to understand that a woman too can have ambitions. All they expect from family life is good food, sex, travel and entertainment, good children to be taken

care of well by the woman. Of course, they would like to be considered magnanimous to ‘permit’ their wife to work. Neither are their parents open-minded enough to accept a girl in their family with her own independent likes and dislikes. I am disillusioned and am seriously considering looking for a man from the west. During my interactions with

out the clothes to dry, on rooftops where they met to dry foodstuffs, pickles and pappads.

brigade…more on that next time.

So let us belt up and begin our meanderings around this poor benighted Planet earth. Have you done your three R’s this week? Remember to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle so that you are part of the environmental conservation

Padmini Natarajan

I am a woman who bridges the latter half of the last century and the present part of this century. I have seen it all, done that thing and yet retained my awe and nose for news. Today I sit in front of two screens--on my couch watching TV or in front of the computer browsing the web. I read at least four to five newspapers a day and am zapped by the information blitz all through my waking hours. And when I am asleep, the technicolour dreams too bring perspectives of events and happenings. In my wanderings around the world, both physically and virtually I come across many things that I feel like sharing with somebody. These

men from the west I have always been surprised by the respect they give to the woman. No man would even think of touching a woman without her permission. My interactions with Indian men, even those studying in Ivy League institutions or holding respectable jobs in MNCs in India or abroad have been very disappointing. Most men want to jump into the bed at the first opportunity , have their fair share of affairs, dump girls and then scour around for a ‘virtuous’ girl arranged by their parents when they want to start a family. Of course the ‘booty’ that comes along is a great motivator too. I am disillusioned. Sometimes I think I should not marry and just adopt a child. Will I ever find a truly humane man and a great family? I am a people’s person and would offer my best to the man I would marry and his family. Many Indian girls who venture to look for a match go through this frustration these days. We still cannot claim that Indian women

are liberated. By ‘liberation’ I don’t mean a chauvinistic woman. A woman looks for equality and respectability in a man-woman relationship. By and large, it does not happen. I am not surprised that you could not find the ‘right type.’ Keep in mind that one in thousands gets an ideal partner. Narrowing down your list of expectations by giving up some unrealistic ones, would probably help. Concluding that western men are good alternatives, sounds like a biased view point to me, as male chauvinism is not absent there and battered women do exist in those countries too. Marriage is a gamble and there is a certain amount of risk involved while you make your decision. Preferring to remain single also has equal risk factors. Leading a life without a companion can be scary to some. Please don’t lose hope. Keep searching until your heart falls for someone. When you in love, other differences won’t matter at all!! Marriage is not about finding the right mate; but it is about being the right one. With warm wishes, Brinda

A

wareness about green Deepavali celebrations has been taken up by the media in a big way this year. It is a good thing. For senior citizens like us who would like to enjoy some peace, if it can work out fine, it will do wonders. The noise pollution during Deepavali is too much of a public disturbance. Not only are we allowed to sleep peacefully at night, for senior citizens with sleep problems, we are not even able to catch up on our sleep a little late in the morning. Moreover, this agony continues for more than a week. Nor are we allowed to go for our morning walks or on errands for the home because we encounter boys throwing crackers at frightened passers-by. It is high time that sensitivity toward the public is inculcated right from the school level. If it doesn’t work, then we must resort to stringent rules. Only then will people imbibe some civic sense. Today, in their excitement, who is concerned about the small children working in fire cracker factories? Proper implementation of the laws for prevention of child labour

is the need of the hour. Surprise raids in fire cracker factories must be conducted in the right earnest and the wrong-doers must be brought to book. While the awareness about RTI and other consumer related issues are slowly coming to the fore, yet, no change seems to be happening. We have a long way to go with regard to civic issues. Anyway, a good effort! Ramasubramaniam, Chennai

C

ombining festivities with a good cause is a good idea. If we can relate every festive occasion with a good cause, then there will be a major change happening in various areas. The education of the girl child as a method of enlightenment during Deepavali mentioned in your editorial is a very good concept in deed. A thought provoking editorial. Reshma Sahni, Chennai

E

ve’s Times looks great and different. There’s more humor and variety in the recent issues. We are still waiting for more articles promised by the editor some time back. We are also looking at opportunities to write. Aarti and Deepali, Chennai

November 16-30, 2009

Page 12

Cook ‘n’ Smile Easy Recipes

S

- From Sumati Ramkumar’s Recipe File

ometimes, especially during Deepavali, dry fruits tend to get accumulated. Can you please suggest some tasty snacks for children using dry fruits?

W

hether it is the Chennai monsoon or the cool winter of the north, a hot evening snack is always welcome. Combine health and taste and prepare hot snacks for your family. We’ have picked up the best from expert cook Sumati Ramkumar’s file:

Manju Kothari, Chennai

VEGETABLE RICE UPPMA

There are many easy recipes that you can prepare for your children with dry fruits.

Ingredients

a. Sprinkle chopped nuts and dry fruit on top of a freshly cooked rawa dosa to make it tastier. b. Sweet sandwiches are normally a big hit with children. Mix together grated paneer, chopped nuts and dry fruits, a little powdered sugar and grated coconut. Place this mix between two slices of bread and grill in a sandwich maker. c. Make a dosa, place a little of the above stuffing in one corner, and roll the dosa carefully. Cut into slices, put in toothpicks and serve. d. Prepare kuzhi panniyaram using the mixture. First pour some dough into the vessel, add dry fruit mixture, pour in some more dough and cook till done. Children will enjoy the crunch of the nuts when they bite into the snack. e. Use the dry fruit and nuts mixture to make delicious kheer. Powder the nuts coarsely, and fry in ghee. Boil them in milk and when kheer thickens, add sugar. This is something like badam kheer and can be served hot or cold. Interview by Deepti Menon The Best Query of the month will win a masala hamper from Mallika Home Product Pvt. Ltd. Cooking has never been a Spicier Experience! Eve’s Times readers have exciting news! Watch out for competitions on cookery tips and recipes. Dig out exotic recipes and innovative tips and win prizes! Send your recipes/tips with your colour pix to Eve’s Times #18/1 Second Cross St Dr.Radhakrishnan Nagar, Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai 600 041 or by e-mail to [email protected]

Salt Curry leaves Urad dhal channa dhal mustard seeds

- 1 cup - 2 Tbsp. - 2 Tbsp.

- 1/2 cup - 1 tsp - 1 tsp - 2 to 3 - as required acc to taste. (More hing will taste better) - according to taste - few - 1tsp - 1/2 tsp 1 tsp

Method Place rice, thur dhal, pepper and jeera together in a kadai and dry roast till the raw smell goes off. Cool and coarse grind the contents and keep aside. Now take oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and once they splutter add urad dhal, channa dhal, red chillies and fry them stirring frequently till the dhals become brown. Add the mixed vegetables, salt, hing powder, coconut and curry leaves and the required amount of water (preferably 2.5/3 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. If you want your upma soft and pasty add 3 cups or if you want it grainy then 2.5 cups) and continue to heat. As the water starts boiling add the ground rice and dhal mixture and keep stirring continuously ensuring there is no lump formation. Keep this going till it becomes a thick mass. Transfer the contents to a vessel and cook it in a pressure cooker for 15 to 20 minutes. Now the Uppuma is ready to be served with a delectable chutney or pickle.

Green Fish Curry Ingredients Spring Onions, sliced Cumin Seeds, ground Fresh green chillies, chipped Coriander seeds, ground Chopped fresh coriander Chopped fresh mint Chopped chives Coconut milk Oil White fish fillets Salt and pepper

Raw Rice Thur Dhal Grated coconut Mixed Vegetables (carrot, beans, cauliflower, peas. fresh corn,) Pepper Jeera Dry red chillies Hing powder

2 1 tsp 2 1 tsp 4 tbsp 4 tbsp 1 tbsp 150ml or 2/3 cup 1 tbsp 4, about 250 gms

BREAD VADAI Ingredients

Bread crumbs Rice flour Curd Carrot Finely cut onion Green chillies

- 1 cup - 1/2 cup - 1/2 cup - 1/4 cup - 1/4 cup - Finely chopped 1 Tb sp Pudina (Mint) - as required Coriander leaves - as required Soda - a pinch Salt - as required Oil for frying

Method Heat the oil in a large frying pan or shallow saucepan and add the spring onions. Stir-fry the spring onions over a medium heat until they are softened but not coloured. Stir in the cumin, chillies and ground coriander and cook them until fragrant. Add the fresh coriander, mint, chives and coconut milk and season liberally. Carefully place the fish in the pan and poach for 10-15 minutes until the flesh flakes when tested with a fork. Serve the fish fillets in the sauce with basmati rice. Garnish with mint. Christina, Chennai

Handy Household Tips I

f you happen to put excess salt in the curry, cut a raw potat o into about 10 piece s and drop them int o the curry & leave for 15 minutes. They wil l absorb the excess salt. Remove the piece s before serving.

o not throw away the skin of ripe lemons after extracting their juice. Dry in the sun and use as insect repellants in cupboards.

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o not throw away cucumber peels. Place in drawers and strategic corners to keep cockroaches away.

Mix carrot, onion, green chillies, pudina, coriander leaves well in a bowl. Add rice flour to these and mix well again. Add salt, a pinch of cooking soda and finally add the bread crumbs and mix well with the required amount of water. Leave it aside for 15 to 20 minutes. Make vadais and deep fry in hot oil.

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Method

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ombs can be cleaned by dipping them for a while in a solution of washing soda and warm water.

Granny’s Alcove G

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rated paneer, carrot, beetroot etc. is a good accompaniment in a lunch box instead of biscuits, junk food like fries, etc. ry substituting kids’ lunch bag with lemonade instead of water once or twice a week. They will be thrilled.

tick a strip of medicated plaster under the sole of your child’s new shoes. He will not slip on a slippery floor. wirl a few gulps of chilled milk in the mouth, and then swallow, if you have burnt your tongue or mouth while eating something too

hot. This will give instant relief from the burning sensation. Repeat a couple of times every 15 minutes of so, if burning persists.

November 16-30, 2009

Page 13

Monitor Your Sugar Levels T

he future of your health is dependent upon your diabetes being well stabilized. The better your stabilization, the more likely are you to prevent vascular damage – the feared late complications of diabetes. All diabetics, whether treated with insulin or not, are susceptible to certain problems affecting the eyes, kidneys, arteries and nervous system. These problems are called “the complications of diabetes”. These complications may be quite serious for some diabetics while others are hardly affected at all. To give yourself the best chance of avoiding complications try to achieve the best possible control of your diabetes. The adherence to diet, exercise and therapy as determined by your doctor, is the only way to achieve good control of your diabetes. Daily self-monitoring at home and at work, and routine checkups by your doctor, will help verify your condition and permit any changes to be made if necessary. Self-monitoring can include

blood glucose testing, urinary glucose and urinary ketone tests. One or more of these should be performed on a regular basis as recommended by your doctor. Traditional examination of urine for glucose however does not always reflect the blood glucose concentration. Blood glucose values higher than your optimum control range may occur without glucose appearing in the urine (e.g. patients with a high renal threshold). Self-monitoring is a boon in several ways. By regularly carrying out self-monitoring, you can note metabolic decompensation at an early stage and immediately go to the doctor. You can also ascertain by self-monitoring whether your stabilization remains uniformly good between the visits to the doctor. Self-monitoring shows whether you are well stabilized. With good stabilization you prevent vascular damage According to Dr. Vijay Negalur, Honarary Asst. Prof of Medicine, Rajiv Gandhi

Medical College, Mumbai, President, Association for Diabetes Care and Prevention, self-monitoring devices are quite accurate in measuring sugar levels. There are several techniques and devices to monitor your sugar levels. The advantage of using a self-monitoring device is that within a few seconds you can know your blood glucose reading. Apart from daily monitoring, during times of emergency such as when a diabetic has a myocardial infarction or when he is sick, you will get to know the blood sugar level immediately. Self-monitoring devices are good to get knowledge of day-to-day sugar variations. In our country, unfortunately about 65% of the people don’t use SMBG devices! In a study by ADA, diabetics who used self-monitoring devices were found to have better sugar control (HbA1C readings) and lesser risk of complications of diabetes than those who did not. This study underlines the importance of educating the diabetics on the importance of self-monitoring. It is important to test your glucose meters too, especially if you find that during repeat tests with the same machine the variation exceeds 4%. Also you should not use the index finger or the thumb for drawing blood. Don’t use the pulp of the finger because it will be painful. It has been found that patient compliance is better if the sides of the fingers are pricked to draw

World Diabetes Day theme 2009-2013

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he theme for World Diabetes Day for 20092013 is Diabetes Education and Prevention. World Diabetes Day is an official United Nation’s World Health Day. It is celebrated every year on November 14. The date was chosen because it marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who, along with Charles Best, is credited with the discovery of insulin in 1921. World Diabetes Day was created by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1991, in response

blood. Another important aspect of SMBG monitoring is to use alternative sites, especially for Type 1 diabetics who need to check their sugar levels frequently. However, during an episode of hypoglycaemia, it is imperative to use only the fingers. HbA1C gives you the average value of your sugar control for the past two months. It gives an indication for the future so that we may postpone complications of diabetes such as neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy etc. The monitoring devices give you a day-to-day knowledge of your sugar levels. One is not a substitute for the other but they complement each other. Hence for good control of sugar levels and postponing complications of diabetes, a combination of both is ideal.

sugar values are a limiting factor in diabetics. Dr. V. Mohan, Chairman & Chief Diabetologist of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre and WHO Collaborating Centre for Non Communicable Diseases Prevention & Control, Chennai and President & Chief of Diabetes Research, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation stresses the importance of self-monitoring of sugar levels by diabetics, “ For diabetics it is very important to check sugar levels frequently. For insulindependent diabetics, it is vital to check sugar levels almost daily and sometimes several times a day. For Type 1 diabetics, testing sugar in the morning when you

Frequent hypoglycaemia is harmful, especially among juvenile diabetics. It affects their scholastic performance, physical energy and results in depression, anxiety. Low

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to concern over the escalating incidence of diabetes around the world. The International Diabetes Federation leads the World Diabetes Day campaign – develops the themes, runs the global website, creates all the materials and drives the global outreach. World Diabetes Day is represented by a blue circle logo. The blue circle is the global symbol of diabetes and signifies the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the diabetes pandemic.

are in fasting will help you understand if your insulin dose taken during the previous night has been right. Similarly if you check in the after noon, you will get an idea about your morning dose of insulin. For those who take a shot in the afternoon, checking yours sugars at night will give you an idea if your afternoon dose is right for you. Based on this knowledge, you can adjust your insulin dosage to control your sugar better. Similarly, for those with Type 2 diabetes, but on insulin, frequent checking of sugar levels at home is necessary. Those on tablets can check once a month and for milder patients who are only on diet control, it is not necessary to check blood sugar levels at home.”

CONGRATULATIONS!

r. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation have been designated as an International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Centre of Education. They are now privileged to have the triple distinction of being a WHO Collaborating Centre for Non Communicable Diseases, ICMR Advanced Centre for Genomics of Diabetes and an IDF Centre of Education. Dr.Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre WHO Collaborating Centre for Non Communicable Diseases Prevention & Control Madras Diabetes Research Foundation ICMR Advanced Centre for Genomics of Diabetes No:6B, Conran Smith Road, Gopalapuram Chennai, India Pin:600086 Ph:91-44-43968888,Fax:91-44-28350935 Website: www.drmohansdiabetes.com

November 16-30, 2009

Page 14

Eve EnvisionsEve’s Times Story Club

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n the occasion of Children’s Day, Eve’s Times brings to you a story that brings to light the innermost feelings of children and the angst they experience when they are under severe pressure to perform for the sake of society, their family , school and friends. After all true joy comes when one does what one wants, without any extrinsic pressures. In a society riddled with feverish pursuit of glamour, popularity and attention, does anyone have the time to value the true feelings of children? Here’s a moving story from our prolific writer Kanchana Rao, apt for the occasion. Ten year old Preeti was a very confused girl. The reason behind this confusion was that a talent she believed was her greatest love, deepest passion and inexplicable joy, a talent that was very much a part of her was making her greatly unhappy. Preeti was a wonderful dancer. Dance came naturally and effortlessly to her. When she was two years old, she had first surprised and then made her parents tearfully proud when she had danced to a whole song being shown on the TV. What’s more, she had copied every step to a T and had then jumped up and down with glee as though she had immensely enjoyed herself. After that there had been no stopping her. Even when they went to the movies, Preeti would spring from her seat at the start of a catchy number and begin to dance. She could not control herself; such was her love for dance. The audience would turn their attention to the little girl who was dancing rather than on the big screen. Preeti’s dance was a must item in every birthday party

TRUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT she attended. What pleased the adults was that Preeti danced as soon as she was asked to, without any inhibition and enjoyed herself with total abandon. Once Preeti started school, she had many opportunities to showcase her talent. Competitions, be it interhouse, inter-school or interstate, talent shows, school annual day, sports day entertainment, everyone occasion had Preeti’s participation. She enjoyed such platforms to express her passion for dance and that very enjoyment gave her an edge over her competitors that she won in almost every competition she participated. Her parents had to get a big show case built to exhibit Preeti’s many trophies. Around the time Preeti was going to turn ten years, her school received an invitation from a TV channel asking them to send their students with talent for dance to participate in their reality show. Preeti was one of their obvious choices. After many auditions, she passed through several rounds and soon she was one among the top ten. By this time, Preeti had to devote all attention to the reality show. The school gave her an indefinite period of leave and assured her parents that she could catch up with the lessons once the show was over. They even offered to extend extra coaching; after all, their student was making their school proud and the whole nation was watching her. At the domestic front, her parents were also making a lot of adjustments as her mother had to accompany her to all her practice sessions. Besides that, both her parents attended all her performances. After every performance, they were required to appeal to the audience to send an SMS to vote for their daughter and help her win the rounds. They listened round after every round to the comments made

by the judges, either praising or criticizing their daughter. As for Preeti, she just could not understand what the judges wanted her to do. For a girl who danced just for the joy of it, she had to stand and listen to the judges, praising her dance at one performance, criticizing a step at another, commenting on her costume in yet another. And after all that, she had to face the anxiety of getting eliminated. She could not bring herself to look at her parent’s faces after each round as she could see only the fear of her chance of being eliminated, but never the joy of the splendid performance that she had just given. Secretly, Preeti wished that she could be eliminated. She was well and truly tired of the whole ordeal. She just wanted to get back to her normal life. By then she had reached the top five. The publicity she got everywhere she went was astounding. Preeti was a shy girl and was always intimidated by crowds except when she was dancing! She found all the attention intruding and bothersome. Her parents were also going through similar experiences. Added to the attention, were unsolicited advices and suggestions. ‘Make her dance to this number, she will get more points. Try to make the vote a little emotional, she will get more votes,’ the suggestions seemed to pour. During one of her practice sessions, Preeti was trying a jump and a swirl when she fell down and tripped, spraining her ankle. X-Rays showed a few torn ligaments. Preeti cried in pain. The doctor bound the ankle up with a crepe bandage, gave her some pain killers and told her parents not to allow her move for at least a month. Reaching home, soothed now by the pain relievers, Preeti thought delightedly that the twisted ankle would mean the end of the reality show for her. Her delight was short lived as the TV PRO manipulated the situation to their advantage, thus bringing an emotional upheaval in the show. They interviewed the doctor and got him to comment on Preeti’s condition. Then they compelled Preeti’s mother to narrate about the unfortunate incident and asked so many questions that the situation got the better of her and she burst into tears. They captured the torrent of tears on camera. In the next show,

the entire incident right from the time Preeti fell down trying a dance step, to her mother’s narration of the incident and her consequent tearful outburst was telecast. This emotional skit had everyone in the studio, including the judges reaching for tissues. The impact on the public was remarkable and votes for Preeti started pouring in as the show’s TRP shot up several notches. Preeti had a deluge of get well wishes in the form of flowers and gifts delivered to her. In spite of the bruised ankle, Preeti was told that she could give her performance with little or no practice. The doctor’s help was roped in to give her a local anesthesia on the ankle just before her dance. The pressure from all quarters was so intense that Preeti’s parents had no choice but to let their daughter dance. The pain and the compulsion to dance had taken their toll on Preeti. She lost her spirits and became apathetic not only toward dancing but also toward her day to day activities. She would not eat well, would not watch her favorite cartoon on the TV and restricted all conversations with her parents to customary replies. Her parents were also upset and did not know what to do. They were beginning to get second thoughts themselves, when one morning, they stepped into their daughter’s room and found her crying. She had removed the crepe bandage and was trying to massage her foot. They were shocked at the sight of her ankle. It had swollen up like a balloon and had turned an alarming pale blue. This was the last straw for them. They immediately took her to the hospital, got the ankle attended to and returned home making up their minds to give her complete rest for a month. They informed the Creative Head of the TV reality show that Preeti was withdrawing from the show. No amount of pressure or the lure of the prize money or the offers of an acting/dancing career in the movies, made them budge. Ultimately, the Creative Head gave up and with a quite announcement that Preeti had withdrawn from the show, owing to health problems, the show went on. Two weeks after the incident the phone in Preeti’s house rang. Her mother answered and listened so attentively and with so many exclamations, that Preeti and her father were restless

to know who it was. Finally after placing the receiver down, the mother turned to them with a bright face, full of smiles. She proceeded to recount the exact words of the caller, who had said, ‘I am Pundit Jaishankar. I got hold of Preeti’s number from her school after telling them who I am. I have been a dancer and then a teacher of various forms of dance. Now I am too old for that. I saw Preeti’s dances on the TV reality show. She is an excellent dancer. She is blessed with a natural flair for dance. I used to watch the show only to see Preeti dancing. I noticed her enthusiasm in the first few rounds and also her spirits ebbing out slowly with each passing round. I was very angry with you and your husband for putting her in a place she did not want to be. I was afraid you would put her future at stake and puff out her passion for dance all for the lure for the measly prize money. But I’m glad and delighted that you proved me wrong by withdrawing from the show. I respect and admire you for having taken the right decision at the right time, before more harm could have been done to a little girl’s bubbly interests. I have

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always wanted to encourage budding talent and having seen Preeti’s dancing skills, I know she will be a wonderful dancer and do a world of good to the field of dancing. As a token of my admiration and appreciation of Preeti’s talent, I want to sponsor her education as well as her pursuits in the field of dance. No, please do not object; do not consider this as charity. Please bestow this privilege on me. This is my way of paying tribute to an art that is so close to my heart. I will come and meet you both and Preeti in a few days’ time.’ Preeti’s parents were dumb founded. To be appreciated by the famous dancer and maestro Pundit Jaishankar and get his blessings was more than they could ever hope for and worth so much more than being a part of a reality show. They looked at their daughter with eyes full of pride and love. Seeing their expression, Preeti‘s heart soared. She had got back what she had missed and yearned for all these days, her true acknowledgement, from the people she cared and loved. This is the only form of appreciation that a ten year old understands and cherishes. Kanjana Rao

oin Eve’s Times Story Club and enjoy reading good stories. Women who are interested in writing stories can take up their pens or jab a few keys on the keyboard and give free rein to their creative thinking. The story of the month will win a gift from Eve’s Times. Don’t forget to send your pix. We are eager to carry out humour stories too. Send in your entries to [email protected] or [email protected]

November 16-30, 2009

Page 15

Why Misery?

Anger and Love Y

ou deal with people and situations effectively only when you are happy. Otherwise, in your unhappiness, it won’t matter what good intentions you have, you will only spread misery in the world. Being happy or unhappy is actually your choice. People have chosen to be unhappy because they think that by being unhappy they will get something. Once you are unhappy, whatever you get, what does it matter? If you are happy, if you don’t get anything, what does it matter? This is not a philosophy; this is your true nature.

Sadhguru is a Realised Master, Yogi and profound Mystic of our times. A visionary, Sadhguru asserts that peace and happiness are not the ultimate goals of life, but the most basic needs in every human being. He developed Isha Yoga as a powerful method for individual transformation leading to human emancipation. A glimpse of his life and work can be found in the books of Encounter the Enlightened and Mystic’s Musings. For more details visit www.ishafoundation.org

By nature you want to be happy. Every creature wants to be happy. Everything that you are doing, every single act you are performing, is in pursuit of happiness in some way. Why would you want to serve people? Serving people gives you happiness; that is why. Somebody wants to wear good clothes; somebody

wants to make a lot of money, because that gives them happiness. Whatever every human being is doing on this planet, it does not matter what. Even if he is giving away his life for somebody, he is doing it because it gives him Happiness. So happiness is the fundamental goal of life. Why do you want to go to Heaven? Only because you’ve been told that if you go to heaven, you will be happy.

situations around you. The kind of mind you have depends on the kind of society you have been exposed to. Everything in your mind right now is something you picked up from outside. You got so LGHQWL¿HGZLWKLWDQGQRZLWLV causing you misery.

identify with that which you are not. When you don’t know what you really are, can you search for it? If you search, only your imagination will run wild. If you start thinking “Who am I?,” somebody will tell you that you are God’s child. Somebody else will tell you that you are the devil’s This body is not yours; you child. Somebody might tell have picked it up from the you something else, endless earth. You were born with a beliefs... So, the only thing tiny body, which your parents that you can do is, whatever gave you. After that, you ate you are not, start discounting After everything you do, if plants and animals and grew. that. When everything is happiness is not happening, You borrowed it from the discounted there is something somewhere you have earth; it is not yours. For a which cannot be discounted. missed the ABCs of life, the while you have to use it, so When you arrive at that, you fundamentals. When you were enjoy it and go. But you have will see there is no reason for a child, you were simply happy. EHFRPH VR GHHSO\ LGHQWL¿HG misery in this world. Without doing anything, you with it, you think this body is were happy. Then somewhere you. No wonder you suffer. along the way, you lost this The basis of this misery is: simply because you got deeply you have established yourself LGHQWL¿HG ZLWK PDQ\ WKLQJV in untruth. You are deeply around you, your body and LGHQWL¿HG ZLWK WKDW ZKLFK your mind. you are not. Hence, you go through all the suffering. What you call your mind is actually just the stuff you The whole process of have picked up from social spirituality is only to de-

%5($.,1*1(:6«««7+(/,*+7(56,'( WE GO WRONG ONLY TO HELP YOU, CLAIMS MET

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he weathermen got their forecasts wrong more often than not this monsoon. But, according to them, it was mostly a cunning plan to help citizens prepare better for graver eventualities.

historian spooked after making an appearance in a photo taken at ‘The Doors’ singer’s grave.

Now what kind of a theory is that? Fooling people with exaggerated predictions all in the name of caution? No wonder people do not believe a weather man! JIM MORRISON’S GHOST SPOOKS HISTORIAN

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eliance Natural Resources chairman Anil Ambani accused the Petroleum Ministry of being biased in the legal dispute with brother Mukesh Ambaniled Reliance Industries over the price of natural gas from the Krishna-Godavari basin.

ock legend Jim Morrison’s ghost has reportedly left a music

MY MOM WON’T MAKE IT: RAKHI

Jim, then MJ. What is it with rock stars and ghosts? Does rock make souls restless? Or is it that they are so active in their lifetime; that it affects their ‘after life’? These lines of thought making interesting research surely? What say, budding researchers?

The Indian meteorological department accurately forecast rainfall in June and July only 40% of the WLPH EXW RI¿FLDOV FODLP LW LV ANIL AMBANI ACCUSES standard practice to over- PETROLEUM MINISTRY OF predict as it makes people BEING BIASED careful.

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if he was not so during his lifetime!

Call it competition between corporates or a duel between siblings; it will be Dhirubhai Ambani’s soul that will be restless surely. Even

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he battle inside the Sawant household just entered the Bigg Boss house. Item girl Rakhi Sawant is worried about her mother, Jaya Sawant’s feverish pitch for her own reality TV star status on Big Boss. Rakhi reacted on a TV news channel, ‘The channel has somehow convinced my mother to participate but she is too old and fat to survive the reality TV grind.’ We have heard of sibling rivalry. But what can we call this rivalry? Suggestions are welcome.

Kanchana. Rao

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Registrar of Newspapers for India Registration No TNENG/2005/16719

Regn No: TN/ CC (S) Dn 354 /08-10 November 16-30, 2009

Page 16 continued on page 1

The photo shows my daughter Sandhya with her husband Sandeep , my eldest son Bobby with his wife Gillean and my second son Nikhil (bald head) who is not yet married - Ravi Bhaskaran been hospitalized though he recounts a few incidents of hypoglycemia when he had had unconscious spells , but was thankfully helped by friends. Marriage alliances did not come by easily. “ I was not the most eligible bachelor, “ he laughs, “ I know what it is to be rejected. I l feel bad for women when they are ‘shown’ to men and rejected, even today. Once my mother fixed up a girl and called me from Vizag. When I came to see her, I found out that she was deaf and dumb. I was disappointed that I was eligible only to marry differently-abled women. I told my mother that I would take care of my marriage and returned ,” he guffaws. Ravi

married his office colleague, Maria Rosario, an Anglo Indian and a Roman Catholic, who knew everything about him and was willing to be his life partner. His marriage took place in a church. A beautiful woman with a beautiful mind, she was the turning point in his life, “ My marriage was the best thing that ever happened to me. It was a stabilizing factor of my life and gave me a loving family.” Ravi used to go for his check-ups on his own. Sometimes Marie used to accompany him, listen to the doctors carefully and built a caring and supportive ambience at home. “She is like an angel watching over me all the time,” he says happily.

Ravi faced many ups and downs in his career. When insurance schemes were introduced in organizations, he had to reveal his condition and promotions came to a stand still. He had to change jobs to smaller companies in order to get senior posts. In 1996 when he was 57 years old, he decided to quit . He joined a management institute to helps his friend market a Management Development Progamme and worked till he was sixty five. He promoted MDP in a very big way . He was also a student counselor and looked after placements. His second career was fulfilling. There has been no looking back since and he

continues to be a consultant even today. Fitness for Ravi Bhaskaran has been a part and parcel of his life. He has been an avid walker. On his doctor’s advice, he has now added stretching exercises and mild weight training . Apart from a cataract surgery and visits for regular check-ups, Ravi continues to stay away from hospitals. For men like Ravi, life is indeed a merry-goround. Swirl around the world in the pace and manner you want and you will have a fulfilling, colourful life as the world whizzes past you. And being a juvenile diabetic for over five decades, living on hundreds of shots doesn’t make a difference!

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ccording to latest data released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes now affects 285 million people worldwide costs the world economy at least US$376 billion in 2010, or 11.6% of total world healthcare expenditure. A further 344 million are at risk of developing diabetes (pre-diabetes). If nothing is done to reverse the epidemic, IDF predicts that by 2030, 435 million people will live with the disease. Almost 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. Faced with these alarming numbers, we need to establish access to diabetes education as a right for all people with diabetes It is important to promote greater awareness of the risk factors and warning signs of diabetes, and encourage best-practice sharing in diabetes prevention. -

Every 10 seconds a person dies from diabetes-related causes.

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Every 10 seconds two people develop diabetes.

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Every 30 seconds a limb is lost to diabetes

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Each year a 7 million people develop diabetes

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Each year 4 million deaths are attributable to diabetes

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Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of global death by disease.

Published by Smt. Kamala Balachandran on behalf of Eve’s Times Group from 18/1, Second Cross Street, Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai - 600 041. Ph- 2452 6739. Printed by K. Elumalai at Sakthi Scanners (P) Ltd., No 7, Dams Road, Chindadripet, Chennai - 600 002. Editor: Lata Amarnath