Tag: delhi

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Wellness

Care for your skin before Holi

An expert’s tips on making your own Holi colours, and skin and haircare advice before the festivities kick off tomorrow.
by Dr Abha Kashyap

Part II of III

There are several ways to protect your skin, hair and eyes from the onslaught of Holi colours. While it may not be possible to persuade others to play with natural colours, you can do your bit for the environment and towards human safety by playing Holi with safe, natural colours made of turmeric and flowers.

What’s more, you can make these colours at home, too. Try these:

–  You can make gulaal at home by mixing red sandalwood powder with a bit of maida or plain atta.

– Also try boiling red sandalwood powder in water to make red-coloured water. This is both fragrant and medicinal.

– Mix turmeric and besan (gram flour) to get a bright yellow powder.

– Mix a paste of green leafy vegetables in water to make green-coloured water.

– Plain henna powder mixed in water will give you a vibrant orange colour.

– You can mix henna powder containing amla in water for a bright brown colour.

And before you start the revelries in earnest, bear in mind a few tips:

–  Avoid all facial treatments during this period. If you are prone to allergies and rashes, visit your dermatologist to check whether you need precautionary medication.

– Harsh chemicals in the colours can cause itching and rashes, which lead to eczema upon scratching. Contact dermatitis, abrasion, irritation, itching, dryness, pruritus and burning sensation are the other problems you might encounter. The best way to protect your skin is to apply a thick layer of oil or petroleum jelly or a face cream on the exposed parts of the body an hour before you step out.

– Apply a lot of oil on your hair to protect it from harmful colours. This will also ensure that the residue from dyes in the colour does not get stuck to your hair and scalp. Make sure your hair isn’t dry before you go out to play, because colour will penetrate faster in the hair root and stain it. Oil hair religiously and give it a good massage.

– Wear clothes with long sleeves and full-length bottoms to protect your skin from direct colouration.

– You will need to soak your body in oil. From head to toe, drench yourself in coconut oil or any other easily available oil. Alternatively, you can also use heavy creams.

– Apply a thick layer of the greasiest sunscreen you can find. The oils in it will not let the colour seep deep into your skin, and the SPF in it will prevent you from the harsh rays of the sun.

– Coat your nails in transparent nail paint, so that colour wont stain your nails. Even men will love this tip.

– A thick layer of petroleum jelly must be applied on the lips. Also, opt for long-wearing lip tints to prevent staining.

– You might balk at the idea, but your teeth need protecting, too. Warm some Vaseline against your fingers and gently rub it against your teeth to prevent staining. It will prevent the staining.

– Always cover your eyes whenever there is a chance of colour coming in contact with them. Sunglasses are useful for this.

Other ignored areas of the body are the cuticles, back of the neck and ears. We often ignore these areas and end up having the most staining there! This time, coat the area with Vaseline or some heavy oil. And be safe.

Dr Abha Kashyap is an aesthetic image consultant, MedSpa.

Tomorrow: How to get rid of Holi colour from your skin and hair. Plus, protecting your eyes as you play Holi.

(Featured image courtesy idiva.com)

Categories
Enough said

Why the Railway Budget makes no sense

Humra Quraishi describes her adventures with the Indian Railways and wonders if travel basics would ever be taken care of.

Whilst reading my daily Thought For The Day a few days ago – Blaise Pascal’s ‘ Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary, great minds with the ordinary’, I muttered aloud that this thought seems to fit rather well with Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s rail budget.

Typically, the Rail Budget comprised big announcements of bigger trains, especially from his home town Chandigarh, complete with hackneyed tricks of modern-day technology (he was trying to sound technology savvy, I think) without paying attention to the grim fact that e-bookings and reservations are beyond the reach of most of his countrymen. But the Honourable Minister doesn’t seem bothered to look into ground realities. Nor does he seem particularly concerned about the dangers lurking for rail passengers – no, not in the form of terrorists, but rats and cockroaches and stray dogs in and around train compartments.

Mind you, I am not talking of slow passenger trains but those special ones – the Rajdhanis and Shatabdis. I really want to see what the Minister’s new wonder – Anubhuti – will be like.

I’m not much of a traveller; the last time I took the train was the Lucknow-Delhi Shatabdi and the Delhi-Ajmer Shatabdi. There were rats in the coach and the railway staff’s only solution seemed to be to play hide-and-seek with them. We tried putting our feet in a high-alert (and higher-than-ground-level) posture, but you know how it is. After a point, you forget to remain so tense, only to be reminded by another darting rodent. We remained restless for long hours. As if that wasn’t enough, several well-fed cockroaches arrived on the scene, sniffing around the food trays that nobody would bother to take away hours after we’d eaten.

Then there were dogs on the platforms. Not one or two, but several loitering around as though it was their home territory (which it probably was). I was dismayed to see how the railway platform of the capital city was stinking with the filth and the animals around.

The Honorable Railway Minister should undertake a train journey one of these days, one of those unannounced and ‘spontaneous’ ones that his ilk is so fond of taking in the presence of press photographers and news channels, so that he can see the mess in the Indian Railways for himself. It will be even better if he carries a bag or two, preferably containing valuables, and experience for himself the many thefts taking place on station platforms. During one of our journeys, one of our handbags was cut into and left bereft of the last rupee tucked within its interiors; we rushed to the police station situated at the end of New Delhi Railway station, only to hear the paunchy policewallahs tell us that it was next to impossible to retrieve the stolen stuff. Very philosophically they added, “Madam, what is gone is gone.”

Mr Bansal, it is spring…that time of the year when there’s supposed bahaar in and around your bungalow, but do try and move out from your gardens and take a stroll on the railway platforms. Just like in your Budget speech, I am certain that you will utter some more of those moving couplets you regaled us with a few days ago, but this time, you may genuinely feel what you say. If you do take such a trip, be sure to watch out, apart from the filth and the mess, for the little children, some of them battered beyond recognition and several others made to beg. Look out also for the many unscrupulous activities that take place in the Railways’ premises. But no, don’t go as a minister with those sepahis and chamchas hovering around you, but as an average Indian who travels without security convoys.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant. 

(Picture courtesy bryansander.com)

Categories
Learn

International Committee of Red Cross turns 150

Humra Quraishi tracks the journey of the ICRC, whose first mission to India had landed in Bombay 96 years ago.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) turned 150 years old on February 17, 2013. It is now more than 30 years old in India. In fact, ICRC’s first mission to India was on February 12, 1917, some 95 years ago, to restore contact between people separated by war.

To give you a background on this:  The International Prisoners-of-War Agency was formed on August 21, 1914. And from December 1914, ICRC delegates began obtaining permission from the different states to visit POW camps not just to check on conditions of detention but also to let the prisoners know that they had not been forgotten by the outside world or reconnect them with their loved ones. On January 25, 1917 in Cairo, the delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had just finished a camp visit of Ottoman Prisoner of War (POWs), that they received a cable from their headquarters in Geneva.

The cable directed them to inspect camps of POWs and civilian internees in Asian countries of India and Burma. The delegates got on to a ship and sailed through the Suez Canal to reach Bombay on February 12, 1917. The arrival of delegates that day
marked the beginning of ICRC’s journey on Indian soil. The mission in India began with the delegates meeting Viscount Chelmsford, Viceroy of India (the head of the British administration in India) in Delhi. In the province of Rajputana, the ICRC delegates visited the first camp in Sumerpur on March 3 to 4, 1917.

Explaining the concrete work of the delegates during such camp visits, Mary Werntz, currently the head of the regional delegation of the ICRC in Delhi, said, “The delegates would dive deep to see if the detainees were treated with dignity. From checking the barrack premises, sleeping, clothing and sanitation facilities, access to exercise and fresh air, medical services,
quantity of food received per person, to mapping the application of order and discipline on inmates by the detaining authority, every small details were observed and noted.

Efforts would also be made to ensure that the detainees had the right to practise their religion, had access to letters and parcels, and could avail the financial support from their own Government.”

Reading these details of ICRC’s work, one thought struck me: there are no formal and full-fledged wars being fought these days, so can’t the ICRC men and women look into the current state of our lockups and prisons, and what the current state of those languishing there is. In the times we are living in, there must be watchdog organisations to monitor and bring about interventions.

(Picture courtesy itu.int)

Categories
Deal with it

Raise IT exemption limit, says the salaried class

Survey across the country’s metros and Tier II cities reveals that people want more exemptions on HRA, transport allowance and health.

Budget 2013-2014 will soon be upon us, and people are already awaiting news of new tax slabs. However, a comprehensive survey by the Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) across the country reveals that a vast majority of the salaried class employed in a host of trade and industry sectors wants Finance Minister P Chidambaram to raise the exemption limit of income tax to at least Rs 3,00,000.

The survey reveals that people also want him to increase deductions such as medical and educational allowances in the Union Budget, so that they are left with more purchasing power.

The survey was conducted in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh and Dehradun, and was titled, ‘Budget 2013: Common man’s expectations from the FM’. About 2,500 employees from different sectors were covered by the survey from each city.

Over 89 per cent of respondents said that the slab of tax-free income has not moved up in line with real inflation. “The current basic exemption limit of Rs 2,00,000 should be increased to at least Rs 3,00,000, with the exemption limit for women going up to Rs 3,50,000. This will increase the purchasing power of individuals and stimulate demand,” the survey reads.

“Pushing the basic exemption limit will also align it with the proposals made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Direct Taxes Code (DTC)”, the survey noted.

With increasing healthcare costs, the existing tax free limit of Rs 15,000 should be increased to Rs 50,000; the same also needs to be considered in the Budget, said 89 per cent of respondents.

The transportation allowance granted by employers to employees (for commuting between the place of work and residence) is tax-free to the extent of Rs 800 per month. This limit was fixed more than a decade ago, and definitely needs to be revised upwards to at least Rs 3,000 per month, given the rising commuting costs across the country, finds the survey.

“Additional benefits related to housing, the deduction limit for payment of interest (on self occupied property) has remained constant at Rs 1,50,000 since 2001. There is an increase in property prices and accordingly the amount of loan. An increase in the exemption limit to Rs 2,50,000 will be a welcome change.

“Section 80C of the IT Act provides a deduction of Rs 1,00,000 for certain investments. This provision helps people in making forced savings that helps them in the future. A common man expects this limit to be increased to Rs 2,00,000 with sub-limit of Rs 50,000 exclusively for insurance and pension,” says DS Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM.

The survey was able to target employees from 18 broad sectors, with maximum share contributed by employees from IT/ITes sector (17 per cent). 11 per cent of the respondents came from financial services. Employees working in engineering and telecom sector contributed 9 per cent and 8 per cent respectively in the questionnaire. Nearly 6 per cent of the employees belonged from market research/KPO and media background each.

Around 55 per cent of the survey respondents fall under the age bracket of 25 to 29 years, followed by 30 to 39 years (26 per cent), 40 to 49 years (16 per cent), 50 to 59 years (2 per cent) and 60 to 65 years.

“Investments in infrastructure bonds are currently not allowed as a deduction up to Rs 20,000. These bonds have proved to be quite popular and the limit should be increased to Rs 50,000, considering that the Government needs massive funds for the development of the infrastructure sector and also the lock in period be restricted to five years,” added 82 per cent of respondents.

Over 71 per cent of respondents demanded for national pension system (NPS) brought under the EEE (exempt-exempt-exempt) as against EET (exempt-exempt-tax) at present. This means that investors get a tax exemption at all three stages of investment, appreciation and withdrawal.

(Picture courtesy profit.ndtv.com)

Categories
Trends

Mumbai drinks the most energy drinks

Bangalore and Delhi rank second and third in the country; survey reveals that more boys than girls consume energy drinks.

This is party season, and while the New Year approaches, the nation is looking for ways to stay up all night and party hard. And one way to do this is by consuming energy drinks.

But a recent Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) survey reveals some staggering truths about energy drink consumption in the country. Titled ‘Increasing demand of energy drinks among youngsters’, the survey reveals that energy drink consumption has grown by 45 per cent in Mumbai, the highest growth rate anywhere in the country, followed by 42 per cent in Bangalore and 40 per cent in Delhi.

“The use of energy drinks increased with age, especially in boys, with almost 55% of 12th grade consuming energy drinks to boost their game…about 71 per cent of adolescents in urban centers of India consume energy drinks which leads to seizures, diabetic, cardiac abnormalities and behavioural disorders,” the survey reveals.

ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation (ASDF) team conducted the survey in major states-cities of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Haryana, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Lucknow, and interacted with around 2,500 adolescents (almost equal number of males and females) in the age group of 14-30 years. The respondents admitted that they consumed energy drinks for such promised factors as boost in energy, appearance, performance, improved immunity and overall health.

“Over 85 per cent of school and college students said, these drinks are easily available easily available in the market like retail stores, bars and pubs etc. The target buyers for energy drinks continue to be the young and working Indian population,” reveals the survey.

“Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages containing caffeine, guarana, glucuronolactone, taurine, ginseng, inositol, carnitine, B-vitamins, etc as main ingredients that act as stimulants. These drinks contain high levels of caffeine, which stimulates the nervous system,” said Dr BK Rao, Chairman, ASSOCHAM Health Committee.

“These drinks include high levels of sugar and up to 270 calories in each bottle – in addition to potentially harmful levels of caffeine, which has been linked to seizures, heart problems and behavioural disorders,” said Dr Rao.

“Among 82 per cent teenagers, admitted that they opt for energy drinks during exercise for ‘extra energy’, 61 per cent for ‘better hydration’ and 40 per cent as they ‘prefer the taste’. The consumption levels and situations in which people are consuming these energy drinks are worrisome,” added Dr Rao.

(Picture courtesy thinkpress.org. Picture used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Soft Coroner

Un-justification

Prashant Shankarnarayan is stunned to discover that seemingly educated, modern Indians still have a million justifications for why rapes happen.

The situation – My colleague trying to decipher the reasons behind the Delhi rape case.

The observation – The Delhi rape case has shaken everybody who possesses even an iota of conscience. But my colleague’s reasoning for the rape shocked me as much as the news of the rape.

This is his take on the Delhi rape case:

“What happened was completely wrong, but such incidents happen because of the general attitude of Delhi women. The average Delhi girl is a nymphomaniac, unlike other Indian women and hence, Delhi guys are used to getting action.” (He even gave an example about how a schoolgirl used to approach his colleague in Delhi for sex. How all that Delhi women want is sex, sex and more sex!) Hence men, who are used to an environment where they are usually guaranteed regular sex, go wild when they are deprived of it. This, in turn, affects innocent women.”

Now this is his take on the recent Mumbai rape case of a foreigner:

“Well, that too happened for a simple reason. The government shut down the dance bars. There were many men who used to throng these dance bars to satiate their lust but now that they don’t have this outlet, they are targeting any woman they come across.”

Sadly and wrongly, my colleague conveniently put the burden of rape on women, but what shocked me is the scale of reasoning. So far we have heard the usual justifications for atrocities on women; that they wear short clothes and incite men, they have no business walking alone at night, they shouldn’t have ventured in that notorious locality in the first place, and they have become too independent and hence irreverent. But this is a whole new level.

The first statement shamelessly supports rape, and the second one supports trafficking and prostitution. In this case, the Delhi rape victim was not alone and it wasn’t late at night when the incident occurred. Hence, when you can’t blame the rape victim with the usual justifications, you must blame other women in general for bringing such a fate upon themselves, right? Else blame the institution for stopping women from becoming dancing objects of lust. And just like him, many other men have their own pet justifications for the existence of rape in society. So what is this fuzzy logic?

That just because we knew about one or two promiscuous women, it gives us a right to justify an innocent girl’s heinous rape? Or just because the government shut our dance bars we have a right to feel wronged and punish innocent women for the same?

The notable part is that my colleague is a decent guy, faithful to his wife, a loving father to his daughter, and I don’t remember him ever being a letch. This is exactly why women feel helpless, because sometimes, even the most educated men with liberal upbringing nurture certain reservations about women when it comes to such extreme cases.

There were many cases of women, including reporters, being molested outside India Gate during the mass protest against rape. Not so long ago, Mumbai’s policewomen were molested and their rifles were snatched by a mob that was protesting against the Bodo atrocities on Muslims. These are just two incidents that show women’s vulnerability, which is a slap on our face.

Many a time, I feel ashamed to be an Indian but sometimes I feel ashamed to be an Indian male. In a country where even educated men who don’t hail from a feudal society harbour such notions about rape victims, then what does the future hold for us?

To finish off rape we need to stop justifying rape. Candle light protests and banning tinted glasses on buses won’t change anything. Fast track courts for rape and even imposing capital punishment will punish the rapists faster, but not necessarily end the very gory concept of rape. The sick mentality to rape a woman is a condition.

And this condition could be curbed by identifying certain symptoms. Symptoms like a father abusing his wife in front of their child, an elder brother proudly indulging in eve teasing, a mother admonishing the daughter for being harassed instead of slapping the harasser. Nipping these innocuous looking things in the bud will go a long way in tackling rape.

Rape will be curbed by imposing strict laws, but it will be neutralised only by imposing strict discipline. It’s disheartening to see how a few men go to such wild extremes to justify rape. Not that they support the rapist, but they always manage to find a reason to justify rape’s existence in society.

Why is it so difficult to know that rape has no justifications? Nay, Na, Illai, Nahin, Naahi, Illa….

Prashant Shankarnarayan is a media person who is constantly on the lookout for content and auto rickshaws in Mumbai. ‘Soft Coroner’ tries to dissect situations that look innocuous at the surface but reveal uncomfortable complexities after a thorough post mortem.

(Picture courtesy 965malls.com)

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