Basant
Panchami
Prof (Dr) R D Gupta
‘‘Aai Vasant Pale
Oorant,’’ is an old saying in Dogri. It
means that with an arrival of the Vasant festival
there is an end of winter.
Vasant (Basant) Panchami festival is just like
the festivals of Deepawali or Diwali and
Navratras or Navratris which are celebrated in
honour of the Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth)
and the Goddess Durga (Goddess of strength, might
and power), respectively. Basant Panchami
festival is devoted to the Goddess Saraswati,
consort of the Lord Brahama who is regarded the
creator of the universe. Basant Panchami is also
called Saraswati Day as this day commemorates the
birhday of the Goddess Saraswati. The Goddess
Saraswati is depicted in a religious painting or
picture with four hands and playing with a
musical instrument having string (Veena).
The Goddess Saraswati alighted on a vehicle-a
while swan which symbolises the Satwa Guna
(purity and discrimination). Satwas Guna
encompasses learning wisdom and fine arts. The
Goddess Saraswati is, thus, worshipped for
learning spiritual, religious and other aspects
of enlightenments, the great wealth of the men.
The Goddess Saraswati is of special favourite of
spiritual and religious leaders as well as
orators, speakers and writers.
The Hindu folk lore consider the learneds with
great regards even than emperors and kings. A
king is reverred within his own kingdom only,
while learneds are respected for ever. For
instance Ved Vyas- the great sage who brought
synopsis of Veda’s philosophy known as
‘‘Brahama Sutra’’ is still
known and honoured today. Similarly Swami
Vivekananda who got lot of famous in Hindu
religion not only in India but in America also
when he delivered his lecture in Chicago.
Likewise Gautam Budha and Guru Nanak Dev Ji are
better known today than the .. .. . .....more
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Rulers of
Ladakh
Ram Rattan Sharma
The early history
of Ladakh was influenced by its large
neighbour Tibet. This was fact not only
of political events but also true of its
religious influences. The Chief Lama of
Lhasa played a major role in the day to
day existence of the Ladakhi’s. All
Buddhists of the region paid him respect
and obeyed. The political influence was
however nominal. The Ladakh is asserted
their independence through out its
history. Palayai Gon of the tenth century
and the Singee Namagayal during the
seventh century were very strong and
independent rulers.
The former king had great liking for
women and could lift a horse himself, he
had so much strength. The Chinese
pilgrim, Fa-Hian who visited India in 400
AD travelled through Ladakh and went upto
Sarnath. The pilgrim mentioned in his
report that Ladakh was ruled by a king
and many Lamas all whom were strong
followers of the Lord Buddha. In 250 B.C.
the great Emperor Ashoka embraced
Buddhism after the battle of Kalinga.
Ceremony of his embracing Buddhism is
still observed by the Buddhists of Ladakh
with great pomp and glory. Buddhism has
taken firm roots in Ladakh. From the
tenth century to the seventeenth century
the history of Ladakh is unrecorded and
this constitutes a big blank in the
recording of development there. Since
many Lamas has taken pains to reconstruct
the history once again. King of Choving,
who conquered Ladakh was keen that the
historical records be maintained and
remade post, records revealed that
Ladakhi history saw many invasions.
Namgyal who was a great warrior raised
his own Army, became ruler of Ladakh, by
ousting those in power and beheading them
as was the custom or those rulers who
lost a battle, Namgyal was very ambitious
and he conquered the neighbouring
Kingdoms. Chovang Namgyal amassed a very
large fortune as a result of his
conquests. He furthered the cause of
religion by eroding many statutes of
deities. ....
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Dance with me
Dancing queen Saroj Khan, who is the
new toast of small screen with her Bollywood
dance tutorials on NDTV Imagine, shares her
insights on the future of dance with Binita
Ramchandani
Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan set the ball rolling
for newly launched NDTV Imagine. In this unique
show, the industry's veteran choreographer
teaches students to dance like famed Bollywood
divas. Excerpts from a chat with the woman behind
many a successful women of silver screen
What is you show on NDTV Imagine like?
The show is about a teacher who teaches dance to
students absolutely free of cost. I found the
concept quite good, as nowadays many people want
to learn dance and so I thought, why not give
them a platform. The show is a medium through
which I will teach students dance by helping him
or her identify the beat of the music - just as I
teach on the sets. The best part is that there is
no age bar, so whether young or old, everybody
can dance with me.
Do you plan to direct or act in a movie as you
have done before?
No, I do not intend to take up direction or
acting; I did that earlier just as a friendly
gesture. I wish to stick to choreography and do
as much for the industry as I can.
Are you happy with the dance scenario in
Bollywood?
Nowadays each and every song in a movie looks
almost the same- mainly the item numbers. There
is no specific movement, which is seen. But some
years back this was not the case. Each song had
its own unique steps; for example, take the Dhak
Dhak song by Madhuri. . . ......more
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Winter Diet
Shahnaz Husain
 The body
has an inherent capacity to heal itself. In fact,
the ancient systems of healing, like the Unani
system and Ayurveda aim at raising the level of
good health and fitness, in order to achieve
freedom from disease. It advocates measures to
strengthen the immune system, so that diseases
can be prevented. Today, modern scientific
research has upheld the principles of the
holistic system of Ayurveda.
Internal health reflects on the skin and hair in
a definite way. When body and mind are healthy,
the skin, hair and body reflect it, in terms of a
clear, glowing skin, thick, lustrous hair, a
slim, supple figure. Similarly, dietary
deficiencies, health problems and stress, show up
as specific problems, like dandruff, acne, hair
loss, cellulite, dehydration, pigmentation,
under-eye dark circles and so on.
Nature is actually the best physician. She gives
us fruits and vegetables that are needed by the
body for the different seasons. In summer, for
instance, we get fruits and vegetables that
contain more water like melons, cucumber and
gourds (lauki). They help to replace the water
that is lost through perspiration. Similarly, in
winter, we get those fruits and vegetables, which
are beneficial to the body in cold weather.
Vitamin C helps to strengthen our immune system
and protects the body from colds and coughs. In
winter, we get plenty of oranges and
"mousambi" (sweet lime). They are rich
in Vitamin C. So, it is a good idea to include
them in your daily diet. Green leafy vegetables
are also rich in Vitamin C and many minerals.
Winter is the season for greens, like
"palak", "methi" and
"sarson ka saag." Lettuce is also
easily available in winter. So, choose from these
leafy green vegetables for your daily meals. In
winter, the body also needs more Vitamin A. So,
have plenty of orange vegetables and fruits, .. ........more
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Toxic
Chemicals in Poultry industry
Maneka Gandhi
It is not just bird
flu that has made chicken eating
dangerous to your health. Read on
to discover a secret that the
poultry industry has hidden for a
long time.
In the dictionary
‘arsenic’ is synonymous
with ‘poison’. It is
considered the king of poisons.
It is a metallic element used in
rat poison, weed killer and in
manufacturing glass. And, each
time you eat chicken, you eat
arsenic too.
In 1944
Roxarsone—4-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzenearsonic
acid now also known as 3 Nitro ,
Ristat or Renosal— was
invented and allowed by the US
Government to be fed to factory
raised chickens. This is an
arsenic-based additive which the
poultry industry uses to increase
weight gain, kills stomach
parasites, improve the color of
chicken meat and rear bigger
breasted birds. This was taken up
by producers all over the world.
No studies were done for 40 years
to see the effect of eating such
chicken or its environmental
impacts. In the 80s , when the
European Union did the first
tests, they banned arsenic in
chicken feed immediately.
However, it is still being fed to
chickens in the rest of the
world.
While eating a lot of arsenic
kills immediately , small amounts
over a period of time , according
to the Environmental Protection
Agency can cause bladder, lung,
kidney and colon cancer. It
adversely affects the immune,
neurological and endocrine
systems. Low-level exposure can
lead to partial paralysis and
diabetes and a decline in brain
functions. Physical contact with
arsenic thickens skin initially,
gradually decreasing blood flow
to the heart. "None of this
was known in the 1950s when
arsenics were first approved for
use in poultry," say
toxicologists at the premier
medical university Johns Hopkins
University School of Public
Health. ... ......more
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mutual Funds
Neha Aggarwal
Looking for Capital Gains, invest in
Diversified Equity MFs; want security of your
investments, choose among available debt and
balanced MFs; need some Tax Advantage, go for Tax
Planning MFs, more concerned about regular
earnings, monthly income MF Schemes are there,
etc.
This shows that the Mutual Funds (MFs) are
serving the investment requirements of almost all
types of Investors these days through their
diverse universe of MF schemes and investing in
good mutual funds is the best and the easiest way
to build a perfect portfolio.
Removal of entry load on direct investment into a
MF scheme through the fund house has further
increased their potential for the investors.
Here, we are discussing about the various broad
classes of MF schemes available for investment,
their suitability to different types of investors
and what basic characters to analyze before
investing in a scheme.
Variety of these schemes can be understood by the
fact that MFs are serving as the substitute for
every kind of investment option available till
date.
Direct investments in the stock market can be
equalized by Different Equity Schemes,
Investments in Gilt Securities or other fixed
interest bearing securities can be met by Debt
schemes, if you want exposure to both Equity and
debt, there are a number of Balanced funds.
Unit-linked insurance products (Ulips) provide
the customer with the dual opportunity of
financial security from unforeseen eventualities
as well as reaping market-linked returns. . ..........more
Kites are tools of
Science
G V Joshi
 The International Kite Festival held
at Ahmedabad as well as Jaipur brought people
together from everywhere- be it from Japan,
Australia, Malaysia, USA, Brazil, Canada and
European countries- to participate in the
Festival.
It is generally believed that the kite was
invented in the Malay Archipelago. Even though it
is generally considered to be only a toy, it has
served as a scientific tool and provided humanity
with a wealth of knowledge.
Kites are aircraft by definition; a heavier than
air craft consisting of a wood or fiberglass
frame which is covered by light fabric, paper, or
plastic. To this craft is attached a string,
which is held by the flier on the ground.
The kite achieves flight by virtue of its
resistance to the wind provided by the string
held firmly by the flier, and lift provided by
the flow of air over and around the frame as in
the wings of an aircraft.
The use of a kite as a scientific tool gradually
spread from the Far East to the western world.
Among the first to use the kite scientifically
were Dr Alexander Wilson and Thomas Melville of
the University of Glasgow in Scotland.
In 1749, they hoisted thermometers aloft on six
kites, with fuses attached to each kite so that
the instruments could be dropped from different
altitudes. They were the first scientists to
record temperatures above the surface of the
earth.
Three years later in the United States, Dr
Benjamin Franklin made his famous experiment
proving that lightning is a form of electricity.
No body for sure knows how he survived the shock.
Neither the steam, petrol nor the diesel engine,
but the kite made possible the world’s first
horseless carriage. The Englishman George Pocock
in 1827 developed a four wheeled carriage which
was towed along by two kites with strong strings
about 500 to 600 metres ......more
Haemorrhiods
Symptoms and Management
Sunil Fotedar
Haemorrhiods are
varicosities of the network of veins,
lining the rectum and anus which
generally arise as a result of over
dilation of the veins. As the veins are
only supported by loose connective
tissue, they can easily rupture when
distended resulting in blood
loss.Haemorrhiods can be either internal
or external. Internal haemorrhiods form
within the rectum and often lead to scant
bleeding especially after defacation and
will frequently itch. External
haemorrhiods often appear as bluish
protuberances around the anus.
They can be soft and painless, but may
become painful if thrombosed.
What is the cause ? It needs to be
examined. There is a definite heriditary
factor to haemorrhiods, with members of
the same family suffering.
Constipation is the major factor in the
formation of haemorrhiods. Trying to pass
a motion transmits an increased pressure
to the rectal veins, leading to
haemorrhiods and in turn make passing a
motion difficult there by exacerbate
constipation.
It is generally recognised that a diet
low in dietry fibre can contribute to the
condition. Straining during sneezing or
manual work can also precipitate piles.
Obesity can also affect the rectal veins
in a similar fashion.
It has been suggested that piles are a
natural part of the ageing process and
that we would all develop them, if we
lived long enough.
Haemarrhiods in pregnancy can occur at
any time during pregnancy, but tend to be
more common in the later months as the
weight of the uterus leads to venous
obstruction. Constipation is more common
in pregnancy especially if iron
preperations are being taken.. .
...more
Mata Roop
Bhawani
Shalija Dhar
Mata Roop Bhawani was born
in the year 1621 (Vikrami Samvat 1677) on
the day of Magh Zeyasth Purnima to Sh.
Madhav Jee Dhar. Shri. Madav Jee Dhar was
a simple God fearing man with a spiritual
bent of mind. Every morning he used to
wake up around 3.30 a.m. and get ready
for his daily puja archana of Mata
Sharika at her temple Sharika Parvat
(Haree Parvat). He would be the first
person to offer prayer to Mata Sharika in
her temple everyday. One day while
returning back after offering his prayers
to Mata Sharika, on his way suddenly
appeared a great flash of light. When he
looked, he saw a divine girl. At once, he
recognized that it was none other than
Mata herself. Mata was impressed by his
bhakti and asked him to wish for any
thing. At that time Madhav Jee Dhar
requested the Goddess to take birth as
his daughter.
Mata Bhawani’s childhood was
influenced by the spirituality of her
father. As it was the Mughal period then
and the girls during that period were
married at a very young age, thus Mata
Roop Bhawani was also married at a very
young age to Heeranand Saproo of
Habbakadal. She didn’t lead a happy
married life. Both her husband and
mother-in-law were of harsh nature. Her
mother-in-law Sompkuji made an allegation
on her for going out at midnight. Even
her husband blamed her. But the reality
was that Mata Roop Bhawani would sit on a
lion that would come everynight to take
her to Chakreshwar, (Haree Parvat). One
night her husband followed her, Bhawani
was aware of it. When she reached
Chakreshwar, she turned back and asked
her husband to come near her, but because
of his ignorance Heeranand felt that
there was a big pool of water between him
and her, so he returned ........more
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