Palace
of Leh
A K Khanna
Leh Town is the district
headquarter, and the largest town of Ladakh
region of the State. It situated about 6 km from
the right bank of river Indus. The town lies
about 3505 m above the mean sea level.
Leh Palace is a legacy of Ladakhi`s wars with
Kashmir rulers in the 19th century. A miniature
version of Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet and the
highest building in the World of his own times
The Chicogo ( USA ) built multi storeyed
buildings in 1871, however , the Senge Namgyal`s
nine storey 17th century AD Leh Palace and the
Potala Palace of Tibet are the oldest extant nine
storeyed building in the world . The Leh Palace
inspired, the more refined Patola palace in
Lhasa, which was constructed half a century
later. The Palace is situated on the middle of
hillock on a rugged Rock surrounded by building
as the land mark of the town of Leh, just 6 km
from right bank of the Indus.The distance between
Srinagar to Leh is 434 Km and it takes two days
with an overnight stop at Kargil. Sonamarg is the
last major town in the valley of Kashmir. After
that climb began for Zojila (3529 m) and enter
Ladakh region. Ladakh is the land of strange
Gonpas, perched on high barren hilltops, ancient
palaces attached to sheer rock walls and
shattered looking landscapes splashed with tiny
brilliant patches of green popular trees or Leh
berry bunches. The harsh climate made the
Ladakhis as delightful as the Tibetan people Most
of the people follow Tibetan tantric Buddhism
with much emphasis on magic and demons while
traveling from Srinagar to Leh, at Kargil on the
way to the Leh road. The Islamic influence dies
out and all around beyond are Gonpas, the
Buddhist monasteries etc. . . .....more
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Tirth Yatra
Shail Gulhati
" Tirth
Yatra", these two words, that mean
more than the fulfillment of life to
millions of Indians, are, perhaps woven
into its very inners, weaving also, the
spiritual soul of a people to the
manifest lands of its country;
lands, that reveal its own soul... for
Tirth is a sacred destination..
Yatra means journey, so collectively,
Tirth yatra is the Holy journey,
a trek we undertake ostensibly to enrich
ourselves spiritually..
And there are different grades of
these,some more authenticated, others
still relatively obscure, some open to
almost the world, others still the
privelege of locals, some dedicated to
eternal biggies like Siva,Visnu, Durga,
Kali ;
others to patron saints, like kula devtas
in localized places, and famous saints ,
like Mira bai, Sant jnaneshwar,Shirdee
sai baba, Ramakrishna paramhans,and so
on, who in the cosmic timeline ,were
themselves yatris (journeymen) just a
while ago.... .
Whether it is a walk up to our own Ma
Vaishno Devi, or a month long trip to
Kailash Mansarovar, whether simply
immersing oneself in Quawallis at Ajmer
Shareef, or even just being present in
the sheer sea of humanity at the Kumbh
Mela, Walking into the cavern deep inside
the mountain and communing with Kamakhya
devi, or a circumambulation of the
Arunachala and Govardhan hills,
prostrating before the Guru Granth Sahib
at the Golden temple, or witnessing the
evening arati at Siddhivinayak, the
darshan and fleeting glimpse of Srinath
Jee and Tirupati Balaji, .... ...... .. ....more
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Father of Indian
cinema
A C Tuli
 Imagine a man who, till the
age of 40, was, so to say, a jack of some half-
a-dozen trades but master of not even one. And
that man was Dadasaheb Phalke, now respectfully
known as the Father Of Indian Cinema. Born on
April 30, 1870 at Trymbakeshwar in Nasik,
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke was the son of a Sanskrit
scholar. The family moved to Bombay when the
senior Phalke joined the teaching faculty of
Wilson College Bombay.
Phalke joined J J School of Arts in 1885 for a
course in drawing, and then continued his studies
at Baroda’s famous Kalabhavan, where he
learnt photography and architecture. At the age
of 33, he joined the Archaeological Department of
the Government as a draftsman and photographer.
He also worked in a photographic studio at Ratlam
and learnt three-colour block making and
ceramics. As if this was not enough, he went on
to work as stage make-up man, and later as
assistant to a German magician.
And then on Christmas day in 1910, the
40-year-old Phalke happened to be present at the
screening of the film, ‘The Life Of
Christ’, which was held at the American -
Indian Cinema in Bombay. He resolved to make
films in which stories of Hindu gods and great
mythological kings of India shall be presented.
To acquire complete knowledge of the technique of
filmmaking, he studied books, and also regularly
watched films released in Bombay.
Phalke sailed for England to purchase the
necessary equipment and also to acquaint himself
with the technical aspect of filmmaking. ......more
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Summer Sun Care
Shahnaz Husain
Exposure to the sun increases the
production of melanin, which is the skin's
pigment and gives the skin its colour. Melanin
actually protects the skin from the sun's
radiation. Once it is produced, it moves up to
the skin surface. Since melanin is dark in
colour, the skin also becomes dark, or tanned, on
sun-exposure. Apart from tanning, the skin is
also exposed to harmful ultraviolet radiation,
which has several long-term effects. Sun-exposure
can also lead to dark spots or patches, caused by
the uneven transfer of melanin to the skin
surface.
So what is the answer? In summer, the effects of
the sun increase. That is why we should try to
avoid sun-exposure as much as possible, specially
from noon till about 3 p.m. The skin should be
protected from the effects of sun exposure and
the daily care routine should also be adjusted to
deal with these effects. At the moment physical
protection of the skin from the sun's rays is the
only answer, by applying a broad spectrum
sunscreen. A broad spectrum sunscreen provides
protection from both UVA and UVB radiation. Most
sun-block products have built-in moisturizers. It
is essential to apply sun-block products, not
only on the face, but on all exposed areas. The
back of the neck and arms are extremely
vulnerable to sun damage too. The sunscreen
should be applied about 20 minutes before
sun-exposure. If you happen to be in the sun for
more than half an hour, you should re-apply the
sunscreen. If the skin is more sensitive and
tends to burn easily, one should use a sunscreen
with a high SPF. ........more
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Jewel in the
crown
 Indian traditional
jewellery is back with a bang,
thanks to popular period films
from Bollywood and the chutzpah
of fashionable women combining
them even with modern attire,
says Anju Munshi
Can one imagine an Indian bride
without elaborate jewellery? On
occasions like weddings and other
related festivals, Indian women
prefer the traditional and the
ethnic look. Traditional crafting
in gold, precious stones and
diamonds in meenakari,
kundankari, kundan and thewa, has
been an integral part for all
festivals and family oriented
occasions. Now these old style
jewelleries are back with a bang.
The historical aura associated
with jewellery, which was once
worn by only kings and queens,
what makes it so attractive.
Period jewellery is back not only
in our country but also abroad
for its sheer beauty and rich
history. For an NRI, it is a
matter of pride and for
non-Indians it is a slice of
Indian culture; an experience of
going back to an era long gone
when the kings and queens ruled
the country.
Add to it Bollywood's influence
promoting traditional jewellery,
the result is there to see.
Fashion shows by Indian designers
in hubs like Milan and New York
and the increasingly popular
Bollywood films have taken Indian
jewellery beyond the shores of
our country bringing alive the
richness of our heritage. Sanjay
Leela Bhansali's Devdas, Pradip
Sarkar's Parineeta, Bengali films
Chokher Bali and Antarmahal by
Rituparno Ghosh all have created
a strong appeal for handcrafted
Bengali jewellery. . ......more
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Diabetes is
Preventable
Dr. Jitendra Singh
 This columnist is often
confronted in his clinic by Diabetics who
desperately ask “Doctor, is there no
permanent cure for Diabetes?” To each such
query, the scientific answer sought to be offered
is that even if Diabetes is not curable in the
conventional sense, it is amenable to be kept
under fairly good control through lifestyle
modifications and the requisite medication. But,
more important than that is to educate the
unaffected people with a history of Diabetes in
the family about the importance of prevention of
Diabetes so that it does not occur in the first
place.
More than ever before, today there is a greater
need to spread the message that Type 2 Diabetes
Mellitus, the world’s fastest growing
chronic disorder, for which there is no radical
cure ...... is preventable! Worldwide over 300
million people including children and adolescents
have “Pre-Diabetes” which can be
prevented from developing into Diabetes.
Key to prevention
The key to prevention of Diabetes is early
detection of a recently termed condition called
“Pre-diabetes” ..... a stage when blood
sugar levels are higher than normal but not high
enough for a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. As
mentioned above, there are already over 300
million people with Pre-diabetes today and this
number is expected to rise to 472 million by
2025. During the pre-diabetes stage, resistance
to Insulin develops with the result that Blood
Sugar levels begin to fluctuate.
Pre-diabetes is known to affect one in six adults
and is also prevalent in children or adolescents.
It is a part of the Insulin Resistance Syndrome
comprising obesity, abnormal blood sugar levels, .........more
Kaleidoscopic view
of Urdu Ghazals
O P Sharma
 This 433-page book details
growth of Urdu Ghazal over the years in the
country. Alamdar Hussain Shah whose pen-name is
Alamdar Adm, has undertaken the arduous task of
writing about popular genre of Urdu
language;Ghazal covering a long period and
touching almost all the famous Urdu poets.
This is, in fact, author’s authentic
research work done under the supervision of Prof
Nusrat Ara Choudary, which got him Ph D degree
from University of Jammu in 2007.
Scholarly Work
Prof Zahur-ud-Din, a renowned Urdu writer and
former Head of Urdu Department, University of
Jammu, in his foreword has a high opinion about
this research work completed by Dr Shah, which
according to him is a laudable contribution to
Urdu language and its literature.
Rajiv Gupta, Managing Director, Yak Publishing
Channel of Jammu, too has made bold and
imaginative step by bringing out this
well-researched publication. It is noteworthy
that Urdu being official language of Jammu and
Kashmir State needs promotion.
Long Journey
Dr Shah hails from Bandi Chechian in Poonch
district and did MA in Urdu creditably from the
Jammu University. He fully devoted all his time
and energy during studies to literary and
cultural activities.
“ Urdu Ghazal Ki Tareekh Aur Tanqeed”
is an indepth study of the subject written in
easy-to-understand language and interesting style
surveying the Urdu literature’s most
appealing genre, Ghazal. ......more
Charisma of
spider silk
Dr. Pragya Khanna
 Will
you walk into my parlour?" said the
spider to the fly; "'tis the
prettiest little parlour that ever you
did spy. The way into my parlour is up a
winding stair, and I have many curious
things to show when you are there."
"Oh no, no," said the little
fly, "to ask me is in vain, for who
goes up your winding stair can ne'er come
down again.
Spiders have been around since time
immemorial and are certainly ubiquitous.
One exasperating feature of the spiders
is the creation of spider webs that are
generally considered nothing but
annoying. However, paying a little
attention to the nature's unique
conception reveals astounding
information. A spider web or cobweb as it
is commonly called is a structure built
by the spider out of proteinaceous spider
silk extruded from its spinnerets
(spinning glands). Spider silk is one of
the 7 great wonders of the animal
kingdom. It is both light and strong. A
typical strand of garden spider silk has
a diameter of about 0.003 mm, which is
1/10th of the silkworm silk which is 0.03
mm in diameter. It is a remarkable
substance in that it is fairly acidic and
is not attacked by bacteria or fungi, the
reason why cobwebs remain around for so
long. The most intriguing question that
comes to ones mind is how the silk made
of protein is not decomposed by fungi and
bacteria like all other proteins?
Normally the protein is conserved by
cooking, salting, drying or adding acid.
The spider silk contains three substances
that are imperative for its durability.
They are pyrolidin, potassium hydrogen
phosphate and potassium nitrate. .... .
...more
Preksha
Meditation the art of concentration
Acharya Mahaprajna
 The emotion should
not be so uncontrollable that neither can
anyone live with you and nor can you live
with anyone. Neither can you work with
others, nor can anyone else work with
you. If emotions are uncontrolled, how
can a person execute his work
efficiently? Establish such good
relations that you can work with others,
and others can work with you happily. If
this happens, there will not be any
problems. The kingdom of emotions is very
vast. Let us focus on essential points.
The first point is development of the
power of tolerance. How much can a man
tolerate? A person who tolerates, is an
efficient person in the real sense, and
only he can take others along with him.
Similarly, a person who is intolerant can
neither work along with others nor can
take others along with him.
The essential requirement for working
efficiency is tolerance. One who cannot
tolerate his colleagues and subordinates
cannot be an efficient person. Tolerance
is an essential requirement for us. In
Preksha Meditation Camp, the
contemplation to develop tolerance power
is practiced. Through contemplation and
autosuggestions, we can develop the power
of tolerance. Some people naturally have
the power to tolerate, but others who do
not have this can develop it through
practice. It may not be possible to
develop tolerance during a ten-day-camp,
but with constant practice of
contemplation for two to three months,
there is a possibility that his tolerance
will increase. After six months of
practice, his desire to develop . ........more
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