Amitabh Bachchan to promote India-Pakistan peace

Mumbai: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is collaborating with a media house for a peace campaign to better ties between India and Pakistan.

“Their media and our media will through the medium initiate cross over efforts to hold hands, to exchange views and ideas of how to extend our understanding with each other, to build bridges when all else is falling apart,” Big B wrote on his blog.

Bachchan will be seen rendering some lines written by noted lyricist Gulzar in a video as a part of the campaign.

The video depicts a casual atmosphere of a wayside tea stall and thoughts related to our early lives lived in smaller towns.

“The idea of lets get together, unfold a `duree` bring on the `dholak` and sing the songs of community singing. Of flying kites from the roof tops of our homes and inviting each other for a game of `kabaddi`,” he added.

The 67-year-old actor hailed the commonness between two countries and advocated a need to build confidence and faith in each other.

“We are now two different countries, India and Pakistan, but our cultures match, as do our food and living habits and our speech. We have been in dispute and rancor on many an occasion and continue to be so, but how wonderful for the media of both the nations to want to start this unique move in building each others confidence and faith in the other,” Bachchan wrote.

The Times Of India group plans to launch the campaign from January 1.

Chemical spill in Bangalore: Residents complain of burns

Bangalore: Chemical spill in Bangalore triggered a scare as some residents complained of experiencing burns and irritation in their eyes on Tuesday.

According to local residents of Srirampuram area, the stink was so intense that they thought it to be a gas leakage.

Later they found several unclaimed barrels of some unidentified chemical in the backyard of railway track.

“There was nothing since yesterday and day before but today the smell spread heavily. Police and officials have come here and are investigating. Due to winds today the odour spread in the adjoining areas,” said Anil Kumar, a local.

Regional pollution control officer Shanta Kumari said the chemical was being analyzed.

“We feel smell residue is there but only after analysis we will come to know… We have collected the samples at different locations and…another two days, tomorrow we will be getting the report,” she said.

Police have seized seven barrels found abandoned at an open space adjacent to the railway track and are investigating who dumped the chemical.

Telangana: Osmania tense as ministers refuse to take back resignations

Police on Monday arrested more students of Osmania University in Hyderabad who had launched a hunger strike demanding that the central government immediately initiate the process for the formation of Telangana state by splitting Andhra Pradesh.

These students had launched a ‘fast unto death’, hours after some of their colleagues on hunger strike were forcibly shifted to a hospital by police.

The situation in Hyderabad remains tense. Hyderabad city and its Osmania University are the hotbeds of the “Telangana Movement” – for a separate state carved out from the existing southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh ministers from the Telangana region have said they will not withdraw their resignations until the Congress high command came out with a “categorical time frame” for the formation of a separate state.

The ministers who have sent a common resignation letter to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, said their decision not to withdraw their resignation did not mean, they were “blackmailing” the party or the government as they were just putting forward the demands of the people of the region before it.

Ten districts of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh including Hyderabad city want to carve out a separate state of Telangana for themselves. The center at first agreed to the popular demand but then later relented asking the Andhra state assembly to first form a consensus on the issue.

Meanwhile, call for “Telangana bandh” has been given by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of various political parties on December 30. The Anshra Pradesh police are said to be gearing up for the Telangana bandh day

Vindu is no more a cry baby!

Vindu Dara Singh was declared the winner of the third season of popular TV reality show ‘Bigg Boss’ and walked away with prize money of Rs 1crore.

Is Vindu Dara Singh really that emotional a person? This is the big question everyone’s asking.

While he was in the house, he used to cry at the drop of a hat, but one has hardly seen him get sentimental after he came out. In fact after he was declared the winner people thought he’d cry buckets! He didn’t. So was that a part of his strategy to garner sympathy or was it all pre-planned. Never mind all that, the fact is Vindu has won this season of Bigg Boss and he deserves credit for that. He says he’ll have a party for all the other contestants soon and would also keep in touch with some of them. (News sourced from:www.timesofindia.com)

Cosmetic Surgery trends in India in 2010

It is true that people of all ages, young and old, desire to look nice with attractive features and want to be appreciated by others. In our era of perfection, cosmetic surgery has altered people’s outlook towards life in general. As a result more and more women and men are choosing cosmetic surgery, making it more popular and acceptable with every passing year. This growth spurt in Cosmetic surgery in year 2010 will be triggered by increasing consumer awareness, direct marketing and advertising campaigns, and technological advances in surgical and non-surgical procedures.

1. Cosmetic surgery will become more acceptable socially in 2010. The issue of societal norms about the alteration of physical appearance with Cosmetic Surgery will shift the direction in coming year. More and more Indians, who can afford, would like to have looks medically altered for better. The increasingly widespread use and acceptability of orthodontics work to improve the appearance of teeth is an example of how use of various medical techniques to alter our appearance is becoming an accepted norm in our society.

2. ‘Looking Young’ is new beauty mantra. There will be a gradual shift in people’s choice from getting ‘more beautiful’ to ‘remaining young’ for longer period with the help of cosmetic surgeries and procedures. After a particular age, people are comfortable with their looks which stand for their individual identity and rather than changing their looks drastically, they would want to remain looking young, for as long as possible. Anti aging surgeries and cosmetic procedures are going to become more popular in India and this segment will catch up with the ‘Make me more beautiful’ oriented cosmetic surgery market in year 2010. The recent years have shown increased popularity of procedures like Face-lift, Neck-lift, Blepharoplasty, breast lift, thigh lift etc and this trend will continue at a much faster pace in 2010. This year Facelift and neck lift will be a rage amongst Indian women in 50-60 age group. Apart from this Blepharoplasty or Eye bags correction surgery will be much in demand for the crisp looking eyelids and sharp ‘untiring’ look for the eyes.

3. Body contouring would remain most popular in New Year. Liposuction will continue to be a popular cosmetic surgery procedure for body contouring and fat reduction for the year 2010 as liposuction still is the most effective and popular fat reduction treatment at present. However quest for non surgical fat removal will continue help develop newer technologies. Injection Lipolysis or mesotherapy, in which multiple injections are given in fat layer to dissolve the fat, will emerge as a popular treatment for cellulite and fat deposits in this year. The number of patients seeking plastic surgery procedures for body contouring after dramatic weight loss like abdominoplasty for loose abdominal skin, breast lift surgery for sagging breasts, lower body lift, arm lift etc. will increase in next year.

4. Indian Mothers will opt for body makeovers to go back in time. A Mommy makeover utilizes combination of cosmetic surgery treatments and procedures to reverse and correct the visible, unwanted effects of pregnancy, breast feeding and child-rearing like stretching and loosening of the skin in the areas of the breasts, thighs, abdomen and excess fat deposits in the belly, back and thighs. Mommy makeover combining tummy tuck and breast lift / augmentation, would be very popular among mother of 30-40 year age group in 2010 in India.

5. Slim look for big fat wedding In India, arranged marriage system and importance of physical beauty in selecting prospective partners, has played a big role in growth of cosmetic surgery market. Indian wedding market would continue to be a big driver in growth of cosmetic surgery in India in 2010 also. Breast Implant surgery and liposuction will be most popular pre-marriage surgical procedures amongst girls while large male breast( Gynecomastia) reduction surgery/ liposuction will be more popular among boys. ‘Lip Pout’ with filler injections and Botox for excessive sweating in underarms will be popular non surgical cosmetic procedures among girls during preparations for marriage.

6. Partners in pain Another interesting change being noticed in our society is concept of ‘Cosmetic Surgery Buddies’. Besides sisters or mother & daughters going for cosmetic surgery together to boost each other morale, now prospective bride and groom as well as newly weds are opting for cosmetic surgery procedures together. This could be due to increasing number of love marriages where women are asking men to also match them in looks and body shape.
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7. Men too joining the fun: Men will represent a growing segment of the aesthetic surgery market in India due to growing acceptance among them about being looking good. Till few years ago, female patients would dominate Cosmetic surgery procedures and the Female to male ratio was 90:10. This ratio has now become 75:25 and going into next decade this ratio could reach 60:40. In coming years, large male breast reduction, liposuction, laser hair removal will be more popular among younger men while Hair transplant surgery and facelift surgery will be treatments of choice in older men.

8. Botox will emerge top wrinkle buster: Botox, the most popular cosmetic procedure for the last few years in India, will continue to lead amongst non surgical cosmetic procedures in India in 2010 also. This segment is likely to grow by more than 500% in next 5 years as more awareness is created among great Indian middle class. Currently working mothers between the ages of 40 and 55 years old are the most common users of Botox. In next decade, Botox will also become more popular in 30- 35 age group as more people will realize its potential in delaying the wrinkles on the face.

People are increasingly utilizing radio frequency techniques such as Thermage in addition to Botox and fillers to create and maintain a youthful look. One of the major benefits of these treatments is that there are no real discernible signs or scars and the downtime and recovery is minimal. . Less invasive Thread Face lift will be another popular procedure among busy professionals.

9. Fillers will be more popular in young people too: The popularity of cosmetic filler injections like Juvederm will continue to increase and growth in this market of cosmetology will be one of the fastest in coming years. The ageing process sees most people lose volume from the face – from around the eyes, the upper cheeks, cheekbones, sides of the mouth and nose-to-mouth lines. To help negate this ageing look, people are turning to facial fillers to help plump up their faces and make them look younger. The reason for this growth will be launch of new products especially Juvederm and their use for more cosmetic indications. Filler injection use for lip augmentation is going to create a new market amongst younger population especially after increased popularity of look with ‘Plump Lips’. However use of cosmetic fillers for wrinkles correction will continue to be a dominant indication in this segment.

10. Stem cell treatments make entry in Indian market: Currently anti aging research is focusing on use of stem cells harvested from your own body for skin rejuvenation and skin firming treatments. In this technique, a small quantity of fat or skin is taken from patient’s body and sent to the lab for autologous stem cell culture. After 2 weeks, the grown stem cells are received and injected in areas of face which need rejuvenation. The downside is that although the procedure is available in India now, it still remains expensive and is beyond the reach of common people at present.

11. Cosmeceuticals, next wave in cosmetics: These will bring next level of skin care with cosmetic products to India in 2010. Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products with biologically active ingredients purporting to have medical or drug-like benefits. Cosmeceuticals represent a marriage between cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Like cosmetics, cosmeceuticals are topically applied, but they contain ingredients that influence the biological function of the skin. Cosmeceuticals improve appearance, but they do so by delivering nutrients necessary for healthy skin. . Cosmeceuticals will be the fastest-growing segment of the natural personal care industry.

12. Medical tourism and negative impact of Cosmetic Surgery tax: India has been trying to emerge as top Medical tourism destination especially in Cosmetic surgery for last few years. Cosmetic Surgery performed by highly qualified aesthetic plastic surgeons in accredited facilities in India would be the chosen by patients instead of going for just low cost options on other countries. Aging population and recession in US and Europe makes high quality and low cost destinations in India more attractive to prospective patients. By taxing these services @ 10.3%, the Indian Government would make these procedures more expensive and Indian hospitals would be less preferred on pricing front as compared to Malaysia, Thailand etc where Governments are promoting medical tourism and cosmetic surgery industry with more incentives so as to get more visitors and revenue. Taxing the cosmetic surgery at this stage, when it is still in infancy stage in India, would severely hamper its growth. India is also bound to lose its premier position in medical tourism market due to this tax as Cosmetic Surgery is biggest attraction amongst all the medical procedures opted for by overseas patients.

Popularity of Cosmetic procedures will lead to mushrooming of clinics and medical spas offering Cosmetic Medicine and Cosmetic Surgery facilities at various places in India and unfortunately more and more untrained or poorly trained practitioners may try to venture in this field. This will need proper government regulations and legal framework to streamline and regulate Indian cosmetic surgery and medical cosmetology market and guidelines for setting up and management of these facilities need to be provided.

Indian Cosmetic surgery and cosmetic medicine market is growing at a fast pace for last few years and is likely to continue at same pace in 2010.

Sex sting forces Andhra governor to quit

Andhra Pradesh governor N D Tiwari has stepped down under pressure from the central government, maintaining that he was a victim of a frame-up in the sex-tape scandal. The dramatic development came a day after the 86-year-old veteran congressman’s pictures in a sex romp were flashed in the media.

The center asked Mr. Tiwari to vacate Andhra Raj Bhavan after a high-level meeting in which it was held that pictures purportedly showing the Andhra governor in the “intimate” company of three women had rendered his continuation untenable.

While resigning, Tiwari cited “health grounds” as the reason for putting in his papers to the President.

Congress welcomed the resignation.

The media in Hyderabad had flashed purported pictures of the governor in a compromising position with three women, which created a furor. While Raj Bhavan denied it and secured a high court injunction against public airing of footage, it had stirred a controversy which Congress could not ignore.

Tiwari ’sex tapes’ are ‘a pack of lies’- Andhra Raj Bhavan

Hyderabad: “Sex Tapes” of Andhra Pradesh governor ND Tiwari are a ‘pack of lies’ said Andhra Raj Bhavan in a statement after a Telugu private TV channel aired them today.

With his alleged ‘sex tapes’ on the air, the Andhra Pradesh governor ND Tiwari not only landed in a fresh controversy, but also faced demand for resignation or dismissal from Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu over the alleged photographs.

“The only way for him (Tiwari) is to resign or the Center should sack him,” Naidu said.

A local TV channel ABN Andhra Jyothi” telecast today some explicit clippings purportedly of the veteran Congress leader with some women. Raj Bhavan immediately rejected the incident as fabricated and a “tissue of lies.”

The development comes amid the crisis in the Andhra Pradesh state over the demand for a separate state of Telangana.

Women activists protested outside the Raj Bhavan and demanded that the 86-year-old governor resign or be dismissed. Security has been beefed up at Raj Bhavan after the footage was aired.

The Raj Bhavan also got a restraining order from the Andhra Pradesh high court, against “ABN Andhra Jyothi”. The ‘sex footage’ was allegedly taken inside Raj Bhavan during the night.

The channel has stopped telecasting the footage after the court ordered the channel to stop airing it.

Telugu newspaper Andhra Jyothi carried an advertisement in today’s edition requesting the public to watch the channel for exclusive visuals allegedly portraying the former Union minister and Uttrakhand chief minister in a compromising position.

Raj Bhavan said in its statement. “The governor is 86 years old, and in the evening of his life. It is sad and unfortunate that constitutional functionaries are dragged into needless controversies.”

Telangana: Violence as 11 Andhra MPs resign from Lok Sabha

Violence broke out in Telangana, Hyderabad and Warangal today in protest against the Center’s decision to hold further consultations on Telangana issue, thereby affecting normal life across the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

A shutdown was called by Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and other local parties today. Telangana movement supporters came on to the streets and resorted to stone pelting in Hyderabad and other Telangana districts.

Over 100 buses were burnt and shops and businesses attacked overnight.

Even Warangal and other places witnessed violence within hours of the Center’s announcement. Police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse angry crowds of protesters.

The Center’’s delay in its decision to initiate the process for the formation of the Telangana State has stirred up a hornet’s nest, say observers across the divide. Earlier the central government had announced that it would allow the creation of Telangana irrespective of opposition.

An estimated 35 million people will live in the new state.

Eleven Congress MPs belonging to the Telangana region resigned from the Lok Sabha on Thursday in protest over the issue, more particularly against the Center’s ‘mishandling’ of the matter.

It is still not clear what step Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy will take, as he is also an MP from the Telangana region.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had made a brief statement on Wednesday night saying wide ranging consultations would be held to come out with a final solution on Telangana.

Displeased over Chidambaram’’s statements, the eleven MPs met at the Andhra Bhavan to decide upon their strategy. Chidambaram had earlier on December 9 assured the people belonging to the Telangana region that talks are on for the formation of the Telangana state.

One of the MPs Madhu Yashki said they had still not decided whether to tender their resignations to Congress President Sonia Gandhi or Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

The MPs have also planned to meet Jaipal Reddy and seek his opinion on the matter. Reddy being a Union Minister, they are banking upon him to take a firm decision on the Telangana issue.

Telangana UPDATE: Telangana state 'Yes' or 'No'?

Telangana issue seems to have divided the inhabitants of the Southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh whose major city Hyderabad remains the center of agitation and movement for a separate state of Telangana.

Indians abroad also remain focused on the issue, agitated either in favor of or against the formation of Telangana state. Division of the state of Andhra Pradesh affects their lives as Indians abroad have extended families there.

The Osmania University in Hyderabad is said to be the nerve centre of the Telangana movement.

Both the national political parties of India – Congress and BJP are proactively involved in the issue along with the local and regional parties.

India’s right-wing political party BJP’s Andhra Pradesh unit today urged the central government in New Delhi to resolve as soon as possible the volatile situation prevalent in the state over Telangana issue.

BJP has also appealed to leaders of different political parties to maintain “restraint”.

The state of Andhra Pradesh’s existing 10 districts want to form a separate state of Telangana carved out from it. But there has been now agitation in support of united Andhra Pradesh. Previously there was popular demand and agitation for dividing the state of Andhra Pradesh as a result of which the Congress-led government buckled and accepted the demand but asked the State legislatures to form consensus on it. That has not happened – in fact it seems to have backfired in favor of a united AP.

The BJP leaders said the people of Telangana wanted an amicable separation as there was no agitation in support of united state in 10 districts of Telangana region.

N Ramachander Rao hold the ruling Congress responsible for the present unrest in the state.

Sex workers’ children becoming school dropouts

A large number of children of sex workers drop out from school at the secondary level out of embarrassment over their family background or lack of financial support and remedial tuition.

Till primary level, queries from peers on family are limited. But children studying in standard V to VIII are curious enough to ask questions related to each other’s family background, residence and profession of parents. But this causes humiliation to the kids of red light areas. Friends often start shunning them or insulting them once they learn the truth.

Tanzia Khatun, a school drop out, said the boys in her class started insulting her once they came to the know her background. Even the teacher started indicating that it was all her fault.

She tells that she developed hatred for going to school after that and despite wanting to continue her studies and join a profession; she quit it after standard VI.

According to a study commissioned by the Women and Child and Social Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal and UNICEF and conducted by the Kolkata-based Jayaprakash Institute of Social Change (JPISC), the high school drop out rates of sex workers’ children was also caused due to the inability of the aging mothers to fund their education and lack of space to study at home. Weak students are also unable to get remedial tuition due to economic considerations.

However, the study found that in certain cases child abuse and poor mixing with peers at school and beyond school hours were the major reasons for such children quitting school.

Red light areas like Sonagachi in Kolkata have more than one State-run school in the vicinity and the children have easy access to both primary and high schools. The school authorities too cooperate sufficiently regarding admissions etc, according to Professor Joydev Mazumdar, Director, JPISC.

“Dropout rate is very high amongst children of standard V to VIII (in schools), more specifically among the girls. We have observed that the children whose mothers are little aged, their dropout rate is higher because the age of the sex workers has an inverse relationship with the income of the mother. Higher the age, lower is the income,” said Professor Joydev Mazumdar.

But things go awry, as there is improper mixing of these children with kids coming from other areas and backgrounds. There is need to promote more intermixing through recreational activities, play groups etc to increase understanding betweenthe children irrespective of background, he added.

The study surveyed 1,200 sample families and found that of the 2,003 children 471 never attended school, 384 stopped going to school in the pre-primary stage, 758 stopped going to school after the primary level, 377 completed secondary level while only 13 managed to continue till the higher secondary level.

Loknath Bhattacharya, who studied up to standard X, said he left school because he was increasingly made to feel like an alien by his peers in school. They treated him as abnormal because he belonged to a red light area.

The study found that all sex workers were keen to see their children receive education and almost all enrolled their children in school. Seventy per cent ofthe children of sex workers are admitted to schools by the mothers themselves while about 27 per cent were helped by NGOs like CINI-ASHA and Sanlaap to join school.

Bharati Dey, the Programme Director of the sex workers’ own Durbar Mahila Samanway Committee, pointed out that earlier the school drop out rates were much higher but since the Committee started functioning in the area, there has been a tremendous improvement in the situation.
Money is no doubt a major constraint in educating a child.

According to Professor Mazumdar, aging of a mother and subsequent decrease in her income has a direct relationship with the dropping out of a child. The annual educational expenditure of a child varies from Rs. 100 to 2,099 for lower classes and Rs. 2,100 to 3,099 for higher classes in governmentschools, some of which are charging development fees and also compelling students to buy various student guidebooks.

Among other things, the study recommended introduction of vocational training courses for children of sex workers, particularly adolescent girls who are pushed into the profession by aging mothers looking for income. As the profession of the mothers, who are busy working in the evenings, affect the infants and minors the most, the study also recommended that the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) Centres have flexible timings and improve on their toilet and other infrastructure facilities. Saving schemes for adolescents, close monitoring of school going children of sex workers etc were some of the other recommendations.