Category: Life

Beauty

1-kathmandu-nepallNEPAL: “Mother and son The Haze on the streets of Kathmandu.”
For me, beauty knows no bounds,” says photographer Mihaela Noroc. “You can see it in the eyes, in a smile, in a story, in a gesture. It comes from inside.”
At a time where so many of us are locked in a daily struggle to adhere to society’s increasingly narrow concepts of beauty, Noroc’s inspiring work has taken on a deeper significance.
Her mammoth Atlas Of Beauty project features powerful photographs of hundreds of women, taken in more than 50 countries.
While our culture and surroundings set us apart, womanhood can be a force that unites us, believes Noroc. “After traveling the world, I realized that despite being so different we are all part of the same family. All the women in my photos have something in common—a feeling of kindness and serenity.”
Noroc’s stunning snaps taken in India and Nepal truly inspire a feeling of shared ideals and sisterhood across borders. Here, Noroc shares her discoveries during her photographic odyssey.
“I started photography in my adolescence and my first subjects were my mother and sister. I enjoyed taking pictures of them very much, which is why I continued to take portraits of women. This project was born after a trip to Ethiopia, where I discovered a lot of fascinating women. This made me realize that I could combine my two passions: photographing women and traveling.”
PICTURE-PERFECT
“I try to explore different environments in order to show as much diversity as possible. When I choose a subject, I try to see a story in her eyes, or hear it in her words—I’m looking for naturalness and authenticity. I try to capture feelings of honesty and serenity each time I take out my camera.”
A FACE TELLS A STORY
“In most cases the women that I photograph don’t consider themselves beautiful. But they are. We wear our story on our face, and that is part of who we are. These women usually see another kind of beauty in the media, someone more glamorous, and they lose confidence. I’d like my photos to help them realize how beautiful they are and encourage them to remain natural and sincere.”
REDEFINING BEAUTY
“Global trends make us look and behave the same, but we are all beautiful because we are different. In India, like in much of the world, mass media links beauty with having light skin and, unfortunately, many women are influenced by this trend. Through my work, I try to show that beauty goes beyond skin colour and each woman has her own charm. The media encourages women to be trendy, to buy as many clothes as possible, to wear make-up and so on. That’s not beauty anymore. It’s just a marketing strategy to sell more products. Beauty is diversity. It’s not something defined by a marketing strategy. Perhaps in 50 years all women from all around the world will dress and act the same. I hope my project will remain a witness to my era’s cultures and traditions.”
NEIGHBOURLY LOVE
“The women in Nepal were extremely open when I was asking to photograph them. Most of them really enjoyed having their picture taken, but in India, I got many refusals. Although both countries are incredibly diverse, I noticed that Nepalese women are influenced by the Indian culture. They watch Indian movies and they love Indian music. So, in their style, you see similarities with India.”
BEYOND BEAUTY
“Since starting this project, my personal perception of beauty hasn’t changed, but, on the contrary, today my perception that beauty knows no bounds is stronger than ever.”
BE YOURSELF
“An original is always better than a copy. Being authentic and natural, instead of trying to copy something that is not you, makes you more beautiful. Be yourself—be authentic and keep your cultural heritage. This way, both your inner and outer beauty will shine.”
INSPIRATIONAL SUBJECTS
“I feel proud that I managed to photograph women from very different environments across India—from the slums in Delhi to a Bollywood actor [Sonam Kapoor] in Mumbai. I was particularly fascinated by the look of Rajasthani women and the beautiful way they mixed colours and jewellery. I talked to many fascinating women in both India and Nepal. They shared their struggles and dreams with me and I felt inspired by their strength. I hope my photos will make these women see how special they are and encourage them to remain natural and authentic.”
“After traveling the world, I realized that despite being so different we are all part of the same family. All the women in my photos have something in common—a feeling of kindness and serenity”

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Life

Oasis Centre for Reproductive The Info Blog Medicine, a Hyderabad-based in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) chain of clinics, said on Monday that it has raised $6.2 million (Rs 40 crore) from India Life Sciences Fund II.
Founded in 2009 by infertility specialist Durga G Rao and entrepreneur Kiran Gadela, Oasis currently operates three IVF centres in Hyderabad and one in Vijayawada. The promoters plan to use the funding to open 20 more clinics in Bengaluru, Chennai and other cities during the next five years.
Healthcare-focused India Life Sciences Fund had made significant investments in other Indian pharma and healthcare players, including Hyderabad-based Gland Pharma in the past. For Oasis this is the first investment from outside.
“Since inception, Oasis’ key focus has been to establish a center of excellence with transparent, ethical and evidence-based practice to treat infertility. India Life Sciences Fund backing us is further testimony to the quality of service we provide at Oasis. The investment would be used for starting 20 more centers in the next five years, with the primary focus on expansion in South India,” Kiran Gadela, co-founder and managing director at Oasis.
The IVF market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 10.1 per cent in the next five years to reach little over Rs 5,000 crore by 2021, with infertility being a huge unmet need, according to Anula K Jayasuria, managing director, InvAscent, the investment advisor to EILSF (Evolvence India Life Sciences fund) and India Life Sciences Fund II. Jayasuria has joined the board of Oasis.
“Oasis, which has a strong focus on research, will also create extensive training programmes, in both clinical and embryology services. We have developed world-class systems, processes, and protocols and our multi-disciplinary teams work diligently to implement them. This is reflected in our excellent results,” said Oasis cofounder Durga G Rao.

 

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Life

Samsung India has unveiled a The Know It Guy  new television and digital campaign for its citizenship initiative, ‘Samsung Smart Class’, capturing the engaging and emotional success story of a young village boy, Sadanand Ugale, who secured a study trip to Australia from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

The film, #SapneHueBade builds on Samsung’s commitment to harnessing its legacy of innovation to positively transform communities and create a better life for people through its citizenship initiatives. Launched in 2013 in association with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Samsung Smart Class is the company’s flagship citizen programme in India, currently available in 373 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools run by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, and benefitting over two lakh students.

Samsung Smart Class aims to bridge the digital gap between rural and urban India and provide equal opportunities for quality education to children from all backgrounds. Over 7,400 teachers have been trained on how to use interactive technology to teach.

The four-minute film, which will inspire young India to use technology to educate, train and up-skill as it rides government initiatives like Digital India, Make in India and Skill India, among others, will be amplified by the digital media and social media. Samsung, which has completed twenty years of manufacturing in India, is committed to Make for India and remains committed to transforming lives of people. As part of this commitment, the Samsung Smart Class initiative will be expanded in the near future to more Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools.

The film has been pledged by Cheil India and is directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi. Good Morning Films is the production house for the campaign.

“Samsung Smart Class aims to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban India. The response to the campaign video has been phenomenal. It showcases the transformation in the life of a young village boy because of Samsung Smart Class and it is heartwarming that students from rural India are now becoming front runners of digital India. We have been running Samsung Smart Class in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya as a CSR initiative since 2013. Over 2 lakh students have been introduced to modern learning with the help of latest technology, helping them to dream bigger. And this is only one of the many stories that have emerged from the Smart Class initiative,” said Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung India.

Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar, chief creative officer, Cheil India said, “Samsung India has been running a successful CSR programme for the past many years. As the efforts started showing results, Cheil India was tasked to develop a campaign for the same. Because the project is so dear to Samsung India, a thorough, consultative process ensued over the next six months. A considerable team was put on the job. And what has emerged is an emotional story that was inspired by the achievements of a real life hero, Sadanand Ugale.”

Tarvinderjit Singh, executive creative director, Cheil India said, “Writing this script was an exercise in balance. I had to keep in mind that this was a story inspired by someone real yet my pen had to deliver enough drama to make for engaged viewing. Once I achieved that harmony, the same discipline was asked of production. Going by the generous reception that the film has received it seems that our mad collaboration with Bob, Good Morning Films, Shanker Raman, Subhajit Mukherjee and Piyush Misra has come good.”

 

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Life

It’s every woman’s deepest desire Top Theto  to stay young always. When in teens, every girl dreams of finding the right guy just like how Cinderella found hers. However, decades later, once you are married, have kids and are so called settled, it is your teens that you start missing. In every possible way. Particularly the way you used to look. Though you definitely cannot look like a teenager anymore, you can for sure look and feel younger than your biological age with simple lifestyle changes.

It is a quest for every woman to turn back the hands of time. This is the reason market is flooded with anti-aging products, Botox, and wrinkle creams. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, consumers spend billions of dollars each year on such creams and lotions. However, studies show that anti-aging products typically contain hydroxy acids to increase the permeability of the skin and allow anti-aging ingredients to pass through. Apparently, this translates into stripping the skin of its protective surface, which normally helps prevent UV rays from penetrating the skin’s outer layers. For this reason, wearers are vulnerable not only to sunburn, but increased risk of malignant melanoma.

Strangely companies rarely publish studies showing the effectiveness of their products or if there could be any long-term effects using them on your body. Some companies cite scientific evidence that anti-aging ingredients work, but they decline to provide those studies or to show that the product contains enough of the substances to have an effect. This apart, the side effects are still not well known. Having said that, even if they were completely safe to use, only the visible signs of aging can be erased altogether using these products. What about your internal health. Can we beat the clock for life when it comes to overall physical and mental health and well-being? Yes, we can, to some extent, with these simple lifestyle changes.

 

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Life

and Vodafone India. The Indian telecom Travel Knowledge  regulator, TRAI, stated Reliance Jio’s ‘free voice calls for life’ plan was not predatory and did not violate any regulations.
Airtel and Vodafone India were forced to lower their tariff plans after Reliance Jio rolled out free voice calls plan. The incumbent telecom operators had claimed the plan for predatory.
Reliance Jio welcomed TRAI’s decision and termed it as a win, stressing that a big focus of its packages is the free to voice calling for Local, STD and National roaming for all times. Meanwhile, TRAI said Reliance Jio could not extend its ‘Welcome Offer’ and should conclude by the end of the year.
Reliance Jio offered a welcome plan under which new subscribers could avail a host of free offers for 90 days.
Jio is also offering unlimited free fourth-generation or 4G mobile broadband until December 31.

 

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Life

Indian-American researcher, scientist, 3D printer, hand, Anil Jain, Michigan State University, biometric, fingerprint scanners, Michigan State University New York: An Indian-American researcher and his team have created life-size 3D hand models, complete with all five fingerprints using a high-resolution 3D printer that can produce the same ridges and valleys as a real finger. Try Know 
Like any optical device, fingerprint and hand scanners need to be calibrated, but currently, there is no standard method for doing so.
“This is the first time a whole hand 3D target has been created to calibrate fingerprint scanners,” said Distinguished Professor Anil Jain from Michigan State University (MSU).
“As a byproduct of this research, we realized a fake 3D hand, essentially a spoof, with someone’s fingerprints, could potentially allow a crook to steal the person’s identity to break into a vault, contaminate a crime scene or enter the country illegally,” Jain cautioned.

Jain and his biometrics team were studying how to test and calibrate fingerprint scanners commonly used across the globe at police departments, airport immigration counters, banks and even amusement parks.
To test the scanners, they created life-size 3D hand models complete with all five fingerprints.
“Another application of this technology will be to evaluate the spoof-resistance of commercial fingerprint scanners. We have highlighted a security loophole and the limitations of existing fingerprint scanning technology, now it’s up to the scanner manufacturers to design a scanner that is spoof-resistant,” Jain noted in a university statement.
The study aims to design and develop standard models and procedures for consistent and reliable evaluation of fingerprint readers and is funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
“We are very pleased with this research and how it is showing the uncertainties in the process and what it can mean for the accuracy of the readers,” said Nicholas Paulter, Group Leader for the Security Technologies Group at NIST and a co-author of the study.
The FBI, CIA, military, and manufacturers will all be interested in this project, he added.
Along with Jain and Poulter, the study was co-authored by Sunpreet Arora, an MSU doctoral student.

 

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Life

Play on Ahilyabai shows life journey

Nagpur: ‘ Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar’ was a brave attempt to showcase life journey of the 18th-century woman warrior who was crowned the queen and ruler of Malwa kingdom, present-day Indore. The play was held at Scientific Society Hall on day two of Lekhika Natya Sammelan 2016 on Friday.
The play, written by Mala Kekatpure, was directed by theater veteran Sanjay Pendse. The presentation attempts to depict the childhood of a simple girl who rose to be a just and brave ruler, Ahilyabai Holkar.
The starting scenes aptly showcased her humble beginning, simple nature, and big ambitions. “I want to make every one happy,” says the wide-eyed little protagonist, making us fall for her peculiarities. Knowing prayers by heart, carrying a ‘shivling’ with her at most times, and her bubbly dialogues with other characters was a treat to watch. Holkar is married into the royal family of Malwa at an early age.
Incandescent lighting, colourful saris in a golden lining, draped in the way typical Maratha women dressed, added a historical touch to the play. The set used a digital backdrop of a palace, showing royal red carpets and pillars which made the set look royal.
A scene where young Ahilya and her husband Khanderao are seen sword-fighting received applause from the audience when it worked as a transition to show them grown up. Background music chosen for the play evoked interest and intrigue.
There were a few technical snags which resulted in a five-minute break after first 20 minutes of the play. But the effort of the director and his crew won over the audience’s heart in the near-packed hall. The play set an example in depicting a historical play, without making the script heavy and boring.

 

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Life

Sometimes you might find yourself on vacation wondering what sort of souvenir you’d like to bring home for yourself. Then you see it. A whole shelf dedicated to cheap bongs with creative and funky designs, reminiscent of wherever it is you happen to be. What could possibly help you soak up all the memories you made on vacation more than a brand new bong to remind you of it all with every single fat rip of herb you take out of it? This or something similar like a little bubbler or a nice wooden pipe can make an excellent souvenir for sre, but you’re going to want to be a little bit careful about bringing it home.
Image result for Pipes And Bongs

Mainly, you just need to make sure that you don’t use it with any herb that you somehow manage to find wherever you’re vacationing. Most places where you stay in a resort and not so much near the actual local communities you wouldn’t be able to find any unless you tried really hard, but in Thailand I was able to find some good old mary-jane a couple times. If you go somewhere similar and you do the same, absolutely refrain from using any new cheap bongs or pipes that you pick yourself up there and intend to bring home.

Airport security can’t generally stop and trouble you in most places of the world for a simple pipe or bong unless of course it is contaminated by even just a small speck of residue on the inside or outside. The only thing that makes an object like this illegal is if it was clearly used for the smoking of illegal drugs like cannabis. When you make sure that your souvenir stays clean before you go home with it, it means that nobody can argue the intention to use it for tobacco, which is exactly what makes these sort of things legal in North America. If you do find some green and spark up that brand new cheap bong made with local love, do be sure to clean it thoroughly before returning home with it. You’d likely only get it confiscated and embarrass yourself a bit, but depending on where you’re going and where you’re coming from, you could certainly land yourself in some more trouble.

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Life

Two get life imprisonment for killing teacher

Kanpur: Three people, including students Varun Yadav and Ajay Singh, were convicted by the Essential Commodity Act Court, Kanpur, on Friday for committing the murder of a retired teacher and punished to undergo life imprisonment. The third person was identified as Shafiq Alam.
The three forcibly entered the house of Jagdamba Prasad Mishra, retired principal of polytechnic on October 29, 2011, in Saketnagar with an intention to commit loot. They cut the throat of Jagdamba Prasad and his wife Laxmi Mishra when old couple offered resistance. Judge Anupam Kumar held them guilty of murder. TNN

 

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Life

The multi-billion dollar deals clinched during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the recent BRICS summit at Goa can be expected to breathe new life into the India-Russia relationship. In a world of shifting global alliances and especially in the context of India seeking to diversify its weapons purchases and build a close relationship with the United States, and Russia exploring a new cooperation with Pakistan that includes sale of MI-35 attack helicopters and joint military exercises, it did seem that India and Russia were drifting apart and that their decades-old partnership was in jeopardy. Such apprehensions are likely to have been allayed in Delhi and Moscow following the Goa meeting. The deals sealed in Goa will see Russia selling India five S-400 Triumf air defence systems costing $4.5 billion and four Krivak class stealth frigates costing over $3 billion. In addition, India and Russia plan to set up a joint venture in India to manufacture Kamov-226T helicopters. These will not only strengthen the India-Russia relationship and enhance India’s defences – the S-400 systems, for instance, are capable of destroying incoming enemy aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km – but also, the Make-in-India component of the deals provides a shot in the arm to Indian manufacturing. The deals underscore the fact that despite Delhi’s defence purchase diversification, Russia remains India’s top supplier of military hardware.

The robustness of their military relationship notwithstanding, there is a reason for concern over India-Russia ties. Non-military trade is in trouble. It is estimated to be worth less than $10 billion. If decades ago, Mo-scow was India’s major trading partner, today it does not figure in the list of India’s top 30 trading partners. Ambitious targets have been set; India and Russia pledged last year to bump up trade to $25 billion in a decade. But little is being done to achieve this goal. There has been the talk of reviving the old rupee-rouble trade and working on the International North-South Transport Corridor.

While defence ties remain robust, India and Russia need to stand by each other more resolutely. Just as India stood by Moscow on the Crimean crisis, Moscow could be more strongly supportive to India on issues undermining the latter’s security. Its failure to rally BRICS members to show more solidarity with India’s problems with terrorism emanating from Pakistan, for instance, was disappointing. This is a matter that India must raise with the Russians.

 

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