Hindustantimes Brunch 17 June 2012

WEEKLY MAGAZINE, JUNE 17, 2012 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

THE WELLNESS ISSUE The doc is in

Back to basics

Specialists offer expert advice

Why the spine is so important

Gadget gyaan Technology is bad for your health. Seriously?

Vidya Balan The film she’d like to do with Shah Rukh Khan

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VIR SANGHVI

Bites of Bombay

RAJIV MAKHNI

Apple declares war

SEEMA GOSWAMI

Leaving the baby behind

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W AT C H O U T F O R

THE WELLNESS ISSUE

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17.06.2012 BRUNCH QUARTERLY – STARRING...

You know you want to read it.

It’s the latest issue of Brunch Quarterly, which will have you salivating over the mashup of fashion, films, food, and of course, the good life! We also showcase the sizzling chemistry between actors Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor.

Grab your copy, now!

inbox LETTER OF THE WEEK! The inspirational leader

YOUR COVER story (Games Gauti Plays, June 10) was one of the best stories in Brunch. It was interesting to know the inspirations and superstitions of Gautam Gambhir. “I play to win and not just to complete” was very inspirational. Also the contrast between his first HT feature and his current pose for Brunch made the story even more intriguing.

— ANKIT KUMAR, via email Ankit wins a shopping voucher worth ` 2,500. Congrats!

The not-so media shy Gambhir THE FIRST thing I read in Brunch was the cover story, (Games Gauti Plays, June 10). Gautam Gambhir has always been under-rated, but after his recent KKR stint, I hope he regains the position he lost to Kohli in the national team. I’ve always found him quite media shy. Thank you Brunch for covering the not-so-famous, flamboyant Gambhir. — KARTHIK RAJANGAM, via email

Write in, the best letter every week can win you a SHOPPING voucher worth

R2,500!!

The shopping voucher will reach the winner within seven to 10 working days. In case of any delays, please contact chirag.sharma@hindustantimes.com

Celebs to look out for: ■ Soha and Saba Ali Khan; Shantanu and Nikhil; Siddharth, Kunaal and Aditya Roy Kapur – stories of celeb siblings ■ Prateik, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi and Ronit Roy on love ■ Meiyang Chang, Neha Bhasin and Yuvika Chaudhury dance to keep fit

LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Harshal Kulkarni Your cover (A Knight’s Tale, June 10) gave a lovely insight into Gautam Gambhir’s life. Apart from his on field achievements, the article provided info about his nature, his choice of music and most importantly about near and dear ones in his life.

TWEET YOUR HEART OUT twitter.com/HTBrunch

or to 18-20 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001 JUNE 17, 2012

House Calls

The best doctors in the business on how to keep ailments away

Take Your Back To The Future

Regular exercise and the right posture will banish any spine-related ailments 22

Digital Diagnosis

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Personal Agenda

Girish Thanvi Two driving forces of Hindustan – cricket and Bollywood were in Brunch this week. Awesome cover story and its side kick. Loved it!!

New-age gadgets are causing new-age problems.

Do you have any of them?

Actress Vidya Balan would love to play the role of a courtesan

@Mittermaniac Loved @HTBrunch’s cover story on Gautam Gambhir. It was high time someone eulogised him – one of the very best in Indian cricket! @sdutta2911 @RajivMakhni @HTBrunch Facebook smartphone looks like a reality and will be greatly anticipated by smartphone phone users in the coming year. @divyatweetsthat It’s a holiday and enjoyment for others on Sunday, but for me it’s nothing except the day when I read my @HTbrunch with a hot coffee mug :)

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@iamlaksmi @HTBrunch Nicely written article on Gambhir.

If Dhoni is captain Cool,can we call Gautam serene!

BRUNCH ON THE WEB hindustantimes.com/brunch

A dose of medicine on television Check out our interview with Dr Sonu Ahluwalia, the orthopaedic surgeon who hosts All is Well with Dr Ahluwalia, on Colors. Also, read about our favourite medical dramas, from ER to Sanjivani. Log on now!

DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh, Suhas Kale, Shailendra Mirgal

Drop us a line at

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Rajan Kalra Seema Goswami, we look forward to Brunch every Sunday because of your page.

EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Rachel Lopez, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna Tewari, Yashica Dutt, Pranav Dixit, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman

brunchletters@hindustantimes.com

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Brunch Blogs

This week, check out It’s Geek To Me by Pranav Dixit.

Everything about technology and geekdom.

14 SPECTATOR What if you were to abandon your child by mistake?

16 RUDE FOOD Bombay ups the gastronomic stakes with two new restaurants 18 TECHILICIOUS The Apple-Google war just went thermonuclear --

DOWNLOAD CENTRAL The column is taking a break for a few weeks. But stay tuned, it will be back soon!

Cover Design: MONICA GUPTA Cover Photo: GETTY IMAGES

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DOCTOR KNOWS BEST

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Ask The Specialists E

VERYONE NEEDS a specialist to address their wellness needs. At Brunch we’ve brought together a few experts who have developed specific tips to combat some common and not-so-common ailments. Let the best doctors in business tell you how to keep heart trouble at bay, curb diabetes, manage asthma,

The best advice, straight from the doctor’s clinic.

Here’s how to prevent nagging problems right now

resolve infertility, fight infections, keep your skin healthy and even stop headaches. These tips go beyond the usual advice about drinking more water, exercising regularly, eating fruits and veggies and slathering on sunscreen. They are designed to help you make specific changes to your lifestyle and emerge healthier and wiser.

THE WELLNESS ISSUE Anti-diabetes foods ■ High-fibre foods (raw fruits, vegetables, whole grains and cereals. Include at least five to six servings of fruits and vegetables every day).

Dr ANOOP MISRA: Keep diabetes at bay

Photos: THINKSTOCK

■ Follow scientifically proven

diets for diabetes prevention. Several meal plans promise to balance sugar levels forever, but only a few have been scientifically shown to succeed. Keep your doctor informed when changing your diet.

■ Maintain your weight in normal limits of body mass index (BMI) and abdominal circumference. Excess weight makes it harder for the body to use insulin for controlling blood sugar.

If you are overweight, shedding even a few kilograms can improve the body’s

ability to use insulin and prevent the rise of blood sugar.

■ Body Mass Index (the ratio, in metre-square, of how large you are with respect to your height) must be kept between 19-23. Waist circumference should be less than 90 cm in men and 80 cm in women.

■ Exercise every day for 45-60 minutes. Get physically active and strengthen your body to handle blood glucose. This is the key to diabetes prevention.

■ A total of 60 minutes of exercise is optimal: 30 minutes of scheduled exercise (walking, light

sports, dancing or swimming), 15 minutes of walking or a similar activity at the workplace, and 15 minutes of resistance exercise with small weights of 1-5 kg.

■ Even a 10-minute walk before dinner can help maintain the liver’s glucose outpouring at night.

■ Omega-3 fatty acids (fish, salmon, sardines), fish oil (cod liver oil), flaxseeds, walnuts, soybean or tofu, canola or mustard oil.

■ Mono-unsaturated fatty acids (walnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, olive oil, canola/ mustard oil) ■ Have cinnamon in powdered form every day, but not more than a quarter or a half teaspoon since it causes irritation in the stomach. Fenugreek seeds can be consumed as powder or whole seeds, in consultation with a doctor (not recommended during pregnancy).

(Dr Misra is chairman, Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology)

Dr RR KASLIWAL: How to prevent heart disease

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oung people are dying of heart attacks these days, largely because of unhealthy lifestyles.

Here are seven metrics you need to consider for ideal heart health .

■ Quit smoking. You shouldn’t smoke. If you do, quit as soon as possible. Over time, it can cut back your risk of a heart attack by as much as 50 per cent - so you’ll only be half as prone to an attack.

■ Exercise for at least 40 minutes every day. Combine aerobic exercises like walking (at least four km/hour) along with some yoga and weight training.

The level of activity should be vigorous enough for you to become slight-

ly breathless.

■ Eat healthy, including more vegetables, fruit, fish and legumes, and less dairy and meat.

■ Keep your blood pressure below 130/80 mmHg. In those older than 50 years, systolic blood pressure (the higher number of the BP reading) of more than 140 mmHg is a much more important heart disease risk factor than diastolic (the lower number). A systolic BP of 120 to 139 mmHg or a diastolic BP of 80 to 89 mmHg is pre-hypertension. It should be managed with lifestyle changes or medicines.

■ Control cholesterol.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL or bad cholesterol) should be under 100 mg/dl.

High-density lipoprotein

(HDL or good cholesterol) should be over 45 mg/dl for men and over 55 mg/dl for women. If your LDL is still too high after about 12 weeks of diet and exercise, consider taking medication. For most people, the first choice is cholesterol-lowering statin drugs that reduce LDL by 18 to 55 per cent, trim triglycerides by seven to 30 per cent, and push up HDL by 5 to 15 per cent. Those with a metabolic syndrome – beer belly, high triglycerides and low HDL – are better off with vitamin B3 or fibric acids.

■ Control weight. Target to have a body mass index less than 24, irrespective of your age. Extra weight

means that your heart has to work harder to supply blood to your body. A weight loss of 10 per cent or more lowers blood pressure and triglycerides in the blood. In children, excess weight makes them three to five times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke before they reach 65 years.

(Dr Kasliwal is chairman, clinical and preventive cardiology, Medanta Heart Institute The Medicity)

“One quarter of what you eat keeps you alive. The other three-quarters keeps your doctor alive” – Egyptian proverb JUNE 17, 2012

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DOCTOR KNOWS BEST

Dr (Major) Rajesh Bhardwaj: Fight ENT infections

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llergies are caused by exposure to allergens in the environment. Different persons react to different materials. The symptoms are usually nasal (sneezing, clear watery discharge from the nose, nasal stuffiness causing itching and redness in eyes) or in the throat (a feeling of a foreign body trapped there, a constant desire to clear ones throat, chronic cough).

How to prevent allergies ■ Allergens in your bedclothes are the most common offending agents. Wash bedclothes frequently in hot water and put them out to dry in the hot sun.

■ Use non-allergenic pillows, du-

vets and mattresses. Most furnishing stores stock them.

■ Avoid furry pets – if you have them, at least make sure that they do not come into the bedroom/ sleep on your bed.

■ To avoid dust flying in the house, substitute dusting with wet mopping and sweeping with vacuum cleaning.

■ In case your house is on a main road or adjacent to traffic, keep doors and windows closed to avoid pollutants from coming in.

Fit windows and doors with proper frames so that air pollutants do not enter.

■ Avoid flowering plants indoors.

■ If you’re on a two wheeler when out in the traffic, use a face mask.

This can be either a large handkerchief or a rectangular piece of cloth tied behind your head with four strings – much like a surgeon’s mask.

Ear, Nose, Throat Infections ENT infections are ubiquitous and affect everyone, from children to the elderly.

Symptoms usually manifest themselves in the nose (thick nasal discharge with cheek pain, a drippy nose, headache, fever and a loss of your sense of smell), in the throat (pain or difficulty swallowing, fever, neck swelling) or in the ear (pain, discharge, fever, loss of hearing, swelling behind the ear).

To prevent infections ■ At the first sign of a cold, take some steam inhalation, so that the

infected mucus is washed away.

■ Use ear plugs while swimming to prevent getting ‘swimmer’s ears’ – an external ear infected.

■ Early sore throats and throat infections can be managed with simple saline gargles. Mix half a teaspoon of salt in half a glass of warm water and gargle two to three times a day. This improves the local blood supply and helps to wash away the local infection.

■ In case your immunity is low for some reason, avoid closed or crowded places where other infected persons may be coughing, spitting or sneezing. You are most likely to pick up an infection here.

■ In children, treat a cold early, otherwise they may develop an ear infection.

■ If you have a bad cold, avoid air travel since this can make the infection worse. It often ends up spreading to your sinuses or ears.

(Dr Bhardwaj is senior consultant ENT, Sitaram Bhartia Institute)

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Dr VIKRAM JAGGI: Cope with asthma

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sthma cannot be cured, but it can be easily and completely controlled, so that the asthmatic can live an absolutely normal life. Here’s how: ■ Accept. Patients don’t like to be told that they have asthma. Doctors also know this. So they couch the diagnosis in nicer sounding words like ‘bronchitis’ or ‘chest congestion.’ This only delays proper treatment. So my sincere advice is to accept the diagnosis and start looking for practical and doable solutions.

■ Have the right attitude. A person with poor vision could choose to be angry that he has to wear glasses. Or he could be happy that spectacles are a simple solution.

It’s all about attitude. It’s the same with asthma. Asthma medications and inhalers are easy to use and help patients breathe normally.

■ Explore alternative healing.

Alternative systems like yoga, homeopathy, ayurveda and naturopathy do have something to offer asthmatics. They don’t help all patients equally. If you have faith, you could try them. But my advice would be not to stop the normal treatment suddenly.

■ Keep your expectations realistic. Adults rarely outgrow their asthma. This is largely determined by genes over which we don’t have control. Environmental control and diet regulation help. If a child is to outgrow asthma, it will happen over years and not days, weeks or months. With

proper medications, the asthmatic is usually well controlled in the sense that there are no ongoing symptoms or limitations of activities. However, with change of season or with a viral infection, some symptoms will appear. This is not unexpected. A slight increase in medication will usually bring things back to normal.

■ Care, don’t pamper. Mothers sometimes try to overcompensate the asthmatic child by over pampering. This never helps. In fact, it creates further difficulties in that the child starts using the asthma, sometimes sub-consciously, to get his way.

■ Be a sport. The asthmatic gets out of breath easily and is usually not into sports. But with proper control of asthma, the person can and should have a normal life including participating in sports.

Sports involving spurts of activity are usually better than prolonged exertion like long-distance running. Swimming is usually good.

■ Watch your diet. Diet can affect asthma in many ways. Some foods like peanuts, chilled beer, seafood can immediately cause an attack. Others like fried snacks, preservatives, colours and certain ingredients in Chinese food promote allergy, . Some foods cause acid reflux and night-time symptoms. Examples are rice or curd at night, fried food and desserts.

Foods that help fight asthma and allergy are antioxidants in fruits and leafy vegetables, vitamin C and magnesium.

■ Master your emotions. Anger, frustration and depression are some common emotions that make asthma worse. Many patients of what is called ‘difficultto-control asthma’ have underlying psychological issues.

These have to be addressed. Asthma patients who are generally optimistic tend to respond better to treatment.

(Dr Jaggi is medical director, Asthma Chest Allergy Centres, New Delhi)

Next week: Building bone health, preventing infertility, avoiding headaches, maintaining beautiful skin and hair

“"The doctor of the future will not treat the human with drugs, but will cure and prevent disease with nutrition” – Thomas Edison JUNE 17, 2012

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GET A SPINE

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THE WELLNESS ISSUE

Back To The Basics The bad news: If you don’t treat your spine well, you’ll have serious back problems. The good news: It doesn’t take much, just follow a few simple rules

PRIORITY SEATING

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by Aasheesh Sharma

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C

OOKING IS more than a passion for travel marketing executive Manisha Sharma. The 36-year-old Sharma, who was trained as a chef, couldn’t unfortunately make a living utilising her culinary kills.

“When I was 17, in the final year of college, with dreams of working in a five-star hotel, a searing pain shot through my spine two days before my exams.

Before that, I used to spend entire days experimenting with cuisine. After that, my back problem didn’t permit me to stand for 12 hours in a hotel kitchen.”

Diagnosed with a benign tumour in the membrane of the spinal cord that blocked blood circulation to the hand, Sharma took medication, physiotherapy and surgery before a lengthy rehab process.

Sharma’s case is just one instance in the growing trend of young professionals battling spondylosis, lumbar pain and back problems.

And the age profile of the patients is getting younger. Consider South Delhi homemaker Kulpreet Kaur.

Kaur, 26, approached Delhi’s Indian Spinal Injuries Centre complaining of a swelling above her right shoulder. “Her neck and back muscles had weakened owing to repeated stress when she was a student in Kolkata,” says Dr HS Chhabra, chief of spine services at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Delhi.

“Kulpreet spent a lot of time bent forward in a bad posture as she loves to paint. When the discomfort became too much, she came to us. A few simple exercises to strengthen her neck muscles are what she needed,” he adds.

A bad back has everything to do with lifestyle

DESK-TOP DISEASES

Between each vertebra our body has shock absorbers called discs.

When one is in a highpressure job, these are constantly under stress leading to degeneration of the discs.

In extreme cases a bad spine can lead to a slipped disc, as Anuj Tiwari, a cardiac surgeon with Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Hospital, discovered. “My bad back had to do with my lifestyle.

Spending four hours at a stretch conducting surgeries and bad posture meant I was tired by the time I reached home. So, where was the time to exercise?” he asks. Tiwari, 37, realised that at slipped disc in

CHAINED TO YOUR DESK? WATCH YOUR BACK Get a good quality chair. The backrest should support the entire spine. The angle between the seat and the backrest should be fixed at about 100 degrees.

DON’T SLOUCH The monitor of your workstation should be at eye level. Push your butt right back to the backrest. Use the arms and push yourself back.

Remember, if there is a gap between the back of the chair and your hips, the back will tend to sag within a couple of minutes.

Photo:THINKSTOCK

JUNE 17, 2012

BE ON THE MOVE Change your sitting position every 4550 minutes if you have a desk job.

Walk up to your co-workers, rather than using the phone.

POSTURE, POSTURE, POSTURE Whether you are sitting or lying down, your spine must maintain the curvature nature has given us. A common misconception is that if you have cervical spondylosis, you shouldn’t use a pillow even when lying on your side. The spine is straight and needs to be supported by a pillow even when you’re lying on your side.

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4 1. The top of the screen should be at eye level 2. Use the arms and push yourself to the back support. A gap between the back of the chair and your hips, will make the back sag 3. The arms should be parallel to the floor and elbows at 90 degrees to keyboard 4. The soles of your feet must be flat on the floor. If possible, use a foot-rest.

the cervical region was touching on the nerve roots in his neck, depressing a nerve. “This caused a pain in my left shoulder,” he recalls. After consulting a specialist in Delhi, Tiwari learnt he doesn’t need a surgery, yet. Isometric exercises to correct his posture, strengthen his back muscles and change his lifestyle from sedentary to active are all that is required.

The genesis of many spinal problems can be traced to our evolution, says Chhabra. “Our skeletons were built to carry our weight on all fours. When man stood up from four legs to two, natural evolution ensured our muscles became strong to support the neck and the back.

But with lifestyles becoming sedentary, whatever you do, you end up putting some strain on the scapular muscles.”

Understanding the anatomy of the spine can help us understand why an inactive lifestyle can cause complications, says Dr Harshavardhan K Hegde, director, Orthopaedics, at the Fortis Group of Hospitals, Delhi and NCR. “The weight of our body is transferred through the spine. When muscle strength is low, the bones take the

12 Illustartion:JAYANTO

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Your Spine And Yoga ON ALL FOURS

We evolved from ancestors who were similar to modern apes.

Our skeletons were originally built to carry our weight on four, not two, legs.

FINALLY UPRIGHT

The radical shift to two legs realigned the skull and spine. When man shifted from four to two legs, our muscles became strong to support the neck and the back.

weight. A sedentary lifestyle leads to reduced muscular strength, bone deficiencies and aches.”

Lack of exercise can manifest itself at the most awkward movement. For instance, on a family vacation, when you have to lift a bag and you realise it is too heavy for you. “A sudden increase of work leads to extra burden on the muscles and if they’ve weakened the bones feel the brunt,” explains Hegde.

DESK-TOP DISEASES

Working long hours on desks that are not ergonomically designed causes loss of muscle tone, poor ligament strength, bad posture and back pain. Chhabra says most professions today involve working in a bad posture. “Our lifestyles have become so inactive that we end up not walking at home, drive to work and sit for long hours at the office. No laptop has been designed for a perfect posture. On top of it, if you slouch in your chair, you are obliterating the curve in the lower back. It accentuates the normal shape and the curve in the upper back and the nerve ligaments get stretched.”

A lot of this is owing to repeated stress at the workplace, particularly in professions with long hours such as call centres, journalism and banking, says Hegde. “Looking at a computer screen for more than 10 hours can put a person under tremendous stress. His or her muscles contract without the person even realising it.

HUNCHED UP AGAIN

But with lifestyles becoming sedentary, we are straining our shoulder muscles. (We’re hunching all over again, this time it’s over a machine).

This leads to degeneration of muscles, which can be arrested with regular exercise,” adds Hegde.

IT’S ALL IN THE HEAD

The human head weighs about six kg. When one bends forward, the muscles at the back of the neck should balance this weight. In a standing position these muscles don’t need to work, but if you are bent forward they work overtime, leading to pain. “The pain causes muscles to go into a spasm,” says Dr Deepak Raina, consultant, orthopaedic surgery at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. “In extreme cases a disk prolapsed may impinge on a nerve that can lead to neurological deficit. Even in these cases, we first recommend an exercise programme, medicines and only then go in for a surgery,” points out Raina.

Despite India being a sunny country, a lot of us still don’t spend enough time outdoors, says Dr Bipin Walia, head of spine surgery at Max Hospitals, Delhi. “In younger people, pain in the spine is the result of sedentary lifestyle, poor ergonomics, bad posture and vitamin D deficiency caused by staying indoors all the time.”

To prevent spine problems, Walia recommends physical activity which could be as simple as walking. “Also, if you have a desk job, take a break every hour or so by walking to your co-workers. Of course, a good posture at work and at home helps.”

Pain in the spine is the result of bad posture and vitamin D deficiency

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elebrity yoga teacher Payal Gidwani Tewari, author of From XL to XS, on postures to help you strengthen your back and neck.

Is yoga advisable for patients of cervical or lumbar spondylosis?

A few yoga poses and sequences can help lumbar spondylosis. Surya namaskar is good for back strengthening and flexibility. The cobra pose, or bhjungasana, stretches the lower back. The locust pose, or shalabhasana, strengthens the lower back because it requires lifting one’s upper and lower body off the ground from a prone position on the floor. Spondylosis can be cured by practising yoga. The postures strengthen the back muscles and improve their flexibility. Usually cervical spondylosis is aggravated by extending (bending backwards), and side-bending of the head. If you have cervical nerve irritation associated with spondylosis, then you should

COBRA POSE

Payal Gidwani doing yoga with Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor avoid positions of your head that increase these symptoms. Yoga activities, therefore, should be tolerated as long as you are careful with the position of your head.

Are there any asanas to prevent spine problems?

The most effective asana is dhanurasana as it increases strength and flexibility along the entire length of the spine. It stretches the neck, shoulders, arms and legs, expands the thoracic region of the chest and helps alleviate hunchback. It is the best asana to correct ones posture.

Any asanas that shouldn't be practiced at all to avoid injury?

Do not try any posture, asana or pranayama without a teacher’s advice.

THREE ASANAS FOR A BETTER BACK Dhanurasana increases flexibility of the spine

Bhujangasana stretches the lower back

aasheesh.sharma@hindustantimes.com

WHAT IS A SLIPPED DISC, EXACTLY? The spine is divided into the neck (cervical vertebrae), chest (thoracic vertebrae) and the lower back (lumbar vertebrae). Between each of the 33 vertebra are shock absorbers called discs, structures that resemble jelly doughnuts. When subjected to stress, the discs degenerate or break down.

The term ‘slipped disc’ is a misnomer – the disc doesn’t slip out of place, but bulges out towards the spinal cord.

A slipped disc is when the soft part of the disc bulges through the circle of connective tissue. This may put pressure on the spinal cord or on the nerve roots.

“A man can't ride your back unless it's bent.” - Martin Luther King Jr. JUNE 17, 2012

Shalabhasana strengthens the lower back

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Have you ever forgotten about one of your children and left them behind? Well, the British Prime Minister did...

REGULAR PARENTS

British PM David Cameron with wife Samantha

If anything, this incident just shores up David Cameron's credentials as a regular bloke

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Seema Goswami Photos: REUTERS

NOT WITHOUT MY KIDS

MUMMY LEFT ME!

Victoria Beckham confessed to a similar lapse when she drove off to drop son Brooklyn to his school only to realise halfway there that he was not in the car

spectator

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N ONE of my favourite episodes from the sitcom Modern Family (which is slowly taking the place of Friends in my life), Claire and Phil Dunphy are at a child psychologist’s clinic with their son Luke. Claire thinks he may have learning disabilities; Phil disagrees. The couple continue to argue as they head out, Luke trailing behind. And then, they get into their respective cars and drive off – leaving their son standing alone in the car park.

Worse is to follow. Each parent thinks Luke is with the other, so they go through the routine of their day not sparing as much as a thought for the abandoned boy. It’s only in the evening when they meet up at a family dinner that they realise that he is with neither of them. Just as they are berating themselves (and each other) a huge stretch limousine drives up and disgorges Luke. The enterprising youngster has managed to hitch a ride home.

Yes, I know, hilarious stuff, right? Well, so long as it is a sitcom, and no child is actually being endangered by being left all alone in the big, bad world, we all laugh (and shake our heads over the folly of the Dunphy clan). But when something like this happens in real life, it can get a bit hairy. Then, it’s all wildly beating hearts, sweaty palms and an imagination that runs away with you, as you think of the worst things that could happen to your child because of a momentary lapse on your part.

That’s probably how David and Samantha Cameron felt when they drove up to Chequers (the country house of the British Prime Minister) and discovered that they had left their eight-year-old daughter, Nancy, behind at the local pub, where they’d gone to have lunch with some friends.

Samantha had thought that Nancy had climbed into her father’s car, as he drove off accompanied by bodyguards. And David believed that she was in the second car, with her mother and her siblings. It was only when the two cars disgorged their cargo that the Camerons realised they were missing their eldest child.

Nancy had apparently wandered off to the loo while the party was leaving and that’s where she was discovered by the A FAMILY AFFAIR

In one of the episodes from the sitcom Modern Family (left), Claire and Phil Dunphy drive off – leaving their son standing alone in the car park JUNE 17, 2012

pub staff, who kept her entertained while David did a quick U-turn to pick her up.

No harm done. All’s well that ends well. Or any other cliché that you’d like to pull out and employ to describe the situation.

Of course, this being the Camerons and the British press being what it is, the parents were rapidly hauled over the coals for being so irresponsible as to ‘forget’ their daughter at the pub (though, in all fairness, they didn’t forget about her; they just thought she was with the other parent). David was advised to attend one of the parenting courses he is so keen on; Samantha was berated for not keeping all her children well within sight at all times; and there were those mandatory musings about how the social services would have been called in double quick if the parents had been working class ‘chavs’ rather than posh folk like the Camerons. And yes, the term Nancygate cropped up in news reports soon enough.

But while this was, no doubt, an honest mistake that the Camerons won’t be repeating any time soon, it does make one think about the British Prime Minister’s security detail. It’s one thing for harried parents to miss one child out of three. But quite another for a Scotland Yard close protection team to miss the fact that a child of the PM was unaccounted for as long as 15 minutes. Thankfully, Nancy remained safe – but the alternative really doesn’t bear thinking about. (And I do hope that some heads have rolled as a consequence.)

Though the rules must be different for David Cameron and his family – who are high value targets for any terrorist group – this is a situation that any overworked, harried parent can identify with. Victoria Beckham, for instance, famously confessed to a similar lapse soon after the birth of her daughter, Harper. All set for the school run, Victoria buckled Harper into her car seat, got behind the wheel and drove off to drop son Brooklyn to his school. It was only when she was halfway there that she realised that Brooklyn was not, in fact, in the car.

And for all those hemming and hawing about the Camerons and their irresponsible parenting, here’s an interesting statistic.

According to an online poll conducted by The Daily Telegraph, a little over 33 per cent of parents have forgotten and left a child behind on one occasion or the other. And while some put it down to momentary forgetfulness there are many who – like the Dunphys and Camerons – did so in the belief that the child was safe with the other parent. This kind of stuff is really more common than you think.

So, if anything, this incident just shores up David Cameron’s credentials as a regular bloke. Now, his security detail – they’re a bit of a disgrace to their service, aren’t they? seema_ht@rediffmail.com. Follow Seema on Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami

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The Pleasure is all yours I

ts amorous shape, the intoxicating aroma, juiciness that can melt hearts in a jiffy and the soothing yet sensual colour are probably just some of the reasons mango has been a constant image in most things exotic. The succulent skin feels soft and tender under your fingers. A little more pressure and the sweet juice starts running down your fingers.

Let your mouth savour the ripeness and the fruit do its magic.

In fact the fruit has been associated with the very birth of humanity. Many believe that the "apple" Eve picked from the tree of knowledge was either a mango or a papaya, simply because apples and pears don’t grow in tropical zones.

We’d like to think of it as mango. For hasn’t Vatsayana also mentioned mangoes in a more erotic way in Kama Sutra?

Lord Shiva turned Kaam Dev to ashes.

"Mango has In fact not just in long been India, the fruit is associated with also supposed to repfertility. Haveli resent fertility in sangeet / Africa. Two authenVaishnava RIPE WITH tic African fertility temple verses PASSION statues have been on are replete with There is something display in the lobby references to infinitely passionate of the Orlando the sensuous about a mango.

Believe It or Not! fruit being Right from the way The statues, represourced for the it looks, to how it senting a king and pleasure of reacts to a touch or queen, came from Thakurji" how it tastes and the Ivory Coast of Himanshu Verma smells. Little surAfrica, where they Founder prise mangoes are were carved in the Red Earth, an often called aphro1930s by Baule independent arts disiacal in nature tribesmen. The king organisation and also taken all holds a sword and a over SE Asia as a mango, and the supplement to increase virility. queen holds an infant.

According to legend, couples LOVE GODS wishing to conceive should Mango has been an important touch them as they enter the symbol of fertility and fruition. room.

Kaam Dev (God of Love) has been associated with mango TIMELESS WONDER blossoms. His wife, Rati repreJamaicans refer to their loved sents passion and Vasant Ritu ones as their “sweet juicy (spring season) is his companmango”. There is something ion. He has five arrows in his eternally romantic about quiver, all of which are made mangoes of different flowers, mango Little surprise it is always flower (Maur or Baur) being associated with anything pasone of them. sionate. While Amazon offers In fact legend has it that ‘Kama Sutra Oil of Love Kaam Dev was sitting on a Tropical Mango’, you can also mango tree when he aimed an sip mango wines (Mango Port, arrow at Lord Shiva to lure Golden Mango Cello, and him towards Parvati. Devotees Citrus Cellos) or great mango still offer mango blossoms and mocktails and satisfy the sandalwood paste to Kaam mango lover in you.

Dev on Holi, the day when Yellow passion, we say!

MANGO TWIST Ok how about giving a mango twist to classic Orange Julius.

And don’t blame us if you like this invention better than the original

INGREDIENTS ●1

cup of fresh or frozen mango juice (you can use your favourite SLICE here) ●

2 oz milk

●

1 tsp vanilla extract

●

2 Tbsp sugar

1 scoop of vanilla ice cream

●

PREPARATION 1. Place all ingredients in a blender with 1/2 cup of ice.

2. Blend until smooth.

3. Pour into your favourite glass If the mix is too thick, add more juice or water. If it’s too thin, add more ice or ice cream.

indulge

FOOD FIGHT ON THE WESTERN FRONT

With two new eating places, Bombay is on to a good thing. If Delhi does not catch up soon, it might lose its historical advantage in the western food area

KITCHEN ROCKSTAR

Chef Sergi Arola is more passionate about the electric guitar than he is about the stove and his tattoos will stop any conversation in its tracks

Table, Two One Two, Amadeus etc. And now, there are two more options. One of them is easily the city’s best café and the other may well turn out to be the finest European restaurant in India.

The cafe is a surprisingly well-designed room with a mezzanine floor on the premises of a mill Vir Sanghvi in Lower Parel. It is called Café Zoe and is currently one of the city’s trendiest restaurants. I went for lunch last week and was impressed by HE FASHION for western food comes the ambience, the service and the wholesome and and goes in Bombay. During my childsatisfying nature of the food. hood, the city was dotted with famous In the interests of journalism, I ate my way through European restaurants: Bombellis, much of the menu and while the approach was slightNapoli, The Little Hut and of course, the grand ly hit and miss, most things worked. If I had a sugold Rendezvous. All of them closed down. Many gestion, it was that somebody should confiscate the of the ones that came later also bit the dust: The chef’s bottles of synthetic truffle oil to give him more Supper Club, Ménage a Trois, Café Royale, The time to concentrate on genuine flavours.

Rotisserie etc.

I started with a buffalo carpaccio served as a Delhi has had more luck with western restausalad (so-so leaves) with the meat cooked in the rants. Perhaps, this is because it attracts more familiar Trattoria style much loved by Bombay European and American tourists. Or perhaps punters. I would have preferred a rawer, more there are more expatriates and embassy types intense flavour but either way, there was no need who can keep western restaurants in business. to give it a truffle oil dressing.

Until a few years ago, I would have argued that The scrambled eggs with truffle came with small the market for western food in Bombay was limblack flecks of what I imagine was bottled truffle. ited and that Delhi would always have the edge.

I have few expectations from preserved truffles For instance, the Zodiac Grill, the high presbut I do think that the chef could have used a bettige restaurant at the Bombay Taj, does not get ter quality of eggs. Nor did it make any sense to the custom that its food and reputation suggest serve a fruit preserve with this dish (unless the that it should draw. Similarly, when the Leela jam has truffle oil as well!). That said, the cooking chain tied up with New York’s Le Cirque restauwas fine and the bread was terrific. rant to open a branch in India, they chose to The standout dish for me was the buffalo hamlocate the first such venture at The Leela in burger, which was easily the best burger in Bombay.

Delhi’s Chanakyapuri, giving their flagship Bombay property The patty was juicy and perfectly cooked while the bun (homea miss. It was a sound decision. Delhi’s Le Cirque is packed made I was assured) was vastly superior to anything I have eaten out night after night and it is hard to imagine any similar in this city. The fries were crisp and remained that way for the restaurant finding that kind of success in Bombay. Also, if you duration of the meal. look at the standalone sector, there is no real counterpart to Another success story was the pulled pork sandwich, served as someone like Delhi’s Ritu Dalmia in Bombay. While Bombay small sliders. The pork was brilliant, the sandwich had a mustardy chefs have always struggled to find opportunities, Ritu has tang and the bread was great. The same pork turned up again in gone from strength to strength in Delhi, opening a new restauwhat was described as a carbonara pasta but turned out to be the rant every year. least successful dish of the day: a slop of soggy pasta in a cheesy But, on the other hand, this could be changing. There has been creamy sauce that had more in common with a boarding school a huge resurgence in western food in Bombay in recent years. It macaroni - cheese than with any Italian dish. Frankly, the excellent started with Indigo, still one of the best western restaurants in pork deserved a better setting.

India, and has continued with such places as the excellent The Desserts were good – an acceptable creme brûlée and a nice cheese cake – but the best pudding was a walnut pie that was moistly melting in the middle. The wines were

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rude hotels

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WONDERS ON MY PLATE

Nearly everything I ate at dinner at Arola (left) was delicious

JUNE 17, 2012

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well chosen and the ones served by the glass came at reasonable prices.

It is hard to be sure but I think I went in under the radar and got no special attention. If that was so, then the service was outstanding: knowledgeable, courteous and efficient.

You can argue about which one is better: Café Zoe or The Table. But I like both ( though Café Zoe has the nicer room). And I will be back.

If Café Zoe appeals to expats and trendies, then Arola, the new restaurant at the JW Marriott has a more mainstream target. It is run by Sergi Arola, a Michelin two-star chef from Spain, and its launch was accompanied by glamorous parties, Page 3 pictures and film star sightings.

But don’t let that put you off. I am always wary of judging a restaurant during its first week. But if the dinner I had with Sergi Arola on Monday is anything to go by, then this is going to be a superior gastronomic experience.

Spanish chefs fall into one of three categories: the molecular wizards like Ferran Adria, the brilliant traditionalists like the late Santi Santamaria and all the tapaswallahs that Spain exports by the boatload. Arola is the exception because he fits into none of these neat characterisations. His personality is rock ’n’ roll: he is more passionate about the electric guitar than he is about the stove and his tattoos will stop any conversation in its tracks.

And his cooking combines science (he was Adria’s sous chef for three years) with the clean distinct flavours of Santi’s food.

His reputation in his native Spain is massive and he runs restaurants in a variety of cities including Paris and Sao Paulo.

His food is distinguished by his cerebral approach to cooking.

For instance, he has worked out that no restaurant in India can flourish on the basis of high-cost imported ingredients. So, he goes into the market and finds the best local ingredients. And when the flavours are not necessarily up to the standard that he is used to, he relies on his culinary skill to bridge the gap.

A simple salad of black olives, tuna and tomatoes works only because Arola has spent several hours adjusting the flavour of

The standout dish for me at Cafe Zoe was the buffalo hamburger, which was easily the best burger in Bombay

the tomatoes (he blanches them, removes some of the juice, dunks them in olive oil, leaves them in the fridge after removing the skin etc) before throwing them into the salad.

Another dish, comprising crunchy white asparagus in mayonnaise seems straightforward enough. But the asparagus have been cooked sous vide in olive oil for ages before being served. A carpaccio of porcini relies on frozen mushrooms that have had their texture and flavour improved by similar wizardry behind the scenes.

Nearly everything I ate at dinner was delicious: buffalo tartar using an Oriental dressing and the bright orange yolk of a perfect egg; Arabian sea prawns in garlic and olive oil and an entirely amazing rice dish made with lobster and prawns.

I have no idea whether these standards will be maintained as time goes on but Arola says he will be in Bombay five times a year and the Spanish chef he has installed in the Marriott kitchen seems talented and skilful.

If the cooking continues to be this good then the restaurant will set a new benchmark. It will demonstrate to Indians that western cuisine can be made with local ingredients, can use a lot of vegetables so that vegetarians need not always suffer, and that the food need not be heavy but can be light and fresh.

All things considered, between Café Zoe and Arola, Bombay is on to a good thing. And if Delhi does not do something soon to catch up then it might lose its traditional historical advantage in the western food area.

HAPPENING SPOT

Café Zoe is currently one of Bombay’s trendiest restaurants

NO COMPARISONS

There is no real counterpart to someone like Delhi’s Ritu Dalmia in Bombay in the standalone sector

Caféé Zoe Mathuradas Mill Compound Lower Parel, Mumbai

CAPITAL GAIN

The Leela chain chose to locate the first Le Cirque restaurant at its hotel in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area

NOT GETTING ITS DUE

The Zodiac Grill, at the Bombay Taj does not get the custom that its food and reputation suggest that it should draw JUNE 17, 2012

Arola Restaurant and Bar JW Marriott Hotel Juhu Tara Road, Mumbai

indulge

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STICKING A KNIFE DEEP IN THE GUT

REACH INTO THIS WALLET

Apple’s Passbook service is gunning for Google in its financial apps and services area

Rajiv Makhni

Apple’s new iOS upgrade hits Google in multiple areas, and continues the ‘thermonuclear war’ between the two firms

H

techilicious

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ITTING BELOW the belt, a stick into the eye, a sledgehammer straight to the gut... it doesn’t matter which melodramatic phrase you use. Apple did all of that and more to Google at the WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) event that took place a few days ago in San Francisco.

THIS MEANS WAR

BITE INTO THIS

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, known as WWDC (logo shown above) was held a few days ago in San Francisco

The Apple-Google story is one of great drama and intrigue. At one time, the two companies were great friends with deep relationships forged between key players. In fact, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was an active member and sat on Apple’s board. When Google launched Android on Mobile phones, Steve Jobs viewed it as pure treachery and called it a form of “grand theft” and vehemently declared a “thermonuclear war” against his former friends. Just how thermonuclear was evident when in one simple iOS upgrade Apple hit Google in multiple areas. And each is a bludgeoning blow that severely affects Google.

TWIST OF KNIFE 1

ALL NEW FEATURES

All the big ones from iOS 6 – Apple Maps, Siri-updated, Passbook and Facebook integration

Google Maps, the main foundation of the great partnership between the two giants, has been kicked right off iOS. This critical piece of software has resided on the iPhone since the device’s 2007 debut. It was such a big deal that Eric Schmidt had appeared on stage with Jobs to announce this amazing partnership to the world. And now it’s gone, over and very kaput! This is a serious blow to Google as it stands to lose massive advertising revenue from every Apple Google Maps user and also loses out on its favourite pastime – tracking people and pinpointing their whereabouts. Apple will release its own homegrown mapping app and has thrown in some great features (Siri Integration, Turn by Turn Voice directions) as well as a lot of eye candy visual effects (Vector-based, 3D and Flyovers) to go with it.

KNIFE STROKE DAMAGE – MASSIVE : Google will have to do something extraordinary to make people go through the effort of downloading and installing Google Maps as a separate app.

TWIST OF KNIFE 2

JUNE 17, 2012

TWIST OF KNIFE 3

Apple has come out with more than 200 new features within iOS6. Most of them seem to have their sights trained on specific Android features.

Reply with Message, a second-generation upgrade to Siri, Do Not Disturb with customised exceptions, Facetime that now works on your cellular network (not just on Wi-Fi), Safari browsing with a read later (Reading Lists) feature as well as amazing Siri integration, Photo Streams now with group sharing and notifications, VIP feature in the Email app as well as the all-new Guided Access System. This is a treasure chest of new features and each seems to have a single purpose – hit Android fast and hard.

KNIFE STROKE DAMAGE – MINIMUM: Android ICS 4.0 still has quite a few tricks up its sleeves that haven’t been touched by iOS. Plus the next version of Android is just days away.

Apple has come out with more than 200 new features within iOS6

Facebook has about 930 million users. Google+ has about 180 million. For Google, its social platform Google+ is a huge priority and the only

way to do it is through fantastic mobile phone integration. Just when Google+ was gaining some momentum, Apple has struck with blow number two. It’s built deep integration of Facebook into iOS 6. You put in your Facebook details just once and almost every app then becomes Facebookenabled. You can update statuses and post on Facebook by talking to your phone – including posting photos with voice commands. With such tight, seamless and fun ways of Facebook being embedded deep in iOS – it leaves almost no incentive for any iPhone or iPad users to even think of going to Google+. And that’s a lot of people for Google to lose out on.

KNIFE STROKE DAMAGE – MASSIVE : Google+ needs to hit a minimum of 400 million users for it to become a serious alternative to Facebook. Reaching this number could be a huge problem now.

TWIST OF KNIFE 4

In almost perfect synch with some of Google’s new and very expensive acquisitions, Apple has come out with services that try and nullify them. Once again, integration with business review service Yelp Inc. and online restaurant reservation service OpenTable Inc. have been built into iOS6. There really is no other reason to do this than to compete against Zagat, a review service that does almost the same things and was bought by Google for $151 million. Then there’s the all new Passbook service from Apple that is allout gunning to hit Google in its financial apps and services area including Google Wallet.

KNIFE STROKE DAMAGE – MEDIUM: It’s usually tough for a start-up to hurt a stalwart, but with the huge iOS base that may take to it – this could happen.

It almost seems like the first idea meeting at Apple headquarters for iOS6 must have been called “let’s come up with an iOS upgrade solely to hit Android in that place where it hurts the most”. This is a rivalry that is now taking things deep into the enemy camp with a “take no prisoners” strategy. I have a feeling Steve Jobs must have been smiling somewhere up there by the time WWDC got over. When he had said this was going to be a thermonuclear war – he wasn’t joking.

Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/RajivMakhni

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BRAIN GAMES

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Mind What You Eat Everyday foods rich in antioxidants and vitamins can help you fight memory loss

by Veenu Singh

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OW MANY times have you opened your cupboard and closed it again because you couldn’t remember why you opened it in the first place? And remember the last time you went mad looking for those car keys?

Most of us have had these memory

lapses at one time or the other.

While it may not be a big cause of worry, new research has indicated that memory loss could start as early as in our 20s and only deteriorate further thereafter.

While there are several factors, including stress, that can affect

SEEDS

Photos: THINKSTOCK

Seeds, including sunflower and flaxseed, are good sources of vitamin E. One ounce of dry-roasted sunflower seeds contains 30 per cent of your recommended daily allowance.

Sprinkle them on top of your salad to give your brain a boost.

Flaxseeds are also a great source of vitamin E and can be had as is, or added to your veggies or dals just before serving or even eaten with yoghurt. Pumpkin seeds are good for you too as they are rich in zinc.

Peanuts and peanut butter tend to be a source of healthy fats and they are also packed with vitamin E. Both foods may help keep the heart and brain healthy and functioning properly. Other good choices are almonds, walnuts (they are even shaped like the brain) and hazelnuts. Research shows that diets that are high in healthy fats, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, and nuts are good for the brain and the heart.

PEANUTS AND OTHER NUTS

memory, researchers believe that eating certain foods can actually help in keeping not just your body but even the brain at its best.

Nutrition plays a big role in helping bolster the brain’s health.

“Foods rich in vitamin E, vitamins B1 and B12 and vitamin C help in keeping the brain healthy. Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant, which may help to protect neurons or nerve cells. In Alzheimer’s disease, the neurons in certain

MANGOES AND AVOCADOS Mangoes are fully packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that strengthen and invigorate the nerve tissues in the muscles, heart, brain and other parts of the body. Avocados are also a rich source of antioxidant vitamin E, apart from being high in the antioxidant powerhouse vitamin C. Both of these are associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

THE WELLNESS ISSUE parts of the brain start to die, which speeds up the events leading to cognitive deterioration,” says Dr Manisha Kukreja Bhatla, consultant in preventive health programmes at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute.

According to Dr Bhatla, our lifestyles are robbing us of the most essential nutrients that are required to keep us healthy. Here are a few foods considered rich in Vitamin E that can help boost your brain’s health. Have them any time you want, there is no fixed time to eat them. But to reap the maximum benefit make sure most of these foods are consumed cooked. veenus@hindustantimes.com

FISH

Fish is a great source of protein and is much healthier than red meat and even some other forms of protein that are high in saturated fat. The thing to keep in mind is that not all fish is beneficial for you. Go for salmon, mackerel and tuna as these are rich in hearthealthy omega-3 fatty acids, including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA is important for the normal functioning of neurons.

VEGETABLES

BERRIES

Greens like spinach and broccoli are a good source of antioxidants. When you eat them cooked, the benefit almost doubles.

While one cup of raw spinach has 15 per cent of your daily intake of vitamin E, half a cup of cooked spinach has 25 per cent of your daily intake. A slight stir fry or even steaming will do the trick.

Research shows that berries – blueberries, strawberries and even acai berries – are great memory boosters.

Blueberries are one of the best foods for your brain.

Since they’re high in fibre and low on the glycemic index, they are safe for diabetics and do not spike blood sugar. They are one of the most powerful antistress foods. But avoid dried sweetened blueberries.

(As recommended by Cheenu Prashar Vig, consultant dietician, Max Healthcare, and Shipra Saklani Mishra, senior clinical nutritionist, Fortis La Femme)

P L AY S A F E

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THE WELLNESS ISSUE

“I’m Sick Of Technology!”

We know this is what was going through your head as your were nursing that BlackBerry thumb. Know what? It might be time for a trip to the doc again

by Pranav Dixit 1

CAN IPODS CAUSE HEARING DAMAGE?

t’s a logical assumption: you blast Iyour Lady Gaga at full volume through iPod ear buds all the way

through your daily gym routine, your hearing gets affected over a period of time (if you’re a gym bunny, that is. If you’re not, let’s just say you’ve got more than just your ears to worry about). Right?

Wrong! “There are lots of problems associated with listening to music at loud volumes, like ear aches. But the truth is that in clinical practice, there is no direct correlation between loud iPods and hearing loss,” says Dr Shomeshwar Singh, consultant ENT and cochlear implant surgeon, Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon. “Devices like iPods are designed with user safety in mind.

So, no, average listeners will not

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suffer from diminished hearing even if they are plugged in a couple of hours every day.”

What you can get however, is a condition called tinnitus, in which you can hear strange ringing sounds in your ears when it is quiet. “This is usually temporary and goes away on its own with time,” says Dr Singh. “There is no treatment, but in rare cases, it can be permanent.” Prolonged use of earphones can also lead to buildup of ear wax so severe in some cases that the only way to remove it is – gulp – through surgery.

Use soft earbuds or comfy over-the-ears muffs, advises Dr Singh. Other than that, you’re safe – as long as you don’t drive or cross the road with your headphones on, of course.

DO TABLETS CAUSE NECK PAIN?

ave you got ‘iPad neck’ yet? A H new study from the Harvard School of Public Health published

in January is among the first to look at the possible ergonomic impacts of Tablet use – and there’s both good and bad news in store.

The bad news is that most common ways of holding and using Tablets seem to put considerable strain on your neck muscles – especially compared to typical desktop computing setups.

“The neck has seven bones called the cervical vertebrae,” says Dr Manoj Sharma, chairman at the department of orthopedic and spine surgery, Jaipur Golden Hospital, New Delhi. “All of them are connected with two joints on the side. When you look down at a Tablet that’s on your lap or flat on a table in front of you for long

periods of time, you put considerable stress on these joints.”

The symptoms: persistent headache on the back of your head and axial neck pain that can go down all the way into the shoulder blades and the arms.

“Cervical spondilysis, which once affected only people over 40 is now common in most young patients under 20 who I treat,” says Dr Sharma.

Next time you’re watching a movie on your iPad, help your neck muscles by propping up the Tablet against a heavy object (we like ours against a stack of books) and putting it more or less at eye level.

What’s the good news? Tablet users seem to shift position and move around more than laptop and desktop users. Phew!

JUNE 17, 2012

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TOP 3 CELL PHONE MYTHS DEBUNKED

3

1. Cell phones cause brain cancer: Despite

reams of newsprint being devoted to the topic, let’s get this clear: there is no credible evidence that exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted from cell phones or other personal electronic devices can cause cancer.

2. Keeping a cell phone in the pocket can cause a drop in sperm count for men: No. Relax.

Imaging: PRASHANT CHAUDHARY

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3. Reading on a cell phone screen for long periods of time can lead to bad eyesight: Eye strain, yes. But bad eyesight? Let’s just say that smartphones haven’t been around long enough to prove that.

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P L AY S A F E

3

CAN LAPTOPS SIZZLE YOUR THIGHS?

T

he next time you’ve had that beast of a laptop running for several hours at a stretch, put your hand underneath – that’s scorching, isn’t it? Today’s laptops stuff powerful processors and high-speed hard-drives inside razor-thin chassis. They give off huge amounts of heat, which can raise the temperature of your laptop to a sizzling 52 degree Celsius in some cases.

So what happens if you prop up the machine on your lap for long hours? Toasted Skin Syndrome, a nettle-sting-like rash on your thighs. The American Academy of Pediatrics journal issued last year listed about 10 laptop-related cases

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from medical journals over the last six years. In one report, a 12-yearold boy developed a sponge-patterned skin discoloration on his left thigh after playing computer games for a few hours every day for several months. A second case described a law student who spent six hours a day working with her computer in her lap. The affected skin resembled skin damaged by long-term sun exposure.

That said, it’s time to bust a myth: “Yes it’s true that laptops can be causes of heat-related burns,” says Dr Aniruddha Malpani, infertility specialist at Malpani Infertility Clinic, Mumbai. “But you know

what they can’t do? Affect male fertility!” The human testes lie outside the body because their temperature needs to be kept about three degrees lower than the rest of the body for optimum sperm production. “So it’s logical to assume that a hot laptop affects sperm,” says Malpani. “However, there have been no conclusive scientific studies that have proved this yet.

Sperm counts fluctuate all the time, even if you never use a laptop. So it’s no reason to worry!”

Meanwhile, get a cooling pad to put underneath your laptop – or just place it on a table. Your skin will thank you.

DO SMARTPHONES CAUSE WRINKLES?

emember the study that came R out a few months ago saying that squinting at smartphone

screens too much gives you wrinkles? Dr Chiranjiv Chhabra, consultant dermatologist and director at the Skin Alive Clinic, New Delhi, tells us to take that one with a pinch of salt. “What certainly hap-

pens, however, is that your jawline sags; your cheeks get pulled forward; and the neck may develop folds, all as a result of staring down at the phone too much”, she says. If you stare down at your phone for about three hours everyday – and most of us use our phones way more than that – over

a period of three years the effects on the face are strikingly visible.

And if that isn’t enough to convince you to cut down on your phone time, there’s more bad news: overuse can actually age the area around the eyes and make them look dull and aged, claims Dr Chhabra.

CAN SCREENS HURT EYES? 5

ow many screens do you have H around you? We can count three around us this very

minute: the computer screen this is being typed on, a smartphone on the desk and an iPod Touch (we left the Tablet at home today, but that’s yet another screen when it’s around).

Staring at these screens constantly is like shining a bright light right into your eyes. And it’s worse when you decide to fire up a movie on your iPad and watch it in the dark. “Radiation from these screens is not harmful to the eyes but can certainly fatigue them. This can cause strain, dry eyes and itchiness”, says Dr Kinshuk Biswas, senior consultant in ophthalmology at the Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon. To keep your eyes healthy, he recommends closing them for a minute every half an hour you spend in front of a screen. And if you do want to seek refuge in the dark, turn the screens off (there’s more fun stuff to do in the dark, trust us!).

PERSONAL AGENDA

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Actress

Vidya Balan if i could...

I W0ULD WAKE UP AT 6 AM

And go for a walk on Carter Road every day

SUN SIGN Capricorn

BIRTHDAY January 1

SCHOOL/COLLEGE

St Anthony’s Girls High School, / St Xavier’s College, Mumbai

HOMETOWN PLACE OF BIRTH Palakkad, Kerala Mumbai

COOK UP A STORM

In the kitchen too!

FIRST BREAK Television serial – La Bellas

HIGH POINT OF YOUR LIFE Parineeta

LOW CURRENTLY DOING POINT OF I just finished the campaign shoot YOUR LIFE for Aliva Multigrain Waves for It’s underground now

lead. I am self obsessed!

The last line of your autobiography would read?

Phir milenge.

Are we ever going to see you in a gown or a cocktail dress?

Come home…

Any other sari designer you like apart from Sabyasachi?

Masaba (Gupta).

The biggest surprise you ever gave your date?

Shhhhhh…

How long did you practise for ONE BENGALI the item song in Ferrari Ki SWEET YOU Sawari?

A few hours every day LOVE? for more than a week.

The gadget you’re fond of?

The ones I can handle.

One TV show you watch regularly?

Friends.

Who is your 3am friend?

My sister.

What kind of film would you love to do with Shah Rukh?

A romantic one – a nice relationship story.

Whats on your bedside table?

Books and my mobiles.

What book are you reading currently?

Then Again, by Diane Keaton.

What do you prefer – tea or coffee?

Tea at home, coffee outside.

One classic character you would love to play?

A courtesan.

What touches your heart the most?

Genuineness.

What makes your day?

A smile from my niece and nephew, who are twins. because it’s baked and made What spoils it? with grains, I don’t feel guilty Not getting time with them. and some chai.

You are closest to…

If you turned producer, who would be My sister. your dream cast be?

The sexiest man alive?

Sean Penn and George George Clooney.

Clooney, and no brownie points for guessing the female — Interviewed by Veenu Singh

Rosogulla

SPEND SIX MONTHS AS A STUDENT

RID THE CITY OF FILTH

Photo: MANOJ VERMA

Photos: THINKSTOCK

At some university abroad

If you weren’t an actor, you would’ve been...

I wouldn’t be.

The longest you have worn heels?

22 hours.

After a long day at work, you love to gorge on?

Aliva Multigrain Waves – JUNE 17, 2012

which I am also the brand ambassador. It is the first double role of my career and I’m quite excited about it