Always wear what you look good in’

The modelling industry is witnessing a lot of fresh, beautiful faces of late. They are young, dynamic, confident and well educated. AT caught up with Yashica Keswani, one such ramp scorcher, who was in Vadodara recently to promote a prominent watch brand. “I endorsed this as I believe it’s fashionable, trendy and very much wearable. In short, it reflects my personality, which is very important if you are endorsing a product,” she says.

About her background, she says, “I am well educated. I studied in England and did my BA(Honours) in Hospitality and Business Management. I was modelling part-time and have walked the ramp in the UK and San Fransisco. One thing led to another. I am very happy to have moved back to India. I have a really supportive family and it’s nice to be back with them after long.” She has all the more reasons to be happy as “I have a long connection with Vadodara and my family is here.” Does being well educated give one a solid back-up? “I do have a good back-up. But I am the kind of person who will go for plan B only if plan A is totally exhausted. I give 100% to whatever I do!” she avers.

Given her great looks and the number of models that have taken to acting in recent times, are we going to see her going the same way? “I have just returned to India and need to take stock of things. But if the right project comes along, then I am open to it,” she says. So what’s the secret behind that perfect figure? “I drink lots of water and exercise regularly. I also use sun-screen lotion. Besides, it’s important to stay away from fried food and too much of sweets,” she informs. As a person, she is “very lively and loves to enjoy life. I love to paint and dance and am an ardent scuba diver too. I love adventure!”

So what’s her personal style statement? “I don’t follow any particular kind of fashion. You should always wear what you look good in; otherwise the very purpose of it is defeated.” Well said.

Any message for aspiring models? “All I want to say is that one must be focussed.I believe that if you truly chase your dream, it comes true some day.” She has a very philosophical take on role models: “I don’t idolize people. Each person is unique and has something different to offer. At the end of the day, it’s about discovering the ‘real you’.” Wise words, those!

Laughter really is the best medicine!

Did you know that laughter is the most important part of our life, infact it would not be wrong to say that laughter is life. Laughter is a phenomenal mood enhancer. It is known to have beneficial physical and psychological effects in a person. So much so that it is now being recommended as a therapy, with a session generally comprising pure laughing (without any jokes), combined with stretching and breathing exercises.

Here are some of the benefits of laughter as a therapy :

Relaxes muscles, releases stress
Laughter is considered one of the best muscle relaxants. It causes the blood vessels to expand, sending more blood all through the body. It also reduces the level of stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol.

Strengthens the Immune System
T cells, which fight infections, become more active when a person laughs. Laughter also increases the immunoglobins A and B. This is significant because immunoglobin A protects the respiratory tract against virus, bacteria and other microorganisms and Immunoglobin B provides antibodies with the strength to attack dysfunctional cells.

Increases Oxygen levels in the body
When a person laughs, he inhales more oxygen, thus leaving the person feeling refreshed.

Is an effective pain killer
Laughter increases the levels of endorphins, which are natural painkillers. Endorphins are considered extremely helpful in reducing pain in arthritis, spondylitis and muscular spasms, and in alleviating migraine and tension headaches.

Improves lung capacity
Laughter is considered helpful for people suffering from bronchitis and Asthma, as it improves lung capacity and increases the oxygen levels in the blood. Patients are, however, advised to consult their doctors before beginning laughter therapy.

Controls blood pressure
Laughter helps control blood pressure by reducing stress related hormones and relaxing the body.

Experiments have proved that there is a drop of 10-20 mm of Hg in blood pressure, after participating in a ten-minute laughter therapy session. Since it is known to increase oxygen supply and improve blood circulation, laughter can control the progress of a heart disease. Laughter also reduces the chances of formation of clots.

Serves as an aerobic exercise
Researchers have found that one minute of hearty laughter is equal to ten minutes on the rowing machine. That is, laughter stimulates the heart and blood circulation like that of any standard aerobic activity. Laughter as an exercise is suited for people with sedentary activities and for those confined to a bed or wheel chair.

Helps in psychological disorders
The benefits of laughter therapy have been observed in patients with depression, anxiety, nervous breakdown, sleeplessness and other psychological disorders.

Is the secret to staying young
Laughter helps in toning up the face muscles and improving facial expressions. When you laugh, you become red (due to the increase in blood supply), which in turn nourishes the facial skin and makes it glow.

World's first bird discovered

A group of scientists, including one of Indian origin, has discovered "world’s first bird" that lived 235 million years ago. In the landmark study, published by the Paleontological Association, experts unveiled an extraordinary prehistoric lizard-like "flying" reptile which lived 235 million years ago.

The scientific community believes that birds descended from reptiles 50 million years later making the kuehneosaurs the world’s first "bird".

The long-extinct species, which inhabited the warm late Triassic period from 235 to 200 million years ago, was first discovered in the UK.

According to experts, the kuehneosaurs, which grew up to 2 feet, used extensions of their ribs to form large gliding surfaces on the sides of their body.

Earlier this year, experts from Bristol University built lifesize models of the two types of kuehneosaurs found in the UK - kuehneosuchus and kuehneosaurus. "Surprisingly, we found that kuehneosuchus was aerodynamically very stable.

Jumping from a tree, it could have crossed 9m before landing on the ground," said German palaeobiologist Koen Stein, who led the study.

Loud music effects drinking speed

Customers of bars that play loud music drink more quickly and in fewer gulps, French researchers said on Friday. Their study, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research , found that turning up the music spurred drinkers to down a glass of beer about three minutes more quickly.

To gauge the effect of sound levels on drinking, the team spent three Saturday nights visiting two bars, where they observed 40 men aged between 18 and 25 drinking beer.

"We have shown that environmental music played in a bar is associated with an increase in drinking," Nicolas Gueguen, a behavioural sciences researcher at the University of Southern Brittany in France, who led the study, said in a statement.

With the help from the bars’ owners, the team turned the music up and down and then recorded how much and how fast people drank. The men did not know they were being observed.

Louder music spurred more consumption, with the average number of drinks ordered by patrons rising to 3.4 drinks from 2.6 drinks, Gueguen found. The time taken to drink a beer fell to an average 11.45 minutes from 14.51 minutes.

The researchers acknowledged some limitations to their study, for example that the experiment was on a small scale and could not be applied to every bar.

They said it was not clear why louder music appeared to increase alcohol consumption but said it might make conversation more difficult, forcing people to drink more and talk less.

Is infidelity the end of a relationship?

Infidelity, both emotional and physical, can ruin a relationship or at least to some extent damage it. However, there are people who have dealt with cheating partners and have survived and even restored their broken relationships.

Being involved with a man or woman who cheats on you can never be an easy thing to deal with. What makes matters worse is that very often, everyone around you might think they know what is best for you — but only lead you in the wrong direction.
Therefore, it is important for you to be equipped with the right kind of information about affairs, to be able to remove fact from fiction. Read on to know about the most common myths about affairs and clear any misconceived notion you might have:

There is a type
The myth: Most people think that a person who cheats is a ‘type’ and only those people would indulge in infidelity. Therefore, just because someone has a history of cheating they would probably cheat on every man or woman they are with. The reality: Given the right kind of circumstances anyone could be susceptible to cheating. Yes, while with some people it is a pattern, there are those who end up having an affair on an impulse and before they know it they are cheating on their partner. Therefore, do not live under the illusion that only a certain type of person will cheat. To be on the safe side, you and your partner could admit honestly to each other what circumstances could make you slip and then just avoid those situations.

Boredom leads to affairs
The myth: It is a common myth that most affairs are a result of long-term boredom that one of the two lovers might be feeling. The reality: This is not true at all. Boredom has nothing to do with infidelity. If people feel bored they develop a hobby — not cheat on their partners. If both partners decide that they want to give their union another shot, it’s important to figure out what the real factors are that contributed to the affair and whether there’s any hope for changing them.

Affairs ruin marriages
The myth: If a husband or a wife cheats on their respective partner the marriage is over. The reality: There is no denying that if your partner has an affair, it will taint your relationship and might even end it, but that is not always the case. With time and effort, it’s possible to renew communication, trust and intimacy. Many couples not only survive an affair but after they work things out they feel more intimately connected and have a better marriage. This is because once the affair is in the open, if there is any hope left for the relationship , it is important that the couple actually discuss the affair. It might be painful but at least the two parties involved will be able to discuss the problems and then find solutions.

The betrayed partner knows
The myth: The person who is being cheated on at some level always knows that their partner is straying. The reality: In many cases, the betrayed spouse is totally in the dark. It’s also common after an affair is exposed for the betrayed spouse to feel like he or she is facing a new truth. You never can be sure whether your partner will cheat. Usually, it’s not until the affair is out in the open that the betrayed spouse can go back and understand why their partner was probably staying out late or making too many excuses for not being around too often.

Affairs are a result of love
The myth: Another popular but wrong belief about affairs is that the adulterer finds happiness in the person who he or she is having an affair with and they are in the affair because of mutual love. The reality: No matter how blissful they feel, affair pairings rarely get to ‘happily ever after.’ The reason a man or woman would have an affair is rarely because of love but mostly as a reaction to stress in their current relationship. Yes, in some cases they do end up together, but in most cases the affair ends regardless of what happens to the adulterer’s other relationship. An affair remains just that — and seldom turns into a relationship. In that context, the 17th century French author and moralist, François De La Rochefoucauld’s words ring true: The struggle we undergo to remain faithful to one we love is better than infidelity.

Don’t mourn, celebrate 8% growth: FM

Notwithstanding the acute oil crisis and the resultant inflationary pressures, India will record over eight per cent economic growth and prices will moderate by year-end, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said on Friday.

At the same time, he made it clear that the inflation management would get the top priority and reasonable growth the second.

"I still maintain that we will grow at a eight per cent plus... we are managing in a difficult year but I think by the end of this year we would be able to bring about a moderation in inflation as well as return a reasonable growth," Chidambaram said.

Admitting that it has been the most difficult of the five years as Finance Minister in the UPA government, he said India has been hit by the global financial, food and fuel crises and anybody who thought the country would not be affected by the global turbulence would be ‘naïve’.

"If our economy is growing at eight per cent, we should not wear sackcloth and ashes and mourn. We should celebrate. Eight per cent growth will still make us the silver medallist in the World Olympics," he said.

Very few countries and hardly any large nation except China are growing at eight per cent, he said and pointed out that eight per cent growth will still be higher than the average rate of 5.8 per cent achieved during the six years of NDA rule.

"We would still have to balance between inflation and growth giving inflation control the first priority and reasonable growth the second priority until the world economy returns to a more stable and more normal path."

NEWSMAKER - Line drops between Anil Ambani and MTN

A face-off between India’s two richest men, the Ambani siblings, overshadowed Anil Ambani’s negotiations South Africa’s MTN Group to create a global company before his estranged big brother Mukesh.

Anil’s Reliance Communications and MTN called off on Friday their exclusive talks to create a top-10 global telecom firm, saying legal and regulatory issues meant they were unable to conclude a deal.

The talks were clouded by a claim to a right of first refusal on the Indian mobile carrier’s shares by Mukesh, who runs Reliance Industries, India’s largest firm, and who had started dispute proceedings over the issue.

Anil, listed by Forbes magazine as the world’s sixth-richest man, one place behind Mukesh, has clashed with his brother before over business interests.

Now 49, Anil established the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) in 2005 after a public feud with Mukesh saw the vast business empire founded by father Dhirubhai, a school teacher’s son, split between the siblings in a deal brokered by their mother.

Mukesh took control of oil and petrochemicals giant Reliance Industries, India’s most valuable firm, and has since made forays into retail, while ADAG took on financial services, infrastructure, entertainment and power.

Reliance Communications, valued at about $21 billion, has made several overseas acquisitions.

But last year it lost a bid for control of a smaller Indian rival to Vodafone, and in November it was beaten by France Telecom in bidding for Telkom Kenya.

In January, it took just a minute for investors to fully subscribe to Reliance Power’s $3 billion IPO, India’s biggest, testimony to the strength of the Reliance brand.

SHARP CONTRAST

Anil, who has a business degree from Wharton, joined the Reliance group in 1983 as co-chief executive. He is a deeply religious Hindu who often visits temples before the start of new ventures, sometimes accompanied by his mother.

Married to a former Bollywood actress, Anil is articulate and a sharp dresser, with a penchant for designer labels and hi-tech gadgets. He was elected an independent member for a six-year term in Rajya Sabha, and resigned in March 2006.

A vegetarian who does not drink or smoke, he was named an MTV Youth Icon and has been dubbed "Marathon Man" because he participates in the annual Mumbai run and jogs the streets near his plush home in the mornings wearing his trademark headband.

Once a fixture on the Bollywood party circuit, Anil has kept a low profile since the split, focusing on building his business.

By contrast, Mukesh has appeared in the tabloids more often recently, thanks to a luxury jet he is reported to have bought as a birthday gift for his wife with showers and a bar, and a 27-storey home he is building in south Mumbai for a cool $1 billion, with several levels of parking and a helipad.

A chemical engineer by training, he dropped out of an MBA from Stanford University where he was a classmate of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. He is now a member on its advisory council.

Mukesh, who joined Reliance in 1981, is credited with spearheading the foray of the textile major into petrochemicals, refining and oil and gas exploration and production. He also created Reliance Infocomm, known now as Reliance Communications, the company Anil heads.

Mukesh has a venture with Marks & Spencer for retail, and is awaiting the commissioning of a new 580,000 barrel a day refinery, the world’s biggest, in western Gujarat state.

Bearing a close resemblance to his father, Mukesh in January paid more than $100 million -- the highest sum -- for a cricket franchise in Mumbai that included star batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

Mukesh was spotted in the stands often with his family and friends from the business and entertainment fraternity, cheering the Mumbai Indians team, which finished in the middle of the league.