The most expensive political felicitation India ever witnessed in her political history. If any one is asked, Who can empty the public exchequer? The reply will be it is none other than Utter Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati. What are the other political gimmicks to be witnessed by the Indians  during her chief minister ship? Read more about her political extravaganza, click http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mayas-garland-worth-Rs-5-crore/articleshow/5688323.cms

Ugadi celebration is going on in full swing in Bangalore. Houses are decorated with mango leaves and drawn rangoli in front of the houses. Some houses have rangoli and topped with a pot which contains mango leaves and coconut. Sweet stalls are having special delicacies for the Ugadi festival. Most of the sweets have the ingredients of coconut and jaggery.

Ugadi is celebrated in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. While it is called Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, in Maharashtra it is known as "Gudipadava".

On Ugadi day, people wake up before the break of dawn and take a head bath after which they decorate the entrance of their houses with fresh mango leaves. The significance of tying mango leaves relates to a legend. It is said that Kartik (or Subramanya or Kumara Swamy) and Ganesha, the two sons of Lord Siva and Parvathi were very fond of mangoes. As the legend goes Kartik exhorted people to tie green mango leaves to the doorway signifying a good crop and general well-being.

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous Ugadi.

The tech-driven age demands parents to create a virtual identity for our tiny tots and train them to use the social media safely but the ill effects of this rising trend cannot be ignored all together. In present day nuclear set up, parents often expose their kids to the virtual world at a very young age. Earlier children were hooked on to TV and now it is networking sites like Face book and My Space. One of my daughter’s friends is  now addicted to Farmville game and which can be played only if you join the Face book.

For many parents, including we, it’s a matter of pride knowing that their little ones are in sync with the e-world. A desire to archive for our daughter’s childhood memories, prompted my husband to design a blog for our daughter, ichu, and i started posting ichu’s photos, videos, apart from jotting down her interests, favourite foods, special events and some memorable episodes of her life and she enjoys sharing her photos with the rest of the world. Now she is 6 years old and never posted any blog herself yet. Now i am her mouthpiece.

These days, she chats online with her dad using Skype, browsing www.starfall.com , etc.. I am really scared because she is getting hooked on to something which is not real. These days how many kids say they love kickboxing, playing football, or cricket with their dads. The world is changing so is the younger generation. They cannot imagine a world without internet.

Experts say that too early an exposure to the internet can blunt a child’s social and emotional intelligence. On the other hand, parents sit satisfied thinking that their kids are by no means technologically deprived and ignoring the long-term implication of indulging in such behaviour. My daughter prefer to use internet or watch TV rather than playing with her friends. But i am managing somehow to make her to gel with her friends in the evenings rather than spending time in front of the TV or internet.

Even though i am scared, i want my kid to know how to use social media safely under my supervision. This is part of my job, just like i train her to cross the busy road safely.

Every night i have to read bed time stories for my daughter and in most of the stories the prince and the princess fall in love, at the end they marry and live happily ever after. Immediately my daughter says, like amma and kicho ( the name she has given to her dad when she was just 1+ years old). I really feel very proud at that moment because she is looking at the relationship through us only.

If you look at the present women, their attitude towards marriage is changed. For them, men, money and motherhood are easily attainable and for many of them marriage is not of any priority. If you go through the history of marriage, women would mate with several men and have children with all or any of them and the men who never new which child was theirs. I heard the same story even in my great grandmother’s family. So the men, the church, and the law got together and formed the institution of marriage.

In the present scenario, women are more career oriented .They don’t want to compromise their freedom and career for their husbands or for their in-laws.  But some women are smarter and they have their share of relationships. Some prefer live-in relation rather than marriage since no commitment is involved. Many  women don’t have the so called divine maternal instinct and if they have, they  prefer to be either a single mum by choice or don’t want to be biological mothers.

My doubt is whether every woman should enter the category of married?

The question is towards the educated, clear thinking, sensible professional women who prefer to be unmarried. Many don’t believe in the institution of marriage or they don’t want to go through a wedding or don’t want a marriage certificate to prove that they are committed to someone. For some women, through marriage they are eyeing on the legal and economic benefits. For some, they have a feeling that they never seen someone, they really couldn’t do without or compatible with their way of thinking.

There are situations, where the society is creating stories about an unmarried single women saying that you are hiding some dark secret in your life and that is you are not getting married. Another big issue behind you will be your sexuality. If you remain single choice, men will doubt about your sexuality because they cannot believe a woman is single by choice.

In the present day life, stability, security and other traditional reasons for which a women might want to get married no longer apply. If you are not married, you can do what you want to do or the way you want. Now a days, women don’t want to give much importance to sex and if asked, they will face you with a return question, what do sex and marriage have to do with each other?

When I was working in Maldives, one of colleges was a chronic spinster. I asked her why she never got married and she replied since her mother was depending on her, she never thought of getting married. Now she retired and settled in Srilanka, staying with her niece. Even though her decision to be single, i have seen her irritated most of the time. When asked about the loneliness, she simply said, she has seen the good and bad marriages and in both cases loneliness stares both partners equally and very few have compatibility in communication.

By considering many of the above discussed factors, many don’t believe in usual ending that they married and lived happily ever after but  happily never after…………

Related Articles

• Pros and Cons of Love Marriage and Arranged Marriages
• Interfaith Marriages

Day before yesterday i received a call from the staff of country vacations saying that i am the lucky winner of a lucky draw and come and collect three gifts (one kitchen set of 6 glass bowls, a gift voucher worth Rs.25,000/- which can be utilized for getting the accommodation and pass to country club for one day) and come with my husband. Since my husband is abroad, i went with my neighboring couples to get the gifts and later realized that  it was not at all necessary to go with the spouse. It was held at the basement of the Country Club, in outer ring road, Bangalore. The staff said we have to attend a presentation for 1 hour and later the gifts can be collected. The so called presentation was a trap and i realized it only after reaching home. It is about country vacations and through that gaining a Country club life time membership. I fancied about the idea of getting a membership.

I spoke with my husband regarding this and he was not interested in this since the beginning. I thought of convincing him later on and made a small token of payment to block the offer. They offered me a set of lemonade as a compliment. After reading others experiences, i am bit confused.

I read the bitter experiences of of others in the web http://www.consumercourt.in/travel-agent/5733-country-vacation-cheated-us.html and realized that it is not wise to go ahead with the idea of joining the concept of country vacation. So be careful when you receive a call like this.

Wishing you all the best for not getting into the trap of Country Club’s Country Vacations.

Each person is identified with their unique body smell. Most of the time it is the perfume or the body lotion decides the smell of the individual. But some people smell very unpleasant. Body odour or bromhidrosis is  caused due to a natural process involving sweat that occurs on the surface of the skin. Sweat doesn’t have a smell naturally but it becomes unpleasant when bacterial decomposition takes place.

What causes the body odour?

Some body areas like the armpits and genitals are more likely to produce the odour as these glands produce proteins and oils that the bacteria feed on. The feet odour is different from the rest of the body parts since the humid climate, sweat and closed footwear allow the fungi and bacteria to flourish. There are many reasons causing body odour like:

• Lack of hygiene
• Certain food like cheese, garlic, onion, etc
• Obesity
• Use of Synthetic dresses
• Problem of liver and kidney
• Alcohol
• Deficiency in Zinc
• Caffeine
• Strong Medications

What can we do control the body odour?

• The basic requirement to prevent the body odour problem is keep our skin clean and healthy. To do this, we need to
• Wear light colored loose cotton dresses
• Drink plenty of water, which dilutes the urine and sweat
• Avoid processed food and eat healthy food which contains lot of fibre, wheat, whole grain, etc.
• Wash clothes after every single use
• Have frequent showers and use antibacterial soap
• Avoid spicy food and caffeine
• Use antifungal powder
• Use antiperspirant deodorant
• Remove excess hair

By systematic care and attention, we can keep our body odour at bay.

Very recently i read that PayPal had stopped personal payments to and from India and now exporters can withdraw money to their bank account using the IE code. I am a holder of IEC (Import Export Code) and operating from Bangalore, the state of Karnataka. I want to share my experience with you guys and it is not easy as you think. Prior to start any commercial activities try to get your PAN (Permanent Account Number).

Registering a business is the first step:

Import Export code is issued only to the business and not to individuals.

• You should rent or own a space (shop) which is declared by the government as Commercial for which the commercial tax is paid. You have to produce the commercial tax receipt for the same.
• Start working on the place with a Name board
• Open a Savings A/c in your name
• Then apply for a VAT Registration Certificate either personally or through a Chartered Accountant with a required amount of fees. This certificate will be issued from the office of the Commissioner of Commercial Taxes in your state after required verification. Normally he visits the proposed shop personally and ask you various questions regarding and if he is fully satisfied that the information is true and genuine, he will issue the certificate in FORM VAT 7

Opening a Current A/C is the second step:

• Now you eligible to open a bank a/c (Current A/c) in the name of the business. Normally, the minimum balance to open a current a/c with SBI is Rs. 10,000/- and for the same, give the copy of VAT certificate to the bank.

Applying for IEC is the third step:

• After opening the Current A/C, apply for a Certificate of Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) to the Director General of Foreign Trade in your State with a required amount of fees along with a letter from the bank manager stating that your business is having a current a/c in their bank since so and so date with your photograph.
• After the required verification from the office of the Director General of Foreign Trade, the certificate will be issued.

Getting AD Code is the fourth step:

• After getting your IEC, approach the bank where the Foreign Exchange transactions are done, request for an AD Code in writing with the supporting documents of IEC and Current A/C details. No fee is required for the same and the code will be issued in few minutes.

AD Code is the Authorised Dealer code number allocated to the bank to which the foreign exchange remittance would be forwarded by the Consignee. The AD Code number is a 14 digit number (e.g. 1234567-1234567). An incorrect code declaration would result in delays in customs clearance.

Now you can receive your foreign payments through your account.

Last week i bought a Chakson thermal cooker for cooking rice. Until recently i was using white rice to prepare lunch dishes but as part of the new year resolution (one of the resolutions) to start brown rice for lunch instead of white rice. The cooking time of white rice is moderately less compared to brown rice. Usually i need two LPG cylinders in a year but after using brown rice it didn’t last for 45 days even and i was shocked also. Then my neighbor asked me to buy a Chakson thermal cooker since it saves lot of gas consumption and time. To my surprise it is 100% true.

Chakson thermal cooker is a product of Anna Group, in Kerala. It is available in different sizes but mine is the smallest size available ( 6 liters capacity, in which 750 gms of brown rice can be cooked). I paid Rs.988 (1098 is the MRP and they provided 10% discount on this price). I think there is a price difference in Bangalore and Kerala.

Boil brown rice for 5 mins (after the water is boiled) and keep it inside the Chakson for 1 hr with lid on. After 1 hr, drain the excess water and use it. Chakson helps to cook rice with the vacuum inside. It is an ideal kitchen ware for me since i can save lot of cooking time as well as energy.

Health benefits of brown rice:

The unpolished brown rice is a good source of complex carbohydrates providing starch and fibre. Brown rice is more nutritious than white rice since it is  richer in vitamin B’s, E and minerals like manganese and selenium. It needs more time to digest than any other kind of rice and  it is allowing the body to consume the energy released over an extended period of time.

You don’t feel like having anything in between since you have a full feeling. Try, you will also enjoy this rice.

Last Saturday, on the eve of valentine’s day, we went to Lumbini Gardens, Bangalore. It is situated on the banks of Nagarwara Lake and is a simple place for boating. It is located near the Hebbal flyover, on the way to Bangalore International airport. The funniest part is i have crossed the place many times whenever i went to the airport but never noticed. Even though it is located beside a heavy traffic road, it provides enough parking space for the visitors.

entrance to the gardens.

It is opened from 10.30 am to 8.30 pm and charges a flat entrance fee of Rs. 30 and no charges for the kids below 3 years. It provides neat and quality service to the visitors. It is a small place compared to the other water theme parks in Bangalore but tried to accommodate  the maximum facilities to entertain kids and families. If you are taking a camera, pay another Rs. 30/- It is worth paying since the ambience inside the park provides enough to satisfy your photographic skill.

Nagarwara lake

a dragon shaped kiddy ride

Big Ben, a clock tower inside the gardens

sunset view

One of the major attractions is the boating and it provides pedal boating, coffee boating (don’t know what it is since i didn’t try it), pleasure boating, etc., The place accommodates a wave pool, kiddy rides, Spanish bull ride, a children’s play area, trampoline bungee, twirling vortex, a swing, a kids train in the shape of a giraffe, etc.. 

No food items are allowed inside since Cafe’ Coffee day to entertain the coffee lovers and Food courts are inside to do the same. Prices are a bit high compared to the  quality.

It is a must visit place in Bangalore and provides enough place for the family entertainment. Don’t miss it

Until recently I had a problem of itchiness, redness and irritation in my eyes. Normally i confronted with this problem whenever i went my home since i spend most of my time in front the television to watch my favorite movies and at the other times when i tried to read continuously or while using computer. Then I consulted an ophthalmologist for an eye examination and she said it is nothing but Dry eye syndrome. I really got stuck with these heavy wordings and by seeing my situation doctor said it causes due to excessive strain on eyes. When i start reading or using computer, it stretches sometimes more than 4 hrs. While concentrating on a screen or a book, the eye tends to blink less and this results in drying up of the tears which are the natural lubricant lining the eye’s surface. This may lead to the non production of tears in the eyes. Dry eye syndrome is also called Computer vision syndrome.

What are the symptoms of Dry eye syndrome?

• The major symptoms related with dry eye syndrome are:
• Redness and irritation
• Itchiness and pain in the eyes
• Discharge and watery eyes
• Feeling of tiredness in the eyes and strain on the vision
• Blurring of vision

How can we get rid off the problem of dry eyes?

Prevention is better than cure. So we can take few steps to prevent the situation like:

• After working or reading for 20-30 minutes at a stretch, we should look away from the screen or page and consciously blink which will  lubricates the eye surface by allowing the resurfacing of the tear film.
• We can read in good light and choose correct font size and colors with good contrast and visibility to minimize the eye strain
• Avoid exposure to dust
• Avoid direct blast from AC or fan
• Place the laptop screen at a comfortable level
• Avoid excessive exposure to dust and pollution
• Washing eyes with tender coconut water (my natural home remedy for dry eye syndrome)

What is the treatment available for Dry eye syndrome or Computer vision Syndrome?

• Better to consult an ophthalmologist rather than doing self treatment for an eye examination.
• Sometimes there may be refractive error, due to incorrect spectacle number which could be adding to the eye strain, can be sorted out by wearing a correction glasses especially while working on the computer.
• We can use lubricating eye drops.
• The best treatment is to keep on blinking to get rid off dry eyes.

Wishing you all the best!!!!!!!!