Ratan Tata was finally able to silence all his critics when he unveiled the world`s cheapest car, `Nano` costing Rs.1 lakh at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi, India. The world`s car manufacturers have expressed all shades of opinion about the run-up to the Tata Nano. Suzuki has said that it is impossible, VW said it is not what they want to do. But Tatas went ahead on their idea and seems to have pulled it off. If it becomes a hit, surely it will make every auto company change the way it works and there`s going to be a big change in global market. Tatas have proved once again with their statement "what ever good to India is good to TATAs..."

Yes definitely.The country goes more westernised with events undigestable increasing by the year. Where would this lead to --- a question which would go unanswered. Cant we do away with it, spend our time with family/friends in isolation at our own house?I feel that would be the best to prevent misdeeds

Superstar Rajnikanth - Sivaji is still the boss. His film Sivaji is going to complete its 200 days soon. It is already declared a hit all over the world . His secrets of success were simplicity and sincerity. He is a pearl in Kollywood. His "Sivaji" film is still featured in Uk top 10 movies till date. He is not only liked for his style and acting, but also for his character who likes to mingle with all class of people (high, middle or lower). I am always proud to be his fan.

Tobacco smoking is the greatest single cause of illness and premature death. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 different chemicals and at least 43 of them are known carcinogens (causes cancer in humans). The younger you are when you start smoking, the more likely you are to smoke for longer and to die early from smoking. Stopping smoking can make a big difference to your health. It is never too late to stop smoking to greatly benefit your health. For example, if you stop smoking in middle age, before having cancer or some other serious disease, you avoid most of the increased risk of death due to smoking. Smoking causes widespread permanent destruction of the tiny air sacs (alveoli) and narrowing of small blood vessels in the lungs, decreasing the oxygen supply, requiring a higher blood pressure, thus causing extensive circulatory problems and premature heart attacks. Smokers have difficulty running and exercising. Smoking increases the risk of developing various other conditions including: optic neuropathy, cataract, macular degeneration, cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis, psoriasis, gum disease, tooth loss, osteoporosis and Raynaud`s phenomenon. Passive smoking, you have an increased risk of lung cancer and heart disease if you are exposed to other people smoking for long periods of time. Tobacco smoke is also an irritant, and can make asthma and other conditions worse. You live once, life is too good, and too short to live. Do not reduce your life time by spending your money and wasting your time in these addictives. Do not open your gateway for death in the form of smoking before it comes to you, as your death is already prewritten. Media, your friend or your family member cannot make you 100% quit from tobacco until you feel yourself it is bad habit and self discipline should help you in quitting tobacco smoking.

Obesity and overweight are defined as an accumulation of excess body fat, to an extent that may impair health. Most of the BPO workers are becoming more obese due to long hours at the desk, eating junk foods, skipping breakfast or dinner, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc. Being overweight can cause many health problems. The easiest and most widely accepted method of determining whether you are obese is by measuring your Body Mass Index, or BMI. BMI is measured by, a person`s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his or her height in meters. BMI CATEGORIES: 1. Starvation, if BMI is less than 15. 2. Underweight, if BMI is in between 15 to 18.5. 3. Normal, if BMI is in between 18.5 to 25 4. Overweight, if BMI is in between 25 to 30 5. Obese, if BMI is in 30 or above. WHO defines overweight as a BMI of 25 or more, and obesity as a BMI of 30 or more. These cut-off points can provide a reference for individual assessment. High body mass index is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes. Obesity was considered the result of a sedentary lifestyle and the chronic ingestion of excess calories. This may be the principal factor for many individuals, but there is evidence of strong genetic, metabolic, and environmental influences in the development of obesity. Clinical studies have revealed that the size of a man`s belly is actually a better predictor of heart disease than general obesity. Tips for reducing weight: Do not skip the morning breakfast at any cost. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, which will avoid you from chronic dehydration. Moderate levels of physical activity for 30 to 45 minutes, 3 to 5 days a week, should be encouraged. Walking is a gentle exercise that can ease you into a higher level of fitness and health. It`s one of your body`s most natural forms of exercise. It`s safe, simple, doesn`t require practice, and the health benefits are many. Walking is one of the easiest ways to be physically active. You can do it almost anywhere and at any time. Walking is also inexpensive?all you need is a pair of shoes with sturdy heel support. Walk And: Reduce your risk of a heart attack, manage your blood pressure, reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, manage your weight, manage stress and boost your spirits, and Stay strong and active.

Students rushing from one corner to the other, Last minute arrangements being done, students from outside universities being escorted for breakfast,beautiful girls walking into the dept. in sarees and boys in formals,This was the scene at 9 30a.m at the Visual Communication Dept. of D.G Vaishnav College on 5th dec`07.The day began with inaugration by the well known T.V Personality, Ms. Neena Gupta. Dressed in a black saree with her hair let loose, Neena Gupta adressed the students with her experiences in this tough and struggling industry.Her talks were not only inspiring but also an eye opener to those who think of this glamourous industry as a cake walk.Follwing the inaugration were sessions by Mr. Hariharan, Director of the L.V Prasad Film and Television Institute on `Big Screen v/s Small Screen`. However he enlightened the students not only on this topic but also told them the technicalities of digital films and editing. The next session was by Dr.Chetan Bajaj, Director of International Scool of Business and Media. Mr. Bajaj came up to the students level and spoke as one among them. He embarked knowledge on retail advertising, creativity, sales promotion and many more things during his session of 2hrs.The day came to an end at 5pm with the closing note from the student coordinator, Divya Chadha.The day was a grand success with not only the sessions but also with the variety of food stalls been put up in the campus. The stalls varied from Wraps n Rolls to The Samosa Factory, from fresh juices to Milky way ice cream,the students of Visual Communication Dept. began their 1st day of the 4 day national cultural fest with a great,grand opening.

We were 30 of us who started off to Wayanad,a haven of peace and freshness. Chennai to Calicut is always a pleasant journey in the train with colleagues and friends(!) and some strangers.. After about 4 hours of driving up winding roads through mountains from calicut we arrived at our hotel in Sultan Bathery where we had booked rooms in a Resort.Staring at us were some monkeys (munnorgal) on the road with their family.on the way to our hotel. Moving on from the resort, we decided to take a jeep safari into the wildlife sanctuary. Keeping fingers crossed,we went around eagerly expecting to see the wild unleashed but that didn`t quite happen although we did manage to see some elephants, monkeys, and spotted deer.It was really tough for us to spot an animal in the forest due to its dense bushes.Roads inside the sanctuary were also not good. We also managed to see tiger footprints as was told to us. The next morning we visited the `Edakkal Rock Caves`.These caves date back to 4000 B.C. The name Edakkal literally means a stone in between, and this describes how the cave is formed by a heavy boulder straddling a fissure in the rock. Edakkal Cave is located at Ambukuthi Hill in between Sulthan Batheri and Ambalavayal. The wall carvings and the sculptures in this cave was breathtaking! These Caves are natural rock cut-out formations, formed by a large split in a huge rock roofed over by other large rocks, all fixed in position naturally. Later we drove through the amazingly beautiful tea and coffee plantations. I have never seen plantations like these before.....they were in intricate patterns strongly resembling the cerebrum of the brain and were a visual treat. Chain Tree is one of the attractions here. The legend is interesting.It is said that the Britishers wanted to build a road up the mountain but couldn`t find a way. A tribal helped them out by showing an easy route that was very familiar to them. The foreigner learnt the way and killed the Tribal so that no one else could learn the route. It is said that after the road was built most of the vehicles that passed through were attacked by the ghost of the Tribal which threw the vehicles down the cliff. It is believed that this ghost is tied with chains to a tree here, which has reduced the accidents on the road. Overall, it was a really good weekend get-away enabling me rejuvenate myself and get back to work with renewed vigour.

Carnatic Music! Bharatnatyam ! These were some words which never entered the mouth of our youth some years ago.Even the rarely interested would not open his mouth amongst friends for the fear of being heckled as a Grandfather!! There had been nicknames like `Baagavathar` which kept floating around if one seemed interested in these. Going by the craze towards West,I had thought these would soon become history. From my side, I wanted to contribute my mite towards protecting this wonderful tradition of the South and hence ensured that in all ways possible, either thru donations or through physical work and presence for these cultural events, I contributed. I also made sure that both my daughters started learning carnatic music and Bharatnatyam as early as 4. More than being a good alternative to POGO, JETKIDS,Cartoon TV ( not to mention Kolangal, Anandam,... the list is truly endless), these act as good physical and mental stress busters what with the pressure which the child has to face even in 1 st std. My daughter for her exams had to mug up around 50 pages of her English reader!!!!Poor Kids .. However, thanks to a few diehard fans,it is today heartening to note the importance being given to these traditional forms of art and I am sure in the days to come these would have earned a place where they rightfully belong in our society.

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I have a penchant for tasting the roadside eateries especially sold by the Bihari-bhaiyas. My appetite grows deeper on sunday evenings when I usually take a long night-walk having shouldered the entire week`s work and getting prepared to face the week ahead. I wouldn`t afford to miss the opportunity of gulping the gol-gappas (pani-poori) sold by my lovable bhaiyas. So. Yummy it is. And how corrupt my mind is, I once dreamt that I stole the entire sack of pooris and the pot of pani and came home running to eat it. At the end of this article I am sure you would end up preparing the dish or go to a nearby stall to munch your pooris and drink the pani. Pani-poori aka gol -gappa is a favorite dish of North-Indians. The pooris are hollow, round until you make a hole on the top centre. The poori remains incomplete unless it is stuffed with special spicy-potato and dipped in masala water to fill the dough. If you are a sweet-lover, you can go for meetha gol-gappa otherwise spicy stuff is good to eat. Those frequenting high budget hotels may end up loosing the original taste of it as they are usually served in a plate with 5 to 6 pieces already prepared with too high a cost. By the time the dish reaches your table it becomes too soft like a cake. Standing by the road-side on a breezy evening with the crowd huddled around the stall with the vendor giving one at each time for a customer is a delightful scene. As you ask for pani-pooris, the immediate question is tikka ya meetha (spicy or sweet).You can ask for adha-tikka adha- metha also as I would prefer. I would go for 4 rounds every time I visit the eatery. There are also flat-stomached men who go for 10 rounds of gol-gappas.Generally the helpings don`t stop until you confirm no more!!The vendor should have a good memory as he has to keep a count on each poori served to different persons and also the choice of the dish. Its now your turn to be the customer... get...set...go...to munch your pooris..

Hi. I had to post this. How many here actually play sports on a regular basis? I mean a real workout not some lazy game like cricket. Badminton or tennis?