Microsoft sells 4 million Windows 8 upgrades in 3 days

 
Yesterday at Build, Microsoft’s annual developer conference, the company announced that it had already sold four million Windows 8 upgrade licenses in just three days. While the number may sound quite extreme, it should also be noted that Apple was not far behind with its OS X Mountain Lion upgrades, which totaled to three million in four days.
When one takes into account the gargantuan difference in user base between Windows and OS X, then frankly the numbers look meek. Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer has made a bold claim saying that it will sell 400 million new Windows 8 licenses in a year, but this claim does not seem far-fetched considering the new reduced price of a Windows 8 upgrade.
Additionally, the company claimed that it has already sold tens of millions of OEM licenses for Windows 8. While this is all an attempt to woo the developers at Build to pump the app ecosystem for Win RT apps on Windows 8 and Windows RT, the fact remains every PC that will ship will be running Windows 8 and it’s hard to fathom Microsoft not reaching that 400 million target, especially at the pace it has begun.

Why popping pills is dangerous for you

 
Scene 1: My annoying headache refuses to go away, so I’ll just take an extra painkiller – after all what harm could one tablet cause? 
Scene 2: Nowadays I don’t have time to eat a proper meal, so I should start having more multivitamin and supplement capsules.
Scene 3: Tomorrow’s big exam requires a night-out, so let me try the magic tablets that increase a person’s focus and learning speed.
Scene 4: I am very nervous about the presentation tomorrow, should I consider taking an anti-anxiety medication to calm my nerves?
Scene 5: Its 1 am and sleep is nowhere in sight, perhaps a couple of sleeping pills will do the trick.
Have you experienced any or all of the above scenarios? Individually, each circumstance can lead to the harmful slippery slope of random over-medication and combined these situations may have dangerous results.

The term “popping pills” refers to the accidental or intentional intake of more-than-recommended dose of a drug. A drug is a chemical substance that changes the way a body functions and is used for medical (treat diseases), performance enhancing (modify physical features) or recreational (alter mental behavior) purpose. The most frequently overused or abused drugs include over-the-counter or prescribed painkillers, anti-depressants, vitamins, supplements, weight loss aids and performance enhancing drugs. 

Why is over-medication a problem?
 A person’s ability to “handle” any medication depends on his or her weight and health status as well as the strength of the drug. All medications have a limit in terms of the amounts in which they can be consumed over a given period of time. Overdosing occurs when a person takes one or more drugs in quantities that the body is unable to process and may lead to fatal disruption in the functioning of the brain or heart and other side effects.
Accidental medication overdose in children is tragic and often preventable.
The table below outlines commonly over-used drugs and their serious side-effects.

Type of Drug/Medication	Overdose Symptoms
Painkillers (acetaminophen, hydrocodone)	High-level drowsiness, unable to concentrate, low energy, cold and clammy skin, constricted pupils, constipation, nausea, trouble in breathing, convulsions
Antidepressants (sedatives, anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping-inducing pills popularly known as ‘sleeping pills’)	Slow breathing, low blood pressure, vomiting, irregular heart rate, confusion, lethargy, seizures, loss of consciousness, shock, death
Narcotics (popularly known as ‘drugs’ e.g. opiates such as heroin, morphine, codeine)	Pinpoint pupils, sleepiness, low blood pressure, reduced heart rate and breathing
Vitamins and Supplements	Specific to the vitamin or supplement, for example, bleeding (vitamin E), diarrhoea (vitamin C, zinc), nausea, blurred vision, dizziness (vitamin A), hair loss, nerve damage (selenium)
Psychostimulants (used to treat attention deficit disorders e.g. Ritalin)	Abdominal cramps, aggressiveness, confusion, depression, fatigue, hallucinations, high fever, irregular blood pressure and heartbeat, nausea, panic, rapid breathing, restlessness, diarrhoea, vomiting, tremor, convulsions or coma
Performance enhancing drugs (steroids, growth hormones, creatine)	Severe dehydration, abnormal physical growth, emotional instability, liver damage, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke
Diet Pills	Tremors, convulsions, confusion, hallucinations, breathing problems, kidney failure, heart attack
Birth control pills or oral contraceptives (prescription medicines to prevent pregnancy)	Tenderness in the breast, change in urine color, sleepiness, extreme vaginal bleeding, headache, disturbed mind, nausea and rashes.

If you notice any of the aforementioned symptoms stop taking the pills and immediately contact a medical care professional.

How is drug over-dosage diagnosed?
Diagnosis involves a careful evaluation of the patient’s medical and personal history in terms of health conditions, list of medications, diet and lifestyle habits. Often medications taken in combination with alcohol or certain foods increase the level of damage. Blood and screening tests are performed to determine the level of drugs present in the body, changes in critical elements such as calcium and potassium as well as the extent of injury to the liver and kidney.

How is drug over-dosage treated?
Immediate course of treatment includes removing the drug from the patient’s body. Vomiting is induced – only in a conscious patient – to eliminate remaining drug from the stomach. Activated charcoal may be applied to soak-up the left over drug. The patient’s stomach may be “pumped”, that is, the contents are removed via a tube and the stomach is rinsed with salt water. Faster clearance of the drug from the body is aided by inducing urination or defecation.
Other emergency actions include restoring breathing and blood pressure. Intravenous (IV) fluids such as saline (salt water), dextrose (sugar water) and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and bicarbonate solution) are given to re-establish the body’s fluid and mineral balance. Hemodialysis, filtering of the blood through a machine, may be performed to remove drugs from the blood – especially if there is extensive damage to the kidneys.
Antidotes, medications that neutralize or reduce effects of the overdosed drug, are specific to the overdosed drugs. Some examples of antidotes are N-acetylcysteine for acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose and Naloxone for narcotic (heroin, morphine, codeine) poisoning.
The patient also requires a psychological assessment to determine underlying mental conditions that may have resulted in excessive use of medications.
Community-based awareness and education programs are essential in the prevention of (accidental or intentional) medication overdose. Overuse of medications and supplements can be stopped by building an understanding of how drugs affect the body plus safe approaches to increasing mental and physical well-being.

Midnight’s Children movie review: A stunning achievement!

Cineswami feels Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children is a film South Asians will love although its initial reviews in the West were not positive

To even attempt filming a book that was widely considered impossible to film is praiseworthy in itself. And to tackle a much-loved book that carries the burden of so much acclaim, not to mention winning the Booker and Booker of Bookers is worth some kudos. But for Deepa Mehta to have pulled off the feat of translating Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children to celluloid and managing to make it for the most part engaging cinema is deserving of the highest praise.
The film is essentially the story of Saleem Sinai, a boy born on the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, that precise, joyous moment when India gained independence from the colonial yoke. Saleem is actually not born into the wealthy Sinai family. He is in fact the bastard child of an eccentric Englishman, William Methwold and Vanita, the wife of the itinerant accordionist Wee Willie Winkie. However, hospital nurse Mary Pereira, in a fit of revolutionary fervour decides to give a rich baby a poor life and vice versa. So she switches Vanita’s baby, born at the exact same time as Saleem with that of Mrs Sinai. Thus the real Sinai heir is brought up as Shiva, a glowering child, simmering with rage at his poverty, reduced to barking in time with his accordionist father’s off-key rendition of ‘How much is that doggie in the window’. Meanwhile, a repentant Mary quits her job at the hospital and joins the Sinai household as Saleem’s ayah. As Saleem grows, he discovers that he can telepathically communicate with hundreds of children who have been born in the hour after midnight on August 15 and he alone has the power to unite them. Each of these children has a special power and is meant for a great calling. Amongst these is Parvati, who has magical powers. The destinies of Saleem, Shiva and Parvati are inextricably linked in the tumultuous years following India’s independence, as events like wars with Pakistan, the formation of Bangladesh and the Emergency unfold.
Rushdie’s novel is dense, layered, complex and magic realist and the author has done a commendable job of condensing it into a screenplay, his debut in the format. It helps that significant passages are told in voice-over, in Rushdie’s own distinctive voice. Inevitably, transposing a 446-page book into a 146-minute movie means some sacrifices and therefore some characters and events have had to be excised, but the film is none the poorer for it.
Mehta’s career has lurched from the sublime (1947: Earth) to the ridiculous (Bollywood Hollywood) and though Water earned her an Oscar nomination and was stunning to look at, it was badly let down by the casting of the ever-wooden John Abraham in a central role. In Midnight’s Children, Mehta gets the casting mostly right. Debutant Satya Bhabha passes muster in the central role of Saleem, but it is Siddharth who has the most commanding screen presence as Saleem’s nemesis Shiva. After failing abjectly in her last international film The Other End Of The Line, Shriya Saran is luminous as Parvati. Other standouts include the ever-reliable Shahana Goswami as Saleem’s mother Amina, Seema Biswas as Mary, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Picture Singh, a gnarled snake charmer. And Ronit Roy reprises his glowering father from Udaan. Shabana Azmi plays herself, a shrew, and the stiff Rahul Bose is perfectly cast as a stiff army man. But there are missteps too. Soha Ali Khan is woefully miscast as Saleem’s sister Jamila. Her character is based on the nightingale of Pakistan, Noor Jehan, and casting Soha is as insulting as Veena Malik playing Lata Mangeshkar in a biopic. Try as she might, Soha looks like her brother Saif Ali Khan in drag, during his younger, more feminine looking days. Clearly none of the Sharmila Tagore acting genes has been transferred to her.
But these are minor quibbles in a film, a grand spectacle that takes in the sweep of sub-continental history in a flourish thanks to Mehta’s confident direction, Giles Nuttgens’s lavish cinematography and Nitin Sawhney’s outstanding score. It’s all the more remarkable for the fact that, thanks to her experience with fundamentalists during Water, Mehta chose to film in Sri Lanka and has managed to recreate India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the island country with nary a seam showing.
However, many overseas critics have been left cold by Mehta’s vivid film and reviews have not been great. They can be forgiven as only audiences with beating South Asian hearts for whom our history is embedded in our DNA will truly be immersed in the film, and immersive it is, without a trace of ennui. It is sad that if Indian audiences do get to see the film, it will be a censored version as, like the book, the movie is heavily critical of the Emergency and Indira Gandhi’s role in it. And, since we live in the world’s largest democracy, freedom of expression is not allowed. Pity, because the film is an allegory for India’s progress or lack thereof in the 40-odd years after independence, as exemplified by the titular midnight’s children, all of whom are supposed to attain greatness, but don’t.

TALAASH music review: Slick and groovy!

The Aamir Khan-Rani Mukerji-Kareena Kapoor starrer Talaash directed by Reema Kagti is a thriller; obviously there is not much scope for music at the script level. Ram Sampath, who has become Aamir’s favourite music director now, has been roped in to create a soundtrack that can support the genre the movie belongs to.
First up is the song Muskaanein jhooti hain. Indie artist Suman Sridhar uses her husky voice effectively in this silky smooth number. It’s as lilting as her quirky Hawa hawai from Shaitan. It’s definitely in the zone of Kaisi paheli from Parineeta, but slightly more eerie and haunting than Parineeta’s sweetly seductive track.
Certain portions of Jeele zara will probably be running through the film as part of the background score and should prove to be effective. Vishal Dadlani sings about the growing distance between two lovers in this song as Javed Akhtar writes Phir dil se dil ke pul kyun toote hain. It’s not really a unique melody, but Vishal instills enough passion into the track to keep you hooked.
The next song Jeeya lage na is virtually a jam session between Sona Mohapatra and Ravindra Upadhyay. This electro-folk fusion – techno beats, tabla and break beat samples – is a great attempt to bring new sounds into mainstream Bollywood music. The lyrics are very simple: Jeeya lage na tum bin mora, kya jaane kyun hai, kya jaane kaisi andhekhi si dor. The combination of Sona and Ravindra’s voices and the merging of various sounds makes Jeeya lage na unique.
Lakh duniya kahe starts with a piano piece and Ram Sampath’s soft voice. It’s a straightforward composition with easy lines. The orchestration and arrangement are what lift the track a notch higher.
Hona kya hai has the Aaj ki raat (from Don) hangover, except this one’s heavier. It’s a groovy number packed with beats, but not on par with the rest of the tracks.
Talaash’s soundtrack is slick, groovy and situational, and will work best in the context of the film.

Is Katrina Kaif the perfect Bond girl for Shahrukh Khan?

As soon as the Baadshah revealed his desire to play the 007 spy, we set out on a hunt to find the perfect Bond girl for him. And here’s what we discovered!

Shahrukh Khan revealed that playing the role of James Bond rules his wish list. Remember his tweet-confession? And it might continue to be just a ‘wish’ till Daniel Craig steps back and the Bond-makers decide to advertise a vacancy. But we’re not the ones to patiently twiddle our thumbs while waiting for the international hunks to make way for our desi dude. So we decided to make good use of our roving eye and begin the search for the quintessential desi Bond Girl.

So who could it be, we wondered aloud. And carefully picked six B-town babes – Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Kangna Ranaut, Anushka Sharma and Chitrangda Singh – who, we thought, could fit into the spiked stilettos of their international counterparts really well.

And do you know who according to our readers suited the role really well? Katrina Kaif! Yup, the lady who’s experimented with action in Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger and who will also be seen whipping the heroes of Dhoom:3 into place with her stunts (pssst…we’ve heard she has more action sequences to her credit than Aamir Khan!).
But that doesn’t mean Kat’s contenders – Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone – were ignored. Hell, no! While the Barbie doll ruled the poll with 36.26 percent votes, Dippy with 30.18 percent and Piggy Chops with 29.49 percent followed close behind.

So there, BollywoodLifers – you have chosen the perfect Bond Girl for Shahrukh Khan. Now over to you, SRK – do you agree with us?

Honda Brio ships to South Africa

First batch of export includes 390 cars, to go on sale in South Africa in December.

Honda India has finally flagged off the first consignment of cars for the South African market. The first model to leave India's port is the Brio, which is planned to reach Honda South Africa's showrooms by December this year. 

The Brio exported from India is similar to the one we have in the market here, but with a few market dependent changes. Both Manual and Automatic versions of the small car are planned to be exported. The first consignment has a total of 390 cars, while they target to export around 1600 cars by March 2013.

Apart from announcing this significant move Honda India in presence of Mr. Hironori Kanayama, President and CEO of Honda Cars India Limited made a few other announcements too:

First, none of the current generation cars will get diesel power plants, which could only mean that a new car is on it's way. Don't even think that Honda's not bringing a diesel engine, because they have learnt about Indians' love for diesel the hard way and that's a lesson they will never forget.

Honda plans to bring the Brio sedan in the next fiscal year i.e. after March 2013. And like most of you must have guessed till now, the Brio based sedan will be the first car to get a Honda diesel engine in India. 

Honda also mentioned that only one engine will come to India, which means they might end up doing what Renault's doing with the 1.5dCI unit.

Unfortunately that's all we know at the moment. We shall update you soon on further developments.

Walking for weight loss

 

If there were a question as to which is the most common and non-fussy way of exercise people prefer then there’d be only one answer – walking. While walking is primarily a cardio exercise, many of us resort to it for weight loss as well. But hold your horses for a minute and think – is the way you walk really helping you lose anything except energy?
We attribute pain and injuries to the fact that we haven’t walked in a long time so it’ll obviously hurt a little but be cautious because the real reason may be that you are not striding the right way. Here are a few tips to take into account:

• Smaller steps: Subconsciously we start taking big steps which is almost like lunging ahead so that we can cover more distance but this is a bad idea because it causes a lot of strain on your feet and shins. Instead, take smaller steps – you can quicken your pace though. You can also keep a moderate pace and walk for half an hour to 60 minutes.
• Increase the distance: The more you walk, the more you stand a chance of a better workout. Increase your distance every day by half a kilometre – small enough to be easy. For those who have just begun walking, this will help build your leg muscles.
• Stretch: Before you commence your walk, remember to stretch amply in order to loosen up those muscles – and not just your legs but your entire body. This helps avoid the sore pain the next day. Stretching should also be done after a walk.
• Watch your pace: How quick is quick, you might be wondering. To begin with, don’t stroll. Walk fast enough so that you can still talk but your breathing is harder than usual.  Increase your pace as the week passes because you are stronger now.
• Limb movements: Don’t walk like a robot – let your shoulders move naturally and swing your arms in a natural motion; don’t try to keep them tight by your side. Keep your elbows close to your body. Don’t look down when you walk – keep your chin parallel to the ground.
• Take a break: Don’t push yourself up to walking every single day – your body needs rest so take a break once in a week. If you have to exercise, opt for upper body workouts.
• Watch what you eat: If you are going to exercise, you need to keep an eye on your food intake as well, specifically calories. For women, 1200 calories and for men or active women 1500-1600 calories is the upper limit.
• Track your progress: Get yourself some digital assistance to progress how well you are really doing. A pedometer can help you track your distances and time so that you know how far you’ve walked on any given day.
• Mix it up: If you want some variety in your walking schedule, revise your workout a little. One day you can walk slow but longer distance, the next you can walk fast for a shorter distance. This helps stave off boredom too.
• Go easy on the post-walk eating: Of course you’ve walked a long way and obviously you are hungry – you could probably eat for two tonight – don’t. For the first few days it’ll be difficult ignoring the hunger pangs you get after you’ve begun walking regularly but instead of heavy dinner (if you are an evening walker, that is), have a fruit instead or a salad.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about walking the right way:

• Do I need special shoes?

No, because walking doesn’t need shock absorbents like running shoes do. But if you have had any past foot or knee injuries it’s best to consult your doctor in case you need some special support on your ankle. Apart from that all you need to see is that the shoe fits snugly and not tight or loose. Try walking in them and judge whether they are right for you. Needless to say, flip flops or open sandals aren’t the right footwear.

• Can I jog in intervals instead of walking continuously?

Yes. Warm up with a short walk and break into a slow jog or a run, whichever you like. If you walk for 15 minutes, you can run for 5 mins. However, once you are done jogging, start walking immediately to avoid your legs from tiring. If you take a break, it becomes difficult to run the next time.

• I listen to music while walking – is that ok?

Why not? Find yourself some peppy numbers and be on your way. It’s a great way from keeping walks dull and is a good motivating tool. Very important, however, that you make sure you pay attention to passersby and vehicles.

• Company is good, right?

Not always. While it’s good moral support to have someone along with you, you also need to make sure you don’t dawdle or that your brisk walk turns into a stroll while you gossip. Also don’t be so dependent on your companion that if they can’t walk, you have a ready excuse not to.

• Does walking on tar roads harm my knees?

A lot of experts have said that running on tarred roads does, at least over an extended period of time. This is because of the hardness of the surface the shock of which the knee can’t tolerate. It’s better to be cautious even if you are just walking, especially if you are older. Find a park or any non-tar surface to walk on. If you can find yourself a beach – great! Having a treadmill at home is also a good option but nothing beats the fresh air of outdoors.

• What if I have had a knee operation or any other kind of lower limb surgery/injury?

This cannot be stressed enough: if you have had any kind of injury, however minimal, please don’t push yourself into a walking regimen without consulting a doctor. For all you know, you’ll make it worse. Even if you’ve had a surgery, get a doctor’s opinion (and a second opinion) to make sure you are fit enough to walk. And of course, try to find a soft surface to walk on.
Walking is a great exercise option – no fuss no muss and you can go whenever you want, there’s no equipment or special workout dress code you need to follow – but walking the right way is just as important if you are looking for a weight loss option. Stick by these tips and you’ll see the difference for yourself!

IIT-Bombay: PhD Admissions end on Oct 30

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay has applied for admission to Doctor of Philosophy program for the commencing session 2013.

Eligibility:
First   class   or   60%   marks     (55%   marks   for   SC/ST)   in     Master’s   

Degree in Engineering / Technology or equivalent

For Humanities and Social Sciences Department : 55%  marks (50% for SC/ST) in Master’s Degree in Arts/ Social  Sciences or equivalent

A  First class or 60% marks (55%  marks for SC/ST)* Master’s degree in Science or a first class or 60% marks (55% marks for SC/ST)* in Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology.   

Candidates   meeting   this   requirement must   also   fulfill   one   of   the following additional requirements:

Valid Gate Score
CSIR /UGC / NBHM / DBT / DS, Inspire Award or Fellowship.

Minimum of 2 years of professional work experience (for SW/SF/ IS category)

Minimum 6 months project   work experience in  IIT Bombay (for PS category)

Infibeam starts taking pre-orders for the Apple iPhone 5 16GB model

Online retailer Infibeam has started taking pre-orders for the Apple iPhone 5. BGR India previously has exclusively reported that Apple plans to announce the iPhone 5 in India on October 26 with a release in the first week of November.
Infibeam is charging Rs 5,000 for pre-booking the 16GB model and says that it will ship within two to three days from the release date. As of now only the 16GB model is available that too only in Black. We doubt if this is an official pre-order from Apple India and is likely to be a preemptive move by Infibeam.
It’s worth noting that the black model is prone to scratching and chipping, while the white model is less susceptible to this problem. That said Apple has tightened quality control in the light of these teething problems, which should indicate that these problems might be behind the iPhone 5 when it eventually hits India.

Eid Mubarak !

The holy month of Ramzan features holy fasts called rozas, which begin at dawn with sawn and end with iftar at sunset. The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramzan, is considered a time for purification and spiritual cleansing, wherein Muslims abstain from drinking, eating and sexual intercourse, during the duration of the fast. The sighting of the crescent moon marks the end of Ramzan and commences the celebrations of Eid Ul Fitr, which sees Muslims wear skullcaps and new burqas to offer the Salaat (special Eid prayer) at a mosque. They later celebrate Eid lavishly with siwaiyaan and biryani and engage in the exchange of eidis (eid gifts). As Ramzan reaches its end and Muslims gear up to celebrate Eid, HT City gets talking to young urban Muslims about the importance that Ramzan and Eid hold for them.

Meantion Ramzan to Nishant Akhtar, a 24-year-old media student from Sector 39, and her face lights up as she says, "Ramzan is a very important part of being a Muslim. During this month, various changes in ones sleeping, eating and drinking pattern have to be made.

I keep all the fasts and try to follow all the rules. But with hectic schedules, studies and worldly commitments, I only manage to read the namaz twice a day (instead of the mandatory five)."

Rubina Khan, 22, a student of post-graduation at Panjab University, agrees, "Ramzan for me is a time to abstain from all wrong things, forgive people who have done wrong and change my lifestyle for the better. 

For me, it is a time when I remember Allah, which sort of cleanses me spiritually. I basically try to make up for the missed prayers and visits to the mosque during Ramzan."

While Mohammed Wasim Akram, 21, a student of MCom from PU, says, "I believe that if one decides to keep rozas during the holy month of Ramzan, one should do it properly - either follow all the dos and don'ts, or don't keep the fasts at all. I personally enjoy the iftar (the meal with which Muslims open their day's fast) with friends and family the most. It's that time of the year when everyone gets together during the evenings to have a gala time."

Read

An Interview With The Author of Love, Me and Bullshit

Firstly, I would like to begin with the most basic question, how did your journey with the pen begin? 
It began with writing and it continued with more writing and would end the day i am unable to write which I fear is every second minute.

When did you first consider yourself a writer, far from a blogger?

I guess the day I got published. And I never saw myself as a blogger as I blog little, sporadically and very few read my blog.

 

What inspired you to write your first book?

It looked like a cool thing to have done. I guess I was fascinated with profiles of these young guns who almost always wished that someday they would write a book. I too started thinking that it would look good if I could say, 'I am writing a book' or 'I have written a book' or something along those lines. Then at certain moment I began to feel I have a story to tell. And I decided to give it a chance. It took over 5 years to be able to grasp what that story was that was building inside.

 

What books have highly influenced your life?

None in a remarkably positive way. I used to mostly read comics and suspense novels (Agatha Christie / Sherlock Holmes). if anything they screwed my head and made it full of fanciful imaginary items which don't exist.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

That's a real tough one. But it would be really nice to associate one and see how they think, work, approach their craft etc. But can't think of a particular name.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

On and off. But nothing has kept the interest for long.

 

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in you latest book?

Either it would be rewritten completely with a new underlying emotional understanding or left as it is. There is unlikely to be minor changes.

 

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Its a novel called, 'Love, me and bullshit!' It has a regular small town youth as its central character. The story is set against an MBA college. It explores the dimension of fate, duty and ambition and conflicting choices between them.

Do you have to travel much concerning your books?

Not much. Not as of now. No.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Getting started. Telling yourself to keep going and overlooking that small voice telling you its not up to it. Once its done editing and pruning it down is the toughest task.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Nothing in particular. Advices seldom work.

Finally, Do you have anything specific that you want to say to our readers (The TeenMag)?
Make the most of yourself and your life. Love your family. Pray for everyone. Cheers.

Promotional Video Of Love, Me and Bullshit: 

 Love, Me and Bullshit On Flipkart, Grab Your Copy At Just Rs 87

 

 

 

Things You Can Learn From King of Romance

8.45 pm, October 21- 

It was a typical day for me as I was fighting with complex problems of Costing just like most of the CA Final aspirants whose attempt will fall in the coming November. Suddenly a call from my bro gave me the news which none of the moviegoer w’d like to hear. Our dear Yash Ji who gave a new meaning to Romance Genre and for me was the “Doctor of Relationships” had breathed his last around at around 5.30 pm in Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. With the death of Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor and now Yashji one can say that romance in Bollywood is officially dead. According to me Yashji was an immense source of inspiration, and no one would ever fail in his life if he adopts even some of the qualities of this undisputed “King of Romance”. 

Always follow your heart- I think very few of you might know the fact that Yashji was ought to pursuit a career in Engineering from London. He came to Mumbai to get his passport made so that he can go to England, but destiny had something else written for him. He listened to heart and shared his dream of directing the films with his brother legendary B.R.Chopra. He made his debut as an assistant director to his brother B.R. Chopra in his home production “Dhool ke Phool” and rest all is history. It needs a strong heart and nerves of steel to leave a lavish life, drop a safe option and accept an altogether different option with lots of uncertainty and high risk of failure. So, to be successful in life one needs to take the right decision at the right time and for that, one s’d always follow what his heart says. Never contain yourself and aim for higher goals- Yashji has tasted success with Waqt, but he wants to reach greater heights that too on his own. So, he took a bold step and founded his own production company “Yash Raj Films” in 1973. He took the loan from Rakhee and made Daag starring Rajesh Khanna, Rakhee and Sharmila Tagore which was a Blockbuster. This production house gave him the platform to experiment with his work and transform his ideas into reality.
Accept your failures graciously– There was a time in 80’s when Yashji’s films bombed at box-office one after another. Even the cult-classics like Silsila and Kala Patthar c’d not bring audiences in the theatre. He had
two options – one to blame critics and fans for his failure and another to work hard with new enthusiasm and he chooses later. Even his regular distributors refused to buy Chandni, but he somehow managed to release it and it rocked the Box-office. If one wants to achieve high in his life then he s’d learn to accept his failures and make them an inspiration to do better next time. Accept the fact that you have lacked somewhere,
rectify your mistakes and give your best shot with full energy.

Never let the flavor of Success rules you- The best thing about Yashji was that he was never carried away by the glamour of his success. He was a very down to earth person. I have seen a lot of people who after getting a bit of success starts behaving as if they belong to an altogether different planet. But soon these people are brought to earth after facing a failure in future. Friend nothing in this world is eternal. So, one s’d keep his feet on the ground and respect others. If you don’t believe me then follow the example of Late Rajesh Khanna and Mr. Amitabh Bacchan.

Just remember the following lines:-

मुझसे पहले कितने शायर आए और आकर चले गए

कुछ आहें भरकर लौट गए कुछ नगमे गाकर चले गए

वह भी एक पल का किस्सा थे मैं भी एक पल का किस्सा हूँ

कल और आयेंगे नगमों की खिलती कलियाँ चुनने वाले

मुझसे बेहतर कहने वाले तुमसे बेहतर सुनने वाले

कल कोई मुझको याद करे क्यूं कोई मुझको याद करे

मशरूफ ज़माना मेरे लिए क्यूं वक्त अपना बरबाद करे

मैं पल दो पल का ..

Winners don’t do different things, but they do things differently- Have you ever noticed that the person who gave us the most romantic Jodi of SRK-Kajol never repeated this super hit Jodi in any of his movies. Similarly, if you want to survive in this competitive world then you have to consider doing different things because of the dynamic nature of external environment. There is no age of retirement- This man has ruled the Bollywood for 50 glorious years and even at the time of his death he was working on his next venture. He proved that age is of no importance unless you are cheese. The motto of his life was to keep working “JAB TAK HAI JAAN”

“The man who made me fall in love, who made me love love stories, who gave me the actors I adore most i.e.. Mr. Bacchan and Mr. Shahrukh khan, who made me love romantic novels, gave songs that will make any girl fall for you, who gave me all the romantic lines that I w’d deliver to my beloved, who taught me how to seize the moment, who showed to us that we can say a lot without even uttering a word from our mouth is no more....
 

RIP Yashji, the king of romance....whole world will miss u...the ones who
were in love, are in love and will fall in love”

- Pulkit Gupta

Kannur goes mad over Diego Maradona

Anyone who arrived in Kannur on Tuesday could have easily mistaken it for Buenos Aires or any other Argentinian city. Every vantage point in this northern district of Kerala had been taken over by one man, Diego Maradona.

Some of the cutouts on display were twice the size of the diminutive football great.

"For people of Malabar, football is a religion and Maradona is our god. Today our 'football god' has come to visit us. On Wednesday morning he will bless us," said Nizam AH as he was giving finishing touches to one of the cutouts outside the Kannur Municipal stadium, where Maradona will make his public appearance on Wednesday morning.

Maradona arrived in Kerala 12 hours ahead of schedule for Wednesday's private function. Fearing inclement weather in the evening, the organisers of the event requested the football legend to advance his visit and he duly obliged.

He arrived at the Cochin International Airport in the early Tuesday morning and headed straight to Kannur via a private chopper. He landed at the army helipad here and was quickly whisked away to the hotel by security staff.

At the hotel, Maradona spent most of the day trying to overcome jet lag. But he did take some time out to shoot for an advertisement.

"Since Maradona landed in Kannur earlier than expected, we decided to complete the shooting of our advertisement on Tuesday itself. But he spent most of the day sleeping. So we couldn't complete the shoot," said Shaji JS, advertising manager of Chemmanur group, which facilitated Maradona's trip to Kerala.

Maradona stepped out in the balcony of his hotel room in the evening and waved at his thousands of fans who had assembled near the hotel - waiting to get a glimpse of the superstar - since dawn.

Efforts are on to present Maradona in public in mundu, a traditional Kerala attire. An organiser told TOI that Maradona even tried wearing it on Tuesday.

"He tried to wear a mundu a couple of times, but on both occasions, he couldn't tie it properly. Hence, one isn't sure whether he will risk wearing it in public on Wednesday," said the organiser not willing to be named.

However, the football legend will begin his address in Malayalam before moving on to Spanish. He is expected to showcase some of his footballing skills too.

A crowd of over a lakh is expected to throng the stadium which has a capacity of 50,000. Security has been beefed up as Kannur gears up for its date with El Diego.

The Entrepreneur Who Captured the Record-Breaking Space Jump

Last weekend, millions of people tuned in online to witness the Red Bull Stratos project, in which Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner ascended to the edge of the atmosphere in a helium balloon and jumped — plummeting 128,000 feet back to earth and breaking the sound barrier as he fell.

What you might not know is the name of the entrepreneur who made it possible for the world to watch Baumgartner’s historic feat: Jay Nemeth of FlightLine Films. He founded the company in 2007 to provide aerospace cinematography — before there even was demand for it.

We caught up with Nemeth to find out how he became involved in this incredible project, and how he started up in a new market. What follows is an edited version of our exchange:

Entrepreneur: How did you become involved in the Red Bull Stratos project?

Nemeth: In 2008, I was working on Red Bull Rampage, an extreme mountain bike competition, doing aerial photography out of a helicopter. After a day of filming, I was having dinner with the producer and he asked what other projects I had going. I was reluctant to tell him about the new direction for my company, providing film and imaging services to the private space industry, because it sounded kind of nutty. He told me that Red Bull was working on a project that would take place at the edge of space, and that they were looking for someone that knew how to film these types of things.

Entrepreneur: How do you prepare cameras to work in space?

Nemeth: We were able to “space rate” some of the equipment by changing out components that would fail in a vacuum, but the larger cameras used fans for cooling, so I designed special housings that use dry nitrogen gas and heat exchangers to keep them in check. I decided to build my own [ground-based optical trackers].

Entrepreneur: Your cameras couldn’t fail. As a business owner, was this worth the risk?

Nemeth: It was a very methodical process of design, engineering and testing. We would constantly test things in chambers that reproduced the vacuum and cold of space. We would push the parameters of time, temperature and other conditions to beyond what we would encounter on the actual mission.

I even designed the system so that if we lost the ability to remote control the components, Felix could cycle breakers in the capsule to start all of the recorders. We had simulated the flight so many times that this incredibly complex flying TV studio was as familiar to us as driving a car. We gave it no choice. It was going to work.

Entrepreneur: What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs in cutting-edge fields?

Nemeth: Identify something new that no one is doing and get your part ready. You may be ahead of your time, but be patient and wait for the industry to catch up to you. If you position yourself correctly, you’ll be their first choice, and possibly their only choice.

As they say in aviation, you want to be “number one on the runway.”

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Shubho Durga Puja: Eat, pray and live

The dark grey monsoon clouds disappear to give way to clear blue skies and golden sunshine. The season of Sharad, as the special season preceding autumn is called, is fondly awaited in West Bengal for its pleasant weather and brightness after the dull and dreary monsoon.

It seems that nature too decks up for the biggest festival of Eastern India – Durga Puja. During the Puja, Goddess Durga is worshipped along with Lords Ganesh and Karthik and goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Navratri is celebrated all over India at this time of the year and Durga Puja coincides with the last five days of the Navratri. Year-long
preparations go into making the festival grand in every aspect and people forget all their worries and pain to celebrate the five days and welcome the Mother Goddess.

Mythology has it that Lord Ram worshipped Goddess Durga to seek her blessings before conquering Lanka. Since, then Durga Puja has come to symbolize the triumph of good over evil. According to mythological tales, the goddess was born to rid the gods of the tyranny of Mahishasur.

Mahishasur had a boon that no man could kill him and hence, a woman had to don the mantle of a warrior to destroy the evil. In modern ages, Goddess Durga has also been symbolical of woman power and the commemoration of the Divine Mother.

Local folklore in Bengal also propounds the idea that the Puja is a celebration of the Goddess’s homecoming to her parental abode, along with her offsprings: Ganesh, Karthik, goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati, after vanquishing Mahishasur.

The worship of Goddess Durga and the festivities started generations back during the zamindari system in Bengal. As the zamindar
families prospered, the festivities and the grandeur also grew in scale. Soon it became a matter of honour and the zamindar families competed with each other to organize the biggest and the best Durga Puja.

The age-old Pujas still take place in some of the zamindar palaces where the present generations are carrying on the tradition. Other than the traditional Pujas, every area in Bengal has 3-4 committees and clubs who organise their own Pujas. Pandals are erected on roads or community grounds for housing the deity during the festival days.

Residents of the area contribute financially and also volunteer to perform various duties in organizing the Puja. The clubs also compete with each other to win the title of the best pandal or the best idol or the best decorations and so on.

Over time, Goddess Durga has made a long journey from the traditional idols in zamindar houses to theme-based idols at the Pujas today. Today, the Goddess campaigns against global warming, women and children issues, anti-terrorism and various other socio-political causes.

For years, the idols have been crafted by potters in a locality in North Kolkata, known as Kumortuli. A potter’s community, the residents of the locality earn their living by crafting idols of gods and goddesses. Though, most of the idols for Pujas organized in Bengal
are sourced from Kumortuli; in some of the zamindar houses, the craftsmen are invited to stay as house guests and make the idol.

In recent years, idols from Kumortuli have also been exported to various countries like US, UK, Bangladesh and UAE. It takes almost six months to craft the idols for the Durga Pujas. Today expert artists also try their hands at giving the goddess a more contemporary and designer look.

During Durga Puja, the city of Kolkata enjoys its days of glory. All everyday activities come to a standstill as the people are involved in the festivities and merry-making. Work is forgotten as Calcuttans dedicate these five days to doing what they love best: eating, endless addas (chat sessions), family gatherings and ofcourse, pandal hopping to visit the Goddess in her many avatars.

It’s almost as if the city never sleeps during these days of the festival. The entire city is decked up with lights. The preparations like building the pandals, setting up the lights and decorations, start months before.

A unique aspect of the Durga Puja is the shopping for new things that start some months before. It is at this time of the year that you will
get the best discounts and bargains in Kolkata. Bengalis reserve these months for splurging on new clothes, decorating their homes and also buying household appliances and gadgets.

The five days of the festival is more like a fashion show en masse. One gets to see the latest in fashion, brands, designs and accessories
all over the city. The biggest Bollywood trends become the mantra for Durga Puja costumes.

The five-days of fun and exuberance come to an end with the immersion of the Goddess in the Holy Ganges on Dashami or Dussehra. Married women bid farewell to the Goddess by smearing the idol and each other with vermillion and gifts of sweets, with entreaties to come back soon.

After waiting an entire year and celebrating the festival for five days, it’s extremely difficult to see off the Goddess and many tear stained eyes are found wishing the Goddess stays forever. Much beyond the worship of the goddess, the five days of the Durga Puja in Kolkata is a utopia for many, when life is all about happiness and all bitterness are buried.

With the immersion of the Goddess, it’s a return to the real world and mundane activities. Calcuttans start counting days for the festivities next year, when the goddess will return to wipe away all dullness and gloom. As the Goddess travels back to her abode in Mount Kailash through the Ganga, the despair among her followers is shredded with hope and cries of “Ashche Bochhor Abar Hobe!”

What they do not teach you at IIMs ?

We are not going to focus on what you will learn at the IIMs. The course is one of the best. The qualification you will receive will be valued by employers across the world. Instead, let’s talk about what you will not learn.

1. You need support to succeed

 Although b-schools include group assignments and projects, you will not be appraised on your results but also on your team’s performance. You will need to work with people from different departments with different personalities to achieve your goal.

2. You will not be a CEO after graduating

 You are not going to graduate from the IIMs and become a CEO unless you establish your own company or are fortunate enough to have a family business.

 3. You need to work with different types of people

 An MBA is more than the mathematics and VA that you studied for CAT. Too many students make the mistake of focusing only on cracking CAT and not enough on the qualification.

Skills such as listening, empathy, leadership, the ability to work with different types of people are now considered just as valuable.

4. You don’t know everything

A PGDM from the IIMs does not mean that you know everything. Learning is a continuous process which does not stop. Successful people have two skills that set them apart from the rest – the ability to listen and learn.

5. If money is your motivation, then look elsewhere

If your only reason to go to the IIMs was to get a plum job, you will not succeed. Waking up to go to work every morning for the next 40 years of your life requires more motivation than the salary you will draw.

 
You may want to see courses in distance MBA programsExplore MBA colleges in India

Does Mahie Gill turn you on?

The Dev.D actor drops her clothes for a sensational photo-shoot for Maxim magazine. Do you like Mahi in her bold avatar?

Mahie Gill’s dare-to-bare act is certainly eye-popping, but it’s not quite appealing, wethinks. The Tabu lookalike impressed us with her acting skills in films like Gulaal, Dev.D, Not A Love Story, Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster and Paan Singh Tomar, but to see Mahie shunning her usual traditional dress code and striping right down to the bare minimum is not exactly a stimulating idea. Alas, the babe did it…but not to great effect!

The lanky actor did a sensational photo-shoot recently for the men’s magazine Maxim by donning sexy lingerie. We see the 36-year-old trying hard to strike sexy poses, but she doesn’t quite set the scene on fire. In one shot we see Mahie exhibiting her sexy back – which is the only kinda hot picture – but the rest of the frames are simply bland! Tell us, what do you think, BollywoodLifers?

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Navratri Special : dazzle in pink!

Pink is certainly the new black but with a lot of zing! Don it with confidence and the colour can never go wrong

It’s the colour of celebration, love, youth and self-worth. Pink can make you cheerful instantly. Though it is a quiet hue, it can make you stand out in the herd with its freshness. Watch our glitzy B-town celebs wear this colour at various public appearances and you will know how the different shades of pink can create a sensation like no other colour. From the innocence of baby pink to the edginess of magenta, pink makes a bold style statement.

Considered to be predominantly feminine, this urban cool colour tone is largely accepted by our male megastars too. Step out by proudly wearing pink on your sleeve and make heads turn with its undeniable shocking value!

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Yash Chopra: The director with a musical soul

Yash Chopra is not just the ‘king of romance’. He is at heart a storyteller. Whether it was the gritty tale of two brothers and a mother in Deewar, or a revenge seeking Dilip Kumar caught in conflict with his adopted son Anil Kapoor in Mashaal, or a young Sridevi falling in love with a much-older Anil Kapoor in Lamhe – Chopra has tested many waters, sometimes a little ahead of his time. But one thing remained constant in his movies: musical depth.

It would be an understatement to say that Chopra had an ear for music. Most of all, he had a soul for music. Many may not realise this, but before Chopra earned the tag of King Of Romance, he was known as a gritty narrator.

He was one of the first to tell the story of an anti-hero – Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar – a path many were afraid to tread in the 70s. When Salim-Javed wrote the script, they did not leave any space for songs. But Chopra insisted on having at least three songs in the film. The songs were the only let down in the tight narrative. Apparently Chopra told Salim-Javed, ‘Film sookhi lag rahi hai’, and the writer duo replied, “Then let us name the film geeli deewar (wet wall)!”

It’s not that Chopra never made a songless film. His 1969 film Ittefaq with Rajesh Khanna had no songs. But he was someone who always wanted his work to be remembered as much for its music as for its script and characters.

Almost two decades after Deewar, he cast yet another upcoming actor as anti-hero – Shahrukh Khan in Darr – and this tale of an obsessive lover was underlined by great music, including the superhit song Jaadu teri nazar sung by Udit Narayan.

The soundtrack of 1981 love triangle Silsila was a runaway hit, but the film was one of Chopra’s biggest duds at the box office.

Accomplished musicians Shivkumar Sharma and Hariprasad Chaurasia made their foray into film music with this one. The headlining track was, of course,, the dream sequence Dekha ek khwab. For the picturisation of this song, the cast and crew were flown to Amsterdam and the song was shot amidst the tulip fields. The Indian audiences had never seen something like this before. Shiv-Hari’s association with Yashji continued with hit music like Chandni and Lamhe. And Chopra’s characters soon started being transported to exotic European locations for a romantic number in every movie he made post Silsila.

Chopra could sniff out everlasting melodies that would strike a chord with the audience. Shiv-Hari composed an instrumental piece for the background score of Lamhe, but Chopra decided to use it as a romantic dream song featuring Anil Kapoor and Sridevi. And it went on to become a huge hit. The song was Kabhi main kahoon.

By this time, Chopra had developed an affinity for instrumental dance pieces that he used as a symbol for his heroine’s frame of mind. In Chandni, Sridevi expressed her angst through classical dance and in Lamhe, she did the tandav that represented her anger and unrequited love. Later, he created a dance sequence with Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor in Dil To Pagal Hai – a metaphor for the underlying competition for Shahrukh’s love.

Interestingly, Chopra got back to direction in 1997 with DTPH, but decided not to work with his favourite jodi Shiv-Hari (with whom Chopra worked from 1981 to 1993 in eight films). Instead, he chose the well-known music arranger Uttam Singh, who had no qualifications as music director then. Everyone wondered why Chopra made this decision, but the association became one of the most successful of the 90s, as all the tracks in the album went on to become bumper hits.

Yash Chopra fulfilled his long-cherished dream of making a musical film with DTPH. The tagline of the film was aptly given – A Yash Chopra Musical. Uttam Singh was so nervous about taking forward Chopra’s legacy of great music that he ended up making about 150 tunes for the film. During the making of the movie, Chopra said, “You can give your best, honest, sincere job and leave the rest to almighty. You can always make a good film. But to make a successful film, you need his blessings.”

One of the most remarkable moves Chopra made was with Veer Zaara in 2004. The director decided to revive Madan Mohan’s unused compositions 30 years after his death in the love story starring SRK, Priety Zinta and Rani Mukerji. Chopra’s music sense shows in the songs he chose and the way he used them. Songs like Do pal ruka and Tere liye played a huge part in getting the audience excited about watching the film.

Chopra couldn’t imagine his movie albums without the contribution of his close friend and veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar, who he called ‘didi’. So yet again, Lata was channelled – she sang some of the most romantic songs of Veer Zara, and those will always be remembered as her last few love ditties.

It’s not mere coincidence then that Chopra decided to work with this generation’s greatest music composer AR Rahman for his last film. The coming together of two maestros was probably predestined. And it is no coincidence that we will always remember Yash Chopra as a filmmaker who continued to make musical stories till his last breath…Jab tak hai jaan.