Wine keeps your heart healthy

Research shows drinking small amounts of wine everyday is beneficial

Devanshi Joshi. Vadodara/DNA
Friday, December 12, 2008
Consuming small amounts of red and white wine everyday can benefit one's health. According to research conducted by a US-based doctor, the daily consumption of red and white wine with food can prevent obesity, cardiac arrest, hypertension and ageing.Dr Nilanjana Maulik, of the department of surgery at the University of Connecticut's school of medicine in Farmington, was in Vadodara on Thursday to participate in a symposium on translational research in cardiovascular medicine. Dr Maulik, who has authored 140 papers on different subjects, has been studying the effects of wine for the past 10 years. Research conducted by her suggests that white and red wine ward off cardiovascular diseases. “White wine contains tyrosol, which is acts as a cardioprotective, while red wine contains only 6% of alcohol and is made from good quality grapes. So, a combination of white and red wine gives good results. It also controls glucose, and is thus helpful for those with diabetes.” As an anti-oxidant, Tyrosol can protect cells against injury due to oxidation. Its presence in white wine could be responsible for the protective effect, said Dr Maulik, whose team led the research at the University of Connecticut's Health Center in Farmington.She also commented on Gujarat's status as a dry state. “Limited consumption of alcohol can help fight many diseases, and so the state should have a liberal policy regarding wine. Good quality wines cost more and so are less available in India, compared to some countries, such as France,” she said.

Nano gets a thumbs up from designer Chhabaria

Devanshi Joshi. Vadodara/DNA Money
Thursday, November 20, 2008

"The indigenous design of Nano has proved that Indians are equally competent in smart automobile design aspects," Dilip Chhabaria, the renowned sports car designer, told DNA Money during his Vadodara visit on Wednesday.

"Accommodating all features into a tiny automobile needs smart thinking, and Nano is a well designed car. We have proved that Indian can design fine cars," said Chhabaria, in an interactive session about the design of Tata's mini car.

He himself has recently designed a sports car targeting youth as the niche market. The sharp features of the car, which is to cost nearly Rs30 lakhs, are aerodynamic and have an original flair. Up till now, European countries were ahead of India in design, but this status has been challenged, with Nano-the finest example of Indian creativity. Designing a small and economic car like Nano is a feat, and needs many aspects to be taken under consideration, along with design feasibility.

Chhabaria appreciated the economic price of the car too. He enthused, "Nano is not only the cheapest car but its design is up to the mark. We have heard so much about the car, but it remains to be seen how it will perform on the roads."

Acting calls but Chetan Bhagat refuses to say Hello

The author declined an invitation to act in a Salman-Katrina starrer based on one of his novels

Devanshi Joshi. Vadodara/DNA
Monday, September 22, 2008
The novelist, Chetan Bhagat, seems married to the printed word for he let go of an opportunity to interpret one of his characters on the silver screen. The author said on Saturday that he was offered a role in the film, Hello, which is based on his book, One Night at the Call Centre. He, however, declined the offer. Bhagat made this disclosure during an interaction with students at Paramarsh-2008, the ongoing three-day festival of MSUs faculty of engineering and technology. Hello is scheduled for release on October 10. “I was invited to play the role of Ganesh in Hello but I declined the offer,” said Bhagat. “I dont think I would have been any good as an actor.” He is, nevertheless, very excited about the movie which is directed by Atul Agnihotri, and has Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, and some other well-known actors in the significant roles of the film. “I saw the unedited version of Hello a few days back and was delighted by what I saw,” Bhagat said. He, however, added that, while he liked movies, he found the written word a more rewarding medium because reading stimulates the imagination. “When you read a book, the mind is forced to imagine the situations, characters and incidents portrayed in it. This does not happen with a movie,” he said. Bhagat lamented the fact that reading had become less popular among youth, and said that authors must do more to reach out and connect with the young generation. “Todays youth are not particularly keen on reading. They read only those books with which they can relate immediately. It is, therefore, important for writers now to have something in their books that resonates with the experience of the young generation,” said Bhagat. “Thick literary tomes are unlikely to click with young readers today. For them, books must have a bearing on their lifestyle.” Bhagat is currently working on a new book, a romantic comedy. Both his earlier books — Five Point Someone and One Night at the Call Centre — have already been translated and published in Hindi, while their Gujarati versions are in the pipeline. When asked which of his books was his favourite, he said, “I have a soft corner for Five Point Someone.” Talking about One Night at the Call Centre, he said he had been criticised for making God a caller in the book. “But for that bit of negative criticism, the book has been praised by readers and critics alike. I am happy with the reception given the book.”

Art of cartooning will never die out

Sudhir Tailang, well-known cartoonist, talks about his career spanning over 25 yrs

Devanshi Joshi. Vadodara/DNA

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Not everyone can become a cartoonist. Only those who have a blend of creativity, a personal opinion of the world and can present this vision with humor can succeed. One need the combined skills of humor, drawing, journalistic sense and craziness to become a cartoonist,” said prominent caricaturist Sudhir Tailang who was in Vadodara on Saturday. He will be launching a book of his more than 150 cartoons next month.Tailang has been a cartoonist for more than 25 years and has drawn more than 15,000 cartoons during this span. He first made a mark with his daily Here and Now pocket cartoons in the Hindustan Times in the 1980s. Drawing his first cartoon at the age of 10, he began his career with the Illustrated Weekly of India and now draws a daily caricature for the edit page of the Asian Age - under the Here and Now label.According to Tailang, “Cartoons will always get exclusive space in a newspaper. Proof of this can be found in the fact that almost every leading and even middle-level newspaper carries at least a pocket cartoon on its front page every day. India, USA, France and UK are the countries where political cartoons have their own charm but now, the importance of political cartoons in the newspaper is decreasing due to more emphasis on cinema and other masala news.”“Earlier I used to find Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi a difficult faces to make cartoon but now I feel it easy as I started observing them closely,” said Tailang.Like every cartoonist, Tailang has his share of favorite politicians and in his case, it is former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. “Raos entire personality was made to order for a cartoonist. His nostrils and pout gave him an edge over his counterparts. I think he was invented for cartoonists,” Tailang contended.Despite the lack of youngsters in the profession, Tailang was confident that the art of cartooning would never die out. “Students rarely take up cartooning as a career option because they dont know how to become a cartoonist. There are no professional institutes available which can nurture this talent,” he said.

Malls need better planning

We blindly follow Western architecture, says Karan Grover

Devanshi Joshi. Vadodara/DNA

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

“Style and design suiting locals is essential in construction of shopping malls and buildings rather that blindly following western architecture,” said Karan Grover, a renowned architect who was in the city for the inauguration of a retail chain. Grover studied architecture from MS University, Baroda, and is now settled in Mumbai. His work reflects his concern for the heritage of the country. Winner of several architectural awards, Grover feels the rapid growth of mall culture has led to improper planning and designing put in to the construction of these malls. “The malls in India are adopting western designs blindly not keeping in mind the direction of air and light which may bring in positive energy. The western designs are suited for western people and their habits,” said Grover. Grover feels structures should be constructed in such a way to make maximum use of daylight. “Malls consume higher energy through electricity. Electricity consumption is the highest expenditure for any mall owner. But it can be taken care of at the time of construction”. He also stressed on the use of sensor in malls. He added, “Sensors automatically manage the electricity consumption as per the requirements which would bring down energy expenses.”