IPL fever has gripped the nation, but unfortunately, students have to grapple with the exam fever. The exam season is back, it’s that time of the year when one can feel the anxiety in every inch of one’s body! So, what’s a student to do? Most starve because they are busy cramming or lose their appetites. Adults often advise children that one needs to fuel the body with foods that energise during the exam phase.

It’s similar to preparing for a long marathon. It’s also time to pamper oneself a bit with comfort food. Bananas are said to be excellent before an exam because they release their energy slowly. Even an orange, carrot sticks or a sweet fruit work in the same way.

It’s also recommended that one has a light and balanced meal a couple of hours before an exam. Not eating is the worst things! Manjeet Kaur, a housewife with an 18-year-old son, says, “I make sure my son eats light, has plenty of juices and fruits during his study break. I don’t prepare deep-fried snacks and rice because they make one drowsy. I also insist that he eats every two hours.” Dr Nalini Karukaran advises oats for breakfast.

She says, “A light meal comprising meat, eggs or fish and vegetables is okay. Avoid brinjals, very sour and salty food. For dinner, one can have Rice and Moong Dal Khichdi made with pure ghee.” Nutritionist Dr Harshada Rajadjyaksha says that students require food that increase concentration, enhance memory, boost energy, calm the mind and reduce stress and fatigue. She regards coffee, tea, colas and sugar as energy-fakers.

She recommends a balanced combination of nutrients for sustained energy. She says, “Combine vegetables, whole grain cereals or pasta, fresh fruits, dry fruits and nuts. Drink enough water. Almonds, apples, walnuts along with raisins, grapes, oranges, dates and figs and eggs, milk, soybeans and fish are memory-enhancing food. Calm the mind with honey, milk, oats, wholegrain cereals, nuts and pulses.”

Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/32/20100314/1074/tod-the-perfect-exam-diet-for-students.html

Former India captain Kapil Dev has been formally inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame. A commemorative cap was presented to Kapil by ICC president David Morgan on Tuesday.

“I am proud and happy to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame and it’s amazing to think that I have been picked as one of the greats of Indian cricket,” said Kapil. “I am delighted to have been named alongside so many great players of the game but for me, when I was growing up, the man I always looked up to was Sunil Gavaskar.”

Morgan lavished praise on Kapil. “He was an all-time great player. He did everything. He batted, bowled and he was a fine fielder,” said Morgan. “I remember the great catch he took to dismiss Viv Richards in the 1983 World Cup final - he was on the run and the ball came over his shoulder, possibly the most difficult of catches,” he added.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/cricketnews/Kapil-in-ICC-Hall-of-Fame/Article1-517190.aspx

International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. …

I did a random poll of women I met this weekend - the weekend preceding Women’s Day. While there is the usual blitzkrieg that we have come to expect with any of the days of our lives - Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Friendship Day and Valentine’s Day - I wanted to know firsthand what real people felt about special days and their significance.

In February this year, we ran a poll on our Valentine’s Day site asking readers if celebrity endorsements/stories on Valentine’s Day influenced them to celebrate as well. Fifty percent of our readers clicked on Yes. Another 45 percent said No. Over the last week we’ve been inundated with flyers (a stack with your daily newspaper) on special deals for women. Beauty parlours, weight loss centres, garment stores, malls…everyone has something for women today. Newspaper supplements are once again carrying stories of (women) celebrities. As a friend remarked looking at the umpteenth ‘Women’s Day celebrity special, ‘Sometimes, give it a break and don’t make every piece of news entwined with glamour.’ My take is that we simply have an abundance of dial-a-quote celebrities. I suspect they do their homework and mark out the special days each year. So when a journo asks the all-important question, ‘What do you feel about X day’, boom, a quote is ready.

The idea behind speaking to a significant number of women over the weekend was to try to separate the real from the chaff - do women themselves believe in women’s day or is it just another occasion for some businesses to do some slick marketing and get their hands on our cash.

What I found out from these regular women made me think that whether we get tinged with pink and red for V-day or trawl the Internet for lost friends on Friendship Day, Women’s Day should be marked in red, circled and celebrated each year. Here’s why

These women were the first to pooh pah on the need for Women’s Day. They blamed the usual suspects - card companies, manufacturers of women’s products, even the neighbourhood mall- for building the hype.

My next question, ‘does it mean anything for you? Isn’t it a day when you need to pause, take stock and reconnect with your inner self?’ This I asked pointedly to a mom who some days ago told me she wasn’t too particular about the food she ate. She was getting used to eating the cold leftovers on her child’s plate; or eating a hurried meal between chores. She didn’t need hot food - that was asking too much! This question didn’t elicit too much response either.

Some others giggled about a mall trip and yet others joked about trying to sneak one over the boss and ask for special leave.

My poll was not representative or official. But by dismissing Women’s Day, women are once again putting themselves on the backburner. That’s happened too many times already. It’s taken 14 years for this country to make up its mind to give a fair chance to women in politics. Don’t succumb to celebrity stories or other inducements. Celebrate Women’s Day- but celebrate it for yourself. Celebrate it for the woman who travels in Mumbai’s local trains chops vegetables on the train to be in time to serve dinner. Give yourself a large pat on the back for juggling office, maids, bosses, husbands, partners, children. Laud yourself for flawlessly managing long distance meetings and relationships. For having the power to rear and nurture - that’s what Women’s Day is about. The United Nations marks the many achievements by women around the world - especially in advancing equality, justice and peace.

Celebrate Women’s Day for the privilege of being a woman. Priyanka Chopra or Kangana Ranaut don’t have to tell you that.

Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/242/20100308/1511/tls-why-we-need-women-s-day.html

SOMEWHERE ON THE BENGAL-JHARKHAND BORDER: The Maoists are now training their guns on big cities and Kolkata and Bhubaneswar could be among their next targets if the government does not announce talks immediately, a senior commander has warned.

The threat came from CPI (Maoist) politburo member and military commander Koteswar Rao, alias Kishanji. He served the government with an ultimatum from his jungle hideout on Saturday, threatening to strike cities and towns if it rejected their offer of talks.

Chief ministers Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Naveen Patnaik — in Kolkata and Bhubaneswar respectively — have been insisting that operations against the Maoists be stepped up.

Kishanji put Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren in a different bracket. “He comes from a tribal family and understands their problems. We will confront him only when he acts adversely,” the Maoist leader said. He also endorsed Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s demand that a major share of mining income should be spent in the area instead of being sent to Delhi.

Asked whether Naxals would be responsible for the bloodbath in case of intensified strikes, Kishanji said, “Why blame us? The government is not sure what it wants. We honoured Chidambaram’s proposal of a 72-hour ceasefire before the talks. I gave my cell number to the media and kept it open for three hours on February 25 waiting for the government to call me. None of the officials called me.”

But many caution that the Maoists are not sincere about talks and will use the truce as an opportunity to regroup and re-arm themselves.

And as proof, they point out that although Kishanji gave a ceasefire call on February 23, there was no let up in Maoist attacks. Kishanji blamed government for not honouring the truce call, saying forces went ahead with their operations and killed Lalmohan Tudu, leader of People’s Committee against Police Atrocities.

The Maoists will not take it lying down, he asserted. “We will intensify our strikes if government does not initiate talks. If need be, we will proceed towards towns and cities.” “Governments have been blaming us for violence. Our party came into being some years ago. What about the phase when we were not there? What have the governments done for welfare of the adivasis in last 53 years?” he asked.

He claimed that 90% of adivasis can’t avail of government jobs under reserved category. Quite a number of reserved posts have to be converted to the general category because the authorities do not get any applications under this category.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Talk-or-well-attack-cities-Kishanji-warns-Centre/articleshow/5652695.cms

Home secretary G K Pillai on Friday said Maoists were looking at the armed overthrow of the Indian state by 2050, acknowledging that the state was ill-equipped at present to put significant pressure on them.

Addressing a seminar on `Left-wing extremism’ at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), Pillai said, “The overthrow of the Indian state is not something they are willing to do tomorrow or the day after. Their strategy, according to a booklet they circulated, is that they are looking at 2050, some documents say at 2060.”

Pillai described Maoists as a formidable enemy, saying they had not come under any significant pressure yet, because their core armed cadres remained intact and out of reach of the Indian state. Dismissing recent talk of talks, Pillai was sure that the Maoists would only come for negotiations when they felt the heat, which they were not at present.

The Indian state, its administrative lapses and poor governance were largely to blame for the growth of Naxalism, he said. The Maoists had developed bases in remote, forest areas, where they operated in a perceived administrative vacuum. There were many districts, Pillai said, where the government had not existed for decades.

They also lived in a strange paradox, opposing development on the one hand but drawing oxygen from the development dissatisfaction of the local people, he added.

However, Pillai said that for the first time in the past one year, the state had decided to tackle this extremism head-on, and take back much of the areas “lost” to the Maoists. In Chhattisgarh, for instance, the state had reclaimed about 4,000 sq km of territory that had been under a severe development deficit and under Maoist control.

Over the past 60 years, the Indian state had created a huge detritus of poor governance — whether it was laws governing tribals’ access to forest land or their right to minor forest produce. All this was changing, but very slowly, because the Indian system has traditionally moved very slowly, Pillai said.

He cited the new mining act which will be introduced in Parliament soon. The legislation envisages a fund in perpetuity for the development of local villages; new power plants will have to give subsidised or free power to surrounding villages, and the government is in the process of withdrawing cases against tribals for accessing minor forest produce. But these measures will take a while to show up on the ground.

The government was also hamstrung by the fact that different states took different views on tackling the menace. For instance, West Bengal continues to take an ambivalent position. In January 2009, it refused to allow inter-state operations against Maoists, but a year and many killings later, the CPM government is now seeing the value of this.

Pillai said the Maoists had been very successful in setting up their structures and systems, funds and training as well as access to about Rs 1,400 crore a year in funds. Their operations were largely low cost, but Pillai was clear that they were not really interested in any discussions with the state. Their aim was armed revolt. In West Bengal, where the CPM thought it could convince the Maoists to change their ways, 159 party workers were killed by the ultras in West Midnapore alone.

Pillai said one of the first acts of the Maoists was to demystify state authority by shooting at the face of officialdom in the target area. The Maoists were also helped by so-called intellectual groups and civil society organisations by building resistance and protests to things like SEZ, land reforms or land acquisition for development.

Maoist violence claimed its highest toll of 908 in 2009, the highest yet since 1971. Pillai expected this to go up significantly in the coming years, before the state could get on top of things.

The lack of capacities in the state was manifest in the grim fact that in all its operations so far, not more than 5% of the core armed cadres of the Maoists had been hit. “The real armed cadres are yet to come out,” he said. However, in the recent past, intelligence gathering had improved significantly which led to the arrest of several key leaders.

Maoists, Pillai said, were very meticulous in conducting their reconnaissance, attacks, and post-mortems — pointing to some professional help, either from former soldiers or others. “Now they can bring many sectors of Indian economy to their knees. But they don’t want to do it today. They know that if they do that now, the state will come very hard. They are not fully prepared to face the onslaught of the state machinery. So, they would rather go very slowly,” he said.

“They are very highly motivated, highly trained. I am quite certain that there are some, may be some ex-army or some people who have been with them,” Pillai said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Maoists-looking-at-armed-overthrow-of-state-by-2050/articleshow/5648742.cms

The five-member Srikrishna Committee Friday said it would not say yes or no to the formation of a separate Telangana state but would only look into the issue in accordance with the terms of reference given by the government.

The committee, which is looking into the demands for and views against separate Telangana state, will initiate the process of wide consultations next month.

Winding up a two-day preliminary visit to Hyderabad, Justice B.N. Srikrishna told reporters here that consultations with political parties, individuals and all stakeholders would begin early April.

Source: http://www.zeenews.com/news608867.html

Remains of a snake, and dinosaur fossil and dinosaur eggs found in Gujarat village

CHENNAI: Can a snake prey on a dinosaur? The answer is ‘yes.’

The remains of a snake and dinosaur fossil and dinosaur eggs provide unequivocal evidence that a particular species of snake that lived about 67 million years ago at Dholi Dungri village, about 130 km from Ahmedabad, devoured sauropods.

The snake did not eat fully-grown sauropods; it preyed on dinosaurs just as they were hatching from eggs. It coiled around the prey to kill and swallow it.

“We infer that the crushed egg encircled by the snake was exited by the sauropod hatchling found adjacent to it,” says a paper published online on March 2 in the PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology journal.

Modern day pythons use the same technique to coil around and tighten the grip on the prey so that it suffocates and dies.

Eating behaviour

The study is significant as the nearly complete remains of the snake — preserved in a nest of a sauropod along with a half-metre-long dinosaur hatchling lying next to the snake and two unbroken eggs — are unequivocal evidence of its eating behaviour.

It also provides evidence of the evolutionary transition from basal snakes to modern-day derived macrostomatans like pythons.

The new snake fossil — named Sanajeh indicus (Sanaj means ancient, jeh means gape) — from the late Cretaceous rocks measures 3.5-metre-long.

Important feature

One of the most important features that enable macrostomatans to prey on animals bigger than a deer is their wide gape. Fully grown pythons have excellent jaw adaptations and elongated skulls that give them a gape as wide as 60 cm.

“The gape of Sanajeh indicus is approximately 16 cm,” said Dhananjay M. Mohabey, Director of the Palaeontology Division, Geological Survey of India, Nagpur, and one of the authors of the paper.

“The lower jaw of S. indicus is 12 cm long…it’s a fairly long jaw. There are other morphological features that make the jaws highly mobile and flexible…and give a wide gape of 16 cm.”

Unlike the jaws of basal snakes that open like a hinge, the upper and lower jaws of S. indicus can be moved laterally as well. This lateral movement gives the jaw mobility.

The combination of mobility along with its 12 cm-long jaw size provides the snake with a wide gape and the ability to swallow its prey.

“It had a large body-size…it was able to manipulate the jaws to swallow large dinosaurs,” said Dr. Mohabey. However, dinosaurs older than one year were free of the risk posed by S. indicus.

Discussing the evolutionary transition, he said: “It’s a primitive snake with some advanced features.”

It is highly unlikely to be a transitional fossil between the basal and derived macrostomatans, as the jaw features are relatively advanced. “It will occupy an intermediate position in snake phylogeny,” the paper says.

According to Dr. Mohabey, the nest was along a riverside and the dinosaurs were burying their eggs in the sand.

The presence of two unbroken eggs and broken pieces of eggs, along with the snake-dinosaur association, clearly shows that they were buried and killed instantaneously — they were not transported from another locality and deposited together.

“The excellent preservation of delicate cranial elements… is indicative of relatively rapid and deep burial,” says the paper.

Dr. Mohabey said there must have been some storm-induced flooding that resulted in debris flow, and there would have been hardly any time for the snake to escape.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/03/stories/2010030357292000.htm

A recent poll has stated that pop diva Beyonce Knowles has got the best body of all. If a similar poll is conducted in Bollywood, who all would make it to the top? Find out!

Aishwarya Rai

Does a former Miss World need any ascription? Beautiful are her eyes, so is her body. The svelte and petite Ash redefined the entire beauty concept when she won the beauty pageant back in 1994. Girls all over India then started worrying about their vital statistics more than ever before. Thanks to Ash, the slim look which was once considered a West thing became an instant hit in our country.

Bipasha Basu

The dusky diva has got a mesmerising appeal that makes her a hot fav among guys. In fact Bips carved her own niche among the so called typecast beauties. Bips’ full and healthy figure has got an edge over many!

Deepika Padukone

She is adorable like a doll and hot like a siren. The tall leggie is a favourite of designers as they think she has got an uber hot figure that could enhance the appeal of whatever she dons on. She is growing gorgeous day by day especially after her break-up with Ranbir and the hottie is all set to sizzle on screen in two-piece with ‘Housefull’.

Kareena Kapoor

The word ‘Size Zero’ entered our vocabulary with Kareena Kapoor. With her flawless skin and flat tummy, she looked ultra-hot in bikini in the so called newly acquired frame and ’size zero’ became a rage among the youngsters.

Katrina Kaif

How can we forget the gorgeous Kat? The tall Kat has got an artistic appeal that makes her look like princess stepping out of a portrait. There is nothing in her that is not beautiful. A flawless temptress that can seduce men with her seemingly innocent looks and super-hot figure.

Mallika Sherawat

Though her dress sense takes a backseat often, her figure is laudable in every way. With her plush lips, big dreamy eyes all those curves, she emanates great oomph factor like no other.

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra is unique. She has got her own style and her unparalleled looks is what which makes her appealing. This former Miss World’s best features are her long legs and of course, cocoa skin.

Malaika Arora Khan

Enticing, beguiling…this enchantress has got many a definition. She has got the hottest pair of legs and an enviable figure that defines her identity.

Shilpa Shetty

Though Shilpa Shetty is no more an ‘in’ factor of Bollywood, the hottest body list would be incomplete without her. Shilpa says she owes a lot to yoga for her lissome figure. Thanks to Shilpa, there are many takers for yoga these days.

Source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/photos/slideshow/bollywood-s-hottest-body.html?curPhoto=10

Balbir Singh Sr. feels that India can pull off a miracle in the World Cup.

Two stalwarts will follow the Indian hockey team’s progress at the World Cup with a lot of passion. Balbir Singh Sr., triple gold medallist at the Olympics and chief coach of the 1975 World Cup-winning team, will watch from the stands at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium. And Sachin Tendulkar from his home in Mumbai.

“All our good wishes are with them and the whole nation is behind them to help them achieve laurels for our country. I know they have worked very hard and we have confidence in their abilities,” said Tendulkar in a warm message conveyed through The Hindu.

Balbir Sr. is in Delhi at the invitation of the Organising Committee. “I would have come even otherwise,” said the veteran. His voice quivers but not his faith in Indian hockey. “I expect this team to pull off a miracle.”

Grim reminder

History conveys a grim reminder to the team that success results from hardship. “You have to suffer and learn to take things in your stride if you want to achieve your dreams. We did it in 1975 when the players encountered difficult times,” recalled Balbir Sr.

His memory is vivid as he digs into the past, re-living the coaching camp and the journey to the title, pausing a few times to recoup. He is 86, but possesses the enthusiasm of a teenager when he talks of hockey.

His eyes sparkle when he describes Aslam Sher Khan’s equaliser against Malaysia in the semifinals and Ashok Kumar’s goal that sank Pakistan in the final.

“We reminded ourselves at every step that we had to become the champion team. We backed ourselves even though the task was gigantic. The team’s average age was 24 and the strategy was simple. We had to attack.”

Balbir Sr. wants this team to remember that only when they attack will the opposition wilt. “You have to play to your strength and I think India’s strength is aggression upfront.

“Those were tough times for Indian hockey. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) had disaffiliated the Indian Hockey Federation and there was uncertainty regarding the team’s participation in the World Cup. Shades of uncertainty and discontent were experienced this time too as the team’s preparation was rattled by some off-field activities.

“I want the players to forget what happened. The country looks up to them and prays for their success. I have trust in their skills and overall prowess. I am sure they know their job. It is a matter of backing yourself,” said the all-time great.

Important aspect

Balbir Sr. would like the team members to remember the most important aspect of modern hockey — preserving your energy for the counterattacks and off-the-ball running. “It is all about creating space and finding the man least hustled. Speed has always been an important factor in the game. The degree has increased now. It is a lovely game and I am sure it will be one grand competition.”

Hockey returns to the venue that staged some events in the inaugural Asian Games in 1951. It also saw Pakistan savage India 7-1 in the 1982 Asian Games final.

Balbir Sr. was the coach of that team too. Can this determined bunch of players under Rajpal Singh’s guidance help Balbir Sr. forget that dark day of Indian hockey? The team would do well to draw inspiration from his presence in the stands, not to forget the prayers of the icon in a Mumbai home.

Source: http://beta.thehindu.com/sport/hockey/article123470.ece