Enchanting eyes

Use an eyeliner brush with powder because it gives better control and the ability to create a little or a lot of drama. Pencils tend to run on the skin and make it more difficult to get a smooth, clean line. Of course, if you are happy with a pencil, there is no need to change.

Line both the top and bottom lids when you really want the eyes to stand out. Extend the line from one corner of the eye to the other—never stop halfway.

Which eye liner you use is a matter of the look you want and what’s easier for you. Liquid, gel and felt-tip-type pen liners create strong, well-defined lines. Powdery pencil and fat crayon liners are better when you want a softer effect. 

Creamy ones create a strong line and can also be smudged into a smokier look. Many women find pencils easier to use than liquid, especially for everyday use when there is no time to fix mistakes.

Chilling pencil liners in the refrigerator for a few minutes before sharpening make them less breakable.

For creamy pencil, liquid, gel or pen, use the tip of the brush or point for the finest line, getting right at the base of the lashes. Angle the point for a heavier look.

For powdery pencil or crayon, begin either at the corner of your lid where the lashes begin or at the outer end of your lid. (The starting point is not that critical since you will be smudging the line.)

 Smudge liner just enough to blur the edge, pushing colour onto your lid and/or just towards the corners. Smudging can be done with the ring or little finger, a cotton swab or a sponge-tip shadow applicator. Don’t tug.

Lining lower lids should be done with a light hand and never directly on the rim of the lid. Generally, liquid liner is too hard looking on lower lids. Stick with one of the softer effects.

Nail – Righting

Since the first nail paint made by the Chinese in 3000 BC, nail cosmetology has come a long way. It is one of the fastest-growing profession. Swagatika , who a beauty parlour at the specialises in putting on ‘Acrylic Nails’ and claims that it is for people who have weak, under-grown or deformed nails or puffiness around nails. The technique is immensely helpful for those who bite their nails.  Once these beautiful nails are on, one would admire rather than bite them!

Acrylic nails, also known as sculptured or build-on nails are made by combining a liquid acrylic product with a powdered one. The two products form a soft ball that can easily be moulded into a strong artificial nail. The basic chemistry of acrylic nails is simple. There are three ingredients in the whole process. Liquid acrylic is a monomer, it is made up of small molecules which are unattached. 

Finished acrylic nails are polymers made up of molecules that are attached in long chains and usually form something hard. The powdered acrylic used is a combination of finely ground polymers and a catalyst (to speed up the hardening process). The hardening process is referred to as ‘airing’ and nail forming as ‘polymerisation’.

It is a multi-step procedure that begins with removing enamel that a person has on the nails. The cuticle is pushed back and the nails are buffed with medium fine abrasive to remove the natural oil. Nail antiseptics are then applied and ‘nail form’, which may be disposable or reusable is positioned on the nails. 

A dot of primer is applied on the nails which prepares the surface for bonding with the acrylic material. When a brush is dipped into the acrylic liquid and rolled on , it picks up a ball, large enough to shape the entire free edge. Another ball of medium consistency is picked up for the nail bed.

The free edge is usually white and the nail bed is clear, natural or pink. It works as a perfect remedy for bruised or eggshell nails. Most of us suffer from ‘leckonychia’ in which white spots appear on nails. Acrylic nails hide these and other stains very well. Furrows or corrugations, under or over growth of the nails can also be easily overcome.

Many aspects of a person’s lifestyle are considered before beginning  the treatment. The job, hobbies  and duration for which hands are soaked in water, any inflammation or allergic reactions are taken into consideration. An important part is choosing the shape of the nail. The shape of the hands, length of fingers, shape of cuticles and the type of work done decides whether the nail should be rectangular, oval, round or pointed.

Nail technology is a step ahead of the traditional manicure and pedicure that have been well-accepted, both by the elite and the middle class. Neither is it a forte of women alone as an increasing number of men are also taking to it.

Use of hands while dealing with people does not leave any room for being callous with one’s hands, which, after the face, is the most exposed part of the body.

Music Therapy: Music can heal

From treating  patients affected by stroke  to helping those in mental trauma, music therapy is used as an alternative preventive medicine. It is an allied health profession and one of the expressive therapies. It consists of an interpersonal process in which a music therapist uses  mental, physical, social, aesthetic and spiritual facets of music to maintain the health of the patients.

The origin therapy can be traced  back to 400 B.C. when the father of Greek medicine, Hippocrates used music to treat mental patients. It has also been used in other countries and cultures. ‘Music Therapy’, as we know it today, was used by musicians of the British armed forces during and after the Second World War to soothe the nerves of injured soldiers. Children with concentration, behavioural and learning problems have been treated with this therapy with an amazing  rate of success . 

Adolescents with clinical depression and bipolar disorders have also been treated using this technique. It is a great alternative to medicines  having  side effects. But, the therapy cannot be used successfully in all cases. Sometimes, the conventional method of treatment may be the only alternative. However, the fact remains that music therapy is one of the safest ways of treating ailments.

Music can help stroke patients to recover from surgery. It can help them to relax and de-stress. In a research conducted on patients in USA and some European countries, it was found out that music  can improve the motor skills of patients. The pattern of music is altered according to the need of the patient and his/her degree of disability. Some, on whom, the therapy was used were able to walk sooner than others.

Some leading hospitals in India like Escorts, Army Hospital (Research and Referral) and others use music therapy while treating patients. But, the number of such hospitals is less. Most Private and Government hospitals are not using it due to lack of infrastructure and other factors. Music has the ability to accelerate the healing process. It can be used to the advantage of the patients in India where a large number of people suffer from anxiety, depression and others.

Can social media trigger a social change?

The Arab Spring that grew on Internet and ultimately threw out the government in Egypt posed an important question ‘Can social media bring about a social change?’ The answer is ‘yes’. It has done so in the recent past and has all the power to repeat it in any part of the world in future. Martin Luther King spread his message among the masses through the social media of those days—pamphlets, ballads and woodcuts. Similarly, protesters in the Middle East and North Africa used the social media of the present generation—Internet.

Perhaps, this is the only reason that the Chinese communist government monitors online activities of its citizens and has banned several sites. Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and the like have become the tools of mass mobilisation and reinvented social activism. The technology has given birth to Cyber Activism. People can pick up topics and voice their opinion which will reach millions in the blink of an eye.

Social revolutions in Iran and Egypt are examples of people using online tools to bring about social change for a bright future for the generations to come. Over three-million tweets, thousands of videos and blog posts went viral on the Internet during the uprising across the Middle East and North Africa.

When Anna Hazare sat on a fast-unto-death against corruption at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, there were many online internet geeks-turned-social activists who mobilised people across the country and organised similar protests in many cities. It was not possible for Anna and his team to garner such strong support from the masses without social media tools. ‘Anna Hazare’ was the most searched term on Internet in India in 2011.

It is not that there was no successful social movement before the inception of Internet but online tools have made communication easier than ever before. Experts say that we cannot give all the credit to the social media for the success of these social revolutions and nor we can take away the credit for the success. When thousands of people stand up for a cause they can ask for support from people living in the length and breadth of the world. Social activists build solidarity; involve people online and offline and co-ordinate their actions with others to fight for their cause.

Many NGOs have begun Facebook communities and forums to spread awareness on globalisation, child welfare, infanticide, women empowerment, environment conservation and many other environment related campaigns. People can join these campaigns by registering themselves on the websites of NGOs’ and plan an event in their cities. The tools of modern technology have not only brought us together but have also made sharing of information quicker and easier than earlier times. 

They play on tablets and smartphones

Members of ‘Rave iBand’ play popular songs and have created a name for themselves. There are several bands throughout the country that do the same. How is Rave iBand different? Well, the members of the band do not use conventional musical instruments. They use i-pads!

Technology has changed the way music is played and enjoyed throughout the world. Although not completely. Almost all musicians play using traditional instruments. Only some, in order to explore their creativity and to be different have started using electronic gadgets. It is not easy to play on these instruments as it requires a lot of practice to get used to tapping on the screen. 

Ricky Kej, the mastermind and leader of the band, discovered the professional usage of the i-pad by chance. In an interview to a website, he said that since i-pads are light and handy, they can carry it easily with them to concerts throughout the country.

The members of the band are: Richa Paul on vocals using a Mic app and a percussion app on a smartphone, Charan Raj on two tablets using a guitar and piano app, DJ Jdee on a DJ and sampler app and Vanil Vegas on a smartphone and a tablet using a percussion and flute app.

A band from Kazan, Russia, called ‘Cooperative Style’ uses i-pads and smartphones. The band has played songs by Nirvana, which are considered tough to play in live concerts throughout the world.

Several purists have expressed their opinions on the new innovation. They feel that electronic gadgets can never replace conventional instruments. They are right. But, creativity can surprise those who hesitate to look beyond the ordinary.

Beauty Tips

A little girl was once asked what gave her such a lovely complexion and what cosmetic she used. She  replied sweetly:

“I use for the lips— Truth

For the voice —Prayer

For the eyes— Compassion            

For the hands — Charity

And for the heart — Lots and lots of love”

The better half has arrived

“The stronger sex is stronger only physically than the weaker sex but the weaker sex is the life force of the stronger sex.”

Women swap ideas, formulate policies and share power. Their entrepreneurial abilities, skills and managerial competence are not only tolerated, as they once were, but, are now also respected and their upon.

This is only a start-up for the gender equation! More is to follow. Let us all join hands to salute Woman Power. It is here to stay. We owe it to every single underpaid daily wage earner who forms a chunk of the country’s labour force. We owe it to all the towering women in the field of politics and power. 

Some of the haloed women who belonged to the Hall of Fame came from closer home, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and not to forget our very own country. Not to forget the ‘Golda Meirs’ and ‘Thatchers’ of the world.

Traditional power equations among the men and women have, to put it mildly undergone a volte-face. The Millennium Woman is no longer the proverbial ding-dong dangling from the skin of her teeth, swayed by her man’s idiosyncrasies, whims and fancies. The New Woman is doing her own thing.

Financial and even emotional independence are natural corollaries. The Millennium Man is still trying to cope with the dizzying change.

The twentieth century was definitely harder on the male of the species. Having had to abdicate from the throne of a sole provider, financially, the decision maker, socially, the dominant partner, emotionally and sexually the demanding partner – he has yet to adjust to the New Order.

It is no longer newsworthy when a woman heads a corporate office or the buck stops at her table.

For hors d’oeuvres this should do – the party has only just begun!

E-learning = Easy Learning

E-learning was considered a downmarket alternative to the conventional learning till a few years ago. Academicians believed that software engineers and those well-versed with technology have brought down the level of education and provided a cheap option of earning a degree without gaining any knowledge. 

The introduction of broadband Internet connections and the availability of economic tablets have changed the facade of digital education in India. E-learning is gaining popularity because it breaks the barriers of geography and time. Tech-savvy academicians have made the gadgets of students their teachers.

Many universities abroad are providing their students with e-learning courses and those are not providing courses upload the videos of lectures and discussions on video-sharing websites such as YouTube, Daily Motion, Vimeo and others. You can find the channels of universities on these sites. Anyone can subscribe to them and get updates of the lectures of world-class professors associated with these world-class universities. 

E-learning is not only limited to availability of content in the form of video or text. Students can attend online classes, ask questions to instructors and engage in student communities that are monitored by academicians.

Students can hone their English speaking and writing skills, learn the intricacies of photography, cooking, etc. They can also access world-class academic content on subject from medieval Indian history to globalisation and from animation to mass communication. And all this is available to them 24x7 everywhere.

There are websites such as Piazza where students can discuss difficult topics with their classmates under the guidance of instructors. Students from more than 250 US universities and many Indian engineering colleges including IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur are on it. This site is developed by an Indian student Pooja Nath.

Another e-learning site udemy.com has been developed by an America-based Indian student Gagan Biyani. The website offers hundreds of courses on a variety of subjects. Students from across the world can register. There are several paid courses such as web-designing, social media management, crash course for Photoshop CS6, etc. Apart from the paid courses, students can attend many free courses.

Many universities such as Symbiosis and Indira Gandhi National Open University are providing web-learning options but these universities are still to make the learning engaging, interesting and effective. Academicians believe that content and quality in education will rule the roost even in the online world. And, if it picks up in India, students irrespective of their geographical location will be able to get the benefits of quality education. However, fast Internet connections and non-availability of laptops and tablets to students remain a big constraint for the spread of e-learning in India.  

Coke Studio- Live performance at its best

‘Coke Studio’ is a live TV programme aired on MTV. A single series of 10 episodes featuring a popular singer, a legendary singer (mostly classical) and an upcoming talent, the Indian version is a copy of its Pakistani version. 

The programme is owned by Coca Cola. It is inspired by a Brazilian show called ‘Estudio Coca Cola’. It was a concert style show. In the Indian and Pakistani versions, singers perform in a closed studio, where the songs are performed live and recorded simultaneously.

Coke Studio, India started in June, 2011 and has ten episodes. There is no competition and no judges. It is a sincere effort to entertain listeners with live music.

The duration of the show is one hour. Six songs of genres ranging from Carnatic to Hindustani Classical along with a re-mixed/ altered version of a Bollywood song are included in a single episode. There is one original composition as well. The first song of the show was performed by popular Hindi singer Sunidhi Chauhan. 

The song ‘Bichhua’ was a combination of traditional lyrics and popular music. Other singers who have performed on the show are Kailash Kher, Shaan, Khagen Gogoi, Tochi Raina, Harshdeep Kaur, KK and others. Some singers like Kailash Kher and Khagen Gogoi have sung in Tamil and Assamese also, respectively. Leslie Lewis is the music director. He is supported by musicians, some of whom are the best in the field.

Singers like Abida Parveen, Atif Aslam, Ali Zafar and others have performed in the Pakistani version of the show.  Audio CDs of the best songs of the show are up for grabs. So, if you are a fan of live performances and keen to hear pure classical, fusion and altered versions of songs, then the album can be a priceless collection.  

Body Beautiful

You often look at svelte models and wonder what their secret is .

Experts advise, you need to know what your body shape is like and then plan the kind of exercises required for toning the body.

Decide : Upon the exercises/activities you really enjoy. Set a time for these activities and do them diligently.

Stamina: Increase your stamina steadily over a period of time. Exercise for 30 minutes. Swimming, tennis, badminton, walking , choose any of these to improve your stamina and strength.

Upper Body : You want to shape up those flabby arms and paunch. So begin  with weight training. Remember not to exert yourself, for it might leave you with sore muscles. If lifting weights make you uncomfortable, simple pushups too will help the arms and stomach.

Lower Body: Cycling, step climbing, kicks squats, etc. all the activities that involve leg muscles are great.

Diet factor:  Reduce intake of fats, oils and greasy foods. Instead eat more salad and fruits.

Take your picks

Swimming- Mainly an upper body exercise. Develops arms, shoulders and back muscles.

Cycling - Strengthens thighs, claves and cardiovascular system.

Long distance running – Good for heart, lungs and legs.

Aerobics – Overall workout.

Step Aerobics – Mainly a leg activity.

Remember, before beginning with exercises; do check with your doctor.

Keep yourself up-to-date

Internet users must have seen orange boxes with white curves on it on the home pages of websites. It is a shortcut to register oneself for receiving RSS feeds of that website. What is RSS? Users not aware of technical jargon may misunderstand it.

It stands for Really Simple Syndication (RSS). It is an easy way to keep up with the websites’ updates without visiting them time and again.

The conventional way of checking updates is to bookmark sites and visit them often. This becomes difficult when you are tracking many websites. Many a time you end up seeing the same information. The easy way is to subscribe to the RSS feeds of the website of your choice and receive updates on RSS readers every time the website is updated. It saves you time and provides information quickly.

The function of the RSS is similar to subscribing to a magazine that is delivered when it is published. The same way, you receive updates when there are any in the websites you are following.

RSS Feeds reader is an application that helps online users to read updates from many sources at a central location. Almost all browsers come with in-built RSS readers and if your browser does not have one, you can download it for free from several websites. There are a few readers which are available on payment.

The use of RSS readers is simple. You can click on the orange button of a website of your choice and can add to your favourite feeds. The updates from the website will be a click away. For example, you are following the Yuva Sambad blog and a few other websites you can subscribe to the updates through Google reader. 

You click on Google Reader and will be provided with updates of all the sites. These readers are also called news aggregators because they bring news feeds from many websites to your computer. News Crawler, Feed Demon, News Gator, Omea Reader, Sharp Reader, etc., are only a few of popular readers for Windows users. 

Girls: Yehi hai right choice

Much has been written about women’s equality. The girls of today are different from the girls of yesteryear who lived under the domination of a male-oriented society.

Girls these days have a mind of their own. They express their opinions with confidence and are clear about what they want to do with their lives, their career and their success. Gone are the days when girls were kept away from education and married off at an early age. Girls of today are given the highest education possible to equip them for a successful career.

Aradhya, doing her MJMC, says that her first priority is to make a career in journalism; marriage does not figure in her plans right now. There are many girls like her who are busy building up a career in some field or the other. They think that being independent and working gives them a chance to experience life first hand. Marriage, though important, can come at a later stage.

Priti, who is doing her Ph. D. In English  turned down a marriage proposal just because the boy and his parents did not want her to work after marriage. She says that she did not study hard just to help her parents find a good match. “I did it because I want to work and be independent. What is the use of higher education if you cannot do so?”

These opinions clearly indicate that marriage is not the major priority of girls today as it was in the past. They are educated human beings who have clearly mapped their life and know which turn to take and at what time.

They are helped in their plans by their parents who encourage them to find their goal in life.

Parents who at one time were keen to marry off their daughters early today want them to be well educated.

A lot of work is still required to be done to inculcate awareness among both parents and daughters. Though the road ahead is bright, many milestones still have to be crossed. There is no doubt that girls will ‘over come’.

India’s tryst with Jazz

‘Taj Mahal Foxtrot’, a book written by Naresh Fernandes tells the story of famous, talented and now forgotten jazz musicians. Before independence, several musicians from the USA came to Indian cities like Bombay (now Mumbai) and Calcutta (now Kolkata). They played in the ballrooms of five-star hotels and famous clubs.

The musicians, who were mostly blacks, were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and came here to escape the racial discrimination prevalent in their country. Teddy Weatherford, an accomplished pianist played alongside Louis Armstrong back in the USA. 

He was fond of India as there was no discrimination on the basis of colour here. He died of cholera in Kolkata and his funeral was attended by around 40,000 people. Sadly, after his death, neither people nor historians remember him. Naresh’s book narrates the tales of such forgotten artistes. Some other famous jazz musicians of the time were Cricket Smith, Leon Abbey and Cas McFord.

Some Indian musicians who became popular during the era were Rudy Cotton, a Parsi, whose real name was Kawas Khatau and Chic Chocolate, a Goan whose real name was Antonio Xavier Vaz. Chic imitated Louis Armstrong and his meeting with Mahatma Gandhi inspired him to play in Indian style.

Jazz was used in Hindi films also. Some jazz musicians worked in the growing Hindi film industry. Chic Chocolate helped C. Ramachandran in composing music. Remember, ‘Shola Jo Bhadke’ from the film ‘Albela’ and ‘Eena Meena Deeka’ from the film ‘Aasha’. The trumpet in the background was played by Chic and was typically a fusion of Indian popular and jazz music.

There are several other interesting facts in the book.  He has written the stories of musicians who are never mentioned in books. It is a treasure for Jazz aficionados, musicians and historians. 

Add-ons for your browser

Browser is no longer used only for surfing websites. You can use them for playing games, storing passwords, downloading videos and for many fun and learning activities. There are several browser add-ons that you should install with your browser to make your online activity simple and easy. There are applications for blocking ads, downloading videos, storing passwords and forms and so on.

You are watching a video on YouTube and want to download it on your laptop. You can install Leechvideo or Freeyoutubedownlaoder that will create a button on the website below the video screen for downloading.

People use the same logon and password for many sites, rely on easily remembered words such as their date of birth or their spouse name and write them down in their notebooks. This is dangerous and makes ids prone to hacking. Lastpass is a free password manager that makes web browsing easy and secure.

If the add-on is installed you can simply click on the website link and it will automatically log you on it. And, if you are a regular online shopper then you need not fill your name, address, phone number and other details every time, provided that you have stored all these details in the add-on’s vault. 

It has a portable version too for people who  browse Internet on public computers such as in offices or cafes. It can be installed in a USB drive. ‘Lastpass’ works on Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox and other popular browsers.

Game lovers can download many interesting games such as Angry Birds and can start catapulting targets. Speed Dial enables you to manage favourite websites. You can create short cuts for your websites such as alt+f for Facebook, alt+g for accessing Gmail.  At present it supports selected browsers.

Morning Coffee is an application that opens websites for you in the morning. It is similar to the activity of daily newspaper reading.

RandomMagic is an interesting application that enables you to flip a coin or roll a dice online. You can use this application for fun or when you want to take difficult decision and you need not take out a coin from your pocket and flip in the air. There are several other add-ons that will tickle your fancy are Fire FTP, Show IP, Web of trust, Cooliris, etc.  

There is dignity in labour

The over-crowded mail train came to a screeching halt at Howrah Station. Swarms of men, women and children flooded the railway platform. Everywhere the cry of ‘coolie’, ‘coolie’, ‘porter’, ‘porter’ vent the air. All the porters were busy being overwhelmed by the number of passengers. Many passengers waited patiently for the porters to carry their luggage. 

Almost 20 minutes had passed since the arrival of the mail and a gentleman still sitting in the second class compartment was trying in vain to get a coolie. After  sometime, he detrained. He was a Bengali. His manners were perfectly European. He was young. His well-cut grey suit with a matching felt-hat, a Malacca cane and shining shoes made him look like a European. He obviously looked disgusted. After flicking a particle of imaginary dust from his coat, he adjusted his pipe and again shouted for a coolie.

A middle-aged man, clad in dhoti and a kurta with a chaddar wrapped around him, was watching this gentleman from a distance. This man could no longer bear the plight of this traveller. He came to the gentleman and politely said “Sahib, I will carry your luggage. Please show me.” The gentleman asked the ‘coolie, to get the suitcase out of the compartment.

The suitcase was light in weight. The “coolie” was surprised to note that, but picked it up and quietly followed the sahib. The coolie properly placed the suitcase in a  rickshaw and began to leave without asking for the wage.

“Won’t you take your dues?” the sahib shouted.

The man smiled back and replied pleasantly, “I don’t need it.”

The sahib was amazed beyond imagination. He had never met such a porter in his life. Out of sheer curiosity, the sahib asked, “Well, what is your name?”

“Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar” the man replied calmly.

The sahib ran and fell at  Vidyasagar’s feet and said, “O, Vidyasagar, please forgive me. I feel so ashamed that for my sake you had to do such a low work of carrying my luggage.”

Vidyasagar, the great educationist and philanthropist, answered, “No work is low or below my dignity. You were ashamed to carry your own luggage because you thought this to be below your dignity, education and appearance. I carried it for you.” Vidyasagar continued, “Every work has its dignity. There is nothing low or high in work and to be self-reliant is one of the greatest qualities of human beings.”