Author: Karina Pandya

What are the health benefits? What are the various kinds of chocolates that are available? Whether, you’re angry, or you’re sad- tired or stressed out there is one simple cure which is sure to last! CHOCOLATE- the worldwide mood elevator!!! Having been in existence since the past 3000 years, chocolate has a huge history of its development. With varieties available such dark chocolate, white chocolate, bittersweet chocolate to unsweetened chocolate- chocolate comes in various forms. A very popular form, being cocoa powder is used in beverages, and drunk as a warm beverage on a chilly evening or when huddled by…

Women belong to the reasonable half of what humankind calls “mankind.” A constantly brewing discussion has unrevealed a debate much hard to ignore. Can equality ever exist between the two sexes? Caste as women, by Vrinda Nabar brings out the portrayal women have faced region across region, religion across religion and time across mankind. Is it easy to be a woman or is it not? Have fragmented or plausible institutions we “people “have created the reason for this gender injustice prevalent in our society? Women, have perhaps faced this battle of in-equality since their birth, and the society has done…

The symbol of fertility and new life- the egg is a popular form of food eaten by and large across the globe. Scrambled eggs, egg rolls, boiled eggs, to egg salad; eggs may be eaten in various forms; added to various dishes and drunk in many forms like eggnog on Christmas.  In fact, eggs are a common association on Easter’s day when they are painted in bright colours to symbolize the sunlight of spring. The egg whites contain almost all the protein and no fat, whereas the egg yolk contains almost all the fat and cholesterol and less protein. An…

Reality and illusions are easy to see in our day to lives, but with the advent of the film the two have merged and in today’s times films can depict many simultaneous action sequences taking place at different locations.  Playing with merely light, camera and distance three elements of time, space and reality can be manipulated to give you what is called the film. The book, Film as Art by Rudolf Arnheim talks just about this nature of film. Film has stemmed from a mere replication of reality to that combining illusion with reality. Arnheim has captured the true essence…

Snapshots of life in Pakistan can be seen throughout this book, in this collection of thirteen short stories, written by popular Pakistani writers in the book, “Do you suppose it’s the East Wind?” which was initially written in Urdu. It was edited and translated into English by Muhammad Umar Memon. The writing is parallel to the emotions held by Muslims during the time before and after Partition. Poignant stories, by Pakistani writers; Abdullah Hussein, Altaf Fatima, Ghulam Abbas, Jameela Hashmi, Abul Fazl Siddiqi, Ikramullah, Fahmida Riaz, Hasan Manzar, Asad Muhammad Khan, Ashfaq Ahmad, Javed Shahin and Tasadduq Sohail have been…

Be it the Western lines, Harbour lines or the Central lines, there is no escape from illness.  Mulund, one of the central lines areas in Mumbai faces an acute battle of malaria and the viral fever which is being mistaken as the deadly swine flu. Swine flu has already gripped the entire world in a state of panic, fear and apprehension. Having visited Mulund ESIC or Kamgar hospital which is a government run hospital, there were a number of people wearing masks over their mouth. This hospital caters to around 500 out-patients, 200 indoor patients and 40 patients in casualty…

Scarcity of space has been a top issue in Mumbai, wherein the city intends to grow and expand vertically to compete with other leading cities in the world. Considering that there is no space for expansion horizontally, Mumbai fails to acknowledge that it already has a task at hand already of dealing with implementation of much awaited town planning scheme: the road widening scheme.   In the heart of Colaba market, many illegal shops continue to exist, narrowing the road space without paying any taxes to the government. Not only does this create many inconveniences for the locals living in…

One of the most common ways by which people purchase various products or services in today’s times, the usage of debit cards is increasingly becoming a popular mode of payment in the country. With two major service providers in the country; VISA and MasterCard it is easier to keep an account of the different payments that are made as they are recorded with each swipe or withdrawal from the bank. Whether it is paying for a meal when going out to a resteraunt for lunch or dinner or paying for different clothes or shoes when out shopping there are many…

Good Looks have always held an important place in society-even in Ancient times.  Tribal folk- Kayan, (also commonly known as Padaung) who lived in the Border Mountains between Burma and Thailand had a unique way of expressing beauty. Commonly known as The Giraffe Neck, this traditional practice was a way of creating a picture of an elongated neck. The practice of wearing Neck Rings started as early as the age of five years old. It has unknown roots, yet was believed to be a sign of tribal identity. These single brass coils were placed around the neck, with a belief…

Beauty rituals have long been an essential part of a woman’s lifestyle. We take a trip back in time and unearth some of the most praised and peculiar beauty rituals of the ancient world. Despite the obvious differences between ancient times and our modern day, at least one thing still remains the same: a fascination with improving our appearance. Vitamins, botanicals, aromatherapy, lipsticks and an array of beauty products – all tried and tested in the quest for beauty – are nothing new. An Egyptian ritual, which can still be found in spas around the world, is wrapping the body…