Think India Foundation

Sales of SUVs zoom in smaller towns, villages

Improved law and order, better incomes, higher farm output in states such as Bihar and UP lead to surge in demand

Mumbai/New Delhi: Increased disposable incomes through the sale of land, higher farm output, smoother roads and an improved law and order situation in states such as Bihar helped drive the sales of utility and multi-utility vehicles in villages and smaller towns in the first 10 months of the current fiscal, according to dealers and executives of auto firms.

Sales of utility vehicles in India rose 13% to 291,333 units from a year ago, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), even as sales of passenger cars contracted 1.19%. Read more

Source : livemint.com

Indian consumers to spend $3.6T by 2020: BCG

The quickly-growing, affluent Generation I, a demographic of Indians who grew up in the 1990s, will be responsible for 26 percent of total spending in the country before 2020, according to findings from a study by Boston Consulting Group.

Le Meridien Chennai

Household income is expected to rise 2.9 times between 2010 and 2020 because of the expansion of the middle class and affluent segments. In fact, overall Indian consumer spend is expected to grow 3.6 times in the next decade, increasing from $991 billion in 2010 to more than $3.6 trillion in 2020. Read more

Source : luxurydaily.com

Addiction drives many to commit crimes: Bangalore top cop

Bangalore : Drugs are hard to resist, particularly in a city like Bangalore where the urban crowd thinks it is ‘cool’ to abuse drugs. Youth group Terapanth Yuvak Parishad held an anti-addiction awareness drive at Surana College. The event, which was attended by commissioner of police, BG Jyothiprakash Mirji, was flagged off at Madhavan Park on Tuesday morning.

Mirji warned students to keep away from addictive substances. “You will end up being trapped. These substances may look more attractive to you and might seem glamorous but you will end up as the prey,” he said. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

What makes pre-marital sex okay with teenagers?

A recent survey held across schools in metropolitan cities and small towns have revealed that teenager students are okay with premarital sex — not just with the idea of it, but a staggering 40 per cent has claimed of having tried it themselves.

In a country like India, where upbringing of children is strictly conventional, such statistics have come as a shocking revelation and experts and social commentators feel parents and school authorities are as much responsible for this as the students themselves. Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.com

Auspicious C-Sections in India? Not really

Caesarean births in Urban India have risen from 7% in 1993 to 17% in 2006, the Economist pointed out in its new article. That sounds about true and probably the C-section births are much more than 17%. The Economist also points out the reasons for this rise as being: Indians’ belief in astrology, rise in mobile phone penetration which makes consulting astrology services easier, technology, and India’s rising income levels.

I disagree with all the reasons given by Economist for the rise in C-Section births. I will get to the real reasons in a bit. Before that let me get something off my chest. Technology and mobile phones are almost a standard template for all things related to India. Read more

Source : asiancorrespondent.com

Fussy eating, junk food take toll on urban children

Bangalore : Is your child getting the right nutrition? .

Over 80% of these mothers worry about their children’s nutritional requirements and believe that fussy eating behaviour impacted their children’s overall performance in school.

“Fussy eating is largely prevalent in the developmental stage. It usually begins sometime in the toddler years when children develop selective eating habits and throw temper tantrums. Fussy eating hampers physical growth—both in terms of height and weight,” said Rehan Khan, managing director, Abbott Nutrition, India. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Senior housing comes of age

Imagine India a decade ahead: there will be more senior citizens in the country given the improved healthcare and decreasing mortality rates. The average life expectancy has gone up from 20 years (1900) to 64 years in recent times. Add to this the low fertility rates and we have the 60+ age group as one of the fastest growing segments of the population. With 100 million senior citizens now, the numbers will shoot up to 177 million in 2025 and this is set to double in 20 years. Given the fast-paced urban lifestyle with few provisions for needs of the elderly, there is an opportunity to provide good living solutions for the senior population by being sensitive to their requirements.

In the West, a wide range of retirement living solutions have been available for over five decades, while in India the need for creating ‘special’ spaces for seniors has had an emotional and psychological barrier. Indians pride themselves on their close-knit family structures and values with parents being integral to the ‘parivar’. Two factors have broken this age old tradition: the mobility of the working population and the nuclear family preference in modern times. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

Rising pollution takes a toll on kids’ health in Jaipur

JAIPUR: Being born in a big city is always considered a privilege given the access to good schooling, exposure to high standards of living, all of which go into making children confident and ready to take on the world. 

However, there's a flip side to it as well. High levels of pollution, increasing peer pressure and binging on fast food are some of the few unpleasant factors associated with a city life. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Footwear industry may grow to 38,500 crore by 2015: Study

NEW DELHI: Domestic footwear industry is expected to touch a size of Rs 38,500 crore by 2015 on the back of growing fashion consciousness driven by increasing income levels, a study has said. 

At present, the footwear sector is estimated at about Rs 22,000 crore, Assocham said in a study. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Naroda moves on... Patiyawalas still stuck

Ahmedabad : A young boy gets down at the last stop of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on the RTO-Naroda route and says, “Where is this Naroda Patiya, the riot spot, actually located?” Nobody knew Naroda Patiya till 2002.

Muslims who survived the biggest post-Godhra massacre are now called Patiyawala, a term they own up with pride. They lost their loved ones but their lives has since seen a sea of change, with the BRTS running right outside their homes and the surrounding development making their own abodes high on the demand list. Read more

Source : .indianexpress.com

Valentine's Day: Fear stalks couples on day of love

BHUBANESWAR/SAMBALPUR/KENDRAPADA: Love is in the air. So is fear. Love-struck couples in Bhubaneswar and other urban areas in Odisha are jittery about celebrating Valentine's Day with their loved ones because of threats from Bajrang Dal supporters that they will inform the parents if they find any couple displaying affection in public. However, this diktat is not applicable to those couples who are decent.

"We do not mind couples going to parks, malls, theatres and gift shops. We will not interfere if they simply sit, chat and eat out," said Bajrang Dal's national convener, Subash Chouhan, adding, "but we will certainly act if couples get too intimate. They cannot kiss or hug in public places. Our activists will beat them up. Actually, the police should take action against such couples but unfortunately we do not see them doing anything." Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Heart disease number one killer in India

GUWAHATI – Heart disease have emerged as the number one killer disease in both urban and rural areas of the country — a team of cardiologists observed this at a press conference organized by Hayat Heart Centre, a unit of Hayat Hospital, Guwahati, recently.

“The largest ever study of deaths shows heart ailments to have replaced communicable diseases as the biggest killer in rural and urban areas. The results are surprising because they indicate a reversal in disease patterns in the country from communicable disease to non-communicable disease or lifestyle disease,” Dr Sasanka Baruah, chief consultant, said. Read more

Source : assamtribune.com

“Cardiovascular diseases a major threat”

CHENNAI : Seventh MDRF-UAB Gold Medal Oration held

U.S. Consul General Jennifer McIntyre presents the 7th MDRF-UAB gold medal to cardiologist K. Srinath Reddy at a function in Chennai on Friday. MDRF president V. Mohan is in the picture. Photo: V. Ganesan

Conscious policy changes can make a radical difference to the health of the population of a country, said K. Srinath Reddy, cardiologist and president, Public Health Foundation of India.

Delivering the seventh MDRF-UAB Gold Medal Oration organised by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation on Friday, Dr. Reddy said cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major development threat to India. According to him, changing habits, sedentary lifestyles and inattention to changing healthcare policies to suit the need of the hour were pushing developing countries to the centre of epidemics such as diabetes and CVDs. In India, CVD is rising in both rural and urban areas. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Malls eating into pie of markets, restaurants

KOLKATA: For a large section of the urban middle and upper middle class population in Kolkata, malls have not only replaced traditional shopping destinations like New Market, they have also eaten into the pie of popular eating out joints in Park Street and Tangra.

More significantly, youths today find malls more comfortable to hang out with friends than Nicco Park, Nalban, lakes at Dhakuria and Beliaghata,Victoria Memorial, the Maidan, Safari Park,Science City and Botanic Garden. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The blessing of two

KOLKATA: More and more parents are realizing the worth of the old slogan 'hum do, hamare do'. The 1970 campaign was meant to stem the population explosion, but it has come around to signify something entirely different four decades later - a break from the nuclear families' self-imposed norm of one child.

For two decades now, with the middle-class 'boom', most urban homes followed a structural and economic pattern - both partners worked and preferred to have a single child. This was a direct follow-up of the disintegration of the joint family, which meant staying away from even in-laws. With jobs to manage and a household to run, these double-income upscale families chose to limit kids to just one. But the pattern is changing now. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

All those love contracts

Love me? Then stop smoking. Don't call your mother so many times. Swear you will lose ten pounds by the end of next year. Make love to me four times a week. Anyone who's been in a relationship is likely to have made one of these requests or some version of them anyway. 

With love: Madhulika's promised to gift her dog-crazy husband Mohit a puppy as soon as possible, despite being a little afraid of dogs herself

One of the assumptions we make when we are in love with someone is that they will do certain things to please us. Read more

Source : dailymail.co.uk

Being young ain’t much fun

Millions of smileys are exchanged over the latest iPhones and BlackBerrys. ‘Likes’ and ‘tweets’ flood social networking sites daily, but Youngistan, it seems, is not a happy place right now.

The Hindustan Times - MaRS Youth Survey 2012 reveals that 62% youngsters in India's cities consider themselves happy, a significant drop from last year’s 74%. The survey, conducted among 7021 urban youngsters in 15 cities, tried to explore the ‘state of mind’ of today’s youth. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Chai cafes woo coffee fans in urban India

NEW DELHI: A first-time visitor to New Delhi might think Indians are addicted to coffee. There are at least 10 coffee shops in Connaught Place, the city's financial and commercial hub, most within sight of each other and doing well.

But if somebody wanted to enjoy a cup of tea at a similar sort of cafe devoted to tea they'd be out of luck, even in the world's second-largest tea producer - and a country where people drink nearly eight times more tea than coffee each year. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Home maintenance goes corporate

A slew of companies are trying to organize the home-focused services sector and bring in professionalism

Chennai : Banking on the growing purchasing power and busy lifestyles of urban, dual-income families, a slew of firms are now offering to help them run their homes, attempting to bring a measure of professionalism to a largely unorganized sector.

A call away: Prerna Bhutani,CEO of One Call India, interacting with her staff at her office in Tidel Park, Taramani, Chennai. By Sharp Image

While there’s no dearth of cook’s cousins or aunt’s office assistants who will repair a ceiling fan, wash the car and even fix software bugs, entrepreneurs are now seeing an opportunity to step in with streamlined services for affluent professionals who want to avoid the uncertainties of the informal ecosystem. Read more

Source : livemint.com

Young and at risk

Detecting breast cancer in the young is difficult and that's bad news for India's under-35 patients.

It wasn't just Venezuela that mourned the death of Eva Ekvall on December 17 last year. The former Miss Venezuela was just 28 when breast cancer claimed her life, iterating to millions of women the risk the disease poses even to those below 35. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Younger generation more prone to cancer now’

Ahmedabad : Due to rapid changes in our lifestyle doctors in the city have observed an alarming and disturbing rise in the number of cancer affected patients, especially among the younger generation. On World Cancer Day, a reading of the statistics will verify the doctors' claim.

Says Dr Bhavesh Parekh, assistant professor at the Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI): "While males are affected with head, neck and oral cancers, females are affected by cervical and breast. Besides obesity, hypertension and diabetes, stress has emerged as the causative reason for it in the younger lot", Dr Parekh said. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Accent on preventing cancers that are induced by risky lifestyle

COIMBATORE : Call to avoid fast food and instead eat a lot of natural fruits and vegetables

February 4, observed as World Cancer Day, will see yet another attempt by cancer hospitals in the city to drive home the message of prevention and early detection. As in the previous years, this year too will see the medical fraternity making a fervent appeal against the use of tobacco in any form and against a lifestyle that makes the young and the old, including the women in the urban areas, more vulnerable to cancer. The focus is on prevention of cancers caused by lifestyle and early detection of those caused by genetic factors. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Good living needs good housekeeping

India has a dynamic and rapidly evolving real estate industry catering to the housing needs of a growing urban population. The choices available to buyers today range from plotted developments to apartments to group housing complexes.

An increasing number of real estate developers have graduated from selling not just a home, but one with a lifestyle attached. Most projects are marketed that way, and most home buyers are attracted to the spin. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

Awareness key to beating breast cancer

In India, almost 80 percent of breast cancer patients are in an advanced stage when they come to a hospital, say doctors.

(Awareness key to beating breast cancer (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images))

Among the prime factors fuelling the disease in the country, especially among urban women, are fast-paced lives and delayed reproductive activity, they add. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Is India finally waking up to mental illness?

Ignorance, stigma and lack of doctors have long marred mental healthcare in India. But with stressful lifestyles and ever increasing cases of depression, this much neglected segment is now gaining importance in the country's medical scenario.  

Is India finally waking up to mental illness? (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

According to an estimate by the World Health Organisation (WHO), depression will become the second largest illness in terms of morbidity in another decade. It already affects one out of every five women and one in every 12 men. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India witnessing a shift towards lifestyle diseases like diabetes, obesity

Luis Cantarell, president and CEO of Nestlé Health Science South Africa concluded his short but intense visit in India yesterday. He reviewed and discussed plans for expansion into nutritional solutions for people with specific dietary needs not met through normal diets. These included dietary needs related to illnesses, disease states or the specific challenges of different life stages. He also met leading medical practitioners to better understand the health care needs in India.

Commenting on the potential for specialised nutritional products in India Luis Cantarell said, “Nestlé Health Sciences was created as a separate company to lead the development of a new industry between food and pharma not only to nourish the people who may be recovering from sickness but also products that focus on disease prevention. We believe that there is a significant existing need as well as an emerging need in India where we will play a major role with our expertise in food and science of nutrition. It is acknowledged that in India there is a significant shift towards lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity especially in the urban areas, and to explore better health care solutions for this, Nestlé India has already signed an MOU with the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation [N-Doc]." Read more

Source : fnbnews.com

Developers plan app invasion

Mumbai : A report by Deloitte and ASSOCHAM has projected the mobile value-added services market (which includes mobile apps) to reach Rs 214.1 crore by the end of 2012 from Rs 158.6 crore in 2011. Mobile app developers in India are relying on the steady rise in handset penetration to whet the appetite for apps (applications) among youngsters.

Mobilewalla, the mobile analyst firm, says in 2012 there will be a mobile app explosion, due to the higher proliferation of smartphones and tablets. Developers from tier-I and -II cities across the country are flooding app stores with apps that act as transport fare checkers and even tell you how to wear a sari. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Caution! Walking with headphones could kill

New Delhi : Shutting yourself from the outside world by plugging in earphones and listening to music while walking on the streets might help kill stress. But it can also kill you if one is to go by the recent accidents involving ''distracted pedestrians''.

Sixteen-year-old Kaushlendra Pal, a Delhi student, was crushed to death by a speeding train Saturday afternoon as he failed to hear the sound of an approaching train since he was listening to music on headphones in Ghaziabad. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

Starbucks to enter India, targets 50 outlets by year-end

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp will open its first coffee shops in India in August or September, a year later than originally planned, and aims to have 50 outlets by year-end through a tie-up with the Tata group, the country's biggest business house.

Culver, president, Starbucks China and Asia Pacific attends a news conference in Mumbai (DANISH SIDDIQUI, REUTERS / January 30, 2012)

The Seattle-based chain, known as much for the trendy urban lifestyle it represents as its costly cups of coffee, enters a market with a fast-growing middle class and plenty of competition in the small but fast-growing coffee segment. Read more

Source : chicagotribune.com

Why drinking benefits Europeans, not Indians

Are the health benefits of alcohol overrated? In the latest advisory on spirits, the UK House of Commons has requested the British to keep away from alcohol for at least two days a week. The lawmakers reason the body needs a break twice a week to repair the liver. This is a climbdown from earlier guidelines to drink moderately every day. 

A World Health Organization survey a few years back showed that spirits made up for 88% of what Indians regularly drink, while beer only had a 10% share and wine was barely 2%.

In the country's various watering holes, it's difficult to miss the flurry of advice: have beer to flush out kidney stones, wine to cut down risk of heart attack. Some even claim that diabetes can be kept at bay with a regular drink. But doctors say such claims cannot be given a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Read more 

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

78% of urban youth intake dietary supplement: Assocham survey

Bangalore: Due to easy availability of supplements, about 78 per cent of adolescents in urban areas of India consume at least one dietary supplement such as pills, energy drinks, steroids and high-protein, says a survey by industry body Assocham. 

"The statistics are shocking, as many children are becoming overly involved and obsessed by a wide variety of substances that promise to boost energy, appearance, performance, improved immunity and overall health even if it shortened their lives," it said in a statement. Read more

Source : financialexpress.com

Murder tales: Families turning dysfunctional?

Bedrooms have become dangerous arenas, of war, not love across urban India. 

The apex court will be looking into pillow covers and bed sheets. What is happening? asked Justice A.K. Ganguly, on January 6, while hearing an appeal from Arushi's parents, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar. He refused to examine bed linen, a piece of evidence in the murder of the teenager at the Talwars' Noida home in May 2008. His verdict was clear: the Arushi Talwar murder trial would begin on February 4 at a Ghaziabad court. The Talwars, who had been using the legal process to delay trial, had finally run out of options. Accused of killing their teenage daughter and the domestic help, they now face criminal proceedings to prove their innocence beyond all doubt. A lot more than bloodstained linen will now be under judicial scrutiny.

Across urban India, bedrooms have become dangerous arenas, of war, not love. The enemy is within, waiting to strike. In Bangalore, Kumar, a 27-year-old garment worker, hit his pregnant wife in a fit of anger for demanding new clothes on New Year. The blow killed her on January 4. In Delhi, Gaurav Arora, 22, shot his two teenage cousins on January 2, because they inherited a much larger share of ancestral property than him. In Chennai on January 7, a 56-year-old employee of a private company, Muthu Palaniappan, killed his wife with a crowbar for fighting neighbours over TV noise. He told them later: "I have solved the issue." Read more

Source : news.in.msn.com

Poser from Norway: Do Indians make bad parents?

The case of the official abduction of two Indian children from their parents in Norway – allegedly for poor parenting skills – and placement with foster care is indicative of the wide gulf in cultural perceptions between us and them on what is right or wrong in a given situation.

While one TV channel is running a shrill campaign on the theme of Norwegian cruelty which has forcibly separated two kids from their natural guardians – it is obviously playing to the domestic public opinion gallery – the more important issues are barely being discussed. Read more

Source : firstpost.com

Indians may be getting fat, but think of getting fitter: survey

India’s urban population may be rapidly gaining weight as lifestyle changes take hold, altering dietary habits, but most people seem to have the right idea about what constitutes healthy living.

That’s the finding of a Nielsen survey that a dietician describes as a result of rationalization by and a reflection of intent among the people surveyed. Read more

Source : livemint.com

The case of the growing one per cent Indians

Mumbai : Households with an annual income of Rs 12.5 lakh increasing rapidly.

Bhashar Seetharam and Varsha Das are a double-income-no-kids couple residing in Mumbai. The 29-year-old Seetharam is a consultant with a company, while 26-year-old Das is a public relations executive. Together, they bring home Rs 18 lakh in household income per year, which is Rs 1.5 lakh a month. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Live-in relationships still a taboo

Bollywood may have glamourised live-in relationships with Wake up Sid and Saalam Naamaste, and the apex court may have pronounced them "legal" nearly four years ago,but the fact that they are still not socially acceptable struck this week when city judge Surinder S.Rathi declared such relationships to be "immoral" and an "infamous product of Western culture". Living-in is just a fad,he said,visible only in urban areas.

Delhi-based Smita and Sumit faced many odds when they decided to move in together

He made these remarks after sentencing an Indian woman for killing her Nigerian live-in partner, arousing the ire of those who hoped that our society was finally getting over some of its bigoted and moralistic ideas. Read more

Source : indiatoday.intoday.in

New-age moms struggle to breast feed

Dr Smita Dashora, 36, was back to work just five weeks after she delivered a girl in November 2011. She runs an antenatal clinic at Jaipur’s Santokhba Durlabji Memorial Hospital (SDMH) where she offers holistic care to pregnant women. Being a gynaecologist, Dashora knows that a new mother needs to be at home for at least six months to ensure that the baby is exclusively breastfed. But under immense pressure to return to work, she admits that she “couldn’t practice what I preach.” When Dashora had had her first child six years earlier she had managed to take off for the full six months, but since then work pressures have mounted. “This time around, I couldn’t enjoy that luxury since I had a lot of patients counting on me,” she reveals.

Dr Smita Dashora with her daughter Shinjini. Courtesy: Smita Dashora.

For a new mother, Dashora has a tough daily grind. After taking care of the morning chores at home, she rushes off to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) dispensary where she sits from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Then she is off to SDMH. At around 2 p.m., she goes back to the RBI dispensary for an hour and she also has patients waiting for her at her home clinic between 5.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. Read more

Source : nagalandpost.com

Diet snacks market growing meatier

India is poised to be amongst one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Thanks to the rising income and booming economy, higher incomes are expected to drive shifts in the dietary patterns from basic subsistence foods to more value-added food categories like health & wellness products. 

India, the next big market
India’s population, second-highest in the world, is expected to reach 1.3 billion by 2015. Population of under -29s is projected to reach a staggering 56% by 2015. With more than half of the population young and single, shopping as a form of entertainment is bound to be redefined. Higher consumer spending will be witnessed across processed food, eating out, leisure, and health and fitness sectors. Read more

Source : fnbnews.com

Social media burnout visible among urban Indian youth: Survey

Youngsters in urban India have started experiencing social media fatigue, logging on less frequently to social networks like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Orkut, Linkedin, Myspace, Friendster, Hi5 and BigAdda than when they initially signed up, according to a survey. 

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) conducted the survey under the aegis of the Assocham Social Development Foundation to examine current usage trends among youngsters vis-à-vis social networks and the time spent on these websites. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

How consumer expectations will change water purifiers in future

Mumbai : Home water purifiers are witnessing strong growth in India. And the reason is simple — even today, 400 million people don’t have access to safe drinking water in India. That’s almost 100 million households. According to the 11th Five-Year Plan report, there are about 2.17 lakh quality-affected habitations in the country, and about 66 million people are at risk due to excess fluoride in 200 districts of 17 states.

With rising awareness about waterborne diseases and the associated health and economic burden, it is no surprise that this industry has been witnessing a strong double digit growth for the last few years. It will continue to grow at similar pace for the next few years. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Catch ’em young to check obesity: Docs

Expressing concern over the increasing number of people suffering from obesity, experts in the city say that 55 million people in India are obese and Chennai contributes a large chunk.

“Obesity is a disease and there are so many reasons behind obesity, like metabolic disorder, genetic problems, excessive inactivity and consumption of excess calories,” doctors observe, adding that obesity is also linked to a number of diseases like diabetes and heart ailments. Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.com

‘Heart disease to affect 65m Indians by ’15’

Mumbai : A recent paper published in the British Heart Journal has made a startling revelation that coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common non-infectious disease in India, and is likely to affect over 65 million Indians by 2015.

The data has highlighted the need to develop a system of care for heart attacks in India. According to the recent data, the prevalence of CAD and myocardial infraction is on rise in the country. Read more

Source : asianage.com

More children in rural areas preferring pvt schools: report

Enrolling in private schools is no more confined to urban centres alone as an education report, released on Monday, says increasing number of children in rural areas are also preferring the private ones.

Though the report did not specify any reason for this, it says enrolment between 6 and 14 age group in private schools rose from 18.7 per cent in 2006 to 25.6 per cent in 2011 in all states except Bihar. Read more

Source : english.samaylive.com

Senior, single...

...and ready to mingle. Where do the mature look for partners?

In a personal column of The New York Review of Books this Christmas, a Los Angeles woman posted an ad. “Formerly pretty, formerly slender, 69 years, retired, out of shape, overweight, never married, terrified of commitment, blue-eyed, grey-and-brown haired independent woman seeks independent man,” it said, before adding: “I’d ask for fit and handsome but let’s be real.”

Solo act:Salman Rushdie, 64

Scores of men wrote to the author begging for a date.

No one has posted such a message in a personal column in a city publication, but many must be wishing there was such a space. The city’s seniors could do well with a place where they could meet potential partners. Just to date perhaps. Read more

Source : telegraphindia.com

Indian Mobile Phone App Aims to Thwart Sexual Assaults

In India's burgeoning economy, more and more women are going to work in offices - exposing them to what can sometimes be dangerous urban conditions. Now, a new technological initiative aims to protect women against sexual assault.

A recently launched mobile phone application in India called 'Fight Back' aims to protect women against sexual assault as more women in nation's growing economy join the work force in urban areas.

Cheena Sikka is typical of the modern, professional Indian woman. She works hard. She works late. Read more

Source : voanews.com

Phokhungri area students asked to conserve Pochury land

DIMAPUR : The 8th general conference of Phokhungri Area College Students Union (PACSU) was held at Sütsü village of Phek district from January 6-8 on the theme “Elevating the status” with Neihu C. Thur, IAS, secretary to the government of Nagaland, urban development as the chief guest.

Thur reminded the students that the Pochury land covered 50% of Phek district and asked them to protect, care, conserve and preserve their land environmentally and ecologically. Read more

Source : nagalandpost.com

Ideal parenting? Many celebrities get it right

New Delhi: He earns by the minute, yet superstar Shah Rukh Khan never compromises on quality time with his kids. Be it a bicycle ride or a game of soccer, he, like several celebrity parents these days, is always matching steps with his children - a quality others could imbibe, feel experts.

 

 

A considerable number of urban Indian kids are getting easily swayed by the lure of the Playstation, laptops, movies, internet, social networking and bowling alleys. But in the urge to spend more time with friends and technology, that crucial dialogue with parents is getting lost.

And that`s not good. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Olive, canola oil can prevent chronic diseases

New Delhi : Expensive remedy

Using expensive olive and canola cooking oil can save Indians from many life-threatening and chronic diseases including liver cirrhosis, heart attack and diabetes, a new study has found.

Carried out on 90 healthy, non-alcoholic males who were divided into three groups, the study clearly showed how change of one dietary component had multiple health-benefits for obese and over-weight people, who did not change their lifestyle at all during the course of the trial. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

Unhealthy snacking

A recent study has yet again put Delhi kids in the news, and for wrong reasons. They rank the highest in the country among those in other metro cities, when it comes to unhealthy snacking, says the study organised by Knorr soups and conducted by the research agency AC Nielson.

As part of the study, nutritionists from the research agency studied eating habits of children from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru and interviewed 1000 working women and housewives in the age group of 26-40. About 33 per cent of kids in Delhi have snacks almost every single day of the week, the study says. Interestingly, these snacking habits are the primary worries of mothers in these cities. Compared to last year's study results, 6 per cent more mothers are concerned about what their children eat. Read more

Source : wonderwoman.intoday.in

Testa Rossa opens in Hyderabad

The luxury cafe chain, Testa Rossa, marked its presence in India by launching its outlet in Hyderabad at Road No 3 Banjara Hills. Testa Rossa brings to India its unique Italian lifestyle cafe exuberating ultimate luxury, exceptional quality products, impeccable services and elegant design. The café promises to offers an ultimate coffee experience combined with a picture perfect ambience to relax and chill out with friends or family. 

B Jagannath Rao, Managing Director R.A.M. Gourmet Pvt. Ltd said, "We are bringing Testa Rossa to India with a clear objective of creating awareness about high-end specialty Italian coffee. The coffee culture has moved into India with the opening of more and more coffee shops. The Indian consumers are becoming more conscious about quality offering. We want to reach out to the urban and cosmopolitan coffee lover who is looking for a qualitative soul filling experience." Read more

Source : news.franchiseindia.com