Friday, October 30, 2015

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Why is diwali celebrated

Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated with traditional fervour across the country with people exchanging sweets and gifts with friends and relatives, decking up their houses with earthen diyas and tiny lights and illuminating the evening sky with fireworks. Children and youths burst crackers and lit sparklers while families, dressed up in their best outfits, visited their neighbours, exchanged 'Happy Diwali' greetings and sweets.

People also took the route of SMS and social networking websites to wish each other. Diwali is celebrated to mark the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya from his exile after vanquishing demon-king Ravana. In the national capital, people decorated their homes and shops with colourful 'rangolis' and flowers and lit diyas. People also celebrated Diwali in other parts of the country with traditional fervour and gaiety. Devotees thronged temples and offered prayers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people on the occasion saying, "Lets share happiness and joy during this festive season. Share Diwali e-greetings with your family and friends." Modi today visited Jammu and Kashmir and spent some time with soldiers posted on the heights of Siachen Glacier to send the message that all Indians stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. He also greeted President Pranab Mukherjee from the icy heights on the occasion. Modi then travelled to Srinagar to meet the flood victims in Jammu and Kashmir. In the wake of repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC, there was no exchange of sweets this time between BSF personnel and Pakistan Rangers unlike previous years.

"In the light of present scenario with Pakistan, this time India has decided not to offer sweets to Pakistan on Diwali," BSF IG, Punjab Frontier, Ashok Kumar said. During Eid festival too, no exchange of sweets took place for similar reasons. Police and fire personnel were on their toes to meet any exigencies.

Diwali fever caught up the Bollywood with celebrities including Anupam Kher, Raveena Tandon who called on their fans to remember the Kashmir flood victims on the auspicious occasion. With the environmentalists and government emphasising on celebrating a crackers-free Diwali, some celebrities urged their fans to have fireworks free Diwali. In West Bengal, people celebrated Kali puja and Diwali, with fun and frolic.

Large crowd of devotees thronged Kali temples, including the famous ones at Kalighat, Dakshineswar and Tarapith, since early morning. People in large numbers were also seen visiting Kali puja pandals, illuminated with dazzling lights in the evening. In Amritsar in Punjab, there was a large rush of devotees at the Golden Temple. They took a dip in the 'sarowar' (holy tank) and offered prayers at the Golden temple, the sanctum sanctorum, which was brightly illuminated with lights and the traditional 'diyas'.

By any standard, Diwali is the biggest festival in the Indian calendar. The festivities comprise ceremonial bathing, puja, family get-togethers and, of course, illuminations. The custom of aesthetically appealing illuminations on this day dates back to many millennia when the jubilant citizens of Ayodhya welcomed Lord Rama back to their city after His exile.

The Ramayana describes how when Lord Rama was exiled due to the misdirected intrigues of his stepmother Kaikayi, Ayodhya became almost like a ghost city. All its citizens were plunged into an ocean of sorrow and separation for 14 long years. When Lord Rama finally returned, their heart’s innermost longing was at last fulfilled. They spontaneously celebrated this joyful reunion with divine love by illuminating their houses.

This legend of Rama’s return has endured maybe because it has immense relevance to our lives. Lord Rama is the Lord of our heart, the supreme object of love and devotion for us. Due to misconceptions, we too have exiled the Lord from our hearts. Just as Ayodhya became a ghost town when Lord Rama departed, our hearts have become full with negative feelings such as anxiety, loneliness, stress, prejudice, envy, anger and hatred. And, like the citizens of Ayodhya, our lives too have become empty and joyless.

Historically speaking, the real import of Diwali is not the lighting of lamps, but the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya. So our celebration of Diwali will remain incomplete if we continue to restrict ourselves to lighting lamps. How can we welcome the Lord back into our hearts? Lord Rama himself answers this question in the Ramayana, telling us what to do. By cultivating knowledge, gained from the study of our sacred scriptures, about the Lord and His love for us, and reviving our dormant love for Him by chanting His holy names, we can invite Him back into our hearts. Therefore, while lighting the earthen lamps this Diwali, let us also light our hearts with divine wisdom and love. Today is Diwali.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

South Indians have a special way to celebrate Navaratri golu kolu

It is all about dolls




South Indians have a special way to celebrate Navaratri
Navaratri has many forms across the country. In South India, it's called Bommla Koluvu (Andhra Pradesh) and Navarathri (Tamil Nadu and Kerala). South Indian families set up the golu kolu in their homes and temples are decorated with the dolls. “Kolu is the artistic display of dolls by women during Navarathri. The dolls represent the durbar or assembly of Goddess Durga,“ explains Worli-based Chithra Sridhar.
Known as the Golu Padi, it is a unique creation of nine steps filled with statues of various gods and goddesses. Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman, Lakshmi and Saraswathi rate the highest. The Dasavatharam set of dolls is the most commonly exhibited.
While the South also organizes associations which award the best kolus decorated in the locality, Mumbai has a smaller scale celebration. “During kolu, the entire neighborhood, friends and relatives gather in a house and sing bhajans dedicated to Goddess Durga.Children get dressed in look-alikes of God, as Radha and Krishna and have fun,“ says Dadar-based MM Rao, who celebrates the festival every year.
Of course, Sundal is made each day as are special sweets for the season. Fi nally, on the ninth day, the dolls are made to sleep. This is also the day when the Sarawathi Puja or the Ayutha Puja takes place. On the tenth day, Vijayadashami, the dolls are taken out from the steps and carefully put away.
You think it's time to search for a South Indian friend if you don't have one already?






YOU COULD BANK ON THE FESTIVE PERIOD TO INVEST SMARTLY

THE FESTIVE SEASON IS HERE...



YOU COULD BANK ON THE FESTIVE PERIOD TO INVEST SMARTLY AND NOT GET CARRIED AWAY BY FREEBIES AND DISCOUNTS THAT COME YOUR WAY 
 
THE FESTIVE season ushers in a period of smart property deals for the ambitious investors. Mumbai's property market requires large capital involvement while investing in properties; therefore, correct analysis and appropriate due diligence become even more important. It is important to maintain the correct balance between offers, discounts and choices while investing in Mumbai's property market.
Gaurav Shah, director, sales and marketing, Ravi Group says, “The dynamics of Indian real estate market reaches its apex during this time of the year as the nation prepares for the festive season. The season commences with Ganesh Cha truthi followed by Navratri, Durga Puja and Dussehra and reaches its peak around the festival of lights, Diwali. Buyer should always look for meaningful festive offers that help them realise their real estate dreams and also ensure that they are benefiting from the offer. The purpose of buying during the festive season is to benefit from the offer, so the motto of the consumers should be to buy the desired property at the lowest possible price.“

Experts point out that during the festive season, realty companies launch new projects an also promote their existing projects by offering significant discounts, gifts and other free bies. Buyers should keep a track of projects that are coming up, status of the project, one's budget and then, based on the shortlisted projects, look for discounts offered during the festive period.
“While offers and discounts are available, a customer has to personally like the property and not get lured with the attractive pricing or freebies associated with it. Once the customer has shortlisted twothree properties, he has to arrive at the best price after comparing the discounts the net result being what is the gross outflow divided by the number of sq ft of the carpet area,“ feels, Harjith D Bubber, MD and CEO, Rivali Park, CCI Projects. 

INVEST SMARTLY IN MUMBAI'S REALTY MARKET DURING THIS FESTIVE SEASON
Experts suggest that all developers want to make the most of the festive season and of the prevailing market senti ment during festi vals and auspicious dates.
Consumers must research thoroughly; Analyse one's financial predicament; Determine on a deal that is most lucrative for the family; Search for banks that come out with enticing offers during the festive seasons; A pre-approved home loan could help the buyer secure one's dream property at the right time with maximum possible benefits.
Prabhat Ranjan, CMD, Olympeo Infrastructure Pvt Ltd suggests, “At present, the realty market is a buyer's market. The festive season could be more effectively utilised by the smart investors in negotiating with developers to invest in properties that are meeting their investment objective. Smart buyers could match their invest ment horizon, quantum of investment, the type of properties with varied options that are available currently at very attractive valuations. They could even make informal groups with friends and relatives and look for bulk deals, approach the marketers or developers and avail the best discounts.“
Realty experts believe that with major involvement activities in the realty sector happening around the festivals, there are several smart ways to chalk out the perfect dream house investment. With freebies like gold coins, club memberships, cars, holiday trips, etc, being in vogue for the realty sector, it is important to instead exchange them with a furnished house, a modular kitchen, early possession that will be beneficial to them in a broader spectrum. 

POINTS TO NOTE FOR INVESTORS
“While buying a property in Mumbai during the festive season, it is very important for the buyers to carry out hisher research before making any investment. It is very important to have detailed infor mation about builders' track record. The price point should be taken care of with respect to the other projects and offerings. Finding out the appropriate deal and the best that can be acquired as per the budget and needs is one of the most important factors while buying a property during the festive season,“ opines Chintan Sheth, director, Sheth Corp.
The residential market, especially around Mumbai, in Neral and Karjat, currently offers some excellent options for serious home-buyers and the festival period could be the best time to make the buying decision. Experts emphasise on the following points while investing during the festive period: Home-buyers should identify their requirements based on the end use. Scout for high growth, upcoming localities in suburban areas, which offer excellent connectivity to the main city; Investors should also ensure the liveability index of projects.Liveability index should measure the quality of social infrastructure around them such as school, retail outlets, healthcare facilities and playgrounds within and around the project; A property buying decision should be made on factors such as price, location, developer credibility only and promotional offers should be considered as inducements to make an early decision; One can scout for bulk buying groups, which will help them avail huge benefits on selected properties.
Detailed due-diligence of project approvals, title of the land, construction status at the site, loan sanction by major banks and hidden charges verification, are very important steps while investing during the festive period. Such due diligence will help in early possession and save on rents and unnecessary interests.









Places where Ravana is worshiped

Places where Ravana is worshiped 
some unknown facts about ravana
 


Ravana, the demon god, may be considered a symbol of evil, where his effigy is burnt on Dussehra year-onyear to indicate the victory of good over evil.However, he is also been described as a follower of Shiva, a great scholar, a capable ruler and a maestro of the veena in the holy books.His arrogance and desire to overpower devas made him a flawed hero. However there are a few communities and places where the demon king is worshipped. These are...KANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH
Hundreds of Ravan worshippers throng every year during Dussehera to the 140-year old Dashanan Temple at Kanpur. The temple is dedicated to Ravana and is opened once every year on the occasion of Dussehra. It is believed that Ravana was a follower of Lord Shiva, thus the temple is built adjacent to Lord Shiva's temple in Shivala area of the city. Every year, the statue of Ravana is first washed with milk and garlanded before the traditional aarti.

VIDISHA, MANDSAUR, RATLAM AND INDORE DISTRICTS IN MADHYA PRADESH
In Mandsaur, Ravana is hailed as a son-in-law by Namdeo Vaishnav Samaj, a sect which believes that Ravana's wife Mandodari belonged to their place. In some places of Vidisha, Ratlam and Indore districts, the effigy of the 10-headed demon king is welcomed, and not burnt. So much so, a village in Vidisha district is even called Ravangram. Earlier, Ravana was worshipped during marriages, but for the last few years, the village have started worshipping him on Dussehra as well.

BISRAKH, A VILLAGE IN GREATER NOIDA
It is believed that Ravana spent his childhood in this village, just 30km from the national capital, which was founded by sage Vishrava, who also built a Shiva temple nearby.

AMRAVATI, NAGPUR
Villages of the tribal-dominated areas of Melghat (Amravati district) and Dhanora (Gadchiroli district) worship the demon king Ravana and his son Meghnad during Dusshera. And the tradition has been followed for generations of the Korku and Gond tribes. During the festival of Phagun, at the time of Holi, the Korku tribals perform the puja of Meghnad.

Selfie contest and causes also mark this year's Ramlilas




Education, women empowerment and even an all-kids' Ramlila ­ these are some highlights of the different adaptations of the Ramayana being staged around the country
With Dussehra just round the corner, Ramlila groups are gearing up to put their best foot forward. Some have decided to add a bit of a tadka to their plays to bring in the numbers. From highlighting causes to roping in only child artistes, there are a lot of firsts at the Ramlilas this year.
 RAVAN TO TAKE UP A CAUSE
The organizers of the Shree Ramlila Samiti, one of the oldest Ramlila in Lucknow, has decided to design the model of demon king Ravana to raise their voice against cow slaughter in India. The 123-feet tall effigy will be draped in garments that feature slogans in support of the cause.Additionally , in order to create a better audiovisual impact, they are making use of LED screens and digital lights on stage. “The idea is to create a movie theatre experience for our audience. One can see the mixture of real as well as virtual world in our Ramlila,“ says Bhaskar Bose, the director of the play , which has 70 actors coming from Kolkata to enact the play this time, like in the past.

JUST KIDDING AROUND HERE
At the age of 9, when most of her friends are enjoying watching Ramlila as an audience, Jaya is busy playing the character of Sita on stage.The 47th Ramlila of Shri Shishu Bal Ramlila Samiti will have only kids below 18 enacting characters from the Ramayana. The oldest actor, Shahsank Bharti, playing the character of Lakshman, is 18 years old and pursuing Hotel Management. Ashish Tandon, a committee member, tells us, “This is the first time we have involved children in our Ramlila. The idea is to familiarize the younger generation with age old traditions. We want to encourage children who are keen on acting to participate in the Ramlila.“

AN ALL-GIRLS RAMLILA
Another Ramlila group will have only girls participating in it for the first time. The youngest participant, all of two, is playing the role of young Lord Ram, whereas the eldest is 14 years old. KN Chandola, organiser of the Ramlila, informs, “Girls are relatively more attached to their traditions, therefore I encouraged them to take part in the Ramlila. Our other motive is also to promote the cause of women empowerment.“

A SELFIE TO SPREAD AWARENESS
Holding their 60th Ramlila this year, the Shri Trilokeshwar Nath Mandir and Ramlila Samiti has decided to organise a `Selfie with Book' competiton on their Facebook page.Ramesh Kumar Lodhi, secretary of the Samiti, explains the concept, “Every year, we normally organise a drawing competition for children of classes I to XII, but since this is our 60th Ramlila, we wanted to do something different. Hence, the selfie competition where anyone can click a picture of theirs with a book. He further adds, “We chose a `Selfie with Book' theme because it is a medium to spread education in society .“

A MALE SITA!
At the Ramlila Samiti and Nitya Parishad, the role of Sita is being played by a boy. In fact, it's mostly the boys who play all the key characters, including the female ones. Without wanting to disclose his name, the 17-year-old boy who is playing the role of Sita, tells us, “I have been playing the role for the past five years and now it does not feel awkward any more. Since the girls of our colony are not allowed to participate in the Ramlila, this leaves us with no option but to enact the part of women characters also.“





DUSSEHRA GOES GLOBAL



Thousands of people of various faiths from across Manchester gathered at the city centre to celebrate the festivals of Dussehra and Diwali on weekend, a British media report said. Over 8,000 people from across northwest England came together at Albert Square to enjoy art, dance, food, music and spectacular display of fireworks during the 10th annual Dussehra Diwali Mela organised by the Indian Association Manchester and Manchester Council, the Manchester Evening News reported on Sunday .
The day began with live performances by singers Sheeba Khan and Shubhra and British Asian Bhangra band Shin DCS. Visitors were treated to arts and crafts workshops, as well as stalls selling Indian food, clothes, jewellery and accessories. At dusk, there was a lantern procession as part of the Diwali celebrations. “The event brings people together from every community in Greater Manchester. The event is also fantastic artistically and gives lots of performers a chance to shine. It's not your average day in Manchester, that's for sure,“ Rajyashree Dutta, president of the Indian Association Manchester, was quoted as saying.
Something similar took place in the land of pyramids. Hundreds of members of the vibrant Indian community in Egypt celebrated Dussehra festival with traditional garba dance at a colourful event here.
More than 600 people, including those who travelled from Alexandria, Port Said and Ismailia, joined the celebration organised by the Indian Community Association of Egypt (ICAE).
Dressed in colourful saris, ghagracholi, kurtas and churidars, the Indian community members danced and played Garba with the Egyptian people at the event organised on Friday .
Egyptian artistes from Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC), Cairo, danced to the music of folk and traditional Hindi songs, adding a fresh dimension to the shared bonds between the two people of the two countries.
India's ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya conveyed Durga Puja, Navratri and Dussehra greetings.
He congratulated Indian community members for retaining the strong traditions and inculcating them in children, who were present in large numbers.
He also welcomed the Egyptian people who joined the celebrations and shared the joy . The function commenced with the traditional lighting of lamps by Bhattacharyya followed by an ` Aarti of Ma Durga.' Vijayadashami is celebrated as the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana and also as the triumph of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura.
For Indians living overseas, such festivals provide an opportunity to keep alive their traditions and culture and also share it with the younger generation.
Later, the participants also had a taste of Indian delicacies.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE 10 HEADS OF RAVANA

 



Ravana, the supreme anti-hero of Ramayana -is the king of Rakshasas is depicted with ten heads and twenty limbs. He is also known as Dashaanan (10-headed) or Dashamukha (10-faced). He was the son of Sage Vishravan and Asura mother Kaikashi. The symbolisation has two theories in Hindu mythology. One puts Ravana on a pedestal as a man with great knowledge and high intelligence. As per this theory Ravana's 10 heads sym bolise 6 Shastras and 4 Vedas making him a great scholar. He was supposed to be a master of 64 arts including weaponry. A highly learned Brahmin, Ravana has to his credit over a dozen of texts of which Ravan Samhita, Rigveda Bhashya and Kumartantra are well known. He is known to have compiled Sama Veda with the relevant music svaras (the notes) and his Shiva Tandav Stotra is one of the most popular hymns ever sung in the praise of Lord Shiva. His 10 heads thus stand for multiplicity of his genius.
The second theory puts Ravana as a symbol of negative or evil emotions that exists in every human being. A man needs to conquer these emotions as they are considered to be detrimental for the growth of human soul and hence should be discarded.As per mythology, King Mahabali advised Ravana to get rid of his negative emotions, which he refused saying that the possession of these facets are equally important for him to remain a complete man. As our head controls our destiny, Ravana too could not control his emotions and desires that led to his destruction ultimately.

How Hindi movies depicted Dussehra



In Bollywood, filmmakers have recreated stories around the theme of Dussehra -when Lord Ram brought down the mighty Ravana against all adversities. The victory of the hero and the triumph of good over evil is a motif that continues to be used in movies. We bring to you the films which weaved in the gist of the festival in their narrative and made their work memorable. BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN (2015)
Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan featured a song-Tu Chahiye that showed the entire family enjoying the proceedings of Ram lila.Though the scene appears fleetingly in the romantic number, the message of the festival is what director Kabir Khan has portrayed in this film about humanity and love over all.
ROWDY RATHORE (2012)
Not everyone has a blast on this otherwise joyous day as witnessed in Akshay Kumar's case. He gets attacked by the villains while celebrating Dussehra in a rather gloomy sequence from Rowdy Rathore. Akshay , who plays a cop in the film, is shown enjoying the festival with the entire village when he is stabbed in the back.
KAHAANI (2012)
In Sujoy Ghosh's delicious mysterythriller, Dussehra or rather Vijaya Dashami played a significant part. The film that revolves around a hapless woman's search for her missing husband, climaxes into a well-etched, enticing end, as the mystery of the story unfolds. Vidya Balan, as the pregnant Vidya Bagchi was a hoot all the way and Ghosh used his Bengali sensibilities to enhance the end of this `kahani'.Amidst ulus and dhak beats, women freshly red from sindoor khela, a bereaved woman single-handedly kills the devil.
DELHI-6 (2009)
This Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film that is set in Chandni Chowk, revolves around the theme of Ram Navami, and how its teachings are still relevant in this age. The film was a visual treat and for the Dussehra sequence, Mehra used well his experience of growing up in the old Delhi neighbourhood. He brought out the right hues of frenzy of this festival.
RANG DE BASANTI (2006)
Coming from Mehra's stable, this was another offering that showed how to stage the good ol' Ramlila in a grand way . It forms and important backdrop of Rang De Basanti. The Dussehra sequence shows Aamir Khan who also plays Chandrasekhar Azad is surrounded by the British cops tricks them and escapes from the scene.
SWADES (2004)
There are a lot of reasons to remember this film, besides the fact that it is Shah Rukh Khan's most brilliantly understated performance till date. In one of the most memorable scenes from the film, village elders pick up a conversation with the US-returned Mohan Bhargav and quiz him about his life in America. As Ashutosh goes on to elucidate in scenes that follow, so much of India and its festivals is about our parampara and sanskriti.
KURUKSHETRA (2000)
This film literally celebrates the theme of the festival -the triumph of good over evil. As an honest cop in the film, Sanjay Dutt kills miscreants, with the blazing sound of crackers drowning the cries of the criminals. Director Mahesh Manjrekar literally translates on screen the death of Ravana in the hands of Ram, as the effigies of him and his allies, is reduced to dust.

HOW I GOT RID OF THE FAT GIRL IN MY HEAD




Meet The Fat Girl In My Head. She resided in me years after I had shed all my excess weight. She was my perception of me and I was attached to her. She ensured I lacked confidence and convinced me I wasn't good enough.Losing weight wasn't as hard as letting go of her. Weight loss did its part but these were the few things that changed my life: I dressed the part. My body language was my perception of me. Even when I felt low in confidence, I stood tall and proud. With time it became natural and real.
I stopped venting, stopped worrying. Counting calories and getting on the weighing scale had become my favourite hobbies. I was slowly suffocating myself.Even others. I just became more aware of the moments when I was itching to do either and tried my best to shoo it away .
I made goals. Got a life. Over time my weight management had became my sole obsession. My only purpose in life was to look good. I forced myself to make other goals. And you know what, slowly I started to see the big picture.
I fixed my immunity . Trust me, the crash weight loss soon started causing symptoms and wasn't worth what I had to fix. It's a story I promise to tell at another time.
I celebrated moments with myself. I took my achievements seriously. Even if the world didn't think much of them. I acknowledged them and pampered myself. Mostly with a massage! I was grateful for what I had. I wasn't a size zero but I was a size six with a brain. I was so blinded by the negatives that I couldn't see what people around me actually appreciated about me.I started to appreciate other qualities about myself.
Over years, with different situations in my life, even the relationship with The Fat Girl In My Head evolved. It's tough to pen down those situations right now as each was a beautiful story I'd love to share them soon.
If dots do connect, then I must say the bet was a blessing in disguise. It started a new journey and deepened my consciousness. I learned a new way of life, it made me the person I love and eventually also led to my calling -as a health, wellness and life coach. My motto?
Eat. Breathe. Smile.




GOING CAMPING WITH DOGS

GOING CAMPING WITH DOGS



Among the many trends triggered by social networking sites is the camping with dogs trend, It refers to doorsy people uploading pictures of their dogs on camping trips.HOW IT STARTED:
US-based Ryan Carter started the Camping With Dogs community to com bine his love of the outdoors and his dogs.
The idea, he was quoted as saying, is to cel ebrate how dogs make great travel companions.
“Once you get a dog, you never have to worry about not having a friend to join you on an adven ture. That, and there's nothing better than seeing your dog's face light up,“ he said.
HOW IT'S DONE:
All you need to do is take a picture of your dog's antics on your trip. It can be of your pooch sleeping in your tent, hiking up a hill with you, having a romp on the beach anything as long as there is camping equipment or a camping reference in the pic as well.







Beauty hacks for the travelling diva




Here's how to look picture-perfect whenever you go jet-setting!
Maintaining your regular beauty schedule can be tough when you travel a lot. If you don't have the luxury of taking along your vanity kit on all your travels, there are a few easy beauty tips you can follow to still look good and selfie-ready... here they are: Find out details about the place you are visiting. For instance, if your travel des tination is a sunny location with beach es, carry an anti-humidity spray for your hair in your bag. If you're going to a hilly region, deep moisturising creams for the skin are a must-have. Understanding the climate of the place will help you know which are the absolutely-essential products to pack in your bag.
If you're going to spend many hours on a flight, instead of regular makeup, use alternatives. You can skip your usual cakey foundation and go for a tinted moisturiser or a BB cream with a high SPF. These will give your skin good cov erage, without damaging it. Instead of long-lasting lipsticks, which may cause your lips to dry , there are many coloured lip balms that you can try . These will keep your lips hydrated too.
Long flights often make you look tired and the first signs appear on the skin under the eyes. Try to pack an under-eye cream. It will protect the delicate skin around the eyes and prevent puffiness.
You hair is often neglected when you are on the move. If you don't get the opportu nity to wash your mane, a great travel alternative is the dry shampoo. It is a water-free way to get rid of greasy hair.
One hygiene product to keep handy is a sanitiser. This will keep your fingers clean and won't cause break outs when you touch your face.
To keep your skin hydrated, you can also carry a hydrating mist. Don't forget to keep wet wipes in your purse too. You can wipe your face and feel instantly refreshed.
If you are a beauty junkie and can't do without your cosmetics, be sure to carry them in convenient com pact travel sizes to save space. For examples, instead of carrying a big bottle of sunscreen, transfer it in a smaller bottle.
Another tip is to choose beauty products that can multitask and be used in different ways. A body lotion can be used as makeup remover or a lip gloss can also be worn as a cheek stain!

SEEKING COLOUR GUIDANCE BEFORE BOOKING A CAR




Many booking a car for Dhanteras are seeking their astrologers' advice on the colour they should opt for when it comes to their new set of wheels 
 
Mera wala pink is passé. In fact, instead of slugging it out over their favourite colour of car within the family , buyers are turning to astrologers to suggest the most favourable colour for them. Sample this: homeopath Dr Nitin Maurya, who recently purchased his first car, took his astrologer's advice before opting for a white hatchback. “I always wanted a black or a grey car as my first car, but the astrologer suggested that these colours would be inauspicious for me, and could cause serious accidents.Following his advice, I bought a white car,“ he shares. 
  WHITE IS THE MOST FAVOURED COLOUR
In fact, white seems to be a favourite with astrologers. Divij Narain, director of a car dealer brand, says he gets such customers all round the year, who choose their car's colour based on astrological advice.“Choosing colours as per the prediction by a family astrologer is quite common among Hindu buyers,“ says Divij, adding, “While some are told not to buy black, others are highly recommended this colour by the astrologers.But white, for some astrological reason, is an alltime favourite of the astrologers. This is why we always have more cars in white in stock as compared to other colours.“
Explaining why white is favourable for almost everyone, astrologer Neeraj Kumar, says, “White is associated with the planet Venus, which is favourable in almost all the astrological charts and is also associated with the purchase of a new vehicle in the kundli. That is the reason why it is a colour which will benefit everyone. However, while buying colours like red, black and shades of grey, one should get their kundli checked by an astrologer to see if the colour is suitable according to the planetary positions in the chart. For example, if Rahu and Ketu are not that wellplaced in someone's charts and they buy a car in a shade of grey , chances are that the car will not suit them.“
Agreeing with the trend, Pankaj Gupta, sales manager of car dealer brand, says, “ A large number of our customers purchase white colour vehi cles. While the panditji might have an astrological reasoning, what we know is that at night, a white colour car is easily visible to other drivers on the road as compared to a car in a darker colour.“
While agreeing that white is the highest-selling colour in cars, Ashish Agarwal, MD of automobiles' showroom, says, “Generally , before purchasing a car in red colour, people consult astrologers since a lot of negative stories are associated with the colour on the road.“ 

PUJA AT THE SHOWROOM
Even Aasheesh Talwar, MD, a car showroom, agrees that the trend is on the rise in the city . “On the first day of Navratri itself, I had a customer, who came with his pandit to choose the colour of the car. He not only bought the colour of the car as per his pandit's choice, but also did a proper puja at the showroom,“ shares Talwar. 

PANDITJI TO THE RESCUE: COLOUR, NUMBER, DELIVERY DATE TOO
Astrologer Bipin Pandey says that the number of clients seeking advice on car purchases goes up during Navratra and around Diwali. “People wait for Diwali to make big purchases, especially like a car. And since it is often a big investment, they want to be doubly sure with everything -the colour and number of the car,“ he says, adding, “One of my clients recently purchased a yellow car as Jupiter was quite well-placed in his kundli.“ Pandey says he not only suggests the car colour, but some people also ask him to suggest the registration number for the car, as per their moolank (day of birth) and bhagyank (total of date of birth). “Some people, albeit a small percentage, also seek suggestions for the date and time on which the car should be taken out from the showroom,“ he adds.

10 Apocalyptic theories that are a doom-monger's delight



It's seems to be the day of reckoning as was seen with the Blood Moon sighting and prediction of an asteroid strike that would end the world. And extinction by space rock was also the subject of a comedy comedy You, Me and the Apocalypse, which tells of an eight mile wide comet just 34 days away obliterating us all. But there are so many other ways in which the human race could be wiped out any day now. From catastrophic climate change to black holes and robot wars, here are 10 apocalyptic visions that could end the world as we know it...
GLOBAL WARMING
If the ice in Earth's polar caps melts, it will cause the oceans to rise as much as 300 feet, which would be catastrophic to human civilisation.
More than 75 per cent of the world's population lives below this altitude, including London and most other major cities.
Meanwhile, with water evaporating faster, trapping in more heat and driving temperatures still higher, experts warn that Earth could end up like Venus, where the high on a typical day is 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
A hotter planet could also unleash the spread of infectious diseases, the acidification of the oceans, and an increase in droughts and famines, as well as floods and land erosion.
A global temperature rise of just six per cent will be enough to wipe out just about every life form on the planet. Scientists at the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) recently gave a five per cent chance that the Earth's temperature will exceed 6.4 per cent by 2100.
GAMMA RAY BURST
Gamma-ray bursts are flashes of gamma-ray light, probably caused by the merging of two collapsed stars, and are the most powerful explosions of energy in the universe -as much as ten quadrillion times as energetic as the sun.
So far, the bursts -which are detected from earth about once a day -have happened in distant galaxies millions of light-years away . If such an event were to happen closer to home, the intense flash of gamma rays illuminating the earth for ten seconds would cook the atmosphere and destroy the ozone layer, causing a massive extinction event.
Astronomers point out that double stars are almost completely undetectable and we would have no advance warning until the moment it hits us.
PANDEMIC
Throughout history many deadly pathogens have emerged which have wreaked havoc on the human race.
The Black Plague killed one in every four Europeans in the 14th century , while in just two years from 1918 Spanish flu took at least 50 million lives.
Recent possible pandemics, including SARS, bird flu, and MERS, a coronavirus which originated in Saudi Arabia, have eventually died down, but experts say it is only a matter of time before one goes global. If nature wasn't enough to worry about, scientists have been accused of engineering mutant versions of diseases which, if they escaped from the lab, could threaten the future of humanity . Last year, after researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison created a life-threatening virus that closely resembled the 1918 Spanish flu, many disease experts were appalled.
Simon Wain-Hobson, a virologist at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, said: “It's madness, folly. If society, the intelligent layperson, understood what was going on, they would say , `What the F are you doing?'“.
ROBOT ASCENSION
The Terminator may be science fiction, but robotic killing machines capable of thinking and acting on their own are not far from becoming a reality.
The United Nations recently called for a ban on killer robots -presumably because experts feared that several countries were developing them.
Inventor Elon Musk, co-founder of Paypal, said last year that artificial intelligence might be the “greatest existential threat“ that humans face.
And Stephen Hawking recently said: “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete, and would be superseded.“
BLACK HOLE
Our galaxy is full of black holes, formed when giant stars collapse in on themselves, and whose gravity is so strong they swallow everything, even the light that may betray their presence.
In July this year, scientists from Durham University discovered five previously unidentified “supermassive“ black holes, billions of times the size of our sun, increasing fears one could come closer to earth than previously anticipated.
George Lansbury , from the university's Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, said: “Although we have only detected five, when we extrapolate across the whole universe then the predicted numbers are huge.“
Such a black hole wouldn't need to actually swallow us up. One passing nearby could eject Earth from the solar system and send us hurtling into deep space.
GLOBAL WAR
Many scientists are still worried about the classic end-of-the-world threat: global nuclear war.
There are massive stockpiles of nuclear weapons around the globe which could trigger a catastrophe if they fell into the wrong hands.
Currently , nine countries are known to have nuclear capabilities, including Russia, Pakistan and North Korea, which between them possess around 16,300 nuclear weapons.
In 2008, the Physics Today journal concluded that the detonation of 100 nuclear bombs -a fraction of the number out there -would bring about a “nuclear winter“ causing temperatures to drop to the lowest in 1,000 years, and “likely eliminate the majority of the human population.“
Biological weapons are perhaps an even greater threat to our existence, as they are easier to develop. If anthrax, for example, were released into the air it could cause fatalities in 90 per cent of the population exposed to it.
MAGNETIC REVERSAL
Every few hundred thousand years the planet's magnetic field dwindles to almost nothing, then over a century gradually reappears with the north and south poles flipped.
We know that there have been about 170 magnetic pole reversals during the last 100 million years, and the last major reversal was 781,000 years ago -meaning that the next one is well overdue.
New research published last year from the European Space Agency (ESA) shows that the Earth's magnetic field is weakening 10 times faster than we previously thought, and that it might flip within the next 100 years.
Why might such an event threaten our survival? The magnetic field deflects particle storms and cosmic rays from the sun, as well as even more energetic particles from deep space.
Scientist claims that without this magnetic protection, these particles would strike Earth's atmosphere, eroding the ozone layer with a number of disastrous consequences to life as we know it.
SUPERVOLCANO
Volcanoes have form when it comes to making entire species extinct. The Permo-Triassic Extinction -the biggest extinction event of all time, when 95 per cent of all Earth's species were wiped out 252 million years ago ­ coincided with the largest known volcano eruption in Earth history , in today's Siberia.
Many believe the next Earth-changing eruption is long overdue, and point to the supervolcano in American's Yellowstone National Park as the most likely to destroy us.
The Yellowstone volcano erupts with a near-clockwork cycle of every 600,000 years -and that last eruption was more than 640,000 years ago. Scientists have discovered that the ground in Yellowstone is 74cm higher than it was in 1923, indicating a massive swelling underneath the park.
Experts predict that when it blows its top again the consequences for the world will be catastrophic. Within minutes of the explosion tens of thousands would be dead and the long-term effects would be even more devastating. The sun would be blocked by ash, temperatures would plummet by 21 degrees, rain would turn to acid, and most if not all of the world's humans would be wiped out.
ALIEN INVASION
There is every chance that, somewhere in billions of galaxies, intelligent beings much more superior to ourselves do exist. So if aliens did finally arrive at planet Earth in large numbers, what can we most likely expect?
Stephen Hawking, who this year helped launch a major new effort to search for alien life in the cosmos, thinks it more likely that such creatures would come to Earth in search of resources and bent on our destruction. He said: “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans.“

Other cosmologists go further, supposing that extraterrestrial invaders might plunder a vital natural resource, such as the water from our oceans, bring with them pests with a taste for human flesh or upset our planet or solar system causing Earth's destruction.
ASTEROID IMPACT
An asteroid big enough to wipe out civilisation on Earth, experts agree, would need to be at least a mile across -and that kind of impact only happens once every million years or less.
It is believed the dinosaurs were wiped out by a six-mile-wide asteroid which slammed into Earth 66 million years ago.
In a paper by Oxford University's Future of Humanity Institute, researchers explained the greatest danger will be “clouds of dust projected into the upper atmosphere“ creating an `impact winter', affecting climate, and food supplies, and create political instability .
And Bruce Willis can't come to the rescue either --physicists claim it would be impossible to nuke a Earth-destroyingsized asteroid hurtling towards us.

























Home decor inspired from books










For bibliophiles, it is always difficult to escape the magical world of tomes and the musty smell that lingers in them. Taking their love to a different level, bookworms these days, create home decor that is inspired from books. From a Snow White-inspired mirror to a bookish staircase, if you are a book lover, here are a few ideas that will help you to bring your passion for books from the library to your den.They are simple and you can even make a few of them on your own, at home. So explore your artistic side and make your house a bookish paradise.