VOICE OF MY HEART- DEDICATED TO ALL MY DEAREST FRIENDS

Aaj Mulaqat Hogi Ye Akhiri Hamari 

Fir Na Jane Tum Kaha Aur Hum Kaha Honge Kal

Hame Mili Hain Ye Khubsurat Yaden Jo Aap se 

Ye Yadon Ke Jharokhe Ban Jayenge Kal

Yaad Ayenge Aap Ke Sath Bitaye Ye Lamhe Jindagi Me

Fir Num Ankhon Se In Lamhon Ko Yad Kar Muskurayenge Kal 

Puri Ho Har Tamanna Aur Bhar Jaye Khushiyon Se Daman Apki 

Meri Bas Yahi Hai Dua, Rang Layegi Kal

Aaj Mulaqat Hogi Ye Akhiri Hamari 

Fir Na Jane Tum Kaha Aur Hum Kaha Honge Kal.

Shah Alam

THACKERAY- KNOW THESE MUMBAIKARS

The Shiv Sena, as is well known, is a creation of the Congress – Bal Thackeray could never have come as far as he has if in the initial years of his career he had not received active encouragement and funding from Congress stalwarts in Maharashtra who had a vested interest in boosting his pro-Marathi and anti-Communist agenda.

But the Sena soon tired of being the B team of the Congress and teamed up with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 1980s only to prove the Congress's nemesis a decade later when it displaced the party from the government in Maharashtra for one term between 1995 and 1999.

But power brought with it its own headaches to the Shiv Sena and the biggest of these proved to be Thackeray's nephew, Raj Thackeray, who, even when the Sena was in government, could never understand the rules of the game that must be followed by a responsible party in power. Apart from getting embroiled in the Ramesh Kini murder case (Kini was the last man standing on a housing property who refused to sign over the building to Raj in 1997), Thackeray’s nephew was constantly in trouble over his wayward ways and put his uncle to a lot of grief each time.

It is not surprising, then, that Balasaheb showed him the door: Raj's supporters could not get tickets to any election, he was kept constantly on the road for some campaign or the other to get him away from the centre of power at Matoshree, Thackeray's residence. And, of course,  the most wounding of all to Raj was the fact that Thackeray declared his own son Uddhav his political heir, despite the fact that Raj was clearly the wilier politician of the two.

Formation of Maharashtra Navnirman SenaSoon, Uddhav was shutting Raj out of everything at Matoshree, so it was only a matter of time before Raj quit the Shiv Sena to form his own party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (in 2006). It began, of course, on the secular side of the divide, trying to be all inclusive, but only ended up looking like a wannabe Congress. Seeing that moderation was taking him nowhere Raj soon changed tack – and tracks – to become a clone of the Shiv Sena: if anything, his party became more goonish, more militant and more troublesome to the authorities than the Shiv Sena had ever been.

Clearly, Raj is a chip of the old block and Shiv Sainiks who do not get along with Uddhav found in this clone of Bal Thackeray a reason to continue profiteering from their old ways. Uddhav, on the other hand, sensitive to the criticism that the Sena was just a party of goons, attempted to clean up the image of his party with a more mainstream agenda. But as the mainstream did not work for Raj Thackeray, it did not for Uddhav, either.

Now both the Senas are locked in a desperate battle for supremacy over each other, hampered by the tie of blood between them that does not allow either to go too far down the line in decimating each other once and for all. While Uddhav has the support and protection of his father, Raj is in desperate search of someone to watch his back ever since he broke away from the mother party. He has made several attempts to reach out to his uncle who snubbed him every time to make it clear that blood is far thicker than water and that he would not choose his nephew at the cost of his son’s affections, never mind that Raj was truer to his own philosophy and core strengths than Uddhav could ever be.

Uddhav vs Raj Thackeray
However, Uddhav's recent heart ailment has come in the way of these clearly divided lines within the Thackeray clan. Raj rushed to Uddhav’s bedside and his attentions clearly weakened Uddhav's combative stance against his younger cousin. However, Uddhav is convinced that allowing Raj to re-enter Matoshree or the affections of his father would hollow out his own leadership and lead to a swing of support towards Raj within the Shiv Sena. Hence, he adopts both a clever and cautious approach toward the same agenda.

So while, because of his recent angioplasty, he could not have led a morcha like Raj did last month against the vandalisation by some Muslim groups at Azad Maidan on August 11, Uddhav chose to downplay Raj's success by declaring that he is glad that at least one man is following in his footsteps and carrying the Sena agenda forward. At the same time he has made good use of his party mouthpiece, the Saamna, to mouth bizarre and unacceptable statements against Biharis: while Raj merely declared them 'infiltrators', Uddhav speaks of allowing them into Mumbai only on work permits, which is constitutionally quite impermissible.

But there is nothing new about either Uddhav's thought or Raj's actions. Bal Thackeray had made similar statements in the past threatening to deny ration cards to north Indians wanting to settle in the city. Then, as now, the Bharatiya Janata Party came down heavily on the Shiv Sena, considering that the BJP’s core voter base is in the north and they cannot afford to have the relatives of their voters denied their constitutional rights to travel and work anywhere in the country by one of their own allies.

BJP, Congress and ThackeraysThe BJP is in a piquant situation today, torn between two allies, the Shiv Sena and the Janata Dal (United): it cannot afford to alienate either ally with clearly differing agendas on the opposite ends of the spectrum

However, Raj Thackeray is quite a different cup of tea. He has been seeking some sort of political protection from his uncle for several years but he seems to have now got from the Congress what Thackeray has denied him all this while.

In keeping with their 1960s' agenda, Congress chief ministers this century, too, have tried to play games with the two Senas, taking advantage of the family split to covertly back Raj as he went on a rampage against North Indians in Mumbai. No action was taken against him and no cases registered in Maharashtra, until the UPA I's allies – Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav – took serious objections. It was then that then chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was told in no uncertain terms by his own party high command to shape up or ship out.

When, at the 2009 assembly elections, it proved that Raj might be eating into the Congress vote bank, too, apart from the Marathi manoos wooed by the Shiv Sena, the Congress-led government began to squeeze his business interests to shut him up. Six of his 13 MLAs were suspended from the Maharashtra Assembly for creating a ruckus and for manhandling the Samajwadi Party's Abu Asim Azmi in the House. Moreover, most of his party men -- who are builders -- found their licenses revoked and they could get no workers for their construction sites (most construction workers in Maharashta are from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh).

With his own party men choosing to protect their own business interests rather than building their political party, Raj found the ground slipping from under his feet. The MNS did not post as impressive a result as expected at the February 2012 municipal elections in the state and  by June this year the party could not even register enough voters among graduates and teachers to be able to contest elections to the Maharashtra legislative council. Raj, according to sources, was so sore that he virtually threatened to shut his party down.

Return of Raj Thackeray
However, the Shiv Sena has always benefitted more from the mistakes of other political parties, particularly the Congress, than it has ever gained from its own original programmes. So, when the Congress-led government in the state mishandled the aftermath of the Azad Maidan violence, Raj had reason to rise from the ashes like a phoenix, particularly as he now found backing from chief minister Prithviraj Chavan who, for reasons of his own, chose to allow Raj to hold a rally at Azad Maidan despite the denial of police permission. When Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar railed against Chavan's government for allowing Raj's unconstitutional agenda of threatening Biharis to go unchallenged, Chavan chose to accuse his Bihar counterpart of playing political games rather than order to file cases against Raj Thackeray for violation of the Constitution.

Assured of such protection, Raj clearly feels free to continue with the kind of rants that had cost at least two lives and damaged much property during his wild 2008 run (a fellow Maharashtrian died in MNS violence in Nasik and a Bihari youth was killed in Mumbai).

The Congress clearly hopes that the two Senas will cannibalise each other once again and that it could be the proverbial monkey who runs away with the cheese as the two cats fight over the spoils of war. The tragedy for the people of the state is that all the political formations in Maharashtra are in disarray and no one party is certain about how it may fare at the electoral hustings. The two Senas have not yet come to the realisation that their Marathi manoos is simply not interested in the kind of (Class 4) jobs that migrant workers are seeking in the state. Or even that the violence against these workers is damaging the Maharashtrian's own economic interests, compelling many local businesses to move base elsewhere. If Raj's twisted philosophy were to be adopted by other states, his own Marathi manoos would be an infiltrator in other parts of the country.

As for the Congress, one wonders if it has studied the statistics of Bihari workers shifting in hordes to neighbouring Gujarat which is welcoming them with open arms. These are potential voters it might be losing – those very voters whose support its seeks to gain by letting Raj on the loose.

And while it is busy watching Raj’s back, its own rear clearly stands exposed.

VIEW EXPRESSED WAS NOT MY PERSONAL

Eat apricots for bright eyes(HEALTH +)

Nutrients in apricots can help protect the heart and eyes, as well as provide the disease-fighting effects of fibre. The high beta-carotene content of apricots makes them important heart health foods.

Apricots contain nutrients such as vitamin A that promote good vision. Vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant, quenches free radical damage to cells and tissues. Free radical damage can injure the eyes' lenses.


The degenerative effect of free radicals, or oxidative stress, may lead to cataracts or damage the blood supply to the eyes and cause macular degeneration.



Researchers who studied over 50,000 registered nurses found that women who had the highest vitamin A intake reduced their risk of developing cataracts by nearly 40%.


Apricots are a good source of fibre, which has a wealth of benefits. These include preventing constipation and digestive conditions such as diverticulosis.


A healthy, whole-foods diet should include apricots as a delicious way to add to your fibre intake of the body.  

Here's how to have a healthy 40s (HEALTH +)

How healthy you will be in your 40s depends on what you eat and how you live in your 20s. Our expert charts out a survival strategy for a fitter future
When you are diagnosed with a health disorder in your 40s, there's little that you can do to completely reverse the damage. A wiser option is to start walking the correct lifestyle course much early on and reduce the chances of disorders altogether. Fitness expert and trainer Dilip Heble gives pointers to healthier 20-something habits that will lead to a better 40-something life.
Exercise
Make sure you get three to six hours of exercise every week. You can go for a jog, engage yourself in a sport or best, hit the gym.
Benefit
Exercise makes you agile, muscular and boosts your stamina. Most importantly, it reduces your stress levels — a factor that is deemed the root cause for most problems in the 40s. Reduction in the stress levels also helps increase productivity and enables you to deal with environmental pressures. Also, it leads to a lower resting heart rate, which brings down the risk of cardiac disorders.
Supplement yourself
Considering the quality of food available today, it is vital you take multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplements. You might stock up generously on carbohydrates and proteins, but minus the essential vitamins, you will be far from healthy.
Benefit
These vitamins and minerals important for various functions of the body. For instance, three B vitamins (namely folic acid, B6, and B12) are known to reduce the homocysteine levels in the body, thereby also reducing the risk of dementia.
Read
In this day and age of social networking, most youngsters have forgotten to exercise their brains. Indulge in an activity that challenges your grey matter. Engage in analytical tasks as much as possible. For instance, you may read a book, play chess, solve the everyday crossword and read on current issues. You could also opt to learn a musical instrument that interests you.
Benefit
These tasks will keep your brain agile and help minimise the risk of brain disorders such as dementia in the later years.
Switch off
Yes, you must work hard and party harder. But the problem begins when you stick to this mantra every night and end up compromising on your sleep. You may be able to pull this off without much problem in your 20s, but the inadvertent damage will trouble you in your 40s. The body's repair happens during sleep. And when you don't sleep, you are not giving the body enough time to bounce back. Hence, make sure you get the desired sleep.
Benefit
Your biological clock will be in order giving a natural rhythm to bodily functions. Just sleep at the same time every night.
Bone supremacy
Bone length might be established by the time you are 20. However, bone density and strength can be built all the way until you are 30. Studies have suggested that young men and women ought to build up a 'bone bank' during this stage which will help avoid osteoporosis later in life. 

Are there health benefits in consuming coffee?(HEALTH +)

There is nothing quite like a cup of hot coffee to banish that feeling of somnolence and get the brain cells chugging away. But quite apart from the sense of wellbeing that a good cup of brew, with its heady aroma, can produce, studies published recently also indicate that this beverage that millions around the world enjoy could be providing some health benefits too.


In May this year, the prestigious medical journal, The New England Journal of Medicine, published a study that examined the effects of drinking coffee in a cohort of over four lakh men and women in the U.S.


Coffee “appeared to be inversely associated with most major causes of death in both men and women, including heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections,” observed Neal Freedman of the National Cancer Institute in the U.S. and his colleagues in their paper.


After taking into account tobacco-smoking and other confounding factors, men who drank six cups or more cups of coffee a day had a 10 per cent lower risk of death compared with those who did not take it at all. Women coffee-drinkers had a 15 per cent lower risk of death. Those who drank caffeine-containing coffee as well as the decaffeinated form were both found to benefit from their habit.


But, as the authors pointed out, it was not possible to conclude from an observational study whether the association that was noticed actually reflected cause and effect.


Then, last month there came another study, this time in Circulation Heart Failure, a journal of the American Heart Association. The study analysed five independent prospective studies, with a total of over 1.4 lakh participants, for links between coffee consumption and heart failure.


This study observed a statistically significant ‘J-shaped relationship’ between coffee and heart failure. Moderate consumption of coffee — up to four servings a day — reduced the risk of heart failure. But excessive coffee drinking had no benefit and may even be dangerous, remarked Murray Mittleman, director of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and senior author of the study, in a press release.


The paper, however, also pointed out that experimental studies had consistently shown that coffee and caffeine were associated with acutely raised blood pressure. A recent analysis had reported that habitual light to moderate coffee consumption increased the risk of developing hypertension but more frequent consumption did not pose any addition risk. It could be that habitual coffee-drinkers develop a tolerance for caffeine, the authors said.
Other studies have suggested that drinking coffee could also be associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.


In 1991, the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer held that “coffee is possibly carcinogenic to the human urinary bladder.” But more recent studies have indicated that coffee could be beneficial, protecting against several cancers, including of the breast, bowel, prostate and liver.


A paper from Jiali Han of the Harvard Medical School and the others that has just been published in the journal Cancer Research found that caffeine intake was associated with reduced risk for developing a form of skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma. Roughly 1,000 chemicals have been reported in roasted coffee, point out Jonathan Krell and Justin Stebbing of Imperial College London in a commentary published recently in The Lancet Oncology. 

Eat these to burn the fat!(HEALTH +)

Forget fancy diets, the top flab busters can be found in your own kitchen.


Summer is here and if you have been feeling wistful over not being able to wear your bikini, it's not too late. A magazine quoted dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton as saying, "Metabolism is what converts food into energy.



A slow rate means calories are more likely to be converted into fat." While exercise helps, and so does portion control, here are those foods that act as the the biggest metabolism boosters.


Apples: These are said to be nutrient-rich and contain enough fibre to keep the digestion healthy. A tip? Eating an apple just 20 minutes before your meal will make you eat lesser calories in your main meal.


Turkey: This is regarded as a good alternative to chicken as it is lower in calories and higher in proteins and nutrients. It's said that 5 ounces of turkey contains just 175 calories and 10 grams of fat.


Broccoli: Adding more broccoli to your diet can help you lose that weight as it is a low-calorie food that can help you fill up quickly. A single cup of steamed broccoli gives you about twice the amount of vitamins C and K you need in a day. It also is a very good source of vitamins B6 and B2, phosphorus, magnesium, protein and omega-3 fatty acids.





Almonds: Almonds can speed up metabolism like no other. They are also associated with with reducing cholesterol and lowering blood sugar.

Peppers: Bell peppers are great for weight loss. They can fill out any dish without adding the calories and have a small amount of fat burning capsaicin in them.


Pulses: Legumes or pulses like soya beans and kidney beans have key nutrients like iron, vitamins of B group and dietary fiber. Pulses help maintain regular bowel movement because the texture of the fibre helps it move through the digestive system quickly.

Green tea: Is another substance that can be added to the diet that can increase the metabolic rate. Green tea has EGCG in its composition. This substance helps to increase the body and the rate that the nervous system functions. It in turn increases the metabolism

Shortcuts to good health(HEALTH +)

Today, when a sedentary lifestyle is the rule, people's health is deteriorating day by day. Eating healthy just requires a little planning. Here are some shortcuts to a healthy body. Everyday, without our knowledge, a faint little feeling in the stomach prompts us to involuntarily look at the clock.


Then the revelation hits us - it is evening and we have not had the time to eat our lunch. In today's times, where a sedentary lifestyle is the rule, it's observed that the health of people is deteriorating day by day. They have started taking themselves and their body for granted. They don't even remember when they last had a proper meal. Eating healthy just requires a little planning. Here are some shortcuts to achieve a healthy body:


Breakfast is a 'must'
Start your morning with some breakfast, be it a piece of fruit or a whole wheat bread. Put oatmeal into a thermos of hot water, and you could even let it sit overnight. In the morning, you shall have hot cooked oatmeal ready to eat. Similarly, a hard boiled egg can be eaten. This will prevent your body from going into starvation mode. Eating breakfast everyday will also help increase your metabolic rate.


Five meals a day
Have at least five meals a day in which three can be the main meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner, while other two meals can consist of foods which are handy and nutritious at the same time. Eating frequently prevents hunger pangs, provides consistent energy, and maintains metabolism efficiency. Grab healthy foods such as fruits that are high in fibre like apple, watermelon, muskmelon, orange, sweet lime, papaya and peaches.


Ask for healthy food
Some people's work demands frequenting restaurants for dinner. Always watch out for hidden fats. Creamy soups, white breads, flaky pastries and mayonnaise-based salad dressings add unnecessary fats to the food. Try consuming broths instead of creamy soups. Instead of mayonnaise dressing, use variety of condiments and flavouring agents such as lemon, vinegar, herbs, onion and garlic to improve the palatability of your salad. Remember, a gram of fat contains more than twice as many calories as a gram of protein or carbohydrate. Ask for grilled, baked, boiled or broiled food rather than fried foods.


Hydrate when you're travelling
Your work might involve a lot of travelling in which air travel is one of the most dehydrating experiences. Because of this, people often complain of sore throats and other respiratory illnesses. To avoid these, one should not drink caffeine, cola or alcohol before or after the flights as these are diuretics and can increase the water loss. Avoid salted snacks like salted peanuts or fried foods in order to minimise dehydration. Try consuming lots of fluids in the form of water, fruit juice, coconut water, lime water, etc. In any case, one should drink at least 12 to 15 gasses of water everyday. The stress associated with travel may slightly increase the protein requirement, so one should make an effort to consume a little more protein each day.