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One of the most memorable experiences in my life was to attend the recently held Bryan Adams concert in Hyderabad. He is performed in India after a decade and all his fans were eagerly waiting for the crooner to perform in Hyderabad. The concert was held in the Hitex Exhibition Center which was brimming with nearly 25,000 excited music lovers on 16th February.

The 15 Grammy award winner set the stage on fire with ‘One night love affair’. The 51-years old singer was simply unstoppable as he entertained the fans for two and a half hours. He belted out some of his legendary chart-busters like ‘Everything I do’, ‘Baby when you’re gone’, ’18 till I die’, ‘Run to you’ and ‘Summer of 69′. It was the most wonderful evening in my life which will remain etched in my memory forever.

Introduction
With his blue-collar songwriting acclaims and distinctive vocals, the icon’s take on rock ‘n’ roll has established a niche which has lasted fro more than 25 years. The Canadian rock-star, Bryan Guy Adams, is a legendary bassist, guitarist and rock singer-songwriter. Also, he is a well known photographer and producer. He has won many awards and nominations. These include 20 Juno awards with 56 nominations. Also, he has won 15 Grammy award nominations. This includes an award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1992. Apart from these accolades, he has won American Music, ASCAP and MTV awards.

Bryan Adams was inducted into the famous Canada’s Walk of Fame in 1998. He was then inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in April 2006. According to the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary Charts, he was ranked 38 on the all-time top artists list. He also h\got recognized for his humanitarian efforts when he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award on 13 January 2010.

Musical Voyage
The acclaimed singer rose the ladder of success and popularity in 1983 when his third album, “Cuts like a knife” was released. This album made him an icon in the United States overnight. Although, it was his fourth album “Reckless” which made him an international icon as it is still referred as one of the best albums of the 80′s. Also, this album gained him his first Grammy nomination. At that time, the album sold four million copies. Next, he released a social conscious album “Into the fire” in 1987. This album gave him a top ten chart-buster number, “Heat of the night”. This song garnered him another Grammy nomination and turned the album into platinum.

But it was the release of his next album “Waking up the neighbours” in 1991 which included the all-time favourite song – Everything I do. In the United States alone, the song sold more than 3 million copies, making it the second best selling single. This song comes second only to “We are the world”. He then released his greatest hits album in 1993 – “So far so good”. This gave birth to a number one hit “Please forgive me”.

The song “Have you ever really loved a woman” from the movie Don Juan DeMarco in 1995 became his fourth number 1 hit song. He is considered to be the most successful Canadian singer ever. He then released the album “18 till I die” in 1996. This album fetched him two more Grammy nominations.

The Humanitarian
The man is reckoned for his philanthropic activities. He has his own foundation, “The Bryan Adams Foundation”, which primarily aims to enhance education and learning opportunities for children around the globe. He personally believes that education is the best gift a child can ever be given. He provides funds for his foundation by his photographic activities. The man is really amazing.

Like a true, hopeless romantic, I anticipate eagerly for the D-Day! After All, love is in the air! The month of February is renowned as the month of romance and love. This is due to the fact that a very special day is celebrated in this month which is dedicated to true, universal love. Hence, it is not a surprise that today is reckoned as Lover’s Day. Read on to discover more about the day of love – Valentine’s Day!

Saint Valentine’s Day
This special day is celebrated all over the world as the day of true love. On this day, romantic souls exchange gifts like chocolates, sweets, flowers, cards and many other token of love. This is the time when you see boyfriends and husbands either taking their partners for shopping or buying gifts . Even cinemas and restaurants are packed to the brim with people who want to celebrate their love and togetherness. A few can be adventurous and choose a red outfit to don on this day as red symbolizes loves. But very few actually know the origin of V-Day which they celebrate with much fanfare! Let’s take a look at the history of D-Day.

History of Valentine’s Day
This special day of love is known after the kind saint, Saint Valentine. But who is he and why is 14th February dedicated to him? There are numerous myths and stories attached to this personality which makes one wonder what is actually true. Although, the most popular notions about the special day has an ancient Roman and Christian origin. As told by many storytellers, Saint Valentine was a Christian priest who secretly got many couples married. He did this against the Rome’s ruler, Emperor Claudius, orders and wishes.

It is known that Emperor Claudius was a ruthless ruler as he blamed his incompetence to recruit soldiers for his pursuits on people who loved and their families. He believed that the men were reluctant to leave their loved ones behind. Hence, he canceled all engagements and marriages in Rome. The beloved Saint Valentine was thrown into the dungeons as he secretly conducted marriages. Later, the beloved saint was beheaded on the eve of February 14.

By this time, the saint became a popular figure and gathered many sympathizers. They visited their kind-hearted saint in the gallows. Even the jailer’s daughter visited him. Before he was executed in the front of the Rome’s prefect, Saint Valentine left a special note for the jailer’s daughter which he signed off using the most popular words: ‘Your Valentine’. Therefore, the day of Saint Valentine’s martyrdom is celebrated as Valentine’s Day today.

During the reign of the cruel Emperor, there was one more Valentine. The other martyred person was a Roman. He was killed as he refused to leave Christianity. Even he died on 14th February, 269 AD. Hence, Pope Gelasius named this day as Valentine’s Day in 496 AD.

Valentine’s Day – Traditional Way!

‘For this was on seynt Volantynys day Whan every bryd comyth there to chese his make.’ These words are taken from the famous poem of Geoffrey Chaucer ‘Parlement of Foules’. He wrote this poem in the honor of the 1st engagement anniversary of Anne of Bohemia and England’s King Richard II. As interpreted, the poet linked the Saint Valentine’s Day to eternal love. This piece of poetry was written in 1832, which was the renowned time of traditional courtly love.

Even the famous English poet and play writer, William Shakespeare elaborated about Saint Valentine’s Day via the renowned voice of Ophelia in ‘Hamlet’: ‘Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s day, All in the morning be time, And I a maid at your window,To be your Valentine.’

Hence, in complete different eras, these are two literary references to the famous saint of love. Although, before any proper documentation of Saint Valentine was established, the traditions associated with the day varied. Before the Middle Ages, for example, people in love exchanged gifts which were carving made on wooden love spoons and decorations of keyholes, keys and hearts were engraved. These decorations implied on the opening of hearts.

Modern Day Celebrations
In today’s time, this special day of love is observed in different ways. Sweet gifts like cards, red roses and chocolates are some classic romantic gifts which lovers exchange during this day. Teddy bears and perfumes are also the popular choice among lovers which signifies their love for each other. Eateries, cinemas and malls receive a wide patronage in the special season of love. Even before the actual date arrives, couple can hardy wait to celebrate it with great pomp and show.

Although, I personally believe that a man does not have to wait for this special day to show his love and affection to his partner. The same rule applies for the women too. There is no hard and fast rule that every body has to celebrate this day with much fanfare. Why do you have to wait till Valentine’s Day to ask your partner out for a fine dining experience or a romantic movie which you wanted to watch with your loved one? Why do you have to celebrate your love for each other particularly on this day?

Even if Valentine’s Day is dedicated to all lovers for demonstrating, rekindling and strengthening their love, the celebration of undying love should not be specified to a particular day in a year. You can celebrate your years of togetherness and love in any day, any way! As I told, love is in the air and one is bound to feel romantic on this eve. So, go ahead and have a lovely time with your loved one! And if you are single, don’t fret because even you will have your beloved by your side one day, celebrating the togetherness and love on Valentine’s Day! Happy Valentine’s Day!

One news headline which I came across and felt instant gratification – the fourth accused in the Dalit girl rape case finally surrendered on Tuesday in a local court in Banda. BSP MLA Purshottam Naresh Dwiwedi and two more have been already arrested on alleged charges of raping a minor Dalit girl. The three accused of the heinous crime are in judicial custody. All the four convicts were indicted by the CB-CID in its report submitted to the government after an earlier FIR was lodged against the ruthless accused and arrest orders were issued. The 17-year old minor girl was allegedly raped by the MLA and molested by his aides on December 10 and 12 last year.

This and other recent cases have invoked a sense of fury and anger in me. Why are women, especially Dalit women, exploited by the men who are in power? Are they mere puppets in the hands of these power lords? What are we, the educated and resourceful women brigade, doing for these women who suffer alone? Don’t know why but it does ping into my conscience!

I am not a hardcore feminist but outrageous acts do create a resonance inside me. The harsh reality is that women who come from a lesser privileged background are vulnerable to all these atrocities. And we just act like a bystander!

Dalit Dilemma – The Facts
For the uninitiated, Dalits are the lower caste segment and most oppressed class in the Indian society. They suffer from various oppressive as well as exploitative practices of Indian caste society. The dominant religion, Hinduism, in India has degraded them beyond imagination. Cultural, social and most importantly, psychological proscriptions have increased their hardships and miseries.

The situation of Dalit women in our society is simply unexplainable. They suffer from various acts of violence, oppression, injustice, economic, political and socio-cultural exploitation. Their miseries and woes are boundless. The harsh reality is that they are the ones who form the ‘real’ teeming millions in India.

Dalit women face economic oppression every day in their life. Their primary source of income is working as marginal workers and daily wagers – an unorganized sector of the Indian economy. Illiteracy, limited skills and lack of better job opportunities have made their lives a living hell. This hinders them from achieving an independent status in our society. The inevitable gap between expenditure and consumption leads them to a life of perpetual indebtedness and misery. Most of the Dalit women live below the poverty line.

Exploitation Everywhere!
Dalit women are oppressed and exploited by the broader Hindu society and their men from the same community. Here is a shocking revelation – their own husbands don’t spare them! Their issues are completely different from those of other Indian women who belong to the upper echelons.

Till date, they have been deprived of all religious rights, social status, dignity, income, education, and most importantly, basic human rights. They are required to face the world outside due to the urgent need of earning their livelihood. Dalit women’s subjugation is even more acute – due to their social status, they are treated with great contempt by their own menfolk apart from the upper caste people.

Heinous Acts of Crime

Violence against women in India, especially against Dalit women, is not a new phenomenon. Most women have been victims of harassment, torture and humiliation from time immemorial. Every now and then, you come across some newspaper reporting heinous acts of crime against women. But neither the government nor civil society is effective in controlling the situation and bringing the perpetrators down.

Dalit women are subjected to greater injustices like sexual abuse, immoral traffic, mental and physical torture, homicide, abduction, kidnapping, molestation and rape. The rise of crime rates is in a growing upsurge against Dalit women.

I am not trying to paint a grim picture here. Only one question sears my mind and conscience – Will justice prevail at the end? Will these women get back their dignity and respect? Will we finally accept the cruel fact and do something constructive about it? Can we expect to see them smiling without any worries?

One passion which drives me and defines me is music. I love listening to different genres – rock, pop, alternative rock, reggae, R&B, funk, hip-hop, world music…. Anything which catches my imagination for the moment! But for a few days, i am falling in love once again with the ingenious, brilliant duo – Shaa’ir+Func. Don’t know why but one name is pounding in my head again and again for some days. The mellifluous strains of ‘Secret’ from their debut album, “New Day: The Love Album” (2007) was haunting me.

Brief Intro
For the uninitiated, Shaa’ir +Func is an indie electro-rock act formed in 2005. The ballistic duo, Randolph Correia (Func and guitarist of Pentagram) and Monica Dogre (Shaa’ir) have been making waves around the country as well as in Europe and North America. They signed a deal with Blue Frog Records and released Light Tribe, their sophomore album in 2008. Their brilliant project won Indiecision’s best album of 2008. Their third and latest studio album was released in September 2010.

He’s from Mumbai, she’s from New York. Rated among the Vh1′s Top 10 upcoming artists from India, the creative duo’s signature style of electronic “lovebeat” has mesmerized many music lovers across the world. They have rocked more than 60 shows in India, the UK and New York. The edgy group has a unique and distinctive sound which involves huanting synth melodies, poetic lyrics and bass-influenced rhythms. They are definitely India’s answer to the dance/electronica scene in the global platform.

“Secret” of Music
Shaa’ir+Func have created ripples of curiosity and wonder among many. Also, they have a steady fan following. One of the best facets is that their live shows are always high on energy and catch the pulse of the audience. Both the creative minds have made a mark individually. Monica Dogre made her debut in Bollywood films with “Dobhi Ghat” opposite none other than the maestro himself – Aamir Khan. On the other hand, Randolph Correia has been a part of Pentagram for 14 years and collaborated with other bands. The wonderful amalgamation of creativity and uniqueness makes their sound what it is.

The amazing duo is going global with an international collaboration with Guy Sigsworth, veteran producer who has worked with Seal, Madonna, Bjork and Frou Frou. He is renowned for his distinctive human, manual electronica sound. One can expect to see the fantabulous duo explode off the South Asian sub-continent. I am definitely excited about their upcoming ventures. Way to go, Shaa’ir+Func!

Finding right spa in Noida was not an easy task. It has been a project in itself. I have developed habit of visiting spas in Thailand. I used to go for a body massage every weekend in Thailand. When I returned to India, I was disappointed with spa scene in Noida. There are hardly any decent spas in Noida.

It seems people in Noida prefer ayurvedic body massages. There are so many ayurvedic body massages in Noida. But for most of the places, hygiene and service leaves lot to be desired. With so much oil being used in ayurvedic massages, cleanliness becomes paramount. But most of these ayurvedic places are pretty low on hygiene quotient.

I was referred to Blue Terra Spa in Noida Sector -18 by a friend. She is a regular at Blue Terra Spa in Gurgaon. So when she passed on a discount voucher for the spa in Noida, I immediately made reservation.

When I reached the spa, I was first confused with choices. But front desk person helped me make a choice based on my lifestyle and needs. I decided to try Balinese Massage along with a chocolate body scrub. My leg and shoulder muscles were very tired because of an outdoor team exercise of my office over the weekend. The stretching during the massage really relaxed my muscles. And then I dozed off during the massage. It was so soothing and pleasant massage. The scrub smelled so good, I almost felt like eating it!

The therapist was well trained and courteous. She kept me covered during the therapy, and checked me for pressure and comfort several times. And to top it all they served me a wonderful green tea after therapy.

All in all, it was a great experience. This is definitely the best spa in Noida. If you are looking for a good place for relaxing body massage, this is the place to try out – Blue Terra Spa in Noida.

When a college dropout turned up in Palo Alto a few years ago, he had no job, house or car. Today, it’s a different story! Mark Zuckerberg is now at the helm of the most popular social-networking site, Facebook, and surprisingly turning down billion-dollar offers coming his way! Now, wait a minute. Is this new kid on the block for real? More surprises spring up. Zuckerberg is the world’s youngest billionaire and Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2010! His brainchild, Facebook, has reached 500 million users across the world and the numbers are still increasing. Even the Hollywood movie based on his life,“The Social Network”, won four Golden Globe awards this year. So, more accolades are on their way for this young genius.

The Script of Zuckerberg’s Life

So far, his life has almost been like a Hollywood movie script. A genius kid invents a phenomenal tech while still attending one of the Ivy League schools. Lo and behold! He launches it to rave reviews which took the world by storm. Heavyweights circle his dorm to know him better; he leaves his college to expand his business and creates a ripples of curiosity in the world. What started as a mere social networking site for students gradually became the most sought after venture.

Get the Figures!

Facebook is now the 6th most-trafficked site in the U.S., according to comScore Media Matrix. To simplify, 1% of the total time spent on Internet is specifically done on Facebook! Apart from this, Facebook has started competing with the big giants of the Web like Google and several other tech titans as the ultimate dream destination for many top young and enthusiastic engineering talents.

Lapse in Zuckerberg’s Judgement?

The young entrepreneur’s college-kid style has raised many doubts regarding his decision to keep his baby, Facebook independent. They see it as a lapse in his judgement. Within two years, the two Web 2.0 titans have sold out to major companies: YouTube merged with Google and MySpace joined News Corp. Many thought that the smart youngster would join the bandwagon and think about those deals. But Mark Zuckerberg has different plans. Let’s see what the future has in store for this ingenious entrepreneur!

The mere austerity drive will not help the common man in anyways – lot has to be done to control the steep rise in commodities prices. The rising prices coupled with increasing joblessness and wage deflation are pushing the limits for the poor in India. They are affected greatly and have reached a point of distress in their lives. The insensitive and false promises of the government are not effective in addressing the conflicting situation.

Rising Prices Lead to Vicious Cycle

The steep prices are similar to the fire which feeds on itself. This gives rise to obvious labor unrest, as the daily income of the wage-earners erode due to the inflation. This in turn hampers the productivity which heightens the problem. Hence, a vicious cycle is established gradually. This most hardly hits the common people. As the situation is spiralling out of the control, we are left gasping for breath.

As the United Progressive Alliance government has deregulated the petro products prices, things have got even worse than before. One funny and interesting insight about any of the discussion of food price rise is that one is bound to come across the word ‘drought’. This becomes a primary factor and is taken singularly into account as the reason behind steep prices.

But the facts tell a different story altogether. But before the drought hit the agriculture sector in July 2009, the after effects could be only experienced after October 2009. Here is the hard smack – there has been a rise on the essential commodities from the beginning of 2008.

Harping on Without Any Effect

The Indian government is harping upon the thought that an annual growth rate in GDP would easily provide a solution and address the situation effectively. They are under the impression that a rise in the growth rate from 7% to 9% will curb the rising prices of the essential commodities. On the contrary, we already observed a growth rate of 7.9% in the second quarter of 2009-10. The grim fact is that the situation has not at all improved. This ugly truth revealed that only GDP growth rate would not solve the problem of inflation.

India and the European Union have resolved to work for a balanced post-2012 climate change pact. Both the states voiced their firm opinion to work on a balanced, comprehensive and ambitious post 2012 agreement very soon. This climate change pact will be based on the points of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The EU stated its willingness to cooperate with India in order to implement its National Action Plan on Climate Change.

At the moment when India is embarking on development projects, we will have to face the grim problem of climate change. Similar to many developing countries impending fate, several sections of the Indian population will not be able to sustain the impacts of one of the gravest dangers – Global warming. India faces a major threat, with close economic ties to climate-sensitive areas like forestry, water and most importantly, agriculture. Also, there is a threat to the natural resources. The need of the hour is a serious adaptive capacity to fight the climate change. As 27.5% of the Indian population is below the poverty line, it is essential to reduce the vulnerability to these harmful impacts of severe climate change.

India should now ensure that the rest of the world moves towards a low carbon future. With drastic changes in the key climate factors, namely humidity, precipitation and temperature, important sectors such as rural development and agriculture are most likely to be affected adversely. These harmful impacts of climate change are already being witnessed in unprecedented salinistaion of coastline, floods, cyclones, heat waves and adverse effects on health, fisheries and agriculture.

India is known to be the home to a third of the world’s poor. The climate change will have the most adverse effect on this section of the society. Predicted to be become the most populous country 2045, the ecological, social and economic price of the climate change will be exponential and disastrous.

Let me start with the recent volatile developments shaking the superpower’s den – WikiLeaks, the brain child of Julian Assange, has leaked nearly 251,287 sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables. These were obtained from an anonymous mole. The editor-in-chief now finds himself in soup as politicians and pundits are calling for his head. The whistleblower dubbed it as “Cablegate”.  

Julian Assange – The Current Fate

The Australian journo is reportedly hiding outside London under high security surveillance as Washington is giving him a hot chase. The website struggled to stay alive online on Friday as it was kicked out from Amazon’s servers, due to political pressure. Rumor has it that Amazon buckled under the withering scrutiny of Uncle Sam, headed by Joe Lieberman, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security.

Julian is trying to fight the resistance by seeking help from various domains but it’s not easy. To make it more murkier, the Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) has added the daredevil to its wanted list. He was listed for sex crimes. The situation is looking grim for the 39 year old journo.

His brainchild is the center of political and media attention from some time now for its expose’ on the U.S. diplomatic cables and the Afghanistan War Diaries. These leaks lead to a scrutiny in U.S. diplomacy, including a plan of action for North Korea, discussions involving Pakistan relations and the unethical hacking of Google’s servers by the Red Communist nation, China. The “cablegate” caused an international uproar and created a media furore.

Grand Salute to the Whistleblowers!

Here is my say – as all alert eyes are tracking the international albino of mystery, the physical and human infrastructure of a much more organised, much larger movement continues to expand far from the spotlight. Even if the WikiLeks founder is assassinated tomorrow, if the website’s servers are cut off, nothing changes fundamentally! With or without Assange, the technology still exists which allows anonymous whistleblowers to leak documents and data.

The question on everybody’s lips is whether we consider Julian Assange as a hero or terrorist? A few among us would love to encourage the sense of justice in others which would embolden them to challenge governing institutions controlling our fate by bringing their vicious secrets to light. Although, some would prefer to encourage submission to these institutions in order to guard the prerogatives and privileges of the mighty, lest their destruction threatens the comfortable, current dispensation we all are living now!

I love to belong to the former group of people who feel that immaterial of the consequences, justice should prevail! I must admit that Julian Assange and his gang did a commendable and remarkable feat which threatened the United States powerful disposition. Bravo!

An international icon of rebellion and Cuba’s fiery revolutionary patriarch, Fidel Castro, recently said that US President Barack Obama is the “best snake charmer” ever, the Afghanistan war is “genocidal” and NATO is a “military mafia”. His comments were published on Tuesday in the Western alliance’s summit held in Portugal. He called NATO an “aggressive institution” which fully ignored “billions who are suffering from poverty, underdevelopment, shortages of food, housing, health, education and jobs.”

Global Communist Figure

Communism’s most noted and visible living figure, Castro, now aged 84, led Cuba from the 1959 revolution until 2006, when he had to step down because of health reasons. He handed the presidency to his younger brother and defense minister, Raul Castro. Fidel Castro has slipped from the spotlight since undergoing gastrointestinal surgery in 2006, but never disappeared completely. He wrote regular commentaries for the Communist Party newspaper, Granma, ranging from the global recession to the FIFA World Cup.

Love him or hate him, most Cubans are indebted to him forever. The Commandante hung on despite the undisclosed stomach ailment which was treated as a state secret. When he started to write columns for Granma, he asked the editors to call him “companero” which means citizen in Spanish. Despite giving up power, he continues to pull the strings behind closed doors.

The Revolutionary Icon and Commandante

Despite the resistance, Castro still has faithful supporters both in the United States and Cuba. The followers believe that Cuba provides its citizens a longer life span when compared with many developed countries, including the U.S., although it is a different story that their long life is burdened with endless search for the basic necessities of life – satisfying jobs, decent housing and opportunity for the coming generation.

But, one can’t deny the fact that he held power longer than any other political figure apart from Queen Elizabeth. He became the most eminent leader in Latin America since the 19^th century war for independence. The current Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, considers Fidel Castro to be his ideological godfather.

Fidel Castro was also the mentor of the guerrilla supremo, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who is one of the icons I revere and respect. I am hugely influenced by Guevara’s ideology. To conclude, here is a famous quote by Fidel Castro, “ I am not a communist and neither is the revolutionary movement” The world waits for the final – and possibly the last – chapter in the remarkable life of Fidel Castro.