Champion of healthful living (1938-2016) Albert Einstein said, life can only be lived in two ways. As though everything is a miracle, or as if nothing is a miracle. Dr. Vijaya Venkat chose to live her life seeing the wonder in every moment. Dr. Vijaya Venkat, known to the world as a nutritionist/activist/holistic health counsellor/guide or simply Amma, was a pioneer in the world of healthfull living through ecological and economical health choices, using food as a tool for transformation. A biochemist and microbiologist, she experienced firsthand the wonders of life and the increasing threat to it. Biochemistry revealed a…
Author: oiop
Does ‘economic growth’ tell the true story of an economy? Especially in India, where bank credit seems to have artificially pumped up the economy. Economists may dispute recent growth estimates put out by the economic survey of the GOI (Government of India), but aiming for economic growth remains the top policy agenda. This has been the norm for over two decades now. While the Hindu growth rate of less than 5% per annum until 1980s is represented as an embarrassment, accelerating growth rate after 1991 has been a matter of national celebration. Economic growth has little relationship with quality of…
She was the very personification of warmth as she welcomed me to her residence in Kilpauk, Chennai. Dr. Sarada Menon, 92, seemed slightly tired. But her face was lit up with a brilliant smile. Her walk was slow, with measured steps. But, her determination pushed her frail self forward. In no time her energy doubled, passion surged and spirit soared, making her 92 years seem irrelevant, as she delved into her favourite subject, the mentally ill and their rehabilitation. She oscillated with ease, from the past to the present of her life’s journey, where psychiatry had played a pivotal role.…
Reached 40 and no time for yourself? Nivedita Louis urges women to sit up and take care of their health. Can you imagine your posterior in a hospital gown, is her clinching argument. The next time you tell me “Women are like wine and they get better with age”, I am going to put you on the Soyuz to space. Reaching forty is more dreadful than getting married. You get ‘cold feet’ literally. Your metabolic rate climbs faster than Mallya’s debt. The dimples on your cheeks spread to your chin, and incessant emptying of the leftover aalu masala into your…
Non-timber forest produce may be referred to as ‘minor’ forest produce, but they actually have a big role to play in our forest economy. Used sustainably, they can provide livelihood to millions dependent on India’s forests. Non-timber forest produce (NTFP) is sometimes referred to as ‘minor’ forest produce, but such description may hide the reality that NTFP actually has a much more important role than timber in providing sustainable livelihoods to people living in or near forests. As Yellappa Reddy points out, a single fruit uppage (Garcinia gummigatta – its extract is used for reducing obesity) is known to provide…
Our body is a marvelous feat of engineering and technology. Self-sustaining, self-regulating, self-repairing. Dynamic, able to adapt to constantly changing surroundings. Evolving for better efficiency. This incredible machine, the one that we inhabit daily, has the capacity for indestructible health, says Shilpa Chawla, if only we realise it. Designed by Nature, it’s the culmination of all that Nature has learnt with every species, through its years of evolution and wisdom. Three and half billion years of inhabiting and navigating this world has yielded ‘us’! Engineered for health and harmony, all the functions coded into our blue print keep homeostasis within…
India is seeing a brutal summer, with many states including Maharashtra reeling under severe water shortage. In the midst of this, news of thousands of litres of water being used to irrigate the IPL tournament’s cricket pitches in Mumbai, gave rise to a blistering controversy. G. Venkatesh comments, and suggests some solutions. TWater scarcity has been a problem, rather a challenge, in India over the years. Different states have experienced droughts or drought-like situations at different points in time. Climate change in general (and the El Niño effect in particular, at the time of writing) have been giving ‘silent’ and…
We humans have a need to tell stories. Across time, we have through whatever means we could muster, through whatever devices we could invent, found ways to pass along these stories – these marks in time that outlast our mortal selves. Some tellers trusted memory, others entrusted their tales to barks of birch and there were those who left their imprints on stone. Visit the once bustling capitals of Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal in present day Karnataka and you will see the stone scultptures, temples and monuments telling their own stories which you can accept, add to and pass on…
Medical treatment in India has come a long way. Life expectancy has improved drastically. But with that, there hasn’t been a significant improvement in palliative care, even in a city like Mumbai. Dr. Sujeet Rajan outlines what’s needed to improve end-of-life or palliative care in India. Indians are surely living longer, but the question is, are they living better lives? I hope I can address this issue in this article, in the best way possible. As a respiratory physician dealing with chronic lung disease, I deal with this issue almost every day in clinical practice, and I have come to…
When in doubt, laugh it out! Laughter never killed anyone, on the contrary, it enhances our mood and helps us in battling stress. Even forced laughter is fine, says A. Radhakrishnan, who narrates some jokes to ensure that our laughter is real. How did Julius Caesar spit on Brutus before dying? “Ehh thu, Brute” – (received on what’sapp) Laughter is a unique, incredibly healthy human experience, which apart from releasing happy chemicals, reminds us not to take life or ourselves too seriously. As Jorge Garcia puts it, “I definitely try to mix humour into whatever I do. Mixing humour and…