“The Revenant” had a golden night by taking home the top honours, including a Best Actor gong for Leonardo DiCaprio and Best Director for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, at the 88th Academy Awards. British filmmaker of Indian origin Asif Kapadia won the golden statuette for “Amy”, India’s Reliance Entertainment-backed “Bridge Of Spies” won one award and Indian actress Priyanka Chopra took to the stage as a presenter. “Spotlight” was named the […]

Do you get stressed easily? You should probably take it easy and let it go a little. According to a new study, how you perceive and react to stressful events is more important to your health than how frequently you encounter stress. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University and Columbia University in the US analysed data collected from 909 participants, including daily telephone interviews over eight consecutive days and the results […]

For some pre-1991 generations, the memory will still be stark. Everyone – even Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani – needed a ration card. While for many middle class people and the poor, queuing up for rations at the fair price shop was par for the course, many well-off people did not (the ration cards were merely compulsory identity and address proofs). They would let their servants/ drivers use their ration […]

Frankincense is an aromatic resin that has been used for thousands of years for medicinal, spiritual and ceremonial purposes. Frankincense resin is made from the sap of trees in the Boswellia genus and can come in the form of an oil, liquid resin and crystallized resin. The aroma of frankincense is uniquely warm, deep, rich, and incense-like. Essential oils like Frankincense are volatile oils that contain aromatic molecules that can […]

Life is very uncertain. You never know what might happen and when. In those times it is always helpful to know what to do, without pressing the panic button. Most people are aware of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to saving a person from choking. Press the person’s chest hard from behind, enough that the thing they’re choking on shoots out. But how many of you know what […]

Medical stories make headlines. But do they make sense to you? What are free radicals? What’s REM? What’s wrong with MSG? Common terms explained. Antioxidants When your body cells use oxygen, they produce by-products called free radicals, which can damage the body and cause heart disease, cancer and other disorders. Antioxidants scavenge on free radicals, and hence prevent and repair the damage they do. Examples: Selenium, vitamins C and E, […]

Are you getting the right amount of sleep every night? You may be at risk of stroke if your sleep duration is less than seven hours or more than eight hours per night. A study conducted by researchers from the New York University found that getting the right amount of sleep and exercising several times a week can significantly can reduce the risk of stroke. Researchers also found that sleeping […]

In a new book called Big Magic, American author Elizabeth Gilbert says that the key to a happy and healthy life is “creative living”, that is, to create something. It could be anything from clay pots and toys to poetry and jewellery. Here’s a step-wise guide on how to maintain a creative life that also helps you sustain happiness and health. 8 STEPS TOWARDS CREATIVE LIVING Mindfulness: It teaches one […]

The question is at the forefront again after a French court ruled Friday that a French art teacher can sue the social media service after it suspended his Facebook account. Although Facebook hasn’t given a reason, the account suspension came after he posted an image of a classical painting featuring a female nude. Facebook’s rules on nudity have evolved over time. The latest community-standards policy, from March 2015, says Facebook […]

There was jet lag from travelling 13 time zones, daddy’s absence that was keenly felt, and the brilliance of the world’s brainiacs arrayed before her. None of this fazed Ishita Katyal, a 10-year-old Pune writer and middle-schooler who, quite extraordinarily, debuted as the opening speaker at the TED2016 (Technology, Entertainment, Design), a nerdy conference of some of the world’s smartest people. Alpha-geeks from Google and Tesla, Apple and Uber, not […]