Why does anyone lose the battle of the bulge?  The problem could be physiological or it could be psychological. A person suffering from hypothyroidism, anemia or one of the countless diseases that cause weight gain could become a helpless loser.  Depression could make the person binge eat and put on weight. A small percentage of  fat people  eat more calories than they burn and consequently end up flabby, fat and unhealthy.

While medical conditions causing weight gain will have to be treated with medicines, psychological conditions must be treated by psychiatrist. However, derision can catapult the person in the first category into the second one and the distinctions between categories can vanish.  The third category of people —namely the non exercisers–can certainly help themselves. They need not be fat if they do not want to join the battle of the bulge! Derision may even help them decide!

However, no one needs to lose the battle of the bulge. Even those who have gained weight due to medical causes can help themselves.  Exercise can restore muscle tone and reduce the flabiness of the body.  Hypothyroid patients will find that mild to moderate exercise under medical supervison improves metabolism and also circulation in the extremeties. It will help them reduce the numbness they experience in their hands and feet. Over a period of time all fat that is attributed to Hypothyroidism will also begin to melt and they can become healthy and even reasonably shapely.  Anaemic patients will find themselves losing weight as their anemia is cured with supplements. A healthy diet followed by reasonably vigourous exercise will help tone muscles and improve health. The same can be said to those who are binge eating due to psychiatric problems.  In fact mild to moderate exercise will also help them get over their psychological condition and eat normally.

So, if you come across fat people, do not poke fun. Find out what ails them and help them win the battle of the bulge.

Ancient Indian sages and even western saints strongly believed in the power of prayer–mantra in the language of India. Children down the ages have been entertained by stories –and adults too in the secret cockles of their hearts–of good fairies and bad fairies; witches and wizards; tantrics and mantrics.  Look at the popular fantasy fiction for adults and children and you need no further proof that there is a fascination with the power of the word!

The bible begins with a reference to a mantra!  “In the beginning there was the word and the word was God”. Vedas say that “OM” was the word of creation–the pranava mantra–and all creation emerged from OM.  Even today, saying Amen, Om, Amin are integral to the vocabulary of prayer.  These words are mantras that have been handed down to us by our forefathers and fathers and are said to endow you with the power of creativity and energy to excel.

Science too is fast reaching the conclusion that sound has creative energy.  The scientists have discovered that everything in the universe vibrates with a subtle sound.  This sound seems to be pervasive and enters our bodies, alters our blood pressure, breathing, muscle tension and skin temperature. Experiments with music have proved that healing can be accelerated with use of music therapy. The repetitive use of “om” also creates a vibration that is beneficial for healing.

If all this is true, are we being rational in refusing to believe in Mantra?

English Literature students too (who may have read the original plays), cannot claim familiarity. Most of them are caught up in famous critical interpretations of the work rather than the work itself!

A popular joke that used to do the rounds in our literature classes truly illustrates the state of Shakespeare studies in colleges in India and abroad. The joke was–if Shakespeare were to attend classes on Shakespeare, he would be the only one to fail the year end examination as he would be bewildered with the interpretations of his text!

Having said all this, what kind of introduction to Shakespeare is this post going to offer? Well, to use the cliched phrase, let us begin at the beginning and re-introducte/introduce (as the case may be) ourselves to the bard and his works in very general terms.  Perhaps with the next posts we can worm our way into the heart of the bard?

Shakespeare was a man who understood mankind. He understood the impulses of the people around him in near absolute terms. In fact, his plays underline the universal truth that “human nature never changes”.  Love, hate, anger, jealousy, lust, greed, betrayal (and all the shades of emotions in between) spring forth with the force and energy of yore in the hearts of men and women eternally. So, why should the characters in his plays be any different? He represented man (and woman) as he found him (her).

Therefore, it is not surprising that Shakespeare’s comedies are tragically comic and his tragedies are comically tragic! He laughs at the follies of men and is saddened by the consequences of their folly.  Antonio or Bassanio provoke tense laughter as the audience waits with bated breadth for the looming tragedy–consequent upon their “humanness”–to manifest and miraculously find a resolution.  A Lear or a Macbeth evoke sympathetic pain as their emotions carry them beyond reason and  they descend to the level of being comically tragic as their bizzare responses to the situation and their worldview borders on madness.

Has the foregoing commentary on the bard made you any wiser? I am sure it has not!  So what must be done?  Watch this page for further inputs!

–Dr.Vanitha Vaidialingam, Phd, IRS(retd)

Invite friends over and make a colorful display on your table with salad dishes arranged at suitable intervals! Enjoy the complements you receive!

Here is an interesting salad book that you may like to own, titled simply–Salad Recipes. There are more than 2500 salad recipes that you can use for every season and every reason! Here are a few that you can start with immediately.

Here is a sneak peek into the table of contents.

Introduction
Personalized Cooking Aprons
Antipasto Pasta Salad
Beet Salad
Couscous Salad
Beef Fajita Salad
Greek Salad
Chicken Pasta Salad
Lentil Salad
Ham Salad with Hot Peanut Dressing
Deli Potato Salad
Mandarin Orange Salad
Turkey Macaroni Salad
Taco Salad
Hungarian Cucumber Salad
Golden Corral’s Seafood Salad
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Mediterranean Salad
Spicy Pecan Salad
Rice Salad
Zucchini Slaw
Poached Chicken and Walnut Salad
Sugar Snap Salad
Fruit Salad with Champagne Sauce
Mushroom Antipasto Pasta Salad
Grilled Caribbean Chicken Salad
Spicy Fruit Salad

The tomb is 47 mts tall and is 300 feet wide and is the first Indian building to use the Persian double dome on a high neck drum that measures 42.5 m. The dome is mounted with a 6 mt high brass final crowned by a cresent.  This dome is made of pure white marble while the rest of the building is made of red sandstone in contrast.  The design is symmetrical and simple on the exterior while the interior is complex.  There are eight two storyed vaulted chambers that radiate from a central chamber. The intricate Jaali work or stone lattice work is specatacular.  The actual tomb of the Emperor and his wife lie in an underground chamber directly below the cenotaph and is accessible from a seperate passage.  Surrounding the building is the beautiful Char Bagh Garden or four part garden with a quadrilateral layout. The four squares are further subdivided into smaller squares forming 36 squares in all.  The water channels appear to flow beneath the tomb only to appear on the other side of the building in a straight line.

In the south east corner of the complex lies the Tomb of the first Mughal Emperor of India–Barbar.  This is the only building within the inner walls of the complex and hence it is interpreted to be a building of importance. This tomb is known as the Nai-ka-Gumbad and dates back to 1590-91.  The tomb stands on a raised platform and is square in design.  There are no inscriptions that indicate that it is the tomb of Barbar. However, local legends daub it so and since it stands within the inner walls of the Humayun tomb complex, it could well be so.

There are a number of buildings that dot the pathway leading up to Humayun’s tomb. Most of these buildings are located outside the inner wall.   The Tomb and Mosque of Isa Khan predates Humanyun’s tomb and is the most prominent building in the complex.  It is said to have been constructed in 1547 and is the tomb of  an Afghan noble who graced Sher Shah Suri’s court.  This is an octogonal tomb in an octogonal garden.  It is said to be typical of the monuments of the Sur dynasty.

Other significant buildings in the complex are Bu Halima’s tomb and garden; Afsarwala tomb and mosque; Arab Sarai (rest house for Arabs); Nila Gumbad with a striking blue dome built by Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khana a courteir of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and the Chillah Nizamuddin Aulia the residence of the saint Nizamuddin Aulia of the 14th Century(typical architecture of the Tugluq dynasty).

If you plan to visit the tombs and do justice to your visit, it will be a good idea to study the  history of the periods represented and learn to distinguish between the different architectural styles that you find in and around the Humayun Tomb complex.   If you are not too hung up on “history” and “architecture” you could visit these tombs to appreciate the sheer beauty of the buildings and the gardens in which they are situated.

I am currently grappling with three different topics that interest me. One the literary theory of Saussure, Lacan, Barthes and others. I am doggedly reading the translations of the works of these writers even though I need multiple readings to make sense of them. Finally, I am getting a glimmer of what they are talking about and am getting immensely interested in what they have to say. I am also attempting to apply their theories to literary works!  A challenging and interesting task. Very intellectual!

I am also reading a wonderful novel by a Japanese writer in English called Kazuo Ishiguro called The Remains of the day.  The writer has wonderfully captured the essence of what “buttlership” (if you forgive my coining of this word) implies.  A copy of the novel is available online (in docstoc or is it scribd?–I am not sure). Truly relaxing!

I am also working out the nuances of contract law and bombarding myself with  topics like “invitation to treat”, “postal delay in contract law” and so on and so forth till I am getting a little cross eyed with the effort. Absolutely legal! Keeps my mind live and kicking.

Of course, I cannot complain that my life is drab and dull and lacks variety.  Will perhaps translate the results of all my efforts into little articles that may be of interest to you all?

Why do I do all this?  I like being an intellectual.  In fact I revel in it.  What comes out of it?  A lot of writing practice and of course a number of new creative ideas for books that I plan to write sometime in the future (only the future seems very dimly distant at the moment).   Some of the work may also find a way into literature journals and law journals and law journals.

I think I began to blog because I felt that I had a lot of information that I would like to share with others. I also felt that it would give me good writing practice as I am a writer by profession.  I was however, not very sure that anyone would want to read what I had to write.  Surprisingly, there are at least 60+ people out there who visit my blog and read it whether I have posted anything new or not.  Now I think I have another reason not become a drop out.  I have a readership who really find my blogs interesting enough to visit daily and read up. I owe something to them.

Blogging is generically very close to dairy writing. Of course you write your most secret thoughts in the diary and keep it under lock and key hoping no one else will get sight of the things you tell your diary about your fellowmen.  A blog on the other hand is an open diary. You write about everything that you are interested in and can be as democratic as you like about your readership.  Of course, you will not share your innermost thoughts and you secret cravings with your fellowmen? Yet, there is a satisfaction that there is someone out there who shares your interest and you feel joyful about reaching out to them.  I wonder what psychologists have to say about blogging?

To come to the meat of the question, I asked in the title–What is so addictive about blogging? The question follows: “Am I an addict?” Well No. I find that I can really live without blogging. It is not like diary writing. I am not searching for a confidant. I think I am reaching out to friends, like minded people who are interested in what I am interested in. One is not obssessed with one’s friends. It is just nice to have them around and have an occassional relaxing chat with them. I think my blogging fell off, because I am a healthy human being with a healthy work appetite. Sometimes I put work before friends and the need to reach out takes a back seat when work holds my attention.  Therefore, while I do not feel guilty about not continuing to blog, I do feel remorseful that I have not shared sometime with my 60 odd friends out there, who hang out at my blog hoping for a glimpse of me.

Perhaps, if I were depressed and unhappy, blogging could become a kind of addictive and I may end up blogging to myself or using my blog more as a diary than as a blog. Perhaps, I would find comfort in my readership and may even obssess about the number of people who visit my blog on a daily basis and worry if there is a drop in readership and so on…I hear people find pleasure in committing online suicide because the number of people who “like” you has changed or dropped or what not…. Even for them blogging is not an addiction–it seems more like a lifeline. They would drown if you prevent them from blogging. It is not merely a question of de-addicting them.

Business blogs are a whole new ball game. They are bloggers who are blogging for survival; to prove that they are better than their competition or just advertising as blogs attract readership. For them, blogging is a necessary adjunct to their business and not an addiction.

So, what is all this talk about addiction to blogging? I do not know. If you do know people who are addicted about their blogging do find out why and share it with us. Contact us using the contact form on http://www.consult4content.com and give us the meat on why someone finds blogging addictive.

Summer brides often choose bouquet of gardenias for their weddings. It has featured in Royal and celebrity weddings. The Princess of Wales Diana, choose a bouquet of gardenias for her wedding with Prince Charles. The exotic, spicy sweet fragrance of the gardenia flowers and the pale ivory color the petals contrasts with the dark glossy leaves to create an impression of beauty and grace as the bride walks down the aisle. It also complements white bridal wear and appropriately symbolizes the purity of the bride.

But, did you know the Gardenia really belongs to the coffee plant family? The white multi layered petals of this beautiful flower belies this fact, does it not? Yet it is true that the Gardenia belongs to Rubiaceae family and is native to tropical and sub tropical regions of Africa. There are more than 250 species of this genus. The flower is named after Dr.Alexander Garden a Scottish born American naturalist.

The gardenia plant is a small evergreen shrub or a small tree that grows to 1-15 meters in height. The leaves are set opposite each other or in whorls of three or four. They have a dark green glossy and leathery texture. The flowers bloom singly or in small clusters and can be white or pale yellow. The tubular-based corolla has 5-12 lobes and is often 5-12 centimeters in diameter.  These plants flower from mid spring to mid summer and may or may not have a strong scent.

Chinese farmers raise the gardenia for the dye that can be produced from its fruit. In East Indies this plant is nurtured for a gum that exudes from its bark. In South Africa the hard wood from the tree is considered valuable. In America the plant is grown for the waxy blossoms it produces.

The gardenia flower has also been used extensively in oriental perfumes and oils. It is known to be an aphrodisiac. It is also used for medicinal purposes as an anti inflammatory drug, anti bacterial medication and for its fungicidal properties. It adds an exotic flavor to tea.

Since the gardenia is a tropical or sub tropical plant, growing gardenias in other climates can be difficult. They are finicky houseplants and require the bright southern light. If you must grow gardenias at home grow lights must be used to supplement natural lighting in cold places and in winter. A timer must be used to ensure that the plants have 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. They must be watered with distilled water kept at room temperature. Hard or cold water will stunt their growth. The soil used to grow these flowering plants must be moist and must not be too wet and slushy.

A two day visit with one night stay at Kurukshetra is recommended.  Popular hotels for overnight stay at Kurukshetra are: Saffron, Heritage, Neelkanth Yatri Niwas and Parakeet hotel. There are also a number of guest houses and Dharmashalas that accomodate travelers to this historic city.

Places of Tourist Interest

Sheikh Chehli’s Tomb is a beautiful tomb constructed by Dara Shikoh(1650 AD), the eldest son of Shah Jahan the Moghul Emperor, for the sufi saint Abd-ur-rahim or Sheikh Chehli. The tomb is constructed over an artificial terrance and is octogonal with a south facing entrance. It is built of buff sandstone and crowned by a pear shaped dome of marble with a high circular drum.  A smaller tomb with beautiful floral carvings dedicated to the wife of Sheikh Chehli can be found near the west entrance.  The whole overlooks a Madrasa which has a nine arched opening on each side of the central courtyard. It has been declared a monument of National importance.

The Kurukshetra Panorama and Science center is located near the Sri Krishna Museum in Kurukshetra. It is a two storeyed building that exhibits Indian heritage science and technology. Ancient Indian concepts of properties of matter, structure of the atom, geometry, mathematical rules, astronomy, medicine and surgery are on display.  The highlight of the museum is the life like panorama of the historical battle of Kurukshetra with 34 feet high paintings of the episodes from the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas.  The sound and light that accompany the scene along with the background Gita Chanting create an illusion of reality. A science park has been set up in the grounds with busts of all the greatest scientists of India.

The Krishna museum exhibits the collection of archelogical material from 5000 years of Indian History. Effort has been made to sequence the material culture from the Kurukshetra war pre epic, epic and post epic periods. There is no effort to establish the historicity of the war, only to display the archeological findings pertaining to the different periods. The museum has six galleries and a rich heritage of art and sculpture is housed in these galleries. A whole day can be spent examining these exquisite pieces of history and art!

Kalpana Chawla Memorial Planetarium was built to impart non formal education in Astronomy. A number of excellent programs with high tech digital and optomechanical systems are conducted in this building.  Science and technology exhibits, astronomy shows and the astro park are highlights of this spot.

Gulzarilal Nanda Institute of National Integration and Peace is a personalia museum built in honor of the erstwhile Governor of the State who did much to improve and preserve the historical and places of tourist importance in Kurukshetra.  The musuem highlights his career, spiritual beliefs and his services for Kurukshetra.

Brahmasarovar is a beautiful tank with a temple dedicated to Shiva in the center of the tank. This spot is believed to be the location at which Brahma begins his act of creation after the great Pralaya that destroys the world. A number of bathing ghats named after the characters of the Mahabarath can be found round this tank.  The waters of this tank are considered sacred and pilgrims visit this tank in large numbers during the Solar eclipse and on New moon day to take a dip in the holy waters.

The Sannihit Sarovar in Kurukshetra is said to be the confluence of seven sacred saraswatis. A large number of pilgrims visit this tank on New Moon day to absolve themselves of sins.  Adjacent to this tank are the temples dedicated to Dhruv Narain, Lord Vishnu, Laxmi Narayan, Lord Hanuman and Mother Goddess Durga.

Places of Historical Importance

Kurukshetra is replete with history.  The site has been the cradle of Indian civilization for more than 5000 years. A number of archelogical sites have been excavated and the findings from these sites are housed in the different museums located across the city including the Krishna museum.

The Archeological site museum and Harsha’s Palace are located behind the Tomb of Sheikh Chehli. The museum houses the archeological findings at the excavation site of the Palace of Harsha, the King of Thanesar.  The Archeological Survey of India has unearthed from the mound, stone and terracotta sculptures, coins, ornaments, ritualistic objects. The exhibition also has on display the schematic plan and its findings and architectural buildings that have been exposed during the excavation.  The mound itself is located close to the  museum and the contours of the palace are very visible. The settlement pattern, the architectural style, religious life and artistic endeavor are visible to tourists.

Jyotisar is the most revered historical location in Kurukshetra. It is believed that Krishna elucidated the Gita to Arjuna at this spot. While the historical truth of this assertion is not proved, tradition has it that the message was delivered under a holy banyan tree at this spot. Jyotisar lies 5 km from Kurukshetra on the Kurushetra Peshowa road.  The banyan currently found on the spot is said to be an offshoot of the original banyan that existed at the time of the discourse. The site has a beautiful marble statue of Krishna and Arjuna on a chariot.  A sound and light show on the theme of Bhagawat Gita is mounted by the ITDC as part of the tourist promotion of Kurushetra here.

Close to Jyotisar, infact at the entrance to the location, stands an ancient Shiva temple between the trunks of two trees. The temple is said to date back to the Kurushetra war.

Temples in Kurukshetra

The Staneshwar Mahadev temple is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Hindu God of destruction. It is said that the Pandavas visited this temple before the battle of Mahabarat to receive the blessings of Lord Shiva. The waters of the tank adjoining the temple is said to have cured Kind “Ben” of leprosy.  A pilgrimage to Kurukshetra is complete only when the pilgrim takes a holy dip in this tank.   The temple is constructed in the regional style and has a domical roof and the facade of this dome has the shape of an “amla” or gooseberry with a tall pinacle.  The sanctum sanctorum houses a Lingam in the traditional style.

The Bhadrakali temple is a temple dedicated to Shakti, the consort of Lord Shiva. It is one of the fifty one Shaki peetas or seat of power of the Goddess.  The right ankle of Shakti is idolized in this temple.  A large number of devotees congregate in this temple to worship the Godress. Local legend has it that Krishna and Balarama had their “Mundan” ceremony or the removal of first growth of hair was conducted in this temple. It is also believed that the Pandavas visited this temple to pray to the Goddess for victory in the Kurukshetra war.  Worshippers offer terracotta horses to the diety when their prayers are answered by the Goddess.

The Kalmaki temple is also dedicated to Bhadrakali. This temple is associated with Tantricism and is said to have existed even in the sixth and seventh centuries AD at the current location.  The style of the temple, however, is 19th century.  The brickwork is in Lakhori style and is double storied. The style of the sanctum santrum is offbeat with the sanctum juxtapositioned to form a single structure bearing a composite domical and vaulted roof styles.  Four domical spires are located around the central domical spise.  The entrance to the temple has a vaulted alcove design.  Beautiful murals decorate the sanctum interior and the octogonal wall below the inner dome and square chamber of the sanctum.

Bhishma Kund or Narkatari tank is located about a mile and half from Thanesar on Kurushetra Pehowa road. The legend says that Bhishma, the elder of the Pandava and Kuru clan gave up his life voluntarily at this spot. It is believed that the waters of the tank were summoned forth by Arjuna to quench the thirst of Bhishma. There is a temple dedicated to Bhishma on this spot adjacent to the tank.

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However, it should be noted that income from every type of house property is not treated on the same footing in all countries, for a variety of reasons. Depending on the scope of encouragement to be given to house building activity, the  income tax benefits available on the  first property owned by a person may be different from the income tax benefits available on  the second property owned by the same person.

It follows that income tax benefits available on properties owned by the individual in countries other than the country of residence, may also be different. The tax on income from such properties may be computed with reference to any tax treaties that may have been entered into by the parent country with the country in which the property yeilding income is located.

Having said this, let us go on to examine what is commonly understood as income from house property.

Income from House Property, also referred to as rental income, is any payment you receive for the use or occupation of your property (referred to as Lessee or owner) by another (referred to as lesor or tenant).

Broadly, Income tax legislations the world over define income from house property as any or all of the following:

• Periodic payments by the tenant for use of property fully or partially
• Notional rental value of property that is intended for self occupation
• Payments by tenants towards amenities provided with the property
• Any amounts paid by tenant to cancel a lease
• Any expenses paid by the tenant on your behalf
• A security deposit that is intended to be adjusted against unpaid rent or final payment of rent
• Any security deposit that is adjusted because tenant does not comply with the terms of the lease

The type of accounting system you adopt will also make a difference to the amount of income from house property you report under the tax legislation. So most tax legislations recognize two types of accounting proceeduces as legitimate–cash system or accrual system.  A cash system of accounting implies that you account for the rent only when you receive the cash. Under the accrual system you will include all rent that is due to you and not necessarily received.

However, the entire amount you receive from your tenant is not taxable.  The income at the point of receipt is “gross rent”.  The actual taxable rent could be far less than what you have received from your tenant in the course of the accounting year. Why? All tax legislations allow legitimate and reasonable expenses that may be incurred by an individual in collecting the rent or maintaining the property in a rentable condition. The rent arrived at after deducting expenses is the “Net taxable rental income”.

Deductible expenses on gross rental income could include:

• Expenses on upkeep of the property
• Finding a tenant to occupy the property
• Expenses incurred for collection of rental
• Expenses incurred for payment of property tax and
• Other taxes/charges on property.

A few tax legislations may also allow you some deductions such as:

• interest that is paid on loans taken by you for the purchase of property;
• vaccancy allowance for the period when the property remains untenanted or
• loss of income you have appropriated the property for personal use during a part of the financial year.

A few legislations allow a standard deduction on income from house property in place of deductions for various expenses. Other legislations may allow depreciation on house property income.  You must compute your house property income in accordance with the definition of house property income that is enshrined in the legislation of your country of residence and deduct expenses that are allowable under that legislation.

The total income from house property can be a loss if the expenses on property exceeds the gross income from property. This may or may not be set off against income from other heads as defined in the tax legislation of the country.

[Subsequent tax talk posts will be devoted to "How to compute house property Income" under different tax legislations. So stay with us and we hope this information will be useful to you for the tax filing season in your country!]