Lifestyle

Young children 'almost completely selfish'

manoj — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:09:51 +0530

Parents who attempt to ingrain egalitarian ideas among very young children are bound to feel frustrated, for a research suggests that kids become more egalitarian only as they grow older.

According to a study by Swiss scientists, children learn the principles of equality by the age of eight.

The study, which is published in the latest August issue of online journal Nature, showed that majority of three and four-year-olds are inherently selfish. However, by the age of seven, most have acquired the ability to consider other people's feelings.

"At age three to four, the overwhelming majority of children behave selfishly, whereas most children at age seven-eight prefer resource allocations that remove advantageous or disadvantageous inequality," says Dr Ernst Fehr, who led the research at the University of Zurich.

At the age of three, children were "almost completely selfish," says Fehr.

When Scientists asked 229 Swiss schoolchildren to share packets of sweets with another child of the same age, they found that three and four-year-olds rarely gave their partners any sweets.

Fewer than 10 per cent of them shared the sweets equally, the research found.

However, when the same experiment was carried out with seven and eight-year-olds, Scientists came across dramatic change. Most children routinely chose the fairest options.

Indulge in the menu at 19 Oriental Avenue

nishtha — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:40:59 +0530

FOOD REVIEW: 19 Oriental Avenue, Shangri-La Hotel, NEW MENU
RATING: * * *

Shangri-La hotel’s, 19 Oriental Avenue, a sojourn for epicureans looking to indulge their tastebuds in eclectic oriental cuisine, all served under one roof, recently launched a brand new menu that they claim is a rich accumulation of age old recipes evolved to the next level of modernity.

One does appreciate the endeavour to keep the recipes sacrosanct without much tweaking to suit the Indian palette, unless specifically demanded, a little bit of customization could do wonders for the new menu.

In the Japanese menu, you could start your meal with skewered chicken balls called Tsukune, an appetizer from the Robatayaki or charcoal grill inorder to indulge in a flavour not so unfamiliar to your tastebuds. Neba Neba, a kind of salad made from salmon fillet, cuttle fish, lady finger and asparagus with a dash of wasabi sauce is tangy and tasty and a must have for those who relish fish. Okonomiyaki, made of batter fried cake filled with cabbage and pork and topped with bonito flakes, teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise, a kind of street food, from Japan that would look more like a pizza prima facie, is also quite delicious. Shakekawamaki, a crispy salmon skin reverse roll is avoidable. Stick to the regular sushi platter if you have a predilection for raw fish.

In Thai, the Lamb Salad with chilli makes for an interesting accompaniment for your drinks. Poh pia thod - Thai fried spring rolls stuffed with vegetables and glass noodles is an interesting dish in terms of ingredients and presentation but may appear tad bit bland especially if it is had without a sauce.

Try and reserve Chinese for your main course. Although, the Butterfly Prawns with sweet and sour make for a good choice of an appetizer especially for those who like sea food. The Peking Duck soup however, is disappointing and insipid as is the Fried Tofu. Crispy Fried Pork in sweet and sour sauce is good as is Chef Wang’s style - Stir Fried Chicken in Wild Pepper sauce. Have them with the Szechwan fried noodles. Scallop with Black Beans and Glass Noodles is rather tender and sumptuous.

Add the finishing touch to your meal with the Ice Cream Tempura and the Pumpkin custard.

So for a complete oriental experience, hit the 19 Oriental Avenue. Make sure you make reservations in advance especially during the lunch hour when the restaurant is a choc-a-block with foodies.

Vineet Bhatia's Rasoi best in London for Indian cuisine

nishtha — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:29:56 +0530

Michelin Star chef Vineet Bhatia's Rasoi is once again rated the best London restaurant in the Indian cuisine category, according to Harden's London Restaurants list for 2009.

The best London restaurant rating goes to Petrus, the restaurant of top chef Marcus Wareing, who has two Michelin Stars.

The best known Chef of Britain, Gordon Ramsay's eponymous restaurant slips from the first place after eight years and is rated second best. Ramsay holds three Michelins. Le Gavroche in Mayfair comes third.

Harden's rankings are based on a total of 85,000 reports from 8,000 diners. The Harden's guide says average cost of dinner for one in London - including house wine, coffee and service - was now an average 40.11 pounds, with prices increasing 4.7 percent over the last 12 months.

Harden's described Rasoi as follows in the 2008 ratings list: Sublime and zingy spicing creates "1001 intoxicating flavours" for visitors to Vineet Bhatia's "tucked-away" Chelsea townhouse - a "bizarre" home for such a pre-eminent "nouvelle-Indian"; prices are "sky high, though".

Mumbai-born Vineet Bhatia earned his Michelin Star in 2001. He worked two prominent London Indian restaurants before setting up Rasoi in 2004, which won a Michelin two years later. He launched Urban Turban - a casual dining affair - in 2007.

Among other results, Chez Bruce is named London's favourite restaurant for the fourth straight year. The Wolseley is again No 1 for business, followed by the Don and Bleeding Heart. La Poule au Pot is best for romance for the 13th consecutive year.

The survey divides restaurants into price categories, with the Ritz Restaurant and Pied a Terre coming fourth and fifth, overall, for places where a meal costs more than 80 pounds ($147). The Ledbury beat J Sheekey in the 60-79 pounds group; Chez Bruce and La Trompette headed 45-59 pounds; Lamberts and Upstairs Bar were top two in the 35-44 pounds category.

Best restaurants by cuisine, reported by Bloomberg, are British: Chez Bruce, Lamberts; French: Petrus, Upstairs Bar; Italian/Mediterranean: Assaggi, Latium; Indian: Rasoi Vineet Bhatia, New Tayyabs (Pakistani); Chinese: Kai Mayfair, Mandarin Kitchen; Japanese: Zuma, Jin Kichi.

Prosecutors drop some charges against Indian-born designer

nishtha — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:10:28 +0530

Prosecutors in Los Angeles have dropped half of the criminal counts in the sexual assault case against celebrity Indian-born fashion designer Anand Jon.

The decision to strike the counts, involving 10 of the 20 alleged victims, was made just as jury selection was set to get under way in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Prosecutors with the LA County district attorney's office said they still have "a very strong case" against 34-year-old Jon, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"These are the victims that prosecutors are electing to proceed with at this time," said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, adding that lawyers for the other alleged victims could move to reinstate the charges during trial.

Jon is a well-known figure in the celebrity fashion world who designed clothes for Paris Hilton, singer Mary J Blige and others. He was involved in the show America's Next Top Model and was planning to star in a reality TV show for VH1 about the fashion world.

The charges against Jon include forcible rape, lewd acts upon a child, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, sexual battery by restraint and attempted forcible oral copulation.

The alleged incidents occurred from August 2000 to March 5, 2007, prosecutors said. Many of the alleged assaults were said to have occurred in Jon's Beverly Hills condominium.

Kate Moss says no to breast implants

nishtha — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:47:51 +0530

Supermodel Kate Moss says breast implants are "awful" but she admits she might change her mind when she gets old.

Moss, 34, decided against breast surgery after some of her friends had a bad experience with the surgery, reports mirror.co.uk.

She said: "I think they are awful. So many of my friends have had them, and they've gone wrong. One moved up sort of near her shoulder. I'm not into them. I mean, if I got all saggy, like the sacks some women have after they have children, I'd have them done."

Recently she bared all for a magazine.

My butt looks good in jeans: Akshay Kumar

nishtha — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:13:48 +0530

Bollywood action hero Akshay Kumar, who is the brand ambassador of Levis jeans, says his butt looks good in the denim.

"Though the company has used various words to describe its new product, what I can say is that my butt looks good in the jeans," Akshay said at the launch of the Levis 501 brand on Tuesday.

Akshay, 40, who is riding high on the success of his recent release Singh Is Kinng, will be seen in a series of ad campaigns for the brand. The first television commercial will go on air on Wednesday.

"I have maintained myself well and I can carry any product that targets youth. I endorse products which I believe in," said Akshay.

"I strongly believe that Levis is a good brand and I have been associated with it since my childhood. The first jeans that my father bought for me was a pair of Levis," said Akshay who is the first Indian celebrity to have been incorporated by the company for endorsement.

Dress your wound with honey and seaweed

nishtha — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:00:42 +0530

Researchers have created a dressing with a blend of honey and seaweed extract, which is about to hit the international markets.

The dressing has been designed by Waikato University researchers for use on wounds including leg and foot ulcers, burns, and infected areas. The international wound-care market is estimated to be worth $12 billion by 2012.

Peter Molan, professor at Waikato University, created prototypes of the wound dressing about six years ago. The patch contains manuka honey gelled with sodium alginate - a food ingredient extracted from seaweed which helps the dressing absorb moisture.

The result is a patch which is dry and can be easily handled despite the stickiness of honey, and one that offers antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It does not stick to the skin, so is easily changed, lessening pain for patients.

Molan said the dressing would be particularly useful for chronic wounds resulting from diabetes. Type II diabetes is predicted to become a huge burden on health systems as obesity rates see more people succumbing to the disease - and the foot ulcers and wounds it often causes.

"It means diabetic wounds can be actually healed, rather than just offering palliative care. It could mean fewer amputations which are often necessary when these wounds won't heal."

That, in turn, means lower costs for the health sector. "The cost of non-healing wounds would be up in the hundreds of millions of dollars," Molan said.

"A lot of wound care is done in the community, and this dressing doesn't need changing as often as conventional dressings, so it could save on time and travel costs," he added.

Launch of Imran's biography postponed

nishtha — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:41:04 +0530

The worldwide launch of a much-talked about biography of Pakistan's cricketing legend-turned-politician Imran Khan has been postponed by a few months and a new date is likely to be announced by mid-September.

The launch of Imran Vs Imran -- the first official biography of Khan -- has been delayed because of Khan's "pressing engagements" and his decision to "review quotes" in the book, New Delhi-based author Frank Huzur said.

The 500-page book is supposed to be a tell-all on Khan, who was married to the glamorous Jemima Khan. An entire chapter is devoted to the couple's marriage, apart from Jemima's take on her failed marriage.

The biography of the Tehrik-e-Insaf chief will be launched worldwide in London before its subsequent release in New Delhi, Lahore and Toronto.

Zeba Naureen, a Toronto-based journalist, is working on the Urdu translation of the book, Huzur said. The book will feature rare pictures of the cricketing legend and his family.

Falcon Books, the publishers, have decided to contribute 15 per cent of the book's cover price to Khan's Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, which he set up after his mother died of cancer.

Huzur, who made five trips to Pakistan to meet and interview Khan, said, "I had before me hundreds of icons in my own country but I couldn't feel fire in my imagination. Khan does not represent dynasty politics nor does he belong to a filthy rich industrial house. He is a commoner, so rare a commodity in the mud pond of politics in India and Pakistan."

But it was a difficult task to approach Khan. "It is not easy to get to Imran Khan. When I first met Imran in New Delhi, he was aware of my interest in his life and times. However, my unflinching determination bore result," said
Huzur, who had over 24 sessions with Khan.

Huzur also met Jemima in London. "She wouldn't make up her mind until she had had an intellectual discussion with Imran. Her approval (for talking) was a turning point," he said.

According to Huzur, Jemima has a deep fascination for rising India and "adores Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi" and wonders about the political future of her children Rahul and Priyanka.

Jemima's comments complement Khan's observation that slain former premier Benazir Bhutto's son Bilawal, who is the Pakistan People's Party chairman, should begin his political career at the grassroots like Rahul Gandhi.

Women and property make men aggressive: Study

nishtha — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:01:02 +0530

It's often said that most women prefer the scrappy male over the nice guy. But have you ever wondered what makes some men more aggressive? Well, it is the fair sex, along with property.

A new study of the mathematics of warfare has revealed that the lust for women and the hunger to acquire property are the two primary reasons for the evolution of belligerence and bravery in men.

In fact, an international team has based its findings on an analysis of the evolutionary forces that shaped the need for males to be belligerent, which raises their probability of trying to conquer neighbours, and of bravery, which increases the probability of succeeding in conquest.

The mathematical analysis of the evolution war by the team, led by Laurent Lehmann and Prof Marc Feldman of Stanford University, focused on small-scale, pre-state societies, for instance hunter-gatherers societies, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported.

The study has shown that the "selective pressure" on genes linked with belligerence and bravery can be substantial even in groups of large size.

Selective pressure is the extent to which a population of individuals (or ancestor for instance) may acquire either a beneficial genetic or cultural trait that gave them advantage and therefore made that group more likely to survive or lose a trait that drives that group to extinction.

According to the researchers, this pressure is driven by the benefits of conquest that also accrue on the relatives of the belligerent and/or brave males within their group, that shows how spoils of war are shared by those who're related.

To study how blood ties shape warfare, the research team came up with an idealised mathematical model consisting of an infinite number of groups, each with a finite number of adult males and of adult females.

The researchers have pointed out that "hunter-gatherer societies are well-known to have often raided neighbouring groups from whom they appropriated territory, and women".

They assumed random movements, and warfare, between the groups, and worked out how each group would have children as a result of the influence of genes linked with belligerence and bravery.

HDIL India Couture Week in Mumbai from Sep 16-21

nishtha — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:37:35 +0530

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) on Tuesday formally announced the staging of what it termed "the newest and most glamorous event" on its calendar, the HDIL India Couture Week (HDIL ICW) in Mumbai from Sep 16-21.

"The event will showcase 11 of India’s finest couturiers and aims to provide a platform for Indian couture in the same way that the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week has been a powerful stage for Indian prêt-a-porter," an FDCI statement said.

The HDIL India Couture Week has been made possible by the support of principal sponsor HDIL, one of the largest listed real estate players in India, with some of the largest commercial and retail developments. HDIL has significant investments in retail development catering to the Indian fashion Industry, the statement added.

The inaugural HDIL India Couture Week will be held at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai, with two theatrically produced shows to be be held each evening of the event.

“We are delighted to formally announce the staging of India’s first Couture Fashion Week, HDIL India Couture Week. This event will be a celebration of Indian fashion and will feature some of the country’s finest couture designers," FDCI President Sunil Sethi said.

"After a period of relative unrest in the industry, it is wonderful to see the fashion community coming together on one platform to progress the cause of Indian fashion," he added.

Sunny Dewan Wadhawan, managing director HDIL, said: "We are proud to be associated with HICW, an event created to celebrate India’s fashion heritage by showcasing leading couture designers of the day.

"This move into fashion is in broader synergy with the group’s long term strategies and objectives. We believe fashion, especially in the area of couture and bridal wear, is a central interest in the lives of a great proportion of Indians. We would like to be part of ensuring that India’s fashion heritage is preserved and nurtured. Our core belief at HDIL is in ‘Creating Value’ and with HDIL India Couture Week we would like to ‘create value’ for the Indian fashion industry,” Wadhawan added.

The designers participating in the couture week are Anamika Khanna, Ashish Soni, J J Valaya, Manav Gangwani, Manish Malhotra, Pallavi Jaikishan, Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal, Suneet Varma, Tarun Tahiliani and Varun Bahl.

80 percent of adolescents into sports don't smoke

nishtha — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:32:37 +0530

Eight out of 10 adolescents taking part in sports activities don't smoke, according to a new study in Spain.

The study linking tobacco consumption and sports, based on a survey of 3,000 students between 13 and 18, was carried out by the University of Granada, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the universities of Murcia, Zaragoza and Cantabria, and the Nuestra Señora de la Consolación School of Granada.

The survey, published in the journal Nutrición Hospitalaria, showed that 80 percent of the Spanish adolescents who play a game do not smoke.

But it also showed that over 40 percent of the adolescents do not practise any physical activity.

The survey revealed that 15 percent adolescents are regular smokers, slightly more girls than boys. There was a clear correlation between the practice of physical activity and tobacco consumption.

It also found that 59.2 percent of adolescents are physically active, although there are significant differences, gender-wise - 71.1 percent of boys, against 46.7 percent of girls.

These results show the importance of promoting physical activity and eradicating smoking, since physical activity, diet and tobacco and alcohol consumption were found to be linked with obesity, diabetes, coronary disease, osteoporosis and cancer.

The Body Shop launches Wellbeing range to fight stress

nishtha — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:40:13 +0530

The Body Shop (TBS), a global retailer of toiletries and cosmetics, has launched a new Wellbeing range that it says will address modern day lifestyle concerns like stress and anxiety.

"For most of us, everyday stress and anxiety has become an inescapable part of modern life. Our new range of products provides an apt solution to this problem," said Stella Law, TBS's product head for the Asia-Pacific.

"Each range contains effective active natural ingredients based on traditional herbal remedies to address everyday concerns," she added.

The new range has four different categories - total energy, deep sleep, gently purify and divine calm - containing natural ingredients like lavender, camomile, eucalyptus, jujube and date.

The new range has 19 different products: body washes, body gels, essential oils, soothing shower gels, body moisturisers, pillow and body mists, clay masks, rejuvenating bath soaks, milk bath powders and more.

The Body Shop was launched in India in June 2005 and today has 22 stores in eight cities - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai and Pune. The chain will also spread to Hyderabad and Chennai.

"Due to the delay in the launch of new malls in Hyderabad and Chennai, our store launches got postponed. We are all geared up to get feedback from these two cities," said Sameer Prasad, COO of Planet Retail Holdings that holds TBS's India franchise.

"We are also planning to open 5-10 more stores by the end of this year," he added.

Why a store in Ludhiana?

"Ludhiana has the highest per capita ownership of Mercedes Benz cars in the country. It was a wise decision and we are getting good response from the city," said Prasad.

The Body Shop International has more than 2,200 stores in over 55 countries. The Britain-based company is known for its vegetable based products ranging from body butter to peppermint foot lotion. Its products are totally free of animal derivatives like beeswax or honey.

The new range of products is priced between Rs 895 and Rs 1,495.

Car maker has a jolting surprise for pesky canines

sneha — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:22:31 +0530

Dogs being dogs, whether pedigreed or not, can't help being themselves whenever they spot a lamp post or a car by the way, even if the latter be an object of desire for millions.

You might have seen them raising their legs and relieving themselves, supremely unconcerned about what you think and then pattering away nonchalantly.

A reputed car maker has now equipped its latest model with a technology to keep these pesky canines at bay -- giving them a nasty 200-volt jolt.

The German giant BMW described its invention, the electric sting as 'relatively pain-free,' but enough to deter dogs in future, according to a metro.co.uk report.

The energy generated by slamming brakes is stored and transformed into an electrical charge, ready to jolt any pesky pup peeing on the tyre.

Hans Zoff, the man behind the Canine Repellent Alloy Protection system, said 'research shows that most BMW customers love to keep their cars clean - but dog fouling is a constant irritant.'

But Lola Forpi, from campaign group Put Animals First said, 'All motorists must expect to go through the odd puddle here and there. As well as going for a drive, we'd recommend owners regularly go for "walkies" as well if they want to have a very relieved pet.'

Currying for a cause, British style

sneha — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:33:23 +0530

A young lady is all set to hang out her tongue and go curry tasting for charity.

Gemma Hull aims to eat 60 spicy Indian dishes in less than 24 hours to set a world record. The 23-year-old will go on a tour of Indian restaurants in the Midlands to achieve the feat and raise hundreds of pounds for the Oxfam charity.

The D-Day for the sales analyst is August 28. She will start at Flamingo Bar and Grill in Leicester. Cuisine of India, Memsaab, Shimla Pinks, Sayonara and Curry Pot are the other stops in the town.

She will then move by train to Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent. Some of the restaurants will stay open until the early hours to allow her to achieve her goal.

She will finish at the Taj Mahal in Stoke-on-Trent on August 29.

"I absolutely love curry," she said. "Chicken jalfrezi is my favourite, but I like to have something different each time," she told Leicester Mercury.

The competition is the brainchild of Fox's Confectionery, the company Gemma joined after completing her Business Studies degree at Nottingham Trent University.

She said finishing the task would be very hard to stomach. To meet the deadline she'll need to eat at a restaurant every 25 minutes.

"I'll try to have as many main dishes as I can, but there will be some places where I'll just order poppadoms and things like onion bhajis and aloo saag because I'll be too stuffed," she said.

The XXX Mints 24-hour challenge has been done once before, when an entrant ate at more than 58 curry houses in the time-scale. If Gemma beats that total, organisers have pledged to enter the feat into the Guinness Book of Records.

Installation, digital art join mainstream

sneha — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:10:20 +0530

Indian art buyers and aficionados are developing an interest in solid three-dimensional art. The exhibits and the sales trend at the just concluded India Art Summit 2008 were proof that installation art and sculptures were acquiring a toehold in the mosaic of mainstream art.

At the end of the three-day art summit on Sunday, art promoters and auction houses admitted that curiosity and awareness about installations and sculptures - the mainstays of contemporary art across the world - were rising in India.

Gurgaon-based Gallery Alternatives sold an offbeat installation work, "Everyone Thinks I am an Animal", by young artist Krishna Murari, showing how women are ill treated in society.

Done in fur, leather and fibreglass, the work was sold for Rs 400,000 to a collector from Mumbai.

"I also sold a bronze sculpture, 'Politician' by Krishna Murari, to a collector in Gurgaon for Rs 150,000. I thought the canvases and the textile art would go first, but I am so glad that the sculptures have been sold," Manu Dosaj, director of Gallery Alternatives said.

New creative frontiers

Murari, 33, a graduate from the Kolkata-based Government Art College, has several international shows to his credit.

Contemporary artist Amitesh Verma said the desire to explore new creative frontiers beyond the formats of conventional canvas frames gave birth to new genres like installation, digital art and three-dimensional solid in a variety of tangible mediums from metals, wood, traditional clay to industrial scrap.

This genre of contemporary art, according to art historians, came to prominence in the 1970s. Many trace its roots to early artists like Marcel Duchamp and his use of readymade art objects, rather than traditional art and sculpture.

Installation artist Shiv Verma belongs to a traditional Bastar family from tribal-dominated Chhattisgarh.

Verma, who holds a master's degrees in Fine Arts from the Baroda School of Art, has contemporised the traditional Dokra sculpture of the region after a long artistic engagement with the local ethnic communities to highlight their plight in the wake of mindless industrialisation.

"Verma's untitled work, a steel and iron cast installation showing the impact of mega industries on rural lifestyles in Bastar, has been booked several times over," Shefali Somani of the Delhi-based Shrine Gallery said.

Galaxy of bidders

A galaxy of bidders, including four big collectors from New York, Delhi and Mumbai, along with the Fine Art Fund and Christie's, are vying to acquire the meticulously crafted Dokra-style work priced at Rs 600,000.

Somani said installation art and sculptures are popular because they are eye-catching and interactive.

British contemporary artist Will Martyr's installation artwork "Three monkeys", which uses simians clad in Byzantine outfits embellished with motifs of consumer luxury brands as a metaphor for modern-day human aspirations and its hollowness, has been sought after by 15 buyers from across the country.

"I never thought I would be able to show my work in India," Martyr said.

The "monkeys", priced at $7,000 (Rs 550,000), was brought to the summit by Britain-based Emerging World Art.

Anil Bhimjiyani, a London-based gallery owner, said he was surprised by the response to his cache of alternative digital and installation art.

"I have had bookings for almost everything from a wide cross-section of people including a senior politician, who is also an art collector," Bhimjiyani said. The prices of works he offered ranged between Rs 75,000 and Rs 180,000.

Aesthetic value

Vikram Bachhawat, director of the Kolkata-based Emami Chisel Art and Aakriti Gallery, agreed that Indian buyers were warming up to the aesthetic value of sculptures and installation art.

He attributed the trend to the rise in the number of private collectors across the country and abroad.

"As art is becoming more collector-based, awareness about sculptures is growing. Indian taste for sculptures is changing from the old British concept of decorative sculptures to contemporary installation art and solid figures," Bachhawat said.

Bachhawat has been flooded with enquiries about "Touch and Be Green" - a bronze sculpture by Subrata Biswas priced at Rs 155,000 - and sold one from his catalogue to a buyer in Mumbai at the fair.

Two impressive sculpted motifs - "Iron", a horse head by Mumbai-based Arzan Khambatta, and "Soliloquy-I and II" by Paresh Maity - which sat facing each other at the centre stage of the summit separated by a distance of 500 yards, showed that installation art and sculptures had come of age in India.

Husain exhibition vandalized

sneha — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:51:21 +0530

A protest exhibition organized in support of painter M F Husain, whose portrayal of Hindu goddesses has invited the wrath of Hindu activists, ran into rough weather in New Delhi on Sunday as some people vandalised his paintings.

"The incident took place at around 3.30 pm when a group of around 15 people reached the exhibition venue and tried to damage the paintings," said Rajan, one of the organisers.

"They were shouting slogans and holding placards reading Bharat Mata ki Jai, Jai Shri Ram," Rajan added.

The symbolic exhibition was organised under the aegis of the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) at the Constitution Club in New Delhi.

SAHMAT activists alleged attackers were from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

SAHMAT was displeased over the India Art Summit's decision against showcasing Husain's work during the three-day, first-of-its-kind event. In a gesture of solidarity with the artist, the cultural activist organisation decided to organise a parallel exhibition showcasing only his work.

Some policemen reached the spot soon after the incident but the miscreants had managed to escape by then.

No formal police complaint was lodged immediately.

Amit GT goes bold with beautiful women

sneha — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:30:17 +0530

Designer Amit GT, who started out with men's prêt, now loves dressing up the contemporary woman who appreciates bold creativity.

"My designs are meant for the woman who believes in herself and is ready to experiment with style. My designs are contemporary and have a bold feel to them. My opulent luxury fabrics help me to create a different look for women," Amit said.

"My creations are an ode to women's beauty and I want them to look beautiful in every dress I design. Fashion pampers your inner soul and makes a person feel very special. My designs give women what they want the most - attention," he added.

Amit made his debut in January 2003 when he launched his men's prêt label "Senses by Amit GT", now renamed Amit GT, and a single umbrella for all his prêt, diffusion and couture lines for men and women.

"When I launched my label, I realised there was huge potential in men's wear. Everyone was dressing up women but there was a void in the men's section. I took the plunge and it has paid off well," said Amit who forayed into women's wear at the Asian Fashion Week in 2005.

Asian Fashion Week is an annual event, which takes place in Singapore and his collection were a runaway success.

But Amit feels that as a designer, he has the freedom to indulge in any creative endeavour.

"I have done ethnic wear for men, resort wear, cruise wear and cocktail dresses for women and I will soon foray into home furnishings, interior and accessory designing," he said.

Even though Amit has been a part of the fashion world for five years, he made his debut at the premier Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) autumn/winter edition earlier this year because he was focusing more on his export business.

"I was waiting for the right moment. My export business gave me an inside view of the fashion world and I am glad to tell you that our designs are at par with international styles," he contended.

During WIFW, he displayed his "Luxe, Power and Seduction" collection that was highly appreciated for its sensual touch and bold statements.

At the upcoming WIFW spring/summer edition, the designer will reprise the theme and this time his work has been inspired by Russian painter Georgy Kurasov, who is known for his surrealistic works in bold and bright contrasting colours.

"My designs take inspiration from culture, art and architecture. I incorporate them all with minimal style. I pay attention to the texture and the cuts of the fabric. I don't make much use of embellishments in my designs," he said.

On asking about his plans of decking up Bollywood stars, he said, "If a good project comes in, then why not?"

"I would like to design for Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor, as I feel they have the perfect height and attitude to carry my creations," he added.

Amit's couture range starts at Rs 60,000 and goes up to Rs 300,000. His introductory range for women starts at Rs 12,000 and his men's collection at Rs 3,000.

It's big bags for the day, clutches for the evening

sneha — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:28:41 +0530

When it comes to daywear, bigger bags are definitely better in terms of styles and colours, but elegant clutches are the perfect accompaniment for that special evening.

"Restrict oversized bags for daytime only as they look cool and chic but to make a statement, carry a clutch in the evening," accessory designer Sumitra Bakliwal said.

"Clutches in gold, silver and metallic hues with little embroidery can go with any outfit. But it is the neutral bling like dull gold and silver that stands apart," she added.

Meera Mahadevia, an accessory designer, who caters to the crème de la crème of Bollywood, believes the mix and match concept works best for bags.

"Fashion for me is more about fusion. My bags have an Indian feel to them as I render them in a more traditional and contemporary manner," Mahadevia said.

Taking inspiration from a Buddhist prayer vessel, Mahadevia has designed what she has named a 'Mandala' bag that is round in shape and is studded with precious and semi-precious stones that denote the eight planets.

The bag is meant for the evening and goes very well with traditional Indian attire.

"For my bags, I use all sorts of woven fabrics like patola and kashid and have fused this with leather to give it a contemporary look." she explained.

Big bags for the day

For day wear, accessory designers give the thumbs up to big bags.

"Oversized, detailed stitching, sleek outer pockets, print and textured fabric bags are very much in this season," Lisa Pinto, senior business manager for Italian fashion brand Kappa said.

"Most of our bags are accessorized with buckles, rings, buttons and studs," she added.

Jayshree Chowdhary, business head of Belgian luxury brand Kipling, vouched for metallic colours and also pointed out that purple is a big hit this season.

"Bright colours like red, black, cobalt, fuchsia and orange are in, but purple simply stands out," she maintained.

These contemporary and chic bags are generally made of patent leather, polyvinyl and nylon.

"We use Italian leather and sometimes nylon for our bags. They enhance the durability and longevity of our products," Chowdhary said.

These designer bags cost a packet - anything from Rs 2,000 to Rs 30,000.

Indian restaurants in London issue allergy warnings

sneha — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:14:21 +0530

If you're nutty about nut allergies you eat at your own risk. That's the disclaimer Masala World, London's famous Indian restaurants chain, is issuing to diners in retaliation to a legal action threat by an allergic customer.

Managers at the up-market London chain, which include Chutney Mary in Chelsea and the award-winning Amaya in Belgravia, show all customers who say they have the allergy a 100-word health warning.

The group, which serves more than 800,000 customers a year, also owns Veeraswamy in Regent Street and the popular Masala Zone chain. Gwyneth Paltrow and Jemima Khan are regulars at the £65-a-head Amaya.

The card makes clear that while only some dishes have nuts as an ingredient, all may become accidentally contaminated with traces of nut in the kitchen.

The drastic step has been taken following a threat of legal action by a customer who suffered a serious allergic reaction to a dish which did not contain nuts in its recipe.

In the past, managers at the restaurants have spoken to allergy sufferers about the risks of contamination. Menus have also stated that all dishes may contain traces of nuts. But following the legal threat, Masala World toughened its stance, and even banned allergy sufferers from using its restaurants for a week while it reviewed its policy.

From this month, customers at its five Masala Zone restaurants in London who state that they suffer from a nut allergy are being asked by managers to read the cards, Daily Mail said.

Piero Sardano, Masala World's operations director, said, 'We do sympathise with customers with nut allergies but without setting up a separate sterile kitchen to prepare nut-free dishes we are not equipped to cater for people with severe nut allergies."

Food for thought and inner peace on Janmashthami

sneha — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:52:47 +0530

Before Janmashthami, the Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, this weekend, devotees have been making changes in their diets to accommodate satvik food habits that are considered to have a calming influence on one's soul, bringing people a step closer to God.

India's traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda, categorises food as satvik, rajasik and tamasik.

Satvik food is vegetarian, sans onion and garlic (as these produce heat and are considered aphrodisiacs), simple and easily digestible. Such food is basic, cooked in minimal heat and is eaten fresh, immediately after it is prepared.

Rajasik food is high in both taste and nutrition, with more oil and spices, while tamasik food is overcooked and processed.

"Ayurveda, Unani, Greek medicine even the Chinese concept of yin and yang record the fact that different food items generate different levels of heat in one's body and affect one's emotional well-being. Satvik food helps control the emotions of a person and makes him more relaxed," nutritionist Shikha Sharma said.

"It is not meant for people from all walks of life. It is suited to those who choose to lead the path of self-growth and emotional consciousness. On the other hand, you can't live on a diet of butter chicken and beer all the time. That is why people bring about a conscious change in their diets during religious festivals," Sharma added.

"They pray to God and fast. This, combined with a satvik diet, paves the way for spiritual well-being," she said.

All food closest to the natural form are satvik. They include milk, milk products (non-processed), fruits and fresh vegetables (except garlic, onion, scallions and chives).

Spices like turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, aniseed and cardamom are used in satvik cooking. Busting a common myth, Sharma said raw food is not satvik as it may harbour parasites.

Integral to a satvik diet is to avoid intoxicants like alcohol and stimulants like tea, coffee and tobacco.

Satvik cuisines

Celebrity cooking expert Nita Mehta feels that satvik food is very similar to many international cuisines, where the food is not very spicy and is cooked on low heat.

"But if you had to choose between an American hash brown and a tikki (a flavoured Indian potato dish), for a satvik meal, the choice would obviously be the tikki, because one can't separate food from tradition," she said.

Nita's daughter-in-law Tania experiments with satvik cuisines in order to attract the young palate. She feels the variety of satvik food is yet to be explored, and the majority of youth don't know much about this way of eating.

"Satvik cooking is easy and full of flavour, contrary to popular belief. Spices like cumin and coriander are often used. Only certain spices and ingredients need to be avoided. Eating such food also gives the body and digestive system a much-needed break," Tania said.

Is it enough to go on a satvik diet only during religious festivals?

Vrajendra Nandan Das, director of communications at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) said, "One should always think of the body as a gift from God. So one should always attempt to eat satvik."

"This may not appeal to many people who are too absorbed in their lives to care about eating habits. Surely, one can find time to attend to habits that influence our soul in a negative manner. This should be done routinely, not just during festivals," he said.

"One should redefine satvik to fit the broader vision of today's generation. People should feel free to question the reason for restrictions or benefits of eating satvik food," Sharma said.

"It does not give you a size zero figure, nor does it give you glowing skin. But it is a concept which if followed with dedication can give you an overall feeling of inner peace and control of emotions," she added.

Career Talk by Sumit Duggal

nishtha — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:50:43 +0530

With the fashion industry gaining a mammoth status in India and abroad, various courses are available for those with a predilection to pursue a career in the La Di Da world of fashion.

Most are myopic in their vision in believing that designing is the prime aspect of the world of fashion. Far from true, the behind the scene operations plays a more pivotal role in deciding the fate of a designer brand or label.

As competition in education toughens, and your ticket to NIITs and NIDs in India appears more and more impossible, students with a proclivity to be in the industry can explore varius options abroad.
Fashion marketing is one of the areas that has come up in a big way.

Fashion marketing relates to laying down marketing strategies for fashion companies including advertising and promoting the right products at the right time and place.

It involves understanding the latest trends and doing case study analysis to use it as the foundation for developing the future plan of action.

Fashion heavyweights like Versace and Armani accredit fashion marketing for their success.

In fact it was Gianni Versace who first introduced the concept of fashion marketing to the fashion industry.

Even the not so prominent fashion companies realize the necessity of this concept.

Masters Courses in the field can be taken up at some top european institutes such as Italy's IED situated in Venice.

Venice is at the centre of Europes biggest concentration of fashion, textile and accessories companies and offers real time experience to fashion marketing enthusiasts.

Course Objective
- To shape professionals to handle the development of a project’s realization process in the fashion field.
- To mould creativity and sensibility towards the product using analytical capacities inherent to the on going market.
- The annual full-time formula allows one to penetrate in a complete theoretical and practical experience coming in contact with Venice and the surrounding territory.

Programme Areas
Within the programme it is possible to identify 5 macro areas:
1) Trends and Visual culture
2) Marketing Intelligence
3) Brand Management
4) Fashion Buyer
5) Communication.

The aim being to have a global view of the fashion system inside marketing.
Each branch is structured in a theoretical part followed by a concrete project
realization assignment allowing for the application of the acquired instruments and notions. Several projects will be developed in collaboration with local firms (from the briefing to the final presentation).

The lecturer, professionals of the field, coming from different complementary areas, will present case histories relative to their specific line of work.

Titles:
Product Manager: Responsible for the management of a product line. He/she analyses the trends, directs the work of the style office, follows the development and the production, and collaborates with the material research division.

Brand Manager: Responsible for marketing strategies related to the brand.

Fashion Buyer: Responsible for purchasing. Analyses the trends, interprets them and defines the acquisition guidelines for distribution.

License Manager: Responsible for brand use, develops product line on license.

Retail Manager: Responsible for the development of a distribution circuit.
Supervises and directs the work in stores, verifying sale results and the brand image.

Visual Merchandising Manager: Responsible for brand image within retail points. Guarantees the rational organization of the store and optimizes product exposition.

Cool Hunter: Has a 360° view on the contemporary scene, pin points and
elaborates trends to present new views to the style department (materials, colours, volumes).

Didactic Areas

1)Fashion Trends and Visual Culture: The fashion world and the world of image: the origins, the icons and the designers that wrote the history of fashion and the reasons behind the birth of phenomenon that become trends.
2)Fashion History: The analysis and study of history of fashion and contemporary fashion.
3)Visual culture: Movies culture, design, art, exhibition & photography, a global overview of the current visual culture, to understand and feel the continuous changes in the contemporary life.
4)Sociology and trends: Analysis of social phenomena and purchase-related behaviors, with particular attention to lifestyle issues. Analysis of trends in the fashion market.
5)Project: Fashion Trends & Visual Culture
6)Marketing Intelligence: Reading trends in the fashion system, from fashion economy to product specifics (materials, development process).
7)Fashion Economics: A general introduction to the fashion market, by analyzing the pipeline, the professional figures, the competitive system, the fairs.
8)Fashion product: Introduction to the fashion production process, starting from the collection project all the way to the merchandising plan.
9)Technology of materials: Analysis and study of the natural, artificial and man-made fibers and yarns: general features, classifications, typologies and production methods.
10)Fashion marketing: From the definition to the launch of the product, the different steps of the marketing planning, focusing in particular on the specific features of the fashion product.
11)Consumer Intelligence & Consumer Watching: Research results and consumers’ methodologies in the fashion sector (Italy and abroad) from the social-demographic analysis up to the lifestyles.
12)Project: Marketing Intelligence and Brand Management: Creating a world surrounding the product. Focus on the luxury brand phenomenon.
13)Brand Management: The brand’s value: how to position, communicate and strengthen the corporate brand, and create a distinctive brand identity. The concept of brand-extension and brand equity.
14)Licencing: The licensing contract: advantages, risks, critical factors and organizational issues of the different licensing professions.
15)Marketing of Luxury goods: Key luxury markets are studied as are the specificities of luxury goods. Analysis of the mix and key success factors.
17)Fashion buyer and retail management
18)Fashion distribution.
19)Fashion buyer techniques.
20)Management and organization both of retail and virtual stores.
21)Distribution channel (Franchising): A student learns the commercial franchising system with its advantages and risks through practical case histories from the fashion sector. The different channels such as multi-brand stores, monobrand store, department stores, outlets and company stores, etc are all understood.
22)Retail Management & E-Retailing
23)Buying techniques: How to draft a proper buying plan, from the interpretation of the consumers’ demand up to the planning of the offer.
24)Communication: Language and strategies in Fashion Communication. Coherence between corporate identity, brand and concept retailing.
25)Communication, advertising & PR: Communication techniques and strategies. Coherence in the positioning of the product, the target group, the message, the media planning and the store concept. Definition of communication goals, investments, creative strategy and media
planning. Role of the press office, the media relations, the organization of events & fashion shows.
26)In store communication: How to enhance the specificity of the brand’s visual and corporate identity on the point of sale. Rational organization of the sales area and optimization of product display.

With the above mentioned know-how and competence, a successful career in the world of fashion eagerly awaits you.

For more information contact: s.duggal@ied-italy.com

Beach erosion threatening Orissa turtles

megha — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:01:56 +0530

The fast pace of beach erosion along the Orissa coast is threatening the precious nesting grounds of sea turtles, says a wildlife activist while pointing out that new ports may add to the problem.

"Orissa is home to more than 50 percent of the world's turtle population. The state needs to protect the nesting beaches which are now threatened by beach erosion that may force the turtles to abandon the state for ever," Biswajit Mohanty, secretary, Wildlife Society of Orissa, told IANS.

Orissa's beaches have turtle nesting sites at the mouth of the Devi river, Rushikulya river and the Gahirmatha coast. The state is the biggest nesting site of rare Olive Ridley turtles. Once new ports are operational, it may add to the problem, Mohanty said.

The state has announced the setting up of 12 new major seaports at almost all major river mouths like at Dhamra, Subarnarekha, Budha Balanga, Jatadhar, Devi, Rushikulya, Palur and Balil Harchandi.

Mohanty said the rate of erosion has accelerated in the last three or four years and, according to a study by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in 2006, over 107.6 km of beaches along the 476-km-long coast are now adversely affected.

The erosion - which sees seawater from the Bay of Bengal eating into the coasts - will be unstoppable unless the state government erects a complete sea wall over the entire 476-km stretch, he said. This, however, may cost billions of rupees, he said.

Scientists are puzzled over the erosion at the Puri beach - with more than 70 percent of it lost - in the last four or five years. Its profile has been quite stable in the last 100-200 years.

"There has been unprecedented erosion at Puri. We feel it could be correlated to the opening of a new mouth at Chilika Lake in 2000 (which connects to the seawater)," he said.

This new mouth is expected to widen. "This could be an ecological disaster for villages and the wildlife found in the lake as the brackish water lake is turning into a saline ecosystem due to a huge influx of seawater," he said.

"This is expected to lead to a serious loss of biodiversity and affect the habitat of the rare Irrawady dolphins and migratory water fowl.

The lake will then be deserted by the one million migratory waterfowl that arrive here for their annual winter sojourn, he fears.

Studies by the NIOT have revealed the progressive loss of beaches in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary over the last three decades, attributed to the establishment of the Paradeep port in 1966.

Though many experts have been consulted by the state government, the cause is yet to be identified, he said.

No expert is sure why the erosion is taking place, though many claim global warming and post-tsunami changes in seabed could be the causes. "However, we are sure that as per studies undertaken recently, erosion is going on and it is increasing year after year."

Mohanty said he has written to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, demanding a state-level workshop where researchers and stakeholders like fishermen's unions, conservation groups and farmers can participate and offer opinions.

Fishermen, who traditionally use the beaches to keep their boats, too are losing out precious territory as the seawater eats into the coasts.

Face transplants set to become routine

megha — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:53:14 +0530

Transplanting faces may seem like science fiction, but doctors say the experimental surgeries could one day become routine.

In papers from two of the world's three teams that have performed partial face transplants, experts said their techniques were surprisingly effective, though complications exist and more work is still needed.

The research was published on Friday in British medical journal The Lancet.

"There is no reason to think these face transplants would not be as common as kidney or liver transplants one day," said Dr. Laurent Lantieri, a plastic surgeon at the Henri Mondor-Albert Chenevier Hospital in France and one of the doctors who operated on a man severely disfigured by a genetic disease.

In this week's Lancet, Lantieri and colleagues reported on their patient's status one year after the transplant. Chinese doctors also reported on their patient, two years after his surgery.

In 2007, Lantieri and colleagues operated on a 29-year-old man with tumors that blurred his features in a face that looked almost monstrous. They transplanted a new lower face from a donor, giving the patient recognizable cheeks, a nose and mouth. Six months later, he could smile and blink.

The Chinese patient had part of his face ripped off by a bear. Surgeons gave him a new nose, upper lip and cheek from a donor. After a few months, he could eat, drink and talk normally, and returned home to Yunnan province.

In both cases, the patients' faces rejected the transplanted tissue more than once. Their doctors solved the problem by juggling their medications.

The French patient now takes three pills a day to prevent rejection. "That's less than most people with diabetes," Lantieri said.

Other doctors were reassured by the results. "To be able to wean down the dosage of the medication in small amounts and relatively quickly, that is encouraging," said Dr Bohdan Pomahac, a plastic surgeon at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Pomahac has permission to do a face transplant in the US, and was not involved in either the French or Chinese operations.

Experts have worried that if patients take lifelong anti-rejection drugs after a transplant, their cancer risk will jump. Some also predicted that rejection would destroy the face within a few years. Those fears seem to have been allayed, Pomahac said.

He added that partial face transplants could become relatively common in the future, but that more people would probably need new kidneys or livers rather than a new face.

With three successful partial face transplants so far - including the world's first, of a woman whose face was bitten off by a dog in France - doctors say that some of the surgery's initial uncertainties, like how functional the new face would be, are being answered.

For example, Lantieri's patient's face was paralyzed for more than a decade. He and his team weren't sure if nerves could grow after the transplant. But they discovered later their patient could blink, proving the brain was able to restore long-forgotten facial nerve connections.

Not everyone is convinced that face transplants are so revolutionary.

Dr Patrick Warnke, a plastic surgeon at the University of Kiel in Germany, calls them a "dead-end road" because he doesn't think the rejection problem can be solved in the long term. Instead, he hopes to re-grow tissue from patients' own stem cells.

Still, the biggest obstacle to more face transplants may not be scientific, but social.

"When kidney transplants first began, people were reluctant to donate because there were a lot of cultural, social and religious issues," Pomahac said. "This is exactly the same scenario now."

Doctors plan to do more face transplants, but are having a hard time finding donors.

"Everyone says they would accept a face transplant if they were disfigured," Lantieri said. "The real question is, would you be a donor, or would you allow your family member to donate their face?" he asked. "That is the answer we need to change."

Bangalore to host pulsating Rock fest

megha — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:40:04 +0530

Seven rock bands are all set to make Bangalore jive to their beats on Sunday at the south zone finals of the Independence Rock Festival.

"We're expecting a huge crowd, more than 70,000 people. The response to this year's festival has surpassed previous years," said Sheetal Bangera, Manager (Sales) of E18, the organisers of the annual musical fiesta.

This is the 23rd edition of the festival that will culminate in a grand finale in Mumbai next week. The show will see performances by professional bands Synapse, Avial and Karma 6 and four finalists.

"The response to this edition from Bangalore has been overwhelming as perhaps the city's residents now don't have a place to go and enjoy (live) rock music," said Bangera in a clear reference to the ban on live music in the city's pubs and discos.

Bangalore police imposed the ban earlier this month. The order bans live performances at any place where liquor is served. However, the police has now come up with a set of new guidelines for pubs and discos to get a license for live performances.

"If not pubs and discos, performances in auditoriums and open-air theatres, especially the innumerable rock fests in the city will help us to carry forward our legacy," Yadu, the 20-year-old drummer of popular band Illuminati, told IANS.

"The ban needs to be immediately revoked. It is in the pubs and discos that young musical talents have been showcasing their creativity over the last several decades," Yadu added.

Although pubs and discos have been popular breeding grounds for rock bands in Bangalore, rock festivals like Independence Rock Festival, Freedom Jam and Sunday Jam have helped discover some good talents over the years.

"Many bands from the city have made it big in the national arena and many young guns are waiting to make a mark in the Indian music arena," music lover and city-based fashion designer and choreographer Prasad Bidappa said.

The bands from Bangalore are known for their innovation and experimentation with various forms of music.

"Nowhere in the country can you find such an eclectic mix of rock bands performing diverse genres like metal, blues, and fusion. To help preserve the musical richness, grant artists the freedom to rock without any obstacles," said Raghu, the lead member of Raghu Dixit Project, who has just launched his self-titled debut album.

Having a dog at home linked to snoring

megha — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:22:35 +0530

It's a research that might upset dog lovers across the world - kids who grow up with a canine at home are more likely to be heavy snorers as adults.

Researchers in Sweden have carried out the study and found that growing up with a pet dog could increase a child's chances of being a snorer later in life by almost a quarter, the British media reported.

According to them, snoring is not just a potential annoyance - it has been linked to early death, heart disease and stroke.

"Dogs may increase airborne particles that would encourage inflammation and thereby alter upper airway anatomy early in life, causing an increased susceptibility for adult snoring," said lead researcher Karl Franklin of University Hospital Ume.

However, India-based doctor SK Dasgupta has rubbished the claims of the study published in the latest edition of the BMC Respiratory Research journal.

"The man's best friend cannot be blamed for snoring. It is vibration of respiratory structures, and the resulting sound is because of obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping.

"The irregular airflow is caused by a blockage and usually either due to throat weakness, or mispositioned jaw or often caused by tension in the muscles or fat gathering around the throat or obstruction in nasal passageway," he told PTI.

But the researchers have claimed that their study was based on an analysis of 16,000 people in Europe. All of them answered questionnaires about their early life, family, sleep, smoking habits, height and weight.

One in five were found to be habitual snorers, defined as loud and disturbing snoring at least three nights a week. The researchers found that the habitual snorers were those who grew up with a pet dog at home.

The study found habitual snorers were more often men, more obese, older, had a higher prevalence of asthma and chronic bronchitis and had smoked more than non-snorer.

"Obesity is a major cause of snoring and sleep apnoea. It is, however, important to increase knowledge about other preventable causes of habitual snoring, since a large number of snorers suffer from daytime sleepiness and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and even early death.

"The study showed that early life environment may be of importance for snoring later in life. Further knowledge of this subject could contribute to primary prevention of adult snoring," the researchers said in their report.