Size Zero: Unsexy, Uncool, Unhealthy!

Rihanna

Rihanna, only recently, slammed the Size Zero tag and hailed it to be unhealthy and impractical. "You shouldn't be pressured into trying to be thin by the fashion industry, because they only want models that are like human mannequins,” she was quoted as saying, “They know that if we see an outfit on a mannequin in a shop window we will love it and want to buy it whatever size we are. That's why they have size zero models - they want to sell clothes. But you have to remember that it's not practical or possible for an everyday woman to look like that. Being size zero is a career in itself so we shouldn't try and be like them. It's not realistic and it's not healthy..."

Kareena Kapoor

Just a few months ago, Bollywood actresses were gung-ho about Size Zero. And making it the most talked about phenomenon was the plump Kareena Kapoor who metamorphosed into a plush Bebo. She lost tremendous weight and became a lanky, young girl... However, she claims to have lost weight in the right manner. “I haven’t felt fitter,” she told us then, “I don’t starve, I just eat the right things at the right time, exercise and everything falls into place.” But the trend soon changed. Kareena admitted that her boyfriend-actor Saif Ali Khan thought she was a hanger, and Kareena slowly but surely worked at getting her butt back. “I don’t think Size Zero is unhealthy if you know how to achieve it the right way... Yes, if you starve yourself to it, it could prove to be detrimental. I have put on some weight – again in the right manner. It’s just about looking good, feeling good, and for actors, doing what the role demands!”

Katrina Kaif

Popular actress Katrina Kaif on the other hand hasn’t sworn by ‘Size Zero’ ever. “For starters, I don’t think a size zero would suit me. I have a broad structure, and I think a little bit of weight looks nice! Whether it’s healthy or not, I really don’t know... I just hope people don’t refrain from the haven of food insensibly, though at the end of the day it’s each to his own!”

Actress Vidya Balan, who has also lost tremendous weight of late, maintains, “Anorexia is unhealthy. I sincerely believe that if one wishes to lose weight, it can be done in the right manner. However, Size Zero is not for us Indian women who are known for their curvaceous bodies. I’ve lost weight, but have ensured that the curves remain and that I don’t lose weight from the ‘essentials’.”

Size Zero is quite the thing among models walking the ramp. Model Pia Trivedi says, “The demand comes with the job. But the trend is slowly changing. People are enjoying watching fuller bodies. But yes, most models are size zero. It depends on how they maintain themselves. Yes, it could be unhealthy and impractical if women are literally going to do just about anything to fit into ‘that dress’. Some of us are blessed with great metabolism. We have healthy workout regimes, and touch wood, are in good health.”

Mary Kom in Semifinals in Asian Boxing Championship

New Delhi, May 30 : Four-time World champion M.C. Mary Kom (46kg) and L. Sarita Devi (51kg) were assured of at least a bronze each after they eased into the semifinals of the Asian women's boxing championship in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Mary Kom defeated Sri Lanka's Anushka 6-3 and Sarita thrashed Ri Hyang Mi of North Korea 10-1 amid protests from the rival camp which alleged unfair scoring.

Heartbreak

However, it was heartbreak for Mizoram boxer Venlal Duati (48kg) who lost to China's Luo Yujie. Duati was locked 1-1 with Yujie after four rounds and the boxers' scores were found to be the same in countback as well.

The five-member judges' panel then stepped in and all of them declared Yujie as the better of the two.

The diminutive Mary Kom, who is aiming to better the silver she won in the previous edition of the event, was the first Indian boxer to step into the ring.

The 27-year-old took a 2-0 lead in the first round and stretched it to 5-1 after the third. Anushka tried to claw back in the final two minutes but it proved too little too late.

‘Tougher bout'

“It was tougher than the first round, but I have the experience to adjust according to the situation. I attacked more and caught her on counter-punches as well,” said Mary Kom.

Sarita, a gold medallist in the last edition, was even more dominant as she out-punched Mi.

With a 3-1 lead to start with, Sarita dominated the proceedings but there was some drama after the bout as the Korean team lodged a protest against what they called unfair judging.

The Great Mother of Hills

By Ranjita Biswas

A treasure trove for anthropologists, ethnographers, and nature lovers — that is how India’s Northeast has often been described.

It is the home of numerous tribes and sub-tribes in the surrounding hills and the Brahmaputra Valley and scholars are still trying to unravel the origin of many tribes, the roots of their social customs, and their individual languages.

Even taking into account this vast diversity, the Khasi and Jaintia people of Meghalaya, literally the land in the clouds, stand out with some unique features. For example, their matrilineal social structure and megaliths erected in memory of the dead. 

As you drive up to Shillong, Meghalaya’s capital (formerly it was known as Khasi and Jaintia hills, part of Assam, and now it includes Garo hills too) the beauty of the landscape  enthralls the city-bred soul. Dotting the road are eateries and small shops where Khasi women wearing their traditional dress, Jainsems, sell pineapples and bananas. Now added are cash crops like strawberries.

But the nagging thought remains, why their social structure is matrilineal (the Garo hills has this tradition too), something apart from other tribal societies around though admittedly, their women too enjoy a better social status than their counterpart in the Gangetic valley. However, customs like property rights going to the daughter instead of the son set the Meghalaya society apart. There might be a clue in the word Khasi itself.

Linguists say it is a combination of two words: kha (born) and si (ancient) mother. In short, born of the ancient mother.   

Another difference is in their language. Khasis, like many tribal societies in this region did not have a written script and the oral tradition (ki parom) continued through centuries till the British came. The Christian missionaries introduced the Roman script to give shape to the Khasi written word (1841). However, those familiar with the Northeast also comment that the language sounds different from languages used by most tribals here.

To unravel these two mysteries one has to fall back on what the pundits say. Renowned linguist Suniti Kumar Chatterji, PR Gurdon (The Khasis), J H Hutton — all of whom had worked widely in this region found interesting insight into the uniqueness of the people of the Khasi hills.

Their research shows that the Khasis had migrated from somewhere in the Cambodia region and the great plains of the Mekong river. “The Khasi people belong to one of the earliest groups of races migrating to Northeast India,” writes Hamlet Bareh in The History and Culture of the Khasi People. They came through the traditional route of migration from South East Asia to the fertile valley of the Brahmaputra that is through the Patkai Hills in the east near today’s Nagaland. “It is interesting to note that there is a matriarchal tribe called Khasi in Laos which is associated with the Moi and Rade Jarai groups of clans,” Bareh writes.  

Social anthropologists trace matrilineal social customs to parts of Sumatra, Cambodia, among Khasoas of Laos, and parts of Vietnam, linking migration of the Khasis to the Northeast.

Gurdon too found many affinities among the Khasis and Mon-Khmers of the Far East.

Because the belief is strong that they are all descendents of the ancient mother divided into individual clans, traditionally, marriage within the same clan is prohibited. In Garo hills, where clans are divided into maharis, a man is not supposed to marry a girl of the same mahari. Some pundits believe it was ordained so that there is no intermarriage and weakening of the race.  

The language is another clue to the Khasis’ origin. Most of the tribals who also migrated to this region, for example, the Bodos, speak a Tibeto-Burman language but the Khasi language is affiliated to the Palaung dialect prevailing in Myanmar and Indo-China belonging to the Mon-Khmers, a branch of the Austro-Asiatic society.

With the arrival of the missionaries a majority of the Khasis converted to Christianity  but the Jaintias had long been followers of Hindu religion. The word Jaintia seems to be Aryanization of the original word Synteng (children of  ancient mother) into Zaitein and then Jaintia.

Interestingly, as early as the middle of the eighth century reference is found  of a kingdom of stri-rajya, literally kingdom of women, which is identified as the Jaintia kingdom (Calcutta Review, 1867).  

From Shillong on way to Cherrapunji, the wettest place in the world, one comes across unusual megaliths or menhirs dotting the countryside. As they jut out to the sky they paint a sombre and awesome sight. They are often compared to the Stonehenge erections in England, though they are far apart geographically. However, Hutton drew attention to groups of stone ossuaries in North Cachar Hills in central Assam, now renamed Karbi Anglong district, and concluded that this is the way the Khasi migrants travelled en route before finally settling down in the present location. Megaliths or funeral burial urns had once been widespread in Tonkin, Indonesia and Myanmar and Hutton concluded that the practice was brought along by the Khasis to this region.

Because of these traditions, a visitor from outside finds these hills a little ‘different’. One of the best times to get introduced to the local culture is during the autumn dance festival of Nongkrem. People congregate at a place called Smit, off Shillong, to enjoy the festivities which celebrates a good harvest and pays homage to Ka Blei Synshar, the ruling goddess of crops. The Nongkrem dance is actually a part of the pom-blang (goat killing ceremony) performed by the Siem (king) of Khyrim (or Nongkrem)

In an open field, a group of 22 men with sword, shields and chowries (fly-flaps or whisks) perform Ka Shad Mastieh (dance of men) to the accompaniment of tangmuri (pipes) and drums. They dress gaily in black and white attires of dhotis, full sleeved shirts, embroidered sleeveless coats and turbans which are adorned with cock feathers (u thuiyah).

The women, usually unmarried girls, dance at the centre taking tiny steps, hardly lifting their feet from the ground. Their dance is called Ka Shad Kynthei. They hold down their arms to their sides and have their eyes are demurely cast down. Rich silk clothes and silver or gold crowns adorn them. The Tiew Lasubon (a rare sweet scented golden coloured flower found only in the deep jungles), worn on the crown indicates the purity of women. The hair is worn tied in a knot behind the head but with a long tail hanging down and adorned with silver ornaments at the end. They also wear silver and gold chains, coral beads, bracelets and earrings. These days, young girls often borrow heavy family heirloom jewellery from older people as making them afresh can be prohibitively expensive.

Watching the Nongkrem dance, the mind suddenly flies off to the distant Mekong Valley.

Indeed, in many ways the richness of the ethnic culture of the Northeast is intermingled with the history of migration and its linkage to South East Asia.

Law Panel Moots Bill to Prevent Defection at Mizo Local Bodies

Aizawl, May 30 : The Mizoram local authorities (prohibition of defection) bill, 2010 will be enacted before the elections of the first Aizawl Municipal Council, expected to be held by August this year, as decided at a meeting of the Mizoram state law commission.

The State Law Commission, headed by its Chairman R Lalrinawma decided at Friday's meeting to enact the legislation as the anti-defection law under the tenth schedule of the constitution is applicable only to the members of parliament and state legislature and not local bodies, official sources said.

While representatives of the autonomous district councils in the state - Mara, Lai and Chakma - agreed in principle to the proposed legislation, their appeal for more time to study the draft bill was accepted by the commission.

The commission also deliberated on the formation of state minority commission and the representatives of the autonomous district councils were given time to study the proposal.

The commission passed the proposal to review Mizo Customary Law, not an act, and include judgements of different courts in the draft customary law to be placed before the state assembly for adoption.

Delhi’s Latest Momo Factory

By Shalini Singh

It's 1:30 pm and Sanjiv, 35, is getting ready for a day of work. His younger brother brings out the dough, shredded chicken, and vegetables and the two get on with their task: chopping the greens, expertly fitting just the right quantities into delicate patties, stirring the flame red chutney… They are making momos, or Tibetan dumplings that have become Delhi's favorite street snack over the last few years.

And they're making the Capital’s ubiquitous finger food in a tiny, cramped village in south Delhi, which is fast emerging as a 'momo factory' to beat old favorites like Chanakyapuri, Lajpat Nagar and Majnu Ka Tila.

Chirag Dilli Village or CDV, near the Chirag Dilli flyover, is where most of south Delhi has been getting its momos in recent times.

As many as 40 or more homes in CDV make momos from their kitchens, with materials sourced from the village itself and supply to adjoining areas. The activity, they say, supplements their earnings in times spiraling inflation.

Santosh Tamang, 32, who has been making and selling momos since the last 4-5 years says any regular job doesn't fetch him more than Rs 2,500-3,000 a month.

“I can earn around Rs 3,000-4,000 just from momos,” says this native of Darjeeling who also sells soup in winters. Starting work at 8 am, most homes wrap up by 3 pm when the deliveries go out. Some men also hold other jobs, like Sanjiv who also works as a cook at a hotel in Malviya Nagar. His shift starts at 7 pm, which leaves him with enough time in the day to make momos.

The residents are largely migrants from Nepal, Manipur and West Bengal — with Darjeeling leading the way — who've come to Delhi looking for jobs and have settled in CDV given the low rents and its central location. The village is located in the heart of south Delhi, from where its easy for the boys to deliver to areas like Greater Kailash, Panscheel Enclave, Malviya Nagar, Sheikh Sarai, Sadiq Nagar, Saket, Navjivan Vihar, Eros Garden near the Haryana border.

Except for an odd Shambhu who has set up a one-man kiosk at the 'kuan' in the village's sabzi mandi area, the rest just supply to momo outfits in and around south Delhi.

Raju, 27, a native of Nepal who earlier lived in Noida and worked as an audio-video delivery boy, moved to CDV five years back. His Rs 3,200 job couldn't make ends meet. That's when his brother Vishnu told him to try his hand at what their neighbors were doing.

“Ek doosre ko dekh dekh ke hum logon ne ye kaam shuru kiya hai.” (I learnt from observing others). Each family manages to sell anywhere between 25 to 40 plates of momos a day, he says.

Momo-making is an art, says Raju. “The vegetables have to be cut fine, you can't overstuff the dough, steaming has to be just right… It's something we all automatically know how to make because we've grown up on them."

The village's economic activity has also led to an interesting mesh of personal exchanges. Tamang says their neighbors get their native delicacies in return for a plate of rajma-chawal or kachauris, which he relishes. “The way people are addicted to momos, I am addicted to their rajma-chawal,” says Tamang.

Manipur’s Handloom Cottage Industry Thrives With Help of Lashing Phe

Imphal, May 30 : A new unique range of handloom products called Lashing Phi, which means cotton cloth in Manipuri, is catching the fancy of buyers and women weavers in a handloom cottage industry in Manipur headed by O. Shyama Devi.

The manufacture of products made from Lashing Phi or cotton cloth like carpets, quilts, dining mats, cushion covers, bags, dress materials and others is fast becoming the latest trend in Manipur’s handloom cottage industry.

O. Shyama Devi of Kwakeithel, Moirang Purel, in Imphal is among the few who have taken up this lucrative business. She took it up in 1978.

Shyama, who belongs to a poor family, has felt the need to become self-reliant since she was young.

After getting married to Jateshwor, she established a small cottage unit called ‘Unique Manipuri Women Association’ with just six persons initially with the support of her husband.

Womenfolks here are trained to make items of Lashing Phi using traditional weaving looms and raw cotton fibres.

“I want to make women self-sufficient, and especially help orphans. This is one reason that inspired me to start the business. The legacy of our forefathers, their ways of traditionally weaving clothes will also be preservedm,” said Shyama Devi.

“We are engaging ourselves in this work during our free time. With the money we earn, we are able to contribute in the maintenance of our families,” said Oinam Momota, an artisan.

O. Shyama Devi is now running five Lashing Phi self-help groups, which employ around 50-60 artisans.

Amra is one of the artisans working at the self-help group in Kwakeithel. Depending on the size of the cotton fabric, she usually takes a day or two to finish weaving a single fabric and earns Rs 100 per fabric.

“There are many unemployed people in our locality. We thought we should do something and earn our livelihoods. That is how the venture came up. We are hopeful that it will benefit us,” said Amra.

Raw cotton fibres for making Lashing Phi is purchased in bulk from farmers in Jiribam, who are usually men.

Shyama Devi’s cottage industry is a boon for her women employees and others.

“Not only women, but also men, will be indirectly involved in the venture. We need cotton raw material, which is grown by men on farms. That way, unemployed youths will be given jobs,” said Shyama Devi.

Shyama Devi’s business is flourishing with the increase in demand from government agencies and private firms from across the country.

But due to the lack of infrastructure, this cottage industry is yet to prosper fully.

“We have been making things like loin clothes and bed sheets. But Lashing Phi is something new and interesting for us. It is very handy to use and attractive as well. Customers are also showing their interest in the products,” said Amra.

“We can employ many more people. But due to shortages of infrastructure like weaving looms and other materials, it is not possible. We are trying to expand but it is difficult,” said Shyama Devi.

The handloom industry plays a vital role in the socio-economic development in the state.

The initiative taken up by O. Shyama Devi will definitely improve the lives of many people working under her.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Get To Know Megan Fox's 'Transformers' Replacement

It was confirmed yesterday that Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley will replace Megan Fox as the co-star of "Transformers 3." So who is this pillow-lipped beauty and where did she come from?

The 23-year-old Brit was born in Devon to a a chartered surveyor and a fitness instructor, and she gets her aristocratic-sounding name from her great-great-grandfather, politician Sir Herbert Huntington-Whiteley, 1st Baronet. She was discovered in high school, where she was reportedly voted "Person Most Likely to become a Supermodel" and has since modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch, DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Top Shop, Burberry's, Victoria's Secret and much more.

She was also recently photographed nude and kissing a sloth by Terry Richardson, along with other NSFW nude photos, for the Pirelli 2010 calendar, in addition to some other topless magazine editorials.

Like Megan, Rosie is tattooed: she sports a heart on her right wrist. She has also blogged for the Huffington Post.

Check out some photos and video of the new 'Transformers 3' star.

Rosie Huntington- Whiteley (L) and Candice Swanepoel (R) attend Victoria's Secret Models Share Shopping Secrets Of A Supermodel on May 11, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley arrives at the Love Ball, in aid of The Naked Heart Foundation, at The Roundhouse on February 23, 2010 in London, England. The charity raises funds for play facilities in deprived areas of Russian cities and the event is supported by De Beers. (Photo by Claire R Greenway/Getty Images)

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley attends the Costume Institute Gala Benefit to celebrate the opening of the 'American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity' exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 3, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

Rosie's tattoo

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley arrives at The ELLE Style Awards 2010 at the Grand Connaught Rooms on February 22, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

In this undated handout image provided by Pirelli, model Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley poses for the new 2010 Pirelli calendar which is launched on November 20, 2009. (Photo by Pirelli via Getty Images)

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley arrives at The ELLE Style Awards 2010 at the Grand Connaught Rooms on February 22, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley arrives for the Gala Show and Awards of Graduate Fashion Week 2009 at Earls Court on June 10, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Izabel Goulart and Miranda Kerr pose in Times Square November 18, 2009 to celebrate the return of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show to New York. The show will be broadcast December 1, 2009. AFP PHOTO TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods BARRED From Seeing Other Women: Report

Tiger Woods has been barred from dating women until a long-rumored divorce with wife Elin Nordegren has been completed, UsMagazine.com reports. The superstar golfer, who has a history of bedding batches of women, is apparently being pressured to restrain himself by his own attorneys. Nordegren reportedly wants up to $750 million in a possible divorce settlement.

If the Us article is true, Woods may need to explain why he was reportedly spotted with a mysterious blonde last week. After all, he has allegedly cavorted with multiple porn stars, and his sex fantasies have been called "not normal" (and possibly orgy-filled).

While Tiger may not be able to play with women, he is set to return to golf next week after taking time off to nurse a neck injury that he claims was not caused by his post-Thanksgiving car crash.

Women linked to Tiger Woods

• Raychel Coudriet, the daughter of Woods' neighbor, met the golfer when she was just 14.
• Devon James is a "porn queen" whose alleged escort listing contained plenty of naked pictures.
• Emma Rotherham allegedly had early-morning sex on Woods' office couch. Tiger reportedly loved to see her in black stockings and suspenders.

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• Jaimee Grubbs (PHOTOS) saved a voicemail from her lover, as well as steamy text messages. Jaimee stripped down for two magazines (sexy PHOTOS).
• Jamie Jungers (PHOTOS) says she and Tiger had "wild" and "crazy" sex against a wall. She also claims to have slept with Woods the night his father died. Jungers, who allegedly once worked as a stripper, parlayed her newfound fame into jobs pitching vodka and an auction web site. She also appeared on the Today show and Dateline.
• Julie Postle (PHOTOS) allegedly met Woods when she worked as a cocktail waitress in Orlando. Tiger was reportedly "obsessed" with Postle and "really hunted" her. She was also photographed in a bikini.
• Susie Ogren says she took ecstasy with Tiger and he hoped "to get me into bed."
• Rachel Uchitel (PHOTOS) was the first of Tiger's alleged mistresses. Woods reportedly emailed her once to say that "I finally found someone I connect with." In another alleged email, Woods shared a steamy fantasy of Uchitel simultaneously having sex with Derek Jeter and Bones star David Boreanaz. A National Enquirer source called Uchitel a "celebrity whore."
• Loredana Jolie, a Playboy model, was allegedly "one of [Tiger's] favorites." She is planning a book that will spill the beans on Woods' alleged sexual encounters with men.
• Theresa Rogers has been described as a "cougar" who allegedly boasted that she taught Tiger "everything he needed to know to be a great lover." She reportedly conceived a baby while she was seeing Woods, but an article suggests she believes the father is a Serbian basketball player she was also seeing at the time. According to another article, Woods told Rogers that he only married Elin Nordegren to boost his image. The 40-something Rogers may have negotiated a payoff in exchange for her silence.
• Joslyn James is a porn star (PHOTOS, VIDEO) who has starred in films such as Porn Star Brides and MIA - Milfs In Action. She is also wanted in Washington state.
• Holly Sampson is a porn star (NSFW pictures, video) whose films include Descent Into Bondage and Diary of a Horny Housewife. She may have worked as an escort (NSFW) and appeared in a video in which she describes her "amazing" sex with Tiger Woods. In another article, she spoke about the "sensual, beautiful experience."