Month: July 2015

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Get acquainted with ageing

There’s no need to get anxious about ageing and growing old. But acceptance is the key to a happy dotage.                    
by Anjali Raje, Executive Director, International Longevity Centre-India (ILC-I)

Everyone grows old. And everyone is anxious about it, too.

Ageing is a normal process of life. Every living being grows old. But the process of ageing of a human being is quite complex and mysterious, too.

Longevity of a human being has been brought on by the progress made by medical science and the improvements brought in by modern technology. But, longevity brings in its wake, some issues and concerns, some of which have been addressed by the countries of the developed world nearly three decades ago.

But in India, the’ longevity revolution’ as one may call it, began making its presence felt and acknowledged around a decade ago.

The world today has people living longer than ever before. In 1950, ‘life expectancy at birth’, that is the number of years that an individual is expected to live was around 46 years. But today, this has increased to around 66 years. And this will be increasing every decade.

Most importantly, no individual ages uniformly, every individual ages differently. A person who is 80 years old might be more mentally and physically fit than an individual who is 60 years old.

Ageing is defined as ‘a progressive functional decline, or a gradual deterioration of physiological function with age, and one which is an intrinsic, inevitable, and irreversible age-related process.’

No one escapes old age! At the cusp of youth, old age seems non-existent, but as WHO’s Life Course Approach states, “Ageing begins right from the time that the baby Is conceived.” No wonder we say, “He or she is 10 days old or 8 years old.’

Ageing-related illnesses are an inevitable part of life. One has to face them. Ageing-related problems go beyond illnesses too – financial issues, emotional and social issues, housing problems, inter-generational problems and the like.

To cope with ageing, what is essential is to understand that this is an inevitable process that everyone goes through and that one has to learn to deal with it in a planned and prepared manner, if possible right from the time that one starts earning one’s income. This includes not just financial planning, but also post-retirement issues beyond finances.

‘Retirement…Why should it be a priority or an issue of concern in my life when I am just 25?’, an incredulous youth would say. That’s where the problem lies. Remember, you ARE 25 years OLD! It’s never too early to think of one’s old age and how one should live during that period.

Watch the elderly and you will notice – some are jolly, healthy and enthused about life, and some may be sad, depressed and demoralised. A lot depends on how prepared you are to face this inevitable period of your life.

Statistics reveal that today there are nearly 4,50,000 centenarians in the world and the number will reach 18 million globally at the end of the century. Are you going to be one of them? It’s in your hands!

(Picture courtesy www.jagritidham.com. Image is used for representational purpose only)

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Do

8 ways to redo your home in colours

We don’t experiment with colours as much as we should. Here’s rresenting 8 ways to make colours your best friends at home.
by Reyna Mathur

It is true that the colour of the space you are in can influence your mood. Some colours are cheerful and put you in a good frame of mind, others are more solemn. Still others are fun and flirty, while some bring about a sense of peace.

But it is easy to go overboard when experimenting with colours, and too many colours can come together and clash badly. To being with, make sketches of each of the rooms and use colour swatches to find the best combinations as per your taste. It is not necessary to have a different colour per room, but if you decide to go that route, try and use shades of the same colour wherever possible.

You can use colours in everything – paints, fabrics, furnishings, drapes, carpets, furniture, cabinets and cupboards, even in the colour of the light bulbs you select.

See this short video from ‘Better Homes and Gardens‘ on selecting colours based on the Colour Wheel:

 

Here are a few ways to get started:

1. Whatever colour you opt for, you have to be sensible in your choices, especially when it comes to wall paint. You cannot undo a wall colour in a hurry, so make your choice based on how bright the sunlight is in the room. If the room is brightly lit or if you like to leave the lights on during the day time as well, you cannot paint the walls a very bright colour.

2. If the overall colour scheme of your house is monochromatic, you can add pops of colour by way of furniture pieces or lamp shades or even a bright dining table and chairs.

Differently coloured light bulbs3. Use shades of blue in your bedroom. Blue is a calming colour and induces restful feelings. However, too much blue in the colour scheme can make the room look dull. Add a dashing contrast with bright bed furnishings or a red coloured wardrobe.

4. Use white tiles in the kitchen, but break the monotony with a patterned tile here and there. You can try the same in the bathroom and toilet.

5. Even the light bulbs you use introduce colour. Use yellow light bulbs to good effect in the living spaces, but use white light in the bathroom, kitchen and over the wash basin. Use different coloured light bulbs in the living room for a fun visual effect.

6. Keep the styling and furnishing of your living spaces Spartan, but use colour liberally on the floor. For instance, use a bright square of carpet in the centre of the room, or a mosaic of coloured tiles all over the living room floor. However, the colour of the floor shouldn’t be too bright or warm-coloured, because it will become disturbing.

7. Coloured candles placed in odd corners will liven up the room. Invest in several candles of varying colours and thicknesses, and place them liberally around the living room and bedroom.

8. Tone down bright colours with rust coloured metal lamp stands or cabinets. Or place a large metal statue near the entrance of the house for a unique effect.

(Pictures courtesy afflante.com, www.ebay.co.uk. Images are used for representational purpose only)

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Enough said

The debate on Yakub Memon’s hanging

The execution of 1993 Bombay riots convict Yakub Menon raises the same questions every execution brings – and no answers.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

When the news about 1993 Bombay serial bomb blasts convict Yakub Menon’s hanging broke recently, there were the usual reactions from all quarters. Some welcomed the execution, others condemned it. After all, Yakub was not the mastermind of the attacks – those men sit safe and sound in other parts of the world. Is he simply being made an example to other criminals plotting similar heinous terror attacks?

But then there are other questions that nobody every answers. For one, is hanging the only available punishment for criminals? Is it a good deterrent? Crime and prison statistics show that hanging has never had an appreciable effect on criminals. So whom does this exercise benefit?

Yakub is to be hanged at Nagpur Central Jail on July 30. Even as the date nears, as hectic last-minute appeals are being sent by his legal team to the Powers that Be, the country is hotly debating the wisdom of the execution. Like I mention earlier, Yakub was not the prime accused. He was one of many accused in the case, but one of the few ones who surrendered to the police and confessed his role in the crime. At the time, he was quoted to have said that he had “full faith in the Indian Judiciary”. It is a little disturbing to note that he is going to be the first to hang in the case, while the ones who are bigger contenders for the death penalty are out of the reach of the Indian law. Another person in Yakub’s case might have been shown more leniency. But after two decades of prison life, most of it spent in solitary confinement, is Yakub still tainted by his association to his brother and chief mastermind Tiger Memon?

Delhi-based publisher and President of the All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Dr Zafarul Islam Khan, says, “Yakub’s hanging before full justice is done to the victims of the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition riots and the 1993 serial blasts case is a murder of justice. The murderers, rapists and looters that roamed the streets after the Babri Masjid demolition, despite all the evidence against them – who will bring them to book? The Srikrishna Commission Report, submitted way back in February 1998, names all the political parties and their leaders engaged in these crimes. Even police officers participated in looting and killing. But nothing happened to these political and police goons. Until these criminals are first brought to book, Yaqub’s execution will remain a judicial murder by a callous political system which believes in offering human sacrifices from time to time in the false belief that this will prolong the life of this unjust system.”

(Picture courtesy idrw.org)

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Kharcha paani

Don’t take a loan to repay a loan

The worst mistake you can make is borrowing money to pay off a loan – a recipe for financial disaster.
by Reyna Mathur

Amit Sethi (name changed) was a happily married businessman in Mumbai, with a small but profitable business. He and his homemaker wife wanted to start a family two years after marriage, but he felt that they should have a permanent home before the children arrived. “I bought a 1 BHK that was close to my office. It was an expensive house and I took a home loan, apart from borrowing money from some friends and relatives.”

The couple moved into their new home and things were wonderful for a while. Then Amit lost a big contract that he had hoped to continue, and suddenly money became an issue. “That contract gave me Rs 2,50,000 a month, which took care of my Rs 65,000 monthly EMI and household expenses comfortably. For a while, I made do with smaller sums of money coming from other quarters, but for two whole years, I did not get a single big contract. Repayment of all the borrowed money became a big issue.”

To tide over the crisis, Amit took a fatal step – he borrowed more money from the market to repay the older loans. To this day, Amit is caught in a never-ending circle of loan repayment and has a big financial crisis on his hands. He sold his house and moved back into a rental accommodation. “My wife sold her jewellery, I even borrowed money from her brother. Now I owe more than Rs 30 lakh in loans and business is sporadically trickling in.”

It’s a trap

LoanAccumulating loans is the worst financial mistake you can make, which can drag you and your family into the deepest recesses of failure. Unfortunately, the pressures this mistakes brings prompts the person to make even bigger mistakes.

Some people respond to the crisis by selling off all their assets to raise immediate capital. This makes sense at the time, but in the long run, they are left with no assets to build on in the future. Imagine, if you sold off your house to pay back your loans, you will be faced with having to raise capital for a new house.

Other ways people adopt are to cashed in on their life insurance policies. They take a loan against the policy to pay off urgent business debts, but this step immediately sets two things in motion – a fresh loan is added to the list, and you also have to pay regular interest on the borrowed principal amount.

What can you do?

When borrowing money from private sources, take smaller amounts from a wide circle of friends and relatives. Instead of borrowing Rs 5,00,000 from one source, break down the amount into smaller amounts such as Rs 1,00,000, Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000. Make a list of people who will loan you small amounts of Rs 30,000 to Rs 10,000 and approach them first. They will be willing to loan you these amounts instead of larger amounts, and repaying these small sums will be easier for you, too. Then approach trusted friends and relatives who will loan you the larger sums, and commit to repaying them in a certain time frame. Make sure you approach people who will be prepared to wait for the money and not hound you every week.

People in debt also compound their own misery by purchasing multiple credit cards to pay off the outstanding dues on older credit cards. The simplest way is to try and pay off all outstanding dues, then surrender all credit cards. Instead, maintain a debit card which puts a cap on your spending.

Don’t take a huge home or vehicle loan, where the monthly EMI will take away most of your pay packet. The mistake people make is in paying for their homes entirely from bank-borrowed money. Instead, raise enough capital from personal and private sources, and borrow only the remaining amount from the bank. Remember, your private sources will only fight with you over repayment, but the bank will seize your house.

(Pictures courtesy www.engineeryourfinances.com, www.switchme.in. Images are used for representational purpose only)

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Read

Review: The House that BJ Built

Anuja Chauhan’s sequel to ‘Those Pricey Thakur Girls’ is a humorous look at issues like making a will and sharing property.
by Ritika Bhandari Parekh

Rating: 4 out of 5

The 16th Hailey Road brats are back! A sequel to Those Pricey Thakur Girls, Anuja Chauhan’s latest offering from the Delhi melee is The House that BJ Built. With this book, sappy rom-coms will finally make sense in the real world.

Once again, we enter the world of Justice Thakur and his chronologically-named daughters. Hot-shot director and grandson Samar Vir Singh and curvy, independent, vivacious Bonita Singh Rajawat are the grown-up protagonists of this novel. Bonita and Samar’s attraction, interaction and the illogical chemistry of the heart set the tone of the story.

A conniving brother, a muddled past and some letters abound as Chauhan anchors the different-as-chalk-and-cheese sisters to their home ground. The siblings are all set to take their respective shares from the glorious house that BJ built. But is it all possible without a clash of thoughts and past bitterness?

Chauhan vividly describes the characters and has us asking for more. She manages a sharp level of detailing, from Bonita aka Bonu Singh’s business ways to Anjini’s socialite editor nakhras or Chachiji’s sweet as chashni nature turning sour to the item-song ways of the film industry. These are all amusingly believable. The story scores in bringing an oft-happening issue of batwara, will-making and will-changing in the Indian family society to the fore. The author throws in her awesome writing skills and wit to make the entire drama a beautiful page-turner.

As Indian authors go, Chauhan’s belief in her readers and her deft-ability to not explain her characters and their desi ways (especially for foreign readers) makes her a favourite. Unapologetic, sexy (with all the beauty and brains of the Thakur girls and their offspring) and words that will make you smile and laugh, The House that BJ Built is definitely a must-read.

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Learn

10 things to know about Yakub Memon

This chartered accountant will be the first to be executed among those accused for the 1993 serial bombings in Bombay.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The country is currently discussing the upcoming execution by hanging of Yakub Memon (52), one of the many accused in the horrific 1993 bomb blasts of Bombay. A Mumbai resident, Yakub is a chartered accountant by qualification, and has been lodged in lodged for the last 21 years.

But who is this man, and why is his execution so significant? Here are 10 pointers on his involvement in the case.

1. Yakub is the younger brother of underworld don Tiger Memon. They grew up with their family in Byculla, Mumbai, in a largely Muslim neighbourhood. Tiger later shifted to Mahim with his family. The Memons were known to be hospitable and generous, often inviting everyone for family celebrations.

2. Yakub studied chartered accountancy from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Mumbai. He completed his course in 1990. Previously, he studied for M.Com at Burhani College of Commerce and Arts.

Yakub Memon3. He was arrested from New Delhi in 1994, though he has maintained all along that he and his wife surrendered to the police instead of fleeing the country. His confession about the 1993 blasts and the roles of everyone concerned was compiled into a thick dossier that laid out the entire conspiracy with names and timelines. He admitted that the plot was masterminded by his brother Tiger, who has since fled the country and is said to be living in Pakistan and UAE.

4. Handsome and articulate, Yakub was the obvious choice for his role as bookkeeper and back end planner for the 1993 blasts operation. He confessed to keeping a track of expenses, arranging for funds, ensuring money reached the handlers, and also arranged for some of the vehicles used in the bombing.

5. Judge PD Kode, who presided over the 1993 bombings trial at the TADA Court, held Yakub guilty on four charges: Criminal conspiracy, Aiding and abetting and facilitating in a terrorist act, Illegal possession and transportation of arms and ammuntion, Possessing explosives with intent to endanger lives.

6. While in prison, Yakub added to his educational qualifications with two Masters degrees – one for English literature and the other for Political Science – from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

7. Yakub’s lawyers previously argued for leniency in his case, citing schizophrenic tendencies in their client. However, this appeal was later dismissed by the court.

8. In all, Yakub has filed three appeals for clemency in the matter. After the third was rejected by the Supreme Court of India, the Court upheld the Government of Maharashtra’s demand for Yakub’s execution.

9. Jab We Met and Highway director Imtiaz Ali played Yakub Memon in director Anurag Kashyap’s critically acclaimed film Black Friday, which was based on the 1993 serial bombings.

10. Yakub will turn 53 on July 30, 2015, the day of his execution by hanging. He will be hanged at Nagpur Central Jail.

(Pictures courtesy www.talaippu.tk, www.ndtv.com)

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