New Delhi, November 10:

B J P president R a j n a t h Singh hit out at the UPA gov-e r n m e n t for report-edly allowing Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Foreign Affairs Ad-viser, Sartaj Aziz to meet Kashmiri separatist in the national capital. Rajnath tweeted – "Shocked to see that the UPA govern-ment has allowed Pakistan PM's advisor Sartaj Aziz to hold talks with Kashmiri separatist leaders in New Delhi." In another tweet he wrote – "Why Mr Aziz is given this opportunity when Paki-stan is committing acts of aggression in the state of Jammu and Kashmir?" The BJP president also said, "By allowing Mr Sartaj Aziz to hold talks with the sepa-ratists on Indian soil the

See Rajnath on Pg. 7

Srinagar, November 10:

Jammu and Kashmir Pri-vate Schools United Front (JKPSUF) has condemned the Board Of School Edu-cation (BOSE) for failing to repeal the controversial class 12 Maths paper and announcing good-for-noth-ing cosmetic measures.The Front said that the authorities have failed to grasp the situation aris-ing out of this paper. “It has already claimed one life and pushed thousands into depression,” said G N Var, General Secretary JKPSUF. “BOSE is acting like an ar-rogant, insensitive organi-zation determined to pun-ish students and defend itself,” reads a statement issued by Var to Kashmir News Service.The Front rejected the grace marks offered by BOSE. “Our students are

not beggars, they have toiled hard for the subject and they want justice not any compensation,” said Var.The Front said that this is not the question of passing the exam, rather build-ing a career. “JEE (Joint Entrance Examinations) gives 40 percent weight-age to board marks, so when the marks are low, the chances for Kashmiri students to qualify de-crease proportionately,” said Var. According to Var’s statement received by Kashmir news Service, “Not only the chances of our students for IIT and IIE have decreased but we fear that our students won’t be able to grab a seat in our own National Insti-tute of Engineering (NIT) which will be dominated by outside students.”The Front asked the

See JKPSUF on Pg. 7

Election fever prompts political opportunists to

spread falsehood: Rather Srinagar, November 10:

Observing that with the picking up election fe-ver in the country, the defeated political oppor-tunists have resorted to lies and falsehood for hoodwinking public opinion against land-mark achievements of the present coalition government, the Min-ister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, Mr. Ab-dul Rahim Rather today cautioned the people against their mecha-nisations so that their nefarious designs are thwarted completely.Speaking to a pub-lic gathering at Tulsi Bagh, Srinagar today, the Minister asked the people to reject politi-cal opportunists who

are habitual of exploit-ing the sentiments of the innocent people on the basis of region and religion to satiate their vested interests. He hoped that the political-

ly matured people of the state will never allow di-visive forces to succeed in their game plan and build their castles on the graveyards of inno-cent people.He said secular fabric is the hall mark of state’s

rich traditions and ethos which has to be preserved and uphold at all costs.Mr. Rather said last five years report card of the present government is before the people, who are best judge to gauge its performance on socio-economic and po-litical fronts adding that progress achieved dur-ing last five years can not be undermined. He said political opponents are basically unnerved with the growing popu-larity graph of the co-alition government and its development agenda and so are they desper-ate to create misunder-standing among the masses by resorting to lies and policy of deceit.

See Rather on Pg. 7

Srinagar, Nov. 10:

Exhorting people to teach Omar Abdullah led coalition .a lesson for its failure of the fulfil promises, senior leader of Peoples Dem-ocratic Party (PDP) and MLA Sangrama, Basharat Bukhari to-day today flayed the National Conference leadership for betray-ing people of Jammu and Kashmir for the lust of power. Accord-ing to a PDP statement received by KNS, ad-dressing public meet-ing in Banihal assem-bly segment in support of PDP candidate for Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat Arshad Malik, Bukhari ex-horted the people to teach a lesson to those who are responsible for their woes. He said that forthcoming Lok Sabha is an opportu-nity to teach a lesson to those who had made false promises during

the last assembly elec-tions. Coming down heavily on ruling co-alition for not solving problems of the mass-es, Bukhari regretted that instead of fulfill-ing wishes and aspira-tions of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, leaders of the coalition were trying to play with the sentiments of the people.“It is all due to the non-serious approach of the coalition govern-ment that people of Jammu and Kashmir have to face hardship”, he said and cautioned the people against game plan of the ruling coalition. Speaking on the occasion, PDP can-didate for Udhampur-Doda seat Arshad Ma-lik shifted all blames on coalition regime for the backwardness ofthe State especially in Chenab Valley region. He said that develop-mental works which

See PDP on Pg. 7

Trungal (Doda), Nov. 10:

Indicating gigantic expan-sion programme in health and education sector with-in next six months, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Sunday said that after fo-cusing on consolidation in these sectors during the last some years, a mammoth programme of expansion is in offing.“Within next six to eight months you will see a huge programme on ground regarding expan-sion of health and educa-tional institutions”, he told a public gathering at Trun-gal a remote area in Asar Block of Doda District. The Chief Minister was address-ing a public meeting after inaugurating Rs. 15 crore 325 metre Span Suspension Bridge over river Chenab at Trungal in District Doda.Omar Abdullah said that road communication espe-cially to link up far-flung and remote areas with

main highways is receiv-ing priority attention. “In fact my government has flagged this aspect as one of the most important con-cerns in the State’s devel-opment policy. It is as a re-sult of this policy that State has witnessed remarkable improvement and upgra-dation in the road commu-nication sector during the last about five years”, he said and added that thou-sands of kilometers of roads have been upgraded and newly constructed besides constructing hundreds of

bridges all across the State. He said the programme is continuing and will see fur-ther fillip during this year.The Chief Minister said that economic upliftment of remote areas and employ-ment generation for youth largely depends on the status of connectivity and road communication. He said better roads buttress development and economy and bridges engulf the eco-nomic gaps. He said reach-ing out to people in remote areas on the development front is also linked with

communication facilities. He said recognizing this aspect his government is vigorously implementing a gigantic roads and bridges development programme in the State.Referring to the tourism po-tential of erstwhile District Doda, the Chief Minister said that in order to bring Trungal on tourist map of the State measures would be taken to encourage water sports in the lake here and youth would be trained to start programmes for water skiing, kayaking, para-glid-ing and adventure tourism in the area so that tourist from all over the world are attracted to this area to relish the natural beauty and take part in adventure sports activities.The Chief Minister also stressed the need of utiliz-ing the water body in the area as a means of transport as is prevalent in many

See Omar on Pg. 7

From our special correspondent

Srinagar, November 10: With the onset of chilli-winter season, the people of the valley are confronted with enormous problems of power shortage, scarcity of drinking wa-ter, sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities, sudden fall in the sup-ply of cooking gas and what not. It has become a routine for the people of the state to listen to big announce-ments, assurances, promises and tall-claims of overcoming the short-age of above mentioned services ev-ery now and then but all falls short of accomplishment when it comes to ground realities. One wonders and sometimes gets a laughing stock when President, General Secretary and other office bearers of National Conference and Congress demand ensuring of uninterrupted power supply, drinking water and cooking gas like things particularly on the eve of festivals and religious occa-sions. It is definitely shocking that they air these demands through ra-dio, television and the local press.

Instead of asking their minister and their government to take concrete steps to mitigate the problems of the people in cabinet meetings and co-ordination meetings, these lead-ers who are the essential part of the coalition government, prefer to is-sue such statements to mislead the people. These press-note leaders, themselves know that their state-ments are of no use but to keep their names in the news they are always in search of the occasions to issue the press-notes. Even some times, they are away in some foreign countries, but back in the state the press notes asking for smooth supply of electric-ity for religious festivals are being issued by their buffoons without any wait. These statements become more laughing stocks when even the cabinet ministers issue a press release demanding certain things to be done on a particular occasion. The height of press note leaders is that even the erection of a mobile tower in Tangdar attracted dozens of press notes in which these leaders claimed that they made efforts to get

this tower installed. Normally, such statements demanding mitigation of the problems of the people used to be issued by the opposition parties to invite the attention of the govern-ment towards the public interests is-sues. Perhaps this is also considered to be a domain of ruling parties to snatch this right from opposition. The question arises, does these state-ments fulfil any purpose and do they indicate the seriousness of the ruling parties towards the problems of the people? The answer to this question is known to everybody as the pub-lic knows this all is being done for cheap publicity and projection of a particular person. In fact, if these press note leaders would have been serious about the problems of the people, they would instead use the official channels and bring the prob-lems of the people to the notice of the concerned ministers and heads of the depts. This would have been the proper way so that the things could be sorted out without any hue and cry. As far as the official electronic media is concerned, the carriage of

these statements is a compulsion for them but for the press it is the money which makes them to publish such rubbish statements. The agents of these so called leaders go from one paper to another and get their paid news published. Though the question of paid news is haunting the whole country particularly during elec-tions or before elections, it is preva-lent always as far as the publishing of political news is concerned. The J&K has seen a mushroom growth of political parties, political work-ers and non-entities who are the self, styled office-bearers of those parties which do not exist in the state at all. These self-styled leaders are enjoy-ing every facility including govern-ment accommodation, government vehicles and security cover. In addi-tion to these they are indulging in all kinds of corrupt practices including extortions, grabbing big amounts from innocent people to provide jobs to their wards etc. They issue some statements, get them published in some papers and use these clippings for exploiting gullible people. They

also black-mail some honest officers and extort money and favours from them. This trend is not only preva-lent in main stream parties but also in separatists who get lot of money from outside the country. There are some press note leaders who are sponsored by various agencies to get their viewpoint publicized through them. However this exercise is futile because the press statements issued have no bearing on the function-ing of the government agencies as they do not take these statements seriously knowing their origin and background. It surprises everyone when even the leaders of the stature of Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Sheikh Na-zir Ahmad, Prof Saif-ud-din Soz and their other leaders issue statements on the public problems instead their own government to deliver. Does this mean that these leaders have no authority and say in their own coali-tion and they have to take help of me-dia to highlight the problems of the people? One comes to the conclusion to say as to who is who and what do they do?

Srinagar, November 10:

President Doctors Asso-ciation Kashmir (DAK) Dr Nisar ul Hassan on Sun-day condemned the arrest of G M Pandith President Non Gazetted Employ-ees Welfare Association (NGEWA). He was arrest-ed on November 7 from the premises of Sher-i-Kash-mir institute of Medical Sciences(SKIMS) Soura by police station Soura while he was on duty and later was shifted to sub jail Kup-wara. This action by police is illegal and unlawful. This proves beyond doubt that Kashmir is a police state and police state is a lawless state. This is un-fortunate that whenever somebody raises his voice against tyranny it is be-ing suppressed by force in Kashmir. Pandith is an upright person and repre-

sents pain of thousands of employees who are denied their fundamental rights. He is a man with convic-tion and cannot see people suffering. He is fighting for welfare of medical em-ployees and quality care to patients. Pandith has been a pioneer in struggle against fake drug mafia in the valley. He has played a pivotal role in exposing fake drug perpetrators.The medical employees of SKIMS are suffering at the hands of Director Skims who is a dictator and presi-dent NGEWA is a victim of his dictatorship, said Dr Hassan in a statement issued to Kashmir News Service.Instead of fulfilling the genuine demands of medi-cal employees, director SKIMS is harassing and abusing them. Director

See DAK on Pg. 7

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

MONDAY November 11 | 2013 | 06 Muharram 1435 AH | PAGES 08 | VOL NO: 3 | ISSUE NO: 284 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 PAISA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

Who is who? What do they do?

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

WEATHER

TEMPERATUREMAXIMUM MINIMUMSUNSET ON(MONDAY)SUNRISE ON (TUESDAY)

05:31 pm07:02 am

0.0 0C14.0 0C

FORECAST FOR NEXT 24 HRS:

FORECAST OF SRINAGAR:

Weather will be mainly dry over the state.

Mainly clear sky. Maximum & Minimum temperatures will be around 16°C & -1°C respectively.

Massive expansion programme in health, education sectors on anvil: Omar

Release president NGEWA SKIMS or face agitation: DAK

4 5

Don’t workout on an empty stomach

Sachin Tendulkar was my greatest opponent

To head Indian delegation at CHOGM

7

Coalition betrayed people of J&K: PDP

‘You will see a gigantic expansion taking place in next six months’

Class 12 knotty Math paper

Kashmir is India's internal

matter: Rajnath

JKPSUF condemns BOSE for denying re-examination

Press Note Leaders

Demands removal of Director SKIMS

Omar condoles demise of Shiban DudhaJammu, November 10: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has expressed grief over the sad and sudden demise of political activist Shiban Dudha. In his condolence message to the bereaved family, the Chief Minister has expressed his sympathy and solidarity with the family and prayed for peace to the departed soul.

1 Dies in a scuffle in Anantnag Srinagar, November 10: Bijbe-hara police took the cognizance of the death of a person in the hospital who was injured in a scuffle over a dispute in Bijbe-hara, Anantnag.A scuffle took place between two parties at Hassanpora Tabila, Anantnag over a dispute in the jurisdictions of police station Bijbehara. During the scuffle Mohammad Maqbool Dar son of Ghulam Mohammad Dar was injured. He was subsequently shifted to SKIMS Soura, Srinagar for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries.Bijbehara police has taken cog-nizance, a case FIR No 257/13 has been registered in this regard.Investigation has been taken up.

Leopard injured a boy in KupwaraSrinagar, November 10: 7 years old boy was injured when he was attacked by a Leopard in Diver, Kupwara.Sameer Ahmad Chohan son of Shabir Ahmad resident of Dilbagh Diver, Kupwara was attacked and injured by a Leopard near his home in the jurisdiction of police station Kupwara. The injured was shifted to Sub District Hospital, Sogam for treatment.

5 injured in road mishapsSrinagar, November 10: Five persons including a 3 year old girl was injured in different road accidents in Valley.A Tempo bearing registration number JK03C/ 8687 collided with a Maruti Car bearing reg-istration number JK01E/4460 at Dobiwan, Baramulla in the jurisdiction of police station Kunzer, resulting in injuries to Mohammad Shafi son of Ali Mohammad resident of Fero-zpore Tangmarg. The injured was shifted SKIMS Soura, Srinagar for treatment. A Tata Sumo bearing registration number JK02W/6761, turned turtle at Sangam, Anantnag, resulting in injuries to three passengers. All the injured were shifted to hospital for treatment. A case has been registered in this regard. An unidentified Motorcycle hit and injured a 3 years old girl daughter of Mohammad Ashraf Dar resident of Mugalpora at Mughalpora, Baramulla. The injured was shifted to hospital for treatment. A case has been registered in this regard.

HEALTH AND FITNESS

ZABARWAN TIMES Tuesday 29 October 2013

9 Attitudes towards a happy ‘You’The key to happiness is to do the same things you do everyday but with a slight-ly different approach. Start bringing those changes in your attitude towards life and you'll see how simple it is to be happy!Life Coach Ramon Llamba shares nine significant at-titudes that help you be-come happier in life.

GratitudeAppreciate what you have and value it. Try count-ing your positives and be grateful for all the good things and people in your life. Stop complaining and be thankful for what you already have and you'll soon start feeling happy.

OptimismTreat failure as an oppor-tunity to learn a new and better lesson from life, and that's the trick to manufacture optimism in life. Never give up try-ing because that's an in-dication that something better is in store. Once you start harbouring an optimistic attitude to-wards life, success will automatically follow.Avoid comparisonNothing is as awful as comparing yourself to someone else. If you think you're better that the other person,

you're letting yourself regale in an unhealthy sense of superiority. If you demean yourself in front of others, it means all your hard work and progress has been in vain. While social com-parisons are unhealthy, self-improvement is ef-fective.

KindnessThere's a scientific rea-son behind every act of kindness that you do. Helping someone self-lessly releases serotonin in your brain (Serotonin is the hormone that con-trols your mood) and hence makes you feel good about yourself al-most instantly. Try do-ing one act of kindness everyday to flush out the toxins of depression from your system.

Nurture relation-

shipsRelationships keep us alive and kicking. In fact, ac-cording to research studies loneliness doubles people's mortality rates. A circle of good friends, loving fam-ily members and cheerful colleagues are a reminder that you have people who care about you. There's

nothing like having some-one who you can share your experiences with. So nurture these relation-ships and say goodbye to a lonesome existence.

ForgiveHatred is a negative feel-ing and harbouring it will have nothing but negative effects on your well-being. Stop thinking about the hateful emotion/person and let it go. Forgive if needed, take things lightly and let it not affect your system.

Commit to

your goalsIf you have a goal, work towards it. Anything is achievable if you put your heart into it. Wholehearted dedication and diligence can bring extraordinary re-sults and consequentially add to your happiness.

Spiritual-ity

Spirituality teaches us that life is bigger than us and it helps us connect to the larg-er meanings of life. Practice spirituality to understand the source of all creation

and feel connected to ev-erything that exists in this world.

Care for your body

Love yourself and love your body! Your physi-cal condition has a direct connection with your well-being. A fit body and healthy mind is reflective of happiness. Start work-ing towards the health of your physical, men-tal and emotional en-ergy by caring for your body.

Spirituality boosts mental health

Despite differences in ritu-als and beliefs among the world's major religions, spirituality often enhances individuals' health, ac-cording to University of Missouri researchers. The MU researchers be-lieve that health care pro-viders could take advan-tage of this correlation between health - particu-larly mental health - and spirituality by tailoring treatments and rehabilita-tion programs to accom-modate an individual's spiritual inclinations. "In many ways, the re-sults of our study support the idea that spirituality functions as a personality trait," said Dan Cohen, as-sistant teaching professor of religious studies at MU and one of the co-authors of the study. "With in-creased spirituality people reduce their sense of self and feel a greater sense of oneness and connected-ness with the rest of the universe. What was inter-esting was that frequency of participation in reli-gious activities or the per-ceived degree of congre-gational support was not found to be significant in the relationships between personality, spirituality,

religion and health," Co-hen added. The MU study used the results of three surveys to determine if correlations existed among partici-pants' self-reported men-tal and physical health, personality factors, and spirituality in Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Catholics and Protestants. Across all five faiths, a greater degree of spirituality was related to better mental health, specifically lower levels of neuroticism and greater extraversion. Forgiveness was the only spiritual trait predictive of mental health after personality variables were considered. "Our prior research shows that the mental health of people recovering from different medical conditions, such

as cancer, stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury, appears to be related significantly to positive spiritual beliefs and especially congregational support and spiritual in-terventions," said Cohen. "Spiritual beliefs may be a coping device to help in-dividuals deal emotionally with stress," he added. Cohen believes spirituality may help people's mental health by reducing their self-centeredness and de-veloping their sense of be-longing to a larger whole. As the authors note, spiri-tual interventions such as religious-based counseling, meditation, and forgiveness protocols may enhance spiritually-based beliefs, practices, and coping strategies in positive ways.

Are weight loss pills a fact or a myth? Can you really lose weight with a pill? The US FDA recently approved a drug Lorcaserin, a drug that helps you lose weight. To clear doubts about this 'magical' pill we spoke to Dr. Verinder Anand, Consulting doctor in Internal Medicine from Moolchand Medcity. He sheds light on the weight loss pill and strips bare the ugly truth. Why would In-dians fall prey to this drug? "Obesity is a growing prob-lem in India and other developing countries and is largely the result of a chronically improper diet and lack of physical activ-ity. Obesity is an outcome of sedentary lifestyle and westernization of our so-ciety. Over-eating junk food and lack of physi-cal exercise result in high body mass index (BMI)." Will this drug work for an Indian body? "Vis-a-vis to western countries where junk food is cheaper, in In-dia, the population, mostly the upper strata of society,

in metropolitan cities are getting afflicted because there is a lack of exercise, there is a tendency to eat more junk food and so they are putting on more weight and becoming obese. Yes, these drugs have positive impacts on Indians for a small period of time only." How does this drug work? What is the effect on the body? "Most of these drugs sup-press appetite by activat-ing the brain receptors for a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which triggers feelings of satiety and satis-faction. This drug raises the energy levels and suppresses the appetite and pushes the body to burn more calories. But continuing weight loss medicine in long term is un-healthy and ineffective." Is this drug another marketing gimmick? It has been proved to be effective. A trial period of 12 weeks is suggested. In this duration there should be a minimum 5 percent weight loss. Can we expect drastic weight

loss with this drug? No, these weight-loss drugs will shed about 2-3 kilos per year. Expert views on Weight loss drugs These medicines are avoidable and should not be con-sumed by just anyone. Only those who are obese and suffering from condi-tions related to this should take prescribed ones, which doctors term "life-style medications" rather than "diet pills". These medicines are prescribed only to those people with

a BMI (body-mass in-dex) over 27, as part of a broader weight-loss re-gime that involves other medications such as di-uretics and a calorie-restricted diet and exer-cise. Dr. Verinder Anand sums up HMU's belief, exercise plus right diet equals weight loss, "In a nutshell, there is no oth-er effective and health-ier alternative to lose the extra flab apart from good eating habits and regular exercise."

Next time, delay that appointment at the wellness centre for chemicals or danger-ous injectables that aim to turn back the clock. The latest technique to get rid of your wrinkles is simple and non-inva-sive and well, you can pull faces while doing it. Called face yoga, the set of facial exercises has caught the fancy of Holly-wood celebrities such as Gwyneth Pal-trow and Jennifer Aniston, who are said to be advocates of it. Here's how you can get glowing with pulling a few faces...

Its benefitsLike regular yoga, the moves in face yoga also have unique names. Want to try The Marilyn, Bumblebee or Lion — all expressions intended to turn back the ageing clock and and reduce wrinkles. Experts state that face yoga not only reju-venates the face, but simultaneously helps in putting back that glow. Explains yoga trainer Yogesh Chavan, "The face mus-cles are not different from the muscles of the rest of the body. Thus, if they are not exercised, they become flabby. Face yoga, which allows for oxygen to rush to the face, is extremely rejuvenating and acts as a beauty booster. It en-tails toning one's facial muscles by smiling, stretching the eyebrows out-wards, twisting your lips or moving the cheeks from side to side, stretch-ing out your tongue and even making

the mouth into the shape of blowing a kiss. One can do this every morning or even while travelling."How it has helped peopleFace yoga aims to tighten facial mus-

cles and aid blood circulation. Rajiv Ananth, an advertising executive, who regularly practises this yoga in the morning, is gung-ho about it. "Due to long work hours I had developed a puffi-ness around the eyes. But I tried face yoga and found it to be beneficial. After just a week of exercises such as Kapalb-hatti and deep breathing techniques, I found that my dark circles had greatly reduced," he informs.According to busi-nesswoman Nisha Shrimant, what really attracted her to facial yoga in the past was the fact that she could do

it anywhere. Says she, "With my sched-ule I travel a lot on work and so I can't get onto a treadmill or spend time on a yoga mat. I realised facial yoga could be done on the go and after my yoga teach-

er taught me a few exercises I loved it," she admits, adding, "Now, when I also feel my face tightening due to stress I take a break and go into a wash-room or a quiet corridor and do facial contortions. It's funny to someone who sees me, but it really works; my face relaxes almost imme-diately," she adds.Practise these ex-

ercises today!While Chavan states that

yogasanas like Simhasan (lion pose) and Vyaghrasan (tiger pose) are apt to fit into facial yoga, holistic health guru Mickey Mehta also presents easy face exercises to do at any time. "Chewing is a good exercise, as well as blowing (like blowing a balloon), sucking in one's cheeks holding it for seven to eight seconds and releas-ing it, frowning, then relaxing then a repeat of this also helps. In addi-tion, try smiling, laughing and most important, 'still the face' for a few minutes each day. W

Stressed and unfit, with no time for the gym? A towel and sock can save you from fatLong work hours keeping you from a fitness regime? While nothing can sub-stitute the recommended hour of daily exercise needed to stay slim, fitting fitness activities in your daily routine isn't as tough as you'd imagine. Take the stairs, instead of the lift; Use your chair as support for leg lifts; and lift water bottles as weights to tone your arm muscles.That much, you already know. But what of com-mon household objects that can yield results to ri-val barbells and resistance machines? Read on.

Build your musclesBooks:

The next time you're reading a tome, put it to another use. Bal-ance it on your stomach to increase the load on your abs while perform-ing stomach crunches. To turn the heat on

your lower abs, lie flat on your back with your arms extended above you, holding a heavy book. Use only your stomach muscles to propel the movement as you lift your shoulders straight off the ground, keeping the rest of your body flat. Here's an-other exercise: Sit on a chair with your legs to-gether and extended in front of you, with your feet eight inches above the ground. Balance the book on your shins as you slowly lift your legs up, while keeping them extended. Lower the legs and repeat. Fill a satchel with books. Lift it bending only your elbows, and voila, you have for yourself a for-midable » dumbbell.De-stress your nerves

Tennis balls- Who doesn't want a genie to massage their feet after a particularly trying day? Believe it or not, a tennis ball is a wonderful substi-

tute. While sit-ting, slide a ten-nis ball under your foot. Keep rolling it back and forth, as it massages your heel. Start with less pressure and progress to rolling the ball under your foot while stand-ing. If it hurts, it means your nerve endings are not relaxed. Switch to the other foot after five minutes. Load four tennis balls into an old legging, or a much-washed sock. Tie the end and roll this makeshift massager on your back (as you would a towel after a shower) for a soothing back rub. A ten-nis ball can also help tone your muscles. Hold one between your knees while sitting on the edge of a chair. Squeeze your legs together to work out your inner thighs.

Bathing towels It might seem like an ex-aggeration, but a well-devised strength train-ing routine featuring the humble towel can have you sweating bul-lets in no time. With nothing but a towel, you can break into a slew of effective exercises like resistance repetitions, where you use your own strength to build and tone arm, chest, shoulder, thigh and leg muscles.

If you have been meaning to buy a resistance band, but haven't got around to doing it, pick up your towel and start with a simple squat. Stretch the towel like a bar over your head and push your weight down. This helps strengthen your arms along with your thighs. Arm extensions and a single leg squat with the towel held under the other foot are other instances of strength training with a bathroom necessity.

7 Postures to avoid when exercising

If you often wonder about why you suffer frequent in-juries at the gym, it's time to take a long, hard look at your workout form.While exercising, method and posture play an im-portant role. We give you an insight on why poor form is to blame for your aches and pains.Stop jerking: Stop jerk-ing your weights and your body, it will only cause in-jury and it will have no ef-fect on the muscles. Take a cue from James Bond; being smooth gets the best outcome. Smooth weight training will surely get you the much needed muscles. When you twist and jerk your body while lifting weights, you open your-self up to a world of inju-ries like joint pain, muscle pulls, even fractures.Slow movements: You don't want to workout in a jiffy, it defeats the purpose. Muscle fibers need slow yet smooth movement to

build size and strength. If you workout really quick-ly, all the fibers don't get worked out. Take time and do a proper workout.Pain in the neck: Summertime is the best time to flaunt your six pack abs. But, if you are gung ho about stomach crunches, you need to know one thing. Do not place your hand on your neck as you pull your neck forward. This will cause severe neck pain. In-stead, place your hand on your chest or by your side. If you are accustomed to placing your hands behind your head, then use them only as markers. Do not force your head forward in order to compensate or start the crunching move-ment.Squat right: When it comes to squats, balance and body alignment is im-portant. Do not bend too forward nor go down be-low your knee level. When squatting, arch your back, your abs should be tight,

head up and your body should be in proper align-ment. Do not let your knees cross your toes, and do not lock your knees as you lift yourself.Full range mo-tion: When weight train-ing even if you do easy and few exercises make a note to do full range motions. There are two benefits: your joints are more mo-bile, but more importantly your muscle has a boost of strength when completely extended.Straighten your back for a deadlift: If you arch your back, chances are you will risk a slip disc or hernia. Also keep your head in neutral position, not up or down.Bench press posture: You may think that bench press doesn't have a right posture, but arching your back can induce lower back pain. Here's what you should do; feet should be on the floor, butt on the bench, with slight arch in your lower back and you're good to go.

Monday, 11 November 2013 5HEALTH7Lake City Times

Monday04 - 10 November 2013

Weekly

E ++HHEAAL L HH5 ZABARWAN TIMES

SUNDAY | AUGUST 268 ZABARWANTIMES

The truth about sugarSugar has earned a bad reputation as it is linked to various diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer. The truth is that sugar is not only important for your body, it is also important for your life. How-ever, it is important to understand what kind of sugar is good for you and what is not.

Understanding sugar

The sugar sold in grocery stores is an unnatural substance, i.e. it is pro-duced by industrial processes mostly from sugar cane or sugar beets. It is refined with chemicals such as sul-phur dioxide, phosphoric acid, calci-um hydroxide, and activated carbon, and stripped of all the natural nutri-tion it originally had. By refining it down to sucrose and stripping away the vitamins, minerals, proteins, en-zymes and other beneficial nutrients, what is left is a concentrated unnatu-ral substance that the human body is not able to handle, let alone use. It is interesting to note that 'raw sugar' - which most people think is natural - is also refined. Once the

cane juice crystals are harvested, they are washed, boiled, fil-tered and dried. This process removes most of the fibre and nu-trients existing in the original crystals. The sugar then becomes refined, with no nutri-tional value. The use of artificial sweeteners is often a case of trad-ing one problem for an-other and is definitely not the path to good health. Needless to say, artificial sweeteners are more harmful than refined sugar. Sugar is a deadly addiction; people not only de-velop a strong taste for it but also de-velop an insatiable craving for it. The reason: refined sugar stresses the pan-creas and depletes the body's supplies of chromium. A common symptom of chromium deficiency is sugar crav-ings. Satisfying these cravings further lowers chromium and increases crav-ings. What's more, refined sugar de-pletes your body of all the B vitamins; it leaches calcium from your hair,

bones, blood and teeth. As if that is not enough, sugar also affects your body's digestion. It ferments in your stom-ach and stops the secretion of gastric juices, inhibiting the stomach's ability to digest. Weight gain, mood swings and irritability are a some side effects from consuming too much sugar. Sug-ar plays a major role in altering one's mood. Refined sugar has a chemical reaction on the brain by releasing se-rotonin - the 'feel good' hormone; this tricks the body into a temporary high, causing a rise in blood glucose levels. This 'feel good' lift is followed by the crash where you feel tired, irritable and even depressed.

Not only are walnuts delicious to eat but also good for your heart and your skin. They are one of the best plant sources of protein. Here are some health benefits of walnuts we bet you didn't know about: - Walnuts are a rich source of omega-3 fats and alpha linoleic acid (ALA) that are known to improve artery function. - They contain anti-oxidant properties that help in preventing cancer. - It is believed that consumption of walnuts as a part of daily diet helps in prevention of gallstones. - The monounsaturated fats present in walnuts helps in lowering bad cholesterol and lipoprotein, a compound that can cause atherosclerosis by increasing blood clot-ting. - An essential amino acid called L-arginine, which is present in walnuts, gets converted to nitric oxide that helps in increasing the blood flow in the body. It also prevents arteries from narrowing and preventsthe ac-cumulation of fatty deposits on the artery walls. - Walnuts are often referred to as 'brain food'. That is because they are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids which plays a major role in the optimum functioning of the brain cells, making you smarter. - Melatonin, a compound found in walnuts is helpful in promoting good sleep therefore, reducing insomnia and other sleep disorders which are prevalent.

Walnuts are good for you

Gym-goers and athletes tend to push themselves on empty stomachs in the belief they'll burn up more fat. Most believe in the theory that exercising on an emp-ty stomach will make the body use up fat reserves and covert it into energy instead of the glucose or carbohydrates that may be readily available from a meal or a drink before the workout. But while it seems to make sense, research now shows that exercising on an empty stomach doesn't offer any benefit and may actually work against you. According to a recent re-port published this year in a fitness journal in the US, it has been established that the body burns the same amount of fat irrespective of whether you eat before or after a workout. But the problem arises in the fact that dizzy spells not-withstanding, you will lose muscle by exercising in a state of hunger. The study also found that and with-

out food to help the work-out, the intensity of the ex-ercise and the total calorie burn will be reduced. So, that leaves you not only exhausted, but with less muscle and no energy to burn more fat. The studies found that when people trained with nothing in their stomachs, about 10 per-cent of the calories they burned came from pro-tein, including muscle. In an earlier study, re-searchers had found that eating light before a meal

was beneficial. Those who consumed 45 grams of carbohydrates before their workouts ended up eating less through the rest of the day. Experts now advise a light meal of oats or even a milkshake before a workout will go a long way in extending the ben-efits of the time spent in a gym. Those pushing the heavy ones in the hope of building muscle are well advised to go the Dara Singh way of egg 'n' milk-shake.

Don't workout on an empty stomach Everything we do calls for stress

and constant running around. In the middle of all this chaos, yoga is a great way to connect with your inner self and stay healthy at the same time. Through its deep breathing, stretching, mindful exercise, yoga is also an effective method to keep most stress-related diseases at bay. In fact, no matter what your lifestyle, you could learn a thing or two from this ancient exercise form that benefits your mind and body, both. Here's looking at why yoga is meant for people of all shapes and sizes...yes, even you! Yoga helps combat stress. The Na-tional Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that yoga has a positive impact on various kinds of neurological dis-orders. Their findings suggest that yoga might help patients in fighting with the symptoms of neurological disorders such as acute headache, psychological depression and so on. Published in the journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, this study revealed that women, even beginners, who practice hatha yoga may boost happy hormones by diminishing stress levels. Yoga helps asthma patients. Ac-cording to a research study pre-sented at the 56th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in Seattle,

adults who suffered from asthma experienced "increased quality of life and reduced asthma symptoms after 10 weeks of yoga practice". Yoga helps in battling weight loss in middle age. While on the one hand yoga helps increase strenght and flexibility, it also helps with weight loss when you reach mid-dle age, according to a study con-ducted by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Cen-tre in Seattle. Researchers studied that people who are overweight in their middle age and who practised yoga daily for over a decade lost considerable amount of weight. Yoga even helps cancer patients fight fatigue. Cancer survivors who practice yoga are able to sleep better and fight fatigue more ef-ficiently, according to a recent study. Yoga helps reduce stress levels and boosts the immune system. Thus yoga forms like hath yoga are increasingly recom-mended to all cancer survivors, combined with restorative breath-ing exercises to help improve their sleep patterns. Tips for Starting Yoga. We recom-mend a few things to keep in mind: Go for a style that suits your body type: Yoga classes and asanas may differ for people with different body types. Some may only focus on meditation and deep breathing, whereas others might focus on rig-

orous and strenuous yoga moves. You and your body type are unique: Understand this: Yoga is not only about flexibility. Don't try and idealise images and postures as presented in glossy health mag-azines. Those are people who have attained this kind of flexibility after years of practice and fitness routine. Go at your own pace. Maintain your own pace: There is no need to rush into any kind of asana or yoga pose too soon. Use straps, blocks or other tools to suit your needs and requirements. Ask your yoga instructor for help and make sure you take adequate rest and proper precautions. Listen to your body: Don't force your-self into any of the asana. Try and read your body signals and stop when you think you can't take it anymore. The right way of incor-porating yoga in your daily work-out routine. Depending on what your needs are, you can choose a yoga routine that works for you or you could participate in a host of workout activities at a time. The best way to go about overall fitness will be to do weight training for strength, circuits/rope jumping/sprinting/kickboxing for cardio fitness and Yoga for flexibility. Now, let's take a quick look at three yoga postures that would benefit every one in general. Sitali Pranayama. Sit in a comfort-

able erect position and make sure your head, neck and spine are in line. Take deep breaths for a few minutes and close your eyes. Open your mouth simultaneously by enchanting 'OM' loudly. Now curl the tongue and hang it outside your mouth. Now inhale deeply as if you are sipping through a straw. Focus on your breathing. This ex-ercise will have a direct impact on your abdomen and lower ribs. In the end, complete the asana by closing the mouth and breathing normally through your nostrils. You can perform 10 reps of this asana, for 2 minutes each. Bhastrika. Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight. Close your eyes and start exhaling and inhaling via nose by focus-ing on the abdominal muscles. As soon as you release your abdomi-nal muscles you'll realize that your diaphragm contracts before you start to inhale. Hear the sound of your breath and perform this asana for 5 times at a stretch. Give it a pause. Breathe normally. And start again. Complete one to two rounds on a daily basis and in-crease the number of your breaths by 5, each week. Keep in mind that bhastrika should not be per-formed by people who suffer from heart diseases, chronic constipa-tion or ulcers without taking due consent from your doctor.

How yoga keeps you fit and healthy

How to keep anxiety in check

How to keep anxiety in checkControl yor anxiety before it gets out of hand with these minor tweaks to your lifeAnxiety is something we all experi-ence from time to time — from ten-sion before an exam or interview to feeling butterflies in our stomachs on a first date. And a little anxiety can actually be useful. Feeling nervous can get the adrenalin pumping and make you more alert. But it's when short-term anxiety becomes a more long-term condition that problems start.Chronic anxiety can be crippling and may lead to an inability to concen-trate, constant nausea, palpitations and insomnia. It can also cause other conditions such as depression and even agoraphobia. The important thing to remember about control-ling anxiety is quickly conquering it before it gets out of hand — which means managing your stress well.

Choose low GI foods

Your brain needs a steady supply of glu-cose to enable it to function properly. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels can affect the brain, leading to mood swings, anxi-ety and even panic attacks. So try to eat foods that have a low GI (glycaemic index) such as multigrain bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes, car-rots and bananas.

Increase vitamin B

intakeAn adequate intake of this vitamin is essential for a healthy nervous sys-tem. All B vitamins are involved in the control of tryptophan, an amino acid used to make the chemical sero-tonin, that helps regulate mood.A balanced diet containing meat, fish, eggs, dairy and green leafy veg-etables, nuts and seeds should sup-ply enough Vitamin B. But if you are not getting enough, take Vitamin B supplements.

Limit your alcohol intake

If you are stressed, anxious or de-pressed, it may be tempting to drown

your sorrows with a stiff drink as alcohol can initially make you feel calmer. A recent study suggested people suffering from anxiety were likely to drink heavily. But if you suf-fer from anxietyrelated disorders, including depression, you should consider limiting your alcohol intake as it affects anxiety-reducing neu-rotransmitters. Also, once the alco-hol wears off, you may be left feeling more anxious because alcohol has a depressant effect.

Keep a stress diary

Over the next few weeks, note which situations, times, places and people make you stressed. Once you have identified these, think about each one and ask yourself 'Can I avoid it?'.

For example, if you find that driving to work is stressful, perhaps you can avoid it by finishing work a bit earlier or later, or by car-sharing with a col-league.

Slow down Many of us are living our lives at a faster pace, perhaps juggling a full-time job with a relationship, family commitments and a social life. As a result, we feel a constant sense of ur-gency in our daily lives.This endless feeling of pressure fuels our impatience when we have to wait in a queue or traffic jam, or when the bus or train is late. Instead of stress-ing about delays, see them as op-portunities for welcome thinking or reading.

Why breast milk is best for newborns

Scientists at Duke Univer-sity Medical Center have described a unique prop-erty that makes mother's milk better than infant formula in protecting in-fants from infections and illnesses. They explained how breast milk, but not infant for-mula, fosters colonies of microbiotic flora in a new-born's intestinal tract that aid nutrient absorption and immune system devel-opment. "This study is the first we know of that ex-amines the effects of infant nutrition on the way that bacteria grow, providing insight to the mechanisms underlying the benefits of breast feeding over formu-la feeding for newborns," said William Parker, PhD, associate professor of sur-gery at Duke and senior author of the study. "Only breast milk appears to promote a healthy colo-nization of beneficial bio-films, and these insights suggest there may be po-tential approaches for de-veloping substitutes that more closely mimic those benefits in cases where breast milk cannot be pro-vided," he added. Earlier studies have shown that breast milk lowers

the incidence of diarrhea, influenza and respiratory infections during infancy, while protecting against the later development of allergies, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and oth-er illnesses. As scientists have learned more about the role intes-tinal flora plays in health, they have gained appre-ciation for how an infant's early diet can affect this beneficial microbial uni-verse. In their study, the Duke researchers grew bacte-ria in samples of infant formulas, cow's milk and breast milk. For the infant formula, the researchers used three brands each of popular milk- and soy-based products, and they purchased whole milk from the grocery store. Breast milk was donated and processed to separate different components, in-cluding proteins, fats and carbohydrates. They also tested a purified form of an antibody called secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA), which is abun-dant in breast milk and helps establish an infant's immune system. The infant formulas, the milk products and the SIgA

were incubated with two strains of E. coli bacteria - necessary early inhabitants of the gut that are helpful cousins to the dangerous organisms associated with food poisoning. Within minutes, the bac-teria began multiplying in all of the specimens, but there was an immedi-ate difference in the way the bacteria grew. In the breast milk, bacteria stuck together to form biofilms -- thin, adherent layers of bacteria that serve as a shield against pathogens and infections. Bacteria in the infant for-mula and cow's milk pro-liferated wildly, but it grew as individual organisms that did not aggregate to

form a protective barrier. The bacteria in SIgA had mixed results, suggesting that this antibody by itself isn't enough to trigger the beneficial biofilm forma-tion. "Knowing how breast milk conveys its benefits could help in the development of infant formulas that better mimic nature. This could have a long-lasting effect on the health of in-fants who, for many rea-sons, may not get mother's milk," Parker said. Parker said additional studies should explore why human whey has the clumping effect on the bac-teria, and whether it has a similar effect on strains of bacteria other than E. coli.

New ‘smart’ drug can beat

arthritisA scientist at Dusseldorf University in Germany has devel-oped a potent new pill, which harnesses the body’s natural inflammation-busting ability to beat crippling arthritis. The “smart” drug not only helps relieve the devastating joint in-flammation, which leaves sufferers in daily agony, but re-searchers also say it has no side-effects, the Daily Express reported. Dr Ulrich Flogel’s powerful medication, which uses patients’ own body to fight the disease naturally, of-fers new hope for hundreds of thousands of people struck down by rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease, which occurs when the im-mune system attacks the joints. Patients suffer severe pain and stiffness in their joints as well as fatigue and loss of mobility. One patient in four is registered disabled within three years of diagnosis with three-quarters moderately to severely disabled within 20 years. Methotrexate, or MTX, is the standard treatment but for one in three patients it causes side-effects including nausea, diarrhoea and hair loss. This new research, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, showed that the drug called chet-AMP reduces inflammation without leading to a drop in blood pressure. The drug works by harnessing a molecule called CD73 that the body naturally uses to fight inflam-mation.

Agencies

MUMBAI: Mumbai Cricket As-sociation chief Sharad Pawar has re-vealed that it was Sachin Tendulkar who batted for Mahendra Singh Dho-ni as captain of the Indian team after Rahul Dravid expressed his desire to give up captaincy in 2007.

“Sachin loves to lend a helping hand to fellow players, especially the juniors, and believes in team spirit. Humility is his middle name. He gave up captaincy to concentrate on his game,” Pawar wrote on his blog on Sunday.

“Now, a cute story which will de-light the countless fans of Sachin Tendulkar and M S Dhoni as well. It so happened that a few years ago the Indian cricket team was playing in England. As BCCI chief I too was in London,” he said.

“One day Rahul Dravid came to me with a request that took me by sur-prise. Dravid said he wanted to give up captaincy as it affected his game. I flatly said no. The Twenty20 series was to begin soon and the World Cup match was barely a year away,” the union agriculture minister recalled.

Pawar said Dravid had suggested Tendulkar as the possible replace-ment but the senior batsman was not keen.

“How could Dravid think of giv-

ing up captaincy at such a critical juncture? Who would be his succes-sor? Dravid persisted. He suggested Sachin’s name as the next captain. I talked to Sachin on the issue. He didn’t seem eager to step into Dravid’s shoes. Instead, he suggested Dhoni’s name. This came as a twist in the tale.

“’Dhoni is an excellent wicket-keeper. But, will he make a good cap-

tain?’ I asked Sachin. ‘You try him out. He will make a great captain. I say this with a sense of responsibility’, Sachin replied,” said Pawar in his recollec-tion.

“Accordingly, the BCCI’s selection committee chose Dhoni as the team captain. And he did India proud. We won the Twenty20 World Cup and, later, the 2011 World Cup in Mumbai

as well. Handsome praise was heaped on the new captain which he rightly deserved. This happened because of Sachin’s far-sightedness.”

“Sachin is all set to retire. How-ever, he can’t keep himself away from cricket for too long. I am sure groom-ing young players will be a part of his post-retirement plans. Best wishes to the Master Blaster,” Pawar said.

Fighting Federer sets up Nadal clash in World Tour Finals

Agencies

LONDON: Roger Fe-derer, in part, was the classic construction: Michelangelo’s

David; in part he was the warrior king, hustling, shout-ing, fist pumping.

The six-time champion - all touch and timeless - rode to a 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 win over the fourth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro in a league

engagement of the Barclays ATP World Finals.

Federer’s 2 hour 26-min-ute comeback win before a screaming full-house at the

O2 Arena helped him finish second in the difficult Group A of the competi-tion, setting him up for a Sunday semifinal meeting with the world No.1 and old rival Ra-fael Nadal. Federer started slowly, fall-ing behind 1-5. The

32-year-old pulled back to 4-5, but Del Potro closed out the set in the 10th game. The Swiss superstar lost serve early again in the second set. Del Potro getting little rhythm from his opponent, broke in the third game when

a Federer backhand landed in the net. The 32-year-old broke back in the sixth game to level scores at 3-3 and push the set to tie-break. Fe-derer throwing in a mix of dominating tennis and stub-born defence, jumped to a 4-1 lead in the tie-break before closing the set with an ace. The Swiss fell behind early in the decider too, trailing 0-3 after surrendering his serve in the second game. Federer however, did well to break back in the fifth game.

The 32-year-old, who was making the ball sing late in the set, broke the Del Potro serve in the 11th game with a classic forehand return and celebrated with a guttural yell and a fist-pump, before serv-ing out the match in the 12th game.

MONDAY NOVEMBER | 11| 2013Zabarwan times4

Agencies

CHENNAI: A 16-move draw, but reigning champion Vishy Anand has already scored a point with black pieces. The message is clear: he won’t mind sharp lines.

Magnus Carlsen was left in no position but to go for the three-fold repetition in Reti open-ing, which transpon-ded into Grunfeld-type setup, and hand Anand a well-deserved draw in the opening encounter of the 12-game chess World Championship match on Saturday.

Carlsen had repeatedly said before the start of the title clash that his basic tactic would be to force Anand play longer games. But the opening round was over in 90 minutes and the players managed some reflective, loaded laughs about the battlefield during their post-game media conference.

Anand’s mood was conveyed when he de-

layed a reporter’s question and started talking about possibilities in the drawn game with Carlsen.When Carlsen said that sometimes short draws with white can happen against a very strong opponent, Anand looked at him

from the corner of his eye.

When Anand was asked about his match plan, he quipped: “Are you seriously asking me my strategy?”

Carlsen’s body lan-guage implied he ac-cepted moral defeat in this game.

Before the game began, Carlsen was twist-ing and turning in his chair waiting for Anand to arrive. And when the King arrived on the board, the challenger from Norway played Nf3.Anand, however, reacted as if he was ex-pecting it. The world No. 8 gave a counter sur-prise that put the Norwegian World No. 1 un-der pressure. And after the 12th move, Black had 24 more minutes on the clock.

Anand forces short draw against Carlsen in opener

India batsman Sachin Tendulkar was my greatest opponent: Shane Warne

Sachin Tendulkar said MS Dhoni would make a good captain: Sharad Pawar

Agencies

SYDNEY: England have fresh injury concerns ahead of next week’s Ashes se-ries opener, with star batsman Kevin Pi-etersen sent for treatment on a sore knee following a scare over wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Pietersen would have a cor-tisone injection, coach Andy Flower said, adding that he hoped the pivotal batsman would feature in England’s final warm-up match against an In-vitational XI starting in Sydney on Wednesday.

Flower added that he was confident that Pietersen, who put off surgery to play in the Ashes, would be fit for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane, which starts on November 21.

The 33-year-old has been working over-time in the gym to strengthen his knee, which he damaged on England’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year.

“Kevin has had a slight recurrence of that knee issue, and he’ll be going to Mel-bourne for a scan and a cortisone injection -- so he won’t be travelling with the rest of the team,” Flower said late Saturday.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a huge is-sue. He’s had a couple of these injections before, and they’ve been successful.”

Flower said the effects of the cortisone injection lasted for months and there was

no concern about Pietersen’s condition in the England camp.

“I’m working on my legs, hoping they hold up because I’ve had the knee issue so I’ve just got to make sure the rehab contin-

ues,” Pietersen told the England and Wales Cricket Board website.

“Because I could break down and I don’t want to break down. I want to play the whole series.”

Pietersen was dismissed for just eight in the rain-ruined match against Australia A in Hobart, which finished on Saturday, af-ter sitting out the tour opener in Perth.

Prior will have scans after suffering a calf strain in the drawn four-day match in Hobart. He is unlikely to play in Sydney but England hope the wicketkeeper-batsman will be able to take the gloves in Brisbane.

Agencies

The peerless Sachin Tendulkar bows out of Test cricket this week after a glittering career in which he usually had the better of me Sachin Tendulkar was the best batsman of my generation and it will be a privilege to be in Mumbai this week to commentate on the first two days of his final Test.

What made him great? Well, he was eas-ily the best in all condi-tions against all types of bowling and he had a wonderful tempera-ment. The pressure he was under from the India public was immense but he handled himself on and off the field in a way that was respected by all.

His talent and longevity to play 200 Tests show a fierce competi-tiveness and prove he could handle niggles in terms of fitness and dips in form.

His best years were between 1994 and 2000 when he was just bril-liant. He is still a very good player but it is hard to compare the Sachin

of today to the man of 15 years ago. In the mid-1990s, he was phenom-enal against the quicks and spin. He judged the length of a ball so quickly, which enabled him to have a lot more

time to play the right shot or let it go.

Sachin also kept it very sim-ple. He was still at the crease so, if it was pitched, up he drove it, if it was short, he pulled it. It was his judgment of length and clar-ity in his head with shot selec-tion that made him so dominant against all opposition bowlers in all sorts of conditions. Second on my list would be Brian Lara. We all used to love watching Lara bat except when you had a ball in your hand and he was probably more destructive than Sachin. A

third pool of players would include Jacques Kallis, Graham Gooch, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh and Kevin Pi-

etersen but there is a fair distance between those guys and Lara and Tendulkar.

I saw Sachin play some great in-nings but two stand out. In the 1998 Test in Chennai I dismissed him fifth ball in the first innings. In the second he hit me for six second or third ball and went on to make 155 in tough conditions to set up India to win the Test.Six years later at the Sydney Cricket Ground he made 241, his first Test double-century. I was injured at the time so was commentating but I had a great view of his innings from the box.He had been dismissed a few times in that series by Australia bowl-ing full and wide. He nicked off to slip and the keeper and went into the Syd-ney Test on the back of scores of 0, 1, 37, 0 and 44. He decided he would respond by not playing a cover drive. Now the cover drive is a fairly large part of a batsman’s armoury.

Mohammed Shami: The great Indian pace hopeAgencies

There is a touch of rustic innocence about Mo-hammed Shami. Ask him if he had a strategy against the West Indies and his reply, most likely, would be no. He would admit that he just focussed on his line, length and movement.

“No real plan, I just bowled to my strengths. I don’t look at the batsman in front of me, I just work on my strengths - line and length and swing. I work on that more. The important thing for me is that I don’t look at the opposition or the batsman, I just follow my line and length,” Shami had said after his four-wicket burst on the first day of the just-con-cluded Test at the Eden.

Coming from a pastoral background in Uttar Pradesh, Shami does not know how to market his success. Any other cricketer, with experience on how to dabble with media, would have harped on how prepared he was for the opposition and occa-sion.

Unluckily for Shami, the opposition here was so weak that he cannot celebrate a feat achieved by a few in Indian cricket. Even Zaheer Khan cannot boast of figures the Uttar Pradesh lad has achieved in his very first Test. Among Indian pacers, only Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath have better figures

than 9-118 in a Test match. In that context, Shami provides a ray of hope for India’s pace bowling de-partment.

Movement is his strength. He can swing both with the new and the old ball. His display of reverse swing on Friday against the West Indies would have made even a Waqar Yunis proud. He was inci-sive, accurate and lethal.

Swing is not the only plus point. He bowls at a reasonably good pace - not too many bowlers in India touch 142 kmph on the speed gun - and surprises the bats-men with an occasional bouncer. He even has an effective yorker in his armoury, something Ishant Sharma (after 51 Tests and 68 ODIs) is yet to master. His action is uncluttered and the run-up is smooth. He runs in hard and delivers with a side-arm action. The challenge for him is to stay off the injuries.

The challenge is also stay effective in the foreign conditions. But given his action and style, there is a good chance that he would relish the conditions

in South Africa and New Zealand, places India will visit in the next three months. His success in the first Test has really excited team-mate R Ashwin, who hopes the Bengal pacer would enjoy the con-ditions overseas.

“I think we are forming a po-tent attack, ahead of the South Africa tour. More than talent and ability, I think having taken wick-ets is important when going into any series. He (Shami) has got a lovely five-wicket haul here (at the Eden). I hope he carries on and forms a potent attack with some of our senior bowlers,” India’s lead spinner said.

His coach Badruddin Siddiqui is confident Shami will do better

abroad. “There is no doubt. The pitches in South Af-rica are bouncy and Shami will enjoy that. I cannot say if he can extract reverse swing in Johannesburg and Durban because a lot of factor come into pic-ture for that but he will relish the bouncy overseas pitches. He is also a quick learner and he will adjust fast,” says Siddiqui.

Agencies

On the eve of the Kolkata Test, when Mahendra Singh Dhoni was asked how tough it was to shift from ODI mode to Test mode in four days, his answer was very simple.

As one known for short replies which usually do not lead to another question, what the India skipper hinted at was how being a professional crick-eter, one had to be ready for any kind of challenge.

Having watched Team India thump West Indies at the Eden Gardens, it is clear whatever decisions Dhoni takes are logical and work perfectly well.

In times like these, when everything is going right for India, be it chasing scores in the 360-370 range in ODIs against Australia or routing the West Indies in the longest format, there is a general feeling of happiness. Yet, one must compliment the wise men for their decisions pertaining to the squad for the two Tests. Usually, critics tend to lash out at the BCCI selection com-

mittee when things go wrong.

This time around, I would like to compli-ment selection commit-tee chairman Sandeep Patil, Roger Binny, Syed Saba Karim, Vikram Rathour and Rajinder Hans for picking the new rock star of Indian cricket Rohit Sharma and swing sensation Mohammad Shami in the squad. The way these two had been per-forming, leaving them out would have been unfair. Yet, given that often selectors stick to the same old names, this was fresh thinking.

Till now, one would have heard at least 50 times how Rohit Sharma has been waiting in the wings for years. As one who has played 108 ODIs and slammed a double hundred on Diwali eve in Bangalore, he is a class apart.

Similarly, Shami has been a star

performer, though to get the backing from the se-lection committee at the right time is important.

The common man may think the selectors’ job is an easy one as they just look at scores and stats and current form, have a teleconference and then decide on the squad.

Obviously, now that the selectors are paid professionals and on the BCCI payroll, they need to do a more diligent job.

At a time when new players are being groomed for Tests as well, it is always worth a gamble to pick players who are young and look good for the future.

Yet, the final call for picking the squad is in the hands of captain Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher. Dhoni has completed five years as India Test cap-tain and is getting better and better, especially when we are competing at

home.At the Eden Gardens, when all the

focus was on Sachin Tendulkar’s 199th Test, Dhoni went about his job of lead-ing the side in his trademark cool man-ner. This man is not craving publicity and is happy when the team performs.

When India were in trouble in the first innings after Shane Shillingford had dealt repeated blows, Dhoni batted well according to the situation.

He is also the man who decided that Rohit and Shami had to be drafted in the squad when the hype over Sachin had threatened to distract so many people.

To the average fan in Kolkata, Dhoni handing over the ball to Sachin in the first innings may have looked like a way of pleasing the crowd. But that is not the way Dhoni sees it.From Anil Kumble to Dilip Vengsarkar, each one of these greats sung paeans about Dhoni’s style of captaincy. The beauty of his leader-ship is that he is not a predictable cap-tain and does things which have an ele-ment of surprise. Back to Rohit Sharma

and Shami, having a captain like Dhoni to make your Test debut is comforting.

Everyone knows, Rohit is “in the zone” but to walk into the Eden Gar-dens and get cracking on a dicey pitch was not easy. The way the crowds shout, chant and keep egging you on is high intensity.

It is to Rohit’s credit that he batted like a true champion and paced him-self so well on a wicket which was not the best advertisement for Test cricket. Rewind to the ODIs and we had placid wickets.

But this is India where preparing bad pitches for Tests is an art. Yet, when Rohit got out to bat he knew he had to grab the chance.As for my superstar of the first Test, watching Shami bowl with immense confidence was a treat. The paceman oozed confidence from the time he bowled his first delivery. When he races in to bowl after having marked out his runup, the acceleration is smooth. He obviously had planned it out well with skipper Dhoni as the field setting suggested.

Rohit and Shami made dream Test debuts due to skipper's full backing Mitchell Johnson must play in Ashes:

Glenn McGrathSYDNEY: Test great Glenn McGrath says

enigmatic pacer Mitchell Johnson must play in the Test series against England, believing he can be a big part in Australia recapturing the Ashes.

The erratic left-armer, who has been taunted by England’s notoriously raucous Barmy Army fans in the past, is in line to share the new ball with Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle in the Ash-es opener in Brisbane on November 21. The 32-year-old was dangerous but expensive in his return first-class match for Western Australia this weekend, taking five wickets for a combined 162 runs, but McGrath said he must be picked.

“He has to play. I think he’ll play a big part in this series,” McGrath said on Sunday.

“I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen. He had a few issues, probably a little bit techni-cally but just as much mentally, and he did some work with (Australia pace great) Dennis Lillee and really sorted them out.” Injuries to James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc have opened up a position in the Test attack, and Johnson has the experience to fill the breach when selectors name a likely 13-man squad on Tuesday.

flares ahead of AshesKevin Pietersen knee trouble