Bollywood's awful: Russell Peters

Anuradha Varma, TNN, Apr 12, 2011

Born in Canada, Anglo-Indian stand-up comic Russell Peters says he can't relate to B-Town, feels the acting is bad and the stories almost identical!

Indians can be cheap, the Jews will pay up if they think it's worth it, but not us Indians! As Russell Peters tells it, "I took my dad to the bar for a drink, the waiter asked for $4.50. My dad gave him $3. When the waiter asked him for the other $1.50, my dad told him, 'Don't worry about it'."


A stand-up comic, who has had people from across cultures laughing at themselves, says it's his honesty that clicks with the audience, regardless of the country or culture. He calls his brand of humour "observational and personal. It's how I see the world. It's important for me to be honest. I've been told by fans that it doesn't matter what country they're from and that they respond to me being honest about them."

Peters first knew he loved playing to the gallery in 1989 at Yuk Yuks in Toronto. He recalls, "I enjoyed from the moment I got my first laugh at what was an awful joke." His family was supportive, largely because, he thinks "nobody really understood what it was. I think my dad thought it was just some 'thing' I was going to do until I figured out what I really wanted to do."

He has kept in touch with the Indian connection, and that perhaps explains where the jokes are coming from! He says, "I still have uncles and cousins in India and I see them when I come over, or when they come over to see my mom. I'm as Indian as anybody with Indian parents and born in Canada can be, I guess."

He has also faced his share of being the 'outsider' in a 'white' Canadian society. Things are changing though. "Being 'Indian' made me a misfit in 'white' society when I was younger, but not any more. I just hosted the Juno Awards (Canada's Grammy Awards) for the second year in a row. Thirty years ago, I never would have imagined an Indian guy hosting a national awards show in Canada. When I do something like that, it means that all the young Indian and South-Asian kids know that they can do anything they want, there are no limits on them to do what they want."

Being born Canadian, living next door to big brother US also has its advantages for a comic. He says, "As Canadians, we're always outsiders. We live next door to the most powerful country in the world. We grow up watching their tv shows, news, sports — we're constantly watching and observing. I think that's why Canada produces so many comedians."

A career highlight was being invited to the Jay Leno Show. He confesses, "It was cool. Jay was and still is a stand-up comic, so he really understands what I do and what it was like for me to be on his show. He came to my dressing room before the show and was really nice. It's a benchmark in every comic's career."

He's also played roles in films like Quarter Life Crises, My Baby's Daddy and Tiger Claws III. And, there are more coming up. Peters reveals, "I'm developing a romantic comedy with Billy Crystal and a couple of other film projects in LA. I like making movies. I've said no to a lot of offers over the past decade or so, mostly because they all consisted of me playing a taxi driver, seven-eleven guy or some other stereotypical role where the character is a stumbling, bumbling Indian guy with an accent."

As for Bollywood, ahem! He's not in touch with the films at all. He is categorical, "I don't watch the films, I have no interest in them. They're awful. I grew up in Canada and live in the States. There's nothing about Bollywood that I can relate to. I understand why they exist and why they're successful in India and with people who recently emigrated from India, but they're not for me. The acting sucks and the stories are always basically the same."


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-12/news-interviews/29406851_1_russell-peters-indian-connection-indian-guy

Can you see the future?

Anuradha Varma, TNN, Apr 3, 2011
"It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards," says the White Queen to Alice in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass. But, it's not always so, and as many individuals report, missives from the future can make their way into the present, through dreams or intuitions, spanning space and time. However, the burden of foreknowledge can be a heavy one.


Amarjit Bhinder, wife of Air-India co-pilot SS Bhinder of the Kanishka aircraft that crashed in 1985, had a premonition about his death on the day it happened. She revealed in an interview, "I had a dream that I had put his uniform shirts in the machine and it blew off. I felt depressed and ill and took three Disprins to ward off my body ache. At 3 pm, a friend came over and gave me the news...It was uncanny."

Days before the Japan tsunami took place, Canadian psychic medium Blair Robertson sealed his predictions to be opened during a fundraiser. Blair had accurately predicted that a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami would affect Japan "on Friday or Saturday". Before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, Hollywood actor Sir Michael Caine dreamed up a similar plot for a book. He told BBC Radio, "I had this plot where terrorists fly a plane into a London skyscraper. Then they did it in real life. I was stunned by that, so I stopped writing."

When Naina (name changed) gained consciousness after an accident, the last thing she remembered was a phone call from her friend and spiritual guru Venugopalan aka Maitreya, "I remember him sounding agitated, telling me to get out of the auto as I was heading for a major accident. But, I didn't pay attention." Says Maitreya, "There is no logical explanation to 'how I know'. It's a connection of the inner and outer spirit. We are all sticklers for plans, but such incidents throw plans out of gear, and teach us to let go, allowing space for transformation and freedom from fear. The idea is to either save the person from the mishap or make them strong enough to bear the aftermath. When it's close family and friends, at times, I start avoiding questions. It can get painful." Even as a child, Maitreya would absorb negative vibes from people, without realising it. He says, "You learn to deal with it, but it's not possible to always keep an emotional distance."

Says tarot reader Scharada Dubey, "It's important for us to ensure the client goes away feeling strengthened, not oppressed. We can't make dire predictions. A clinical approach doesn't help. We have to be compassionate and not project negative feelings as the readings get affected."

Tarot reader Madhu Kotiya has learnt that half-truths can help minimise the trauma of 'bad' news. She was eight-years-old when she told an uncle that his wife was having an affair. It turned out to be true, but her mother forbade her from 'talking like that'. She says, "I, too, tried to resist, as I wanted to live a normal life and didn't want to hear comments about my 'black tongue'. I have learnt to be diplomatic." Madhu admits, "It can be traumatic at times. My most difficult session was a couple of years ago. When this young girl walked in for a session, I could see death around her. She was full of plans for the future, and wanted to know about her impending marriage. It was very difficult for me to keep my calm. She walked out and two-and-a-half hours later, died in an accident."

Spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, whose book Soulmates touched upon messages from the beyond, prefers to look at the phenomenon from a scientific viewpoint. He says, "It's called non-local communication. It's a real phenomenon but I live my life in the present and don't get distracted by it."

Texas physician Dr Larry Dossey, in his 1989 book Recovering the Soul, introduced the concept of "non-local mind" — mind unconfined to the brain and body, mind spread infinitely throughout space and time. He says, "I have come to the opinion that premonitions are our birthright. Our capacity for them is part of our original equipment, something that comes factory installed."

In the book An Experiment with Time, aeronautical engineer John William Dunne tries to make sense of his experiences with vivid dreams which come true with shocking regularity. In the preface to the book, American physicist, author and ESP researcher Russell Targ writes, "In the laboratory, we know that if we show a frightening picture to a person, there will be a significant change in his or her physiology. Their blood pressure, heart rate, and skin resistance will all change. This fight-or-flight reaction is called an 'orienting response'. At the University of Nevada, researcher Dean Radin has shown recently that this orienting response is also observed in a person's physiology a few seconds before they see the scary picture!"

However, predictions can often make for entertaining tidbits. A Toronto-based psychic Nikki, for instance, who predicted the Tiger Woods scandal last year, has several predictions for 2011 — Hollywood actor George Clooney will marry, The Playboy Mansion will burn down after a fire that could start at a party and the US First Lady Michelle Obama could have another baby, maybe twins.

Nawal Gani, who does coffee cup readings, remembers dreaming of a new moon overturned and a broken chair be fore late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi passed away. When her mother died, she was at the airport with her sister. Nawal remembers, "In the washroom, I looked at my face in the mirror and wondered why I looked so sad, like I had a terrible loss. I came out to the news that my mother had passed away." She says, "At times, it's tough to separate yourself from clients' problems. I often get rashes or feel extremely agitated in the presence of some people. At times, when I have done aura readings, I have had to be rushed to hospital."

Gopalan Kennedy, astrologer, operates as a 'reporter' and believes in calling a spade a spade. He says, "I knew when my father was dying. Personally, knowing things beforehand helps me a lot. Nothing comes as a shock or a surprise. And it helps me to be well-prepared before the event actually takes place."

Nan Umrigar, author of Sounds of Silence, learnt to communicate with spirits through automatic writing when she lost her young son Karl to an accident. She says, "The spirits don't tell us about future events. However, when people seek help with court cases, divorce or a sick child, help comes in different ways. One has to learn to recognise it. I don't get involved... the decision is not mine to make. It all depends on individual karma. But yes, it has made me more perceptive to signs all around me."

There is also the concept of free will, the fact that one can change future events, and not everything is predestined. Says Joy Dev, who conducts past-life regression sessions, "Awareness of patterns in one's life helps people break out of them. I don't believe in 'good' and 'bad' incidents. If you remove emotions from an incident, there is always a lesson hidden within."

Choreographer Shiamak Davar has often been warned about future events. "All of us have gut instincts but some have them highly developed as they've opened their sub-conscious minds. They have a greater power of knowing what is going to happen. But I still believe in karma and still believe if things have to happen, they will happen. My spiritual mother, Khorshed Bhavnagiri, had often warned me about people and calamities. The most powerful thing one can do is to pray and learn the power of acceptance."

Next time you have a gut instinct, it may be your inner self preparing you for something ahead!

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-03/vintage-wisdom/29376713_1_japan-tsunami-maitreya-dreams

Life is a sales pitch!

Maina Sharma is an introvert, who likes to sit back at a party and watch as others air their views.
But, if there's a whiff of a potential client, she's transformed, and one sees her engaged in animated chatter with the prospective target.

Yes, Maina is in Sales, a job that requires you never to take no for an answer. Not just a tough, but demeaning job, one that requires a thousand deaths for the ego and yet one has to pick oneself up and move on again. While seven out of 10 crumble under the pressure of meeting sales targets and fall by the wayside, according to a senior industry professional, the rest learn to be up for any challenge. Says Maina, "I used to be shy but can now walk into any office to meet the top man."

It also makes them experts in human behaviour. Says S. Sanchitha, "You can gauge a client's reaction by the body language." She admits it's a power she can choose to wield in personal life too, "Yes, I'm aware of how to manipulate a situation in my favour."

An important lesson the constant rejection taught her was to drop her ego. She confesses, "I told myself that the rejection was aimed at the company representative, not at 'me'. I've learnt to separate myself from a situation.'

Says Umesh Ramakrishnan, vice-chairman, CT Partners and author of There's No Elevator to the Top, "You actually have to smile after being slapped since you need the right mental make-up to make the next sale. A good salesperson makes you like them as you part with your money for something that you didn't think you needed just a short while ago."

He adds, "People in Sales are typically ones that have strong opinions and have no qualms about airing them. Not everyone likes being around them but they are also the life of the party."

However, it's a field fraught with highs and lows. Every victory is celebrated by the whole team.

Counsels psychologist Seema Hingorrany, "Many complain of fatigue, irritability, anxiety and insomnia. Some get nightmares related to their work." She adds, "They might release pent up anger on their spouses or shut themselves off, since they are tired of communicating. However, they can be diplomatic, which helps a relationship."

Confesses Bharath Krishnaswamy, general manager of UST Global, "Sometimes the sales traits don't wear off after work. I have been told by my wife and friends to drop my 'sales hat' after work. Unconsciously, one tries to sell a favourite restaurant or a dish to family and friends, just because I like that place."

States Sunil Kumar Alagh, chairman, SKA Advisors, "It's important to be able to switch off after office hours. Also, learn to cry alone and laugh with others. Family is extremely important, everything else comes and goes but relationships last forever."

Interestingly, while most salesmen will look down upon an MBA "who has no field experience in direct selling", hardcore selling is rarely a first choice for a career. As one puts it, "No father dreams that his child will become a salesman, it's always an MBA or an engineer. You become a salesman by chance not by choice." One reason is that most jobs available are in sales. However, the high of closing a sale can be addictive. Admits Sanchitha, "I shifted to operations for a year and missed selling. As sales executives, we were the blue-eyed team, as we bring in the money."

In the film Rocket Singh, Salesman of the Year, most people in sales could relate to the competition between colleagues. Maina and her colleague, once good friends, didn't speak to each other for weeks because they went after the same client. Admits another, "There's constant undercutting to meet targets."

However, the bottomline is about building long-term relationships. Explains Chironmoy Chatterjee, head of sales, Perfetti Van Melle India, "Relationships drive the business. Relationships are built on honesty, because you can fool somebody once but you cannot do it again and again.'

He adds, "A salesman has no boss, his results speak for his performance." As Rocket Singh would say, 'Pocket mein rocket hai ... ! '

The tale goes short!

Anuradha Varma, TNN, Mar 27, 2011
 
Stuck in a doctor's waiting room, the metro or awaiting a delayed flight? How about picking up Fish In Paneer Soup... no, that's not a meal takeaway, but a book for your mind to snack on. There's more where that comes from, with titles like Mom Says No Girlfriend, Can't Die for Size Zero, Losing My Virginity & Other Dumb Ideas and Chocolate, Guitar, Momos gracing bookshelves.

From office politics to teen chick-lit and urban angst, these books are often less than 200 pages between the covers, priced between Rs 95 and Rs 250 and written by authors drawn from the very readers they aim at — college students and those starting their careers. Interestingly, they are brought out by leading publishing houses that have caught on to the market savvy of catering to the young and restless with attention spans to match.

Author Shobhaa De is supportive of the trend, "The shorter, snappier, more affordable book fits in perfectly with the shorter, snappier attention spans of today's young readers. It is hard enough to get youngsters to pick up books in today's 'virtual' times... publishers have to seduce them with material that reflects their lives, their concerns."

Adds Vaishali Mathur, senior commissioning editor, Penguin Books India, which has launched Metro Reads, "For the reader who travels around, has a shortage of time and doesn't have the pa tience to lug around heavy books, we have these books that have a good, gripping storyline and accessible stories that they can read in their everyday lives."

While Penguin aims at publishing six to seven such books a year, Rupa has pushed their figure to 50 annually. For Kapish Mehra, MD, Rupa & Co, it was the phenomenal success of Chetan Bhagat's Five-Point Someone that changed the rules of the game. "We began with campus fiction and went on to chick-lit (such as Pink or Black by 18-year-old author Tishaa) and corporate fiction."

While Kapish terms originality of an idea, continuity of thought and a target audience as the hallmark of a good book, most do not make the literary cut, barring a few such as Paritosh Uttam's Dreams in Prussian Blue (Penguin) and Rajorshi Chakraborti's The Balloonists (Tranquebar), where the protagonist ups and leaves his girlfriend when she announces her pregnancy, to contact another ex-girlfriend, accompanied along the way by her exboyfriend.

A Pune-based software engineer, Paritosh was 26 years old when he wrote the short story in 2003 that Penguin asked him to expand into a novel in 2009. He says, "The theme is relationships among the urban youth, of love, loss, longing and ambition. The target reader is the young urban reader, probably in college or just out of it." Paritosh has also edited and contributed 10 stories to Urban Shots, published by Grey Oak.

For filmmaker Madhuri Banerjee, author of Losing My Virginity and Other Dumb Ideas, the epiphany happened when a friend accidentally told her that she was 30 and still a virgin. Madhuri recalls, "That was the germ of the idea. I was 33 when I started writing the book. It took a few months to write it. I wrote mostly at night after the birth of my daughter who kept me awake most of the time."

Communications professional Deep Ghatak, author of Fish In Paneer Soup, finds that publishing houses are more receptive to new age writing and move quickly from acceptance to the proofing stage, although there remain some "that don't even follow guidelines specified on their own websites " . Blogger and mom Parul Sharma made the transition to writing a book with Bringing up Vasu and followed it up with By The Water Cooler.

Ismita Tandon Dhankher, author of romantic thriller Love on the Rocks, recalls when the writing bug bit her, "I began sailing with my husband in 2006 and discovered that sailors are colourful company. I was 26 years old when I just started doing poetry on the deck one evening, and that one poem changed it all!"
Before landing a publisher, Ismita says she faced at least a dozen rejections in the mail box every month, sometimes more.

When freelance writer Sonali Ghosh Sen decided to write a book, it was as the outpourings of a fan for Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in Kkkrazy About Khan. She says, "I've aimed it at what I like to call the 'Shah Rukh generation' — people who've grown up with his movies and who'll relive those years with fondness when they read the book."

So, can just about anyone be a writer... and is that necessarily a bad thing? Shobhaa De doesn't think so. She says, "Of course, anybody can be an author! Isn't that wonderful? I have always said, 'There is a book in everyone'. The only question is whether or not the person wants to write it!"

She admits, "Well... some books are terrific, some are plain bad. It's a whole new language out there, a different ball game, a fresh market. Why sniff at innovation?"

Why, indeed? So, if you were toying with that idea for a book, this is the time to go for it. Who knows, a publisher may be waiting for just that manuscript to pop into their inbox!

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-27/people/29194715_1_young-readers-chick-lit-affordable-book

Getting Over T

Can you un-love just like you un-friend on Facebook? My priority right now is to get over what I can call my freedom in exile period and truly enjoy my sense of bliss…. I can almost taste the unadulterated sense of bliss. If only I could step into that zone even as I write this. So, what’s stopping me? Me. Writing, I can see, is like talking to myself, being the kind of friend my friends wouldn’t recommend at this point — allowing self-indulgence, an almost self-destructive urge to not end my term in exile. Not letting go would be a more apt term, but, can you blame me? Yes, obviously you can, but in this self-indulgent mood, I tend to cut myself slack, although knowing it may not be good for me.

In fact, I have been in exile for pretty much of my ‘relationship’ with T. A lot of time spent with myself, wallowing, being self-indulgent… being destructive, being cheerful. So, is it just a part of me I don’t want to let go of? And, does this mean that I let go of T at some point, unknown to myself? Or maybe I haven’t really… I don’t know, honestly! One thing I do know (besides knowing what I don’t know!) is that there’s not much choice in the matter really — it just doesn’t make sense to stay depressed, even if for a moment — because, simply, it’s over!

Anyway, easier said than done. What’s so hard to let go of? Even though T and I went on and off for a good part of 20 years, this feels like my first real break-up. This is the first time I know there’s no going back and that he’s not coming back. And, all I can feel is that I want him back. For one last time, I can feel like he’s still mine, mine to rail against, mine to complain about, mine to love, critique and analyse.

As T himself put it, many years ago, even before I had realized it myself, that wherever he went, whatever he did, I felt he was mine. He articulated a feeling I hadn’t realized myself. And, now I wonder if he remembers… And, I know he thought I was his, or rather, I can’t really ‘know’. But, there were days when I knew he would rather talk to someone on the phone for hours even as he felt he didn’t have much to say to me or hear from me… Towards the end, I knew I had to just wait for it to touch bottom, the downslide had already begun in steady fall… I just had to wait it out. I did and I was rewarded with news of T’s wedding… and now, as I wait for my own free fall to freedom, I can feel the excitement of revisiting my carefree 20s… I enjoy the sun, the wind, a long auto ride, find joy in the mundane. I find an eclipse has lifted and the loneliness has left. I’m falling in love, but with the world around me. It’s beautiful. It will take some time to fall in love with myself again, much as I have been criticized for, well, pretty much everything.

Yet, I find myself wanting to get over and yet wanting to cling on. I don’t want to forget little things he said, little things he did… good or bad. He was my top priority, my one passion in life — forgetting would be like developing amnesia, losing a part of myself, a lobotomy? I don’t know… I’m sure I don’t want to exchange another word with him, it’s over, but does expunging a person from your life mean expunging yourself? How do I separate the two, when I never learnt to do that all these years?

I don’t know… maybe the answer lies in the mundane. One day, I will just have forgotten. I just hope I will not be a stranger to myself then.

Till then clichés will have to do… as they say, it’s never over till it’s over, and this time, it really is!

Born a love child

 Anuradha Varma, TNN, Feb 15, 2011

More than 25 years ago, when Neena Gupta had lovechild Masaba with cricketer Vivian Richards, the tabloids went to town with the news. It was the same when Raj Babbar walked out on his family to be with the late Smita Patil, who was pregnant with their son Prateik.
Times have changed and when musician Anoushka Shankar, herself sitarist Ravi Shankar's lovechild, sets a wedding date only after announcing her pregnancy weeks before or model-anchor Padma Lakshmi has a child, without caring to announce the father's name, the world cheers for women empowerment. The women and the offspring seem totally comfortable in their skin.

Being a lovechild is no stigma for this generation. But society has a long way to go, believes Masaba. She says, "The concept of a lovechild being openly accepted in India is a far-fetched idea. Though it's not discussed in a bad light today, a child born out of wedlock will never be welcomed with warmth. Divorce and extra-marital affairs have slowly found acceptance in our society, but if you look at it, Aren't live-in relationships still taboo? And, a child born out of this 'perceived' taboo you think will be accepted? Never."

While Masaba was lucky to have her father cricketer Viv Richards involved in her growing years, others have not been so lucky. Ravi Shankar's other child out of wedlock, Grammy winner Norah Jones, saw her father a few times a year until she was nine, and then not until she was 18. Imran Khan fought a paternity battle with ex-girlfriend Sita White, when she charged him with fathering her daughter Tyrian.
Prateik, however, seems to almost revel in the status. In an interview, he was quoted as saying, "I like being called a wildchild. I'm fascinated by the whole 60s era. I read somewhere that I'm my parents' lovechild. ..It's quite cool to be thought about like that."

For Aatish Taseer, born of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and late Pakistan governor Salman Taseer, it took time to cover the distance with his father and between the two countries. In his book Stranger to History, he writes about watching his father post Benazir's murder, "I felt a great sympathy as I watched the man I had judged so harshly, for not facing his past when it came to me, muse in the pain of history in this country."

In a generation of single parenting and live-in relationships, it may soon become easier to take such a decision. Unwed mother Mrinalini (name changed) was sure she wanted to keep the baby. And almost a year on, she's at peace with her decision. Says Mrinalini, "I always wanted a baby. I was crossing 35 and chances of a normal delivery were low. I also didn't believe in abortion. I had been living on my own for some years and while life was good, it felt without purpose. There are moments when I miss a companion, but overall, my happiness has more than doubled. I don't care for society. I have shared an open relationship with my parents. They were initially hesitant, but once my son was born, they fell in love with him. People who know you, accept you for what you are."

The call of motherhood can claim anyone, married or single. Says Firuza Parekh, director of the IVF centre at Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai, "I am counselling two women, both seriously considering freezing their eggs as they feel their biological clocks are slowing down. If marriage does not happen soon, they are willing to fertilise their frozen eggs with donor sperm and have the embryos transferred."

Attitudes towards unconventional relationships and decisions are gradually becoming more relaxed. Says psychiatrist Anjali Chhabria, "Women, in general, have become emotionally and sexually bolder. It is still looked down upon. However, there are more educated people who are open and accepting towards someone having a 'lovechild' as the dynamics of relationships have been showing a changing trend."

For women who do choose to tread this path, there are several concerns ahead. For one, can they leave out the father's name on the child's birth certificate? Says lawyer Devika Singh, "While there's no law for this, it depends on the understanding with the hospital." As for documentation later, in case of travel or passport, the father needn't be involved. The same rules apply as for a widowed or divorced parent who has custody of the child.

However, whatever the pressures, young people like Masaba and Prateik have shown that it's cool to be a lovechild. And Vidya Balan, who played unwed mother in the film Paa, and other such real-life moms have shown the joys of parenting are for all, married or not!

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-15/man-woman/28378157_1_lovechild-love-child-unwed-mother

How healthy is your heart?

Anuradha Varma, TNN, Mar 16, 2011

Teen obesity, lack of exercise and unhealthy lifestyles are pushing us towards heart diseases earlier than ever before. It's no longer uncommon to hear of someone in their 30s or 40s succumb to a heart attack as they push themselves ahead on the corporate ladder.
About 35 to 50 per cent of cases of heart disease in India affect people below the age of 50. In the West, the average age is 55. Cardiologist K K Sethi, Delhi Heart and Lung Institute, even has mothers bringing their 14-year-old children with complaints of high blood pressure. He says, "Most children today get no exercise and spend their time in front of the television, eating potato chips as they stay up the night to study. They also have big tummies. By the time they touch 40, it all accumulates in the form of a heart attack."


Heart ailments are also no longer a rich man's disease. Consumerism and urbanisation have ensured that even villages have access to unhealthy junk food like potato chips. Says Dr Sethi, "I get rickshaw-pullers who have suffered heart attacks. They eat meals cooked in unhealthy oil on the roadside."

The number one reason for a heart attack, however, remains smoking. And, among women, smoking and diabetes. According to a study in Finland, published in Tobacco Control, individuals under the age of 40, who smoke tobacco products, have a five times higher chance of having a heart attack than non-smokers. Smoking is the single most important cause of heart attacks in younger patients and among patients below the age of 40 who had heart attacks, 80 per cent were smokers. And smoking was the only risk factor identified in over half of these young victims of heart attack.

"Avoid eating jalebis and kachodi, which are cooked in vanaspati oil. It's a killer," says Dr Sethi. "The more it's reheated, it gets oxidised and creates transfats in the body," he adds.

Dr Shubha Sabharwal, nutritionist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, suggests, "Restrict eating out to once a week and if you're at a business meeting, opt for salads, which will also detoxify the body. Introduce fibres in your diet through bran and wheat flour. Cut down on red meat and egg yolks that are high in cholesterol. Eat foods that protect your heart. Instead of refined oil, switch to mustard or olive oil."

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a lesser known genetic disorder that can affect people with otherwise healthy lifestyles. Heart UK advises that children of people with the condition should be tested by the time they are 10. Laparoscopic surgeon V K Nigam, Apollo Clinic, states, "Testing for heart disease for an otherwise healthy individual should begin at the age of 30. FH is a genetic disorder characterised by high cholesterol levels, especially very high levels of LDL (low density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol, leading to early cardiovascular disease. Even 10-yearolds can be diagnosed with FH and early detection is the key." Explains cardiologist Dr Kartikeya Bhargava, Medanta Heart Institute, "Hearing or seeing that a 24-year-old-boy suffered a heart attack is becoming more common. FH may be responsible in few cases. However, it is the lifestyle related factors that are responsible for the worsening scenario."

 

He adds, "Coronary artery disease generally affects Indians a decade earlier compared to the Western population. Also, the disease in Indians is more severe compared to those in the West, probably due to genetic predisposition. This genetic tendency is made worse with the increasingly deteriorating lifestyle of urban young adults. Some estimates indicate that heart disease is the single largest killer surpassing diabetes, tuberculosis and cancer in a city like Delhi. The rising incidence of heart attacks among the youth is due to a combination of risk factors that include smoking or tobacco use, psychological stress, sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise. Family history of heart disease in parents or siblings compounds this risk."

 

How can one recognise an impending heart attack? According to Dr Ashok Seth, cardiologist, Fortis Escorts Hospitals, about 60 per cent of patients complain of a typical severe chest pain, accompanied by pain in the left arm, nausea, perspiration. About 15-20 per cent experience indigestion or pain in the back, minus any sweating. A jaw pain is more suspect if it's also accompanied by discomfort in the throat. A 'silent heart attack' is more common with complaints of 'gas' or indigestion. Advises Dr Seth, "If the indigestion is not relieved by antacids and persists for over an hour, get an ECG done. We get patients who have taken antacids all night long to get rid of indigestion and by morning, they suffer a heart attack."

Take control of your life, the earlier the better!
 
Watch your heart
- A 'silent heart attack' is more common with complaints of 'gas' or indigestion.
- If the indigestion is not relieved by antacids and persists for over an hour, get an ECG done.
 
Making healthy choices
- Restrict eating out to once a week.
- If you're at a business meeting, opt for salads, with non-fatty dressings.
- Introduce fibres in your diet through bran and wheat flour.
- Snack on flax seeds and walnuts, which are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.
- Cut down on red meat and egg yolks that are high in cholesterol.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-16/health/28694107_1_heart-attack-heart-ailments-potato-chips