Having A Test Tube Baby At Rs. 20,000

Are you planning to have a test tube baby, but wary of the huge cost that it entails? Well, now you have the option to fulfill your dream by spending just Rs. 20,000.

A team of doctors at AIIMS has come up with a new In vitro fertilisation (IVF)technique, wherein there will be a limit on the number of egg cells to be produced. This will be accompanied by the use of a lesser number of fertility medications (such as gonadotropins). The ultimate result is a reduction in the cost of having a test tube baby.

Congrats AIIMS!

Why Doesn’t India Have Even A Single Sindhi TV Channel?

Other day I was going through an interesting article named 'Sindhi culture is on a ventilator' in the Times of India (New Delhi edition. Date: 17th May 2010). It contained a touching discussion on the various factors that are causing the gradual erosion of the Sindhi culture. For example, the article highlighted how the “homelessness” of India’s Sindhi community (they lost their entire state to Pakistan at the time of Partition) left them “deprived of the patronage of a state government”, an issue that has understandably posed a strong existential threat to the community. The article also highlighted the reluctance of the rich members of the community in patronizing their art and culture, as they are more interested in setting up hospitals and educational institutions. The article also expressed pain over the Sindhi youngsters’ unwillingness to practice their own culture and language, which is certainly unfortunate.

However, what shocked me to no end was the information that there is not a single Sindhi language TV channel in India. Oh my God! While every other (so-called) major Indian language has at least 2 to 3 channels, then how come there is not a single channel in the Sindhi language?

I just tried to imagine a situation where there is no Bengali TV channel in India, and just that thought left my blood boiling like anything. Under such circumstances it is pretty well understandable how our Sindhi brothers and sisters feel when they find that there is not a single TV channel in their beloved language.

Is it so that because there is no State Government to lobby for the Sindhis therefore the Central Government is taking them for granted? I will request the stalwarts of the Sindhi community to immediately start lobbying with the Union Information & Broadcasting Ministry for launching a Sindhi language TV channel.

I will also request my young brothers and sisters of the Sindhi community to take some initiative to protect and preserve their beautiful culture. Yes, they might ask me that who I am to bother about their culture, given the fact that I am a Bengali. Well, I have a ready answer for that. Every Indian language belongs to every Indian community. And the corrosion of an Indian language is not a loss only for the native speakers of that language, but for the Indian community as a whole. The Sindhi language has its roots in the place which witnessed the genesis of Indus Valley Civilization, of which my beautiful motherland is a product. And that I am an Indian that is enough to justify my concern for the Sindhi language.

The Alarmingly Low Potability Level Of Delhi Water

A survey by two prominent NGOs has exposed a very scary truth about Delhi’s water. In that survey the two NGOs, viz. Hazards Centre and Water Aid, tested 53 samples of the city’s water. Shockingly, only 2 of those samples were found to be potable. All the rest 51 samples were found to be highly contaminated, containing varying degrees of heavy metals, faecal coliform, flouride and even pesticides.

And before you heave a sigh of relief by thinking that you have “Aquaguard” at home, I will like to remind you that this city’s population also includes poor people who cannot afford to have any such household water-treatment facilities.

I do not know whether the NGOs have already submitted their report to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). Anyways, I sincerely hope that DJB will take the matter very very seriously the moment they have the report on their table.

By the way, I genuinely feel that Delhites should immediately resort to Coke and Pepsi for just quenching their daily thirst. Having such soft drinks on a regular basis is certainly not a good habit. But it is definitely a better choice than drinking water that has such a high level of contamination.

Avoid Using Laptops and iPads Just Before Going To Bed

Don’t use devices like laptops and iPads just before going to bed. Because that will disrupt your sleep, eventually turning you into an insomniac.

A team of American researchers has discovered that devices emitting bright lights confuse our brains and sleep patterns. How? By deceiving our minds that it is still day time. And this eventually prevents sleep and enhances the possibility of insomnia.

Please remember that our brains are biologically wired to be awake when the sun is out. And bright light after dark prevents the brain from secreting the hormone named melatonin. It is incidentally the hormone that makes us sleepy.

In case you want to distress your mind before going to bed, then reading a book or watching television will be a far better choice.

News Courtesy: The Times of India, New Delhi, 18th May 2010.

Now Book Jet Airways Ticket Through SBI Card

Indian private carrier Jet Airways has tied up with SBI Card, wherein the carrier’s customers can book their tickets through Jet Airways portals by using the SBI card option. It may be mentioned here that SBI Card is a joint venture by State Bank of India (SBI) and GE Capital.

This arrangement will enable SBI Credit Cardholders to choose an option to convert their ticket purchases – through the Jet Airways website – into a zero-percent EMI of 6 months tenure.

The offer is meant to make family air travel more cost-effective and economical.

Mumbai’s Bavicca Bharathi To Be India’s Youngest Airlines Commander At 21

Bavicca Bharathi of Marol (a part of the bigger suburb of Mumbai’s Andheri East area) became India’s youngest pilot after acquiring a Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL) in 2007. That time she was just 18. This notable achievement was even recorded by Limca Book of Records in its 2008 edition.

Now, after acquiring her Advanced Training Pilot’s Licence (ATPL) on 3rd May 2010 (incidentally her 21st birthday), she is very much on the verge of becoming India’s youngest airlines commander. Currently a co-pilot with Kingfisher Airlines, Bavicca had to successfully fly 1,500 hours to get the coveted ATPL.

By the way, Bavicca’s mother Judith (43) also holds a Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL). Any guess when she got her CPL? Well, it was in 2007, along with her daughter. Wow! And yes, Judith is also an employee of Kingfisher Airlines, i.e. the same organization where her daughter is working. What a great mother-daughter duo Kingfisher Airlines has got.

Congrats Bavicca! Wish you all the best in your career. Who knows, one day I might fly in a plane commanded by you.

Human Beings To Get Rid Of Deafness?

We often make fun of people who are deaf or at least short of hearing. But we all know that actually it is not funny. Just think of the plight that our deaf friends have to go through. While we complain of sound pollution, they are forced to live in a world that is disturbingly silent.

However, now there seems to be a ray of hope for these hapless people. An international team led by Stanford University School of Medicine is reported to have identified a way to re-create the sensitive hair cells. Hair cells are the ones which play a key role in hearing. The team has claimed that it has found a way to re-create the hair cells by using stem cell technology. And the team further claims that this finding can lead to a way wherein the deaf people can regenerate their own inner ear sensory cells to cure the condition.

It may be mentioned here that all sorts of hearing loss (ranging from mild to serious) often result from damage to the “hair cells” in the cochlea. And what is cochlea? Well, it is an organ that lies deep inside the human ear, and is responsible for converting vibrations into electrical signals.