Thursday 26 September 2019

CLIMATE CHANGE NEEDS A DIFFERENT ICON


Call me old fashioned if you will, but skipping school to protest does not exactly go down well with me. Neither do I like being yelled at and chastised if I do not agree with you. The pleasure of exchanging opinions, exploring them and in the process better understanding or modifying our own is one of the hallmarks of a free society. And I expect a young lady of 16 years age to know this.
The Greta Thunberg circus has become a complete farce. Travelling across oceans in emissions-free boats (excluding the making thereof) and doing one's ablutions into a bucket lined with a biodegradable bag that then gets ditched into the ocean is first-world fake melodrama at its best. If she wished to address the U.N. meeting without spewing carbon emissions from either jet or ocean liner travel she could easily do so via Skype.
Since when was berating people with “how dare you” bring them on board. Usually it has the opposite effect. You end up antagonizing the lot. By reducing a serious and complex political issue to “I’m right and you're an idiot” the young lady has taken the limelight away from the problem as it is now focoused only on her. Such toxic democratic debate ends up shutting out the other stakeholders and pollutes the town square.

The whole Greta trip, the hype and the expense was one big media circus. One can’t help but think it’s more to promote the person than the issue. Out of all the 16-year-olds in the world, why is it that just one features in the media worldwide? There are other kids who care as much, are just as articulate, just as concerned and much more at risk. A 16 year old in Maldives or Sunderbans or in other fast disappearing atolls is far more at risk of his or her existence, so why is the world media projecting Greta? If you think this was just some happy accident you are plugged into a faulty socket.

I’ve seen the photo of her outside her school on her first climate strike. Posed to draw on the haunting concept of the lonely outsider who (surprise, surprise) becomes the involuntary hero. Who took that photo and, more importantly, why? Now we have kids all over the world skipping school for the day to show how much they care. I’d be more impressed if they gave up their free time to make their statement. Instead of sitting alone with a placard if she had collected her friends and planted trees that would have made an impressive statement. And for that no one needs to skip school I guess.
Climate change is a serious issue and unlike President Trump I am not denying it. This issue needs to be addressed globally and everyone should contribute – both individually and as independent nations. The plain fact is that China and the US produce more than 40 per cent of world emissions. India and Russia follow them. The top 15 countries produce more than 70 per cent of emissions. Unless these countries change their ways there is little to be achieved by protesting school children.  Do school protesters think that Trump, or Xi Jinping, or Modi or Putin gave a damn about their protest? They will, only if there is a civilized discussion, not a farcical show for the television.

What can the concerned kids do instead of skipping schools? They could all decide to not go to school in cars and to use public transport instead. At home they could not use air conditioning: my generation grew up without it and summers were never benign. Individually they could give up all devices, maybe bar a simple phone and use a shared family tablet or computer. While they’re at it they might ditch the idea of trendy clothes that are discarded long before they're worn out. Are the 16 year olds of the world ready for all this? Gandhi ji said “be the change which you want to see in others”. The Greta Thunbergs of this world should be the change.

Wednesday 25 September 2019

DON’T DO IT TO US, YOUR HONOUR!


You may well ask ‘So what”? The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, Lady Hale and 10 fellow justices have struck down Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s suspension of Parliament. By ruling that Mr. Johnson acted unlawfully — and doing so in such stark language — the court asserted its right to curb a government that obstructed Parliament’s ability to “carry out its constitutional functions as a legislature and as the body responsible for the supervision of the executive.” This is an extraordinary intervention by the judiciary into a political dispute and herein lies the problem.
Stephen Tierney, a professor of constitutional theory at Edinburgh University, said it was “astonishing” that the court had ruled decisively that it “can review something as fundamental as that, done by Her Majesty, as unlawful.” He further opined “The court is getting involved in what was largely seen as the internal workings of Parliament and its supreme power.”
In the United States, the courts have intervened regularly to challenge actions of the Trump administration, such as its ban on visitors from predominantly Muslim countries. The Supreme Court routinely exercises judicial review by actively interpreting the American Constitution.
Britain, however, relies on a partly unwritten set of traditions and conventions that have treated a sovereign Parliament as the supreme power in the land. Once the courts venture into the political sphere and begin to pass judgment on Parliament’s actions, some legal analysts say, there is no going back. The judiciary is now cementing a new constitutional principle: parliamentary accountability or the right of lawmakers to scrutinize the workings of government.
When Mr. Boris Johnson prorogued Parliament for 3 weeks he was exercising his executive privilege. A section of his parliament accused him of avoiding scrutiny and debate on the contentious issue of Brexit. Invariably the issue was challenged in the courts and two conflicting judgments were obtained. The Scottish court held that the executive decision was illegal and the English High Court ruled that it was beyond its competence to pronounce judgement on Parliamentary decisions. With this in the backdrop when you read the Supreme Court’s judgment, there is undeniably an air of judicial activism in it.
Why does it bother us in India? It does so because our parliamentary democracy has shaped itself in the British Westminster mould and we have a habit of doing things today what they did yesterday. If a section of people in U.K. succeed in finding a judicial route to overturn Brexit, that was voted by the people of that country, be rest assured popularly elected governments in India will too have to face judicial interference on contentious issues in days to come. Intellectuals have long believed that an independent judiciary is duty bound to clip the wings of the executive and this decision of the British court gives them the required oxygen.
So long as you and I elect strong majority governments the judiciary may not try any misadventure but minority and coalition governments will remain at their mercy and judiciary will become the final arbiter of politics. Even today when the parliamentary numbers are stacked hopelessly against them, the opposition banks on the judiciary to veto the government. Political debates in parliament sound like legal proceedings when the opposition puts forward its views thus implying that legal precedents are sacrosanct and the legislature is duty bound to follow them. If the parliament keeps on doing the same things then how can they be innovative, try newer options, and respond to newer challenges?
While I am least bothered by what happens to the British Prime Minister, or his government, or Brexit, what bothers me is the tendency of our guys to imitate the British system. What they have to realize is that the Brits can get it wrong once in a while!

Tuesday 24 September 2019

WHY IS CONGRESS COMPARING YOUR MODI WITH MY NEHRU?



Congress M.P. Shashi Tharoor has sent out some photographs of Nehru in Moscow, Samarkand, New York and London showing how he effortlessly attracted crowds then. He then went on to say that "you don't need to spend 1.4 lack crores on a welcome party to buy some respect". The dig is obviously at 'Howdy Modi' but the comparison is laughable as the timelines are incomparable. But what is most atrocious is while I am bloody proud of Nehru's popularity despite our ideological differences, Shashi and Congress seem to be distinctly uncomfortable with Modi's popularity with the overseas Indian diaspora.

The fact is that the two leaders belong to two very different times and while the story of Nehru is all done and dusted and we now know that the left and left of centre historians made him look good despite his political shortcomings and military blunders, the Modi saga is ongoing and history is yet to pass its verdict on him.

Jawaharlal Nehru was the product of half a century of freedom struggle, moulded by men like Gandhi, by imperial Britain, and by a galaxy of lifelong comrades. And, he was made by countless Indians who gave him their affection "in such abundant measure".

In a world uncomplicated by 24x7 news Nehru's goals were uncomplicated. With his own understanding of history, he tried to accelerate the historical processes he saw: to achieve within the space of decades what had taken other nations centuries; to modernize a feudal society; to industrialize a rural country; and to mould a fragmented quilt of princely states into a 20th century nation state. These were worthy goals to chase and he has to be credited for them.

Three passions guided him and gave direction to his work: a passion for independence, a passion for democracy and a passion for modernism. And it is in these that his legacy principally rests, his building of democratic institutions, his effort to forge a united, secular society with a modern scientific outlook, a self-reliant industrial country, non-aligned in a world dominated by superpowers.

But it cannot be denied that he lived in an imaginary world of idealism and had profound intolerance to the contrarian view. It was his ignorance that led to first the Chinese annexation of Tibet and then to the IndoChina war in which we lost precious territory. He had an opportunity to champion the cause of Tibet in the UN but he did not. He blundered again and again in Kashmir despite being warned and only when Sheikh Abdullah was about to declare independence and a few of our neighbors were ready to recognize his efforts did Nehru get him arrested. In the name of non-alignment he sacrificed American assistance in our science and education sectors because his left and left of centre leaning kept him more comfortable in Soviet axis. He refused to pursue for a seat in the UN Security Council which Kennedy suggested. He was distinctly uncomfortable with more popular leaders, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel being the brightest examples, and cultivated a coterie of mediocrity around him. There were far too many communal riots during his tenure and in today's age of 24x7 news he would have been a disaster. The developing world held him as their champion as he was considered to be Gandhi's successor but the developed world soon lost all hope of excellence from him and dismissed him as any other English educated third world leader like Kenyatta and Mugabe.

Nehru can never be compared with Modi because they were in different times, came from different backgrounds, took different courses to reach the top and faced different challenges. Modi is a product of 24x7 news and his ability to both plan and deliver can only be matched by his ability to advertise about these achievements to the world. He is a master communicator and he connects well with the masses, whether in India or overseas. His achievements in his state of Gujarat and in the centre are so obvious that the Congress continues to overlook them at its peril.

Modi is at a crossroad though, now that the spotlight is on him he will have to bring about big ticket reforms in education, labour, manufacturing and agriculture. Article 370 and triple talaq can be at best a side dish, they can't be the main course to satisfy our hunger. Instead of comparing Nehru with Modi, which I am quite sure the latter is enjoying with a sly smile, the Congress should work as a worthy opposition and hold him accountable like a responsible opposition. These stupid social media posts are just optics, they have to do better.

Saturday 21 September 2019

EDUCATION IS PULLING US BACK

Why do you think the demographic dividend, that our Prime Minister so often talks about, not bearing the expected fruits of success? The only reason that is keeping us mediocre is our dismal state of education. Learning deficits of as much as 5 years in primary schools, poor standards of teaching in middle and higher secondary schools, mass copying of shameful propositions in colleges and too much of interference in higher education by the government have all acted as our road blocks which refuse to budge.

We do not have a single educational institution in the first 300 in the world list. Our best performer IISc, Bangalore is ranked between 301 to 350 and we have just 5 other institutions in 350 to 500 list. In contrast,  our neighbour China has 7 of its institutions in top 200 and Tsinghua University occupies the 23rd spot in the list!

So what did China do that we didn't? They have appreciated the importance of education and have invested heavily in it at every level. 3 decades back they realized that they have to master the English language to compete internationally and they changed their school curriculum accordingly. We still feel English is a language of subjugation though most of us manage it petty well.

The dot com bubble gave us an opportunity to develop a vibrant service sector with BPOs flourishing like mushrooms and we were very happy. We were so contented with these mediocre jobs that we accepted them as our best options. China did not. It invested in research and development and acquired skills and patents which have today put it in pole position. Today it is the champion of 5G technology, Artificial intelligence and is many steps ahead of the world in the 4th generation of industrial revolution.

While China painstakingly adopted global best practices in its education we are still viewing education through the prism of patronage. Babus in the government allow very little autonomy to our universities. Add to it our socialist input in the form of reservations and our strange suspicion of foreign investment in the education sector. We have blindly agreed that the government knows best and we let it micromanage every aspect of this sector, though its record of last seven decades is dismal.

Please for once think, can the government tomorrow pass a law that mandates best quality education in its schools and colleges? Can such a thing be legislated? Just like the SEZs, the special economic zones, why can't we have a new generation of SEZs, the Special Education Zones for foreign universities and private Indian Universities with foreign faculty? Let them decide the price of education by competitive performance and let us have enclaves where meritocracy has an opportunity to flourish. Don't burden them with government rules and regulations and let them respond to the demands of the market - both domestic and international.

I look forward to a day when Harvard, Stanford,  Oxford and Cambridge will have universities in India. Only then will our own universities stir out of slumber and strive to achieve similar status. Government should facilitate education and not end up getting entangled with its micro management. This is important, otherwise the demographic dividend will become a demographic nightmare!!

Tuesday 17 September 2019

Sagrada Família and Antoni Gaudí, God’s Abode and God’s Architect





La Sagrada Família


The Sagrada Família is a one-of-a-kind abode of God, for its origins, foundation and purpose and if you have visited Barcelona you could not have missed it. Looming above the city skyline and visible from almost everywhere this formed the formidable backdrop of the diving events of the 1992 Summer Olympics. Fruit of the work of genius architect Antoni Gaudí, the project was promoted by the people for the people and has always been funded through the donations and contributions of thousands of anonymous individuals over the years. Five generations now have watched the Basilica progress in Barcelona. Today, more than 135 years after the laying of the cornerstone, construction continues on the Basilica and is expected to be completed in 2026.

The cornerstone of this Basilica was laid on 19 March, the feast of Saint Joseph, in 1882 in a solemn event presided over by the bishop of Barcelona, Joseph Urquinaona. This construction began with the crypt under the apse following the neo-Gothic design of diocesan architect Francisco de Paula del Villary Lozano, the Temple's first architect. Just a short while later, due to differences of opinion with the developers, he stepped down and the position was given to Antoni Gaudí. He promptly scrapped the original neo-Gothic design plans and exchanged them for a grander vision, unlike any the world had ever seen.

Back when construction began in the late 1800s, there were no computers or digital animation to rely on for the project. In the past, builders had to rely on paper sketches to correctly put together this massive structure. However, thanks to the invention of computers in the mid-20th century, the progress sped up rapidly.

Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926)
Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) was a Spanish architect who created buildings as if they were sculptures mimicking nature and is said to have been a century ahead of his time. Gaudi became more and more consumed by the idea of building the greatest church on the planet and became more and more pious. Ultimately, he abandoned nearly all of his other projects and concentrated completely on the Sagrada Familia, which would become his final and main work, his magnum opus. It soon became apparent to Gaudi that the plans he had for the church were too grandiose for him to complete, and so created extremely detailed plaster models of the church’s interior and exterior, which remain the major source and reference for architects that continue working on the Sagrada Familia to this day. Gaudi dedicated his entire life to Sagrada Familia, so much so that he even abandoned his home in Park Güell and started living on the building site of the church until his tragic death on June 7, 1926, when he was run over by a tram and swept to the side of the street, confused for a homeless person. Three days later, the genius architect passed away at the age of 73 and was buried in the crypt of the unfinished Sagrada Familia. At the time of his death, only 15-25% of the Sagrada Familia was complete, and to this day, the construction continues, and with it continues the legacy of the genius architect, who since then, gained the much-deserved name of “God’s Architect”.

The ceiling
When completed, the Sagrada Familia will have 18 towers. 12 of the towers will represent the apostles, four of them will represent the evangelists, one will be designated for the Virgin Mary, and of course the last one, the highest one in the middle, will represent Jesus Christ. There are three facades at La Sagrada Familia, and the Nativity Facade was completed by Gaudí himself.  Gaudí worked steadily on his masterpiece including the crypt, the apse walls, a portal, and a tower.  Gaudí’s plans also called for 18 spires, eight of which are complete, as well as numerous towers, chapels, portals, and other interior features. When built, the tallest spire, which symbolizes Jesus Christ will reach 170 meters and will secure Sagrada Família’s place as the world’s largest church building. Despite having a powerful height, Gaudí believed that nothing man-made should ever be higher than God’s work. It is no coincidence that the ultimate height will be one meter less than Montjuïc, the mountain in Barcelona, which is also the city’s highest point.

The Passion Facade and the Glory Facade were built much later, and when the sculptures of Christ on the crucifix were added to the Passion Facade by Josep Maria Subirachs, many people argued that they were too abstract and took away from Gaudí’s style and vision as an artist and architect. However, its graphic nature remains true to Gaudí’s original vision of a facade meant to inspire fear. The Glory facade, expected to be the largest and most impressive of the three, began construction in 2002.

The Interior
The church’s interior is defined by columns that stretch like tree branches toward the ceiling. There’s tons of symbolism in each part of Gaudí’s structure. Aside from the religious symbols, there are two you should look out for. First, the interior pillars actually resemble trees, and when you look up at them their shapes constantly change, as real trees appear to do. There is also a tortoise and turtle holding up these pillars, representing both the earth and the sea.

Progress on Sagrada Família’s construction has faced a few setbacks over the past 130+ years. Vandalism in 1936 following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War resulted in the destruction of many of Gaudí’s models. The sacristy was destroyed in a fire in 2011.

During the early days of La Sagrada Familia’s construction, Gaudí built a school on the site called the Sagrada Familia Schools building. The school was built for the children of construction workers to attend while their fathers spent their days and nights building one of the most magnificent structures in all of Europe. Designed in 1909, the school is now the site of an exhibition on the Sagrada Familia. Gaudí seems to have been a very thoughtful man.

Though Sagrada Família is said to be Gaudí’s magnum opus, the architect appeared unfazed by its glacial progress, remarking, “There is no reason to regret that I cannot finish the church. I will grow old but others will come after me. What must always be conserved is the spirit of the work, but its life has to depend on the generations it is handed down to and with whom it lives and is incarnated.” Despite this statement’s apparent acceptance of the inevitable variations on his design at the hands of the architects who followed him, some have advocated for leaving the church unfinished out of respect for the original designer. 

As a backdrop of the Barcelona Olympics Diving events in 1992
Some projections have Sagrada Família’s completion date as 2026, the centennial anniversary of Gaudí’s death, while others estimate construction could continue into the 2040s. Though still incomplete, the church sees an estimated 2.8 million visitors each year and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. It received the designation mostly because of its unique architecture and Gaudí’s ability to create something so innovative and artistic. This is not a surprise, however; La Sagrada Familia is one of seven buildings by Gaudí that fall under this category.


If you’re thinking about coming to visit La Sagrada Familia anytime soon, don’t think twice. The visitors help support the project, which costs around 25 million Euros annually. Thanks to your contributions when you visit (as well as those from donors), you can say that you’ve taken part in the construction of a masterpiece!

Tuesday 10 September 2019

THE CHANGING FACE OF CINEMA




Cinema has changed a lot since we were children. Icons of the past like Bimal Roy and B.R. Chopra had a social message to deliver which would enrich family values or glorify patriotism in a newly independent nation. The stalwarts from the east, Satyajit Roy, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghattak took our cinema to the world and gave us international recognition. Then came the era of unadulterated entertainment and Raj Kapoor, Ramesh Sippy, Manmohan Desai and their compatriots gave our generation unparalleled joy and reason to bunk classes and cycle miles to enjoy for three hours! Then came the television and it changed everything. The days of Silver Jubilee and Golden Jubilee were gone forever.

Along with the art of film making the science of marketing the film became equally important. Some additives in the film, which had nothing to do with the plot and everything to do with the box office, became vital for the success of the film. With liberalization came the competition from Hollywood films and with bigger budget for both film making and film publicity they gave our own film makers a stiffer challenge.  But the biggest challenge came from the home entertainment industry catered to every living room by the ever increasing number of television channels. Established cinema halls started closing down and lucky ones got transformed into small pigeon hole theatres with fabulously costly tickets.

Only big budget extravaganza managed to reach the big screen now and that too for a limited period of time. This era also saw Indians migrating to all corners of the world and right behind them went their films which they did not want to miss. Along with them the locals in these places also got addicted to our films and die hard Amitabh Bacchan fans erupted in Emirates as did Rajnikant admirers in Japan. Not only Hindi films but even Bhojpuri films found a niche market overseas and films became a very vital arm of India’s soft power.

But competitive marketing spelt doom for the not so big budget films and most of them were relegated to streaming and television and they were once in a while seen in film festivals and group binge watches. With alternative cinema—any sort of cinema that isn't mainstream—they are out of luck in terms of getting theatre space and having people come to see them. So Netflix and home entertainment remains their last resort. But it seems that is not at all bad!

The convenience of watching films at home, on large and powerful television and through a home projector in the movie room, with friends and relatives, snacks and drinks is actually dissuading us from going to a movie theatre. The traffic woes, the fabulously costly tickets, the overpriced food and drinks, the inconsiderate audience interruptions and the parking problems all together are not helping the cause of the movie theatre and giving a fresh lease of life to alternate cinema.

But wait! That is not all. The 4th generation industrial revolution has silently crept in and it threatens to change the films as we know them today. Films like James Cameron’s Avatar, the largely computer-generated, 3-D film, Terminator, about an indestructible human-machine cyborg, and Titanic, with its hyper-realistic feel for the unsinkableship’s disastrous end, were created with the most advanced technology. Cameron continued with the system he created, refined it with every film and the next production from his stable can be expected to be even more mind boggling! While Terminator was shot on film, Avatar was not. Back then while making Terminator they used glass paintings, foreground miniatures and stop-motion animation, and all that was very innovative and state of the art,  but in Avatar all the visual effects were digital!

The new Sci Fi and animation movies are only the beginning of the new generation movies. We might envision a future in which an entire set is digitally created, with actors dropped into it live without further post-production. Take the ‘tiger in boat’ sequences from 2012’s Life of Pi, for example. Rather than shooting the actor on a boat in a pool, then adding a digital tiger in post production, you could create the scene first and then have the actor perform in the digital set, in real time!

If the explosion of material in YouTube and TikTok is anything to go by you can imagine what these non-celebrity anonymous creators are up to. I am certain that soon they will be ready with full length feature films of their own. The expense of creating films has long served as an entry barrier to many creative geniuses but with newer and smarter technology we can expect a boom of low budget and small crew movies which will not shy away from risky ideas because there will be very little to lose. The industry will become more democratic in expression and more chaotic to govern. You think the market leaders of yesterday are not concerned? Fuji has announced it was not going to produce commercial stock any more and companies such as Panavision and Arri have stopped making new film cameras!

Movie making is about storytelling, about juxtaposing images, about creating a feeling with images and music but the technology that delivers all this is changing at a pace faster than you think! Artificial Intelligence has made inroads into film making and made it smarter, grander and cheaper. With better and cheaper cameras and advanced softwares specialists like cinematographers, sound recordists and editors will either have to metamorphose themselves into software engineers or they will become obsolete. AI will write scripts for animated characters and its efficiency of generating human faces and feelings will get even more refined. This may either make your favorite hero and heroine redundant or will immortalize them forever!

I do not rule out creating one’s own film, sitting in front of one’s own computer. Virtual Augmented Reality will make the film viewer so much interactive that he or she may decide where the story line goes. Wearing a V.R. headset the viewer may become a protagonist of the film himself and then only his imagination will be the limit! Haptic body suits and virtual reality simulators to integrate senses like touch, smell and taste may integrate the viewer in the story and smart glasses or contact lenses may give him/her the visual experience which no theatre can match!

No, I am not the only one gazing at the crystal ball.  Martin Scorsese, the American Italian film maker whose career spans for over 50 years has in  an open letter to his daughter he written "The art of cinema and the movie business are now at a crossroads. Audio-visual entertainment and what we know as cinema—moving pictures conceived by individuals—appear to be headed in different directions. In the future, you'll probably see less and less of what we recognize as cinema on multiplex screens and more and more of it in smaller theaters, online, and, I suppose, in spaces and circumstances that I can't predict."


Will I be missing the passion of Aradhana, the romance of Bobby, the thrill of Sholay, the song and dance of Guide and the gut wrenching emotions of Saransh? Well yes, I will, but being an eternal optimist I am sure the best is yet to come and the past is there only to enrich our archives.

Friday 6 September 2019

VIENNA & MELBOURNE – most liveable and loveable




Vienna has been declared the number one city in the annual Global Liveability Index for the second year in a row, narrowly beating Melbourne. After displacing Melbourne from the top spot in 2018, ending a record run of seven consecutive years, the Austrian capital once again prevailed this year. But only just. The two cities continue to be separated by 0.7 percentage points, with Vienna scoring 99.1 out of 100 and Melbourne 98.4.

Flinder Street Station in Melbourne
The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2019 ranking examines and ranks 140 cities on 30 factors bunched into five categories—stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure and brings out its list. By “liveability”, it really means liveability for well-off expats and in well off suburbs. The tool used to rate the world’s cities was originally developed to figure out how much hardship money you’d need to pay an executive you were going to post to some far-flung outpost. So it measures things such as crime and political stability (How likely are you to get mugged there? How about kidnapped for a ransom or tear-gassed during street protests in yet another revolution?); housing affordability (for expats whose companies are paying the rent); access to and quality of (private) education and healthcare; and infrastructure (Do the lights come on when you flick the switch? Do they stay on? Can you drink the water? Is there water?)

The tool doesn’t measure the inequality of life within a city but if there are wide variations, as you see in the mega cities of India like Delhi and Mumbai they fail to make to even first 100 in the list. The air quality of Delhi during winters and the water logging of Mumbai during monsoons don’t help either.

Green walkway in Vienna
I have stayed in Melbourne and I know the city like the back of my hand. I have visited Vienna on multiple occasions and stayed in different suburbs and I know the city well enough to appreciate its livability status. Around 50 percent of both these cities comprises green areas. There are plenty of parks and gardens all over Vienna and Melbourne, easily accessible with public transport, by bike, or even on foot. The inner city has many green areas, among them Burggarten or Volksgarten in Vienna and Carlton Garden, Fitzroy Garden and Flagstaff garden in Melbourne, which are perfect for a quick break from sightseeing and for holding spontaneous picnics. Within Vienna’s city limits, you’ll also find many forested areas. Just a short trip on the tram can take you to places that will make you feel like you’re in the countryside. A ride on the Metro in Melbourne can take you to the Dandenong ranges, the National Parks like Werribee, Mornington peninsula, Wilson’s Promontory, Mount Buffalo, Port Campbell and the Grampians.
Melbourne Trams
Schlosspark Pötzleinsdorf in the district Währing in Vienna is great for extensive walks and has an impressive playground for kids, as well as a modern animal enclosure featuring sheep and goats. A real hit with children! Melbourne too is a heaven for walkers and hikers with Point Nepean walk and Bushranger’s Bay walking trail in Mornington peninsula, Werribee Gorge Circuit Walk, Toorongo Falls Circuit Walk and Tongue Point Walking Trail all within easy reach.

Yarra River in Melbourne
Rivers, estuaries and wetlands are central to everyday life, sustaining a complex ecosystem of plants, animals and people. The beautiful Danube flows through Vienna as does the Wein river, which is relatively small and meanders past the summer palace (Schönbrunn) . The Danube is navigable but the bit that crosses Vienna is a small canal and not the mighty river. Melbourne has the Yarra which winds its way through Greater Melbourne before emptying into Hobsons Bay in northernmost Port Phillip. Maribyrnong is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the north–western suburbs of Melbourne and along the Flemington Race Course.

Danube canal in Vienna
Both Vienna and Melbourne are well-known for its excellent urban infrastructure. Getting from A to B is fast and easy thanks to a network of underground trains (called “U-Bahn” in Vienna and metro in Melbourne), buses, and tramways. To get out of town for a bit, one simply hops on a bus or a train is all that is needed. Tickets for the public transport system remain affordable in both the cities. Reaching these cities by train is easy as both the Vienna central train station (“Hauptbahnhof”) and the Spencer Street station in Melbourne are in the city centre with excellent public transport connectivity. Similarly Flughafen Wien, Vianna’s International airport and Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport are both extremely well connected both to the outside world and to the inner city.

Vienna has long been a centre of learning and music. The University of Vienna was founded on 12 March 1365 by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria and it has till date 15 Nobel laureates among its alumni. University College of Teacher Education, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Academy of Fine Arts and University of Music and Performing Arts are other notable teaching institutions in the city. Melbourne is home to some of Australia's largest university and prominent independent schools. Thus Melbourne University, Monash University, La Trobe University, Swinburne University of Technology and a host of other public schools and colleges makes the city an educational hub down under.

Culturally both Vienna and Melbourne are extremely rich. Beautiful Blue Danube waltz, Secession legacy, old Schonbrunn Imperial Palace, wonderful Baroque and Neo-Classical architecture, old glamorous 19th Century cafes where Sigmund Freud used to go out – shadows of an Old Imperial metropolis are all over the Austrian capital. Albertina, a museum set in an impressive building within the grand Hofburg Palace, the Belvedere Museum, Leopold Museum, Austria’s Museum of Modern Art and many other cultural hotspots provide the city a concentration of the cultural heritage, including the 20th century artifacts, makes it special, while its opulence continues to both inspire the daydreaming and challenge the rebellious.

Melbourne too is a city buzzing with dynamic and cutting-edge arts and culture. The East End Theatre District, Melbourne's hub of historic theatres host world-class stage and musical productions. The Southbank precinct  has the The Arts Centre, MTC, Malthouse, Recital Centre and the National Gallery of Victoria form Melbourne's beating cultural heart. At Federation Square, where art meets architecture, watch inspiring audio visual shows at ACMI, see the Aboriginal art collection at the Ian Potter Centre NGV, or catch a recital at The Edge Theatre. Inside and out, you'll discover the innovation and skill of local artists and designers at hole-in-the-wall galleries and theatres across the city.

Princess Theatre in Melbourne
But if there is an angle where Melbourne beats Vienna hands down it is the sports culture. Whether it is the cricket at the world famous M.C.G or it is the Australian Open Tennis at the Rod Laver Arena or it is the Footy at Telstra Dome and Etihad Stadium or the Melbourne Cup horse race at Flemington or the F1 Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne is the sports capital of Australia. With 18 footy teams calling Melbourne home, and with Boxing Day Test Match Cricket an annual event to look forward to Vienna does not have anything even remotely comparable.

Vienna however is the ‘capital of classical music’ and a honeypot for those who consider themselves connoisseurs in concertos and masters of Mozart. Vienna’s love affair with art and music is a passionate and long enduring one. Classical music and Vienna are so synonymous today due to the role of the city being the hub throughout the 19th century. During this period a steady stream of composers, with many famous names included, flocked to the centre of Europe to establish themselves in the Viennese musical scene. Although many of the most reputable names that Vienna is often associated with did not originate from Vienna, such as Mozart and Beethoven, the city did home-grow many significant composers, including Johann Strauss I and Franz Schubert. The world's greatest orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic still rules supreme.

Marvelous Melbourne 
So you see, both these are extremely livable and lovable cities and there is very little to choose between them. Vienna has a rich history of several centuries whereas Melbourne was born on August 12, 1842. But whereas Melbourne has attracted tourists and explorers right from the days of gold rush Vienna remained eclipsed by far more popular European cities like Paris, Prague and London. Today you will see plenty of coach tours thronging to the Spanish Riding School, and excited tourists bumping along the cobbled streets of the old town in open horse-drawn carriages. But head for the main museum – the Kunsthistorisches, that fabulously grand neo-Renaissance palace of art and culture just off the Ringstrasse – and you will be able to walk in without queuing. This despite the fact that it has one of the greatest collections of old masters in Europe – easily rivaling the Prado, the National Gallery, the Hermitage and the Louvre. Yet it gets just 850,000 visitors a year – that's one tenth of the number which floods into the Louvre.

Bad that you are not living in one of these two cities, but if you have not visited them, think again…..what have you done with your life!


Monday 2 September 2019

FOOD THAT KEEPS OUR SKIN HEALTHY




Everyone has a favorite face cream or treatment, but beautiful skin starts with nourishment from within. Older cells are constantly shed and replaced by younger ones and a steady supply of key nutrients is essential to support this rapid growth. Eat the correct balance of foods and you'll feed your skin the vital nutrients it needs to help it stay soft, supple and blemish-free. 

But as much as we may try to resist it, our skin does naturally age. Wrinkles and age spots are the inevitable result of time, but skin ageing may be sped up by overexposure to the sun and tanning beds, strong soaps, chemicals and poor nutrition. With this in mind, a holistic approach is best. Treat your skin kindly and optimise your nutrition by eating antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables, healthy fats from oily fish and nuts, and a varied and balanced diet. This should give optimal levels of the nutrients that are crucial for radiant skin, including beta carotene, vitamins C and E, zinc and selenium.

There are many ways to protect our skin. We can use special lotions that enhance its natural defenses, but they don't last very long and require re-applying and they are expensive. You can wear protective clothes, but in the summer it gets hot and stuffy. You can stay home, but that takes all the fun out of the season. Vitamins, carotenoids, tocopherols, flavonoids and a variety of plant extracts have been reported to possess potent anti-oxidant properties and have been widely used in the skin care industry either as topically applied agents or oral supplements in an attempt to prolong youthful skin appearance. [Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging Silke K. Schagen, Vasiliki A. Zampeli, Evgenia Makrantonaki, Christos C. Zouboulis Dermatoendocrinol. 2012 Jul 1; 4(3): 298–307]

Here's another idea - eat right. These foods contribute something to the fight between your skin and the harmful UV rays of the sun. Learn about all of them, and start protecting your skin against damage and the formation of cancer.

1. Citrus fruits and wrinkles

Citrus fruits have one of the largest concentrations of vitamin C and have the power to hold off wrinkles, as well as help prevent the loss of skin elasticity that comes with the years. These are the findings of several studies [Evaluation of Skin Anti-aging Potential of Citrus reticulata Blanco Peel Vinita D. Apraj, Nancy S. Pandita Pharmacognosy Res. 2016 Jul-Sep; 8(3): 160–168.]. The power of vitamin C to hold off wrinkles comes from its ability to get rid of those free radicals created by the sun's ultra violet rays as well as its role in manufacturing collagen, the material most responsible for the health and vitality of our skin. You can find lots of vitamin C in red peppers and broccoli as well.

 2. Coffee and Skin Cancer

A study published in the European Journal of Cancer discovered that a cup of coffee once a day can decrease the risk of skin cancer. The study checked 93 thousand women and discovered that a daily dose of coffee significantly reduced the risk of the disease. The caffeine, also existing to a lesser degree in tea, helps kill off pre-cancer cells and damaged skin cells by blocking the protein they need to make fast replications (which can lead to cancer). Many studies suggest a lower risk of non melanocytic skin cancers with coffee intake [Increased caffeine intake is associated with reduced risk of basal cell carcinoma of the skin. Song F, Qureshi AA, Han J.Cancer Res. 2012 Jul 1; 72(13):3282-9.]

3. Tomatoes and Sun damage

The red color of the tomato is its secret weapon for protection from the sun's harmful rays. It is a pigment, a carotenoid called lycophen, that filters the radiation of the sun and prevents the tomato from being damaged. This same effect works for the human body as well, as proven by a study that examined how an addition of tomato sauce to your daily diet affects the skin's resiliency. [Tomatoes protect against development of UV-induced keratinocyte carcinoma via metabolomic alterations Jessica L. Cooperstone, Kathleen L. Tober, Ken M. Riedl, Matthew D. Teegarden, Morgan J. Cichon, David M. Francis, Steven J. Schwartz, Tatiana M. Oberyszyn: Sci Rep. 2017; 7: 5106. Published online 2017 Jul 11. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-05568-7]

 In fact 2.5 tablespoons of tomato sauce a day is enough to significantly decrease the damage our skin takes from the sun. This same effect can be achieved by drinking 1 and 2/3 of a glass of carrot juice every day, as carrots also contain carotenoid pigments. In fact, all red-orange foods will give this result, such as pumpkins, certain yams, etc.

4. Soy beans and Flabby skin

Soy is rich in a group of chemical compounds called isoflavones. A recent American study found that these compounds help prevent the wrinkles that occur as a result of ultra violet radiation. The isoflavones prevent the deconstruction of collagen, the material that keeps our skin tight and flexible. This compound exists in all soy products, such as soy milk, tofu etc.[ Dermatological and cosmeceutical benefits of Glycine max (soybean) and its active components: MK WaqasN Akhtar, R Mustafa, M Jamshaid… - Acta Pol Pharm, 2015]

5. Corn and Sun Damage

Corn has a yellow pigment called Lutein which is quite similar to the pigment found in tomatoes. Like the tomatoes, this is a chemical mechanism humans can benefit from, and the pigment supplies the skin with the protection it needs against the sun's rays. Lutein can also be found in egg yolk and spinach, and not only does it help the skin, but also the eyes, keeping them safer from macular damage.[ https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-benefits-of-sweet-corn-for-skin-and-hair/#benefits-of-sweet-corn-for-skin]

6. Fish and Pre-Cancer skin conditions

The omega-3 fatty acid found in most fishes and has many health properties. One of the most important ones is protecting our cells from free radicals caused by UV light. Research published [Potential Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer; Homer S. Black, Lesley E. Rhodes: J Clin Med. 2016 Feb; 5(2): 23. Published online 2016 Feb 4.] substantiate this and a particular study kept track of 1,100 Australians, who got a lot of sun exposure, for 5 years, checking their eating habits. Findings showed a whopping decrease of 30% in the formation of pre-cancer cells for those living on a diet rich in fish with high omega-3 levels, such as salmon, tuna and sardines. In addition, omega-3 helps the body keep its collagen levels

7. Vegetables and skin damage

Fruit and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants that help to protect skin from the cellular damage caused by free radicals. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant and is present in tomato, broccoli and wheatgram. It works alongside other antioxidants such as vitamins E and C and is essential to support the immune system. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats – the types found in avocados, oily fish, nuts and seeds – provide essential fatty acids which act as a natural moisturiser for your skin, keeping it supple and improving elasticity.

8. Low GI carbs and calorie control

Low-Glycaemic Index carbs are slow-releasing carbohydrates, they are slowly broken down in the body into glucose. These release sugar into the blood stream gradually, providing you with a steady supply of energy and leaving you feeling satisfied for longer and therefore less likely to snack. Sweet potato, corn, yam, beans, peas, legumes and lentils are the source of low GI carbs.

9. Zink and sebaceous glands


Zinc is involved in the normal functioning of the sebaceous glands in the skin (which produce oil) and helps to repair skin damage and keep skin soft and supple. Zinc-rich foods include fish, lean red meat, wholegrains, poultry, nuts, seeds etc.