THE DIARY OF Z

Mock meat is making its rounds to India with exciting options for vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores.  Extremely popular in China and the UK, Indian chefs are experimenting with soya ingredients to bring about veg chicken, veg lamb, veg duck, etc. 

Edward Wang, owner of  China Garden in Mumbai, says “The dishes are 15 per cent more expensive than vegetarian food but the health benefits are many".  High in protein and flavour, these mock meats will even have carnivores fooled as to what they are eating!

I recently went to Little Italy in Bangalore’s Indiranagar that had a mince “meat” pasta which we all thought was real meat.  Only after the meal did we realize that Little Italy is a vegetarian restaurant! Vegan societies such as PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) have long promoted adding meat substitutes for those who cannot give up flavour for animal rights and health purposes. 

Contributed by Prachi Jain

Good news: the Iranians can now surf on Facebook.

Iran restored access to Facebook Tuesday after blocking the popular website for four days.

As it’s often the case with the Iranian government, nothing is clear with this story.

The government didn’t say why it blocked access to Facebook last Saturday. It didn’t say why it decided to lift the block on Tuesday. And didn’t say if this lift is permanent or not.

Many people think the government blocked Facebook for electoral reasons. The electoral campaign is running strong right now in Iran, and the reformist opposition is massively using Facebook to reach the young Iranians (more than half the population of Iran was born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution).

In any case, this block should be seen as another sign of the control-freak regime put in place by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iranian authorities often block websites what are considered going against the Islamic Regime.

Let’s just hope this ungracious strategy ends up going against those who used it to control their citizens and restrict their liberties.

Contributed by PHILIPPE MERCURE

Journalist, writer, photographer, 33, Bangalore, India

‘What I’ve Learned’ is one of the most popular columns in Esquire magazine. Once, they asked readers to send in their two cents of wisdom gathered over the years. And this is what I sent Esquire.

1. Honestly is indeed the best policy. But just when you think, it’s not working, go ahead anyway. Backtracking can be more harmful.

2. It’s better to be sorry than safe. That translates to taking risks whenever, wherever and not fighting shy of saying ’sorry’ when you screw up.

3. Sometimes, it pays to listen to your ego. But most times, it’s the cause of things only going downhill. And there’s no such thing as a balancing act. Either you are in it or you are not.

4. Judging people by how they dress can turn out to be downright wrong. But it’s good to judge people that way, too. It takes all kinds of judgements to sum up an individual. You could start with his fashion quotient.

5. Sex is good, whether you like it or someone else likes it. The glow of satisfaction you get from your partner’s body language can de-stress you more than massage.

6. You can make a fashion statement by not following it and no one will call you a rebel except the fashion designers whose rules you blatantly violated. So go ahead. Live your freedom to be.

7. Never go behind what women want. Eventually, everything will be to their heart’s content and nothing to your liking.

8. Phone etiquette is good to an extent. After that, what matters is how much you pretend to be ‘interested’ in the conversation. If your pretension is up to the mark, you don’t need no etiquette.

9. You may not believe in clichés even when ‘being in the right place at the right time’ worked for you.

10. Luck is no lady unless you manage to inherit millions from your grand mom.

11. Patience and perseverance can get you everywhere, including a woman’s pants.

12. It’s better to think you can read people’s minds. That will boost your self-confidence and egg you on to breaking the ice with people who were indeed very hard to crack.

13. Maturity is to know when to be immature. It’s true and it works, even if it seems like a clever little cliche.

14. Chant ‘love is lust without desire’ and you will have a good time in bed because all the time your ladylove will be convincing you that love is indeed lust atleast for her. Now which man would resist that?

Make no mistake. Traditional martial arts techniques don’t prepare you for the real world. So what does? Krav Maga. It’s the Israeli form of hand-to-hand combat made famous by Hollywood actresses Jennifer Lopez and Angelina Jolie, and most recently by Matt Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum. When you see him tackling his attackers, both armed and unarmed, with lightning hand movements, it was Krav in action.

Now, you can, too.

The International Krav Maga Federation recently opened its Bangalore chapter. And already, it has 30 members on its rolls, more than half being techies. Not just that. The institution recently conducted a special workshop this February 24. “After reading about some road rage oriented attacks in the Bangalore papers, we decided to conduct a basic road rage workshop,” says instructor and centre in-charge Frank. “Since Krav Maga is trained in a real-life scenario inspired by real sudden violent attacks, we enacted basic violent attacks on both the bike riders and car drivers.”

The proponents offered the students, a close to real-life attacking session inside the confined space of a car or bike and see the effectiveness of Krav Maga for themselves. The training started at their Richmond Town centre for a couple of hours and later shift ed to a vacant spot on Old Madras Road for real-life training with a couple of cars and bikes.

The popularity of Krav Maga is such that it’s now being employed by many western special forces such as the Swedish and Polish army and the French GIGN. After 9/11, even a team from America’s Central Intelligence Agency went to Israel to learn it. The founder of Krav Maga was one Imi Lichtenfeld who taught self defence and combat techniques to jews so they could protect themselves from armed German Nazi soldiers. After Israel was formed, Imi became the chief instructor to the Israeli Defense Force. A good 20 years after his retirement, the International Krav Maga Federation was founded in 1996 with Imi’s consent and support, by a bunch of enthusiasts. Now, the federation has grown to be one of the largest, professional and well respected organisations in the world.

So how does it find a resonance to our lives? “Because it’s not martial arts, but more of street fighting, something you need in real life,” says advertising professional Abinanth Potri who has been training for the last two months. “In Karate, you practice a punch for some 16000 times to strengthen just the punch. In Krav Maga, you take the best parts of all the martial arts and use what is needed in a normal life situation. For example, you don’t need a flying kick or a boxing glove on the street. All you need is to sharpen your natural reflexes.”

Experts will tell you that Karate, Taekwondo, Ju Jitsu, Judo, kickboxing, Thai boxing are inferior to Krav Maga when it concerns real world self defence. But why? Because the other martial arts give you the reflexes to block the initial stab but you probably would not instinctively grab the knife like KM teaches you. “KM is instinctive, simple and easy to apply even in a really crowded place,” explains Frank. “Most importantly, it could well save you especially if the attacker is just some ordinary guy with a knife trying to stab you, and not a trained killer.”

Right now, it’s a male-centric domain, as the male-female ratio at the Bangalore centre is 10:1. “Krav Maga is great for both men and women. There is no gender or physical barrier to it, so it should catch on among women too,” he says. About the kind of people who are walking in, he said, “Out of the 30 who have enrolled so far, 16 are from IT-software / hardware / BPOs, 1 is from the defence forces, 6 are businessmen, 3 are corporate executives, 2 are from advertising and 1 is a medical student,” he says. “Though all these people either hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree, only four have some form of martial arts experience. The rest are new to any system of self defence or martial arts.”

Being conducted at The Doodle Den is another plus. It’s an activity store for children and adults to unwind in creatively satisfying ways. They can sprawl on the large open floor area to watch a movie on the Panchatantra tales, sharpen multiplication skills by watching a fun session on maths or read a Tenali Rama story. Adjacent to it is The Colour Factory where you can splatter, spray, paint or create your own thing. Adding Krav to the surroundings has only made it even better in this quiet, nostalgic neighbourhood boasting of understated elegance (read: Victorian bungalows).

Complementing the setting is the holistic way Krav approaches fine living, making it extremely practical and effective in the same breath. “Krav-Maga increases your flexibility, concentration and presence of mind, body language, muscular as well as cardiovascular stamina, mental endurance, confidence and healthy aggression,” says Vicky Kapoor, chief instructor at the International Krav-Maga Foundation (India) in Delhi. “Since physical fitness is closely interwoven into the system, the workout includes a number of cardiovascular and strength-building exercises, as well as stretching to increase flexibility. Emphasis is put on speed, endurance, strength, accuracy and coordination, especially for intensive Krav-Maga training.”

What that means is if you practise these KM skills, then your trained reflexes will save you and give you the edge over the attacker, because the last thing he would expect is a competent counter attack. “I find KM very easy to learn and effective at the same time,” says software engineer Pramoda Vyasarao, who has been training for the last three months. “It’s not like any other art that takes years together to just learn different postures on how to stand and how to kick. This is purely based on human reflex actions. On the first day itself, we were actually fighting, like what to do if someone tries to choke you.”

Clearly, Krav Maga does pack a mean punch. But does it make you crave for action? “Not at all,” says Potri. “In fact, you tend to respect life and humans a lot better because you see the kind of damage you inflict on the pads you practice with. You become more responsible and try and stay out of trouble most of the time.”

Got that? Practice KM with a winning attitude. And employ it only if you really need to.

Krav Maga Bangalore

C/o Doodle Den, No.3, Curley Street,

Richmond Town, Bangalore 560025. Tel: +91.80.41240090

Saturday: 8:30-11:00AM, 11:00-1:30PM & 5:30-8:00PM

Sunday 8:30AM-11AM

Contact: Frank on 9886769281 or visit SelfDefenseBangalore.com or KravMagaBangalore.com.

Fees per month: Rs 2800 + Rs 1000 Admission Fees (Non-Refundable)

Introduction Training: Rs 300 per hour (Adjusted to fees if you enrol)

(This piece appeared in Mint, the business newspaper of The Wallstreet Journal)

Health is indeed wealth in today’s disease-embedded times. Here are some handy tips from people in the medical field. Do make the most of them.

Happy living!

Dr PS Murthy, consultant psychiatrist
1.    Avoid stress by setting realistic and achievable goals.
2.    Accept the work that is given to you with a positive frame of mind, irrespective of its outcome.
3.    Take small (mini) breaks and relax at work.
4.    Take weekend breaks with family or visit places that rejuvenate and recharge you.
5.    Inform your family members about the nature of your work so they don’t have unreasonable expectations regarding your quantity and quality of time spent with them.
6.    Go for longer breaks with family/friends atleast once a year.

Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, heart surgeon
1.    De-stress your heart by changing your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.
2.    Walking is better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints.
3.    Control cholesterol by walking and eating walnuts.
4.    All oils are bad. The so-called best oil company has the largest marketing budget.
5.    Drinking less water doesn’t’ lead to heart problems, but drinking plenty helps in preserving good health.
6.    Usually, you get chest discomfort or shortness of breath, months or years before the heart attack. So, when in doubt, go for a heart check-up, which should not take more than a couple of hours. And if you are past 30, go for a health checkup at least once in two years.

Dr Jyoti Prasad, nutritionist
1.    Take the best advantage of seasons and have fresh fruits and vegetables of that season
2.    Avoid anything that’s got fine flour, fat and salt.
3.    70% of your diet should contain carbohydrates (rice, wheat, ragi), 20-25% proteins (dal, sprouts), 10-15% fat (oil, fried fat, invisible fat) and the least usage should be for fat and sugar. Take that to mean, salads, cooked vegetables, chapattis, rice, a little bit of curd, lean meat and chicken.
4.    Nothing like a 45-minute walk every day. It’s cheap, you don’t need any special equipment or dress.

R Basil, Managing Director & CEO, Manipal Health Systems
1.    Always keep the medical emergency number of a multi-speciality hospital located nearest to your home and office.
2.    And always keep the number of Police control room as well as the local police station and the fire services.  Health and safety go hand in hand.

Has work become such a bitch that you can’t take a break for a few days? Well, go the De Bono way. Think lateral, and make the most of your weekend.

Drive out of the city and into the arms of Shreyas to discover Zen-like hospitality. You are greeted with 25 acres of whispering palms, open, grassy spaces, lotus-filled water bodies, ascetic stone pillars and flowers injecting colour and fragrance into the peace and calm. The outdoor Jacuzzi and heated ozonated pool adds to the Zen-like flow of the place. You could wear the ‘Shhhhhhreyas badge’ so the staff leaves you to yourself. And you can bask in exclusivity: only 25 people can stay at the place at any given time. However, you can’t smoke, drink or watch TV, and you are expected to have your lunch in silence. There is no room service either – guests are expected to take their meals together at specific times in the dining room.

There is more - sweet coconut water, Indonesian and Thai massages, wholesome organic food, guided meditation, yoga sessions, a well-stocked library of fiction and self-help books, a DVD room, an amphitheatre and eucalyptus-scented cold towels to your face after cricket at the nets with BOLA, the professional bowling machine.

The next time you want to unlock your soul, you know where to head.

Shreyas Retreat, 45 kilometres from Bangalore. Rates: Tents/poolside cottages: Rs 10,000 (single occupancy), Rs 12,000 (double), Three-bedroom cottages: Rs 19,000, Corporate retreats: Rs 5,500 per person on a twin-sharing basis. Rates inclusive of one night’s accommodation, vegetarian meals, yoga classes, one wellness consultation and usage of all facilities. Taxes extra. Address: Santoshima Farm, Golahalli Gate, Nelamangala, Bangalore - 562-123. Phones: 98450-45250, 773-7183, 773-7102. Website: www.shreyasretreat.com.

Much of our time is spent worrying about  the maid who didn’t come today or the business meeting we have scheduled for the morning.  The problem is not the worry. The fatal  flaw is  the way  work and home worries envelop our lives 24/7. To wrestle out of this situation, here are a few tips that should keep you sane all day and all night.
Happy reading!

1. Spend time in silence. Be grateful for what you have. Mentally or on paper, plan the day out. If you don’t do the previous night, write out your to-do list of the most exciting and important things.
2. Cuddle your kids (or find some to cuddle). Kids bring excitement and awe in the way they think and view the world. Spending time around them helps you to cultivate the inner child within you. And doing it from the morning is even better.
3. Brush your tongue. Lose the morning breath and start off on a minty note.
4. Go for a walk. Or hop on the treadmill for 30 minutes. People who walk in the morning have more energy than those who walk at night after a long day. Use the work to appreciate your surroundings and plan your day. In silence if possible.
5. Drink green tea. Instead of coffee, have a cup of green tea. Boosts your energy, provides antioxidants and has been promoted as a great natural healthy option.

For FIVE more tips, go HERE.

Just came back after witnessing an accident where a sand truck went over a two wheeler guy. Saw the driver and his assistant taking to their heels. The helmet was flung a few metres away from the victim who was lying face down. No movement. Spot death.

Don’t know whose fault it was. Could have been the victim’s. He was crossing the road at a small intersection while the truck was on the fast lane. It happened at around 11pm when there is relatively less traffic. Felt my stomach squirm. Didn’t feel like eating when I reached home.

Death is such a sudden occurrence. Just when you think all is well with the world, it strikes without prior warning. I remember the most gruesome accident I had ever witnessed was when i was maybe 12 or 15 years old.  A trailer truck ran over a person just when i was about to cross the road. His head split and his brain popped out of it and hit the road right in front of me. That afternoon I couldn’t eat. The incident, however, stayed with me for a while.

We make so many plans in this world, not realising that the greatest planner is up there. The moral of the story? Live in the present and do things that you will never regret later. Be happy and make others happy. This good karma will follow you in your after-life, if ever there is one. Since you and I don’t know it for sure, why risk it? Better to be safe than…

2007 turned out to be a mixed bag for me. Earlier in the year, I had to take a very important decision — to stop working for somebody and do something on my own. And I did after working 12 years full-time for somebody or the other. Not because I didn’t like working under someone, but because the job didn’t allow me to make the most of my versatility. Now, I can write for publications, and find time to do photography, pen short stories and memoirs, be part of new ventures… the possibilities are endless.

Ofcourse, the beginning wasn’t easy. It took me almost two months to get to grips with my new way of life. But the result was sweet. Before I could settle down in my ’self employed’ avatar, I travelled to Bangkok and Pattaya with a group of 10 people and stayed there for nine days. The experience opened up my mind to a more international experience. Not that I hadn’t travelled outside India before. The last time was a few years ago when I had to visit Dubai for a few days as part of my job with Star Network.

Today, I am happy to say that 2007 was actually the most liberating year for me, as it gave me a handle on my career and life itself. I got to meditate a lot more during my morning walks that I have been religiously doing for the last one-and-a-half years.

But why am I saying all this to you? Because I guess, you might want to do the same. Throw away your stable, secure job and become an entrepreneur. But remember, I did it after being part of a team, and then leading a team… these skills are invaluable and need to be learnt before you start something on your own. People skills are ‘the’ most important tools in this world. Not your bachelors and masters degrees. They are only good technically. But holistically, you need to have this innate sense of calm and the belief in ‘give-and-take’. Only then, will you be happy at what you are doing, and slowly understand the real meaning of your existence: to be happy and make others happy.

Talking of happiness, every individual have their own way of interpreting it. To me, watching and playing with children, being with nature, taking a lukewarm shower, sleeping when I am really tired… all these make me very happy. Similarly, when I give alms to the disabled who cannot earn to make a living, I am most happy that they gave me the opportunity to serve them in whatever way I could. And I don’t consider this as charity. I think I am only helping my brethren.

On the same lines, when I watch the sun set in front of my house, when I watch the white clouds make an interesting pattern against the blue sky, it makes you feel blessed that you are living under their shadow. I am also very happy when I am reading a very good book, which is quite rare to find. The other day, I was reading Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, and I could sense the change within me almost immediately. It was as if my thinking was being fine-tuned and my soul was being liberated by these thoughts. Just reading this book made me happy and relieved. Now I have never read Deepak Chopra before. But what he said rang so true. He says, practice the art of ‘give and take’. Whenever you meet someone, always give them a gift. And it needn’t even be physical. It can just be a prayer. His underlying message is that so long as we keep giving and receiving life’s most precious gifts (tender, loving, care), wealth (both material and spiritual) will keep circulating in our lives. Isn’t that such a wonderful thought?

The best advice I received from Chopra is to be “non-judgemental“. I think that’s so true. As we all know, ‘assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups’. And this applies to life in more ways than one. If only we hadn’t thought of a race as being ‘inferior’, a person as being ‘evil’, a thing as being ‘must-have’, we would have none of the baggages occupying our mind space and clogging our very existence. If only we practiced to be non-judgemental and just took life as it came to us, we would have learned the art of forgiving and forgetting. High philosophy, but told very succinctly.

Therefore, I wish that 2008 awakens, energises and catalyses the spiritual awakening amongst us all, so we live in harmony across the globe. After all, eradicating poverty will not make us happy. But infusing love and goodwill surely will. So, are you ready for 2008? I surely am.

Wish you all a rocking 2008!

May all your dreams become a reality (and if you haven’t dreamt yet, start now!)