25 October, 2013

Immunity in children

It's raining cats and dogs in Hyderabad from few days. Chilling weather, increased traffic and bad roads make the mood worse. If even adults are prone to flu, cold, cough in this weather, think about children. My kiddo is below 3 years and he easily catches cold and cough. It worries me a lot, when he suffers from cold/ cough, as this doesn't go away easily without staying for at least one week making him weak :(. I think, this is the age children should get nutritious food to improve their immunity. 

Iam searching a lot in the web these days on how to boost immunity in children. Iam also talking to many colleagues and friends asking some natural medicines or home remedies available. Some home remedies that i could collect to avoid frequent cold and coughs and to boost immunity are :

1. Heat the coconut oil and add camphor to it until it becomes slightly warm. Rub this on the chest of the child if suffering form severe cold and having problem in breathing.

2. Add very small amount of turmeric in milk that child drinks regularly.

3. Dabur Chyawanprash is said to be a natural immunity booster. This is being followed from long time in India. Check this link for more information on this product. It is available in different flavours now :)

4. Ginger, Garlic and honey are also immunity boosters, so try to include them in child's diet.

5. Make sure kid gets enough sleep.

6. Include carrots, cabbage, leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and nuts in child's diet.

7. Basil leaves are very good, so let him chew at least 2 leaves daily.

Any more inputs friends? Any home remedies that you know? Please let me know in comments.

Until next time,






Image courtesy: poemsforkush.com taken from Google image search.

24 October, 2013

Baramulla Bomber - [Book Review]

A book review after a long gap.. Cool.. this book is fiction with some historic facts, which is a lovely combination.. Let me give you details..

Title: Baramulla Bomber
Publisher: Niyogi books
Author: Clark Prasad
Genre: Fiction, Mythology, thriller

Expectation: After reading the brief behind the book, i was expecting a rollar coaster ride of mythological, historical fiction. Something in the lines of a Dan Brown's novel. Thought, i can learn something on sound of the Universe which is covered in bible and also in Vedas. Sounds pretty interesting right?


Plot: A CIA agent gets killed in Shasksgam valley near Kashmir, where there is suspicious test conduced on a sonic weapon. This experiment is funded by both China and Pakistan to experiment a weapon which is developed from sound waves in infrasonic range, They want to use it for a planned attack on India in December. Another CIA agent Adolf, is appointed in the place of Kurt, who comes to Kashmir to find out the links between the mysterious weapon, killer Jalal, suspect Mansur haider and stop the attack by understanding the sonic weapon.

While reading the book, i see a pattern. Introducing many places, different characters in first 20 pages to elevate the suspense or to make the story more interesting, then running the story well and ending it with grace. I have observed same pattern in other novels like Sydney sheldon's or Dan brown's. I felt boring reading stories in this pattern, as i have read many books written in this way. The clarity of content that we get from first 20 pages is important to maintain interest levels. In this book, i felt, first 20 pages are confusing making it difficult to correlate and remember things. 

Explaining the concepts of sound, AUM with the help of science by a Buddhist monk and professor Dr Tamang in Dharmashala is very clear and good for a layman to understand. Mansur was selected to execute project Babylon(to use sonic weapon in attack) and he doesn't know anything about it and he will be tried in national cricket team and in few days he will also be selected to international team. This seems ridiculous. Even with any person having high influence on BCCI, taking a decision in few days to select some unknown player of the country to international team is not easy. I couldn't realize the relevancy of the title of the book until i read 50% of the book. Still, iam not very convinced on why it should be 'Baramulla bomber' and not something related to kashmir/ Srinagar. 

Author's writing style is very good, except for few pages, where the flow is missing.In some pages, i felt, usage of images is not appropriate/ unnecessary. I felt the scenes covering indian cricket matches are very lengthy and descriptive and it made me to skip those pages while reading. I appreciate the author for good research and explanation of concepts in basic terms. Overall, it's a learning experience and a thrilling journey. But missing points are clarity and proper flow of sequences.

What i liked? 
Characterization of Mansur , beauty with brains 'Ahaana' and intelligent Adolf. 
Concepts of sound, AUM etc.,

What i didn't like?
Not very relevant title
very quick turn of events making me think unrealistic
climax is not very effective
No clarity and not a smooth transition between different scenes

Rating: 3/5
When you compare with Davinci code etc., it will definitely fall below your expectation. So, these are my thoughts on this book. Please share yours in comments :)

Until next time,






Image courtesy: http://www.clarkprasad.com/


This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

23 October, 2013

10 smart tips for being safe

Recently we see many articles in newspapers stating that cyberabad (hitec city area in Hyderabad) is not  safe for women to travel after 7 PM. It's shocking to read about many incidents which gave rise to this statement. In continuation with my earlier post here on smart suraksha app, wanted to share few tips for being safe in Hyderabad.

 1. Auto seems safer than shared private cabs. One thing - you can jump out of it in case of suspicion and another thing, outsiders can listen if we shout from auto. In case of cab, if windows are closed, outsiders may not be able to hear even if someone shouts.

2. It's better to take Meru cabs whenever you need to hire a cab, as it will have GPS setting on and their mobile app will allow you to send updates to your friends/ family members.

3.  Always follow main route even though there is traffic when you travel alone in auto or cab. It's better to be safe than to hurry.

4. When in suspicion, calling a friend or family member and mentioning your location regularly may help demotivating the attacker with the fear of getting caught easily.

5. Noting down cab or auto number is a good thing to follow, but it may not be possible always as we might be in hurry.

6. Carrying pepper spray always would be better. Here is the link on how to prepare it.

7. Self defence mechanisms like karate may help. But, it is the overall confidence and sharpness which are important to respond on the spot. Pushing the attacker, hitting with elbow, shouting and running would decrease the chance of risk giving more time to think.

8. Never be calm assuming you are helpless. Even though girls are weaker sex compared to boys physically, it may not be true all the time. Better to have confidence and use strength to avoid attackers. Be prepared.

9. As mentioned in earlier post, better to have apps like smart suraksha on mobile.

10. Last, but not least, have important phone numbers of close friends/ family set on speed dial, so that it will be easy to reach them quick.


I am sharing my Smart Suraksha Tips at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart Suraksha App.

Until next time,






Image courtesy: Taken from 99mobiles.com from Google image search

16 October, 2013

An App for the security of women

Seeing all the recent cases starting from 'Nirbhaya' case, women are worried about their safety when they have to travel alone. They are taking many safety measures like learning karate and carrying pepper spray in hand bags etc., Now, in this list, we also have a new app called 'Smart suraksha'.

I travel in auto many times and usually i prefer to go by the same auto everyday if it is available. If auto wallah goes by some other route, i will be more cautious and ask him to go by main route even in traffic. Another tip that we can follow in suspicious circumstances is to call some family member and inform your whereabouts at regular intervals from auto. By doing this, family members know in what location you are at certain point of time and it will be easy for them to track in case of any problem. Many people suggest to remember auto number, but i think, its not possible always. Fortunately, security people in our organization note down the auto number and our employee ID when we take an auto from office. Sometimes, they also call employees to ensure that they reached safely. It is a very good practice that can be followed in organizations with women employees. Even with all these safety measures in check, attacks can happen and these can be unpredictable. This makes me feel, I wish I had Smart Suraksha with me.

Now, about the app -

- you can choose 5 people to whom you can send sms alert in case of emergency
- Sms will also include location details
- Only a single click to send alert
- Additional feature is the ability to record car number or clothes the attacker is wearing etc.,
- you can enable women helpline option as well
- App is free, can be downloaded from google play store

So, what do you think about this app? Seems good, but i felt it should dial the chosen number on single click instead of sms, because many people might not be attentive to sms. If we have a smart phone with GPS location settings enabled, it will help a lot. We will have phone always handy, so it will be easy to send alert without the other person identifying it. 
Stay safe with smart Suraksha.. :)


Until next time,






I am participating in the Seeking Smart Suraksha contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart Suraksha App.

10 October, 2013

Reason to pray GOD?

Do we all need a reason to pray God? or we simply follow our rituals as part of culture without any reason? I mean, many of us do deeparadhana (lighting of lamp), reciting slokas daily. Do we have a reason for this? Few may pray for mental peace, for health, wealth and prosperity of family. Few perform special poojas for festivals, go to temple, offer coconuts, sweets to God and pray for their and their family's well being. These simple things have become very part of our lives, that we do them without any reason.

I never felt there should be a reason to pray God. I can thank him for everything that i have achieved as a human being through a prayer or pooja. I want to pray both in good and bad times. To thank him in good times and to ask his support in bad times. For me, prayer doesn't mean lighting lamp compulsorily and offering naivedyam for the Deity. It means reciting his names or slokas with concentration. If you simply perform pooja daily and worry about lot of things like getting late to office, completing cooking or sending children to school meanwhile, i don't think, there is any use. Instead, praying for 5 mins without thinking of anything else other than God, will suffice. What do you say?

Festival season is in now. Navaratri celebrations are going on here. Each day we pray each incarnation of Goddess Durga. It is celebrated for 9 days. Next would be Diwali, which is festival of lights. We pray Goddess Lakshmi for this festival. 

There is one product from Cycle pure agarbathies - Lakshmi pooja pack.
If you are wondering what this pack is about.. it contains an instructional booklet and CD, so that you can recite slokas together and perform pooja. I can use the instruction book to prepare required materials before pooja, and recite ashtothara namas as per CD.

Now, my reasons to pray with Lakshmi pooja pack on Diwali :) 
I will pray for:
  •  Safety and security of women in India (I know, iam not that selfless to pray for this alone :p)
  •  Health and happiness to my family :)
So, let me know what are your reasons to pray in this festival time :)

Until next time,






Image courtesy: www.revangelicalblog.com

This post is written for cycle pure agarbathies contest.

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