The Word Route

Today's Menstrual Hygiene Day. It is observed on May 28 every year to create awareness in public about good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) at a global level. A Germany based NGO called WASH United started observing this day in 2014 and it has been going on ever since. Developing countries are often faced with a shortage of materials for good menstrual hygiene. Women often get low standard sanitary napkins that may cause rashes in their private parts, leading to serious infections. The day provides an opportunity to actively advocate for the integration of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) into global, national and local policies and programmes. India observed its first MHM summit organized on 26th and 27th September 2019 in New Delhi by Gramalaya, an NGO. The summit saw the participation of 180 plus delegates including 46 speakers, other stakeholders and allies of the Menstrual Hygiene Management Movement. The second MHM summit was organized on 22nd and 23rd March 2022 by Gra...

  Guys, I have happy news to share. I have started writing blogs for "Art of How To" ( https://artofhowto.com /). Chippy Kurian is the Founder and Editor of Art of How To.  We have a strong team of writers now -  https://artofhowto.com/team / Sharing my post links here. Do read, share and subscribe to them. https://artofhowto.com/2022/10/19/5-ways-to-beat-back-to-work-blues/ https://artofhowto.com/2022/10/23/ever-been-gaslit/  https://artofhowto.com/2022/11/08/sway-to-the-beats-and-tunes/ https://artofh owto.com/2022/07/03/hydrate-your-soul/   https://artofhowto.com/2022/06/06/sologamy/ https://artofhowto.com/2022/06/22/do-not-take-your-heart-lightly/ https://artofhowto.com/2022/06/14/please-talk-money/ https://artofhowto.com/2022/05/25/lets-talk-sex/                                                             ...

My emotional moment during my breastfeeding journey came when my child stopped feeding at 4.8 years. All these years, he suffered a lot of health issues, mostly respiratory issues. He was diagnosed with childhood asthma (considered common among babies these days). I was advised by my first paediatrician to continue feeding him till he turned 2. Extended breastfeeding helped me tide over his asthma over a period of time, including his dry skin problem. So I can vouch that if you can continue feeding your baby till he/she is two years old, it’s the best health gift for them. My Journey Breastfeeding came naturally to me after my son’s birth. I did not have any particular struggles while breastfeeding him – no medical issues/latching problems. In the beginning, my answers to my friends’ queries as to when am I going to wean him, were quite vague. I had started initially by saying that I would feed him until he turned 2. After he turned two, I changed my answer to 3 years. It was so natu...

Books are a man’s best friend. This adage has been proven time and again. Any one born in the pre-digital era will list out their collection of books and their favourite authors in a jiffy. During my growing years (80s-90s), Panchatantra , Amar Chitra Katha , Hitopadesha , Champak and Readers Digest , were my best friends during train travel and vacations. I don’t exactly recollect how and when I fell in love with the print for the first time, but I do remember when I did, it was meant to be a forever bond! Whether I was happy, sad or angry, I would just go to my corner and read my favourite book. I still remember the morning of my Xth board exams. I had an unfinished novel in my hand. Such was my love for books! Other days, after school hours and play time, at least half an hour was reserved for reading aloud newspaper stories and headlines and sometimes, solving an occasional Crossword. Those were the Doordarshan days when the television channels would blank out automat...

‘Do anything to remain young’ is the catchphrase among celebrities these days. They are known to try myriad body treatments from head to toe, which can be ranked on a scale from weird to bizarre. But nobody can blame them for this since the industry demands they remain young eternally. Recently, reality TV star Kim Kardashian tried a ‘vampire facial’ on her own reality show ‘Kourtney and Kim Take Miami.’ Accompanied by her best friend, she went through the procedure sportingly. Right before the procedure began, the cream was applied to her face to reduce pain. A needle was injected into her arm to extract the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from the blood. The extracted blood was injected into her face using nine small acupuncture needles. The nurse administering the injection warned that the injection would sting slightly. The injection triggers collagen production, increases tissue growth, and smoothes out wrinkles and fine lines. Once the procedure was over, Kim’s blood-covered face...

Punjab da pind and Punjab da munda Harry (Shahid Kapoor)...zoom in to the simple village life and his constant wait for a train to arrive with the ' chiththi ' from the IAF. Shahid's sister's marriage is the backdrop for the first one hour. Enter Ayat (Sonam Kapoor), a Kashmiri muslim who has just escaped the trauma of Kashmiri insurgency to live with her father's sister, in the same village. Its love at first sight. After the initial song and dance routine, the secret stares and letters written in mehndi being exchanged the whole night, when the time to propose comes, Sonam disappears with her family in the morning and Shahid goes on to join the IAF. Seven years go by and suddenly its Scotland. Shahid has become an Air Force officer and has been sent by IAF to Scotland. Lo and behold, there is Sonam dressed in a Scottish outfit selling tickets for a Mozart concert and simultaneously handing over food to her friends while selling tickets. Shahid looking royal...