Author: Anil Malik

Friends, a few weeks back I came to know about a disease, that I was not aware of earlier, and many like me do not know about this disease. This disease is called SHINGLES. After doing some research, I found out more about this disease, which I want to share with you all. Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. It can occur anywhere in your body. It typically looks like a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left or right side of your torso. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus-the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays in your body for the rest of your life. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles. It is not a life-threatening disease, but it can be very painful. Vaccines can help lower the risk of shingles. Early treatment may shorten…

Some facts of life are known to us. Yet we do not pay much attention to them, one of them is that our body continues to build bone mass till we touch 30 years. Afterward, it starts breaking down. Therefore, we must naturally counter this phenomenon to rebuild more than our body breaks down. If not our bones and muscles start becoming weak. And then when we reach 50 to 60 years of age, we start getting aches and pains. Our bones break faster than they would when we were young and take more time to recover. Also, it is worse if we develop osteoporosis or osteoarthritis, etc. Moreover, for women who have had menopause, this is a significant cause for concern. Here are some tips for STRENGTHENING YOUR AGEING BONES: DIET We are indeed what we eat. Calcium and Vitamin D are a critical combination for ensuring bone health….

Some stray thoughts for the day 1 The political scene in India is getting hot with the dates of the 2024 General Elections announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Along with the election for Lok Sabha, a few state assemblies are also going for poll simultaneously. 2 This time elections are going to be interesting as the BJP along with their allies (NDA) are aiming to come back to power for the 3rd time continuously. The INDI alliance cobbled by many opposition parties has failed to get started on a proper footing. Congress, which is at present the leading opposition party and which ruled the country for more than five decades is totally in disarray, as its President Mallikarjun Khadge hardly has a say in party affairs, which is under the control of Sonia Gandhi and her family. The Congress’s projected leader for PM’s post Rahul Gandhi is…

Today I am writing a blog on a health-related topic. As we age, our bodies undergo various changes, and one area that demands special attention is our digestive system. A healthy gut is vital for overall well-being, especially in elderly people, who may face challenges related to digestion. As per a recent survey carried out by an NGO for senior citizens, only 21.2% of the seniors responded that their digestive system and gut health are satisfactory. Some preventive measures can significantly contribute to maintaining a robust gut and ensuring a higher quality digestive system, which is very essential in old age. The Importance of Gut Health The digestive system plays a pivotal role in nutrient absorption, immune function, and overall health. Seniors are often prone to digestive issues such as constipation, indigestion, and a reduced ability to absorb nutrients. These issues can lead to range of problems, including malnutrition, weakened…

If you have wondered what this Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all about, here is some food for thought. If you have shopped online, you have probably experienced AI in the form of recommendation engines. It is powering all those recommendations these apps have been putting across to you. AI generates patterns based on your shopping behavior and preferences and shares personalized inputs that appeal to you. Your voice commands to Alexa or Siri are also form of AI interaction. Have you ever noticed that your social media threw some advertisements your way based on the searches you did a little while ago? AI is at work, tracking your searches to understand your interests, and will send targeted ads your way. Even those cabs you hail through aggregator apps like Ola or Uber are using AI in some way. AI has invaded almost all aspects of our lives. Whatever data is…

In today’s weekend blog, I am again on Bollywood. Many faces come and go in Bollywood. Some are hit and some are flops. Usually, flop actors disappear but some flop actors did not give up and tried their luck in the directional field. Here are some flop actors who became successful directors. 1 Arbaaz Khan– After he failed to impress the audience as an actor he tried his hand in directing the film. Do you know that Dabang 2 is directed by him. The film was a huge box office hit. He has not stopped acting in films but he is more into direction. 2 Jugal Hansraj– He was a very famous child artist, in spite of all good looks he failed as an actor. He later tried his luck in film making and direction. He directed Roadside Romeo. 3 Pooja Bhatt– Mahesh Bhatt is father of two talented daughters….

COLLAGEN is a term most of us would have studied in school/college Biology, and we promptly forgot afterwards. Let’s refresh and see what it is, how it helps us, and what we can do to ensure we get enough collagen. What is Collagen It is a protein found abundantly in our skin, muscles tendons, teeth, ligaments, cartilage, blood vessels, and intestines. It is a family of proteins and makes up around 30% of our body. Our body has different types of collagen. Each type functions differently to help our body. For example some provide structure and strength whereas others  provide elasticity to our skin. The protein is also referred as the building block of our body, as healthy collagen is essential for bone, joint, and skin health Collagen and Age It gets produced naturally in our bodies. However, once we cross 30 years, our body starts losing collagen. Neither can…

Last week in one of my blog, I had written about  making a WILL, and today I am writing about WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DONOT MAKE A WILL . Often, we Indians find umpteen excuses for not making a will that can smoothen the legacy planning in our absence. What are the excuses? I am too young It is too tedious and not worth the effort. It is costly I will make it later. There is enough time. My family thinks it is inauspicious to make a will. I do not think I have enough property to make a will. Of course, there could be many more reasons why we do not want to make a will. It is as close to thinking about what happens after us. And we mostly want to avoid that question. For some, it can cause anxiety too. However, here is little something to prompt…

In today’s weekend blog, I am writing about one of the greatest lyricists of Bollywood whose career span was for more than five decades. He worked in the era of famous lyricists like Shailendra,  Sahir Ludhianvi, and Shakeel Badayuni. His real name was Asrar ul Hassan Khan, but we know him by his pen name MAJROOH SULTANPURI. He was born on 1st October 1919 in a Rajput Muslim family, in Sultanpur, UP. His early education was in Madarsa, and later he became Unani Hakeem. From the early days, he started writing ghazals and started participating in Mushairas. He came to Bombay in Mid mid-1940s to participate in mushaira. Fate took him to AR Kardar (producer & director), who introduced him to music director Naushad, and who was instrumental in getting Majrooh his first film Shahjahan. His next big break came with Mehboob Khan’s Andaz in 1949. He was sentenced to…

A WILL is as simple as writing down what you want to do with your assets after death. However, for those who want to delve a little deeper, many legal terms are associated with it. Of course, one can always take a lawyer’s help to draft and register the will. What Should a Will Contain? Just so your will is valid, it is better to ensure certain aspects, even in a handwritten will. Let us see what they are: Declaration– Anyone writing a will, should be of sound mind and do it on their own free will without coercion. Hence, it is better to start with a declaration stating your name and that you are writing it with your sound mind and consent. It is also better to mention the date and state this legal will, will be considered above any other for your asset settlement after your death. Detail…