Family Cracks Record of 50 Generations! Traces History Back to 600 AD

Dani clan from Saurashtra traces history back to 600 AD; has applied to Limca and Guinness record books for recognition.

Devanshu Dani - left - points to the first member of the family, while Jayesh Dani points to the last. The 2 are residents of Borivli. A 5-member committee traced the clan to Anang Sha who migrated from Rajan to Gujrat

In a rare event, a Gujarati family has traced 50 generations and has now created a family tree, which, members claim, dates back to the seventh century.

The Danis, who hail from Saurashtra, had a grand get-together of over 500 family members from across the world at Mahuwa in Gujarat on November 2 where they formed the Dani Kutumb Mandal and released a copy of their family tree. The family is now aiming for recognition in the Limca Book of Records and Guinness World Records and has approached their authorities.

The 500 members of the Dani family at the get-together at Mahuwa, Gujarat, on November 2

HOW IT STARTED
“It struck us that we had a many about our recent generations. We decided to start working on our family history and held get-togethers (as many as 10),” said the Kutumb Mandal chairman Jayesh Dani. Initially a five-member committee was formed.

The committee approached the family’s elders and got talking to them about their history. In fact, from just one member they got the list of a few generations.

It wasn’t tough getting contact details of those abroad as the Gujarati community keeps a directory which mentions each member. The process took 18 months and at the end of it, the family had been traced to 50 generations. “It was a Herculean task, but the fruits were sweet,” said Jayesh Dani.

HOW THE DANIS TRAVELLED
The Dani family has traced their clan up to Anang Sha (about 600 AD) who migrated from the then marketplace of Ajmer in Rajasthan to Palanpur in Gujarat.

His primary task was to collect transit tax on goods — roughly 2.5 per cent of the goods. At the end of the day, he was required to sell off the collected goods and deposit the proceeds to the state treasury. He would get commission from the proceeds.

The family moved from Palanpur and Patan in Gujarat. The Danis stayed put in Patan, which was one of the richest towns in India then, despite plundering by Mohammed Ghazani, but later moved to Sri Nagar, which was then known as Paar-Khar (beyond desert). The family moved to Saurashtra around 1420 AD and then struck roots there. The long journey of the Danis thus ended at Gohilwad, Saurashtra, where many of the current descendants of the family live.

ORIGINS OF THE SURNAME
There were three main sources of income for the state — Aan, Dan and Khan (taxes and mining). The Danis had the responsibility of collecting transit dues on commerce within state. Those who collected taxes were named Dani. The task entrusted to the Danis was to collect 2.5 per cent tax on goods transiting through the state.

HOW THEY ARE PLACED TODAY
The Danis are now spread across the world. At the Dani Kutumb Mandal Mahotsav held at their native place in Mahuwa in Saurashtra, over 500 Danis from UK, US, Dubai and Singapore came to celebrate the family history.

The mandal’s general secretary Devanshu Dani said, “We had organised musical nights, game shows along with cultural programmes and navchandi yagna to attract youngsters. Every member took part in all the programmes. Now we will approach Limca Book of Records and Guinness World Records.”

Danis arranged various games to keep the family entertained

Devanshu Dani performs the Navchandi yagna

Locals at Mahwa village welcome the Danis

Source: Mumbai Mirror

The Loo With a View

The loo in Terminal 3 of Changi airport at Singapore is a planespotter’s paradise

The loo in Tasman Saddle Hut, South Island, New Zealand gives a view from the edge

Peeing while guarding the Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, USA, would have been a tough task

The Toilet from the Tengboche Monastery in Nepal offers a great view of Mount Everest

The Tigers Who Swim With Humans

Interaction - Tigers are known as the best swimmers of all the big cats with modified webbing between their toes to make their feet more like flippers

Hand-reared tigers at animal park in US get their exercise in a special pool with humans

MIAMI (USA): An animal park has found a unique way to develop bonds between humans and tigers. Traditionally, trainers have struggled to build an attachment with tigers because of the sheer bulk of the animals. But the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, or TIGER, claims to have overcome the problem by encouraging both tigers and humans to swim together in a specially adapted pool.

Although a number of wildlife parks have encouraged the animals to swim for exercise, the routine has usually consisted of little more than trainers throwing lumps of meat into the water for the tigers to collect.

'Not dangerous'

Bhagavan Antle, director of the centre, said he wanted to give the 90 kg, two metre long creatures an opportunity to exercise properly without giving them meat. Antle has about 200 animals at the TIGER park. The hand-reared tigers are introduced to the water a few months after birth and the trainers then give one-on-one tuition to each of the animals. But despite the apparent danger, he said his trainers are never at risk. "We found that in the water people and tigers were on a more equal footing when the tiger was swimming around on top of the person. As they were floating, we could manipulate them more easily because they couldn't stand up on their back legs."

The World's Remotest School

Dangerous: Children walking to the school. The path is only 1 ft 4 inches wide at its narrowest

It's up a Chinese cliff and takes five hours to reachbeijing: Children in a remote part of China face a hazardous walk to school —because it is halfway up a sheer cliff.The school in Gulu village, Sichuan province, lies halfway up a mountain and climbing up from the base takes five hours.The elementary school has only one teacher who has been there for 26 years. Villagers say going to school is very dangerous for the children, since the path is only 1ft 4ins wide at the narrowest point and has a sheer drop on one side.Walking along the narrow, zigzagging path also makes the children feel dizzy. The school has five concrete buildings and a playground with a basketball hoop made of two wooden poles and a broken blackboard.However, the children are allowed to only pat the balls, as if they throw them and they go over the edge of the cliff, it would take half a day to retrieve them.Shen Qijun (45), who teaches Chinese and Math, but says only two students have gone on to university because of the isolation. "The students have never seen computers, cars or even flushing toilets."

Sushi Eaten Off Sexy Woman Model

Comfort food: Diners eat the raw fish off a model
That's just how it was done in film Sx and the City

London: Sushi was eaten off a Sexy woman model, in a scene straight out of Sx And The City, for the launch of a new Japanese restaurant at a hotel.

Guests ate the raw fish delicacy off model Becky Wu, who recreated the pose opening of the V-Sushi bar of the Vincent Hotel. In the Sx and The City film Samantha, played by Kim Cattrall, strips off and covers herself in sashimi as a Valentine's Day treat for her partner Smith.

The Vincent designer hotel opened its doors earlier this year and the owners chose to open a Japanese restaurant to appeal to the influx of Asian guests.

Diners were treated to a meal served off Sexy model while saki was handed out by Geisha girls. One diner said, "The food was fantastic and I've never seen such a sexy table. We were just chatting when suddenly this stunning girl stripped off in front of us and climbed onto a table. "Staff put about 10 or 11 different starters over her body for people to try."

Travis Fessler: The Man Who Kept 11 Live Cockroaches in his Mouth

Yuck: The cockroaches Travis Fessler put in his mouth were at least 2.5 inches long

Kentucky (USA): Have you ever seen a cockroach scamper across the living room floor and wondered, just what is the record for the most cockroaches in someone's mouth? No?

Well, that didn't stop Travis Fessler from the American state of Kentucky from claiming his moment of fame. Fessler knew the record was nine. But Fessler thought that if he just did 10, it would only encourage someone else to break it. So, he got 11 cockroaches of the Madagascar hissing variety, all at least 2.5 inches long, and held them in his mouth for the required 10 seconds (those are the roach rules). Another rule: The bugs had to come out alive. They did. He now eagerly awaits word from Guinness.

Put on Your Thinking Cap - Headgear That Could Unlock the Hidden Genius in You

Scientists have developed new stimulating headgear that could unlock the hidden genius in you...

They say the spark of genius lurks within all of us. Now, a group of researchers is developing a “thinking cap” that can make the notion a reality and unlock the potential of the brain. The revolutionary device works by switching on and off certain sections of the brain, thereby unlocking its hidden potential.

Wearing the hairnet-like cap for a few minutes improved artistic ability and proofreading skills, trials found.

Once perfected, the device could be marketed as a cap slipped on to boost creativity and intellectual capacity. The technique is based on research into savants – people like the character played by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rainman, who have extraordinary abilities as well as severe mental disability.

The cap can reproduce the same affect by careful targeting of the magnetic pulses allows over or under-active parts of the brain to be calmed down or jump-started.

Professor Allan Snyder at Sydney University believes the experiments show that we all have hidden talents, but we just have trouble tapping into them.

“I believe that each of us has, within us, non-conscious machinery which can do extraordinary art, extraordinary memory and extraordinary mathematical calculations,” he said.

“We don’t normally access these skills because they are the machinery behind our daily lives and everything we do. “My theory is that there is a lot happening and maybe you could see it by shutting off that conscious part of the brain,” he added.

The researchers used a cap equipped with magnetic coil to zap the left side of the brain. This side generally sees the “bigger picture” and suppresses the detail-hoarding right side. In one experiment, volunteers were asked to draw a dog, horse or face from memory before and after being zapped for ten to 15 minutes. Four of the 11 volunteers produced more natural pictures after wearing the cap. And two also spotted more written mistakes in pieces of text that they’d overlooked earlier, the researchers said.

HOW IT WORKS
A cap containing a magnet that’s is connected to an electric current is placed on the head. The magnet – in the shape of an eight – is made up of a bundle of intertwined wires, and is located near the left ear.

The headgear generates tiny magnetic pulses that disturb the electric circuits on the left side of the brain, which is known to see the bigger picture. The stronger left side usually suppresses the detail-hoarding right side.

Since the right side remains undisturbed, details filed there come to the fore to create a burst of creative, mathematical, or other talent

Natalie Adler: The Woman Who Turns Blind 3 Days a Week

Open and shut case: Natalie Adler tries to cram as much as she can into her open eye days, which are marked in her diary months ahead

Melbourne: An Australian woman becomes blind for three days a week when her eyes clamp shut voluntarily for the period and she can't open them, a baffling medical condition according to experts.

Natalie Adler (21), who doctors believe may be the only person in the world with this condition, has been living with the extraordinary visual impairment for four years.

"My eyes are closed for three days and then open for three days," said Adler. "I go to bed and I can open my eyes, and then when I wake up the next day I can't," she explained adding, "Nobody knows why."

During 'closed eye days' her eyes are completely shut, except for a small slit in her left eye. On 'open eye days' they function normally, although the left eyelid sometimes droops. Adler tries to cram as much as she can into those good days, which are marked in her diary months ahead. "On my 18th birthday my eyes were closed but on my 21st they were open, so I had a party," she said.

The Pooch With Bionic Leg Worth Rs 8 Lakh in UK

LONDON: What do you call a dog whose one leg alone is worth over Rs 8 lakh? His owner Reg Walker — the man who spent this whopping sum on him — calls him Coal.

Coal is one of two animals in the world to be fitted with a unique bionic limb costing £10,000 (approx Rs 8,26,000), which was a result of groundbreaking research.

Last year, Coal had to have his left paw amputated after suffering from cancer. But when doctors told Walker that the eight-year-old American bulldog would have to be put down since his other limbs weren’t strong enough to carry his weight, he was determined to do all he could to save Coal.

Walker, a top security expert in the music industry, said: “When I found out about Coal I was gutted. He goes everywhere with me — he goes on tour, he's the only dog to have allowed into Live 8 and the only dog that has ever been backstage at the Royal Albert Hall.” The advanced prosthetic technique was used to help a victim of the 7/7 London bombings. Experts say it is the only implant in the world that allows skin and bone to grow into it. “It is the holy grail of research,” Vet Noel Fitzpatrick said to the Enfield Independent. “If you have an accident and your bone sticks out through your shin, skin will try to grow round it. People have been trying for this for years and years because with this we get an umbrella of skin attached to the metal.”

And while researchers are thrilled with this breakthrough, Coal and Walker are just happy to be together. “Now he has an absolutely normal quality of life, which he wouldn't have had before.”

The 90-Year-Old Who Has Cheated Death 14 Times!

The Lukiest man on Earth, Alec Alder survived four car crashes, three wartime bombings and even a plane crashing into his room.

LONDON: Alec Alder has survived car crashes, war-time bombing and has even walked away after a fighter jet smashed into the side of his house as he slept. Other escapes include a 15ft fall from a tree in 1926 and a close shave when he avoided being sent to Dunkirk in 1939 — where his whole squadron were killed. Now, the grandfather of six from Stroud says he must be the “luckiest fella alive” and is amazed he has made it to 90. The first of his near-death experie n c e s came as a 10-year-old, when he was hit by a car as he cycled down a narrow lane. Alder said, “I went around the corner and there was a car in front of me. I went straight into the car, up into the air and landed spread-eagle on the bonnet.” The driver turned out to be a doctor who was able to treat him at the scene and save his life.

Later, he managed to avoid getting wiped out in Dukirk during World Ward II. In 1942, he was taking part in military training exercises in Yorkshire, when he was run over by a tank. “It had gone over my foot when the engine stopped. If he had gone further, he would have killed me.”

Later that year, he survived a plane crash into his room. “It only missed my head by inches. The roof collapsed around me and the plane burst into flames and crashed into the garden,” he said.

Towards the end of the war, Alder was sent to Burma where he broke his leg playing football. He was sent to a hospital in India where a ward matron converted him to Christianity. He said, “She said, ‘You’re giving only five per cent of your time to God, but He wants a hundred per cent.’

ALEC’S 14 NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES
1926 Fell 15ft from a tree
1929 Collided head-on with a car and landed on the bonnet.
1939 Narrowly avoided death in Dunkirk as his company was changed due to his wedding
1940 Bombed as he guarded an airfield in Kent
1940 Bombed again
1942 A runaway tank’s engine stalled seconds before crushing him to death
1942 Almost hit by a plane that crashed into his room
1943 Avoided being destroyed after the engine on his ship cut out amidst German U-boats
1944 Threatened with being shot by a soldier in Burma
1944 Avoided being killed by the enemy in Burma after a fracture landed him in hospital
1945 Nearly sunk by a ferocious storm off Gibraltar
1947 Avoided being crushed in his car by a lorry
1977 Survived a head-on road collision because the other clipped the kerb.
1997 Nearly hit by doors that swung open on the lorry in front of him while driving

Cat Man: The Man Who Underwent Surgery to Look Like a Tiger

Dennis Avner works as a computer programmer

London: He has surgically pointed ears, sharpened teeth, implanted whiskers and tiger tattoos covering his entire body and face. Cat Man, whose real name is Dennis Avner (50), is an American computer programmer by day, and a feline by night. Dennis has devoted much of his life to transforming himself into a tiger and now likes to be known simply as Cat. Claiming he has the soul of a tiger, he even eats raw meat and climbs trees to feel more at one with his animal friends. Cat was in London to publicise the new Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museum. Cat has spent a fortune on changing his face and body into that of a cat, but doesn't regret it.

20 surgeries

He said, "My work began in 1985, when I had tattoo work on my face. Since then I have spent an uncalculated amount on my transformation to tiger, including around 20 operations on my face to recreate my upper lip, implant silicone in my cheeks and implants to enlarge my brow and forehead. "I also have several piercings that I can attach whiskers."

Double life

Cat lives a double life, being a human at work and a cat on weekends. He said, "During the day, I'm like any other man who works in an office. The only difference is I look like a cat. "My free time is when I behave like a tiger. I love climbing trees, but as I get older I'm finding that that's not an easy job." Having so far failed to find his perfect mate, Cat is still on the prowl for a woman to share his life with. He says, "I'm seeing a couple of women now. They understand that being a tiger is important to me, which is difficult for many women to cope with."

More Images of Cat Man Dennis Avner










Pictures of Cat Man-Dennis Avner

The World's Largest Pencil

This is a photograph of the World's Largest Pencil, a Castell 9000 located at Faber-Castell's facility in Malaysia near Kuala Lumpur. This pencil is nearly 65 feet tall and is housed in a glass enclosure. Completed in 2002, it is made from Malaysian lumber, fitted from small pieces tongue-and-groove fashion. Once the first half was built, a German-made polymer lead running the full length was inserted and the remainder was built, then sanded and finished. The project required over 7000 man-hours over a two year period to complete. The pencil is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest.

The previous record holder:- Is also from Faber-Castell, Germany. The Giant Grip 2001 Pencil is shown with Count Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell in front of the family castle at Stein near Nuremberg. It is triangular in shape, 12 m in length, weighing approximately 600 kg, and made of Weymouth Pine. The lead is genuine graphite about 12 cm in diameter.

Wow!!! A Car that Runs Solely on Water.

TOKYO: Tired of petrol prices rising daily at the pump? A Japanese company has invented an electric-powered, and environmentally-friendly car that it says runs solely on water.

Genepax said that a litre of any kind of water – rain, river or sea – is all you will need to get the engine going for about an hour at a speed of 80 km.

“The car will continue to run as long as you have a bottle of water to top up from time to time,” Genepax CEO Kiyoshi Hirasawa said. “It does not require you to build up an infrastructure to recharge your batteries, which is usually the case for most electric cars,” he added.

Once the water is poured into the tank at the back of the car, a generator breaks it down and uses it to create electrical power.

The company said that a proprietary unit splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen using a chemical reaction, which provides fuel for a hydrogen fuel cell to run the car.

It also insists that the new process produces hydrogen from water for a longer time than the existing method.

Genepax informed that power is generated by its Water Energy System (WES) by supplying water and air to the fuel and air electrodes, the system being similar to that of a standard fuel cell.

Its fuel cell system – the company added – has an output of 300W. Genepax has mounted this system in the luggage room of a compact electric vehicle ‘Reva’, manufactured by Takeoka Mini Car Products Co Ltd.

Now, Genepax is planning to provide 1kw-class generation systems for use in electric vehicles and for residential applications.

While the current production cost is about $18,522 (Rs 8 lakh approx), it is estimated to be reduced to $5,000 and even lower if the company succeeds in mass production. ANI

The invisible threat - We can’t live without them, but can we really live with them?

We can’t live without them, but can we really live with them? Find out how gadgets like mobiles and laptops could be seriously affecting our health.

It’s difficult to imagine life without the cellphone or the laptop. From being luxury gizmos earlier, they are almost human appendages now, attached to us 24x7. But are we paying a huge price for our dependence on such electronic items?





Recently, a Jawaharlal Nehru University pilot study found that 20 rats subject to mobile phone radiation had damaged DNA and low sperm count. And last week, the Union health ministry commissioned the first largescale study of the effects of radio frequency radiation from mobile phones on humans. With 250 million mobile phone subscribers currently in India, and many more using other appliances like television, computer, vacuum cleaner, microwave etc, the fear is that these ‘essentials’ of life may actually be posing a big health risk because of their electromagnetic fields (EMFs).

As such, research has not yet established anything definite about the impact of EMFs on the human body. They are everywhere, though we cannot sense them. Almost all electronic equipment have EMFs and we are constantly bombarded by the radiation from these fields. But then, not all EMFs have an impact. Only those with high frequencies —2mG (milliGauss) and above—cause the maximum harm. And these are usually found in appliances that we use on a daily basis—microwaves, cordless phones, computer monitors, fax machines, cellphones, cellphone towers, hair dryers and so on.

Cancer connection?

Various international studies have tried to establish the link between EMFs and some diseases. Doctors believe that constant exposure to high frequency EMFs leads to digestive disorders, fatigue, hypertension, insomnia, irritability, low blood pressure, infertility in males, cancer, neurological and cardiovascular problems. A Swedish study in 1993 demonstrated a 1.7 times higher risk of leukaemia in adults and a 2.7 times higher risk for childhood leukaemia from exposure to EMFs. A few years back, the California Department of Health Services concluded after a seven-year study that EMF exposure is a risk factor for childhood leukaemia.

The threat is real and omnipresent. Says oncologist Dr Ramananda Nadig, president, Health Care Global-Triesta Sciences, Bangalore, “Most, if not all, electrical appliances that emit EMFs, are harmful to a certain extent. While they may not be initiators of a malignant change, there is every likelihood that they promote/augment such a change. The more people are exposed, the greater the risk. That is why it’s important that we be cautious of EMFs.”

In recent years, experts hav been studying the impact of cellphones and cellphone towers on the h u m a n body, and the initial research results have not been too comforting. An Australian neurosurgeon of Indian origin, Dr Vini Khurana, recently published a research paper on the link between mobiles and brain cancer. He said using mobiles for over 10 years could more than double the risk of brain cancer. Mobile phone radiation, he says, could heat the side of the head or thermoelectrically interact with the brain, while Bluetooth devices and “unshielded” headsets could “convert the user’s head into an effective, potentially self-harming antenna”.

Similarly, cellphone towers are a cause of concern. A 2005 study by Gursatej Gandhi, a researcher in the Human Genetics Department, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, found that “exposure to radio frequency (RF) signals generated by the use of cellular phones has increased dramatically and is reported to affect physiological, neurological, cognitive and behavioural changes and to induce, initiate and promote carcinogenesis….”

Price of progress

Khurana admits that a link between mobiles and brain cancer has still not been definitely proven because mobiles have been in use only in the two decades and it takes years for solid tumours to form. Nevertheless, there is reason to be worried. Says Nadig, “There are currently over three billion cellphone users worldwide. In India, the numbers are equally big and they are growing by the day. We don’t realise it but holding the phone close to the brain regularly, increases our chances of brain tumour.” What is further worrying is the fact that children as young as three years are exposed to cellphones and their growing tissues are much more vulnerable to harmful radiation.Yet, most experts agree that the maximum harm is caused when the cellphone is used constantly and over a long period of time.

While cellphones can be monitored — they can be switched off or used on speaker mode — there is no way the mushrooming cellphone towers can be controlled. “The EMF generated from the tower is 24X7 and is of a much higher frequency. They are a huge threat,” says Ravinder Kohli, professor, centre for environment, Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Dr Howard W Fisher, a Toronto-based natural physician, has been vocal about the invisible threat to health from EMF radiation. And his concern is voiced in his bestselling books, The Invisible Threat series. “EMF radiation is a serious health risk and unfortunately, we are not aware of it. To spend 60 minutes in a wi-fi environment is equal to 20 minutes on a cellphone. If the EMF radiations can penetrate concrete walls and cellphones can work in basements, then there is no reason why they can’t penetrate human tissues,” reasons Fisher. On a recent visit to the country, he was alarmed by the number of power transmitters in residential areas and markets. They are dangerous, he says. “I was horrified to see children playing close to the transmitters. They have such powerful EMFs. I am sure people who live close to them would be suffering from irritation, fatigue and various other problems,” points out Fisher.

What is interesting is that the extent of the harm caused differs from individual to individual. Some people may be affected more, while it may take years for some others to develop a disease.
But not everybody feels that there is any reason to worry. Says Dr Anusheel Munshi, professor, radiation oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, “While too much exposure to EMFs is usually not good, till we have concrete proof of a correlation between cellphones and cancer, there is no cause for immediate alarm.” Besides, some people feel that a protective device, currently available in the market, can minimise the harmful rays. “The MRET polymer chip significantly reduces the damage caused by EMF,” informs Fisher.

Yet, the health risks from EMFs cannot be completely ruled out. There’s no escape from them in a world that is so dependent on all things electronic. Perhaps, what is required is some bit of caution.

A leopard tries to escape the rising level of water, due to rain

WISH I COULD FLY!

A leopard tries to escape the rising level of water, due to rain over the past 72 hours at the Zoological Park in Jamshedpur on Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The 70-year-old with the world's smallest waist - just 15 inches

Pensioner Cathie Jung has worn tight-fitting corsets for years to become the woman with the world's smallest waist.

The super-fit 70-year-old has a tiny waist which measures just 15in (38cm) - making her figure distinctly hourglass.

The Queen of Corsets, as she has aptly named herself, appears in the new edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

But the super-thin 70-year-old insists there is no, ahem, corset for concern. Grandmother Cathie is perfectly healthy despite having a midriff that can be reduced to the size of a large mayonnaise jar.

And having the smallest living person’s waistline has got her into the new edition of the Guinness Book Of Records. Cathie’s astonishing 39-15-39 figure is the result of spending the last 25 years laced into tight corsets, which only come off when she showers.

Cathie, from Manteo, North Carolina, reckons that while her corsets restrict her waist they don’t hold her back from everyday tasks. She said: “I do everything that I want to do. I eat fairly small meals but I prefer that at my age anyway. I find it tricky sitting in low chairs and sometimes in restaurants I have to sit on the high chairs at the bar.

“I even have a special swimming costume with a corset sewn in it, so I can still go to the beach. And I am still able to do housework — unfortunately!”

Cathie’s husband Bob is an orthopaedic surgeon and he reckons his wife’s unique look does her no harm.

She said: “Bob has carried out X-rays on me and says the corset actually helps support my spine. Everything in the midriff is flexible."

Wooden Sculpture Images

Cheat's Guide to Looking Thin ( ner )

Few secrets that will help you appear at least one size smaller

So you’ve worked out for six months, but still haven’t reached your target weight? Stylist Ekta Rajani shares her tricks-of-the-trade to help you hide the bulge and flaunt the assets. Ladies, queue-up shape-wise

PEAR-SHAPED

Your upper body isn’t much of a problem, but you’d like to take attention away from the hips and waist (to a lesser extent).

Rajani says:

• Try straight-cut jeans, but not tapered cigarette pants.

• In skirts, go for soft fabrics such as medium-weight crepes, lycra-blends, corduroys, etc, that fit well on the hips and fall gently away with only a hint of a flare.

• Sit the pants or skirts under the navel. Opt for clean waist-bands, sans pleats which add bulk.

• Widen the neckline of tops and kurtas with boat or cowl necks or off-shoulders.

Experiment with details such as dualtoned embroidery, gathers, smocking at the shoulders etc. These jazz up your outfit and draw attention upwards. • In dresses, the empire line camouflages hips. Choose a length based on your leg-shape. • Dress in different shades of the same colour family (such as blue and greens); too many coloured separates will only highlight the hips.

APPLE-SHAPED

If you have a heavier upper body, you’re apple-shaped. The waist and hips are your biggest problem and you need to lengthen your upper body and accentuate your lower body and legs.

Rajani says

• Cigarette or slim pants direct attention downwards to your more slender side. Keep the pants simple with no gathers, waistbands, pleats or pockets that direct attention to the waist.

• Try pencil-skirts which add length.

• Don’t buy over-sized tops and kurtas, yet ensure they aren’t figure hugging. Straight cuts are best. Your tops should end either just below the hip or at mid-hip level.

• V- necks, wide necks, surface details that run vertically elongate the neckline and make your torso look slimmer.

PLEASANTLY PLUMP

If you’re well-endowed all over. Don’t reject it; work with it.

Rajani says

• Stand in front of a mirror and be completely honest. Give yourself credit by identifying the areas could be accentuated. Now build a wardrobe that has individual pieces that enhance your focal point(s).

• Wear sleeveless shirts if you have well toned arms.

• Keep a clean well-fitting shoulder line to look leaner.

• Experiment with different printed fabrics for tops such as prints. In bottoms, opt for medium-weight fabrics.

• Accessorise by focusing only on one area. When wearing a beautiful necklace, let that be the centre of attention.

TIPS FOR EVERYONE

• While hem-lengths depend on the season, knee-length is a classic. Any woman, of any height, can carry it off.

• Invest in at least one great fitting, crisp shirt in white, black or just your favourite colour. • No outfit is complete without accessories. Every season, invest in at least two bags.

• Stop slouching and stand tall and you’ll make a great impression, irrespective of your body-type.

Most Amazing Paintings Done On Roads