Striking a mind-body balance

The erstwhile ‘rubber-band', as she was dubbed in school thanks to her flexibility, Payal Gidwani-Tiwari feels elated for having been able to use her passion to help others attain physical and emotional fitness.


With her book From XL to XS, published by Random House India, being released recently, Payal talks about her tryst with yoga and fitness, how it has become a way of life and how it can change your life as well.


Tell us about your journey so far.

'Leaks has provided a target list for al-Qaeda'

The U.S. today termed as “deeply disturbing” the release of secret cables by WikiLeaks and said the whistleblower website was “inviting” terrorist attacks from groups like the al-Qaeda by making public documents about some of the key infrastructures projects across the globe.

“Without discussing any particular cable, the release of this kind of information gives a group like al-Qaeda a targeting list. This is why we have condemned WikiLeaks for what it has done,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton added that the release of documents possesses potential damage to U.S. friends and partners.

A(H1N1): officials asked to visit houses

The First Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday instructed the State government to issue a direction to officers of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Health Sub Centres to visit swine flu-affected houses and other houses to control the situation.







The Bench, comprising Chief Justice M. Yusuf Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, also wanted the government to provide all possible treatment to the 130 persons afflicted with swine flue and submit a report about the result of treatment.






“It is needless to say that the monitoring committee should continue to monitor the situation,” the Bench said after the State government submitted a report in the court on swine flue situation and steps taken by it to control the disease.

Tendulkar short-listed for three awards

 Maestro Sachin Tendulkar and dashing opener Virender Sehwag of India, along with South African batsman Hashim Amla and England off-spinner Graeme Swann, have been short-listed for the top honours at the LG ICC Awards 2010.







The votes have now been cast by the independent 25-person academy and one of the four players will receive the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of the Year at a glittering ceremony in Bangalore on October 6.






Tendulkar, Sehwag and Amla are also in the running for the Test Player of the Year award, alongside South Africa paceman Dale Steyn.






Tendulkar is in contention too for the ODI Player of the Year award with the Australian duo of Shane Watson (pace bowling all-rounder) and Ryan Harris (paceman) as well as South Africa's A.B. de Villiers (batsman).






The Twenty20 International Performance of the Year sees New Zealand's Brendon McCullum short-listed alongside Australia's Michael Hussey, Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene and South Africa's Ryan McLaren.






Player short-list (in alphabetical order): Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla (SA), Virender Sehwag (Ind), Graeme Swann (Eng), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind).






Test Player of the Year: Hashim Amla (SA), Virender Sehwag (Ind), Dale Steyn (SA), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind).






ODI Player of the Year: Ryan Harris (Aus), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), A.B. de Villiers (SA), Shane Watson (Aus).






Emerging Player: Umar Akmal (Pak), Steven Finn (Eng), Angelo Mathews (SL), Tim Paine (Aus).






Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate (Ned), Trent Johnson (Ire), Kevin O'Brien (Ire), Mohammed Shahzad (Afg).






Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Michael Hussey (Aus) for his 60 not out off 24 balls against Pakistan in the semifinal of the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in St. Lucia on May 14, Mahela Jayawardene (SL) for his 100 off 64 balls against Zimbabwe in Guyana on May 3 and his 98 not out off 56 balls against West Indies in Bridgetown on May 2010 both during the ICC World Twenty20 2010, Ryan McLaren (SA) for his five for 19 against the West Indies on May 19 in Antigua, Brendon McCullum (NZ) for his 116 not out off 56 balls against Australia in Christchurch, New Zealand on February 28.






Women's Cricketer of the Year: Katherine Brunt (Eng), Shelley Nitschke (Aus), Ellyse Perry (Aus), Stafanie Taylor (WI).






Umpire of the Year: Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Tony Hill, Simon Taufel.






Spirit of Cricket: India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe.

Infosys will never be the same after Murthy: Thomas Friedman

NEW DELHI: Thomas Friedman, Commentator and New York Times columnist said that IT bellwether, Infosys will never be the same after chief mentor and chairman Narayana Murthy retires from the company. Murthy said on August 10 that the company co-founded by him will get his suitable successor well in time before his retirement in August 2011. 

Friedman said, "Mr Murthy is a truly historic figure in Indian economics and politics. He and Nandan Nilekani and the other founders did a great thing. They showed Indians of this current generation just how much they could bring their talents to the global economic playing field and play not only as equals but as leaders with any other country in the world." 

Infosys' nominations committee has started the search for Murthy's successor, as the he would retire in August next year after he turns 65.