Steve Jobs died with Bill Gates' letter by his bedside

LONDON,Jan31,2012: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates wrote Steve Jobs a letter as he was dying, which ended up meaning so much to the Apple's visionary co-founder that he kept it next to his bed, it has emerged.Gates and Jobs had reportedly locked horns throughout their careers as Microsoft picked up the pace, with Apple initially lagging behind.In a biography published after his death in October, Jobs branded Gates an 'unimaginative' person who 'ripped off' other people's ideas'.But in a recent interview, former Microsoft CEO shot down these claims, and praised the creator of the iPhone and iPad, The Telegraph reports."Steve was an incredible genius who contributed immensely to the field I was in. We had periods, like the early Macintosh, when we had more people working on it than they did. And then we were competitors," the paper quoted Gates, as saying."The personal computers I worked on had a vastly higher [market] share than Apple until really the last five or six years, where Steve's very good work on the Mac and on iPhones and iPads did extremely well. It's quite an achievement, and we enjoyed each [other's work]," he said."He spent a lot of his time competing with me. There are lots of times when Steve said [critical] things about me. If you took the more harsh examples, you could get quite a litany," he added.
A few months before Jobs passed away, Gates visited him at his home, where they spoke for hours about the past and the future.He later wrote Jobs a letter telling, "how he should feel great about what he had done and the company he had built. "I wrote about his kids, whom I had got to know," Gates said.
After Jobs's death, Gates received a phone call from his wife, Laurene saying Jobs appreciated his letter.
"Look, this biography really doesn't paint a picture of the mutual respect you had.' And she said he'd appreciated my letter and kept it by his bed," Laurene told Gates.

India’s ruling party eyes gains in northern state polls

BANUR( India),Jan30 , 2012(Reuters):  Millions of Indians went to the polls on Monday in two northern states where the country’s ruling Congress party hopes to regain momentum after a year when its reputation was battered by corruption scandals and a slowing economy.Congress is aiming to wrest back control of Punjab and Uttarakhand states, which are ruled by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, as part of a series of elections in five states that end in early March. A good showing in all five would be a huge boost for Rahul Gandhi, the scion of India’s most powerful political dynasty, who has campaigned actively for Congress. The son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, Gandhi is considered likely to take over from the current prime minister, Manmohan Singh, but the timing is not clear. A positive result may also provide breathing space for Singh’s government in New Delhi after a year in which Congress saw policies derailed by opposition protests and its own allies, including a reform to allow majority foreign ownership of supermarkets. Punjab, especially, is seen as Congress’s for the taking. Ruled by an alliance of the local Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) party and the BJP, the state has not returned an incumbent administration to power for decades. Punjab’s economic growth has lagged and industrial development has stuttered. “Congress expects to do well, and it probably will,” said political analyst Amulya Ganguli. “And that will give it a big boost at a time when it is very down and out, with the economy slowing down, the government being accused of policy paralysis.” “Nothing succeeds like success,” he said. In both Punjab and Uttarakhand, the Congress party has attacked its opponents on economic performance and on state corruption scandals — issues that have sapped the ruling party’s support at the national level. India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh, goes to the polls from next week and while Congress’s chances there are not clear, it is expected to make gains from the last state election.
Free bikes and booze
In Punjab, people were wapped in shawls and scarves to ward off the January chill as they voted after weeks of campaigning where parties promised to continue subsidy schemes that have plunged the state into deep debt. Punjabis were also offered cash and free liquor on the campaign trail, according to several media reports. “With the state facing a ($16 billion) deficit, it is surprising how the political parties are announcing bonanzas, to every section of the people, from bicycles to girl students to sports kits for gyms,” the Pioneer newspaper said in a recent editorial.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Punjab was a rare Indian success story. A star of the country’s Green Revolution - an extensive farm reform programme credited with ending famine in the country - Punjab drove growth at a time when India was throttled by the “Licence Raj”, an all-pervading system of permits and quotas.
But after reforms in 1991 unleashed a boom in Asia’s third-largest economy, Punjab was unable to capitalise, its industry hobbled by power shortages and soaring land prices.
“Congress should be able to form the next government as the people are fed up with the Akali-BJP government,” said Naseeb Singh, 70, a farmer who voted in Banur, a small town about 25 km (15 miles) from the state capital, Chandigarh.
A spokesman for the Shiromani Akali Dal party told Reuters last week that Punjab would become India’s most investor-friendly state once major power projects bore fruit.
In Uttarakhand, a Himalayan state bordering China and Nepal, Congress sought to capitalise on corruption allegations levelled against the former chief minister, whom the BJP hastily replaced ahead of the election. His successor is B.C. Khanduri.
“The clean image of Khanduri is a positive factor for the BJP ... though the Congress has a slight edge,” said A.K. Chandel, a restaurant owner in the state capital, Dehradun.

Florida highway pileup kills at least 10 people

  GAINESVILLE,Jan30, 2012(AP): A long line of cars and trucks collided one after another early Sunday on a dark Florida highway so shrouded in haze and smoke that drivers were instantly blinded. At least 10 people were killed.When rescuers first arrived, they could only listen for screams and moans because the poor visibility made it difficult to find victims in wreckage that was strewn for nearly a mile (two kilometers), police said. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup south of Gainesville on Interstate 75, which had been closed for a time before the accidents because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire that may have been intentionally set. At least a dozen cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flames. Steven R. Camps of Gainesville said he and some friends were driving home several hours before dawn when they were drawn into the pileup.
“You could hear cars hitting each other. People were crying. People were screaming. It was crazy,” he said. “If I could give you an idea of what it looked like, I would say it looked like the end of world.” Photographs of the scene taken hours later revealed an aftermath that resembled a Hollywood disaster movie. Twisted, burned-out vehicles were scattered across the pavement, with smoke still rising from the wreckage. Cars appeared to have smashed into the big rigs and, in one case, a motor home. Some cars were crushed beneath the heavier trucks. Reporters who were allowed to view the site saw bodies still inside a burned-out Grand Prix. One tractor-trailer was burned down to its skeleton, charred pages of books and magazines in its cargo area. And the tires of every vehicle had burned away, leaving only steel belts.
Before Camps hit the fog bank, a friend who was driving ahead of him in a separate vehicle called to warn of the road conditions. The friend said he had just seen an accident and warned Camps to be careful as he approached the Paynes Prairie area just south of Gainesville. A short time later, Camps said, traffic stopped along the northbound lanes. Camps said he began talking about the road conditions to a man in the car stopped next to them when another vehicle hit the man’s car. The man’s vehicle was crushed under a semi-truck stopped in front of them. Camps said his car was hit twice, but he and another friend were able to jump out. They took cover in the grass on the shoulder of the road. All around them, cars and trucks were on fire, and they could hear explosions as the vehicles burned. Authorities had not released the names of victims Sunday evening, but said one passenger car had four fatalities and a “tour bus-like” vehicle also was involved in the pileup. At least 18 people were taken to a hospital. All six lanes of the interstate — which runs virtually the entire length of Florida — were closed most of Sunday afternoon as investigators surveyed the site and firefighters put out the last of the flames. It was not clear when the highway would fully reopen because part of the road melted, police said.

NKorea’s young leader gets rock star treatment

 SEOUL(South Korea), Jan30, 2012(AP):  North Korea’s young new leader gets rock star treatment when he visits his troops — just as his father did. But while the late Kim Jong Il mostly stayed aloof in dark shades, his son holds hands and hugs his soldiers.Kim Jong Un seems to want to bond with his country’s people. The style harkens back to Kim Il Sung, his grandfather and revered founder of the country and ruling dynasty, and may reflect an attempt to turn a corner on the periods of hardship and famine under Kim Jong Il, analysts say. Kim Il Sung’s image as a daring young general fighting Japanese colonial troops is powerfully engraved in the minds of North Koreans. Cheers, applause and calls of “Hurrah!” greet Kim Jong Un as he examines the heating systems of soldiers’ quarters, the pressure of their water faucets, the books stacked in their libraries — even the taste of their food. The North Korean state media reports and video footage of such “guidance visits” provide rare windows into the personalities of North Korea’s leaders for outsiders and for the country’s people alike. Few North Koreans, for instance, even knew what the elder Kim’s voice sounded like, analysts say, despite his ruling for 17 years until his death Dec. 17. In visits made so far by Kim Jong Un, believed to be in his late 20s, North Korea specialists have detected more warmth in his approach than the dour tours made in recent years by Kim Jong Il. The younger Kim may be trying to emulate Kim Il Sung and move away from his father, who ruled during a famine in the mid- to late-1990s that killed hundreds of thousands, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea professor at Seoul’s Dongguk University. North Korea also has faced international condemnation and sanctions for its pursuit of nuclear weapons. “He’ll try to look comfortable among the masses. He’ll try to form an intimacy with the people, perhaps more than his father did,” Koh said. Imitating Kim Il Sung is a “positive for Kim Jong Un, because memories of his father Kim Jong Il aren’t very good among ordinary people,” Koh said. “People fondly remember the days of Kim Il Sung.” Kim Il Sung often was pictured surrounded by children, and Kim Jong Un resurrected that image during a recent visit to the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School. As children in military uniforms cheered and clapped, a documentary on state TV showed Kim embracing one child’s face with his hands. During lunch, Kim patted students in encouragement and watched with a grin as two women ladled out soup for students; he poured a drop of sauce on his thumb so he could taste it. His main emphasis, however, has been on military posts — with a half dozen such visits since the New Year. They seek to show citizens that their new leader is firmly in command of the country’s most important institution, its 1.2 million-strong military, and that he is loved and respected by young troops and elderly generals alike. While Kim Jong Il had two decades to prepare for leadership, Kim Jong Un was only publicly unveiled as heir in 2010, and outside observers have raised doubts about Kim Jong Un’s ability to lead a country locked in a nuclear standoff with its neighbors and Washington and with a history of attacking South Korea. Animosity is still high between the Koreas. Six decades after the Korean War, the peninsula remains in a state of war because the 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea to deter potential North Korean aggression.
Bloodshed spiked in 2010 when a South Korean warship exploded in disputed waters, killing 46. South Korea said the North torpedoed the warship; the North denied the allegation. North Korea also attacked a front-line South Korean island, killing four. Kim Jong Un clearly has made attempts to appear active and engaged with his soldiers, and this “helps raise troops’ morale and his profile,” said Kim Yeon-su, a North Korea expert at Korea National Defense University. “North Korea is telling its people that Kim Jong Un is capable of doing all these military activities himself.” Kim Jong Un’s first reported military visit after his father’s death came on New Year’s Day. He appeared at ease, laughing and clapping, pulling officers close to give them words of advice, inspecting bunks and testing water faucets. State television has also played a documentary on Kim Jong Un meant to highlight his military experience, showing him in the cockpit of a tank, galloping by on horseback and poring over documents at night. Despite his youth, Kim Jong Un often plays the part of a solicitous father during his meticulously documented military tours. Wearing a dark overcoat similar to one Kim Il Sung favored as a young man or a light-colored parka like the one Kim Jong Il wore, he exchanges handshakes with cheering soldiers and takes group photos, often holding hands with the officers on either side of him. He asks about the soldiers’ warmth, their eating and sleeping arrangements, listens with apparent enjoyment to their musical performances, observes their “militant spirit of training,” offers guidance to officers and takes “care of the soldiers’ living as their real father would do,” according to state media. He even tastes their bean paste.

China boosts police presence in restless Xinjiang

BEIJING, Jan30, 2012(AP):  Thousands of additional police officers are being dispatched to combat religious extremism and other security concerns in China’s volatile, heavily Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang, state media reported Monday.Officials plan to recruit 8,000 officers to ensure every village in Xinjiang has at least one on patrol, the Xinhua News Agency said. Their primary tasks will be “security patrols, management of the migrant population and cracking down on illegal religious activities,” it said. The officers will be joined in their tasks by security guards and local militia, who are typically unarmed, Xinhua said. The beefing up of the police force is a sign of Beijing’s concern over unrest in Xinjiang, where long-simmering resentment against Chinese rule boiled over in 2009, when nearly 200 people were killed in fighting between native Uighurs and Han Chinese in the regional capital, Urumqi, according to the government. Dozens have been killed or wounded in recent months, and authorities have increasingly relied on overwhelming force and heavy-handed policing to control the situation. China has blamed overseas activists for what it described as organized terrorist attacks, specifically Pakistan-based militants affiliated with al-Qaida. Violence has also worsened in Tibetan areas to the south, following the self-immolations of Buddhist monks, nuns and former clergy. Police have fired into crowds of protesters, killing and wounding dozens, while barring outsiders from traveling to the area. Xinjiang regional spokeswoman Hou Hanmin confirmed to The Associated Press that the 8,000 officers were being recruited under a “one village, one officer” campaign. She said their main job would be to improve public services. The deployment also appears aimed at avoiding a Xinjiang crisis during a year that will see the start of a generational leadership transition in Beijing. Leading Xinjiang security official Xiong Xuanguo pledged earlier this month to strictly guard against “violent terrorism” and create a “harmonious social environment” ahead of the ruling Communist Party’s national congress due this fall, an event held once every five years. “Local authorities must further improve their capabilities for maintaining social stability and amplify the crackdown on religious extremist activities,” Xiong said. As with Tibetans, Xinjiang’s Uighurs have been angered by restrictions on cultural and religious life, as well as an influx of Han migrants they feel has left them economically marginalized in their own homelands.

Filmfare Awards: Rocking evening, great moments

In an evening of glitz and good cheer, the 57th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 were presented at the newly set up Reliance MediaWorks Studio in the sylvan environs of Film City. The nominations encompassed several films that had attempted to tread a fairly unbeaten path-Rockstar, The Dirty Picture, No One Killed Jessica, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Delhi Belly. As it turned out, Zindagi... cleared the course by winning seven trophies, followed by Rockstar with five and Delhi Belly with four. The Dirty Picture picked up three. Ranbir Kapoor's and Vidya Balan's bold attempt to break the mould they had been cast in all along and essay roles that had darker shades-he a troubled rock star and she an unapologetic sex bomb-paid off in the form of the Best Actor and Best Actress award for Rockstar and The Dirty Picture. Ranbir's turn got him a rare double whammy with the Critics' Award for Best Actor as well. Expectedly, Rockstar swept up three music awards too-Best Lyrics, Best Singer (Male) and Best Composer for A R Rahman.

The evening began with a musical tribute to Dev Anand, with Javed Ali of Coke Studio doing a version of Dil ka bhanwar, Aise na mujhe tum dekho and Khoya khoya chand. A ponytailed Shaan, accompanied by Leslie Lewis in a ponytail, stepped up with an ode to Shammi Kapoor with Baar baar dekho, Dil deke dekho and Badan pe sitare.

This year, the hosts were a mixed doubles pair of sorts. There was Shah Rukh minus his regular partner Saif, and Ranbir sans co-anchor Imran. Still, each new permutation and combination worked just as brightly. SRK and Ranbir dropped from an aerial harness and collided mid-air as sparks flew literally. SRK ribbed Ranbir, accusing him of overacting and saying that sons of great actors seldom matched up. Ably supported by Karan Johar , Ali Zafar and former Miss India Ankita Shorey, the duo made the audience crack up with their antics.

As always, the event drew an A-list of performers whose flamboyant acts lent glamour to the soiree. Apart from Shah Rukh Khan, there was Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, who each enacted a medley of their hit numbers. Having brought their long relationship out of wraps recently, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia, who are to get married on February 3, shortly also put up a spirited pre-nuptial tango that included a song from their forthcoming film Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya.

The hall resounded with applause when the Lifetime Achievement award was given to veteran actress Aruna Irani. Back in 1961, few would have thought that the toothy child star of Ganga Jumna, who so enthusiastically sang Insaaf ki dagar pe, would acquire pride of place in Hindi cinema as a talented actor and dancer. "I have spent 56 years in the industry and I am so happy to know that my work is respected and appreciated," she told TOI. "The charm of this award is very different from that which one gets for one role. It's rather like putting your marks in individual roles aside for the total marks of your career."

Circa 2011, a veritable annus horribilis as far as the arts and media world was concerned, saw the demise of an unusually high number of performers in the film world, from Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Jagjit Singh, Bhupen Hazarika and many others. They were remembered through an AV.

The sponsors for the event were: Title sponsor IDEA, associate sponsor PC Jeweller, telecast partner Sony Entertainment Television, partner Coca Cola, partner Maya Lifestyle, partner Club X, lifestyle partner Monarch Universal Lifescapes, outdoor partner Bright Outdoor Media, beverage partner Black Dog, multiplex partner Orienta Cine Advertising , trophy partner The Award Gallery, food partner BJN Banquets , water partner Bisleri, radio partner Radio Mirchi, English news channel partner Times Now, scripting and show direction Moranis & Soormas of Cineyug, venue partner Reliance Mediaworks Studios, partner T-Series , event consultants Oxygen Entertainment and event management Percept Dmark.

(The 57th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 will be telecast at 8.00 pm on Sunday, February 19 on Sony Entertainment Television)

Roll of HONOUR

BEST COSTUMES

NIHARIKA KHAN | The Dirty Picture

BEST SOUND DESIGN

NAKUL KAMTE | Don-2

BEST PRODUCTION/ART DIRECTION

SHASHANK TERE | Delhi Belly

BEST EDITING

HUZEFA LOKHANDWALA | Delhi Belly

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

CARLOS CATALON | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

BEST ACTION

ACTION CONCEPTS | Don-2

BEST BACKGROUND SCORE

RANJIT BAROT | Shaitan

BEST SFX

RED CHILLIES VFX | RA.One

BEST CHOREOGRAPHER

BOSCO-CAESAR | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

BEST DEBUTANT FEMALE

PARINEETI CHOPRA | Ladies V/s Ricky Bahl

BEST DEBUTANT MALE

VIDYUT JAMWAL | Force

BEST DEBUTANT DIRECTOR

ABHINAY DEO | Delhi Belly

RD BURMAN award for Upcoming talent in field of music

KRSNA | Tanu Weds Manu

PLAYBACK SINGER FEMALE

REKHA BHARADWAJ & USHA UTHUP | Darling (7 Khoon Maaf)

PLAYBACK SINGER MALE

MOHIT CHAUHAN | Jo Bhi Mein Kehna Chahoon-Rockstar

BEST LYRICS

IRSHAD KAMIL-NADAAN PARINDEY | Rockstar

BEST MUSIC

A R RAHMAN | Rockstar

IDEA SONY SCENE OF THE YEAR

The Dirty Picture

LIFE-TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

ARUNA IRANI

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE(FEMALE)

RANI MUKERJI | No one killed Jessica

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE(MALE)

FARHAN AKHTAR | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

BEST STORY

SANJAY CHOUHAN | I am Kalam

BEST SCREENPLAY

AKSHAT VERMA | Delhi Belly

BEST DIALOGUE

FARHAN AKHTAR | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

CRITICS' AWARD FOR BEST FILM

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

CRITICS' AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS

PRIYANKA CHOPRA | 7 Khoon Maaf

CRITICS' AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR

RANBIR KAPOOR | Rockstar

SPECIAL JURY CERTIFICATE FOR OUTSTANDING TALENT

PARTHO GUPTE | Stanley Ka Dabba

BEST DIRECTOR

ZOYA AKHTAR | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

BEST FILM

RITESH SIDHWANI, FARHAN AKHTAR | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE(FEMALE)

VIDYA BALAN | The Dirty Picture

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE(MALE)

RANBIR KAPOOR | Rockstar

12,000 birds spotted in Pobitora wildlife sanctuary

Morigaon (Assam-India),Jan30,2012: More than 12 thousand birds of 26 species have been spotted in Assam's Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary during a week-long census, Forest officials said today.The Assam Forest Department and prominent environmental organisation, 'Aarayank' conducted a week-long census which concluded today, Sanctuary's Ranger Mukul Tamuly said.The birds include about 5,000 migratory while the remaining 7,000 belonged to local species. The migratory birds include more than hundred Siberian cranes.The census was conducted by 40 people belonging to both the forest department and Aaranyak. The sanctuary is famed for the highest density of one-horned rhino per square kilometre.

Lift ban on 4 scientists: Nair to PMO

BANGALORE,Jan30,2012: Former Isro chairman Madhavan Nair late on Sunday said he has forwarded a representation to the PMO seeking revocation of the order banning four scientists from working for the Union government. The representation follows government's suggestion for the same as an attempt to soothe frayed nerves after it had penalized four Isro scientists for the Antrix-Devas contract.Madhavan Nair told TOI, "I've made a representation. I have stated in the representation the procedure of issuing such an order is not according to the procedures and norms of the government and hence it may be revoked." Earlier, the minister of state in the PMO, V Narayanswamy, who has come in for criticizm for his statement that the action against Isro scientists is a warning to the scientific community, struck a conciliatory note, "We are ready to consider representation from the scientists."Narayanswamy had said, "Mr Nair and other scientists have helped develop the country. They have been instrumental in not only launching satellites, but taking us to the moon through Chandrayaan-1. It's because of them that we reached the sixth place in space in the world. We do not want to create a situation where scientists are demoralized." Nair, responding to Narayanswamy's remarks, said, "If what the minister has said about us is true, that we are highly reputed scientists and that we have contributed to the nation's space development and taken India to the moon, then I welcome it and appreciate the same."I urge that the PMO immediately call for the corresponding file and issue a directive revoking the ban order. Just as the government had stated in its order that it has asked a competent authority to issue orders to ban us from government work, I and my scientist colleagues urge the same government issue another directive asking the authority to withdraw the ban order immediately," he said.

North Korea to punish mobile phone users as 'war criminals'

LONDON,Jan30,2012: North Korea has warned its citizens against use of cell phones inside the country, saying anyone caught talking on mobiles would be branded as " war criminals" and punished accordingly, a media report said.North Korea has long relied on a total restriction of information to maintain control over its isolated citizenry, and in this crucial time of transition between late Kim Jong Il and his successor, Kim Jong Un, the state is clamping down on anyone using mobile phones, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported. This is apparently because of fears of possible discontent among people if they come to know about conditions outside North Korea from any report sent into the country by mobile phones, the report said.
There are also concerns in North Korea that reports about the popular uprisings in the Middle East last year which toppled long-ruling dictators in countries like Tunisia, Libya and Egypt could trigger unrest in the isolated nation.Moreover, the North Korean regime fears that any outside communication could assist anybody attempting to flee the country to reach South Korea, where an estimated 23,000 defectors have now settled, the report said.Meanwhile there are reports from within the isolated state that food supplies are again dwindling and that there has been an increase in the number of people attempting to cross the border into China.The North recently accepted private food aid from the South Korean "Korea Peace Foundation" even as they maintain military exercises and standing threats against their neighbour.

Sari cancer poses threat to women: Doctors

CHENNAI,Jan30,2012: The next time you drape a sari, you might want to re-tie that petticoat knot. According to an article in the November issue of the Journal of the Indian Medical Association, doctors at Grant Medical College in Mumbai have reported cases of what they are referring to as sari cancer. "We have treated three women for waist or sari cancer in the last couple of years," says author of the article Dr G D Bakhshi, who is an associate professor of surgery at Grant. He authored the piece with colleagues Dr Ashok D Borisa and Dr Mukund B Tayade. While two of the patients diagnosed a couple of years ago are mentioned in the article, the third was detected just three months ago. All the women were above the age of 40."The sari petticoat, if tied in the same place day after day, can cause chronic irritation along the waistline," says the report. "The constant irritation can result in scaling or pigmentation. But most sari-wearers don't notice it until it gets chronic," says Dr Bakhshi.He adds that women need to be cautious because waist dermatoses can turn malignant as it did in the case of the three women treated at GMC.Dr Bakhshi advises sariwearers to tie their petticoats looser or switch from the usual rope-like belt to broader ones that reduce pressure on the area. He also suggests that they keep changing the level at which they tie saris. "This kind of cancer does not really affect those wearing pants or belts because the pressure is spread over a larger area, unlike in the case of a petticoat nada or string," he says.Treatment depends on the stage at which the cancer has been diagnosed. "If detected early, it can be treated with reconstructive surgery. But if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes then we need to remove the malignancy," says Dr Bakhshi. He adds that if detected early the cancer is curable.Chennai-based dermatologist Dr Maya Vedamurthy says that around 3% of sari-wearers who come to her have waist dermatoses but she has not seen any cases where it has turned malignant. "The moment I notice it, I tell the patient to start wearing the nada a little looser or switch to a broader string," she says.Like sari cancer, there are several lifestyle-related cancers that are increasingly being seen in India, such as breast, ovarian and tobacco-related cancers. "There are many types of tobacco-related cancers from lung and stomach to bladder and pancreatic. The cancer is also lifestyle-related, caused by smoking as well as increased levels of pollution in the environment," says Dr T Rajkumar, professor and head of molecular oncology, Cancer Institute, Adyar.He says breast and ovarian cancer have similar lifestylerelated causes such as late childbirth, lack of exercise, and breastfeeding on the decline. "Working women tend to postpone the age at which they have their first child and going beyond 30 is risky. With ovarian cancer, risk factors include early menarche and late menopause," he says. Dr Rajkumar adds that colonic cancer, which is related to a low-fibre diet, is also on the rise world over.