Body basics

Enjoy reading wknd. and have a great weekend!

I remember, some years ago, a Bollywood movie called Tashan was released. In the run-up to Tashan actually hitting the screens, the 'big talk' was about how lead actress Kareena Kapoor had acquired a size-zero body - that would be 'revealed' in the film. Simultaneously, Kareena-who was always in great shape (okay, there may have been an occasional crib, from time to time, that her arms were too fleshy, but then, I like women with shapely arms, not sticks hanging from their sides) - had gone to town declaring she had reduced herself to size zero. Which means wafer thin; 30-22-32 is the inches definition of size zero: 30-inch chest, 22-inch waist and 32-inch hips. (I know Scarlett O'Hara had a waist spanning 16 inches, but she had corsets, and she used to make Mammy tie them up so tight she would often be close to passing out.) When Tashan finally released, I thought Kareena looked terrible. All skin and bones, and her face somehow managed to look well filled out, giving her a very lop-sided appearance. And she looked so nice and sexy in Asoka and Ajnabee-what had possessed her to want to look scrawny and depleted? It was probably the global onslaught of the body conscious brigade. Social media and online platforms are now advocating two extremes: you either push yourself to the extreme limit trying to cut down on every possible wad of fat (at times, make-believe fat), or just be comfortable in your skin (so you have seriously obese people posting photos of themselves chomping on a giant cheese burger and overdosing on mayo).
Being fit (and, by extension, looking good) should be fun; it shouldn't be an exercise in self-flagellation (or crazy self-indulgence). Learn more about the body conscious phenomenon in this issue. We all know that the home kitchen is where the culinary journey actually begins; but some how, we only bask in that knowledge and do nothing much. This week, we give you a primer on some of the stuff you can whip up in the kitchen - easily.have fun, save money, save a few trips to the grocery, the works. In other news,
Vidya Balan seems to have lost the plot-according to our Bollywood columnist Khalid Mohamed. Why is she picking roles that do no justice to her power house of talent? In Travel, we go to Dublin for the Blooms day festival.
Get the lowdown on shapes and sizes of eyebrows. All this and much more.
Enjoy reading wknd. and have a great weekend!