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As the diabesity epidemic in India gobbles up the population at a rocket rate,  MEENAKSHI RAO  looks at the efficacy of surgical interventions that are being coined as the best instruments of cure Indians, by tradition, consider surgical options as the last resort to treating any ailment. They view surgeons as that merciless breed of medics ready to cut into them at the drop of a prescription. But it is people like an obese Jaya (name changed) who came all the way from small-town Jhansi to Delhi and aggressively argued that she needed to be put to knife, who are changing perception. “She was 110 kg at a 5 feet height and not medically literate. But she just took three days to decide that she needed to undergo bariatric surgery. First day, she had lots of enquiries, the second day her tests and third day the operation. Today, she is 60 kg and cured of her diabesity,” Dr Anoop Misra, chairman, Fortis-CDOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology, Ne

Nowhere in the world will you find, within a short distance, three spectacular national parks, glistening golden beaches and turquoise crystal clear waters, alongside alpine meadows and snowy mountain ranges hanging over the Antarctic Circle but with cool weather.  MEENAKSHI RAO  takes you through this amazing geography Wine, art and wilderness one would think makes for strange bedfellows. But everything in Nelson is strange — it’s greens give a new definition to the colour of foliage, its oceans are just so stunningly aquamarine that you feel they are artificial, their wineries are so quaint that they look like homes you were deprived of in your childhood and its art is so outrageous, or should one say imaginative, that the blast of colours and the innovation tend to take your breath away — not just on canvas, also on glass. Combining all these three tenets of tourism is what Nelson sells as a package all its own, very becoming, very odd and yet very engaging. It does come with

New Zealand’s Bird Conservation story is a global talk point. Helmed by its Department of Conservation and pegged on a bulky budget, it has saved several species of exotic birds. MEENAKSHI RAO spoke to DOC’s senior advisor spokesperson Herb Christopher about this campaign. Excerpts of the interview: Bird conservation is a big project on which New Zealand prides itself. Where does it stand now and what more needs to be done? We need to put bird conservation in New Zealand into context. Humans have only been in here for about 1,000 years. Before that our island chain was inhabited only by terrestrial birds. It was mammal-free except for bats, and birds filled all niches filled by mammals on continental mainlands. Because of this New Zealand has a strong commitment to preserving the native species and their habitats. Bird conservation involves defending these natural inhabitants from invasive pests brought in by human settlers. The main introduced pests that have the greatest impact

In this pristine land of forests that New Zealand is, you would have thought that the hum of birds would be a given. But in around 200 years after humans arrived on this terrestrial birdland a 1,000 years ago, the winged population was all but wiped out. But today, the Kiwis lead the world’s biggest conservation campaign helping revive avian populations not just in their own country but in other beleaguered habitats around the world too. MEENAKSHI RAO brings you this amazing synergy between tourism and conservation which is the best told Kiwi story of success, pride & mass involvement Once upon a time in New Zealand, the mornings started with bird songs and the evenings brought in the swish of the winged population returning to its nests. There were more than 80 species of birds back then with some dating back to the age of dinosaurs and a couple somewhat same in size. Today, however, to be hearing a bird song is like a heavenly boon and spotting the bell bird or the black ro

MEENAKSHI RAO stepped into the southern hemisphere's most imaginative spot when she visited the Weta Cave Workshop at Wellington where, a bevy of animators, graphic designers and visual effects artists have created armies, built-up environments, prototyped alien guns, conceived characters and their costumes and given you films like Lord of the Rings,Hobbit, Avatar, King Kong, Narniaand District 9,among others As the crow flies, Wellington is 6709 miles away from Beverly Hills, California. But Hollywood’s biggest flights of fancy are stitched up all this distance away at the Weta Cave Workshop in a famous but quiet nook of New Zealand’s coolest little Capital.On first look, it’s a naive looking house — small, unpretentious, cushioned in a corner and nothing really that would catch your eye had those gigantic Trolls not been frolicking around in its side garden. You can’t believe it till you actually step inside this miniature house in a residential area a little away from the hu