Holi Special - The Thandai Tradition

The Hindu festival of color and joy, Holi, is being celebrated in India on 22nd March 2008. This festival marks the begining of the Phagun and falls on the day of "Purnima" (full Moon).

This festival has a very ancient origin and it celebrates the truimph of "good" over "evil". On this day all the people rejoice and forget all their differences like cast, creed, skin color etc, to have fun, throw colors and distribute sweets to each other in greeting.

Amongst the various traditions that are followed in Holi is the tradition of "Thandai". This is a very refreshing and healthy drink that is savoured by one and all. It is also a very energetic drink and therefore when you are all exhausted after playing holi with each other and expending your energy in dumping your friends, and foe into the colored water pool, you will be able to get the instant energy that you will require to then run away from all those very people who you dumped into the pool! Sometimes, people even lace their thandai with Bhang (an intoxicating drink) and then get high on it. This, of course, helps to set the mood for singing and dancing and making merry.

Thandai is nothing but a cooling drink usually made of purified water, sugar, seeds of watermelon and muskmelon, almonds, lotus stem seeds, cashew nut, cardamom, saunf, rose-flower, white pepper, saffron and the very intoxicating bhang (which is optional).

This tradition of drinking Thandai is generally followed more in North India, especially in Benaras (UP), the home town of the Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan! There have been some very popular holi songs featuring this actor. Who can forget the Song "Rang Barse" from the hit film "Silsila" which was sung by the actor himself. Amitabh has been shown in this song having this traditional drink with Bhang and then singing and flirting merrily with his girlfriend (Rekha) right in front of his wife (Jaya). And, of course, everybody has a very big hangover the next day!

Thandai, as the name suggests, provides a cooling effect as the temperatures do go up in the North during this festival. This drink, when prepared at home, definitely tastes better than commercial preparations. You will find the best kinds in the Northern parts of India. These days this drink also is available in instant packs, which can be prepared easily.

If you are looking for a recipe to prepare Thandai at your home for this featival, then visit these links to the two ways of preparing this drink.

Thandai Recipe one:

http://www.holifestival.org/thandai-recipes.html

Thandai Recipe Two:

http://www.holifestival.org/holi-thandai-recipes.html

So, all you folks out there who are planning on celebrating this fun festival, don't forget to take this refreshing drink. Wish you all a very colorful and "Happy Holi". And in case, someone laces your drink with Bhang, then hope you recover from your hangover the next day! Have lots of fun....

Benefits Of Digital Media Terminals In Hospitals

Technology is advancing at a very rapid pace all around us in every field imaginable. It has touched our day to day lives in such a manner that we probably would feel totally lost without any of the gadgets that have become a way of life for millions of people worldwide. The hospital sector has also started to adapt this technological advance to its advantage in improving the overall performance, be it in the administration or patient health care. 

The modern hospitals are now looking into changing the hospital experience for patients and the medical teams by bringing “Digital Media Terminals” at the point of care. As more and more corporate hospitals are blooming all over the world, the cost of medical care is also rising along with the patients’ expectations. Patients are becoming ever more demanding in their desire to stay in touch with the outside world and also to be entertained during their stay in the hospital. To know more about this product you can visit this link:

http://www.lincor.com/

In order to fulfill these expectations, the hospitals are increasingly using technology to improve the quality of their services and make it as attractive and viable as possible. The use of digital media terminals at a patient’s bedside has potential benefits not only to the patients in the form of improved well being, but also to the hospital in terms of its productivity and patient safety. 

Benefit To the Patient:

By providing a bedside terminal to the patient, he can entertain himself and keep in touch with the outside world, thereby reducing the feeling of isolation and boredom, which will help in improving the patient’s well being and happiness with his stay in the hospital. This also helps the patients to recover quickly as they are content. The patients can also see educational films prepared by the physicians about their treatment, so as to help them in understanding it better.

Benefits To The Clinicians:

With the advances in technology, more and more hospitals have begun to link their IT systems together. By doing this they have improved the access to real-time information to the medical personnel thereby providing a secure personal access to patient information at a bedside terminal. Both doctors and nurses can now have up-to-date notes for the correct patient thereby reducing the chances of error due to misplaced notes, indecipherable handwriting on prescriptions or in the chart entry, thus providing faster and safer levels of care. Doing all this will not only improve the patient satisfaction but also will lead to an increase in the satisfaction of the employees.

Benefits To The Hospital:

The advance in technology within hospitals contributed towards an improved workflow processes which saved a lot of time and money, thereby not only improving the productivity of the hospital economy but also the productivity of the staff employed. The bedside terminal has proved to be a very important aspect for hospitals worldwide due to its efficiency in guaranteed access to clinical applications as and when required from any location. The doctors and nurses do not have to carry their mobile devices or laptops around the wards anymore. These devices can prove to be very cumbersome and also very unsafe, not to mention the fact that they can also be stolen. 

The bedside terminal can also be used to contribute towards the revenue of the hospital by providing services like the e-mail, Internet, movies on demand and quality TV which will surely be appealing to the patient if priced fairly.

To conclude, I would say that the digital media terminal benefits the patient by making him less isolated and happier, the doctor is more confident and satisfied, and the hospital is made safer and more productive.

Emergency Relief in Case Of a Toothache

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A toothache must be the most painful of all other kinds of pain that I can think of. The worst part of this symptom, or the toothache that I am talking about, is that it occurs usually in the middle of the night when everybody else is fast asleep! Yes, that includes your dentist and the chemist shops too, unless you are lucky enough to be staying close to one of the 24hrs open types. This toothache will either be a sharp, throbbing and continuous or a nagging kind of pain that just won’t fade away.

So, what can you do in this kind of an emergency? For, it is an emergency for you to get relief from that pain as soon as you can, so that you can at least go back to sleep and think of finally making that “fearful” and as yet much “postponed” trip to the DENTIST, that you didn’t want to in the first place!

Well, the first thing I would recommend you to do is something that you should have done much before you could get any pain, and that is stocking your medicine box with painkillers. If you have done that, then half your problems are solved. All you need is a strong painkiller that you can easily get ‘over the counter’ at the chemist. There are different kinds of painkillers that are available like: paracetamol, aspirin, dispirin, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid etc…

Now, before you start taking any medication, I would recommend you to follow these simple steps:

· Take warm water with a little salt in it and rinse out your mouth thoroughly so as to clean any debris or food particle that may be stuck in between your teeth and gums. You may add an antiseptic mouthwash to this water also if you have any. 

· Use floss, and or a toothpick if required to remove any particles that may be stuck in between the teeth.

· If this hasn’t taken care of the pain and it still persists then check yourself and see if you have any swelling intraorally or extraorally, (inside the mouth or outside the mouth in relation to the offending tooth) and or any discharge. Do you have any fever? If your answer is no to all the above questions then you are in a better position.

· If you have answered NO to the above questions then go ahead and take a painkiller. A paracetamol and ibuprofen combination would be best, as it would take care of pain and inflammation together.

However, if you do not have paracetamol and ibuprofen then you can take one tablet of any other painkiller like aspirin, or dispirin or mefenamic acid for the time being.

· Now, since a medicine takes some time to act, in the meantime you could try to apply some clove oil (eugenol) to the tooth in question. This gives instant relief. The other alternative to this is clove, which can be crushed and placed on the tooth. Bite on it for a few minutes. However, do not place anything like aspirin or clove between your gums and teeth, as it will burn the tissue.

· Another alternative is to simply keep water in your mouth; it gives relief to the toothache. (This is my personal experience) The water should not be hot or cold.

These simple steps should take care of your toothache till the morning when you can then rush to your dentist (which you must) for immediate treatment. The dentist can then prescribe the proper medicines and antibiotics if required, according to the condition of the tooth.

· In case you find that you have a swelling intraorally or extraorally along with fever then you can take the painkiller as mentioned above to relieve the pain and inflammation. You can also apply some ice to the affected area from outside for five to ten minutes, which will provide some relief. 

· However, DO NOT apply heat to the affected area as this will only exacerbate the condition even more and help in spreading the infection to deeper parts.

In this case, you probably have an abscess that needs to be drained and the tooth has to be extracted at the earliest. Therefore, visit the DENTIST in the morning as soon as possible so that he can prescribe antibiotics and appropriate painkillers and treat the abscess at the earliest.

*Pregnant women, and people who suffer from any other complications like asthma, heart problems or diabetes etc, need to be cautious about ANY medication that they take, and should consult with a doctor beforehand about such emergencies.

How to Prepare Your Child For Orthodontic Treatment And Braces

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In order to prepare your child for Orthodontic treatment it is necessary for you, most of all, to first know what is orthodontics and what is going to be done, so that you can then explain things in a much better manner to your child.

What is Orthodontics?

Orthodontics is that branch of dentistry that focuses on the development, prevention, and correction of irregularities of the teeth, bite, and jaws. Only a specialist can carry out an Orthodontic treatment. The problems that can be helped or minimized with proper orthodontic treatment are as follows:

· Misaligned, crooked, or crowded teeth

· Missing teeth

· Extra Teeth

· An Overbite

· An Under bite

· Misaligned or incorrect jaw position

· A disorder of the jaw joint

Orthodontic treatment is generally done when a child is between 10-14 years old. At this age a child has a mixed dentition, normally, which consist of both milk teeth and permanent teeth, which are just beginning or have already erupted in the oral cavity. At this stage, the growth, development and position of the permanent teeth can easily be intercepted to correct any irregularities that may be observed.

Types Of Orthodontic Appliances:

There are generally two types of appliances that can be used for treatment depending on the severity of the condition. 

· Fixed Orthodontic Appliances

· Removable Orthodontic Appliances

Removable orthodontic appliances are generally used only in mild cases of irregularities and consists of an acrylic plate with an orthodontic wire adapted to the teeth so as to apply pressure in the required area to either push or pull teeth inwards or outwards depending on the condition.

Fixed Orthodontic appliances, or Braces, are more complicated and have several components that need to be fixed on the teeth. The components of this kind of appliance are as follows:

· Brackets, metal or plastic, clear or tooth-colored, that are bonded to teeth

· Bands that wrap around the teeth - usually used in the back of the mouth

· Wires to move the teeth into the desired positions.

· Elastics, springs and other auxiliaries to aid in treatment

An Orthodontic Treatment Involves:

The child’s first appointment will involve a complete orthodontic evaluation by the specialist, which includes taking the necessary amount of X-rays and any other investigation that may be required. During this sitting you will find out if your child needs orthodontic braces or not. If your child requires braces then a second appointment is fixed where the preliminary procedures are carried out to prepare for the fitting of the braces. This involves taking any extra X-rays, Upper/Lower impressions of the teeth, photographs (before treatment record), which help the dentist to plan and decide the best course of treatment and the duration it may be required.

Depending on the type of orthodontic treatment needed, it may take several visits to prepare your child for orthodontic treatment and to put the braces on, after which, a return visit is needed every 4-8 weeks to adjust them and to monitor treatment.

Detailed instructions will be given on brushing, flossing and diet on the day your child has his/her braces put on.

Prepare Your Child For The Treatment:

Now that you know all the procedures that are going to be carried out, you need to start preparing your child for all the visits, one at a time. It may require several visits to prepare your child for braces. The most important aspect here is the psychological and emotional support that needs to be given so that your child is mentally ready to accept the challenges that he/she will face after the braces are on.

You need to be aware of the fact that once the braces have been fitted, it will be very uncomfortable and may also hurt a lot in the first few days as the child and the oral cavity adjusts to these new intrusions in the mouth. Therefore, you need to have a lot of patience and understanding of what your child will go through, not to mention the psychological discomfort that he/she faces when other children will tease him/her about the braces, which may take two to three years to remove. That’s a long time!

What you need to do is explain and discuss each step in detail to your child and help them overcome their anxieties one by one. Take one appointment at a time. Let them meet other people or children who are also undergoing similar treatments, so that they can see for themselves what it’s going to look like. Remind them, again and again, of the ultimate goal; that is to look good! You could show them the before and after pictures (there will be plenty of them available at the dentist’s office) of people who got similar braces.

If your child has expressed anxiety about any of the procedures at home, it would be best to let the dental staff know about it, so they can be extra patient or friendly to help alleviate these concerns in the appropriate manner. Last but not the least; listen to all of your child's concerns without prejudice. Be sympathetic and encouraging. Emphasize the positive outcome.

Oral healthcare and braces:

Once your child has the braces on, these are the precautions and healthcare needs that you will have to be diligent about.

# Make certain that your child is brushing his/her teeth carefully after every meal with fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush, as food becomes easily lodged in the braces. It is recommended that children hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle and brush along the gum line. Brushing often and properly, in addition to dental cleanings every six months, is important to reduce the risk of cavities and gingivitis (bleeding of swollen gums). 

# Make certain that your child is flossing daily between the teeth and the braces. Use floss threaders in conjunction with standard floss or super floss to help floss under and between brackets and wires.

# Maintain every six-month cleanings by your child's dentist or orthodontist, or as recommended. 

# Limit your child's sugar and starch intake, as debris left behind from these types of foods may turn into damaging acids, which may be harmful to teeth and gums and promote plaque formation.

# Avoid hard and/or sticky snacks that may be difficult to remove from the orthodontic equipment in your child's mouth. This includes foods such as popcorn, hard or soft candy, caramel, and/or nuts.

Childhood Diseases – What is Encopresis?

Childhood Diseases – What is Encopresis? 

Encopresis can also be termed as fecal incontinence, soiling, fecal soiling, retentive encopresis, nonretentive encopresis, feces, stool, and rectal distention.

As the name itself suggests, this condition, an Elimination Disorder, is characterized by bowel movements that occur in places other than the toilet. Elimination Disorders occur most commonly in children who have problem in going to the toilet for both defecating as well as urinating. The condition associated with defecating is called Encopresis. While it is common for young children to have occasional "accidents," there may be a problem if this behavior occurs repeatedly for longer than 3 months, particularly in children older than 5 years.

It can be quite a frustrating experience for the parents whose kids suffer from this disorder as the kids are generally beyond the age of toilet training (older than 4 years old) and frequently soil their underwear. Many parents may falsely assume that their kids are simply misbehaving or too lazy to go to the toilet when they get the urge. Children who are affected by this disorder are generally unfazed by these “accidents” which occur mostly during waking hours. Some children even try to hide their soiled underpants from their parents.

Sex: Clinical studies have shown that boys seem to have encopresis more often than girls. In most published series, approximately 80% of affected children were boys.

Symptoms Of Encopresis:

Other than the behavior of releasing waste in improper places, a child with encopresis may have additional symptoms, including:

· Loss of appetite

· Abdominal pain

· Loose, watery stools (bowel movements)

· Scratching or rubbing the anal area due to irritation from watery stools

· Decreased interest in physical activity

· Withdrawal from friends and family

· Secretive behavior associated with bowel movements.

· Most children with encopresis deny the urge to defecate associated with their soiling episodes.

· In most cases, soiling episodes occur during the daytime when the child is awake and active. Soiling at night is uncommon.

· As evidence of functional megacolon, many children with retentive encopresis intermittently pass extremely large bowel movements.

What Causes Encopresis?

The most common cause of encopresis can be attributed to a chronic (long term) constipation or the inability to release stools from the bowel. Constipation may occur due to any of the reasons including stress, not drinking enough water (dehydration makes the stools hard and difficult to pass), and pain caused by a sore in or near the anus.

As the stool builds up in the colon causing it to get stretched, the ability of the nerve endings to signal to the brain that it’s time for a bowel movement is diminished. If this condition is left untreated, not only will the soiling get worse, but the kids may also lose their appetites or complain of stomachache. A large, hard stool may also cause a tear in the skin around the anus that will leave blood on the stools, toilet paper or on the toilet. Constipation can also lead to wetting and urinary tract infections (UTI), which can also occur because the stretched colon puts pressure on the bladder.

Treatment:

If your child suffers from encopresis, humiliating or punishing him/her will only make matters worse. Instead, talk to your child's doctor, who can help you and your child through this challenging but treatable problem. 

And for more details about this medical condition visit this link:

http://www.medicinenet.com/encopresis/article.htm

What is Global Warming?

A Swedish chemist, Svante Arrhenius, was the first to describe Global warming and greenhouse effect in 1896. Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapour and methane are greenhouse gases released into the Earth’s atmosphere which help to trap heat and stop too much of it to escape into space. Without these gases, the Earth would not have been warm enough for us to live in.

The problem starts when too much of these greenhouse gases gets released into the atmosphere from human activities, which in turn causes too much heat to get trapped. One of the main causes of worry here is carbon dioxide pollution. The three main sources of Carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution in the atmosphere are: burning fossil fuel (coal and oil), cement manufacturing, and gas burning. Animals, forest fires, and other sources produce carbon dioxide naturally. But, fact remains that this natural production has been overtaken by transport, manufacturing and other such human activities. Therefore, simple equation is this: 

more Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases the amount of heat absorbed, and this leads to global warming.

Here are some facts regarding global warming:

The earth became 0.5 degree Centigrade warmer during the 20th century and a further rise of even a couple of degrees will damage its natural balance.

Polar ice caps will melt, sea levels will rise and many areas will be flooded.

Changing climates will also affect plants and animals, which might not be able to adapt quickly enough to new conditions.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star……Some Starry Facts!

Have you ever wondered why some stars twinkle? Stars seem to twinkle because we see them through the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere around the Earth distorts the light as it passes through it. This is the reason why the stars nearest the horizon appear to twinkle the most. The stars that are viewed from space do not twinkle. That is the reason why telescopes in space, such as the Hubble, give the best possible view of distant stars. Here are some more starry facts.

What is a star?

A star is a luminous body of gas, mostly hydrogen and helium. Stars can be seen with the naked eye or a telescope because they generate light.

Which is the brightest Star?

The brightest star (not counting the sun) as seen from the Earth is Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. This star is present in the constellation of Canis Major and has a diameter of 149,598,020 Km, which is more than 24 times brighter than the sun.

Another star, called Cygnus OB2 No 12 was discovered in the year 1992 in the galaxy very far from the Earth. This star may be the brightest star in the galaxy, as it is believed to be six million times as bright as our sun.

Which is the heaviest star?

A star in the large Magellanic Cloud called HDE 2698 10 has been discovered by the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope to be 190 times as heavy as our Sun.

Which is the largest star?

The M-class supergiant Betelgeuse, or Alpha Orionis is the largest star, which can be seen in the constellation of Orion. This star has a diameter of 700 million km, which is 500 times greater than that of the Sun.

Which is the nearest star?

The nearest star is the Proxima Centauri, which is about 4.22 light years away from the Earth. This star was discovered in 1915. 

What is a Supernova and Black Hole?

A supernova occurs when a whole star is blown up. The explosion that occurs is very bright. However, Supernovae are a rare occurrence and the last one to have been seen in our galaxy was in 1604 by a German astronomer, Johannes Kepler. 

In contrast, a Black hole is a star that has collapsed into itself. It has a surface gravity so powerful that nothing can escape from it.

Time To Remember Your Dentist Today

I must be the most lucky person in the world. Guess why? I am a Dentist, a Woman, and my Birthday falls on the 7th of March. Therefore, every year, I have a perfect excuse to celebrate all three days, 6th, 7th and 8th of March as important days! Wow, This is a great week!

Yes, its that time of the year when you should remember your dentist. 6th March is celebrated as Dentist's Day all over the world. Therefore, you need to boost your oral health and put in that extra effort to take care of your flashy smile. We all tend to forget the role a dentist plays in our lives. Why do we only remember the pain associated with a dentist's visit? Don't be afraid, instead think of the good things that come out of the visit!

Your dentist helps you in keeping your oral cavity and your teeth in a healthy state. He is the one who gives you that perfect smile that could get you places.

You could use this day as a perfect excuse to thank him/her for the great job that they do. Here are some examples:

* Pay the dentist a visit (take an appointment)

* Give him/her a card for this special occasion

* Start using dental floss daily

* Improving your daily dental care routine

* Showing off your great smile

There are some great sites on the internet which provide beautiful ecards for such occasions.

So, select the most appropriate card and send one to your dentist today...

Happy Dentist's day!

Why Do We Celebrate International Women’s Day?

The International Women’s day (IWD) is celebrated each year on 8th March. However, this year the IWD will be observed on the 6th March, 2008 at the United Nations. The theme for this year 2008 is: “Investing in Women and Girls”.

Introduction

On International Women’s Day the women are recognized for their achievements without regard to ethnic, national, linguistic, cultural, economic or political divisions all over the world and thus is a day that is celebrated in many countries all around the world. This is an occasion for us to look back on past struggles and accomplishments and for looking forward to untapped potential and opportunities awaiting future generations of women.

It was in 1975, that the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on 8th March. This was followed, two years later (Dec, 1977), by the General Assembly adopting a resolution that proclaimed a United Nations day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member states. This resolution recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development and urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women’s full and equal participation.

History

It was in the early twentieth century that International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labor movements in North America and across Europe.

1909: On 28 February, The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States, in honour of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.

1910: The Socialist International held a meeting in Copenhagen to establish an International Women's Day to honour the movement for women's rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women. This proposal had unanimous approval of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the Finnish Parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance.

1911: The Copenhagen initiative marked the International Women's Day for the first time (19 March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded women’s rights to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.

1913-1914: International Women's Day also became a mechanism for protesting World War I. As part of the peace movement, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with other activists.

1917: Against the backdrop of the war, women in Russia again chose to protest and strike for ‘Bread and Peace’ on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar). Four days later, the Czar abdicated and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote.

Since those early years, International Women's Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike.

The growing international women's movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women's rights and participation in the political and economic arenas. Increasingly, International Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

The United Nations and Gender Equality

The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic legacy of internationally agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.

Over the years, the UN and its technical agencies have promoted the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights. The empowerment of women continues to be a central feature of the UN’s efforts to address social, economic and political challenges across the globe.

*Source:
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/iwd/history.html

Phone Lines Now Open For The Greatest TV Game Show! Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?

Get ready for the greatest game show on Indian television so far, to be hosted by none other than ShahRukh Khan himself. The Game show in question is the Hindi version of the very popular American format of “Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader”, and will be titled “Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?”

Shah Rukh Khan has been chosen, quite appropriately, to host this show on Star Plus after his phenomenal success of hosting “Kaun Banega Crorepati?” He decided to be a part of this venture after he watched the original show, Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, with his kids and their friends at home. Khan, at this moment, has his plate full with cricket, movies and television. “I think I never left television. I began my career with TV and I owe my life to this medium,” he said. He will be hosting this show in a classroom environment.

Synergy Adlabs will produce the series in India, and Siddharth Basu will be helping with the development of the game format. This game was the most popular game show on Television last year and is already on air in around 50 countries.

About the Game Show:

The Game show has a simple format of asking grade school level questions to adults and with a prize money of 5 crore for Indian public. The exact format for the Indian version is yet unknown.

*However, the “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” game format in United states is like a game played by a single contestant who earns money by answering simple trivial question and go up the money ladder. The contestant is presented and entered in textbook for the grade level for the particular question. The question formats are some true/false or some questions to be answered without any options. Moving up the money ladder with each question a final question at each level moves them to the next level of the game show.

At any point of time contestant can quit the game show by seeing the question. But for final question the contestant have to quit after seeing the subject; if they agree to see the question then they have to answer it. Adding excitement to the game show are five “classmates” who secretly write their answer for each question and some times the host of the show creates tension in the mind of contestant by mismatching the answers of classmate and contestant. But classmates are there for the help of contestant. Contestant can choose one classmate to answer any two questions for him as help. And then a new classmate has to be selected.

The selected classmate provides two “cheats” and each can be used only once. The contestant can also “peek” at the classmate paper and can see the answer of selected classmates before they give their own (once contestant peek then they must have to answer). Also contestant has the facility to “copy” the classmate answer, once he copies the answer is automatically locked.

In addition to these a “save” option is provided to the contestant which is in the play once contestant give their first wrong answer. If classmate of the contestant has written the right answer then he can save the contestant otherwise contestant loses the game and wins nothing. Nothing means if they haven’t answered the first five questions correctly and reaches a safe first zone in money ladder.

The cheat is not allowed for the final question of every level. Once all the three cheats are used the classmate goes back to the group and contestant is left with no option of selecting another classmate. But to create tension in the environment classmates continue to write the answers. And before leaving the game show by quitting or answering incorrectly the contestant has to profess to the camera “I am not smarter than a fifth grader.”

Phone lines open tonight for “Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain!”

If you are eagerly waiting to participate in the biggest game show on Indian television, “Kya aap paanchvi pass se tez hain”, then wait NO MORE because the phone lines are open from today at 7 PM to participate in the 5 crore game show. All you need to do is answer simple questions that will be aired on Star Plus channel to participate in the show. For this, you need to tune in to Star Plus everyday from 7 pm onwards from today till the 13th of March, see the question and call the phone numbers given to participate. If your answer is correct then you may be the lucky one to get a call for the audition to the show.

The Terms and Conditions for the show are:

· You should be 18 years or above

· Keep watching STAR plus from tonight to 13th march

· Answer the simple question correctly

· Wait for your audition call

· Don’t forget to brush up on your old school text books

So all you folks out there, this should be easy? No? Rupees 5 Crore for answering simple questions! What could be easier than this! If you feel you have it in you to beat a Fifth Grader, then gear up for this one….