“We are not makers of history. We are madeby history.”

Martin Luther King Jr, American Activist 03LIFESTYLE JEWELS OF INDIA

PICTURE PERFECT

CODE DECODE

Banana skin can reduceexam-related anxiety!

It’s difficult to not notice polki jewellerythese days, especiallyafter a slew of celebri-ty brides wore them

at their weddings. Even in-ternational artistes havebeen buying these prettyjewel pieces. Want to knowthe complete story of prettypolki? Here’s all, from itsdesign aesthetics to historyand more.

WHAT IS POLKI?Polki is uncut and unpol-ished diamond that is usedin its natural form, withoutany physical or chemicaltreatment. This gives the

stones an unfinishedlook that is natural

and raw, yet ele-gant. Given that

it’s diamond,the de-

mand for polki is high andthey are very expensive too.Sometimes polki jewelleryare heirloom pieces, passedfrom one generation to another.

THE HISTORYIt’s believed that theart of making polkijewellery was brought to India by the Mughals.Mughal emperors andqueens have been document-

ed to have worn polki in intricate designs. A notablefact about polki is that it re-quires a great amount ofskill and dedication, as eachpiece of jewellery takesdays to be completed.

HOW IS POLKI MADE?➤➤ Polki jewellery is madeby placing uncut diamondsin gold jewellery using goldfoils and lac. FYI, lac is a

natural resinsecreted by aninsect, knownas lac insect.To obtain lac,these insectsare culturedand the tech-nique is calledlac culture.

➤➤ Jadau – the Hindi wordfor ‘embedding’ – is oftenused to refer to this kind ofjewellery. The diamonds are

placed on a foil ofpure gold whichlends them a shinewhen they reflectlight. They are thenfused with the goldjewellery and fur-ther adorned withpearls and preciousstones like rubiesand tourmalinesthat make an inter-esting and beautifulcombination withthe uncut diamonds.

IS ‘POLKI’ THESAME AS‘KUNDAN’

JEWELLERY?No, they are differ-ent from each other.It’s sometimes as-

● The approx price of a polki choker is `4-15 lakhs, while an entire set can cost upto `3 crore, depending on the design, num-ber of stones and workmanship

sumed that polki and kundancan be used interchangeably tomean the same thing but itcouldn’t be further from truth.

The fact is that they are different from each other; polkiis made of uncut diamonds andkundan is made of glass stones.

C E L E B S W E A R I N G P R E T T Y P O L K I

Diamonds shine bright when uncut – yes,

that’s polki. To know more, read on…

➤ Aishwarya RaiBachchan loves polkijewellery and theactor wore it in manymemorable scenes ofthe movie ‘Devdas’

➤ DeepikaPadukone worepolki rings andbangles with polkidiamonds on herwedding day

➤ Asia’s richestman Mukesh andNita Ambani’sdaughter Isha Ambani wasseen in a polkijewellery set during one of herwedding functions

LIVE WELL

You are aware about the nutritionalpower of a banana but do you knowthat its skin is also great for health?A Taiwanese research team from

Chung Shan Medical University found that ba-nana-peel extract can reduce depression thanksto its mood-balancing hormone – serotonin.

How can you eat the skin?The research team advises boiling the peelfor 10 minutes and drinking the cooled wa-ter or putting it through a fruit juicer anddrinking the juice. If the skin is browned,use it too, as the bitter, starchy carbohy-drates in the peel turn to sugar once itbrowns, making it sweet-er. You can also add otherfruit juices to make it palat-able without losing any ofthe nutritional benefits.

➤ Students shouldtry drinking this concoction (given inthe main text) before

exams to reducetheir stress

and anxiety

levels

How to look freshin photosB

e it heat or the humidmonsoon season, tacklinggreasy skin is not an easytask. And, when it comes

to taking photos, looking sweatycan be a huge spoilsport. Look freshin your photos with these five easy-to-do tips:

Change your moisturiser

1First thing you can do ischange your moisturiser.Swap regular creams or mois-

turisers with gel-based ones. Theyare lightweight and absorb easilyinto your skin, keeping your skinhydrated yet non-greasy.

Use an oil-control face wash

2If your skin is too oily, you caninvest in a mild oil-controllingface wash. It helps in cleaning

up excess oil and minimises greasyshine on the T-zone, namely fore-head, nose, chin.

Use a face toner

3Once you wash your face, fol-low with a gentle toner. It willhelp to balance the skin’s pH

level and clear any product residueon the skin. Stay away from alco-hol-based toners, as they can makeyour skin oily.

Try mud masks

4You can indulge in mud masksonce a week. Face masks thatuse ingredients like clay and

multani mitti can control excess oiland reduce blackheads, acne, andimpurities on the skin.

Use blotting papers

5If you sweat excessively, thenyou must keep blotting papers(available in cosmetic stores)

handy. During the day, you can usethin papers to soak up extra greas-iness on the face. You can opt forface wipes too. TNN

Getting good pictures can be a task inhumid weather because of greasiness onface. Check these tips for cool clicks

“Unbelievable! Thebiggest pop star of ourera found chompingFrench Fries.” “Ex-

clusive first shots from Deepveer’s wed-ding!” These headlines about celebri-ty lives are often seen in the media with‘exclusive pics’ to substantiate theirclaims. These pictures are obtained byrelentless photographers known to theworld as ‘paparazzi.’

What is a paparazzi’s job? Paparazzi take photos of celebritiesand sell them to magazines andtabloids. Sometimes they are em-ployed by tabloids, at other times theyare working on a freelance basis fordifferent media agencies – tabloids,newspapers, websites, etc.

The first paparazzi was...Italian photographer Elio Sorci wasthe first paparazzo (singular of pa-parazzi). Hisclaim to famewas candid pic-tures of iconiccelebrities of the’60s. Sorci hadalso famouslyexposed the af-fair between ’60sstars – RichardBurton and Eliz-abeth Taylor.

How much do you knowabout the history,origin and otherdetails of the food youeat. Take this quiz andtest your knowledge

1. How many varieties of rose petalsare edible?A) 125 B) 150 C) 105

2. Which fruit can float on water?A) APPLE B) PEAR C) WATER CHESTNUT

3. Which is the only country namedafter a tree?A) PHILIPPINES B) INDIA C) BRAZIL

4. What is bounceberry more commonly known as?A) BLUEBERRY B) CRANBERRY C) CHERRY

5. In Germany and Sweden, whichvegetable is considered lucky, withmany eating it on New Year’s day?A) CABBAGE B) TOMATO C) ZUCCHINI

Taimur AAli KKhan — sonof movie star coupleSaif Ali Khan andKareena Kapoor Khan —is Indian paparazzi’sfavourite and his antics,from the toddler takinga stroll to waving byehave many takers.

In western countries like the US, UK, and also EU ,most paparazzis give their ‘Breaking News’ picsto a celebrity photo agency, which in turn sellsthem off to the highest bidder. A typical dealgives 60 per cent of the proceeds to the photog-rapher and 40 per cent to the middleman.

Origin of the word The term ‘paparazzi’was coined by filmmakerFederico Fellini whilemaking his film aboutthe lives of the sixtieselite – ‘La Dolce Vita’

In the film, WalterSantesso playedPaparazzo, a news photographer

Soon, the termpaparazzi became com-mon in Europe and lateracross the world too

FOOD QUIZ

ANSWERS

1. b) 150; 2. a) Apple; 3. c) Brazil; 4. b) Cranberry 5. a) Cabbage

Paparazzi...who?

Eli Sorci, paparazzi

The word paparazzi was used for the first time in the ’60s film – ’La Dolce Vita’

Polki earrings

Kundan Necklace

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1876: Thomas Edison received apatent for the mimeograph (methodof preparing autographic stencils forprinting).

1899: The refrigerator was patentedby AT Marshall.

1942: Mahatma Gandhi launched theQuit India Movement in Mumbai.

1945: The United Nations Charterwas signed by US President Truman.

1945: During World War II, theSoviet Union declared war on Japan.

1978: The US launched PioneerVenus II, which carried scientificprobes to study the atmosphere ofVenus.

1989: The space shuttle Columbiatook off from Cape Canaveral on asecret five-day military mission.

1991: The UN Security Councilapproved North and South Korea formembership.

1994: The first road link betweenIsrael and Jordan opened.

2014: The West African Ebola out-break was categorised as aninterna-tional concern by the WHO.

THIS DAY THAT YEARTELEVISION

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MUST DOAUGUST08, 2019

Compiled by PALLAVI SHANKAR