_From the time she was a filled-out voluptuous screen siren in Himmatwala and Tohfa to the reed-thin diva shooting in the chilling winds of Central Park in New York earlier this week, Sridevi sure has come a long way.

Apparently, the reticent diva who is shooting for her first post-marriage film English Vinglish in New York has converted the entire cast and crew to organic food.

Says a source, "Sridevi is heavily into health food. She doesn't even touch anything fried oily or even cooked. She is completely into natural food. She was earlier crazy about South Indian food and couldn't do without her rice-rasam meals."

It was Boney Kapoor's recent health scare that converted Sridevi into a health-food fanatic. Apparently, Sri turned to organic food so that her husband too would start eating healthy after hospitalization.

And now she has converted the entire cast and crew of English Vinglish to organic food. Says a source from New York, "The unit consists of people from all over the world. There are people from Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea. They've all converted to organic food because of Sridevi."

The director Gauri Shinde's husband the film's producer R Balki confirmed, "It's an organic film. Everybody is eating only organic food. Sridevi is a salad woman. Organic to the core. Whether it's her acting or her diet, they are both fully natural."
Original Article 

_Amitabh Bachchan has expressed a desire to try his hand at farming someday. So has Aamir Khan. However, both of them have been beaten by Ajay Devgan. Ajay has six film releases in 2010 but one would never have guessed that besides acting what gets the actor's adrenaline pumping is farming.

His close associates say that the actor, who spends weekends at his Karjat farm house, has, for the last three years, been actively involved in farming.

On his 28-acre Devgan Farms, he is said to have approximately 4500 papaya trees, 2500 banana trees, 500-odd bora (green berries) trees, and he also has kesar and hapoos mango orchards.

News has it that for the last three seasons, the Devgan Farm mangoes have been winning the Best Mango prize at the Raigad Zilla Mango Competition.

Confirming the news Ajay says, "Well, I've always been keen on organic farming. We grow our own vegetables like brinjals (egg plant), ladies finger (bhendi), raddish (mooli) and even fresh tomatoes. If I'm not in Karjat, the vegetables are sent to me at my Juhu home. While I'm not involved in the day-to-day supervision of the farm (I have a full-fledged staff caring for it), I keep myself abreast with what happens here." He is happy that Karjat, in recent years, has been getting enough water for irrigation. And, he is also aware of which is the best season for the various vegetables and the fruits.

He modestly admits that it is indeed an honour to have picked up the award for the best mangoes three seasons in a row. "This year the mango trees have just started to flower," says the actor. "We'll have a late start to the mango season. The kesar fruit should come in April, while the Alphonso will come in May."

Reacting to a news item about a Ratnagiri farmer selling a single Alphonso at an exorbitant Rs 333 for export to Australia, the actor says that he also has plans to take mango farming to the next level.

As of now, the papaya, the bananas and the berries from his farm are sold at the Vashi local market on a regular basis.

However, his mango crop is comparatively limited. Besides picking up awards at Raigad, the fruit is mainly for his home consumption. "I'm hopeful that soon we'll grow more mangoes,'' he says, "On the one hand, it is flattering that foreign countries are ready to pay such a high price for our mangoes. However, I'm worried that if we export all our mangoes, the locals may not get to enjoy the fruit."

Ajay is also involved in paddy farming-and even grows his own rice. He concludes, "What is really gratifying is that we use no artificial fertilizers. Everything is grown organically."

Original Article

_Bhaiyyu Maharaj has his headquarters in Indore, though he does not stay here always. He mainly tours Maharashtra for development of projects where he has numerous disciples and devotees who organize discourses on spiritual and practical ways of life.

People come to Bhaiyyu Maharaj both for material as well as spiritual blessings; his disciples come from all strata of society. He has developed a scientific, psycho-philosophy and a system of practical discipline for physical, mental and spiritual development. His theory focuses more on strengthening the good rather than destroying evil. He says, “As the intensity of virtue and righteousness ascends, the intensity of evil has to descend.

Bhaiyyu Maharaj is continuously motivating farmers to go organic, also distributed organic Seeds in several villages.
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_ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Promotes ORGANIC Farming!A PLEDGE taken by thousands to practice organic farming marked the Art of Living Founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s visit to Gadag on February 2, 2011. 108 farmers were felicitated by Sri Sri for their commendable work for using organic methods of farming. Titled ‘Hasirotsava’, Sri Sri’s visit to Gadag on February 2, was to inspire farmers to pledge and support a vision of a poison-free land, food and water. He inaugurated Art of Living’s first agriculture college in Harthi, offering a Diploma in Organic Farming, certified by IGNOU.

“Our country is a country of farmers, if the farmer is happy the country is happy. The youth along with the experienced will come together in our Agriculture College in Harthi. Our sole purpose is to make our youth grow as farmers and become the wealth of our nation.” said Sri Sri.

Citing that the world needed to learn human values from India, Sri Sri added, “It is Indian villages which stand for and personify human values. This is what our country has to offer to the world.”

During his tour of North Karnataka, Sri Sri addressed a cross-section of people in public interactions, seminars, and satsangs.
On February 3, 2011, Sri Sri visited Bagalkot where he inaugurated a ‘Farmers Resource Centre’ to help farmers develop their own resources, manage their land, income and become self –reliant.

In Bellary, Sri Sri inaugurated a seminar on ‘Business and Spirituality’ organized by the Chamber of Commerce. The event was attended by industrialists, traders, doctors and lawyers. Later, he led a satsang attended by thousands.

Inspired by Sri Sri’s vision of creating a stress free and a violence free society, the Art of Living through its various service initiatives & stress-elimination programs in villages, slums, prisons, flood affected areas have touched the lives of thousands of people. Through, the Divine Karnataka Project (DKP), the organization has been working with women and children in urban slums and rural areas.

More than 1,204 villages have been transformed with Art of Living’s various developmental projects. 561 Self Help Groups have been established and 560 toilets have been built. Over 800 women have undergone training in tailoring. Under the Vidya Shilpa Program, 206 government schools have been selected for providing holistic education and 1, 20,000 children have benefited from Art of Living’s stress-elimination programs.

_A group of students from a Delhi school Wednesday moved the high court, seeking a ban on sale of junk food in and around educational institutes. The court has asked the government to file reply by January 4.
MOVE HC The court had earlier slammed Centre for delay in enforcing the ban

NEW DELHI: On Wednesday, a group of school students joined the growing lobby demanding ban on the sale of junk food in schools and college canteens across the country. “Uncontrolled consumption of junk food and beverages is leading to obesity... Does the fundamental right of an individual or a group to engage in an economic activity allow him to harm the lives of others?“ asked the petition filed by 10 students of Father Agnel School. They also submitted postcards to the bench headed by Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri. The court has sought the Centre's reply by January 4.

Earlier, the court had slammed the Centre for delaying its action-taken report on steps taken to ban the sale of junk food. The Centre was asked to immediately enforce the ban.

“We do not need lip service. We want the government to take effective steps to ensure that the sale and supply of junk food is banned near educational institutions and file an action-taken report by November 2,“ the Centre was told on October 5.

The court, at that time, had been reacting to the affidavit filed by the Centre, which merely said that the health ministry “has written“ to all state health ministers to “consider“ the withdrawal of carbonated beverages and junk food from school and college canteens.

The court is hearing a PIL seeking a ban on the sale of junk food within 1,500 feet radius of schools. Petitioners Rahul Verma and lawyer Rakesh Prabhakar of NGO Uday Foundation told the court: “On one hand, children are taught about good nutrition... On the other hand, we continue to make junk food available to them.“

The petitioners said their nationwide November 2010 survey had revealed that most schools allow easy access to junk food to children in their canteens and shops nearby.
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_BANGALORE: A green revolution will soon happen in government schools where the students will grow organic vegetables in their backyard, to be later used to prepare their own mid-day meals.

To be introduced in ten government schools in South Bangalore on a pilot basis, the concept is an initiative of the organic community in the city for the New Year. Starting from January, the group will gradually spread out to the other shortlisted schools through the year.

"The feasibility report including its cost-effectiveness is being looked into now. Once the logistics are worked out, we will approach corporate houses for funding," said Dr B N Viswanath, the man who is spearheading the green movement.

In schools, growing vegetables organically would be an activity of the eco -club members. "It can be introduced as another hobby class for children. Depending on the space the respective schools allot to start the vegetable farm, we can involve around 15 children to work with us in growing the organic produce," said Viswanath.

Schools say it would be good both economically and ecologically to start growing organic vegetables on their own.

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