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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
St Xavier's to celebrate Eunice de Souza's birth anniversary as Poetry Day
MUMBAI 'In dreams, I hack you,' wrote Eunice de Souza and dismantled millennia of Indian mother worship. She knew what she was doing. The face on the cover of 'Fix' (Newground), her first book of poetry, stared out at me in the mezzanine floor of New & Secondhand Book Centre and illuminated the space with its peculiar mix of self-knowledge and challenge. Eunice Desouza - Taught English Literature at St. Xavier's College - HT Photo It was such a special and privileged time, those decades at the close of the twentieth century. Bombay was a nest of singing birds; and its colleges were particularly blessed. Eunice was at St Xavier's; Adil Jussawalla had taught there for a few years. Saleem Peeradina ran an Open-Air Classroom at Sophia College. Nissim Ezekiel was at the University of Bombay. Elphinstone College had Vasant Abhaji Dahake. Jai Hind had Popati Hiranandani and Arjun Shad. Prabodh Parikh was at Mithibai College. You could be walking down the road one day, as I was, and meet Gieve Patel with someone you did not immediately recognise. 'Hello,' Gieve said. 'This is A K Ramanujan and we're on our way to see Nissim Ezekiel.' I had work to do so I told AK how much I admired his work and hurried away. It was stupidity, I should have gone and witnessed this meeting. But we were spoiled by our anytime access to these poets. Late in her life, I met Eunice de Souza at her home. There were parrots, dogs, cigarette smoke and junglee tea. (She had a way of creating Bohemia in Kalina, just as Jussawalla in his later years made a patch of Cuffe Parade into Narnia.) I told her I wanted to do a long interview about her poems and that quintessential Bombay novel, 'Dangerlok' and perhaps something on the great acts of documentation and retrieval that represented so much of her post-retirement life. She exhaled plumes of smoke and said, 'Somehow the writing doesn't seem to matter much now.' I was shocked but I managed to ask: 'What does then?' 'The teaching,' she said. 'That mattered then, it matters still.' 'Isn't that sweet?' sighs writer and publisher Meher Marfatia who was her student. 'I remember her being a mesmerising presence in class. If I were ill or otherwise prevented from attending her class, I would be resentful, counting every lost minute. It wouldn't be about notes or anything like that. It was about how she taught.' Lawyer Reshad Forbes remembers Eunice de Souza for her ability to recite poetry. 'I went out and bought a cassette of T S Eliot reciting 'The Wasteland'. She made poetry come alive; she recited it in a way that was so compelling, you were drawn into the recitation, into the poem. She made it impossible for me to read poetry quietly; I have to read it aloud.' It was the age of the teacher who brought you to literature but it was also the age of the teacher whose tongue was savage. If Dr (Miss) Mehroo Jussawalla could strike you down with 'Gog and Magog, the guardians of the underworld', Dr (Miss) Homai Shroff would eviscerate you with, 'Plum puddings who have achieved mobility through some Darwinian mystery'. 'Stuck dogs,' Eunice would grit out between clenched teeth. She introduced us to Sangam poetry and to Dorothy Parker. She gave us the gift of Jane Austen but she also would savage us. 'This is not a waiting room where you bide your time for marriage,' she would say. And add, 'Learn Chinese cooking instead, it will help your marriage,' says Imran Ali Khan, writer and scholar. From the vantage point of Elphinstone College, we watched with awe the boundaryless behaviour of Jussawalla and de Souza who spent evenings with their students. We were sometimes invited to Baug-e Sara where Dr (Ms) Soonu Kapadia lived for lunch ('There's strawberry fool for afters!') but that was about as Bacchanalian as it got. No nights out, no dive crawling. No wonder Eunice de Souza clashed time and again with the Jesuits—Ali Khan remembers her lighting up under a No Smoking sign—but they must have known how much the divine discontent that fuelled her was working to their advantage. Eunice inaugurated a publishing programme which brought out books of poetry; she ran a literary festival 'Ithaka', named for a Cavafy poem rather than the fabl'd city, but most of all, she dusted off literature and made it exciting. It was no longer something you studied, it was something you became, it invaded your being and changed you completely. You could not walk out of her class without wanting to be someone else, something else. Your city was now a wasteland, your boli carried traces of her drawl, and perhaps she block-printed her sense of style (striking in red and black with a necklace of skulls) into you too. St Xavier's College has made a magnificent gesture in recognising her birthday and celebrating it as a day of poetry. In that, it pays real tribute to the poet, the editor, the columnist, the novelist but most of all to that alchemist of the interior, the teacher Eunice de Souza was. (St Xavier's College Library celebrates Eunice de Souza's birth anniversary on August 1 as 'Poetry Day'. Venue: Reference library, 2nd floor, St Xavier's College. Time: 3pm)
Scotsman
09-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Beauty editors top skincare picks from the Amazon Prime Day event
I'm a beauty editor and these are all the skincare products I'm buying in the Amazon Prime Day event | Canva This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. These are all the skincare products I'm adding to my Amazon basket before they sell out. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... As a beauty editor, my job is to try and test out the best skincare products so when Amazon Prime Day rolls around, I treat it like a mini shopping spree. It's the perfect time to restock my favourites and grab any beauty products I've not tried yet but had my eye on for a few weeks. Whether you're a skincare minimalist or maximalist, Prime Day is the perfect opportunity to upgrade your skincare routine. If you're looking to upgrade your routine with smart, science-backed picks, here are the Prime Day deals I'm adding straight to my cart now because trust me, the best beauty buys won't stay in stock for long. 1. Salmon DNA PDRN Pink Collagen Jelly Gel Mask Salmon DNA PDRN Pink Collagen Jelly Gel Mask | Amazon I'm a big fan of K-beauty innovations, and this collagen jelly mask is a serious glow-getter. Formulated with PDRN (a salmon DNA-derived molecule known for its regenerative powers), this cooling, jelly-textured mask deeply hydrates and promotes skin elasticity. 2. Nip + Fab Salicylic Fix Night Pads with Hyaluronic Acid Nip + Fab Salicylic Fix Night Pads with Hyaluronic Acid | Amazon These exfoliating pads are a staple in my skincare rotation. Packed with salicylic acid to clear pores and hyaluronic acid to keep skin hydrated, they help control breakouts without stripping the skin. I love using these a few times a week before bed to wake up with smoother, more refined skin. 3. Electric Face Massager Portable High Frequency Heat Massage for Lifting Electric Face Massager Portable High Frequency Heat Massage for Lifting | Amazon Let's be honest: facial tools can feel gimmicky, but this one actually works. It combines gentle heat with high-frequency vibrations to help depuff, lift, and sculpt the face. I use it with my favourite serum to enhance absorption and give myself a five-minute lymphatic massage. 4. Olay Vitamin C Brighten & Glow Amazon Vitamin C is a non-negotiable in my morning routine, and Olay's formula is a sleeper hit. It brightens dull skin, evens tone, and gives a healthy glow. I've tried luxury vitamin C serums at ten times the price, and this one holds its own. A great buy for glowy summer skin. 5. Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating 2% Salicylic Acid Face Scrub Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating 2% Salicylic Acid Face Scrub | Amazon Affordable, effective, and dermatologist-approved. This Neutrogena scrub is a must-have for congested skin. With 2% salicylic acid, it helps unclog pores and prevent future breakouts, while being gentle enough for regular use. It's especially helpful during the warmer months when oil and sweat levels spike. Natalie Dixon is NationalWorld's Lifestyle reporter . If you liked this article and want to read more about fashion, beauty and lifestyle you can follow Natalie Dixon on X here . You can also Get the best style and fashion news with Natalie Dixon in Tuesday's NationalWorld newsletter - sign up now
Scroll.in
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
‘Volcano': Eunice de Souza's poems invite deeper reflections despite their seemingly light surfaces
The first poem in Volcano, Eunice de Souza's collected poems, 'Catholic Mother', which appeared in her debut collection, Fix, lands like a quiet but devastating punch. Its brevity doesn't dilute its force. Instead, de Souza uses silence and subtlety to deliver a critique more potent than rhetoric. In 'Marriages Are Made', she lays out a cynical checklist for what constitutes a 'marriageable' woman, and the loaded title does not escape notice. 'Feeding the Poor at Christmas' and 'Sweet Sixteen' are fine examples of how she wields humour as both shield and sword. I recall reading 'Sweet Sixteen' a few years ago and marvelling at how de Souza turned adolescent innocence on its head, skewering societal expectations with piercing wit. Her endings, often abrupt, are like trapdoors – pulling the reader into deeper reflections beneath seemingly light surfaces. Fierce satire In 'Idyll,' barely 17 lines long, de Souza writes, 'When Goa was Goa / my grandfather says / the bandits came / over the mountains / to our village / only to splash / in cool springs / and visit Our Lady's Chapel.' This poem was published at a time when Goa was still a Union Territory. In his Introduction, Vidyan Ravinthiran writes that de Souza doesn't repeat but frames (critiques, palpates both diagnostically and cherishingly) the structure of anecdote. He goes on to explain how the word 'idyll' was originally, returning to Theocritus – not a pastoral heaven, but a poem about such a place, a literary genre. He draws attention to how another voice rises, ironical, impatient with the rose-tinting of the past, and serves as a resistance to the present mode, a mode of disapproval. In the poem, 'Mrs Hermione Gonsalves', through the monologue of a woman obsessed with her fading beauty and her dark-skinned husband, de Souza paints a portrait of racial and class prejudice. The poem's closing, almost comic in tone – where women flee from the sight of Mr Gonsalves, thinking the devil himself had arrived – is satire in its most unrepentant form. De Souza seeks neither sanction nor sympathy; her satire stands independent, fierce, and undiluted. We mustn't forget that, teaching as she did in Bombay University as early as 1969, de Souza occupied a unique space in a transforming India – one where educated, working women still had to navigate deeply entrenched patriarchal norms. In the poem 'My Students', she addresses this with characteristic humour. Ravinthiran observes how even his own students at Harvard University found her voice startlingly fresh and contemporary, despite its decades-old origins. Her poems repeatedly challenge religious piety and passive femininity. In 'Bequest', she turns the lens inward, revealing her vulnerability. She longs to be a 'wise woman,' smiling endlessly and emptily like a plastic flower. In all candour, she suggests that self-love must become an act of radical charity – bequeathing one's heart like a spare kidney, even to an enemy. The poem's startling self-awareness points to the deeper struggle: the real enemy is often within, and the absolution lies in confronting ourselves honestly. Unsentimental and pragmatic This leads one to question: Can de Souza's work be classified as confessional poetry? While I am against reading a poet's work as autobiography, it's difficult to ignore how her poems draw from fiercely individual insights. In the poem 'Advice to Women', one reads, 'Keep Cats / if you want to learn to cope with / the otherness of lovers. Otherness is not always neglect / Cats return to their litter trays / when they need to.' Stripped down of any emotional drama, this poem in its sane voice says how 'the stare of perpetual surprise / in those great green eyes / will teach you / to die alone.' One encounters her refusal to sentimentalise or philosophise unnecessarily. 'Forms without ache are futile,' she states in 'Otherness/Wise', quoting a painter friend, before admitting she'd rather it weren't so. The hard-to-miss image of de Souza, whom I have known only through her poems, is that of her gazing long to the light beyond the window, a parrot perched on her head. Therefore, a particularly vivid memory is piqued, reading her 2011 poem, 'Pahari Parrots' where, 'At the sight of Campari the parrots make / little weak-kneed noises / Toth pulls the glass one way / Tothi the other/both hang on when I pull / It's a regular bar-room brawl.' This balance between detachment and empathy, irony and affection, is what sets her poetry apart. Even in the face of loss and mortality, de Souza resists sentimentality. In 'Mid-Sentence', she peels down language to its core: 'Finis. Kaput. Dead.' It is blunt, almost jarring in its simplicity, particularly within the landscape of Indian English poetry, where death is often draped in spiritual abstraction. In 'My Mother Feared Death', she writes: 'Alive or dead, mothers are troubling / Mine came back and said, 'I'm lonely.'' It's an honest, unsentimental recognition of grief – painful, yes, but also clear-eyed and unsparing. Reading de Souza's poems is also deeply personal, reminding me of the conversations with my atheist father, who with his wise humour and sharp sarcasm pierced through pretences. Her poem 'Sacred River' offers a mundane, almost absurdist portrayal of a river visit, far from the ornamental spirituality often associated with prayer rituals at the ghats. One does not miss her empathy for animals. I am yet to come across a pregnant half-starved stray dog in a poem. She deploys language as easily as a shovel when she says 'a white man playing at being a sadhu/ top knot and all,' concluding 'nothing stops faith/ it will be heaven to get out of here.' Few poets have confronted romanticised symbols as bracingly as de Souza. Take, for instance, where she admonishes: 'Koel, stop those cries/ I can't take it this morning/ We'll survive somehow.' The line encapsulates so much of de Souza's ethos: unsentimental, pragmatic, and dryly humorous. Ravinthiran writes that de Souza's poems are essential to him for their tight technique, the speech rhythms in them that never cloy, but mostly for the push-and-pull they evince, outlining piecemeal, a personality pursuing an impracticable equilibrium. Melanie Silgardo, who had known de Souza for more than forty years, first as a student, then publisher and friend, says about de Souza's poems that 'she honed and whittled till she got to the nub of things. Her language was always precise, her cadence colloquial, her punctuation minimal, her ear exact.' Volcano prompts a reflection on the many silences – literary and personal – I've allowed to persist. Eunice de Souza's work doesn't ask for admiration; it demands attention. And in doing so, it reshapes how we think about truth, satire, womanhood, faith, and poetry itself. It is not without reason that one chances upon Arvind Krishna Mehrotra's 'Elegy for E': 'She's dead / you still dial her number / You dial Fix / You dial Dutch Painting / you dial Almond Leaf / It always connects / She always answers / The phone herself / How does she do it / Line after line?'
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Tired of pills? Harvard expert reveals natural diet tricks to crush bad cholesterol
In an age of over-the-counter quick fixes and pharmaceutical shortcuts, a group of experts from Harvard Medical School has brought the conversation back to basics—your kitchen. If you're battling high cholesterol levels, especially the LDL kind often dubbed 'bad' cholesterol, you may want to check your plate before your prescription. According to Harvard Health Publishing, small dietary changes can significantly lower LDL levels and improve heart health. The Fiber Fix: Soluble Secrets to Success As reported by The Mirror, at the heart of this natural remedy is something we often overlook- soluble fiber. Found in whole grains, oats, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, soluble fiber acts like a sponge in the digestive tract. It binds with cholesterol and flushes it out of the body before it enters the bloodstream. Kathy McManus, Director of Nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital, emphasized in her conversation with Harvard Health Publishing that what you eat is as crucial as your genes when it comes to managing cholesterol. Whole grains like traditional oatmeal (not the instant kind), brown rice, and barley are strongly recommended. 'Instead of refined flour and white rice, try whole-wheat flour and brown or wild rice,' the experts advised. These foods not only support cholesterol control but also offer sustained energy and improved digestion. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Tiger meeting her former zookeeper after 5 years. See what happens next! Story To Hear Undo iStock Whole grains like traditional oatmeal (not the instant kind), brown rice, and barley are strongly recommended to beat cholestrol. (Image: iStock) Don't Swap Fat for Sugar One common dietary blunder, McManus warns, is replacing fat with sugar in the quest for 'healthy' eating. This approach can backfire, potentially elevating triglycerides and undermining cardiovascular health. The message is clear: steer away from sugary substitutes and opt for naturally nutrient-dense options like lentils, chickpeas, and tofu. Add Color and Oil the Right Way UHSussex, in alignment with Harvard's findings, also noted that a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables is essential. Not only do these foods offer a broad spectrum of antioxidants, but they also contain plant-based proteins that are low in fat and high in fiber. When it comes to cooking oils, plant-based sources like olive, walnut, and flaxseed oil, along with omega-3-rich fish such as salmon, can play a pivotal role in managing LDL cholesterol. You Might Also Like: Harvard doctor's urgent advice: Throw these 3 items from your house immediately While lifestyle changes offer remarkable benefits, those with familial hypercholesterolemia—an inherited condition—may still require medication. However, even in these cases, diet remains a vital part of a comprehensive health strategy. 'Check with your doctor, but know that your fork can often be your first line of defense,' the Harvard team suggested. The Bigger Picture With heart disease and circulatory conditions responsible for nearly one in three adult deaths annually in the United States, the findings underscore the importance of preventative healthcare. As these experts emphasize, managing cholesterol isn't just about cutting things out—it's about thoughtfully adding in the right ingredients. Whether you're dealing with a recent diagnosis or simply aiming for a healthier lifestyle, it might be time to rediscover your spice rack and grain drawer. Sometimes, the answer to a healthier heart starts not in a pharmacy, but in your pantry. You Might Also Like: Harvard doctor warns: Get rid of these 3 common bedroom items before they secretly ruin your health
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
5 Japanese Cars That Will Have Massive Price Drops in the Summer of 2025
Americans looking for a deal on a Japanese car should keep a close eye on the market this summer. Several popular models are expected to see significant price drops, mainly due to inventory surpluses, model phase-outs, and shifting consumer preferences. According to Lauren Fix, automotive expert at Car Coach Reports, the summer of 2025 will be a prime time for buyers to negotiate aggressively and shop around for the best deals. Trending Now: Explore More: Best-Selling Cars report that the Japanese car market contracted 7.5% in 2024, with Toyota and Nissan facing tariffs and a shift toward hybrids over electric vehicles (EVs). Dealers will be motivated to clear out older inventory, especially in June and July, so buyers should be ready to take advantage of these rare opportunities. Here are five Japanese cars that are likely to have massive price drops in the coming months. The Nissan Z has long been a favorite among sports car fans, but the 2024 and 2025 models are facing new challenges. According to Car and Driver, the Z's retro styling and 400-horsepower engine make it a fun ride, yet it is still based on older 370Z underpinnings. The excitement that drove early markups has faded, and Nissan's Z sports car is already seeing some of the biggest discounts in years. With up to $4,000 off the 2024 model, the CarBuzz report shows this puts the price for a base Z close to $40,000, undercutting rivals like the Toyota Supra by a wide margin. Lauren Fix noted that the Z's popularity has led to market saturation, and dealers are eager to move current stock. She explained that competition from the Toyota Supra and upcoming electric sports cars is also pushing dealers to discount Z models even further. Check Out: Toyota's first electric SUV, the bZ4X, has struggled to compete with rivals like Tesla and Ford, leading to a major price cut for 2025. Car and Driver reported that the 2025 bZ4X XLE now starts at $38,465, a $6,000 drop compared to the previous year. Kelley Blue Book added that slow sales and excess inventory have pushed Toyota to offer shocking lease deals and free charging to entice buyers. Fix said that with Americans still preferring hybrids over full EVs, dealers are expected to keep offering discounts to move the bZ4X off lots this summer. Subaru is ending production of the Legacy sedan in spring 2025, after 36 years on the market, due to Americans shifting away from sedans toward SUVs and crossovers. Prices for the 2025 Legacy start at $24,895 and have held steady, but sales have dropped by 13% year-over-year, making it one of Subaru's slowest sellers. According to Carscoops, dealers are expected to offer aggressive deals to move the last of the inventory, especially as the final models arrive this summer. Fix said that discontinued models like the Legacy often see the steepest price drops as dealers make room for more popular SUVs. The Honda Passport is facing a major redesign for 2026, and the 2025 models are already being offered with deep discounts. CarsDirect found $3,400 in hidden savings on the 2025 Passport, thanks to dealer cash incentives and the need to clear out old stock. According to the 2025 Passport starts at $43,795, but buyers have a strong negotiating position as the new model arrives and the current version looks outdated. Fix explained that Americans who do not want to pay more for the redesigned 2026 Passport can find excellent deals on the outgoing model this summer. The Nissan Altima is being phased out, and that means big savings for Americans willing to buy before it disappears. According to RealCarTips, discounts of 5% to 6% off MSRP are already common, with the 2025 Altima SV FWD averaging $26,877 against a sticker price of $28,570. CarEdge's Zach Shefska told GOBankingRates that discontinued models almost always see deep summer discounts as dealers clear the last units. Lauren Fix also pointed out that new competitors and changing tastes are making the Altima an even better deal for shoppers this summer. More From GOBankingRates Clever Ways To Save Money That Actually Work in 2025 This article originally appeared on 5 Japanese Cars That Will Have Massive Price Drops in the Summer of 2025
