We have no right to pass comments on women like Aishwarya, who have gone through a hard time during pregnancy. So, please refrain from getting judgmental!
- lara dutta  a recently-held press conference

It's been just six months since Aishwarya rai Bachchan gave birth to a baby girl. Ever since patriarch amitab bachchan announced her pregnancy, to this day, Aishwarya has been at the receiving end of verbal remarks. And in most cases, it's been malicious. While the lady who is a regular at Cannes, is going about her business fulfilling her work-related commitments by visiting the French Riviera this year too, our self-styled 'fashionistas' have gone on a rampage, passing nasty comments on her weight gain.

Of late, our celeb-obsessed nation, has taken upon itself to make sure our stars 'represent our country' in the best 'fashion' possible. So, Ash's subsequent failure to shed weight post childbirth has not been taken too kindly. Apart from comments on social networking sites, one video, which has been viewed more than 50,000 times, shows before and after pictures of Ash accompanied by the sound of an elephant trumpeting.

Weight and watch
While artists like MF Hussain have successfully captured the ephemeral beauty and timeless grace of Indian women on canvas, Western cultural influences have ensured that the miracle of a newborn has been eclipsed by the miracle of getting back into your skinny jeans.
Former Mrs India turned fashion designer, Shilpa Reddy, is of the view that the inability to shed postpartum baby fat today has become a social taboo. "The comments on Ash are absolutely nasty and demeaning. It has become mandatory for women in showbiz these days to shed postpartum weight. It is unnatural." Not so long ago, Shilpa turned heads when she made public appearances looking gorgeous, months after the birth of her son. "I have always been into fitness and I'm genetically blessed. I don't put on too much weight. Shedding those extra kilos was not difficult for me. Every woman reacts differently to childbirth - some lose weight easily, others don't. But losing weight is the last thing on a mother's mind. All she cares about is the wellbeing of her child. Ditto with Ash. Give her some time, she'll bounce back. Till then, let her enjoy motherhood," says Reddy.

Curse of the double chin
For women in showbiz, there is intense pressure to stay gorgeous round the clock. One may not be talked about for their talent, but comments on looks are a sure shot. Designer Asmita marwa, mother to a teen, voices a similar opinion. "I think everyone expects a little too much from Ash. She is human after all. The whole concept of 'Yummy Mummy' is a western phenomenon. It's not Indian or natural," opines the designer. Recalling instances where her work took a backseat and her looks gained precedence, Asmita says, "There have been so many times when people meet my son and then forget to discuss my work. All they ask me is how do I manage to look the way I do, despite being a mom to a teen. My work completely takes a backseat. It's very shallow," she remarks.

Shah Rukh Khan seems to be in the eye of the storm right now with his recent fracas at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai post the IPL match between the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders. Now we hear that the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) which had stated that they would take a decision to penalize the actor has reached a verdict.

In fact the MCA which had lodged a police complaint against Khan on Thursday, have since decided to ban the actor from the stadium. In a unanimous decision reached by the MCA, the Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner, Shah Rukh Khan has been banned for a period of five years from entering the Wankhede Stadium. However,

Tourism entrepreneurs have said continuous strike in the country has made a great loss in the tourism industry and increased the possibility of Nepal being an unsafe destination.
At a programe organised by the Media International here today, speakers said that political leaders have violated the previous commitment of not launching strikes and demanded that the government and bandh enforcers make arrangements for tourists to reach their destinations during the bandh.
Chairman of the Nepal Rafting Association, Nanikaji Thapa said that the bandh will cause a loss of Rs. 2.5 million in rafting sector each day.
Thapa added that they had to postpone a Rafting Festival to be organised at Trishuli river on Saturday due to the bandh and complained that it has hampered their industry.
Chairman of the Nepal National Tourism Entrepreneurs’ Association, Chandra Rijal said that a situation of collapse of overall economic sector of the country has come due to the strikes.
According to a statistics of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), Nepal received 17 per cent foreign exchange from tourism sector.

Rabi Khadka clinched the Ghanashyam Open golf title, finishing four strokes above Umesh Nagarkoti after both the RNGC professionals returned matching cards of two-under 70 in the fourth round at the Tribhuvan Army Officers Golf Club on Thursday.
Khadka finished with a total of five-under 283 in the tournament for his third career win, after earlier victories in the 2009-10 season of Surya Nepal Golf Tour.
Deepak Thapamagar, who went two over-par 74 on the final day, finished third with the score of one-over 289. The top three pros in the third edition of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2012-13 pocketed Rs 55,000, Rs 37,000 and Rs 27,000 respectively. Chief of the Army Staff Chhatra Man Singh Gurung, Gen Gaurav SJB Rana and Nepal PGA Advisor and sponsor of the tournament Ghanashyam Thapa handed over the prizes to the winners.
Nepal No 1 Shiva Ram Shrestha finished fourth at four-over 292 after his final round score of one-under 71. He pocketed Rs 22.000. Surya Prasad Sharma, who completed the final round on four-over 76, was fifth at 293. Tashi Tsering stood out among the amateurs, finishing on top with a score of 295 for four rounds. He was 15 shots ahead of his closest rival Dinesh Prajapati, who played 73 today for a total of 310. Ashish Pariyar completed the podium with a score of 314.

Around 300 Janajati and Madhesi lawmakers belonging to the UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Madhes-based parties and smaller parties in the Constituent Assembly have demanded that the country be federated as suggested by the State Restructuring Commission majority or the CA State Restructuring Committee.
The CA members on Friday launched a signature campaign to create pressure for identity-based federalism. According to Sadbhawana Party Co-chairman Laxman Lal Karna, both the Madhesi and Janjati lawmakers would like to ensure a two-thirds support for settling contentious issues of constitution-writing, especially to ensure identity-based federation. "We are preparing to hand over the signatures to the Dispute Resolution Subcommittee headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Speaker Subas Nembang," Karna said.
UML lawmaker Prithivi Subba Gurung, who heads the Adibasi Janajati caucus in parliament, said the country should be federated on the basis of either the 14-state model suggested by the CA's thematic committee or the 10-province model suggested by a majority of SRC members. "The federal set-up should ensure identity. And the issue of naming and delineation of states should be settled before constitution promulgation," he said.
According to Gurung, 192 lawmakers have signed the memorandum, which will be submitted to top political leaders and the CA chairman on Saturday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday summoned Indian Ambassador to Nepal Jayanta Prasad over a controversial political statement made by SD Mehta, the  Consulate General of India in Birgunj. This is the first time the government summoned an Indian diplomat after 2006.
In a cocktail party at Hotel Vishuwa in Birgunj on Wednesday evening, Mehta tried persuading leaders of the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepal representing Parsa and Bara districts to take to the streets for the sake of Madhes and suggested them to kick up "a storm in the Madhes before May 27".
Foreign Secretary Durga Bhattarai summoned the Indian envoy at his chamber and sought clarification over Mehta's controversial statement. Prasad, along with Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy Joy Deep Majumdar, was present during the call.
"Upon instructions, Foreign Secretary Bhattarai summoned Indian envoy Prasad and expressed serious concerns and reservations over the statement made by the Indian diplomat. We also made clear that those controversial remarks and statements would harm the century-long warm relations between Nepal and India," said MoFA Spokesperson Arjun Bahadur Thapa.
 During the meeting, Bhattarai, Thapa and Division Head, South Asia, Narayan Dev Panta were present from the Nepali side.
"The statement also undermined Nepal's territorial integrity, sovereignty and would pose a serious threat to Nepal's social harmony," the foreign secretary told the Indian diplomats. "The ill-timed statement could worsen the situation."
MoFA officials hoped the Indian side would also investigate the matter and act accordingly, the foreign secretary said. The Nepali side further informed the Indian side that it will also look into the statement and might issue a Persona Non Grata (PNG) if the statements attributed to him were established.
Sources told the Post that MoFA is conducting a probe in coordination with its own Birgunj-based Contact Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs and through the Chief District Officer of Parsa district.  
Indian Ambassador Prasad claimed that their initial findings suggested that the news reports were misleading and incorrect. "We want to see Nepal a prosperous country and we have been saying time and again that Nepal's twin tasks, peace and constitution drafting processes, are totally Nepal-led."
The Indian envoy told the foreign secretary that he had already sought a clarification from Mehta and would take action against him if found guilty.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu claimed that "media reports attributing certain remarks to an official in the Consulate General of India, Birgunj, are misleading and factually incorrect."
Officials in New Delhi refuted the reports. "The media reports are misleading and factually incorrect. Such attributions seek to detract from the friendly relations between India and Nepal," said Spokesperson of Indian Ministry of External Affairs Syed Akbaruddin. "India remains committed to supporting the constitution making process for the establishment of a stable, democratic and prosperous Nepal."