Swallowing live fish, special herbs for asthma sufferers. Who knew?

In Hyderabad, a city in southern India, swallowing live fish covered in a special herbal formula is believed to help asthma sufferers’ with their breathing problems.

Thousands of people line up to receive this treatment.

After swallowing the live fish, "patients" are told to follow a strict diet of 25 particular foods for a period of 45 days. These include normal items such as rice, white sugar, lamb, and spinach.

The herbal formula remains a secret that was supposedly a recipe from a Hindu saint 170 years ago, who warned not to reveal the formula.

'I heard Indian people eat with their hands still' - Oprah puts her foot in her mouth

Let's be honest here, Oprah Winfrey loves to eat, that's obvious.

But eating with her hands is something she is disgusted by.

As a result she has started a uproar in India after she is heard asking whether Indian people still 'eat with their hands.'

Her thoughtless remark was uttered as she sat down to dine with the Somani family in Mumbai. (photo above)

While visiting the Somanis, an upper-middle-class family living in Mumbai, India, Oprah sits down for her first traditional Indian meal, and she is advised to eat with her right hand only.

According to Indian tradition, meals are not eaten with forks, knives and spoons.

It is also customary to eat only with your right hand, and use the left for moving food onto one's plate from a serving dish.

None of this matters to Oprah, as she dips the bread with her left hand.

Finally, in exasperation, Oprah gives up the one-handed eating altogether, saying: 'So I'm going to use both hands, or I’ll be here all night.'

Her remarks have drawn angry criticism from Indian citizens, who have roasted Oprah for her insensitivity to Indian customs and traditions.

"Myopic, unaware, ignorant and gauche," wrote journalist Rajyasree Sen in a scathing review of the show posted by the India-based news service Firstpost.com. "This was Middle America at its best worst."

 

In an open letter to Oprah that appeared on IBNLive.in.com, Rituparna Chatterjee, (U.S. Correspondent at The Economic Times) wrote: 'As a responsible public figure about to air a show that will be beamed across the world, you should have done your homework.'

The letter goes on: ‘Using our hands to eat is a well-established tradition and a fact none of us are ashamed of. Our economic distinction has nothing to do with it.

'A millionaire here eats the same way a pauper does. You have been to Asian nations. You should know that.'

 

In a statement, a rep for Winfrey's production company, HARPO, told E! News: "The intention of the program was to explore the beautiful culture and spirit of the country. We enjoyed the time we spent there and were touched by the people who so generously shared their stories for the show."

 

Bootleg alcohol kills 143 in India

At least 143 people have died after toxic bootleg alcohol in India's West Bengal state.

Residents of 12 villages became ill after drinking the alcohol, and ten bootleggers have been arrested.


Dozens more people are being treated in hospital, (photo above)
with fears the death toll could rise.
Many died at home, afraid the police would take action against them.

The bootleg alcohol deaths are becoming a regular thing in India.

Last week, the state of Gujarat introduced a new law making the illegal manufacture and sale of toxic alcohol there punishable by death.



As you can see from the photos there are many lying in the corridors with their saline drips.
There are simply not enough beds for them.

The mortuary is so full of bodies, the dead have been laid on the steps outside. Many died trying to get to this hospital.
Most of the dead were day laborers and rickshaw pullers who worked in the villages.

A district health officer said that methanol, a toxic form of alcohol, had been found in many of the victims who had drunk the bootleg booze, popularly known as “chepti.”

Apparently, the bootleg alcohol was watered down, then pesticides and other chemicals were mixed in to give it flavor.

The liquor is packed in cans and delivered all over the district and other parts of the state in buses and on trains.
Retailers sell sachets after filling them up with the liquor.

Indian Man Has Been Drinking Wife’s Blood for Three Years

Right on the heels of the girl who is a vampire and the old guy eating raw meat at Walmart we bring you this:
A young woman (that's her in the photo) in India says that her husband has been forcefully drawing blood from her arms with a syringe, putting it into a glass, and drinking it.
He started drinking her blood because he claims it makes him strong.
When ever she tried to resist, that would end up with her husband violently attacking her.

In a bizarre crime on all kinds of levels, but besides making him strong, he also said it was because she was unable to meet his dowry. (we don't understand either)

Mahesh Ahirwar, (the husband in photo below) been arrested on a case of dowry harassment under section 498 of IPC. (who knew)



The woman married him three years ago, and her complaint states that he committed the horrific act nearly every day, because she did not bring money, and a vehicle.

Finally, she left the house after giving birth to a child, and filed the complaint after going to her parents' house at village Shikarpura Piparia in the district.

Relevant charges would be pressed if the allegation of blood-drawing was established, said prosecution officer.

New Delhi says, "there's nothing to worry about"

We find ourselves in New Delhi where the Delhi government has pleaded with the people of the city not to worry about the presence of drug-resistant bacteria in the capital's tap water.

Officials say they have reviewed the issue of the superbug bacteria and its implications for human health and there is no cause of any worry.

Gee, where have we heard that before?

They went on to say:

"The chlorination of water makes it safe for drinking purposes. The water being supplied through DJB and other similar sources meets the prescribed standards of testing and safety. The chlorination process and its monitoring is further being strengthened."

So, everyone can relax and stop worrying because officials have dismissed concerns about thee drug-resistant bacteria in tap water, saying the water being supplied by the agency was "safe" for drinking.

Time will tell...

Paul McCartney wants a National ‘Vegetarian Day’ in India

We hear that Sir Paul McCartney wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to declare a national Vegetarian Day in India.

Sir Paul declared “the move could save animals while helping to protect both the environment and people’s health,The letter also promised “it would be a celebration of life.”

He prefers the date of January 12 because that's the anniversary date is the of the founding of the Indian branch of PETA.

McCartney writes that such a declaration would “save countless animals, reduce the environmental devastation caused by the meat industry and help participants clear their arteries and their consciences.”

Sorry Paul, we eat lots of meat and our conscience is just fine.

We were wondering if India needs a national “Vegetarian Day.

It seems 42% of the country’s 1.2 billion people are already vegetarians, and Hinduism promotes Ahimsa, a principle that says that killing things is not nice.

Six Indian factory workers drown in tomato sauce

Even though this happened last month, it's better late than never.
Here's what we know:

• A female worker drowns after falling into a tomato sauce vat.

• Five of her colleagues die trying to rescue her.

• The workers were overcome by the fumes of the vegetables.

So, a total of six workers drowned in a vat of tomato sauce at a factory in India,.

Investigators say the woman was scooping up fermented vegetables from the vat when she slipped off her ladder and plunged into the raw material used to make the sauce.

“When the woman fell in, the other workers jumped in to help her,”

When the five co-workers went in to save her, they overcome by fumes given off from fermenting vegetables and drowned right along with the woman.

This all happened at the Akansha Food Products in India.

Not only has he factory owner Ritesh Arora been accused of treating the laborers like slaves, he has also been taken into custody.
Family members of the deceased waned compensation from the factory owners and the owner
has decided to give them compensation of Rs 50,000 each to the relatives of six people who died when a gas leaked from the fermentation tank.

The compensation announced by the owner, Ritesh Arora, is in addition to the Rs 20,000 each announced by the district administration on Wednesday night.

Regardless of the compensation, Arora,  was booked by the police in a culpable homicide and negligence case and sent to jail.

One Performance Only - Ramachandra Nanda

Appearing one show only, Ramachandra Nanda, a teacher at the Katrabeda upper-primary school in Katrabeda village, India.

Ramachandra decided it would be a good idea to get really drunk before class.

His classroom became his stage and he began stripping and dancing for his students instead of actually teaching.

While on stage he started heckling his students with mean expletives, and even at other staff members.

The curtain came down and he was immediately terminated.

He was booked naked into jail.

Coca Cola - The official beverage for the Commonwealth Games

Mr Atul Singh, President and CEO, Coca-Cola India, with Mr Suresh Kalmadi, Chairman, Organizing Committee, Commonwealth Games, after signing an MoU for official beverage, in the Capital.

The organizing committee for the Commonwealth Games 2010 has announced that Coca Cola India will be the official beverage for the XIX Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi later this year.

Coca-Cola India's product will be sold to the spectators, served to athletes, team officials and volunteers.
 The association includes all of Coca-Cola India's beverage products.

The Organizing Committee Chairman, Mr Suresh Kalmadi said, “Coca-Cola has a strong legacy of supporting Olympics. Today is an important day for all of us as we are just 200 days away from the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi.” Mr Atul Singh, President and CEO, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said, “We will continue to spread the awareness of sports and a healthy lifestyle in future as well. We want to build a spirit of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.” The Coca-Cola Company has been associated with the Olympic Games since 1928.

Just as Pepsi is dropping out of the school soda business promoting a healthier lifestyle, Mr Atul Singh, President and CEO, Coca-Cola India says, “We will continue to spread the awareness of sports and a healthy lifestyle..."

Go figure!

This is Different - Eating Spiders

Watch this nutty guy in India eating spiders.