Girlfriend demanding

Had his girlfriend been less demanding, Mohammad Shahzad (21) would still have his job and his reputation intact. Before he dumped his conscience, the young medical sales executive had tried to wean the woman off her Goa fancy with a flattering tattoo, a mark of his devotion for her birthday.



But when that didn't please her, he pocketed his firm's funds, told the police he had been robbed, and took her off on a long seaside holiday to Goa. Shahzad had faked the robbery in August, just four months into his job. "He claimed he was robbed by three men near the Panchkuian Road railway overbridge.



We investigated and found his call record did not tally with his story. We caught him when he tried to sell his expensive mobile, which he originally claimed was taken away by the robbers," said DCP (south) Chhaya Sharma. While sources said Shahzad had made off with a large amount - the company's collection from his area -the police have so far recovered Rs 20,600 from him.



"On August 22, Shahzad, called the police control room and reported that three men on a bike had stopped him on Panchkuian Road and snatched the sales money that he had collected from a client in Connaught Place and was taking to his office in Karol Bagh. He claimed he was held at knifepoint while the men snatched the money and his mobile phone," said Sharma.



The police had registered a case on his complaint at Mandir Marg police station. Chief investigator of the case, inspector Anil Sharma, said Shahzad's lie was nailed last Monday when they were tipped off about a man trying to sell an expensive mobile phone at Chandan Holla in Fatehpur Beri. It was Sahzad. The police picked him up on suspicion, and during interrogation he confessed the whole plot.



The police said Shahzad and his girlfriend had returned to the city just four days ago, and he had resigned from his position immediately after that. "He thought that the truth would not come to light if he sold his mobile phone to a stranger. He was carrying Rs 5,500 at the time he was caught with the expensive handset," said the DCP. Shahzad had faked the robbery in August, just four months into his job. He claimed he was robbed by three men near Panchkuian Road. His phone records didn't tally though.

‘smarter’ women had better emotional intelligence

A study published in the Journal Of Sexual Medicine revealed that women with greater emotional intelligence had better sex and enjoyed more orgasms. Many news outlets picked up the story, and announced that 'smarter' women had better sex. We were, however, rapped on the knuckles for using the word 'smart'.



"What is smart? Define smart," asks Dr Rajan Bhonsle, a consultant in sexual medicine. After we clarified that the study mentioned emotional intelligence (EI), he went on to explain that EI is very different from intelligence quotient (IQ). "Some women may be great academics or brilliant thinkers, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have high levels of EI." It is the ability to read emotions intelligently, and react to them, with a good measure of objectivity.



And how does this relate to sexual satisfaction? "A woman with greater EI will be able to communicate with her partner better and help him understand what she finds pleasurable with greater clarity. She is also less likely to take his occasional disinterest in sex personally and get annoyed over little things," says Dr Bhonsle. But some women believe that only technique and knowledge can lead to better sex. "This idea is ridiculous," says TV producer Tehzeeb Udhas, 25. "Women who have greater exposure and are open to experimentation will definitely have better sex than women with just high levels of EI."





Graphic designer Sweta Desai, 28, too, does not believe that communicating your sexual likes and dislikes had much to do with EI. "Sometimes, the act of sex itself is ruined with emotions and expectations," she says.



For those whose sex lives leave a lot to be desired and are convinced that EI, and understanding one's emotions better does lead to good sex, Dr Bhonsle has some reassuring news — EI can be enhanced. "When women lack EI, they're unable to see their role in problematic relationships," he says.





Does this mean you should see a counsellor to enhance your EI and have better sex? Says Dr Bhonsle, "Spend some time meditating and attempt to look at the relationships in your life more objectively. You'll slowly begin to realise your contribution to the problem, which will help you deal better with emotions." This, he says, will lead to better sex.



But Tehzeeb still sticks to her guns. "Good sex is like enjoying a gourmet dish; how well you communicate and express your feelings does not affect your ability to enjoy it.

Uniforms will make girls a target

Police hunting a pervert with a fetish for skirt-wearing prep school girls have warned pupils not to wear their uniform on the subway.



Officers in Toronto fear school uniforms will make girls a target on their way to school.



But the advice has sparked a series of new sexism complaints in the city where the worldwide 'SlutWalk' protests started.



International protests were started after advice by a Toronto police officer in January.



His flippant comment that women should avoid dressing like 'sluts' to avoid being raped or victimised led to demonstrations across the U.S. and in London.





The new advice from Toronto police follows reports of harassment by a man with a fetish for skirt-wearing prep school girls.



Relaying advice from police, Greenwood College principal Allan Hardy said: 'Students, especially females, should consider not wearing their school uniform when riding the TTC.'



In an e-mail to parents and teachers, he added: 'This person was looking up the girls' skirts.



'So the advice is given...if they had, for example, jeans or sweatpants on, it wouldn't be an issue.'



It came after two of Greenwood girls - both wearing a school skirt, shirt and blazer - were ogled by the man on their way to lessons.



The girls were travelling on the subway and added that the suspect had been looking up the girls' skirts.



Mr Hardy insisted the officer's advice was directed to all students and not meant to be sexist.



He said another reason for the tip is that uniformed students -both girls and boys - have been targeted by thieves assuming they come from rich families and carry expensive cellphones, cash or credit cards.

Staff Sergeant Glenn Gray, of 53 Division, said the advice of students not wearing uniforms to school was meant to stop a potential sex offender from knowing where the students attend school.



'The last thing we want is for a suspect to know what school they go to,' said Sgt Gray.



Police are hunting for a skinny, white man in his 30s, around 5ft 6in tall with messy, light-brown hair.



He was wearing glasses with thick, black frames, light-coloured blue jeans, a dark denim jacket, a blue T-shirt and construction boots.

Har ek friend zaroori hota hai

What would you do when things get tough and you struggle to keep pace with your competition? Most people would turn to their friends. So did the country's largest mobile operator. After reporting lower profits in the first quarter and failing to score with its recent campaigns, Airtel came out with Har ek friend zaroori hota hai ad, and won over several fans if not friends.



Consider this: the ad has had 1.8 million views on YouTube, shared over 62,000 times on Facebook and mentioned in 10 lakh plus Tweets; more than 1.45 lakh users have set it as their hello tune, and some 1.17 lakh people downloaded the tune in August!



"Airtel's manifestation of connection in its latest ad is better than any other brand; it speaks the language of the youth and the entire concept of staying connected with friends has been executed well," says Abraham Koshy, professor of marketing at IIM Ahmedabad.





It's not just Airtel that has rode piggy on friendship to connect with the new-read Facebook-generation of consumers by either using it as a theme in advertising or as a business model. Its rivals Vodafone and DoCoMo, cola majors Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, internet giant Google and liquor maker United Spirits have all used friendship as a model for marketing or building brands.



While the concept itself is not new, it has emerged a big trend of late, thanks to a modern lifestyle where people spend hours socializing, if not in pubs then on social media network sites such as Facebook and Twitter.



"The big difference today is the idea of 'friends with benefits'. Friendship now is almost a currency," says Dheeraj Sinha, regional planning director of marketing communications agency Bates 141.



FRIENDSHIP IS 'TOUCHSHIP'



Two-thirds of young people in India admit that their friends have more influence over their decisions than their families, according to McCann Worldgroup's latest Truth About Youth global study released in May 2011.



A recent survey by research firm Demographix and Know Your Mobile found that 93% participants offered advice and recommendations to their friends and families on mobile phones.



McCann's Truth About Youth revealed that connecting to a broader network of friends has replaced the singular need to belong to a tight-knit group of friends.



Lyricist and McCann Worldgroup Executive Chairman Prasoon Joshi calls it a friendship of convenience, which is less demanding, less taxing and suited to the mindset of consumers.



"We are becoming a more self-indulgent society, and it's reflected in the friendship and the friends that we have. To stay in touch has become the latest phenomenon; therefore, it's no longer friendship but touchship," says Joshi.



Clearly, friendship is no longer only about emotions; it's also about the transaction that this relationship enables. And this shift from emotions to benefits has become a big playing ground for brands.





FRIENDSHIP IS BUSINESS



United Spirits' McDowell's No. 1 has been consistently celebrating the spirit of friendship in its ads and brand positioning over the last few decades. Whether it's Golden McDowell Moments with friends or Dosti Ka No. 1 Spirit campaign, the brand has grown on the friendship plank to become the fastest growing Indian liquor brand in the world.



"For McDowell's No.1, friendship is the language of the consumers," says United Spirits Senior Vice President (Marketing) Mathew Xavier. "The brand has ensured integrating this language in all its consumer communication across all media."

Dalits and others

An Indian couple who met at a legal firm have become the first in Britain to claim 'caste' discrimination, saying they were forced from their jobs following their marriage.

An employment tribunal was told that solicitor Amardeep Begraj, 33, was from a higher caste than her husband Vijay, 32, the practice manager.

He belonged to the Dalits, formerly known as the Untouchables because of the nature of their work in roles such as cleaning, pest control or scavenging, and the lowest class of people according to the ancient Indian caste system.

Mrs Begraj has told the tribunal that a senior colleague warned her against marrying Mr Begraj because people of his caste were 'different creatures', while he was told his position at the firm was 'compromised'.

The case throws a spotlight on how the hereditary caste system, for centuries used to categorise people according to occupation or social standing in India, has gained a foothold in a contemporary Britain where five per cent of the population originates from the sub-continent.

Home Secretary Theresa May is considering whether to add protection to those discriminated because of their caste to existing safeguards governing race, sex, religion and sexuality in British equality law.

Five Law Lords last year inserted a clause into the Single Equalities Act, passed just before the election, giving the Government power to forbid caste discrimination.

But the issue was then referred for public consultation and the Coalition is now considering responses.

Mrs Begraj, a Sikh, belongs to the Jat caste, an agrarian people from the Punjab. She and her husband met when both worked at Coventry-based solicitors Heer Manak and began dating four years later.

Mrs Begraj told the Birmingham tribunal she was warned by a senior colleague. 'He said I should reconsider the step I was taking of marrying Vijay because people of his caste were different creatures. Marriage would be very different from dating.  Vijay was told a number of times that his position had been compromised for entering into a relationship with me.'

She also claimed that her workload increased and secretarial support was reduced 'as a punishment', and she was paid less than colleagues.

The couple married at a Gurdwara, or Sikh temple, in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, three years ago, when a colleague raised a toast to 'Jat girls going down the drain'.

When the couple had their first child, the firm did not send flowers, although this was standard practice.

Mr Begraj, who worked as a practice manager for the firm for seven years, was sacked last year. His wife resigned in January.

Last year the couple briefed a committee of the House of Lords, which swayed them to insert the clause in the legislation recognising caste discrimination. A subsequent newspaper story led to the couple's car windscreen being smashed.

The tribunal will also rule on whether they were discriminated against on grounds of religion or race. Mr Begraj is claiming wrongful dismissal and his wife is claiming unfair constructive dismissal.

The firm's management are said to consider the couple's claims outrageous.

The tribunal continues.

--

Rakesh babu R

Weird baby names

Celebrities with a penchant for weird baby names (looking at you, David and Victoria Beckham) should avoid having kids in New Zealand.



The country's Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages has been cracking down on parents who get too creative when naming their kids, Australia's Herald Sun reports.



The list of weird names for kids that are banned by New Zealand's names registrar has grown to include Lucifer, Duke, Messiah and 89.



Also not approved: Bishop, Baron, General, Judge, King, Knight and Mr., names that were all said to be too similar to titles.



The letters, C, D, I and T were also rejected as first names, the Herald Sun says.



As well, the agency has refused to allow names involving asterisks, commas, periods and other punctuation marks.



And three different sets of Kiwi parents wanted to name their children Lucifer, only to have the name choice nixed.



In 2008, New Zealand's names registrar drew international attention when it approved such non-traditional names as Benson and Hedges for a set of twins, as well as the boys names of Violence and Number 16 Bus Shelter.





But New Zealand isn't the only country to ban wacky names for kids, the Toronto Globe and Mail reports.



In Sweden, name choices are subject to a naming law. While Lego and Google have been approved as names for children, Superman, Metallica and Elvis, and the name Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116, pronounced Albin, were not approved.



In 2007, a judge in the Dominican Republic submitted a proposal to ban names that are either confusing or gave no indication of gender, such as the names Qeurida Pina (Dear Pineapple) and Tonton Ruiz (Dummy Ruiz), according to the Globe and Mail.