Close-up with Aamir

Life—love it, live it
Hectic lifestyles, stressful jobs and manic relationships are the reasons that London has seen a boom in a new phenomenon: life-coaching. The American trend which crossed the Atlantic a few years ago has now become a huge industry. And there even are Indian players in the field. Arvind Devalia, born to Gujarati parents in Kenya, who moved to Britain as a child, is one such. Previously a dotcom millionaire who specialised in marketing, Arvind switched careers and became as successful a life coach in north London. His just-launched book is titled Get the Life You Love and Live It (www.getthelifeyoulove.com).

‘‘The inspiration to become a life coach came at the end of the dotcom bubble, when I visited India and was helping out in a children’s charity school in Pondicherrry called Nirvana,’’ recalls Arvind. Ultimately what’s the message that he is now proposing through his books? ‘‘If 2006 was the last year of your life, what are all the things you would want to achieve?’’

Feline disgrace
The maverick Scottish MP who left the Labour Party and won the East End constituency of Tower Hamlets in the last election as a Respect Party candidate continues to create ripples of controversy around him. But this time, George Galloway, MP, whose stand against the Iraq war won him popular support with the predominantly Bangladeshi electorate in his constituency, has left them dismayed with his antics on television. Galloway has participated ina downmarket TV series called Celebrity Big Brother where contestants are locked up in the house and televised continually. One of the role-playing tasks assigned to Galloway was as a cat. So he obligingly went down on fours, purred and pretended to lap milk— I jest not. While he plays for TV, and shores up his own publicity-level, for the constituents it’s more like a case of No respect.

To each his own
The fact that ayurveda is a system not only known but actively followed by a number of British celebrities, is thanks to Bharti Vyas. The holistic health therapist who has over 25 years of experience in the business has now given her name to a technique used by professionals in the trade: the BVM, Bharti Vyas Method. But although her clinic in central London has long attracted celebs—from singers Cher and Belinda Carlisle to Cherie Blair—she has also been a believer in making her tips as affordable and accessible as possible. Cue her latest book Tips for Beauty Wisdom (Vermilion Books): a petite list of 500 tips which evoke a return to simplicity, rather than asking you to splash out on buying a million products. The only splashing that’s going on here is with a face-cloth.

‘‘I strongly believe that everyone has a right to look and feel good, not only those who can afford it. I have put together some of the best practical tips so that you can initiate a tailor-made home therapy system that works specifically for you,’’ says Bharti, who offers more tips on her website http://www.bharti-vyas.com. She has also got a facial massage system for men. Given that her clientele included chiselled-jawed actor Ralph Fiennes and even reputed to have the PM himself, that’s a hard act to follow.

Robina Dam is Editor of Shoo Magazine. http://www.shoomagazine.com