For DD’s lean look, officials shed flab

The result: a 10 day Yoga workshop with breathing exercises thrown in for good measure. This is followed by instructions for the portly. Have black tea or lemon tea with little or no sugar. In fact, the canteen in Mandi House will be serving special tea for the particularly overweight. Weighing machines are being deployed at random to carry out surprise checks.

At the end of the 10-day workshop, officers will be measured again.

‘‘It’s all part of a healthy body housing a healthy mind,’’ say senior DD officials. Two yoga experts, approved by the Ministry of Health, will be making the officials sweat over the next 10 days.

On a more practical note, without sounding alarmist, Director General Doordarshan S Y Quraishi, who has black coffee withour sugar, says the camp underway can do with better attendance.

‘‘It’s part of various other activities planned for corporation employees.’’ In fact, a protocol team on the line of the XP division of the Ministry of External Affairs has been formed by the Prasar Bharati Corporation. The 20 member team will undertake similar excercises as the XP division.

The corporation will probably keep in mind the outcome of a similar such exercise undertaken by the government-owned Indian Airlines. Many of the airhostesses, pilots returned to their original shape. But IA has still not given up the battle with the bulge.