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India Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
5 Books that capture joy of reading with dad on father's day
There's something deeply comforting about a father reading to his child. The low hum of his voice in a quiet room, a shared laugh over a silly page, the warmth of being close enough to hear the turn of every leaf. These are the moments that linger long after childhood slips Father's Day, we return to those memories with a selection of picture books that honour the everyday magic of fatherhood. These are not stories of superheroes or epic quests, but of small joys and gestures made unforgettable by the presence of a father. A fashion show with saris. A moustache trimmed just so. A child's anger met not with scolding, but with crayons and of the five titles is drawn from the Parag Honour List, a thoughtfully curated collection of children's literature by Tata Trusts to promote access to access to high-quality children's literature, including those in vernacular languages. Perfect for little readers, these stories are meant to be read aloud, again and again, curled up in a lap or sprawled on a mat, where the world is held gently between two are five books that dads and kids will keep coming back to, finding something new to love with every reading:1. LISTEN TO APPA Author: Asha Nehemiah | Illustrator: Shubhshree MathuradvertisementKala listens to her Appa. She really does. So how is it that their visit to Paati's house turns into one comical mishap after another? She splashes Appa with muddy water. He gets nearly run over by a cycle. And there's more! This laugh-out-loud story captures the chaos of a child trying her best and a father who rolls with it. Filled with lively illustrations and lovable quirks (yes, Appa's scrunchie too), the book captures the mayhemof an ordinary day spent in the company of a very curious child.2. IIHAM 'S BIRTHDAY Author: Aftab Yusuf Shaikh | Illustrator: Tishya MalyaIlham has just turned a year older and her Papa has given her the most precious gift of all, her very own fifty rupee note. But where can she keep it safe? Her new frock doesn't have a pocket! As she darts through the old-city bustle, past the Makkah Masjid, sweet shops and cloth stalls, we join her search for the perfect in the sights and warmth of Hyderabad, this endearing tale is about small joys and a little girl's very big moment.3. ANGRY AKKU Author: Vinayak Varma | Illustrator: Vinayak VarmaAkku is having one of those days when nothing feels right, and everything is too much. Luckily, Appa is right there, not with lectures, but with time, patience, and buttermilk. He listens. He coaxes. He offers crayons. Through drawings, Akku slowly untangles her anger and lets out every grumpy thought. With gentle humour, psychological insights and sharp storytelling, the book shows readers what it takes to help children navigate their one is for every parent who's met a grumpy face - and every child who needs space to be heard.4. BABA IN A SARI Author: Kavita Singh Kale | Illustrator: Kavita Singh KaleWhat starts as an ordinary afternoon turns into a joyful whirl of colour as Moli and Baba dive into a heap of saris. There's a fashion show to plan, with outfits that sparkle and swirl and make them both feel heart-warming story delights with the simple joy of dressing-up and the deep pride of a dad who joins in, wholeheartedly. With vibrant visuals, it celebrates imagination, expression, and the magical freedom of being exactly who you want to be.5. DADDY 'S MO Author: Madhuri Purandare | Illustrator: Madhuri PurandareOf all the things Anu loves about her daddy: his crispy pakoras, his bright paper lanterns, his silly wrestling moves, it is his moustache she adores most. Every day, she watches him trim it just right, brush it neatly, and twirl it with pride. It curls just so, smells of shaving cream, and wiggles when he turbaned warriors to clever TV detectives, she imagines every 'mo' in the world. Funny, tender, and brimming with character, this charming story is a child's affectionate tribute to a small but mighty detail, and to a father who is equal parts superhero and best the story offers a comforting truth that love can survive even the most unexpected changes. Yes, even a clean-shaven face.
The Herald Scotland
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Kim's Convenience jumps from Netflix to the stage. What's the verdict?
The Pavilion, Glasgow All life walks through Kim's Convenience, the Toronto corner shop that gives Ins Choi's play its title. Best known to many from its Canadian Broadcasting Company TV adaptation that ran for five series between 2016 and 2021, and which can still be found on Netflix, Choi's 201l template set the tone by putting a Korean immigrant and his increasingly westernised family at its centre. Where Appa (Korean for 'dad') works all hours holding court from behind the counter, Umma ('mum') quietly keeps the family together. Their daughter Janet has ambitions to be a photographer, while estranged son Jung can only communicate with his mother at church. The TV cast of Canadian comedy Kim's Convenience (Image: free) The shop may be at the heart of the local community, but with Janet looking set to embark on a fine romance with local cop Alex and everything else going on besides, it doesn't look like Appa will have anyone to leave his empire to any time soon. Jung, however, might just beg to differ. What emerges over the play's seventy-five minutes is an everyday meditation on inter generational relationships, cultural traditions, and navigating through a brave new world in which Appa and Umma's offspring have never known anything different. James Yi throws in a few martial arts moves to go with it as Appa in this touring revival of Esther Jun's production, which sets out its store - literally - on Mona Camille's forensically observed shop interior. Read more While fans of the TV show will recognise some of the scenarios and dramatic tics that began life on stage, Choi's longer form original has more space to breathe, and the duologues that emerge similarly combine seriousness and underlying warmth. As Appa, Yi is the pivot on which the play hangs. Candace Leung's Umma is a loyal pragmatist, while Caroline Donica and Andrew Gichigi make a sweet couple as Janet and Alex. Daniel Phung is a redemptive prodigal as Jung in a show that is very much a family affair.
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
All you need to know about: the Barker Hypothesis
It was a routine morning at a government primary health centre in an agricultural belt, when a 68-year-old man arrived for a follow-up consultation. A retired farmer, he led a quieter life—helped by his children, spending his days at home. Yet his blood sugar levels remained persistently high. Sitting beside him was his son, a software engineer, who remarked, 'Appa worked in the fields for over 40 years. He never sat idle. How come someone so physically active ends up with diabetes now?' As a doctor, I found myself pausing—not for lack of an answer, but because the question touched a deeper nerve. It challenged our conventional wisdom, especially when the patient's lifestyle seemed protective on paper. The explanation however, lay not in what the father had done in his adult life but in what he was exposed to long before he took his first breath. This is the crux of the Barker Hypothesis, or the Foetal Origins of Adult Disease. This idea invites us to look inward and backwards into biology in the womb. Barker's bold hypothesis David Barker, working with historical data from England, noticed that regions with higher infant mortality rates in the 1920s, subsequently had more deaths from heart disease in the 1970s. He connected the dots: poor foetal nutrition programmes the body for thrift. A foetus that 'learns' it is growing in a starved environment slows down metabolism, alters organ development, and conserves fat. But when it is later exposed to calorie-rich food, these programmed adaptations backfire—leading to conditions like type 2 diabetes and hypertension. What Barker proposed was that heart disease, diabetes, and stroke do not begin in adulthood but in the womb. And not merely from genes but also a foetus's biological response to its mother's diet. When exposed to undernourished or adverse conditions in the womb, which typically happens in undernourished mothers or during famines, the foetus begins to remodel itself by altering the structure and function of vital organs to preserve brain development and improve its chances of survival. This developmental compromise prioritises the nervous system, often at the expense of other organs — the kidneys, pancreas, and liver. Such adaptations are designed to prepare the foetus for a life of continued scarcity after birth—a concept known as plasticity, which is an evolutionary advantage in unpredictable environments. However, this advantage becomes a liability when the external environment after birth turns out to be one of plenty. As a result, the mismatch between prenatal expectations and postnatal realities becomes a fertile ground for non-communicable diseases. The child, now equipped with a metabolism tuned for famine, faces a world of caloric abundance. The same physiological adjustments that once ensured survival can now predispose the individual to chronic illnesses including diabetes and hypertension. This process is known as programming: when early life stimuli, particularly during foetal and early childhood stages, lock in long-lasting changes. This hypothesis explains contrasting outcomes from the two most studied famines in history: the Dutch Hunger Winter (1944–45) and the Leningrad Siege (1941–44). In the Netherlands, starvation was intense but short-lived. Post-famine, the external environment rapidly normalised. Children exposed to famine in the womb suddenly found themselves in well-fed childhoods. This metabolic mismatch led to high rates of diabetes and obesity decades later. Leningrad, however, experienced prolonged starvation. Even after birth, the environment remained malnourished. There was no mismatch, and hence, fewer signs of metabolic syndrome. The lesson: it is not famine alone, but famine followed by a feast that does the damage. Despite numerous famines during colonial rule in India—the Bengal famine (1943), Madras famine (1876), Orissa (1866), and others—India lacks robust cohort studies linking them to modern diseases. Possible reasons include early deaths before chronic diseases manifest, the lack of diagnostic tools, birth registers, and the intent to study in the 20th century. Lotteries and genes I offer a metaphor. Imagine two families living in poverty. One family continues in deprivation, and while struggling, they learn to survive. The second family, also poor, suddenly stumbles upon a buried treasure or wins a lottery. At first, this seems like a blessing, but they soon spiral: they lose balance, relationships falter, indulgence grows, and stress mounts owing to lack of financial literacy. Their emotional and financial systems crash. This is akin to what happens when a foetus, programmed for scarcity, is suddenly exposed to affluence. It is a metabolic version of vertigo—as if the body has entered a roller- coaster it was never trained to handle. This is the essence of the Thrifty Phenotype Hypothesis, a refined version of James Neel's Thrifty Gene Hypothesis, which argued that during prehistoric times—especially in the Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages in African savannas—humans evolved to store fat efficiently during food abundance to survive inevitable famines. Back then, it was an evolutionary advantage. Today, it is a metabolic trap. A 2023 Scandinavian study of over 3.4 million births found that preterm and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants face higher risks of early cardiovascular disease. While sibling comparisons reduced the SGA risk —implying genetic factors—the preterm link remained strong, underscoring the role of intrauterine conditions. The World Health Organization (WHO) affirms that foetal undernutrition contributes significantly to chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Prevention must begin not in middle age but with maternal care, prenatal nutrition, and safeguarding foetal health from the very start. Caution against oversimplification While evidence supports foetal programming, studies also caution against oversimplification. Birth weight, they argue, is a crude proxy. Preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age, and genetic-environmental interactions muddy the waters. While the Barker Hypothesis has its critics and caveats, its central message remains powerful: the womb remembers. The scars of deprivation, if not healed, can echo across decades. In India, where millions are born into poverty and rise into a food/caloric-abundant society, the hypothesis is not just a scientific curiosity; it is from where an epidemic has emerged. A deeper investigation into Indian birth cohorts, perhaps beginning with those born before the years of the Green Revolution, may finally tell us whether Barker's English findings have found their Indian twin. (Dr. C. Aravinda is an academic and public health physician. The views expressed are personal. aravindaaiimsjr10@
Scotsman
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
James Yi talks Kim's Convenience as the hit show arrives in Scotland
Kim's Convenience has been hitting the road across the UK, as James Yi (Kim's Convenience, Netflix; The Interview) makes his UK debut as the loveable yet stubborn patriarch Appa. The show will be touring to the Glasgow Pavillion from 8th-10th May 2025. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Tell us about Kim's Convenience and it's exciting UK tour? After two very successful runs at Park Theatre and then at Riverside Studios in 2024, Adam Blanshay Productions, which also produced the Riverside remount, is taking this lovely show on the road from 12th March until 5th July. We will be playing all over the UK in 17 different theatres so I'm thrilled that so many more people outside of London will get the chance to see this play! You've been part of Kim's Convenience in both its stage and screen adaptations. What are some key differences on stage versus on screen? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kim's Convenience, UK Tour The tv series, being a half hour comedy, was primarily focused on humour being the main vehicle of telling the stories, but in the play, I think that there is more freedom to go to much more real, intense and sometimes heart wrenching places that gives a fuller experience of the story. The characters are also around 10 years older in the play, so I think that the stakes are quite different for them. The play also highlights the broken relationships and the pain of the Kim family much more than the TV series. How has your interpretation of Appa evolved throughout the different stages and productions, including this current UK tour? I think like with anything, if you do it long enough you start seeing different details than you did in the beginning or understand the bigger picture of the story better and that has definitely been my experience with Appa. But I think it's a story that is so close to my own experience that my interpretation has not changed that much. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kim's Convenience, UK Tour What is it about Kim's Convenience that resonates with audiences, especially in the context of cultural and generational differences? I think that this story is told mostly from the perspective of Appa, the immigrant parent, which is unique because most plays about immigrant stories tend to be from the child's the child's perspective, the immigrant parent can often be vilified and sometimes de-humanized but with Kim's, I hear so many responses from audience members who want to connect with their fathers after the show. I also find that the show resonates just as deeply for people of non-Korean descent because of the themes of family and reconciliation. Audiences really identify with how the characters struggle with the cultural and generation differences in the play because of how the struggles are dealt so well through humour and heart. What challenges do you face when portraying a character like Appa? I don't really consider it a challenge but I often get offered roles of immigrant Korean dads in short films or other projects because of Kim's. I have to turn a lot of them down because I like playing different roles too. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad How has your personal background, being born in Korea and raised in the US, influenced your portrayal of Appa in Kim's Convenience? I think growing up in the Korean church really helped me understand Appa so well. Appa is a representative of so many people in my community that I grew up friends and I shared a uniquely common bond in our Korean immigrant experience which greatly involved our difficult interactions with our fathers. We would often entertain each other by imitating the different men in our church with their thick Korean accents and broken English while killing time waiting for our parents to finish choir practice after service and lunch - yes church was an all day event for many of us! But even though I didn't know it at the time, the Korean church was the training ground for my preparation for Appa. You've mentioned that Kim's Convenience has changed your life. Can you elaborate on how being part of this production has impacted your career and your personal life? Appa is the meatiest character I've ever played and prior to that I got to play some good characters in other plays but Appa's range and complexity stands out above the others. So artistically it really fills my tank and satisfies my desire to play such a great role. Prior to Kim's I was waiting for a break and sometimes felt like I just played these day roles on set to pay the bills. Kim's has given me the platform to showcase my acting and it has opened so many doors for other opportunities but I feel like Kim's is the gift that keeps on giving. My involvement with this play seems to grow daily as more opportunities like this tour keep coming my way. I don't know how much longer I'll be doing this role, but I certainly don't see myself leaving this for quite a while. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Appa is often seen as a loving but sometimes stubborn father. How do you balance the humour and heart in portraying him?
Scotsman
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
James Yi talks Kim's Convenience as the hit show arrives in Scotland
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now Kim's Convenience has been hitting the road across the UK, as James Yi (Kim's Convenience, Netflix; The Interview) makes his UK debut as the loveable yet stubborn patriarch Appa. The show will be touring to the Glasgow Pavillion from 8th-10th May. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Tell us about Kim's Convenience and it's exciting UK tour? After two very successful runs at Park Theatre and then at Riverside Studios in 2024, Adam Blanshay Productions, which also produced the Riverside remount, is taking this lovely show on the road from 12th March until 5th July. We will be playing all over the UK in 17 different theatres so I'm thrilled that so many more people outside of London will get the chance to see this play! You've been part of Kim's Convenience in both its stage and screen adaptations. What are some key differences on stage versus on screen? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kim's Convenience, UK Tour The tv series, being a half hour comedy, was primarily focused on humour being the main vehicle of telling the stories, but in the play, I think that there is more freedom to go to much more real, intense and sometimes heart wrenching places that gives a fuller experience of the story. The characters are also around 10 years older in the play, so I think that the stakes are quite different for them. The play also highlights the broken relationships and the pain of the Kim family much more than the TV series. How has your interpretation of Appa evolved throughout the different stages and productions, including this current UK tour? I think like with anything, if you do it long enough you start seeing different details than you did in the beginning or understand the bigger picture of the story better and that has definitely been my experience with Appa. But I think it's a story that is so close to my own experience that my interpretation has not changed that much. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad James Yi, Caroline Donica, and Andrew Gichigi What is it about Kim's Convenience that resonates with audiences, especially in the context of cultural and generational differences? I think that this story is told mostly from the perspective of Appa, the immigrant parent, which is unique because most plays about immigrant stories tend to be from the child's the child's perspective, the immigrant parent can often be vilified and sometimes de-humanized but with Kim's, I hear so many responses from audience members who want to connect with their fathers after the show. I also find that the show resonates just as deeply for people of non-Korean descent because of the themes of family and reconciliation. Audiences really identify with how the characters struggle with the cultural and generation differences in the play because of how the struggles are dealt so well through humour and heart. What challenges do you face when portraying a character like Appa? I don't really consider it a challenge but I often get offered roles of immigrant Korean dads in short films or other projects because of Kim's. I have to turn a lot of them down because I like playing different roles too. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad How has your personal background, being born in Korea and raised in the US, influenced your portrayal of Appa in Kim's Convenience? I think growing up in the Korean church really helped me understand Appa so well. Appa is a representative of so many people in my community that I grew up friends and I shared a uniquely common bond in our Korean immigrant experience which greatly involved our difficult interactions with our fathers. We would often entertain each other by imitating the different men in our church with their thick Korean accents and broken English while killing time waiting for our parents to finish choir practice after service and lunch - yes church was an all day event for many of us! But even though I didn't know it at the time, the Korean church was the training ground for my preparation for Appa. You've mentioned that Kim's Convenience has changed your life. Can you elaborate on how being part of this production has impacted your career and your personal life? Appa is the meatiest character I've ever played and prior to that I got to play some good characters in other plays but Appa's range and complexity stands out above the others. So artistically it really fills my tank and satisfies my desire to play such a great role. Prior to Kim's I was waiting for a break and sometimes felt like I just played these day roles on set to pay the bills. Kim's has given me the platform to showcase my acting and it has opened so many doors for other opportunities but I feel like Kim's is the gift that keeps on giving. My involvement with this play seems to grow daily as more opportunities like this tour keep coming my way. I don't know how much longer I'll be doing this role, but I certainly don't see myself leaving this for quite a while. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Appa is often seen as a loving but sometimes stubborn father. How do you balance the humour and heart in portraying him? I guess I don't really think of trying to find a balance of those two characteristics because I think that by just playing Appa's intentions and being truthful in each moment is all I can really focus on as the actor. I think the balance is already in the writing.
