these songs of freedom

On the eve of India's post-colonial SaSThiabdapUrti, Amit Varma of IndiaUncut.com contemplates the freedoms still curtailed by the Indian constitution. Read his piece These songs of freedom here. Thanks to Doc for the link.

trolling on medline

I guess it was a tad too earnest for JIR

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1: Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1998 Jan;42(1):119-22.Links

Effect of the Karnatic music raga "Neelambari" on sleep architecture

Gitanjali B.

Department of Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Pondicherry.

The raga Neelambari in the classical Indian Karnatic system of music is said to be able to induce sleep and also have some sleep promoting qualities. This hypothesis was scientifically tested using sleep polysomnography with eight healthy subjects who listened to either Neelambari (test) raga or Kalyani (control) raga. There was no difference in sleep architecture or in subjective feeling of quality of sleep. The anecdotal references to the quality of sleep promoting effects of Neelambari probably reflect a conditioned response since most lullabies in South India are sung in Neelambari raga.

PMID: 9513803 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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