Out of breath

The shanties in Yamuna Pushta are packed tight. A dusty and torn curtain hangs over the entrance to Sabina's house. Trunks and cupboards leave little space for Sabina and her family. A kabadiwala has spread his polythene bags and plastic ware at their doorstep. A neighbour's goats roam nearby.

The natco-pfizer test

This is set to become a landmark case for the Indian pharmaceutical industry—and for patients. When Natco Pharma of Hyderabad wrote to Pfizer, the world’s largest drugs manufacturer, that it wanted a voluntary licence (VL) to make a low-cost version of its antiretroviral drug maraviroc, it was setting the stage for clarity on how well the compulsory licensing or CL system works in India.

Science and Technology - Briefs

GEOLOGY Earth’s magnetic powers

Letters

WHAT WILL DEER EAT?

Acta is trade terrorism

It is now final. Two weeks ago, the final text of the Anti- Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a plurilateral pact ostensibly aimed at stamping out the trade in counterfeit goods, was put out by the cabal of countries that have been negotiating it in secret for the past three years. It was only in April this year that the world got to see the contours of this deliberately deceptive measure when an earlier draft of the agreement was leaked on the Web.

Boost to blood filters

CHRONIC diabetics are at a greater risk of kidney problems. As the kidneys overwork to filter high blood sugar, its filtering system gets damaged, eventually leaking blood proteins into urine. Poor filtration also pushes the blood pressure up. Doctors usually recommend ACE inhibitors, available under trade names of capton and accupril, to lower the protein loss through urine, while controlling the blood pressure.

Of men and muscles

Minutes before midnight, the devout trainer at Unique gym rushes through his regimen. Photographs by: Sayantan Bera

Of men and muscles

In Shaheenbag’s gali number chhay is Unique gym. A dimly lit body factory in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar where there is a surfeit of passion even though they cannot afford the costs of professional bodybuilding. Photographs by: Sayantan Bera

Of men and muscles

Coming from middle class families most bodybuilders depend on family support. Like 19 year old Raghav who works as a bouncer in a Chennai pub. His biggest hope is to win a national level championship that assures a job in either the railways or the military services under the sports quota. Photographs by: Sayantan Bera

Of men and muscles

At 105 kilos, Virender Singh boasts being the sole vegetarian bodybuilder in the country. Photographs by: Sayantan Bera