Clarins Delectable Self-Tanning Mousse, £20 (clarins.com)This feels luxuriously creamy as it's a whipped mousse rather than a spray. it is easy to over-apply, however, and takes a while to dry. Our tester ended up with streaks, due to getting dressed only 20 minutes after applying. Apply sparingly, especially on fair skin. 7/10
Adonia Bronzing Glow, £39, (michaeljohn.co.uk)
Out of all the sprays we tried, this was by far the best. it gives a great colour after a couple of hours, but go easy when applying, and always blend well with your hands. This luxurious spray smells beautifully of bergamot and citronella. The bottle is lovely, too.  9/10
Soap & Glory Glow Getter Spray, £10 (Boots)Sprays tend to be more difficult to get a blended, streak-free look, and this one is best used by experienced selftanners only. The spray can also make a mess of the area around you, so stand on a towel. Gives a good colour, though. 6/10
Sisley Self-Tanning Spray For the Body, £67, (020 7591 6380)
A clear spray that smells amazing, this requires a little work to get it perfect. But if you blend well and let it dry properly, it gives a great colour. The spray is easily directed and the finished result is a healthy glow, rather than a deep colour. 9/10
Phytomer Creamy Self-Tanning Gel For Face and Body, £27, (01753 827 600 or thebeautyroom.co.uk)This clear gel is good for using on the face, as well as the body. it is easily blended, despite not being able to see where you've put it. perfect for more mature skin as it's more moisturising than some others, and won't develop into a too deep shade. 8/10
Matis Sun-Kissed Glow Body Lotion, £27, (01322 290101 or matis-uk.com) This gives a natural, sun-kissed colour. however, it is not ideal for those looking for a deep colour, as it gives a gradual tan, and should be used for a few days to build colour. But it smells delicious and is perfect if you are looking for a light, golden glow. 8/10




SexyHair Aero Tan Instant Temporary Tanning Spray, £13.25, (beautybay.com)
This gives a good tan with the right application, although the aerosol can makes it difficult to direct properly, and it does make a mess.  Also, it must be blended instantly to avoid streaking and isn't great on fair skin as the colour is deep. 7/10
M&S Suntan Self-Tan Spray for Face and Body, £7.50, (marksandspencer.com) A no-fuss no-frills spray from Marks&Spencer. it takes a few applications to get a deep colour, but if you've used self-tan products before and are confident with sprays, it will do the job. 8/10

Solait Tinted Bronzing Gel For Face and Body, £4.50, (Superdrug) This is in a rather offputting deep brown tube, which makes you think it's very dark. it isn't, but it does streak if you're not careful. Allow half an hour's drying time and re-apply after a couple of days as some of the colour came off in the bath after 24 hours. 6/10
Soleil Beauty Bronzing Mist Spray, £6.50, (Tesco)
Not the easiest tan to apply, as the spray tends to squirt more than you really want. But once it was on and blended it looked good, especially on darker skin. Unfortunately, it came off on the sheets and faded considerably after a day. 6/10

Avon Magic Tan Moisturising Self-Tan Lotion, £8, (avonshop.co.uk)
This is great value. it takes around three hours to develop and works well on fair or medium skin, giving a fairly light coverage. There's no mess and it's a pleasant-smelling lotion. 5/10
Origins The Great Pretender Shimmery Self-Tanner, £15, (origins.co.uk) Definitely the best smelling, but it's an instant 'wash-off' tan. Great for a last-minute boost before going out. 8/10
Fake Bake Self Tanning Lotion, £22, fakebake.co.uk.
We had high hopes for this, especially as it contains a 'triple tan booster' (Dimethyl isosorbide or DMi) and is supposed to work faster and last longer. But though easy to apply (it is a gooey, dark brown liquid so it's obvious where it is going), the tan lasted only two days on our fairskinned tester. 7/10
St Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mist, £30, (st-tropez.com) It a bit messy and sludgy straight after application, but it's worth it for a tropical-looking tan. it's not as instant as some fake tans but the colour is so natural and glowing that we didn't mind all the prescrubbing, moisturising and careful spraying. We found it best to apply at night, wait for it to dry and go to bed. After showering in the morning it produced a gorgeous tan. 9/10
Garnier Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronzer Dry Body Mist, £10.99 (boots.com) We reAlly liked this product, it was easy to use, dried instantly and there was no need to rub it in. No streaks or patches, and we liked the fact that the tan built up gradually with each application. The only downside was the smell  -  it wasn't bad, but it was noticeable. 9/10 
Lee Stafford Fake My Tan, £8.99(boots.com)
This claims to produce an 'olive not orange' hue, and we agree. it took quite a while to get an even colour with no streaks, but it was worth it for the effect. After a few hours' wear, it washed off easily in the shower. A pleasant smell, too. 8/10
Lavera Sun Sensitive Self Tanning Shimmer Spray, £15.50 (lavera.co.uk)
As it's a spray it was difficult to do the back of the legs and we found it was running off the skin before we could rub it in. it is also colourless, so you can't see where you have already applied it. Our tester used it on an area of skin that hadn't seen any sun and liked the natural shade. But overall, not easy to use and it took too long to dry. 6/10
Lush Charlotte Island Body Tint, £9.95 (lush.co.uk)
This applies very well and smells lovely thanks to all its natural ingredients. {erfect for pasty-looking legs that need a quick colour boost before a night out. it gives an instant tan that is very subtle. 9/10
Garnier skin Naturals Summer Body Moisturising Lotion, £4.99 (boots.com)
Allows the user to gradually build up a tan to the shade they want. After applying it for three days it produced a lovely colour. The only downside was that it left our tester's skin a little greasy. 8/10
Do you have a beauty problem? Write to Ask Elsa, Beauty Confidential, Femail, the Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, Kensington, London W8 5TT. or email: askelsa@dailymail.co.uk.

216-5: Some scampered running between the sticks nets the tourists some more vital runs.

210-5: Bowling change Tim Bresnan for Anderson Anderson out of the attack and immediately off the field. Sub is on.
210-5: Four more for Mushfiqur - edged smartly down to third man this time. 
206-5: Great hit from  Mushfiqur gets him off the mark. Plays it through mid wicket all the way down the hill for four.
200-5: 200 up for Bangladesh
199-5: Ooh and a lovely flash of the blade from Shakib brings the Bangladeshis nearer the milestone. But he's playing with reckless abandon though - almost gets himself out a couple of times. Now is the time for a captain's innings I would have thought...
191-5: WICKET! Jahurul c Prior b Anderson Wickets tumbling now. Jahurul is walking and Bangladesh are on the ropes all of sudden.... England's bowlers so much more penetrating than yesterday. Mushfiqur Rahim is the new man in.
190-4: Beauty from the Pavilion End from Finn - misses Jahurul's wicket by a whisker. 21-year-old looking in great touch with the ball.

190-4: Shakib off the mark with a two - and follows it up with a three. Good running from the batsmen out there.
185-4: WICKET! Ashraful lbw b Finn 4 Finn on fire out there and picks up wicket no. 2 of the morning. To be fair to the batsman Hawk-Eye suggested it was high... and wide. Skipper Shakib al Hasan is in.

183-3: Ashraful whacks a quick boundary and is off the mark. Always looks in fluid touch this bloke
179-3: WICKET Siddique c Prior b Finn 58 Ooh early wicket - Finn picks up his second wicket. Siddique gets the merest of nicks and it floats behind to Prior. Mohammed Ahraful is in.
179-2: And the sun is out!!! Yes it's official - you heard it here first!!
178-2: Immediate bowling change - James Anderson for Swann Yep, with these overcast conditions favouring seam - Jimmy is thrown on for a bowl.
178-2: Jahurul to receive from the 6"8 paceman. Ooh and just two off the over as he guides one down to mid wicket for a couple.
176-2: Furious cricket ball drying with damp ball from skipper Strauss before tossing it to the new boy Finn.
176-2: First boundary and indeed runs of the day. Siddique pummels one through the covers for four. Only runs of the over and we'll have some pace from Steven Finn from the Pavilion End.
172-2: Umpires are out and as are the players. Graeme Swann to open up to Siddique. Finally!
3.00: Not a sausage in the last hour. But finally a ray of hope. Covers are off and pitch inspection is on. We may get some play this afternoon after all... and it's go. Play to start at 3.15.
2.00: Nope - absolutely nothing. We're still waiting for something to happen. Anything to happen. Damp squib so far - if you'll mind the weak and somewhat sloppy weekend pun...
1.15: Lunch over - but still no play. Rain, rain, go away - there's another song...
1.00: Still raining. Thinking of rain songs... Eurythmics Here comes the rain again... Raindrops keep falling on my head... It's raining men... who could forget the Phil Collins Classic Ooh yes I wish it would rain down... Milli Vanilli sang Blame it on the rain (apt choice). My old favourite November Rain. In fact so good - I'm giving it a picture - see below...
12.45: Yep, so lunch is taken. Gower interviewing cricket's finest baby-faced assassin Stuart Broad in the media box. Still looks interminably gloomy at Lord's. Forecasts say it could all clear up after lunch...
12.30: Next pitch inspection at 12.45bst. Good weather for ducks etc.
12.15: Wow, reading Zimbabwe did India in a one-dayer in Bulawayo. You couldn't make it up! as one columnist might say at this paper...
12.00: Still drizzling in north London which means.... nay cricket. Brollies up and I would not bet against no play before lunch. Or even an early lunch. And there is talk of an early lunch. Reading on the DM website that West Ham are chasing Beckham, Henry and Joe Cole. The world's gone mad!

11.45: Absolutely nothing going at Lord's. Still watching England tear into the Aussies in Barbados which, let's face it, is inestimably more interesting than some of the cricket on offer at Lords these past two days...
11.30: Replays showing England doing the Aussies at the T20 earlier this month. All very nice - but does not bode well for any sort of immediate start at Lord's...

11.10: Raining cats and dogs in St John's Wood just now. Starting time - anyone's guess.
10.50: We’re back for day three and the covers are on. Not the most auspicious starts for England after a frustrating day in the field yesterday. Forecasts are for sporadic showers across the day in north London. On Thursday I thought this game would be over in three days – no chance.
Teams are: ENGLAND: Strauss (capt.), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, E Morgan, Prior (wkt), Bresnan, Swann, Anderson, Finn
BANGLADESH: Bangladesh: Kayes, Tamim, Siddique, Jahurul, Ashraful, Shakib (capt.), Rahim (wkt.), Mahmudullah, Shahadat, Robiul, Rubel

10.50: England’s bowlers lacked some vital punch yesterday – what can they do today?? Not much early doors. It's bucketing down at the home of cricket. Play set to start late....

To celebrate the final concert on her tour with Rihanna, Pixie Lott clearly thought it was time to unleash her wild side.
So the 19-year-old vamped it up in a sex kitten outfit as she went clubbing in London this week, slipping into a zig-zagged leotard and striped tights.
She finished off the look with a pair of cat ears and painted black whiskers and a nose on her face, accentuating the look with stacks of leopard-print bangles around her arms and a matching clutch.
The blonde songstress treated her friends to a night at posh club Boujis. She and her entourage arrived in black stretch Hummer and emerged dressed as cats.
She held hands with a male friend as she entered the club and, clearly thinking ahead - whipped out a cat mask which she used to disguise her disheveled appearance as she left.

Not content to call it a night at almost 4am, Pixie continued on to club Jett Black.
Pixie was clearly planning to celebrate, tweeting before she hit the town: 'Last show of the tour...so excited for tonight gonna make it the best one! crazayy.'
Her next 'tweet' the following day was testament to her large night, revealing she was 'looking forward to putting the feet up and having a dvd night with the girls tonight.'
She won't be able to relax for too long, however, as she prepares for appearances this summer at festivals including the V Festival and iTunes Festival.

Only Britney Spears is capable of taking several fashion no-no's and rolling them into the one outfit.
The singer, notorious for blatantly shunning the advice of stylists, revealed another display of her poor fashion sense today when she stepped out in a see-through nightie-style dress, trilby hat and ugg boots.
To make matters worse, she unwisely chose bright red underwear which could clearly be seen through the poorly-fitting dress.

Spears, 28, stepped out in Beverly Hills for a spot of shopping as it was revealed she is the first Twitter follower to amass five million followers.
Despite the fact most of her 'tweets' on the social networking site come from her management team, Spears' popularity has seen her beat popular tweeters Ashton Kutcher and Lady GaGa to the milestone.


Spears has another reason to celebrate after it was revealed this week she had sacked her manager Jason Trawick so they could pursue their blossoming romance.
The couple were first linked two years ago, but have had an on-off relationship.
They chose to stop working together to allow their romance the best chance of success, perhaps thinking of the old adage 'never mix business with pleasure'.

With the material clinging tightly to her famous curves, this black dress looks as if it was made for Beyonce.
And indeed it was – as it features in the singer’s new fashion line Dereon, which is being launched just in time for Brazil’s Valentine’s Day, on June 12.
The range includes bandage dresses and tailored blazers with embroidered detail, and is intended to make women look powerful.

The 28-year-old said: ‘The collection was inspired by the theme of the warrior goddess, a sexy, yet empowered woman.
‘There are form-fitting silhouettes, sexy dresses and a lot of metal details to give the pieces a strong, but glamorous feel.’
The line, which follows House of Dereon, is for sale exclusively at C&A stores in Brazil this week.
House of Dereon was launched by the Knowles family in 2006 as a pret-a-porter fashion line, and followed soon after by the Dereon line, for younger women.
The gowns range in price from $300-$500 and are on sale in U.S. department stores, including Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.
Dereon was the maiden name of Beyonce's grandmother Agnèz Deréon, whose married name Agnèz Beyincé inspired the singer's first name.
The collection is sold with the tagline 'Couture. Kick. Soul' as it represents the spirits of three generations of Knowles women.
Beyonce's mother Tina is the 'couture' thanks to her design talents, the singer brings the 'kick', while late Agnez had the 'soul'.
Along with House of Dereon and the Dereon fashion line, the Knowles family recently announced plans to expand their business to include home furnishings.
Tina said: 'Both Beyonce and I are huge fans of home furnishings and try to stay on top of this ever-changing market.
'As someone who has also realised many interior-design projects, I am so excited to expand our House of Dereon and Dereon brands in this category.
'The thought that we would have something to do in brightening up someone's home, especially bedrooms, is truly wonderful.'

Beyonce is so involved with the marketing of the label she even name-checked their jeans in her 2009 hit Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).
In the single, she sings: 'Got me tighter than my Dereon jeans.'
Before Dereon, Tina was responsible was dressing Beyonce's former group Destiny's Child and custom-made matching outfits for the trio.
Beyonce recently made the headlines when she played a sexy jewel thief in the new Brazilian TV ad for the Dereon range.
Wearing her little black dress, the singer showed off her gymnastic skills as she cartwheeled and flipped over laser beams for the new campaign.
The advert reveals just how form-fitting and flexible the clothes are, as they cling perfectly to her curves during her daring stunts.
As you would expect, the soundtrack to the ad is Beyonce's 2009 hit Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).
The ad appears to be inspired by a scene from 1999 film Entrapment, which stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as an insurance investigator posing as a thief in a bid to catch Sean Connery's professional criminal.

From DAILYMAIL

BP Plc engineers using undersea robots maneuvered a massive metal chamber to fit over a gushing ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday in their best chance yet to contain a leak that threatens an environmental catastrophe on U.S. shores.

The four-story structure, the best short-term hope of controlling the spewing crude, was lowered to the seabed almost one mile (1.6 km) below the surface in an attempt to funnel the escaping oil to a surface tanker.

BP, which faces major financial losses from the spill, suffered a further blow when ratings agency Standard & Poor's lowered its outlook on the British oil giant to negative from stable.

It is under pressure from the Obama administration to limit the damage from what could be the worst oil spill in U.S. history. BP has said it will pay all legitimate costs, a bill that is likely to run into the billions of dollars.

BP officials hope the container will begin funneling oil from the leak next week. Workers will spend the next three to four days making the connections to pump crude to the surface.

The device has not been tried at that depth, where engineers guiding remotely operated vehicles battle darkness, currents and intense undersea pressure. BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward warned there was no certainty of success.

"The pressures and temperatures are very different here, so we cannot be confident that it will work," Hayward told CNN.

BP is drilling a relief well to halt the leak -- which began after the Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, killing 11 crew members -- but it could take up to three months to complete. Engineers have also considered pumping heavy fluids into the top of the failed blowout preventer to plug the leaking well in a technique called "top kill."

They gave up on efforts to close valves on a failed blowout preventer with underwater robots, after trying in vain for two weeks, Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer, said.

Surface containment efforts continue, helped by calm seas. Controlled burns on Thursday removed up to 9,000 barrels (280,000 gallons/1,070,000 litres) of oil, he said.

It "is a very powerful technique and when the weather is good it will continue," Suttles said.

Forecasts suggest light winds through Saturday, although they are expected shift and come from the south to southwest, which could push the slick toward the Louisiana shore.

About 250 boats deployed protective booms and used dispersants to break up the thick oil on Friday. Crews have laid almost 800,000 feet (240,000 metres) of boom, and spread 267,000 gallons (1 million litres) of chemical dispersant.

On Thursday, after meeting with BP executives in Houston, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the company and its partners made "some very major mistakes."

Salazar reiterated the U.S. government will issue no new offshore drilling permits until an inter-agency panel gives a safety review to President Barack Obama by May 28. In the meantime, current drilling will continue.

DOWNGRADES

Standard & Poor's, in announcing the negative outlook, indicated a ratings downgrade was likely. Moody's said the spill raised the specter of credit pressure for the five primary companies involved in the project.

S&P cut its outlook for Anadarko Petroleum Corp, which has a 25 percent stake in the ill-fated well, to stable from positive, saying it is "potentially liable for significant costs and liabilities relating to the clean-up."

Other companies involved are Transocean, owner of the rig that caught fire and collapsed; Cameron International, which supplied the failed blow-out preventer for the well; and Halliburton, which helped cement in place the blown-out well.

Hayward a $75 million legal cap on its cleanup and compensation liabilities under federal law, which some U.S. lawmakers now want to raise, would not be a limit for BP.

BP shares dropped 2.3 percent in London on Friday, less than the broad STOXX Europe 600 Oil and Gas index which fell 3.8 percent. In New York, BP's American Depository Receipts sank 2.7 percent.

The spill threatens an economic and ecological disaster on tourist beaches, wildlife refuges and fishing grounds in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. It has forced Obama to rethink plans to open more waters to drilling.

At least 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons/795,000 litres) have poured into the Gulf each day since the well ruptured.

A sheen of oil has engulfed much of the Chandeleur Islands, barrier islands that are part of Louisiana's Breton National Wildlife Refuge, the first confirmation of the oil slick hitting land. Some oiled birds have been found in recent days.

The Breton refuge was closed to the public after a silver sheen and emulsified oil reached the shoreline, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said. Altogether, crude from the spill could hit 24 national wildlife refuges.

A Reuters photographer, on a flyover of the coast, saw a band of oil, orange in color and about a mile or two long, running parallel to shore about 17 miles (27 km) south of barrier islands off Mississippi's mainland.

Numerous black blobs, possibly emulsified tar, were visible just below the surface in shallow water near some marsh coast to the east of the Chandeleur Islands.

U.S. authorities on Friday modified and expanded the boundaries of the area closed to fishing as a result of the spill, and extended restrictions for another 10 days, to May 17. The closed area represents almost 4.5 percent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters, up from slightly less than 3 percent included in the original ban.

"This oil spill was the last thing we needed," Lance Nacio, a shrimper with Anna Marie Seafood in Dulac, Louisiana, said on a call with reporters. "I think this is going to devastate the industry which was already tattered by low dockside prices."

Kevin Begos, a seafood industry spokesman in Apalachicola, Florida, said dealers in his area have seen orders drop. "Right now, it's mostly fear, because oil hasn't come here yet," Begos said.

Alabama tourism officials planned an ad campaign to let tourists know the beaches were still clean and encourage them not to cancel their vacation plans.

Fears of massive shipping problems in the Gulf of Mexico have not panned out. Shippers and ports are prepared to clean vessels that move through the oily waters, but so far ships have passed through without contamination.

(Additional reporting by Matt Bigg in Venice, Louisiana; Matt Daily in New York; Tom Bergin in London; Anna Driver, Bruce Nichols and Chris Baltimore in Houston; Tom Brown and Pascal Fletcher in Miami; Karen Brettell in New York; Steve Gorman and Brian Snyder in Mobile, Alabama; and Richard Cowan in Washington; writing by Jeffrey Jones, John Whitesides and Ros Krasny; editing by Eric Beech)

London, May 8 (IANS) Hollywood actress Kristen Stewart says she hates the criticism she receives for her downcast expressions on the red carpet, which she believes is an uncontrollable response to the people around her.

'People say that I'm miserable all the time. It's not that I'm miserable, it's just that somebody's yelling at me. I literally, sometimes, have to keep myself from crying. It's a physical reaction to the energy that's thrown at you,' femalefirst.co.uk quoted Stewart as saying.

Kristen also insisted most of the negative comments she receives are unjustified because she is passionate about her profession.

A three-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan who demits office on Tuesday, favoured Mukesh Ambani in the high voltage gas pricing and supply dispute between Reliance Industries (RIL) and Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL).

Chief Justice supported Sathasivam's judegement. Justice Sathasivam said that the brothers need to re-noegtiate the MoU in six weeks as the family MoU was not binding. It added that gas was a national asset and the government will finally decide on the pricing. However Justice Reddy disagreed with the judgement.

The case is one of India's biggest corporate battles. RIL had appealed to the apex court after the Bombay High Court ruled in favour of RNRL.

Sathasivam in his verdict said RNRL is entitled to get 28 million cubic meters a day from RIL's eastern offshore KG-D6 fields at $2.34 per mmBtu, a price 44% lower than government-approved rates.

The case involves terms of a deal under which Reliance Industries was to supply Anil Ambani's Reliance Natural with 28 million standard cubic metres a day (mmscmd) of gas for 17 years at a rate below the government price.

Stock market participants expected a repeat of the Bombay High Court judgment, which asked Reliance to supply gas to RNRL at $2.34 per unit.

Case Timeline

The gas, which Reliance Natural wants at almost half the government-set rate of $4.2 per million metric British thermal unit (mmBtu), comes from the Krishna Godavari basin off India's east coast, which is operated by Reliance Industries.

Also read: What does Ambani gas row ruling mean?

The field is India's biggest gas find and should nearly double the nation's gas output when production is at full throttle at 80 mmscmd.

The disputed deal was part of a 2005 family settlement between the Ambani brothers under which the Reliance empire was split following the death of their father. The brothers have been in several disputes since then.

Also Read: What has the Reliance gas dispute been all about?

Reliance Industries argues the private deal cannot take precedence over government policy, which determines who can receive gas and at what price.

Anil Ambani, who claims otherwise, rolled out a series of front-page advertisements in major newspapers accusing the government of taking the side of Reliance Industries.

The government initially filed a petition in India's highest court asking to be made a party in the dispute, arguing the family deal was not applicable, and Reliance Industries could only sell gas with its consent.

The government later modified its stance, saying it only wanted to assert that it is the rightful owner of the gas.

Downing a quarter measure of brandy at one go is child's play perhaps only for the best of tipplers. But five-year-old Eeranna, a school dropout from Davanagere in Karnataka, does just that, and in double-quick time.

Although the child now drinks the locally brewed liquor for a high, barely 18 months ago the drink used to be his asthma medication - the only relief his parents, both daily wage labourers, could afford.

Recently, when Karnataka's excise minister M. P. Renukacharya visited Davanagere, local leaders took Eeranna to the minister and the boy showed him his 'skill'. And that heralded change in the child's life.

The minister was horrified to see the boy polishing off the liquor with relish. He summoned Eeranna's parents and inquired about their circumstances. The minister found that the boy belonged to "an extremely poor family" and that they didn't "even have a proper hut". "The government has decided to adopt Eeranna and take care of his education till college," the minister then said.

He also directed the Davanagere district administration to allot a house to Eeranna's parents under a housing scheme.

Srinivasa Naik, who brought Eeranna to the minister, said the boy had even taken to stealing brandy from his relatives.

"He is addicted to brandy. Whenever his father refused him liquor, he would steal it. His parents did not bother too much about him as they had their hands full," he said.

Naik said Eeranna's relatives used to show off his "drinking skills". "They would take Eeranna to local fairs and he would down bottles of brandy in minutes before huge crowds," he said.

Naik had spotted the boy at one such fair and convinced the child's parents to take him to the minister. "The local hospital will conduct a check-up," Davanagere district social welfare officer Dr Suchetna Swaroop said.

An always smiling, upwardly mobile 34-year-old Swami is allegedly caught on tape in a secret romp with a Tamil actress; his ashram is under siege; a former devotee who secretly filmed the video files a police complaint against him for alleged rape and harassment; the Swami goes on the run; he is finally arrested from Himachal Pradesh; and an ashram clause referring to tantric sex surfaces.

Since March 2, 2010, when a sex video surfaced on prime time TV in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, titillating stories and salacious charges concerning Paramahamsa Swami Nityananda have not ceased streaming in.

Apart from sexual allegations, there are tales about the smiling Swami healing the persistent back pain of a policeman who went to arrest him in Himachal Pradesh. And there are stories of the police, hard pressed to find rape and harassment evidence, asking him during interrogation to at least wipe off that famous smile.

Meanwhile, a seven-year-old, rapidly flourishing spiritual movement that originated in Tamil Nadu as the Nityananda Dhyanapeetam and has spread to the US as the Life Bliss foundation, is in pause mode as its chief proponent deals with earthly matters like bail and court cases. While the alleged sex video has since been barred from being telecast - on a court injunction sought by Nityananda - his 22-acre ashram located on prime land in Bidadi, 32 km from Bangalore, has been steadily losing devotees.

Numbers at the India operations of Nityananda Dhyanapeetam have dwindled from a steady 300 permanent residents to merely 50 now.

Among those left holding the fort for the return of Nityananda are a bunch of young, articulate, well-educated men and women - among them foreign nationals - who gave up careers in software, investment banking and advertising to follow a spiritual calling. Nityananda himself is a mechanical engineering diploma holder who once went by the name A Rajashekharan.

His followers gave up jobs in companies like Intel and Hewlett Packard, salaries in the range of Rs 70,000-plus for "their spiritual master". These Bidadi ashram inmates have since dug their heels in, and launched Internet and YouTube campaigns to clear Nityananda's name against charges primarily framed by former ashramite Lenin Karuppan a.k.a. Swami Nitya Dharmananda.

"Why should a sex scandal knock down a pile of achievements in yoga, meditation and public service? You can see that a game is going on when allegations of gold and tiger pelts smuggling are being made," says Sri Nityananda Dheere, a middle-aged US national who has been with Nityananda's movement for over five years.

"We all come from good backgrounds. Do you think we are stupid to leave that and come here to get some cheap thrills?" says Ma Nitya Shantananda, a former Indian software engineer who joined Nityananda's Life Bliss Foundation in Los Angeles before moving to the Bidadi ashram.

"When we read in the media that he abuses women, it shocks us. Every woman here will vouch for the character of Swamiji," says Ma Nitya Priyananda.

Kannada actress Malavika Avinash, in a blog post, backed him too. "Who better than an actress like me to testify that Swamiji did not display any behaviour that caused discomfort to me as a woman?" she wrote.

Nityananda himself has dodged questions on his presence in the screened sex video, saying he was "in the spiritual state of samadhi".

Lenin Karuppan, who facilitated the making of the video allegedly featuring Nityananda and actress Ranjitha, has in his complaint accused him of sexually assaulting a male devotee, Sri Vimalananda Swami, and another devotee, Nityananda Gopika, at the Bidadi ashram. The CID in Karnataka, however, has been unable to get statements from the two.

According to Karuppan, Nityananda preached celibacy but did not practise it. Ashram inmates, however, say Nityananda never professed celibacy but left it to individuals to choose their paths. What has added to the consternation is a non-disclosure agreement that participants in some programmes had to sign that made specific references to possible use of tantric sex practices.

There are also allegations regarding the mysterious death of a 58-year-old Canadian national, Melvyn Diamond.

Called in to investigate a case that largely hinges on social and moral issues, the CID police have been at their wit's end, says a senior police officer. "We are trying our best to establish a case, but it is difficult," says a senior Karnataka police officer.