Dreamz

Gulf Manorama | Columns | Akkare Ikkare

2011-08-27T09:30:00.000+03:00

A Second heart-The 'sole'

2011-07-20T06:49:00.000+03:00

In Basic English Bible its written in the book of Joshua 1:3,.....Every place on which you put your foot I have given to you, as I said to Moses'

Did you know the sole of your foot is your "second heart"?

Sound strange, yet reality.

The very inspiration came from these wonderful feet you see here,which belongs to a friend of mine,Shoba.She painted and decorated her feet for reasons,she cherishes' to cheer up the heart of a handicapped 12 year old girl.Bravo Shoba,you have done a 'out of the ordinary 'thing in life,by doing so.

I am sure many of us never even bothered,or given a second look,might be ignoranceof the very 'second heart'.We disregarded the very heard that carried us all though they thick,thin and rough terrain's of life and roads.

Have you ever thought of pampering our feet,once in a while for never having complaint,bickering or nagging??If not then,time to start,this very minute!!!.Have a foot massage once in a while,rejuvenate yourself where all your nerves and the entire body system is mapped out.

Many of you may have heard of reflexology and how many parts of your bodycan be affected by stimulating your feet.An especially significant point inyour feet is called your Yong-chun in Korean.It is the end of the kidneymeridian in your body.Stimulating this point can both calm and strengthen you,among other benefits both physical and psychological.

Sole Patting: Benefit—Significantly bolsters brain function.The feet arelike a "second heart." They are vital in orchestrating proper blood circulation. When the soles of the feet are stimulated,you will begin tonotice a heightened sense of clarity,focus and concentration.
Postures:
Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.Bend one leg and bring the ankle over the knee of the other leg.Make a fist with your thumb tucked inside your hand.With the pinky side of your fist, pound the sole of your foot strongly 30times.Alternately, you could use a wooden stick to press the soles of the feet.Pay attention to your Ki 1 (Yong-chun) acupressure points.Repeat with the other foot.

Time to start the pampering, 'the second heart'

PS: technical information's are collected from the net.

The feet belong to Shobha Balachandar'

This design was done on shobha's feet by a handicapped 12 year old girl

The Second Heart

Republic Day Celebrations _Indian School Al Gubrah,Muscat,Oman

2011-01-29T07:44:00.005+03:00

The Teamwork or Children and Teacher to give the look of the 'Delhi Red Fort'

School Captains

Mr.Anil Wadwa, Ambassador To Oman Hoisting the national Flag, Dr.Muhammad Ali,Mr.Raiz, Teachers

Welcome Song-Vande Matharam

Mr. Anil Wadwa being seated for the cultural show of Children

Cultural show representing different states of India

Hi Majesty Sultan Qaboos being respected

Omani National Dance

Few unexpected guest walking to the aisle to take their seats

Mahathma Gandhi with the grand finale of the show

62 years of Joy, being the Republic India being flown unto the skies....

Jana Gana Mana implies that Bharata Bhagya Vidhata, or 'the bestow of good fortune'.

Here is a translation of the five stanzas

Stanza 1:

The (Indian) people wake up remembering your good name and ask for your blessings and they sing your glories (Tava shubha name jaage; tava shubha aashish maage, gaaye tava jaya gaatha)Stanza 2:Around your throne, people of all religions come and give their love and anxiously wait to hear your kind words.Stanza 3:Praise to the King for being the charioteer, for leading the ancient travelers beyond misery.Stanza 4:Drowned in deep ignorance and suffering, this poverty stricken, unconscious country? Waiting for the wink of your eye and our mother's (the Queen's) true protection.Stanza 5:In your compassionate plans, the sleeping Bharat (India) will wake up. We bow down to your feet, O Queen, and glory to Rajeshwara (the King).

Ganapathy-An icon of positive Energy

2010-11-21T09:50:00.003+03:00

Lord Ganesh-Symbol and Presence

Ganesa or Ganesh also known as Ganapati (Sanskrit: गणपति) Vinayaka(Sanskrit: विनायकVināyaka)and Pillaiyar is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshiped in the Hindu pantheon.Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains,Buddhists and beyond India.He brings joy and happiness to the family and may remove all the Obstacles. He is worshiped or at least remembered,in the beginning of any auspicious performance for blessings and auspiciousness.My all time favorite icon, my first attempt in metal imposing art work.

Mithran Devanesan-India's Eminent English Theatre Directors

2010-08-10T07:19:00.000+03:00

Born in Sri Lanka in 1952, Mithran joined the Madras Players in 1974. He acquired a reputation as a talented director and an expert set designer quickly. Around ten years ago, he founded his own theatre group, MTC Productions. Among the well-known plays he directed were ‘Midnight Hotel', ‘Funny Money', ‘Anna Weiss', ‘Seven Steps Around the Fire' and ‘Dance Like a Man'.In 2006, he directed ‘The Shadow Box' for The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Fest, a play which was very well received.Over the years, a number of plays staged for the Fest relied on his sets.

He was willing to see the actors' point of view and bring out the best in each of them. He had the ability to read a script, and almost instantly visualise the entire play in his head”

He has been thrice awarded the Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship. In the last three years Mithran has worked in films - as an actor in a French production Blue Mountains, as a casting director and as an actor in an Italian film Gills.

Mithran worked for underprivileged children by conducting workshops, teaching English at Corporation schools, and sponsoring scholarships for deserving students. His family runs an organization called Roofs for the Roofless in 14 villages, south of Chennai.of the Bow-Wow Club, a community based children's theatre.
With the passing away of Mithran Devanesan, Chennai has lost one of its best-known figures in the English theatre scene.God rest his soul.
PS: Information collected from net

Doyen of Kerala Media - K.M. Mathew

2010-08-01T08:36:00.008+03:00

K M Mathew, Chief Editor of Malayala Manorama daily and a pioneer of Indian media industry, passed away at his residence this morning(01 08 2010). He was 93

To express my profound sorrow.I join Kerala People in mourning this giant of indian journalism, through this Blog

One can count on one's fingers the number of times the word 'I' is used in Ettamathe Mothiram (The Eighth Ring), K.M. Mathew's autobiography. In it, the veteran newspaper giant Sree K M Mthew, is more of a cinematographer diligently filming a flick than the central character. The book is written in Malayalam. In the book he, smoothly travels down memory lane that starts from his childhood in Kuppupuram in Kerala and passing through Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Madras, Delhi, London, Istanbul and Berlin. The canvas is broad and Mathew, using memory as his brush, has painted a picture that is both informative and poignant.

Born on January 2^nd, 1917, Sree.Mathew joined the organization as Managing Editor in 1954 and became chief editor in 1973. Mathew took over the Malayala Manorama group, when it had just one publication. With the growth of the group, Mathew realized his childhood dream. His is a life fully lived; it shows in the pages of his Book that brim with optimism and zest. The book is dedicated to Mathew's mother, Kunjandamma (Mammi), whose ornaments were made into rings and given to her nine children. Mathew, being her eighth child, got the eighth ring, which also turned out to be the title of the book on his life.An active person throughout his life, Sree.Mathew was keenly taking part in the running of the acclaimed newspaper, about a couple of week ago, too.

'Sree.Mathew was one of the pioneers of the print media industry and a great human being,' said many and quoted endless lines on his goodwill and strength of character. Yet people of Kerala, remembered Mathew as a man known for his simplicity and humility. His service to the society will always be, remembered forever by many. Noted author M.T. Vasudevan Nair said: 'The way in which Mathew carried himself in a humble manner, will always be remembered despite being the giant among the media industry .'

Mathew launched many publications such as the women’s magazine Vanitha in Malayalam and English, the English magazine The Week, the farmer’s magazine Karshakasree, children’s magazines Balarama Amar Chitra Katha and Kalikudukka in Malayalam and Magic Pot in English and Encyclopedic Manorama Year Book in Malayalam, English, Hindi Tamil and Bengali.

In 1988 he received the Padma Bhushan. His other much-acclaimed awards including Foundation of Freedom of Information Award (1991), National Citizen’s award (1992), Ramakrishna Jay Dayal award (1995), Durga Prasad Chaudhary award (1996), B. D. Goenka Award (1996).

PS: Some of the words are quotes taken from media.

Go Go Girl

2010-03-13T17:22:00.003+03:00

Hoorah for Women

Celebrating "International Women's Day is about supporting women to give voice to their visions. “Progress for women is progress for all". After 14 years and three failed attempts, the Indian Government will vote on Monday to begin the legislative process for enacting a law for women. Hopeful that a new page of history can be written on the International Women's Day. On Sunday fresh attacks were attempted on the women's reservation bill in its present form, however, it will be a landmark in the history of Indian women. International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of many versatile developments. The tradition sees men honoring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give presents as their token of appreciation.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitude in both women's and society's views about women's uniformity in all fields. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the long life and difficulty of unrest in statuesque. When women are adorning more boardroom, responsible positions in work and governments, greater impartiality in their rights have increased women's position as role models in many aspects of life have gained equality.

We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, artists, sports women, you name it and they adoring very powerful positions. They even work from home and have a family, although the most complex planning, strategy and working pattern is necessary to run a home. Women have many fruitful choices. Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. So make a difference, think globally and act locally. Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for your girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.We hear people in position admit that a "massive amount of work" remains to be done to close the pay gap between men and women. This is just one of barriers keeping women, whether they are Aboriginal women, women with disabilities, single women, single parents or women living in poverty, from realizing their full potential.

Have you ever thought of taking an average of the work and toil each woman go through globally? Many surveys and percentages in ratio and counting shows very pathetic stability and health factors . Females in many countries on average carry 20 liters of water per day over 6 km, by walking , Pregnant women in Africa are 180 times more likely to die than in Western Europe ,over 530,000 women die in pregnancy or childbirth each year ,Of 1.2 billion people living in poverty worldwide, 70% are women ,80% of the world's 27 million refugees are women ,Women own around only 1% of the world's land , Women are 2/3 of the 1 billion+ illiterate adults who have no access to basic education .Are we really celebrating International Women’s Day??

Please hug the women and girls in your life today and appreciate their worth,value and importance in our lives.

The Skill of Listening

2010-02-07T09:35:00.000+03:00

Listening is an active skill.
To listen, according to the meaning given in one dictionary is “to hear with thoughtful attention”. So listen implies hearing, but the converse is not necessarily true. Very often, we hear without listening.
More Sales people fail due to poor listening rather than due to ineffective speaking.
A research showed that 70 percent of our working time is spent in communicating: broken up thus:
9 per cent writing
16 per cent reading
30 per cent speaking
And
45 per cent listening (supposedly listening)
The research pointed to the anomaly that the skill most used by us is the one that is least taught-infact not taught at all.
What makes listening difficult in spite of the fact that this is one skill used by all of us most of the time? Let’s look at some Barriers to Effective Listening.
1. If you are feeling anxious-may be the seniority of the contact, perhaps, he is the Company Chairman or the Managing Director- remember he is a person with normal customer needs, and will generally be a very rational person to listen to.
2. Pressure of Work- may be something is weighing on your mind and you start thinking about it rather than listen to your customer. Remember, he pays your salary, therefore you must give him the time to talk and you must take the time to listen.
3. Jargon, this can also be a barrier. If a customer uses it-don’t be afraid to say that you don’t understand-otherwise no matter how hard you listen, it will be ineffective.
4. We think much faster than we talk. Instead of listening while the customer is talking, we mentally rehearse what we are going to say in response.
5. If you are bored while listening to the customer, it will show –and he will know that you are not interested and there not listening- you must show that you are listening, if you are going to communicate.
These are some of the barriers to break down before you can begin to listen effectively. Having got rid of these barriers, how can you become more skilled at listening?
INCREASING LISTENING SKILLS
An effective listener listens, not only to words, but to the meaning behind the words. Clearly, effective listening is not a passive process: it plays a critical role in communication. The effective listener interacts with the customer in developing meaning and reaching understanding.
Several principles can aid in increasing essential listening skills.
• The listener should have a reason or purpose for listening.
• It is important for the listener to suspend judgment initially.
• The listener should resist distractions- noise.
• The listener should wait before responding to the customer. Too prompt a response reduces listening effectiveness.
• The listener should repeat verbatim, what the customer says (if required).
• The listener should rephrase in his own words the content and feeling of what the customer says, to the customer’s satisfaction.
• The listener should seek the important theses of what the customer says, by listening, through the words, for the real meaning.
• The listener should use the time differential between the fate of speech (100-150 words per minute) and the rate of thought (400- 500 words per minute) to reflect upon the content and what it means.
• The listener should be ready to respond to the customer comments.
SKILLFUL LISTENING
Look at the customer.
Maintain eye contact- this will show that you are interested. Leaning forward also shows the customer that you are interested. Ask questions related to the customer’s topic-this will show that you have been listening.
You should make notes of the key issues and facts. However, do not make detailed notes at the cost of missing out important points.
When listening to customers, you may hear a lot of non-essential information. One of the principles of effective listening is to make a mental note of the key issues and facts. It is; sometimes impossible to remember everything the customer says-but you do need to remember, or note down the key issues and facts,ie the information necessary for you or your manager to take action. It is always a good idea to ask the customers.
“Do you mind if I make a few notes? What you are saying is important and I want to make sure that I don’t miss anything. The customer will then see that you are interested and listening.
BENEFITS OF BEING A GOOD LISTENER
Fewer errors in your verbal communications.
Greater understanding of the customer’s concerns.
Better Solutions to those concerns. It shows a professional caring attitude.
The customer senses your support.
The importance of listening in business and personal matters is now well recognized everywhere. Next time someone tells you “Sit back, relax and listen” do not believe him. Listening is a very active process, both mentally and physically.
Once you have mastered the art of listening to the words, you can then learn the art of listening beyond words. These are the non- verbal communication of attitudes (feelings), in which words play a very minor role:
Indicators to attitudes (feelings)
7 per cent words
38 percent voice/tone
55 percent body language
This may seem strange at first sight, but it has been found that real attitudes (feelings) are communicated silently and almost without words. The customer body language is the best indicator of the purpose and his voice/tone is the best indicator of the real meaning behind the words.
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3 J's- Sand,Sun and Waves

2009-08-12T09:39:00.008+03:00

Plan your perfect Escapade' with CLEOPATRA RESORTS, in Palolem Beach, Goa. Vacations , Resorts, Beach, Nature,Scenic stock,Ambiance ...you name it and all rolled into a suitable parcel in the resort.

Also visit for more details Cleopatraresorts

The Resort is located in the southern coastal belt, situated 55 Kms from the airport, 2Kms from the railway station and 36 Kms from the main town of Margao, making it an ideal location for a perfect holiday. Cleopatra Resorts is 250 meter's away from the beach, which is blessed by an abundance of coconut groves and embelence, and ofcourse peaceful environment that contribute to the tranquil and leisure time.

Here are the two links for a glimpse of our Hotels in Goa.. Perhaps you or your friends who plan to take a holiday to Goa ,may find these interesting !!!!

See our slideshow of the Beach Resort Hotel Video Display

Fashionable beach retreats and bargains aren’t always mutually exclusive.No matter the time of year, a beach escape always helps us reset. The combination of sandy stretches, rolling waves, and open seas brings a measure of tranquility that’s increasingly essential in these harried times. But prime beach location and hotel accommodation's, of course, doesn’t always come cheap. So at Cleopatra we’have rounded up this year’s best offer and bottom line bargain for our exclusive visitors .

A Birthday Wish-- 23 May

2009-05-24T14:48:00.006+03:00

Long long ago we walked to the school

Hand in hand, we stepped over leaves,

Wandered through many familiar ways

But she remained a cherished friend.

Lost her somewhere along the way of life

The roads separated without consent,

Unmoved and unrelenting gap of loss.

Time remained unconditional always

But she remained in heart with love.

Shared many secrets i had in mind,

Never knew if ever she understood

Or evven tried to understand sentiments,

That grew along with me and years

But she left behind many memories.

New realms and lands engulfed time,

Walked past me many friends indeed,

None remind me of her,yet she lasted

Ever so sweet as she had always been

But never did she looked back at me.

Though news of her, growing up walked in

Always listened with much enthusiasm

Yet time immemorial cruel kept us apart,

With questions that are silly and sad,

But mind always beat with intense care.

Relationship resurrected with technology,

The intense bond felt seems to be past.

Days spend through keyboard message,

Seems to have reversed the present tense

But past never become present for feelings.

She remained precious in hearts that beats

Never withered aways the friendship

But remained calm in her birthdays

Wishing her the very best God ordained.

But she always remained the best things ever.

‘Film and Female’- 6 Day workshop on Film

2009-05-20T10:49:00.009+03:00

A Malyalam Version ....can be read in this link

When a person goes into a theatre, he or she sits back and watch what is going on the silver screen. But the film maker is someone who shows us where the viewers’ minds go; what they like; what they crave for. It is the film maker’s with that make the people enjoying. And the film making is an art itself. It can be learnt; it can be taught.

There are young and aspiring artists around us desirous to know about the art of film making itself. And fortunately enough the artists with hidden talents would not have to wait for long, as they have a golden opportunity for knowing about the etire process of film making at their door, in their city, Muscat and Oman. As one of the rare opportunities in our cities, we have been fortunate to have among us the film personalities like Ms. Fowzia Fathima (Cinematographer), Mr. B. Ajithkumar (Film Editor) and Razi (Art Director). The company and the closeness of these artists carrying fame in their respective fields would share their experience with us; during the tenure of the classes, they all will acquaint us with various fields, ranging from ‘basic guidance’ to the difficult ‘technical aspects’ concerning the process of filmmaking.

For those who wish to develop their natural skill with professional touch, the classes are organised for six days, and will be conducted in association with Jeevan Omaniyam. The venue of the classes is at Passage to India restaurant, Hattat House Compound, Wadi Adi Roundabout. The involvement of women participants is especially encouraged; as such an opportunity could be a stepping stone for an aspiring artist. Participation from those women who want absolute opportunities for entering the vast field of films, T. V. Serials, Music Videos and even the world of advertisement is heartily welcome. They introduce maestro’ movies to the participants includes Bergman, Tarkovesky , Chaplin and more. It would certainly be a unique workshop on film making aimed at providing ‘rudimentary guidance’ and chances for the new comers to this field. More over we intent ‘women participation’ as a footstep forward to multilevel acceptance. This workshop thus can be emphasized as ‘Film and Female’. We expect participation from all nationalities and we offer classes in international standard.

During the period of six days days, the participants would have opportunity to be and engage themselves with a person like Sudha Sha… In addition to being a writer and a film maker herself, Shdha is a woman of substance. Her efforts in making this event possible are beyond praise. The Hosting function would be a star studded one. In addition to the films personalities mentioned above, the function would witness the attendance of many known personalities. The presence of Dr. Khaled Abdul Raheem Ali al Zadjali, the director of Omani Film Industry, would be an additional boost to the enthusiasm of the participants. The well-known personalities like Dr Ratnakumar, head of The New India Assurance and Mr. Abdullah Abi Salam, from Lakshmi Kothaneth would add more shine to the whole event.

You can also be a member of the official group they are forming in association with the Film Society of Muscat and all details of the upcoming workshops and information are available in this blog : http://moviemct.blogspot.com/

The Directory of Artist-A Review

2009-04-26T09:26:00.007+03:00

Tens of thousands of people paint in their leisure time. In painting, they unleash their inner self. It is important when any one is painting, regardless of his age, status, time, and the circumstances, he be honest with himself and the idea he express should be, his own.Here then is works of art, paintings, which are appealing and beautiful. This is a collective effort, of a group of artists in the web site www.directoryartist.net. The mastermind behind this wonderful idea was Subhash, who had conceived, designed and maintains, this website to exhibit, not less than ten artists in this wider frame. The artists will be exhibiting 48 paintings in different mediums like Oil, Watercolor, Acrylic, Digital etc, with limited duration, from 30 June 2003 to 30 Jul 2003.

Gopakumar R, Jaleela Meera, Jaya Subramonian, Rajan. T C, Ramachandran.N, Prof. Sanathanan.M (former principal of Fine Arts College), Subhash. S, Varghese Punalur, Velayudhan Nair.TT, Vijayan Neyyattinkara are the main contributors to the gallery, which consisted of 48 paintings with great caliber. We are stuck at once by their charm and surge. Subhash, the impetuous, personality behind the whole idea, points towards the incredible advantages of a virtual gallery. The artist need not worry about the frames, as the virtual framing of the painting, is possible. The expensive brochures are not necessary, as they make a page with the profile of the artist, himself. The visitor can take printout of the artist’s profile and information. The transportation cost can be omitted as the original works are safe at home and altogether it is very cost effective.

Subhash vouches on the success of the virtual gallery by the extensive responses from the visitors, which is too good and sometime better than the conventional galleries.Subhash, has launched this website, in Nov 2001, and the first exhibition hosted on 1stMarch 2002. This is the 12th exhibition, in the long list. Quote: When the member’s of Kerala Chitrakala Parishath, Trivandrum, Kerala, was planning an exhibition in Bangalore under the leadership of Prof. Sanathanan.M (former Principal, College of Fine Arts), I found it was very hard, tiresome and expensive job, and Prof. Sanathanan.M, had to struggle a great deal, to get the gallery space booked. This was the turning point for me, which inspired me to design a Gallery, where any artist can exhibit their works for a specific period with a wider exposure.

Subhash, has tried to introduce, group shows, for the members of Kerala Chitrakala Parishath, Trivandrum, with some media coverage, which eventually proved to be successful. The purpose of this site is quite simple, those who love art can enjoy works of art, enjoy reading the profiles of artist and their career graphs, and of course, collect or buy paintings of their choice, not for any judgmental ideas.

Subhash, is not only an artist, himself, but he has been equally aware of qualms that has been in and around him and the letters written by him and published in medias are also available on his profile. A letter written by him, on Noise Pollution, to all the Ministers in kerala government and to the medias, had snapped opened the eyes of environmentalist as well the authorities, which had resulted in an official order from DGP (Director General of police) restricting the use of loudspeakers, in public places.The media coverage of the Paintings Exhibition has been quite wide and extensive.

The news papers including, The Hindu (27 Jun 03), Weekend Express (28 Jun 03), Malayala Manorama (29 Jun 03), Metro Plus (30 Jun 03), New Indian Express (30 Jun 03), Mathrubhoomi (1 Jul 03), Weekend Express (5 Jul 03), Sunday Express (13 Jul 03), Sunday Express (20 Jul 03) and popular medias like Kairali TV News (1 Jul 03) Noon, Asianet News Channel (2 Jul 03) Evening 7pm. Asianet News Channel, "Jillakaliloode" (4 Jul 03) Evening 6.30pm.

You can visit the website "Directoryartist"

Safe & Sound

2009-03-20T16:10:00.010+03:00

Blissful as it looks and peaceful as it feels

I get to sleep with in they comfy hands.

Safe and sound to my hearts content

Though short lived to my minds liking.

It lasted while i slept and that's all to it,

Nothing but safe and being safe matters.

Might never repeat or may never happen,

As i choose to flee to an unsafe world.

Another 8th Year

2009-02-04T07:33:00.008+03:00

The Malayalam Version

8 years passed away, in oblivion,
Years that went past in silence
Yet the emptiness widenes more.

The comfort and reasons failed
Whenever i tried to run after them ,
Nothing ever replaced your warmth.

I still feel your soothing smile'
You painted my life with happiness
Stopped me from going astray.

I pulled away from thoughts of you,
Aches and pains of your absences,
Which never left my heart in peace.

Let me love you with all my heart,
Everyday of my life and years to come,
As God says, think good, think gratitude.

The mother in me will always cherish
Those lovely moments you bestowed
In return ,condensed all into my daughter.

The smile i get from her compensates,
For the vacuum you have left behind,
She showers me with love of ' you'.

Great connoisseur in the art of Cooking.....Thankam Philip

2009-01-28T13:32:00.004+03:00

A Tribute to the Great Persona
.....................................

Ms. Thankam E Philip, originally from the Thevarthudiyil Family from Kottayam had rewritten some age old conventional rules about cooking. She had been the principle of the Bombay Catering College and had been a pillar or strength in the field of cooking .

Her soul left and today leaving a lot of memories behind .

A Padmashree winner Thankam E. Philip has been selected for the Col. G. V. Raja Award by Kerala Tourism also for lifetime achievement in tourism for her exceptional contributions to the tourism and hotel management sector too.

The Sail

2009-01-21T09:05:00.004+03:00

Good Morning :)
Originally uploaded by sibi_thedesigner

At times things move like a snail
And when it picks up,things change
In a rapid progression ,like winds
Be ready for the take off ,at all times.
Look at life for example,in wide angle.
People say " this life is a waste "
But later,the wind fell on the sail
And life sailed,with out hazards.
It works always to be patient
Wait for a while for your life settle,
Your chance in life and with destiny.
Work on it and it will turn around
Just as the undissipated wind.

Another X mas behind us-2008

2009-01-05T07:07:00.018+03:00

As opposed to the usual x mas and early turning in , since we have nothing else to do in the desserts that we live, we had a terrific and memorable christmas in 2008. We had christmas at home in Trivandrum.

The day started with mummy's prayer and breakfast which is the yummiest part of the day. The palappam(laced dosa) and chicken stew,which is a tradition at all christian families

Mummy cut the cake and the x mas celebrations starts with breakfast .

We all gathered in the portico(foyer) of the house for the firecrackers which was bought the day before and hidden from the kids. To the shopkeepers, suprise and wonderstuck eyes' the 1500 Rs worth of crakers was asked to be doubled in quantity which splashed a big blasts of crackers from his own eyes.

The started with big blasts of crackers which s done by the master cracker 'Gudu mathai' whom we fondly call Biju.But with the sound polution that he created , terrorised the peace of the RP Lane,our home ground.

Fire crackers in full swing with kids.

Action in full swing with kids and the bigger kids.

The conclusion was a shower of big sounds and showers of small lights. We bid goodbye to 2008 x mas. Though we will not forget it either , we managed to leave good memories for kids to keep in their hearts, for a long long time.

The Moon /Venus/Jupitar

2008-12-05T17:51:00.005+03:00

Naughty Celestial Trifecta

( My lence photo)

The hudreand years of long wait

Sexy and smiling as it looks and feel,

They appeared togather in the sky,

Hand in hand and happy as ever.

Lasciviousness from the night sky,

Jupitar and Venus with the moon,
Never have they been togather,

The love of life and the signs of passion.

The nightbird in me always gazing up the sky,

Never did the clelestial shrines smiled back

Alas they did, with all their heart to me,

My heart rejoiced on that December night.

(The Actual smile)

Veiled Angel

2008-11-08T06:56:00.006+03:00

Another jolt,another pangs of pain
Life never stopped,neither did pain
Survived beyond words in silence.

Days past and months ran into years
A voice walked in with words of lullaby
Where you go, i will be there with you.

Comforts poured in from heaven
Trust every word and hold on to it
Life started becoming meaningful.

The entire scenario changed to brightens
Colours of life, with promises of life
Over and over the promises came.

Never will i leave your hand in life,
Will always hold you close to me
The angelic promise never stopped.

Every word i say is a promise,
No matter how where or when?
This i promise,will withhold all hazards.

Conditions occurred and angles vanished
Human face appeared within the angel
Angel disappeared and so did the promises.

My Dad

2008-10-23T19:58:00.007+03:00

Another 24th

Days go past us winds of season,
Never gone past the days and years
Get stuck in some ear and age
That engulf us like mirages in deserts.

One such mirage is my Dad' in my life,
Always in front of me,waiting for me,
Yet i never reach there in time be near,
So near to me yet so far away.

Never did he forsake me,in life
Never for moment,never for a day,
Always beside me when i needed the most,
A dear friend,a true companion,a great dad.

He suggested,the best books for me to read
But never pushed them into my hands,
A mear suggestion about the inputs
Next thing i know,i have my hands full.

He sang tune's that's soothing,melodious,
But never forced me to listen any songs,
A mear suggestion about the notes in them,
Passion for music began with his notes.

His acquaintances,colleagues becomes friends,
Value of friends in life is enormous,
Friends are like cool breeze in mornings,
Surround life with them,now i have endless no's.

Life has ups and downs,but never fear them,
Face them and find solutions for them,
This life is too small for us to sit and fear,
So i tried, yet fear engulfed me.

He came back into my life in many forms,
Beating death, faced me with many a face,
As friends,note of music,verses from books
He never left me and my life, my Dad.

Frantic 'Plea' of a Blogger

2008-10-22T08:52:00.006+03:00

My dreams shattered into droplets of dews waiting to be frozen.........................................

This is a draft that i made to give in the 'Readers Column' in Times of Oman, but somehow my hopes went astray, neither did they respond nor did they publish what i wrote, used my name and in place of my wordings inserted the most secure 'irrelevant' words.................

Here is a desperate mail from a desperate reader. Until I narrate the pathetic saga of the last two weeks, may be you might not get the ' real picture.' So, here we go... With morning coffee in hand, I am in front of my laptop, clicking 'G-talk.' The only response is 'network error.' I try other networks of Gmail. All in a shambles! Could be some 'major' work of Oman Tel, which happens quite often, I have noticed since I relocated to Oman a year ago.

After a few hours of frantic calls to friends, reformatting Internet options and restarting my laptop, I decide to make an SOS to to Oman-Tel. I dial 1313. It rings! A sweet lady directs me to press '2' for English and '3' for other services, before politely asking me to wait. The call goes to the attendant and… 'BANG!' Do they really bang phones down? Can't be—may be it's my phone. I try again. 1313 …2…3… wait… BANG! Again!

I connect through Oman-Tel to other mail-servers of Hotmail, Yahoo, except to those pages that has any link to Google. I am sure many people, offices, called and tried to get in touch with Oman-Tel, which, well, just banged. It's obviously not a Google problem, because it opens on and off. I don't think Oman-Tel is blocking it. There may be a technical error. But how does one know if they keep banging the phone?

I thought of – and found – the next best option after a week: Newspaper Reader's Column. Not that every one reads it, but some of the Google fans just might. Once they do, this would be talked about and Google will surely look into it.

Through Google, we access "Blogs" which I find are very interactive platforms for people who have convictions and a longing to have them heard and discussed around the world. I have been writing blogs for many years. Now it looks like my years of toil have been to no avail. Alas! I cannot log into Gmail. For people like me, 'Blogging' is a place to speak up, pour out, or just think aloud... If anyone is seeing or listening or reading this, please do respond. Others keep trying 1313.

Does it ring a bell?

Dassra,Pooja,Vijayadeshami,Bommikulu

2008-10-17T12:35:00.005+03:00

Dassera is synonymous with Durga Puja and Navratri. In TamilNadu, we celebrate it as Golu where colourful clay figurines of Gods and Goddesses are arranged in steps for the nine days . The Gods gave way to mortals and soon we had Ram and Krishna with snake charmers and cobblers .
It is believed that Goddess Durga on her 10 day journey around the earth removes all evil....... May Goddess Durga destroyall evil around you, within you and fill your & your loved one's lifewith happiness and prosperity.goats cows etc.."prathima"Golu or Kolu, doll arrangement, is an essential part of Navrathri and Dasara celebrations in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In 2008, Navratri Kolu begins on September 30. The Bommai Golus are proud possessions of a family and they are handed down through generations. Apart from the traditional Navratri Bommai Kolu display, nowadays there is an emphasis on Golu themes with different ideas.
Majority of the Bommai Golu displayed in homes opt for the traditional method of display. Kolu – the royal court of Goddess Durga is created 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 steps. The most important dolls in the kolu arrangement are the Raja-rani or the marapaachi bommais. These are expensive dolls and a set of them is found in all traditional households. Another important idol is that of Goddess Saraswati. A Kalash is also placed along with the Golu.

How to Create
Stories from Hindu Mythology continue to be the favorite theme during Navarathri Golu. Community Golu and displays by organizations also opt for various other themes - current issues, social message or something related with their field of activity. With kolu sets with different themes readily available in market, many people also opt for it in their homes. Each year various companies come out with different Kolu sets mostly related to Hindu mythology.
Some young men and women prefer to be creative and opt for something unique.

Create a unique Navarathri Bommai Golu:

First decide on a theme or select a story from mythology.Draw a sketch of the Golu theme in paper or create one in Computer.Mark all the dolls, back grounds and props needed.It would be wise to hunt for dolls after deciding on a theme or story.While selecting a theme make sure that it does not exceed the budget.Also make sure that the dolls are available in the market or you can create it in a short period.Depending upon your theme, you will also need backgrounds and other props like forest, trees, ashrams, animals etc.Know Your Limitations.A simple and well-defined Bommai Kolu will be more attractive than a crowded Kolu, which does not convey any idea.Don’t jump into creating a Bommai Kolu by being impressed by a professional Kolu arrangement or one done by a person with artistic sense.Some of the Golu arrangements that might have impressed you are the product of years of practice and the dolls might be part of traditional collection.Therefore know your limitations in creating props and backgrounds before deciding on a theme.

Here in muscat too i have some very 'dear friends' who clebrated with the each step with total dedication though they were away from home.Vidya and Shobhas 'kulu' was as informative to me as it was in waching the pooja in inaia.

YesterDays

2008-09-29T08:30:00.005+03:00

Emotions overcoming me
It’s haunting me for reasons,
24 months and 19 days past
Destiny of longing is vague

What is a good solution?
To combat fatigue of love
Other side is getting heavier
Do I give into emptiness’?

Yesterday you stripped me naked
Today you cut me into pieces
Emotionally knock me out,
And mentally perfect me!

Now I see difference clearly
It gives me more stability!
Realization dawned in me
I doubted Yesterdays,
Do I need to trust today?

Am I longing for a soul?
Emotions do not need identity
Face and body can live life
With imaginations of mind

Life taken the role of roller coaster
Turning and churning the wheel
Never stopping for a breath
Do I trust today to forget?
My yesterdays Dreams?

Where Dreams are made

2008-09-21T11:40:00.004+03:00

Home , where my dreams are made,

each daydream that recur in mind

Will this ever become the real reality?

Everyday, wind,soothing and nippy

morning mugs of coffee, feel blissful,

with small flutter and splash of rain

wooden seats in balcony, so pleasant.

Ever did I think of an afternoon siesta's

so deep with minuscule sound of lullaby’s

from the river below, with cool breeze.

The deep red of the splendid sunset

makes my evenings full of romance,

the music so enticing to my ears.

Soft steps of evening that takes me,

towards the darkness of nights,

with creaking sound of night owls.

The murmur of nights that engulfed,

me into the comforts into the home
Like an embrace with, strong heartbeats.

Always ready to protect me from evil
the darkest of my fears that’s erased

in my own dream home, always a dream.

A singer's unsung songs

2008-08-30T06:46:00.017+03:00

Pradeep Somasundaram ................................
...........................An illustriously amazing songs Sung with sound thats hevenlyLocked up in beats or versesOf songs that are God sent .....................................

As the name brings in ,little sparks of recognition, a twitch to the eye, to anyone from the land of backwaters........ohh yes him....... sweet melodious songs..........Pradeep Somasundaran is a singer with unique heart. He started his Karnatic/music training at an age of 12 and started his performing career at the age of 16. He worked with All India Radio and Doordarshan. He sings classical Karnatic, Film Music, Ghazals, Devotional songs etc, in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English &………………..wow, Japanese languages. A vivacious traveler, himself, he has explored, many countries for musical performances, like UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar. All his songs and further details are in the website….

Done his higher studies in Electronics and currently working as a Lecturer & Head of Department of Electronics at the Govt. College of Applied Science, Kerala, managed by Institute of Human Resources Development. He also conducts lecture demonstration programs on different dialects of music and regularly appears in many popular T.V programs Pradeep feels he has been neglected by the so called Malayalam film industry that which has never discouraged his inner soul who’s dedication to music, nor to the Malayalam film songs. Pradeep is a humble listener and admirer of Padmasree Yesudas. He never insisted
or demanded to be entitled as a singer in any movies. Great admirer of the new generation singers, Pradeep is always ready to sing/experiment with any language, he was not ready fall on anyone’s feet for opportunities’. Recently on Surya TV, he sang for the serial Guruvayur keshavan............which is a big hit....music by Vidyadharan and lyrics by Gireesh Puthencherry.

A real shattering truth of not being recognize by his own people stands tall and stout .His passion for Malayalam is definitely a truth which is yet to be acknowledge by the people ‘of God own country’ . A very friendly lively talkative person, ready to take the cross for the crusade that grip the image of music, anytime ,anywhere.

Pradeep has composed himself and found the point in life with synchronization "The Art of Living Basic Course" in the beginning of 2004 ! It completely transformed his individuality and gave new direction to his expressions . You can listern to all heart warming songs of pradeep from this link...........................

He concludes with hope of persuing new horizons in life with , his own dedication to the music and the Malayalam music industry. He sang one of the compositions of Donna Mayoora's composition, which you can listen in this link

A Nymph

2008-08-26T16:25:00.004+03:00

Hand full of happiness and life,
Till we meet and greet,until next.
Life, you snatched from thin air,
Especially for me,with confidence.
Fear none and scare away the worry
Like the this nymph,which hops
From tree to tree bush to bush
Happiness awaits further ahead
Hop with life,hop with joy.

A baby grasshopper, which is called a nymph (NIHMF).(Information supplied by fellow Bloger_

The Dutchess)

Saving my Skin

2008-08-06T11:41:00.006+03:00

Age is catching up with me, is it??

oh no !!!!!

My entire equilibrium panicked. The well deserved rest, good food and the daily dose of vitamins remained futile…for; nothing helped me to compose myself. To be precise, my mental stability was in turmoil and my writing tempo practically diminished. Retrieving back my mind to a steady flow was not easy. Pages and pages of unfinished work piled up in front of me, which were to be edited and completed. Stress, strain....sadness, depression; all this was the theme of the days, weeks and months and probably years too.............................

Finding reasons were easy; the sudden absence of my dad and years of missing my mother has elated an 'orphaned' feeling in me. The very obvious things of protection and love from those who are there with me, was beyond recognition in my state of mind. I searched for reasons that were not there; dug up reasons of my own. The reality of the situation was hidden behind an invisible glass and I was searching for the epitome of loss. While I had everything God intended, the truth was concealed at the back of blue glass.

Eventually my mind reacted, my body retched violently. As a result rashes erupted from my skin, and the very sympathetic comments of friends and family made me cringe. I shrank myself into a shell, to avoid comments and remedies which flow over to me through anyone and everyone. Blogs and Internet was safest modules to let others know how pretty and enterprising you are, where no one checks the actual truth. Virtual life is the best abode for runaway for writers like me, who are emotionally vulnerable. So I wrote, with a vengeance...........published a few online and media too. The vulnerability and my own empathy paved way for some very powerful subjects and themes which sprouted as much acclaimed articles. The name bellowed respect and the SABG, initials carried weight of recognition.

But none of these temporary remedies to pacify my heart did stop my vulnerable heart from reacting. It reacted, with the utmost straight. My skin reacted......I screamed on top of the voice, for help. I sought some help from endless list of doctors ......but none could pin point the reason for my deterioration. One Doctor from Venezuela, who took me straight to her heart said that I have such beautiful eyes. Momentary relief.............at lease I still have very expressive eyes, not everything is lost as I thought everything to be........relief in itself. At the end of the road, I left it all to the God, to let him choose my fate if he brings me to it, I consoled that He will find a way to save me out this peril too.......But there was someone waiting on the horizon, who was not ready to leave me to destiny. It was a skin Doctor from Trivandrum who came highly recommended by the few bloggers I keep close relationships with. Emails of my history passed on, pictures of my pathetic face and almost bald scalp was sent across to the doctor.He specified the areas of problems, found the key to salvation ....and the key turned.

The Doctor Gpalakrishnan(Skin Specialist)was consulted and he came across some drastic health issues, like exceeded Triglyceride and Glucose levels. With no sympathy the Doctor put the verdict out "your days of good food ends here, from here onwards your life revolves around vegetables and water”. The faster you get accustomed to it the better, for your mind and body.” \My world went upside down. No falooda's and no 'Costa coffee ice cream shakes'. Most of all, my juicy steaks which everyone loves and my tasteful cooking of Kerala food; bathed in pure coconut oil. “No, No”, the Doctor put his foot down vehemently.............”you want to live the rest of your life with your family , then walk 2 hours a day and cut down your intake of food to 1/3 of what you consume now”.

With bent down head and stooped shoulder I walked out of his room, to my home, where another matron of food, my Mother (MIL)….like some food inspector, she was waiting and watching my diet and screening my food with a fine toothed comb.I have heard that some people enjoying diet; but my ordeal was worst than a prisoner. Just 1 chapathy with bitter guard and salads! The ordeal was worst when you are on holidays, where everyone sits around; a table of festivity and yummy gourmet cooked food, and me…. with my forced diet. Anyhow I had to, and I tried with my maximum composure, which paid off. With the result of losing weight in kilos and my glucose level coming back to normal, the panorama changed. The sumptuous food I make while on holidays and showers of compliments I get seems to have perished to land unknown.

The yummy ‘Jilebis’ and sweets I always sink myself into, remained a dream. With my skin and health improved, I remain 40+ and rocking.

Dawn of love

2008-08-06T07:09:00.002+03:00

Ever been loved,with heart,
loved and being loved differs.
never knew being loved was,
intense like a wine,cured to,
perfection through years.

Emotions can be depicted,
as love,the most cherished.
Expecting no returns and
giving was love in itself.
was I worth it,ever, to love?
will I give myself away to love?

I never asked for love,instead
wished for an angle to save.
Save me from miseries of life,
cried out loud with all my heart.
one angel who who will protect,
me from all the toils of life.

The angel came with life and love,
so full of life,that it bowled me over.
Taught me new horizons of passion,
love so full,with patience and calm.
Years needs for love to ripe and grow,
patience to cherish sustain love.

A Glass of water ...Keeps the Doctor Away

2008-06-23T10:12:00.006+03:00

FOR YOUR EYES AND YEARS ONLY...................................................................

DRINK WATER ON EMPTY STOMACH

It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases: Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT
1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water
2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minute
3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours
5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.
6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.

The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/ reduce main diseases:
1. High Blood Pressure (30 days)
2. Gastric (10 days)
3. Diabetes (30 days)
4. Constipation (10 days)
5. Cancer (180 days)
6. TB (90 days)
7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards – daily.

This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times. It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life. Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.This makes sense .. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals ..not cold water. Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain...

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.

Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks:
· Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting,
· Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.
· You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack.
· Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.
· 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up.
· Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive...
. A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to everyone they know, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.
ALL INFORMATION/PHOTOS COLLECTED FROM NET

Dew

2008-06-04T07:53:00.002+03:00

Connection
Originally uploaded by IRiskTen

Droplets of water called dew
Fallen from heavens like pearls
Washed away the dust of sky
Dropped down to earth on
Mountains,Trees and leaves
Waiting to give life to foilege
Refreshing them in return
Keeping them company
Making them more beautiful
With rays of sunlight and green.

Black & White

2008-06-02T11:07:00.007+03:00

A positivity that's invisible to many

inspit of changing every hour minute second

Life never stops expressing the positiveness

positive always march ahead victorious

Might be years ,months and days of patience

But the Black does turns to White

Though the beginning is a dot , at times.

When everything begins to ends

When life begins to end,always

When negative meets positive

Black is the colour where everything begins,

yet the end always come with the positive white.

The colour of God the creator of all

However small it might be depicted

Never will the white loose its strength

Each point, each movement, each life, each incident

That Happens has purpose behind it all

A purpose that start off with a black point

But always -ultimately ends with white purpose

A white that deals with all the negativity of blackness.

My God Daughter-Ronikka Susan George

2008-05-21T11:17:00.024+03:00

I was touched when I was asked to be your Godmother,a question to which I gladly answered "Yes."And I'll ask God's blessings for you always,knowing I'm the who's been so truly blessed!

Eventually.......life moved on and i have deviated away from you, with life and responsibilities of my own. But each and every aspect of your life was being conveyed, to me , my darling. But mostly.... your news were stuck and lingered along with birthdays and school reports and things like that.

But your self portrait gives an insight into your own self............................Quote,"I tell them I could give them many adjectives and beautiful words to describe myself, I can go on about how good a leader I am and how well I can communicate with people, but at the same time I know for a fact that I am on a constant journey of discovering myself every single moment that I live.

I believe in a very simple yet extremely powerful things in life. And that is:“ YOUR THOUGHTS BECOME THINGS” I've been brought up with a set of very strong core values which I am extremely proud of and consider as my strengths the rest of the qualities I inherit are from life, and my experiences. What I make of them makes me who I am. "

Your 'detached self' must have been the most attractive aspect of you, never hurting , never interfering, never stamping your opinions under
no circumstances to anyone!,That must have been the pivotal point in your personality that attracts people to you, especially, your friends. Ronika who never lets anyone down with judgemental comments. There is nothing more precious than friendship and this is ever more true,when you are in your 'teens'. Our close friends become our most trusted confidantes. Without them, life could be scary and incredibly boring.

As you approached adolescence.........I looked at you achievements made me even more proud of you.I hope you know its never too late or never too old to be told they are loved. Saying "I love you" once in a while in my mind was something i have never missed.To me it was as important to me as it was, breathing for life. Writing it in a note and sending it across to you was pushing it too much, when it comes to responsibility and moral obligations towards you.Yet I have always provided an alibi by occasional calls which will be a reminder that you can hold on to some memory of me.

You grew up in front me ..............through mails photos occasional emails and nothing much of an input from me except for a few , age old meaningless words passed through phone calls. But in spite all the ridiculing words thrown across to me, to adress me as your ' Godmother'.......I was proud always been,attained the pinnacle of my existence.Your growing up was with a wonderful women........ whom you call 'Mum' but to me she was personification of a women's personality, al success, strength,character and most of all love/care.

Achievement's that you have acquired during the years

1.BEST CADET KARNATAKA AND GOA -2004-05 (out of 17, 000 cadets in the state)

2.Attended Republic Day Camp 2005 and was 4th In India in the Best Cadet Category choice ( G.K and NCC- service subject based).

3. SCHOOL CAPTAIN- 2005-06– Cathedral High School, Bangalore

4. PRESIDENT OF INTERACT club from the ROTARY GROUP

5.Member of Environment Club – 2 years

6.TEAM CAPTAIN- Throw ball, basket ball( both inter school and house)7.Represented school in inter- school Athletic Meets- 4 years

8.Gospel Mission- 2003

9.Vice –president of the Social Science Association- 2006/Co-Committee member of the Social Science Association- 2007

10.CLASS REPRESENTATIVE-2007

11.Winner of Annual Group Discussion competition's –( Among Commerce And the Social Science classes)

12.Active NCC cadet having attended

14 NCC camps,including- National integration camp and a month camp to Delhi

13.Grooming REPUBLIC DAY CAMP.

14.sponsorship to children's education for 2 years

15.Participated/Achivements in many debates and writing competitions.

Definition of mother.......The funniest thing I have ever heard,yet.......may be 10000 million version of it,"a mother is a person who loves her kids, making sure that they are her main priority, she does work to benefit them, help them to grow into wonderful personalities, encourage them to relay on good values of God, teach them principles of life, protect them from all hazards .God Mother........personifies more or less the same kind of responsibilities, yet from a distance, or may be as far as they are allowed to or could afford to.So I have achieved my ultimate goal of being so satisfied, being a God Mother, in spite of putting no effort of my own,with my name, Nannu, as she was called at home, were cherished and groomed into a perfect... almost perfect creation of womanhood'.Being a social female parent of this God Child offspring of mine, i think i have responsibilities of my own towards her.Some day God will give me chance to full fill my dreams and wish, to spend some time,a very precious time of my own, for ever, for keeps sake.The very own Nannu............

Resaon why?

2008-05-04T06:25:00.005+03:00

I live in a land of nowhere
I have no one to defeat
That may be the Reason

I have enough time to go places
to be lost in the forests of foliage
to talk to streams and water falls
That may be the Reason.

To relax hours in forest grass lands
to see the birds, enjoy the koyal sing
tune my heart, to sings along the beat
That may be the Reason.

You will never think of chemistry
A reaction happening in ones mind
Becoz of your picture, so worldly
That may be the Reason.

Just go through life without additions
yet that vision makes signatures in mind
without being an injustice to feeling
That may be the Reason.

Remembering always your presence
with many of others sharing the feelings,
A mark that you always leave behind
That may be the Reason.

Food that comfort a persons hunger
yet I honour a single piece of rotti
served to a really hungry street child
That may be the Reason.

You did a drama with that name?
A sumptuous name of a meal
Garnished for the drama of life.
That may be the Reason.

Anita Nair_A Maverick Writer

2007-04-21T09:41:00.001+03:00

With “the girl next door” looks - charming and composed
- Anita Nair stands apart sagaciously from the usual trend and scenario of an Indian writer. The rustled hair and the carefully careless look add a touch of spirit and poise in her statuette,which in turn gives her an air of prominence. As a maverick writer, with a thought process that is independent in style and insinuation, she exhibits an amazing depth in her narration. Anita would not fit into the conventional thought wheel of a novelist. Part-time advertising writer and full-time epicure, she lives in Bangalore, with her son and her husband who works in advertising as well. Her roots firmly are planted in Mundakotukurussi, Kerala, about which she is proud and narrates perceptibly in her books. Her strong and valid reasoning and comments on social issues, such as: "why should we change the prevailing traditions?" are looked upon by society with awe and respect.

When you look back, how do you think you were inspired to write?

· “It was not an intentional act, though there was a serious desire to publish. I always enjoyed writing and as the theory goes, you sing because you enjoy singing, you feel the need to do it. No one waits for an appreciation or praise to elevate you; it is like an inner calling. While working for an advertising agency, I just wrote a short story and left it on my desk. My friend who read it appreciated the story beyond my wild imaginations and suggested taking it to an editor of Times of India. A year later he suggested publishing an anthology of my short stories and Anita Nair's books started appearing on the stands”

Which was the first published book?

. “Without much search, I chose a publisher, ‘Har-Anand Publications’, based in Delhi, who agreed to publish my book with out any apprehension. My first published book, a collection of short stories, called “Satire of the Subway” earned me a fellowship from the Virginia Centre for Creative Arts”.

Your novels always depict the inner depth of the characters’ feelings. For example, in “Mistress", you feel the pain and the degradation a Kathakali artist feels and that becomes the backdrop of the entire book. How?

. “Actually, it is seldom the larger things that inspire us but the smaller
mêlées”.

Why melancholy or sadness becomes a basic feeling in most of your poems and novels?

. “In all human beings there is always a shriek of melancholy”.

Tell us something about your inspirations to write poems.?

. “Malabar Mind” rakes through almost all the basic feelings of my characters. The entire collection gives us a picturesque view of the day-to-day incidents and narrations, which gives us a gripping feeling”.

You have narrated in your site: "my mother is more embarrassed about my grey hair than my narration of sex. Now, what do you think of the narration of sex in novels? Does that enhance the true sense of feeling or does that give you more confidence to write about the character?

. “I am not ashamed about sex; I felt it perfectly natural as I was narrating another area of sensuality; perfectly natural like the feel of a silk cloth or the sensual pleasure of a delicious dish cooked and eaten. I just see it as an appetite, raw in form. It does not make me even remotely ashamed talking about it”.

What is your opinion about the current social issues that are going on in Kerala - ‘Gods own country’? Who were respecting women and giving equal status to women? Was it all a façade or a cover all these years for politicians?

. “It happens every where, not only in Kerala. The political issues and society are so strongly bonded; they almost co-exist. We should think about our existence. The nature of the state being what it is and with the high level of education, we do have opinions of our own. In Bihar or Jharkhand, you would not find this much of impact as the educated crowd is minimal. Most of the others cannot read and write. In Kerala, it is an issue. A few stray comments I made on ‘Asia Enlighten net’ are discussed and debated by all kinds of people. Its very naïve to say there are no sex scandals. It is everywhere, but it is hush- hush and suppressed”.

What do you think of Social work and helping the society? Now -a -days it is fashion. Does a true humanitarian need publicity?

. “Now-a- days it is all publicity stunt and each and every one needs to give
themselves an air”.

In gulf, we have heard fantastic reviews about your books and novels and collection of poems. Do you have any message to give to the young generation?

. “It worries me a bit that a lot of Indians, including Keralites, do not attach dignity to labour. It does not matter what you do as long as it is honest kind of livelihood. The young generations should be given the feeling that every work has its value and respect. It is a funny thing that people, especially the young generations, are seldom consistent in their approach to it. This is all because we have forgotten the old habit of reading a book, a good poem or a short story. Instead, computer and internet have replaced the old sojourn habits; we should really bring back the habit of reading”

Enlighten us about you, your favourite food, music and leisure activity.

. “I love traditional Indian food -especially the Kerala food. But given a choice to eat out, I would relish Italian cuisine”. “I love all kids of music. While I am working, I listen to instrumentals and western classical ,depending on the mood and what I am doing. I like jazz and soft romantic music, though, my all-time favourite singer is definitely Cat Stevensons”. “My leisure time activity would be a walk on the beach in moonlight”. “When dining out, I would not miss the chance to eat Italian food. At home I prefer to eat conventional Kerala food”.
How do you plan a book?

. “Once I think of a story line or when an outline sets in my mind, I sit through the book; I progress from scene to scene. When I am done, read through and re-work. As I write, the plot or the main theme of the story progresses. The crux of the story is always there in my mind, but the story is evolved. The first draft is always by hand and then I key it in. My publisher reads it”.

Bringing the persona back into focus raises the question what lies behind the heart of most successful novelists, like Anita, who has completed not less than 15 books and a collation of short stories called the “Satire of Comedy”. The secret of her instant success is how she delves into people’s personalities. The perfect example for this is her latest novel “Mistress” (Oct-05), about a Kathakali dancer. Perhaps she is the first Indian author to be published by Picador U.S.A. Her third book, “Ladies Coupe” (April-01), was rated as one of the top five books of the year and has been translated into more than twenty-five languages around the world. “Malabar Mind” (1997), her debut collection of poems, depicted human emotions in words of poetry, which flows through your mind due to her perfect selection of emotions. Overall though, a job well done.

HOW BAD IS YOUR TEMPER ACCORDING TO YOUR HOROSCOPE

2006-03-07T16:48:00.001+03:00

ARIES MARCH 21" APRIL 20

Nothing seems to ruffle you more than a lack of discipline, disloyalty and >>decorum. But Arians are also known to go into a rage very easily when >>challenged. Those of you who have been on the receiving end of the Aries >>temper know that if not calmed down they can even get violent. But one >>thing is certain if the opponent remains calm and does not react to their >>outburst, Arians cool down very fast. They are also the first to >>apologize, which makes them easier to forgive.

TAURUS APRIL 21" MAY 20

You are generally quiet and have control over your emotions. It is >>difficult to predict what will upset you, so when you do lose your cool, >>people don't know how to react. Your temper is like that of a raging bull, >>and anyone trying to pacify you will be the first one to get a verbal >>bashing. You generally get upset when you are concerned or when people >>accuse you of doing something wrong. You also hate being reminded about >>mistakes you've made in the past. You also have the potential to be >>terribly vindictive if rubbed the wrong way.

GEMINI MAY 21 " June 29

You are recognised by your cheerful disposition and your jovial nature is >>easily susceptible to anger. In fact, you are the best person to have >>around when there is an ugly scene at a party you can bring the warring >>factions together quite diplomatically. But when you lose cool, you yell >>and scream and will not listen to reason. You must have the last word in a >>wordy duel. Your capacity to argue aggressively is matched only by your >>seductive charm

CANCER JUNE 21 " JULY 21

Considering how charming, caring and kind you are, you dislike unpleasant >>scenes, much less creating one yourself. You have great tolerance and >>rarely get provoked into losing your temper. If someone is unreasonable or >>trying to create trouble, you are more likely to walk away quietly. But >>that does not mean you do not have a temper. When angry, in your effort to >>control your emotions, you tremble, your hands get sweaty and sometimes >>you fumble for words. Tears roll down your eyes easily and the opponent is >>touched by your innocence and will seek an apology immediately.>>>>>>

LEO JULY 22 " AUGUST 21
If anyone has total control over their emotions, it is you. But then, you >>can be described as stiff, cold and uncaring. You are known to lack >>spontaneity but you really don't care about opinions. You don't like to >>create scenes and will never accept invitations to a party where you >>suspect the presence of an unruly lot. But your very presence seems >>challenging to some and they take vicarious pleasure in your disquiet. >>When angry you can use critical language. A dressing down can humiliate >>your opponent, causing a strain between both of you forever.
VIRGO AUGUST 22 " SEPTEMBER 21

Most of you are gentle and have full control over your emotions but those >>of you given to temper tantrums can certainly get violent. When see things >>with rage, you yell and shout and tend to break things lying close at >>hand. You can even harm yourself by banging your hands on a glass top >>table or wall. You should never get into any argument, for you are a sore >>loser. You feel that others are trying to persecute you and don't quite >>respect your opinions. When hurt, you can also hold grudges forever.

LIBRA SEPTEMBER 22 " OCTOBER 22

Did someone say that you are the charmers of the zodiac? Well, it's true. >>Few have ever seen you ruffled or angry. You are very conscious of your >>image, and you believe that anger distorts your face and personality. You >>also think you are above things like anger. But wait before you get into >>self-congratulatory mood. Your family or those very close to you know you >>better. You have an unmatched temper amongst all the zodiac signs, and >>what makes it worse is your capacity to justify it.

SCORPIO OCTOBER 23 " NOVEMBER 21

Of course you don't lose your cool. But your very demeanor (manner) >>projects haughtiness (arrogance, pride), pride and grand disdain >>(disregard) for lesser mortals (human). Others are often found saying that >>anger sits on your nose and you are raring to give your piece mind to the >>first person who try to be funny with you. You are selective in the choice >>of your friends, and have a low tolerance for the superfluous (extra) >>types. Your tongue-lashing (attack) is generally in a soft hissing tone >>for when you scream, your voice tends to get shrill and loud and you do >>hate drawing attention to yourself! When upset, you are angrier with >>yourself for having shown weakness, for the last thing that Scorpio wants >>to show is being out of control.>>>

SAGITTARIUS NOVEMBER 22" DECEMBER 20

>You are insensible and generally have no complete control over your >>emotions. You do get angry quickly and others marvel at your anger levels >>even when provoked. Actually, you get tongue-tied when angry and you will >>remove your anger waiting for the other person to calm down. Then you will >>reason with your opponent and convince the other person in a very gentle >>manner that the whole thing was just his mistake. You're also likely to >>totally sever ties with someone when you're upset with them.>>

CAPRICORN DECEMBER 21 " JANUARY 19

>Few will believe that a hardcore practical and materialistic person like >>you is capable of sensitivity and genuine emotions. You project a hard >>exterior but are actually very sensitive, a trait you successfully hide >>from others. You can see thing with anger but will not betray your >>feelings. But then, there are times that even you cannot control your >>temper. Under such circumstances you can shout and scream, more with >>frustration at the situation than with anger at any particular person. >>Your outbursts can shock others and can make them feel guilty too.>>>>

AQUARIUS JANUARY 20 " FEBRUARY 18

>You are noble and kind and dislike losing control over your emotions. It >>is very rare for you to get angry. You are also the pacifier in situations >>that involve arguments. It is always your endeavor to be perfect and >>socially correct in your behavior and attitude, but if misunderstood and >>slighted you can give in to an angry outburst. You will shout and scream >>and then walk out from the scene. You cannot easily forget the situation >>and will be bitter about it for a long time.>>>

PISCES FEBRUARY 19 " MARCH 20

The only thing that can be said about you dreamers is that you appear even >>more attractive when angry. You are very sensitive to others' feelings, so >>you rarely hurt them. But when others tend to hurt you, then things take a >>nasty turn. You will yell and use harsh words and feel inclined to shake >>everything and everyone up. Your creative imagination is at its best when >>angry, and you tend to get pretty dramatic. When upset, you refuse to >>listen to reason and wish to be left alone. But once you calm down, you >>repent your tantrums and seek forgiveness. SO nobody can be upset with you >>for too long.

My Soul

2006-03-02T07:19:00.001+03:00

My soul,
Who holds my breath my being
Loosing my soul was destiny ordained
But still my heart beats, body worked,
I paused, searched myself
For that substance, my soul, my heart
The smile I had,
Which lighted up my soul
Gave way to darkness, remorse
Which rolled down like tears, uncontrolled?
Then came the wind of friendship
'Why worry, when you have friend
'The care and love of friendship'
My shoulder, always ready,
The reassurance.
I poured out my life to those ears ,
Churned out my feelings,
Entangled in those web of confused feelingsI found my soul,
My heart sang, my soul rejoiced.
With that tune of life,
My resurrection began.

Reena- a painter with a vision

2006-02-28T20:39:00.001+03:00

Reena Mary Thomas is an accomplished Painter, with a style of her own called Monochrome
Reena Mary Thomas has a distinct style in her representation of nature, with which she experiments with the color of brown. Contrary to the misconception about artists, Reena is devoted to her calling. She adapted to a style of her own, with out any formal training. As a child, her uncle had motivated her to express herself in the world of colors. She paints landscapes, which she considers as her signature expression, into which she immerses herself. When she is painting, in the words of the artist herself, ”my mind wonders through unseen places and it draws me closer to nature”. Reena draws her inspiration from beautiful places, a certain event but more often than not, nature in particular. Quote “Yes, almost all elements of nature inspire me because nature is our ultimate source of information”. In the process of experimenting with the vastness of the subject and splash of paints, Reena’s paintings has matured into an intricate interplay of light and colors. Her paintings display a sense of belonging to the autumn season and her love of nature. She uses monochrome, as the method to express her landscapes. "Monochrome" method of painting is “Painting done in a single hue. That is paintings & drawings or reproductions done in a Single Colour, or in tones of gray”. Reena has completed her Masters in Physics and devoted her entire time for serious paintings, which altered her painting from rough treatments to a more mature art form. She is currently based in Chennai. Her works adorn some prized corporate and private collections in Chennai and abroad. You can visit her web site for a peek into some of her paintings. Quote “I have miles to go before I can call my self an accomplished artist” adds to her ever humble nature and simplicity. She admires all the outstanding figures in the world of Art n’ Paint, but her favourites have been John Constable, Raja Ravi Varma and the Hudson River school painters. She loves Malayalam comedy movies and listens to classical music, loves spicy Indian food. As an epilogue Reena would like to add this testimony, “I am a Christian believer and am sure that whatever I am able to do as a painter is only because of my faith in the Lord Jesus. I paint landscapes and have of late started exploring abstracts too.”
Web Site
reenamary.20m.com

Dreams from America

2006-02-28T09:37:00.001+03:00

Highlighting one such example of a woman that has been able to transform and grow from rather stringent cultural societies, to a modern and visionary individual is Ms. Valsala Sekhar

The world is progressively moving forward with improvements, and developments in various spheres. Man has used his wisdom from inventing the wheel, to technology that has gone into taking him into, the moon. Dominance of Man in every field has given rise, to womanpower, who desire recognition and understand the need to explore their dormant competence levels that exist within them. This has resulted in giving the male counter parts a rush of adrenalin to improve their competitive advantage. Women have been able to make great inroads, within all fields, molding themselves into excellent Leadership and Management roles within organizations as well as in family setups.

Profile-Ms.Valsala Sekhar

Ms.Valsala was born and groomed within a middle class and strong cultural focused family in a village named Vithura, in the District of Trivandrum. Academically she completed her Bachelors from, ‘Woman’s College, Trivandrum, and further went on to complete her Masters from University of Maryland USA. She was able to balance her academics with extra curricular activities whereby she had the honor to represent Kerala University in the hockey team. Her ability to take on Competitive Examinations in India landed her the opportunity to serve as the first Women Inspector to be directly recruited into the Customs and Central Excise within the State Of Kerala. The beckoning of the West and the opportunities lying ahead, Valsala moved into the United States with her husband Mr.Chandra Sekhar, who is a Rating Manager with Patterson Smith Associates, an Independent Insurance Agency. In order to enhance her opportunities she completed her Masters from the University of Maryland, which eventually landed her an assignment with the United States Senate Technology Development Division, as the Project Leader for Software Quality Assurance. All Praise and Honor for Ms. Valsala for being the first individual from the State of Kerala to be assigned with such an enviable Position.

Balancing her commitment with Profession and family, Valsala has been successful in the upbringing of her two daughters, who were able to script their careers with the able guidance of their mother. Malini the eldest daughter aged 24, a graduate from Wellesley College-Massachusetts and presently working with the United States Senate Energy Committee as Staff Assistant. The younger daughter Sonia aged 18 is a final year student in High School. Maintaining family traditions, to preserve and sustain the cultural background, the children have taken great interest in Indian Art and trained themselves to be competent Bharathnatyam Dancers taking part in various cultural programmes.

THE QUEST

In her search to sustain and encourage the Indian community to hold steadfast to culture and art, and not embrace the western values she maintained an active role within the Kerala Association of Greater Washington (KAGWC). This provided her the platform to bring together numerous families who unsolicited their inputs, which eventually cascaded to a single focal point, their desire to encourage and sustain the rich cultural themes. In one of her Quotes, “I always tell my children that India may be poor or a developing country, but we are not behind anybody when it comes to cultural wealth”. During her association with the Indian Community, she revealed that Dance, Drama and other kind of performing arts were her passion even before coming to the United States. She had used her ability to coordinate and act in school and college plays and dance functions.

Valsala subscribed to every organization, which promoted the cultural heritage of Kerala, in order to transfer her contribution of knowledge and build relationships, which is a strong attribute of the people of Kerala. Nevertheless, the life of Indo-American Keralites have always revolved around a strong attachment to culture and values, which projects the intensity of Indian Cultural Heritage that is absorbed into ones routine of life.

The younger generation exposed within the western culture, adapt to the western life style, and this has prompted Valsala to establish an Organization-thus the birth of USHAS- that promoted cultural programmes within the United States and also bring in exchange programmes highlighting the rich cultural heritage that exists in “God’s on Country-Kerala.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS

Valsala’s deep conviction and desire to promote Indian culture promoted her to co-ordinate numerous cultural programmes/festivals, which represent Kerala, held in the city of Washington. During the years of co-ordination and reaching the unconsciously competent stage of producing stage programmes/festivals Valsala progressively understood the need to bring about quality in order to communicate to the Indian and non Indian Community.

USHAS which means ‘dawn’ and the acronym for “United States and Hind Artists Society” is being used as a platform to bring rich culture to Indo-American people of Kerala origin and well as non Indian people who value and treasure the rich Cultural Heritage. Enhancing the awareness of Indian culture, and the life of Indian immigrants in the United States, Television was used as a medium to reach out to the masses across the Western and other continents of the world.

In one of Valsala interviews with Asianet during the programme ‘Suprabhatham’ in the year 2000,she was able to highlight a holistic view on the life the Keralities the fortunes and misfortunes that befall them.

Thus, various scripts were studied to bring out the essence of Life of Keralites in the United States through Television serials. The serial ‘American Dreams’ is one such serial that is being telecast after conducting an exhaustive analysis on the life of Keralites by Mr.Renjith Shanker. Shajiyem the well-known director can boat of casting some veteran actors like Padmini, Geetha K S, Ravi Vallathol, Mallika Sukumaran and Sarath, in addition to a host of talented local actors, in the lead roles. The telecast of the serial, took a while since there were major technical hurdles along the way, but Commitment and Determination by Ms. Valsala transformed her aspirations into reality, and today the “American Dreams” has a wide viewer ship. American Dreams may be viewed on Asia net Prime Channel at 9- 8am IST every Sunday.

On the Final question on the objective of USHAS

Valsala concludes,” I think we have all the elements to put together an excellent product, and if nothing else, I think it will be wonderful leaning experience that gives the artists from here and India a chance to creatively work together and interact”.

King of Taste

2006-02-28T08:50:00.001+03:00

King of celluloid has come out with branded foods which are based on the age-old traditional cooking techniques and spices of kerala. Mohanlal the epitome of acting has tailored to be the brand ambassador for the kerala delicacies. Keeping in mind the exceptional tastes of kerala the brand will be named after him, Mohanlal’s Taste Buds.

A visit to gods Own country kerala is an experience in many aspects, the natural beauty, exotic food and ethnic ambience. The predominance of spices makes the food from this part of the world makes it unique among the delicacies of India . Kerala's cuisine reflects its diverse religious tradition, its seaboard location. It is said that kerala people never skip breakfast lunch or dinner however busy they might be. Kerala cuisine is always cooked with a creative combination of vegetables meat and seafood floured with a variety of spices with a signature ingredient called coconut in various forms. The result is a tempting food that is simple yet delicious.

Documenting the beauty of the State and its interesting history of its cuisine the, King of celluloid has come out with branded foods which are based on the age-old traditional cooking techniques and spices of kerala. Mohanlal the epitome of acting has tailored to be the brand ambassador for the kerala delicacies. Keeping in mind the exceptional tastes of kerala the brand will be named after him, Mohanlal’s Taste Buds. With a commerce background Mohanlal realized the economics of establishing this viable business venture. Evaluating the potential that could be realized in the Middle East, Mohanlal launched the Brand Taste Buds in spices, rice powder, pickles, and the Concept Restraunt in Dubai-UAE. Padmasree Vishwanathan Mohanlal’s one o of Indian finest acting talents venturing into the culinary file has not been a s surprise to any one since he has been used as an icon for may brand names like kannan devan tea. Realizing that gulf is the second best market after Bombay for consumer goods Mohanlal decided to launch his brand into Dubai the hub of gulf business. He has found a perfect balance of his popularity as a superstar and the psychology of the home away from home has worked wonders for the products. The taste buds has launched a range of pickles masala’s spices and recently the rice products which are the basic ingredient for kerala cuisine.

Mohanlal has successfully launched a new restaurant in karama’ Dubai. The décor which has gives you the perfect ambience a typical kerala street that matches with the food that is being served, the traditional kerala food. A small local supermarket s that sells cigarettes and soft drinks, old lamp-posts and the banyan tree reminds you so much about kerala. The corners engulfed with the visuals of his awards and scenes, empowers the brand the superstar wants to stress. It was trade and food that landed Mohanlal’s in the hospitality business today tastebuds the favorite destinations for the Dubai crowed .Mohanlal’s Taste buds Restaurant(MTBR) is the a restaurant in UAE which offers authentic kerala and coastal cuisine. The menu compromises selections form the Malabar region the central kerala specialties excellent dishes in vegetarian dishes and few dishes from the coastline of Karnataka Andhra and Tamil nadu. The aim is to promote the treasures of kerala to the world and let the people all over discover the god own county’s true taste. The demographic diversity of people in Dubai is targeted for such restaurants evolving kerala cuisine.

The MTBR has regular costumers from all walks of life., diplomats celebrities and film stars who comes from America British Australia, Asian nationals, including Singapore Malaysia Thai and Greek diplomats not forgetting Gujaraty’s who loves vegetarian food north Indians Goans who relish fish and neighbors like Tamilnadu Mangalore and Andhra for which he ouches a over whelming response from the keralites as well as multi nationals. Time for Chicken Tikka masala, to take back seat and Appam and stew to take over. Well, Kerala is in, and how! After the Kerala Festival in the UK, the English have come down all the way to Kerala to enjoy the Kerala food, of course. The placid and soft taste of meat and fish coconut milk give your palate the right amount of spices to tingle you sense, yet being delicious is the versatility of kerala food which tempts the divers community of people

MTBR is the only restaurant in Dubai offering authentic Kerala and coastal cuisine. The menu comprises selections from the Malabar region, the central kerala specialties, excellent choices in vegetarian dishes and few dishes from the coastlines of Karnataka, Andhra and Tamil Nadu. The restaurant does not serve any Chinese or Tandoori dishes, our aim is to take the treasures of Kerala to the world and let the people all over discover the God's Own Country through the culinary route. Dhiraj Vijayan is the master chef who has been instrumental in creating the concept and cuisine of MTBR. Dhiraj is IHM graduate and served with Taj group, GRT Grand Days as executive chef before assuming charge at MTBR as Head of Operations. Native of Thalassery, he was educated in Chennai. Dhiraj is an authority in Kerala and south Indian cuisines; apart from coordinating the day to day operations of the restaurant, he devotes a large part of his time for research and development of Kerala cuisine.

Dubai is a demographically diverse city with citizens of more than 140 countries residing here and all of them are amongst our target. Our clientele mix reflects the same, though 50 % of our guests are Kerlalites. The restaurant is open every day of the week for lunch and dinner. Lunch is served between 12.30 - 3.00 PM and dinner from 7.00 - 11.30 PM.

recipe of taste buds, which are specially chosen for the gulf times views ,indirectly wooing the Qatari crowed to the restaurant in their next trip to Dubai ,Chef Dhiraj suggests something like the "chef's special"

Satish Menon_A Profile of FilmMaker

2006-02-28T08:25:00.001+03:00

Bhavum, Satish’s first full-fledged South Indian feature film subscribed to an in-depth theme that was a viable fit in a post-globalization Urban India. The film captures the struggle between the conscious and unconscious mind of a young couple whose happiness is stretched when their love, lifestyle, and fidelity are challenged with the arrival of the wife’s sister, a woman with a mysterious past.

Bhavum, Satish’s first full-fledged South Indian feature film subscribed to an in-depth theme that was a viable fit in a post-globalization Urban India. The film captures the struggle between the conscious and unconscious mind of a young couple whose happiness is stretched when their love, lifestyle, and fidelity are challenged with the arrival of the wife’s sister, a woman with a mysterious past.

Satish Menon

Changing course from your academic stream to a creative one must be quite a challenge. From an environmental engineer to directing stage plays, evolving documentaries and producing and directing short films, calls for mental abundance and focus as we see in the career of Satish Menon.
A home away from home in Florida is where life blossomed for Satish, since his father pursued a career at the University of Florida-Gainesville. Beyond family relationships, the experience of living and indulging in Indian culture was never thrust upon him. The career re-mapping led to desired results -- he was able to direct, produce and film, documentaries and short films from an Indian perspective. In a candid confession, Satish Menon states that his profession, as an environmental engineer, was an occupation which sustained him from starving and provided a roof over his head. His respect for his academics is also admirable, when he says, “environmental engineering is not any less glorious; it has its purpose and avenues for creativity, but my dream seemed more in tune with the cryptic sense of expression which films facilitate.”
The initial decision of "I want to make a movie" was not just a thought that crossed his mind one fine Sunday afternoon. It was his love and involvement in evolving quality local stage plays that triggered his dormant potential to write, produce and direct four short fiction films and a documentary. Under the flag of Visual Possibility Inc., where Satish holds the office as a founder and managing partner, the full length feature film Emotions of Being was made. His prominent short films Awake (2001; 6 minutes 16mm), Where does Storm water go? (2001; 26 minutes Mini DV), Cookie (1998; 3 minutes 16 mm), Lost in the Garden of Eden (1998; 47 minutes Super VHS), The Soiled Plate (1996; 42 minutes Super VHS were directed, produced and screened. Reflecting on his first south Indian feature film Bhavum, which revolves around the people of Kerala, Satish was brimming with excitement and his thoughts were expressed with profound intelligence. This is what he had to convey - films and drama are a mode for creative expression. “Since I like to reflect upon contemporary society, selecting a theme and story that fit the current state of mind of the middle class life in Kerala was an utmost necessity."
Bhavum, Satish’s first full-fledged South Indian feature film subscribed to an in-depth theme that was a viable fit in a post-globalization Urban India. The film captures the struggle between the conscious and unconscious mind of a young couple whose happiness is stretched when their love, lifestyle, and fidelity are challenged with the arrival of the wife’s sister, a woman with a mysterious past. Making this film was part of that revolutionary process required to be sustained and further subscribe to an advanced learning of the technical side of film making. Therefore, working on economies of scale, Kerala, located in South India, was selected as the knowledge imparting centre.
The finances at his disposal, and the characters to fit the script were evaluated and validated, which brought in the likes of Murali Menon and Jyothirmayi who play the lead role. Mitha Vasisth brings to life an intense role, which justifies her presence. Cinematography was handled by Sunny Joseph, an experienced hand. The awards and acclaims that followed Bhavum were enormous. State awards for Best Debut Director, Best Film 2002, and Lead actress received Special Jury mention at the National Awards 2002. The high emotional intensity that set in for being one of the coveted movies to be screened in many film festivals namely, Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles, Key west India Festival, Asian Film Festival of Dallas, Cinefest Doha, 5th Cinefan Delhi, Indian Panorama IFFI’ 2003 needs a mention. The film has been selected to be screened at the Cairo International Film Festival in Oct -17th.
It is not an independent effort that brings success. The team work, to which Satish subscribes calls for praise. Satish showers compliments on his cinematographer Sunny Joseph. “From the perspective of a director, especially a first-time director, it was wonderful to have Sunny as my cinematographer, because he was never intrusive. He was patient from the word Go. Read the script, made his suggestions, gave his opinions, but most importantly, listened to what I had to say and then moulded his response to maximize my intentions. As the production progressed, it seemed like, Sunny knew exactly what I was thinking, and that helped the push-forward. For a an amateur director, where every other thing was going wrong, the support and his ability to adjust to work within my time and resource constraints were crucial and I could only stand in awe of him”. Ruggedly handsome and a very pleasant human being, Satish Menon is a shy, self-involved individual, who prefers to be left alone. Surprisingly, just plain and ordinary, lost in self thoughts, and living to achieve, his own dreams. Poignantly devoid of any vices, this man of recluse, is a vegetarian and loves food, ranging from Thai, Italian, Mexican, and Indian but mentions” I am not picky, I love food”.
A workaholic by nature, Satish Menon is composed, and able to put “First things First”. His love for music transformed from Rock n’Roll while in his teens to Jazz and classical (both Indian & western). On his friends' circle, his thoughts were- “I spend most of my time on my own, with the exception of a few close friends with whom I loved spending time, I usually find my home (my apartment in Chicago) a place for solace and quiet contemplation." On evolving stories, he says: “Stories develop out of experiences and assessment of the environment around you. I collect my memories, random but frequent. It takes its time to metastasize and get a form, which invariably starts as an idea, then as a concept and then, it takes a shape of a story that evolves organically. “So the process of my writing is very long. I let it embryonicalIy grow in my thoughts for a while. Further, once it develops in parts, I distribute them to a page and keep moulding it, until it is coherent.”
Since the time I remember, I loved movies and as I grew up, I began to sense the importance of movies in being able to express what words alone could not accomplish. Therefore, I'm using movies to express my self, if I might be so bold to suggest that. Does one have to be married to know what marriage is about? “My life is filled with experiences that help me relate to most human conditions, although I am single and relatively young. The fact that I can observe, experience and understand the condition of people apart from me, lends to tell stories that can be universal. But let's put it this way, “does a man have to be a woman to understand and write about her wants and desires?” I do not think so. Again, the movie stands for itself. The fact that I have never been married should not prejudice my interpretation of a marriage..." "During several public screenings of Bhavum, I was delighted to witness the rapt attention of people and the joy they derived from watching the film. usually, the screening followed a Q&A session, which is mostly very polite, but good to hear people’s perceptions, curiosity, and what they admired in the film. Relating elements of the film that I would not have thought of, which helps me see the film, in a new perspective." When asked about the next project, Satish mentioned that he was currently writing a script based on a novel... which could not be revealed at this juncture. Simultaneously, Satish is working on a documentary highlighting the conditions of battered immigrant women. The scripts contain fictitious and real individuals who are personally known and the characters are combination of people within the circle of friends and outside. Therefore, in a sense, they are real people and the stories are bona fide. He promises it will be a complex human relation, in the midst of this non-interactive world

Changing course from your academic stream to a creative one must be quite a challenge. From an environmental engineer to directing stage plays, evolving documentaries and producing and directing short films, calls for mental abundance and focus as we see in the career of Satish Menon.
A home away from home in Florida is where life blossomed for Satish, since his father pursued a career at the University of Florida-Gainesville. Beyond family relationships, the experience of living and indulging in Indian culture was never thrust upon him. The career re-mapping led to desired results -- he was able to direct, produce and film, documentaries and short films from an Indian perspective. In a candid confession, Satish Menon states that his profession, as an environmental engineer, was an occupation which sustained him from starving and provided a roof over his head. His respect for his academics is also admirable, when he says, “environmental engineering is not any less glorious; it has its purpose and avenues for creativity, but my dream seemed more in tune with the cryptic sense of expression which films facilitate.”
The initial decision of "I want to make a movie" was not just a thought that crossed his mind one fine Sunday afternoon. It was his love and involvement in evolving quality local stage plays that triggered his dormant potential to write, produce and direct four short fiction films and a documentary. Under the flag of Visual Possibility Inc., where Satish holds the office as a founder and managing partner, the full length feature film Emotions of Being was made. His prominent short films Awake (2001; 6 minutes 16mm), Where does Storm water go? (2001; 26 minutes Mini DV), Cookie (1998; 3 minutes 16 mm), Lost in the Garden of Eden (1998; 47 minutes Super VHS), The Soiled Plate (1996; 42 minutes Super VHS were directed, produced and screened. Reflecting on his first south Indian feature film Bhavum, which revolves around the people of Kerala, Satish was brimming with excitement and his thoughts were expressed with profound intelligence. This is what he had to convey - films and drama are a mode for creative expression. “Since I like to reflect upon contemporary society, selecting a theme and story that fit the current state of mind of the middle class life in Kerala was an utmost necessity."
Bhavum, Satish’s first full-fledged South Indian feature film subscribed to an in-depth theme that was a viable fit in a post-globalization Urban India. The film captures the struggle between the conscious and unconscious mind of a young couple whose happiness is stretched when their love, lifestyle, and fidelity are challenged with the arrival of the wife’s sister, a woman with a mysterious past. Making this film was part of that revolutionary process required to be sustained and further subscribe to an advanced learning of the technical side of film making. Therefore, working on economies of scale, Kerala, located in South India, was selected as the knowledge imparting centre.
The finances at his disposal, and the characters to fit the script were evaluated and validated, which brought in the likes of Murali Menon and Jyothirmayi who play the lead role. Mitha Vasisth brings to life an intense role, which justifies her presence. Cinematography was handled by Sunny Joseph, an experienced hand. The awards and acclaims that followed Bhavum were enormous. State awards for Best Debut Director, Best Film 2002, and Lead actress received Special Jury mention at the National Awards 2002. The high emotional intensity that set in for being one of the coveted movies to be screened in many film festivals namely, Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles, Key west India Festival, Asian Film Festival of Dallas, Cinefest Doha, 5th Cinefan Delhi, Indian Panorama IFFI’ 2003 needs a mention. The film has been selected to be screened at the Cairo International Film Festival in Oct -17th.
It is not an independent effort that brings success. The team work, to which Satish subscribes calls for praise. Satish showers compliments on his cinematographer Sunny Joseph. “From the perspective of a director, especially a first-time director, it was wonderful to have Sunny as my cinematographer, because he was never intrusive. He was patient from the word Go. Read the script, made his suggestions, gave his opinions, but most importantly, listened to what I had to say and then moulded his response to maximize my intentions. As the production progressed, it seemed like, Sunny knew exactly what I was thinking, and that helped the push-forward. For a an amateur director, where every other thing was going wrong, the support and his ability to adjust to work within my time and resource constraints were crucial and I could only stand in awe of him”. Ruggedly handsome and a very pleasant human being, Satish Menon is a shy, self-involved individual, who prefers to be left alone. Surprisingly, just plain and ordinary, lost in self thoughts, and living to achieve, his own dreams. Poignantly devoid of any vices, this man of recluse, is a vegetarian and loves food, ranging from Thai, Italian, Mexican, and Indian but mentions” I am not picky, I love food”.
A workaholic by nature, Satish Menon is composed, and able to put “First things First”. His love for music transformed from Rock n’Roll while in his teens to Jazz and classical (both Indian & western). On his friends' circle, his thoughts were- “I spend most of my time on my own, with the exception of a few close friends with whom I loved spending time, I usually find my home (my apartment in Chicago) a place for solace and quiet contemplation." On evolving stories, he says: “Stories develop out of experiences and assessment of the environment around you. I collect my memories, random but frequent. It takes its time to metastasize and get a form, which invariably starts as an idea, then as a concept and then, it takes a shape of a story that evolves organically. “So the process of my writing is very long. I let it embryonicalIy grow in my thoughts for a while. Further, once it develops in parts, I distribute them to a page and keep moulding it, until it is coherent.”
Since the time I remember, I loved movies and as I grew up, I began to sense the importance of movies in being able to express what words alone could not accomplish. Therefore, I'm using movies to express my self, if I might be so bold to suggest that. Does one have to be married to know what marriage is about? “My life is filled with experiences that help me relate to most human conditions, although I am single and relatively young. The fact that I can observe, experience and understand the condition of people apart from me, lends to tell stories that can be universal. But let's put it this way, “does a man have to be a woman to understand and write about her wants and desires?” I do not think so. Again, the movie stands for itself. The fact that I have never been married should not prejudice my interpretation of a marriage..." "During several public screenings of Bhavum, I was delighted to witness the rapt attention of people and the joy they derived from watching the film. usually, the screening followed a Q&A session, which is mostly very polite, but good to hear people’s perceptions, curiosity, and what they admired in the film. Relating elements of the film that I would not have thought of, which helps me see the film, in a new perspective." When asked about the next project, Satish mentioned that he was currently writing a script based on a novel... which could not be revealed at this juncture. Simultaneously, Satish is working on a documentary highlighting the conditions of battered immigrant women. The scripts contain fictitious and real individuals who are personally known and the characters are combination of people within the circle of friends and outside. Therefore, in a sense, they are real people and the stories are bona fide. He promises it will be a complex human relation, in the midst of this non-interactive world

Resurrected Soul

2006-02-28T08:22:00.001+03:00

My soul,
Who holds my breath my being
Loosing my soul was destiny ordained
But still my heart beats, body worked,
I paused, searched myself
For that substance, my soul, my heart
The smile I had,
Which lighted up my soul
Gave way to darkness, remorse
Which rolled down like tears, uncontrolled?
Then came the wind of friendship
'Why worry, when you have friend'
The care and love of friendship
'My shoulder, always ready,
The reassurance.
I poured out my life to those ears ,
Churned out my feelings,
Entangled in those web of confused feelingsI found my soul,
My heart sang, my soul rejoiced.
With that tune of life,
My resurrectionbegan.

Strange 22

2006-02-28T08:20:00.001+03:00

Strange that I t may sound. . .
Love seems too be walking beside me
Those familiar soft footsteps,
which follows you everywhere
Never asked anything in return
No reasons, no explanations
Only the sense of belonging.
All those aches and pains
All those drops of tears that well upon in your heart
I lost love some where along the line
Lost all the warmthStrange that it may sound. . .
Life's toil and worry kept me going
Have I lost my self?
When I look in the mirror
I look at a strange person staring back
I comforted my self, that's life!
Strange that it may sound. . .
Love found me again,
And I found myself

Smiling sadness

2006-02-28T08:17:00.001+03:00

A smile
A smile that twinkles the eyes
Opens the whole heart right in front of you
The sadness
Where does this come from?
Why the depth of sadness?
That makes you reach across,
to wipe away the tears
Which falls unnoticed, invisible, and precious?
Oh' my little heart'
My precious smile
Let me hold you close
Oh' my precious smile
My precious heart

Devotion

2006-02-28T08:14:00.000+03:00

You were there with me
in the darkestdays of my life
Never leaving my side
Never thinking about the consequences,
Never thought of the outcome
I wonder with such fond thoughts
About your unselfish dedication
You brought lift into my lifeHope,
which was long forgotten
You taught me devotion,
How to be devoted
And by bringing in life and light,
You saw the same
You gained the same
Love mean devotion
Never expecting anything in return
Just being there devoted to me.

Mother,Oh Mother

2006-02-28T08:06:00.001+03:00

Dedicated to My Mother 'Who left me in 2002, to fend and fret for my life, which i still as hard as, life in itself..............

mother oh mother,
where art' thou,
up in the sky down in the earth,
in lands far away,all my aches and all my pains,
where will I go with all my worries,
who will be there to comfort me,
who will be there to wipe my tears,
with a wisp of your handlike a wispering wind you,
you pour comforts in my ears,
just as the wind wipes away the dust ,
you wipe my tears,
with the wind of your love,mother,
I am drowning,in my own sorrow,
I am going deep into the fathom lessnes,
I long for you,
Mother,where art' thou

Hope Of Tomarrow

2006-02-28T07:53:00.002+03:00

Bad days often come,
Friends argue Parents annoy you,
Love fades Sometimes you feel like giving up
You can be calm as a gently wind outside
But shaken as a boat in a storm inside
Try to look on the bright side.
Friends disagree now and then
But they're always there for you
Love fades and burns out like a candle
But think about everyone else who loves you.
With the sun on your face
Warms your soul
Makes your heart smile
Look on the bright side.
Don't think of this bad day
Remember better days
Think of good times to come
Times that will make you smile
Tomorrow is a new day
Leave this bad day behind,
Move on....
Sapna Anu B. George
Copyright ©2006 Sapna Anu B. George

A 'Doyen' in Banking

2006-02-28T00:06:00.003+03:00

Mr.Seetharaman, Acting General manager of Doha Bank, is one who has gone a long way to achieve, desired results, which has resulted in rewards and awards in the recent past.

Focusing on SMART ideas i.e., S-pecific, M-easurable, A-chievable realistic, and T-ime bound ideas, we are witnessing Transformational Banking systems, erasing the old transactional systems of virtual contact to actual contact, and the processes are endless.
Mr.Seetharaman, Acting General manager of Doha Bank, is one who has gone a long way to achieve, desired results, which has resulted in rewards and awards in the recent past. The Banker, the international banking magazine based in London, bestowed on Doha Bank,’ The Best Bank in Qatar for 2004’for a second consecutive year. Doha bank is one of the nine banks in the world, which has successfully been awarded the BS7799 security certification for banks, for various operations.

Finding his roots from the State of Chennai (TamilNadu) in India, the district of Thanjovoor, provided the educational platform to complete school and University, specializing in the field of commerce and graduating as a gold medalist. Seeking to expand his knowledge he ventured to study Chartered accounting (CA) and was able to complete the course from the city of opportunities-Mumbai. His career path was mapped by joining a global accounting firm in Mumbai, which later provided the opportunity to take up a foreign assignment in the United Kingdom-London, then to work with The Bank Muscat in Oman, and for the past 2 1/2 years establishing himself, with Doha Bank in Qatar.
During college days he was associated with theater and Drama at the time when Shivaji Ganeshan the epitome of Tamil cinema was reining the silver screen. Seethraman has to his credit a few stage shows which are based on mythological characters which were staged by the Sooryakanti Theaters, during the year 1977. Building on family values, and respect to culture and tradition, Mr. Seetha Raman, cultivated a holistic approach to map his life’s progress. This treasured component of values, tradition, and culture is credited to his parents who provided adequate support thus inculcating these essential elements, in his life’s journey.
Walking the fast lane, we see Mr. Raman as one who has adjusted his physical clock and compass, thus able to put into perspective quick response, and direction. Possessing the characteristics of an Arian born on the 4th of April, loves the color blue, with immaculate dressing habits, with a choice of right combinations in selecting Shirts and Suites thus bringing in a homogeneous match of shades, ideal to wear for the occasion. The Italian designs, of Carreuti are one of his favorites, but prefers Indian Designer makes. Choosing his own wear, enables him to present that required distinguished look, with the bow ties and vivid colored pocket handkerchiefs. To maintain a sound mind and body, the choice to be a vegetarian has provided for his mental abundance and health.

On topics like Qatar schools and communities Mr. Seethamram maintained a more restraint attitude than the enthusiastic passion he has with ‘Banking’. Opportunities are available world over in telecommunication, and Information Technology, for every one. The Indian community remains the most preferred man power in every segment, be it skilled or unskilled. Though the job security in the gulf is not guaranteed, there are many avenues and options available. Contrary to the widely held perceptions, Indians are hard working and have real potential in maintaining standards. There are areas where we have limitations, for instance, skill in communications and refinement in our organizing capacity, comments Seetharaman. Viewing the education system, in Qatar Mr. Raman recommends, providing a competitive and ever progressing process systems, which would put the Schools into good stead with parents and produce the desired results. This line of reasoning of Mr.Raman helps to explain recent initiatives from, some prominent schools from India. Keeping in stride with the social issues, Seetharaman, who had been the chief guest in an anti smoking campaign and received the first copy of the newsletter from the minister, affirmed that Doha Bank would give the anti-smoking movement due importance.
Seetharaman, in his capacity as Acting General Manager used the process of empowerment to extend services to corporate, retail areas of banking, treasury, investment, project and corporate finance advisory services, brokerage, IPO and wealth management. Focusing on more productivity and modernizations, Mr. Raman says” We understand our customers and have customer driven products and services, like home loans, Auto loans, and children’s savings club”. We have tailored made products suited to their need and we communicate and deliver the goods to their satisfaction. Being the pioneers in SMS banking, the bank offers to settle bills and invoices through SMS. Taking pride in the achievements, he mentions “We offer credit card free for life, which has real value, added to it. Contrary to modernizations, my strength was the feasibility of acquiring the knowledge of accounting”. Doha Bank is the largest private sector bank in Qatar, with over 50,000 customers serviced through a network of 16 branches 4 pay offices and 63 ATM facilities, which is the only bank in Qatar who has marked its presence in USA with its New York operations. In his address to the public, Doha Bank Chairman Mr. Salah Mohamed al-Jaidah credits the success to teambuilding, as mentioned “I compliment my Acting General Manager R Seetharaman and his team, who have successfully been able to re-engineer the variety of products to benefit the customers constantly, and there is more in the offing”. Interestingly, such vast choice of modernizations does not make task any easier. “I.T. infrastructure must be highly dependable and robust to run the business and maximize profitability”.' said Mr. R.Seetharaman.
Let success roll on………..

Outburst of an NRI Women

2006-02-28T00:02:00.000+03:00

I was doing reasonably well at my place of work in India. We were happy in our little flat in noisy, polluted Mumbai. The three-hour journey, to and fro from work, did not faze us. Then, my husband got this irresistible job offer from Dubai! I joined him eight months ago, bang in the middle of Dubai's terribly long summer. I just knew I would land a challenging job within a month. After all, I was this competent high achiever! Besides, life would be better there if not at par with India. After all, Dubai is 'phoren' and the land of no income tax.
Today, I am grappling with the distasteful task of job-hunting in the Middle East. One of the popular ways of doing this is through the famous Gulf Appointments. It was here that I first came across advertisements like 'Wanted HR Manager -- US/UK/SA/EUR/NZL Only.' I was shocked. Why not just say: 'Wanted HR Manager -- No Asians Please. We only want to hire white-skinned people'. I spent the first two months receiving calls from agents who offered jobs with meagre salaries. Wake up and smell the coffee, I was told -- Asians come cheap.
There is a clear disparity in wages and perks given to people of different nationalities doing the same job. A friend of mine works for one of the finest hotels in the world. She is Asian, so she stays in a campus built for Asian employees in an industrial area. White employees doing the same job are entitled to accommodation in the city. My husband was the only person I could vent my frustrations on. The poor man was subjected to constant tirades on how this was the most humiliating experience of my life and how shocked I was at this blatant display of racism. I wondered about the future of organizations that, even today, hire on the basis of colour instead of competence. To advertise in this manner in a national newspaper was, I thought, a blatant slap on the face. This attitude was not limited to the labour market. Take entertainment. My husband and I enjoy going out. What we did not initially know was that certain nightclubs and bars here are 'strictly white.’ In our ignorance, we once took a German friend to a club where a Nigerian at the door asked us for our identification. We were then asked to pay AED 200 (Rs 2,400) per head to just enter the place! Even as all this was happening, white folk were walking in without being stopped or asked any questions. It was our first experience of this kind and we were deeply humiliated. Our German friend was visibly upset and could not look us in the eye for the rest of the evening.
No one talks about this kind of segregation, even though it has been going on for ages. A quick glance at the newspapers and magazines here will reveal many articles on lifestyle and shopping, but hardly anything on serious social issues. Asians, meanwhile, avoid these places to save themselves the humiliation. I try to rationalise what is happening, but cannot come up with a reasonable answer. Asians have lived in Dubai for more than 40 years. They've built some of its finest buildings and hotels. They've been loyal to their employers and respectful to its citizens. The West has only noticed Dubai recently. Yet, white-skinned people exert a huge influence here and their perceived superiority supersedes logic. I eventually found a temporary job in a predominantly Asian environment. Though the going has been good, I am painfully aware of the experience that awaits me once my term here is complete. Yet, there is hope. I believe Indians are second to none in the world.
Secondly, every business looks at the profit line. Any good business will always explore ways to get more for less. I may come cheaper not because I offer more for less but because my expectations are realistic and match what organizations can afford to pay. Today, most organizations here pay far more for far less. Sooner or later, they will be forced to realize that brains and hard work matter more than the colour of one's skin. Besides, not all organizations and people are discriminatory. I have interacted with organizations that possess a great deal of cross-cultural sensitivity and can truly be called equal opportunity employers. I have been fortunate enough to make friends with people from all nationalities and have found them to respectful and tolerant of each other. I can hardly blame the bouncers I encounter because employees simply do what they are told. Where there is demand, there will be supply. When regulars at clubs express a desire for a place that caters to 'their kind,' when locals listen to words coming out of a Westerner's mouth with rapt attention but disregard an Asian saying the same thing, establishments will toe the line.
Why am I still in Dubai? Well, I left my family and friends, sold my belongings and moved here to make a better living and get some international exposure. To go back now would be to admit defeat. I may crib endlessly about how we are disadvantaged, but these experiences have made me stronger. I am determined to show the world what I am capable of without having to lose my identity as an Indian. I do, however, expect a greater degree of government intervention where such issues are concerned. This kind of behavior should be punishable by law. It is time they make the UAE more than a great place to shop and be entertained in; it should also become a melting pot for all cultures and societies. I also expect Indians who are working in influential positions to stop being passive observers and perpetuators of the system. I don't expect to be told by an Indian GM or manager that I will have to settle for less because I am Indian. There is nothing sadder than that.
Compiled by Sapna Anu B.George sapna_george@hotmail.com

The Sound of Sargam

2006-02-27T23:52:00.000+03:00

History and lineage play a major role in moulding one’s talent. Focusing and Aligning the Paradigm of life guides one to the road to success.

Sadhana Sargaham’s life is a fascinating account of one such Success. Sadhana was born into a family of artists to the, likes of Neela Ghanekar’ a Classical singer and Purushotham Ghanekar, a commercial artist. Sadhana attributes her success to her Mother’, Neela Ghanekar’. Sadhana commenced her “Sadhakam” at the tender age of four, and won Scholarships at the age of ten from the Government of India. Sadhana pursued to learn classical music from Sangeet Marthand ‘Pandit Jasraj’. Later Bollywood Maestro’s Kalyanji Anandji brought her under their wings and educated her about the effusiveness of music needs- Bhavam (expression) and Modulation.

Sadhana Sargam is making waves in the film industry by being versatile and mesmerizing the audience of many languages. Other than singing in her mother Tongue Marathi, she sung in quite a number of languages like, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarathi, and Oriya. Teri Umeed Tera Intezar (Devana). Kuch mere dil ne kaha (Tere Mere Sapne) bano rani (1947 Earth) main Teri hoom janam(khoon Bhari mang) Humne ghar choda hai(Dil) Har Kissi ko nahi milta (Janbaaz) Pehela Nashaphehela khumar(Jo Jeetha wohi sikkander) chupkese (saathiya) and also recent hits like “kuch na kaho” are some of the few Bollywood hits she gave to her ardent audiences. Beginning with the original sound track of Manirathnam’s “Aley Payuthe” she ventured into South Indian Cinema. Sadhana is one of the few singers who has worked with versatile Music directors like Illeyaraja, AR Rahman, Anu Malik, Kalyanji Anadji, R. D. Burman, Nadeem Shravan, Deva VidyaSagar, And IlleyaRaja’s son, Karthick Raja, and the list goes on.

As an aspiring playback singer, she performed innumerable Stage-Shows, with which she had, kept the audience in awe, in US, Canada and Middle East. From the immaculate and breathtaking shows in Qatar, she is flown in, to enchant the ardently waiting audience of Nairobi. The Album’s she released contained the ‘WOW” factor which mesmerized her listeners and audience equally. It would be apt to mention Amjad Ali Khan’s “Vade” in which she sang with Roop Kumar Rathode for the Album Kushboo Rumm, which was well accepted and appreciated for the Bhajans’s, Gazals, and Romantic Numbers..

The Awards that followed, has helped to enhance Sadhana’ s career. The popular song composed by Illeyaraja about which she says, “is close to my heart” Patta choli, from the Tamil Film Alahi’, fetched her a National Award. She earlier won the Konkan Ratna Award as well as the Sahyag Foundation award. Sadhana considers her music to be a “Pooja” and her success was a gift from the almighty God.

The Indian club in Qatar was proud to present such awesome talent to the Indian Community where she entertained the club members in the presence of distinguished guests, to name Mr. Rajinder Bhagat-Counsellor at the Embassy of India in Qatar. Mr. Bhagat released a brochure in her name at the function.

Upcoming singers and stage artists, Archana and Chetan added flavor to the tempo of the musical night for the Indian audience churning out a few dance numbers from the latest Hindi movies. The Stage Compeer Mr. D.Mahesh, a comedian, needs to have a mention, who kept the audience at the frenzy of laughter to his sense of humor. The President of the club Mr.Nilangshu Dey presented mementos to the artist, followed by a sumptuous dinner at the club.

Sadhana promised to be back to entertain an enthusiastic audience, whom she loved. She would love to have fan mails from those interested to listen to her songs. Log in at her official website, www.sadhanasargam.com, where you will come across, a brief history of her sojourn with life and music.

Sapna Anu B. George

(A Proactive and Creative Personality, who is able to Conceptualize, Evolve and Develop around a wide range of topics, related to People Profiles, Culture, Art, Theatre, Movies and news from the Middle East.)

You may contact Mrs. Sapna.Anu.B.George at sapna_george@hotmail.com