A-Desiflava November 2015 Diwali Special Issue

H On K ly $ 1

Entertain

Enlighten

Engage TM

H O N G KONG ’S F IRS T L I F ES TYL E M A G A Z I N E F O R S O U T H A S I A N S

November

2015

Wish YOU A very

Happy Diwali

earary Y 4 ivers

Free

th

L IA C SPEIssue

Poster of Laxmi-Ganesh

Ann

ADMISSION DEPARTMENT

DELIA SCHOOL OF CANADA 5-7 Tai Fung Avenue, Tai Koo Shing Tel: 3658-0400 • Fax: 2884-0481 admissions@delia.edu.hk

inside.

It’s not just a flight.

It’s a gateway to 9 Indian cities.

With Jet Airways depart Hong Kong at 1205 hours to arrive Delhi at 1600 hours & connect seamlessly to 9 key Indian cities same day.

Jet Airways, India's premier international airline has rescheduled its daily flight from Hong Kong to New Delhi, offering a convenient day time arrival into Delhi, effective October 25, 2015.

Amritsar

From Hong Kong New Delhi

Flight no.

9W77 9W78

From Hong Kong Delhi

To Delhi Hong Kong

Dep. 12:05 02:10

Arr. 16:00 09:40

Frequency Daily Daily

Jaipur Udaipur Ahmedabad Kolkata

w.e.f 25th Oct, 2015

This convenient afternoon arrival into Delhi will facilitate guests arriving from Hong Kong to seamlessly connect on the same day to several destinations within India such as Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Pune and Udaipur. In addition guests will also be able to connect from New Delhi to international destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dammam, Dubai, Brussels and Kathmandu.

Convenient same day connections to 9 Indian cities

Full flat bed from Hong Kong to Delhi

Guests travelling with Jet Airways on the Hong Kong-New Delhi sector will get to experience the award winning in-flight service, superior cabin comfort, delectable cuisine, a state-of-the-art IFE system with over 600 hours of audio and video programming covering a variety of genre, and the warm Indian hospitality of our crew.

Transit connection from same terminal

Pune Hyderabad

Bengaluru

Chennai

ata

n the et to flight table with video enre, crew.

rse u o 3-C Lunchi Set Mon-Fr ) m ry Eve -2:30p n n (12

• Authentic Thai. Indian and Malaysian Cuisine.

• 130 Seating Spacious VIP Room.

• DJ booth. Dance Floor. Lighting. Audio.

Visual and Projecting Systems.

• Special Menus and Packages Available.

• Private Parties • Corporate Events • Cocktail Parties • Corporate Dinner Parties • Business Lunches • Family Celebration • Birthday Parties • Outdoor Catering • Home Delivery For event booking or more information,

Please contact General Manager Aamir Abbasi at (+852) 9729 0727 Tel: (+852) 2191 9880 • Fax: (+852) 2191 9878

2nd Floor, No.1 Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon  www.spice-restaurant.hk  aamir@spice-restaurant.hk  SpiceRestaurantHK

urant a t s e R Spice you a warm wishes fe Diwali and sa

2nd Anniversary • Designer Dress • Designer Sarees • Fancy Ladies Kurtis • Kids Desiger Kurtas • Jewellery Designes & Clutches • Indian God Pictures • Festival Goods • Occassional, Casual Party wear Dresses • Semi Formal and Formal Dresses • Gents’s Designer & Formal Kurtas

I assure you the best quality and designs with my entire range of clothing exclusively offered for you.

Jyoti Arora (CEO & Founder)

Shop # 15-B, 1st Floor, Hung Hom Sqare, 37-39 Ma Tau Wai Road, Hunghom, Kowloon, HK, T: + 852-3485 0530 / + 852-5373 1494 | E: khushbucollection.hk@gmail.com facebook.com/khushbu.collection, twitter.com/KhushbuCollecHK

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Happenings in

HK

A quick guide to the exciting array of events happening in Hong Kong HK is happening – You know that! What’s happening in HK – We bring you that!

September: An event recap September was a busy month! Check out our quick summary on some of the most stand-out events below: Event: Kalasutra, Hong Kong Dates: 16th to 21st September Venue: Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, Hong Kong For the second time in Hong Kong, Red Peppers entertainment along with its partner Sanchit Art gallery, India, had organised Kalasutra, a unique and exciting show of Indian art featuring India’s top contemporary artists.

Artists: M.F. Husain, Satish Gujral, K. Laxma Goud, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Manu Parekh, Thota Vaikuntam, Paresh Maity, Jayasri Burman, Senaka Senanayake, Neeraj Goswami, Sujata Bajaj, Maya Burman

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Event: 3 Designer exhibitions organised by Sanskrit Dates: 15th, 18th and 22nd September 2015 Venue: 904, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central The month of September was hip, hot and happening at Sanskrit with three

Designer exhibitions showcasing the latest trends in South Asian fashion.

It all started with Rabani and Rakha on the 15th of September, followed

by Rohit Mittal on 18th of Sept and concluded with bridal collection – ‘Saaj’ by Ankita on 22 September.

Event: Bollywood Aces Encore Date: 19th September 2015 Venue: Armani Privé 2nd Floor, Charter House No.8 Connaught Road Central

It was an evening to remember when budding artists from the most diverse backgrounds and varied age groups came together, to celebrate cultural integration and performed live on stage. There were 23 participants in an age group ranging from 14 to 50 years. Various ethnicities like Filipino, Indian, Arabic, Chinese came together to put forward an enthusiastic and a culturally-rich play.

Aiming art and cultural integration between different races Theatre Space, a professional repertory based in Hong Kong with the support of Hong Kong Arts Development Council had organised high quality art education program targeting the ethnic minority. The Program covered vitals: Dance, Acting and Music led by Idy Law (Acting tutor), Dasu Babbel Preet (Dancing tutor) and Mahmood Rumjahn (Singing tutor).

Events to look for in the month of October & November

as one of India’s leading designers.

The company sells its label Mynah Designs exclusively from its studio in the capital and its flagship store at The Gallery on the MG. Apart from this she sells from landmark stores such Ogaan, Karma, Aza and Tesori in Ahmedabad. Reynu Taandon has been the Brand Ambassador of the Paradiso Sahara Group.

For interviews and/or media enquiries, please contact: Deepa Nainani – Director, Print Plus International Limited deepa@printplus.com.hk Tel: +852 2333 4421 Event: Diwali Dhamaal Date: 7th of November 2015 Venue: India Recreation Club Laced with variety of entertainment programs and delicious food, this year the Diwali Dhamaal has been organized on Saturday the 7th of November 2015 at the Indian Recreation Club in Causeway Bay. Do keep an eye on the announcement

Event: Fashion show by Mandira Wirk Date: Friday, 23 October, 12 Noon It was a dancing extravaganza Venue: Aberdeen Marina club at Bollywood Aces Encore. Gear up to step in the dazzling world Organised by Elite Entertainment of fashion and glamour. The Hong and Armani Privé, the night was Kong Indian Women’s club plans all about rocking Bollywood to bring you ‘Story of an Indian music and untiring dance floor. princess’, a fashion show by Mandira Event: Bollywood in HK - A Taste Wirk. The dress code for the event is of Musical Drama for People of Desi Chic Couture and the fees are Different Ethnicities $800 for the members and $1000 for the non- members.

Date: 20th September 2015, 16:00 Venue: Tai-Po Civic Centre, 12 On Reynu Taandon, renowned leading Pong Road, Tai Po Indian fashion designer in Hong Kong on 24th October 2015 to showcase her latest trends.

ReynuTaandon is a leading designer in the world of fashion. Reynu expresses her passion, spirit and energy through her work. She defines her USP as her flamboyant perspective of colors with contours and soft intricacy. Reynu Taandon established her company Mynah Designs in the year 1999 in New Delhi. In a span of 15 years, she has established herself

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by the Mandal for further details about this year’s theme. You may wish to send an email to maharashtramandalhk@gmail. com to get more details about it.

Event: Diwali Party Date: 7th of November 2015 Venue: Regal Hotel Gujrati Samaj Hong kong will organise Diwali party on 7th Nov at Regal hotel after 6 pm. More details to follow soon.

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H

K

$ 1

ON LY

Editors Note Entertain

Enlighten

Engage TM

H O N G K O N G ’ S F I RS T L I FES TY L E M A GA ZIN E F O R S O UTH A S IA N S

November

2015

WISH YOU A VERY

HAPPY DIWALI

Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali and Prosperous New Year. May this Diwali bring you lots of luck, success, happiness and joy and may lord LaxmiGanesh help you to take away all your sorrows, bad luck and bad times.

I was extremely happy and super delighted while putting together this special issue of Adesiflava magazine. There are two big reasons for me and my team to smile and be happy about; Its our 4th Year anniversary issue and it coincides with the biggest religious festival of Diwali celebrations across the globe.

R

EA 4th IVYERSARY ANN E ISSU

FREE

L ECIA

POSTER OF LAXMI-GANESH

SP

ADMISSION DEPARTMENT

DELIA SCHOOL OF CANADA 5-7 Tai Fung Avenue, Tai Koo Shing Tel: 3658-0400 • Fax: 2884-0481 admissions@delia.edu.hk

INSIDE.

On the front cover: Photos of HK based kids who celebrated Krishna Janmashtami by dressing up like Krishna and Radha.

Editor: Pardeshi, Gaurav Ashok Publisher: Neha G.Pathak Design Consultant: Sivasakthibalan

The front cover of this issue is surely a unique one and one of my best efforts whilst putting together a collage of photos received from various Indian parents living in HK, who dressed up their kids like lord Krishna and Radha during the recently held Janmashtami festival in Hong Kong.

I want the parents to feel proud for having their kids on the front cover of a local magazine.

Our FEATURE article is about the rising education costs in Hong Kong and the despair of reaching out for the best International schools for kids. Its difficult to get admissions with the very long waiting list, over 40% of your income may go towards your kids education, extra curricular activities at schools are also biting your pockets and adding further to your despair are the non-refundable debentures. Karishma Rajwani, the author of this article has some useful tips to share.

Contributors: Poonam Mehta Bejan Daruwala Darsi Jaya Raju Faiz Qezilbash Padmini Pandit Karishma Rajwani Jitendra Kotai Herman Brar Ashish Grey Gurjit Kaur Eddie Chan BK Sister Bindu Patel

Ganesh Chaturthi festival is celebrated in a very big way in Hong Kong and many Indian families are installing and worshiping lord Ganesha’s statue for one, five or ten days. I’m sure Ganpati Bappa is blessing each and every family that’s taking the effort in making the lord feel special for few days, but are we really following all the traditional and authentic rituals and procedures with the Ganpati Sthapana, Ganpati Puja and Ganpati Visarjan? IN THE MOOD section provides you with the necessary information you need with step-by-step instructions, mantra’s and procedures for the sthapana, puja and visarjan of lord Ganesh during the Ganpati festival.

Adesiflava Private Limited Suite D, 3rd Floor,Lyton Building, 36-38 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong T: +852-23631786 Email: info@adesiflava.com

SADDA HAQ, is our new and exciting column which has become quite popular recently with the efforts of Jitendra Kotai, who has once again taken a daring effort of putting together an article about discrimination of women right from the Mythological days. The article made sense and logic to me, read it and give your feedback as to why women were illtreated even by our gods.

For advertisements please contact: Gaurav Pardeshi T +852-95433660 Email: gaurav@adesiflava.com Printed By: 01 Printing Limited Suite M, 3/F, Tower 3, 448 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong Industrial Center, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Tel: +852-2811 1183 Cover Design: Studio3 Creations

Disclaimer: No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without permission.

The publisher, layout designer, contributors, their employees and partners are not responsible for the results of any actions, errors or omissions taken on the basis of information contained in this publication and expressly disclaim all and any liability for any such action of any person. The views expressed in A-Desiflava are not necessarily those of the publisher, editor, layout designer or contributors. The publisher, layout designer and editor cannot be held responsible for differences of opinion or statements published in good faith. The mention of specific companies or products in articles or advertisements does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by this magazine or its publisher in preference to others of a similar nature which are not mentioned or advertised.

This issue is more about just feeling happy and excited for Diwali and I have made my best efforts to put together another exciting and fun-filled issue of Adesiflava. Make sure you please write back to me with your comments and feedback. Its always been an improving curve for me and my team from the past 4 years.

Each copy of the magazine comes with a FREE Laxmi-Ganesh family poster, please paste your family photo in the space provided at the center of the poster and worship the poster during Diwali. I’m sure this poster will make your Diwali special and fruitful in 2015.

Enjoy your Diwali and wish you all the best!

gaurav@adesiflava.com

Content 1

FEATURE ���������������� 08

2

IN THE MOOD ��������� 12

ESF Schools a dilema in HK

Ganpati Celebrations

by Kowloon Mandiri

4

SADDA HAQ ����������� 18

5

MUST READ ����������� 24

6

BOLLYWOOD ���������� 26

7

Love & Relationship ��� 30

8

WHILE AGO ������������� 33

9

Aunty MVP ������������� 36

Gender Discrimination

The International Church Assembly (ICA) Indian ministry

10 most underrated must watch

Beautifying Spousal Relationships

Janmashtami Celebration in HK

Love and Relationship

10 ASTROLOGY ����������� 38

By Bejan Daruwala

11 KIDS

CONTEST ��������������� 40

Fe ature

The Struggle of Matching

with Rising Educational

Costs in

Hong Kong

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Fe ature In the past, the Hong Kong educational system closely followed that of the U.K.’s. However, after 1997, when the country was handed over to China, several changes have taken place in its educational structure, which is now overseen by the Hong Kong Education Bureau.

A number of schools, if not all, is now closely modeled on the system founded by China, with greater focus on the local and regional languages. Schooling in Hong Kong has become all about racing to the top; people are under preconceived notions that the more they spend, the better quality of education their child gets. As such, the fees for schools have been increasing tremendously year-on-year, which is, to a great extent, fueled by the willingness of parents to pay. Studies state that between 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, the tuition fees for ESF (English Speaking Foundation) went up by 4-6%.

From kindergartens to primary schools, from aspiring foreign students to locally-enrolled native students, the government ensured to spread education to the masses. But has it successfully achieved in doing so?

If not, how can we improve Hong Kong’s academic system? What makes a good academic system anyway?

The fact that there have been several compromises on quality has intrigued the society and raised great discussions among teachers, parents, students and the government in Hong Kong.The Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) has also, since then, been trying to figure out solutions. The time for action is well overdue.

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Ongoing competitions have built a pressure on children right since the age of two, when they begin giving interviews for admissions. Many experts say it’s best to avoid putting kids this age in situations that exacerbate their competitiveness, especially when the competition is unhealthy. The situation currently has become so overwhelming, for both, local and expat parents, that some people even begin sending in names to schools of their unborn children so they can get on waiting lists as early as possible. A survey shows that between mid 2012 and mid 2013, more 4000 people moved out of Hong Kong than those that came in. On the other hand, some couples, frightened by the rising costs of childcare, choose not to have kids at all. The World Bank Data statistics show that Hong Kong’s fertility rate fell from 2.0 children per woman in 1980 to 1.3 in 2012. Shockingly, this is lower than China’s statistics, the country that has a one-child policy.

Some parents are often seen pointing out that it is not easy to switch between local and international schools due to a lot of reasons, including the sudden change of subjects and culture, which is why it is rather preferable to put children in local schools right from the beginning instead of getting them switched midway, if parents really want them to learn Chinese. Yet, overall, many expat parents believe that international schools are the only educational route for their children in Hong Kong because the vast cultural differences in Chinese Medium of Instruction would be too much of a strain for them and their children. In

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Fe ature spite of being a country that is diverse in culture, even on recruitment, most companies choose only those candidates who have not only lived all their lives in Hong Kong but can also speak fluent Cantonese and/ or Mandarin, which places children passing out from international schools far behind the queue. Along with the drawback of their children not being able to win enrollments in schools, many expat parents are also concerned about the high quality education, which comes with hefty fees at international schools. If you go to see, several outstanding graduates have passed out from over 40 international schools and some of the local private schools in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, demand for those schools also exceeds supply, which is one of the reasons why we’ve had an increase in the number of local students applying for international schools over the past decade. There currently seems to be no clear solution to this on the horizon. Schools and companies continue to turn down capable candidates who would undoubtedly have a positive impact on any institution or organization.

SAR is a city that has around 500,000 expatriates.

Many expats come to Hong Kong for a short period, to earn a handsome amount of money over the years and go back to their native country. As a group, the expectations of expats can be different from that of native people. But when some of these people find themselves settling in the country for long-term, they all have more or less the same expectations about raising a child. This wouldn’t matter for any normal city, but Hong Kong that is said to be fundamentally dependent on trade and investment, and with the settling of non-Cantonese speakers in the country, this kind of an expense gets too hard to accept for not only expats but also native people. According to calculations by non-profit Hong Kong Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre, the average cost of raising a child from birth to college graduation in Hong Kong comes to about HK$5.5 million (US$710,000) for a middle-class family. The cost of attending private or semi-private kindergartens, elementary and high schools ranges from HK$3,000 to HK$7,000 a month. Moreover, the cost of additional needs such as regular vacations, food and clothing, medical care and domestic helpers further extends this cost to around HK$21,000 per month, or HK$5.5 million over a span of 22 years. Many experts believe that attending special after-school classes and going on study tours is not necessarily required for students, but most middle-class families in Hong Kong still follow it. Keeping aside the price that comes with good education, many schools also sell debentures to parents and companies. These debentures are long-term debt instrument and the money raised by debentures become a part of the school’s capital structure that is later used for maintenance and other building work. The types and terms on these debentures vary. Some depreciate in value over time while others are refunded in full (without the interest) when a student leaves. Parents buy these debentures

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to jump queues and earn priorities in admissions.

While all schools may not have debentures, some schools may offer a variety of them, including preschools, and international schools usually have the most expensive ones. The prices for international school debentures have reached as high as HK$ 3 million; yet, several schools, for instance St. Stephen’s College Preparatory School, state that buying debentures do not 100% ensure a place for children in their classes.

Other than that, there are also additional, often unnecessary, extracurricular classes fees that burden parents even more, especially those that come from middle class. These classes cost anywhere from HK$200 to HK$500 per hour. Nearly 90% of schools in Hong Kong list extracurricular activities, such as badminton or piano lssons, or other learning activities as part of their admissions criteria, making it difficult for students to build an impressive application if they fail to afford it. Unfortunately, special needs students are also not particularly well-catered for in Hong Kong. Parents with special needs children may be required to pay for a dedicated special needs assistant in addition to other fees.

Indian families in Hong Kong are struggling with the rising costs of English language education, due to which they are forced to leave the country to find a more affordable and suitable school elsewhere. Ahmed Desthagir, an ex student of Delia Memorial School (2008), says “There are biased educational standards between Chinese and ethnic minorities. Hong Kong is clearly very regional oriented and prefers being within the environment bubble. Inflation also has a strong impact on the rising prices. The government should come up wit strategic measures to devalue it to compensate with other capital inputs such as food and clothes”.

The said reason for a greater focus on written and spoken Chinese in schools is to regain the standards of the Chinese language which had been declining over the last few years, thus leading to a lesser focus on English. The lack of English proficiency has been a reason for complaints for many parents and employers.

Expat parents that are required to shift from India to Hong Kong for work reasons or through companies only agree to do so if their children get admission in schools. The fact that a major part of the syllabus in Hong Kong schools have been dumbed down in the last few years has also been a cause for distress for many organizations; people are not willing to move in, and those that are already in are usually looking to move out as they feel the need for a better curriculum for their children.

While there appears to be an abundance of academic institutions to choose from in Hong Kong, the fact remains that there are always more students requiring placement than there are places to be had. A lot of helpful information in this field can be obtained by

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Fe ature

visiting the Facebook page of a former teacher and teacher-trainer “Ruth Benny of Top Schools HK”; it has more than 6,000 members which include parents as well as official school representatives active on the page. Ruth Benny, the founder of Top Schools HK, runs this page where she advises as well as helps to place children in international and private schools in Hong Kong. With careful planning, thorough preparation and personalised support, she guides, counsels and coaches both expats who contact her once they are thinking of moving to HK and with parents that are already in Hong Kong for many years, or born here.

According to Ruth, “One of the biggest mistakes that parents make is putting in too few applications, too late – or applying to the wrong schools (Schools that aren’t a good fit). Another mistake is showing up to assessments and interviews unprepared”.

Jennifer Ahuja says “There are so many truly excellent schools in Hong Kong, and they are not just limited to ones we always hear about having the longest wait-lists. Affordable alternatives are available which provide inexpensive yet good quality education. In my opinion, schools like Diocesan Boys’ School, St. Marymount, St. Paul’s Convent School and Belilios

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Public School are few of them”.

Last year, the Education Bureau said that there would be a shortage of about 4,200 international schools by 2016 for the primary section. Some expat parents have already been homeschooling their children due to the current limited availability of schools. Keeping this study in mind, the government has initiated in working towards solving this problem. It granted three sites last year for building international schools, which are said to provide more than 1000 additional places for students by 2017 when the construction is completed.

The government is also reportedly working on further expanding old schools to accommodate a larger number of students over the next few years to try and reduce this shortage, if not fill it up completely.

Article by Karishma Rajwani, former Business English Editor, is a freelance writer for various magazines in Hong Kong, such as Channel 1 Publications Ltd. Her writings range from lifestyle to education and from culture to food.

She has completed her post-graduation in Mass Media and Communication and loves to blog in her free time

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In the mood Fe ature

The Ganesh Chaturthi festival has been celebrated with devotion by many Indians living in Hong Kong, bringing together friends and families that stay abroad. After all, how canthe longdrawn celebrations be missed, even if you’re far away from India?

Ganesh Chaturthi is a day that is dedicated to celebrate the birth of an elephantheaded god, also known as Ganesha. Observed during the Hindu month of Bhadra, the festival usually lasts for 10 days where the last day

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is known as Anantha Chaturdashi. But it can also be celebrated for one and a half day, three days, five days or seven days, depending upon the traditions or choice of a family or an individual. Regardless, this festival is one of the mostawaited period of the year, not only because Lord Ganesha is worshipped with pomp and splendour but also because the aartis, dholtasha performances and ambrosial prasads are something everyone enjoys with fervour.

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In the Femood ature This year, the Ganesh festival began on 7th September, 2015.

The Hindu Temple in Tsim Sha Tsui also celebrated the 10 days with much grandeur with a participation of over 100 people, not only Indians but also a few foreigners who attended the festival to witness the auspicious celebration.

On the first day, the devotees played host to bappa by inviting him home and setting the newlybrought idol up on a decorated platform. This was then followed by a murti sthapna and navgrahi puja performed by Maharaj Pankaj and Maharaj Hitesh.

The birthday was also celebrated by cutting a cake and chanting mantras in Hindi as well as Marathi, such as “Ek Do Teen Chaar, Ganpati Ki Jai Jai Kaar”.

The following days from 8th September, 2015 to 27th September, 2015 were celebrated with daily morning ganpati and navgrahi prayers for one hour as well as evening bhajans and aartis.

On the last day, they followed a schedule of an aarti at 11 o’clock, satyanarayan katha at 1 o’clock and then an abhishekh prayer after that. The satyanarayan katha is are ligious storytelling session where several stories with regard to Lord Ganesha are recited along with a Pravachan, also known as commentary. There were three more aartis performed right before the idol was taken for a ganesh yatra from the Kowloon Hindu Temple to K11 at Mody Road; the colourful and musical procession was accompanied with dances and songs. The visarjan ritual was held at Tai Po ground and there were three open buses arranged for all devotees; they all merrily chanted “Ganpati Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya” (Oh Lord Ganesha, Come Again Soon Next Year) and other mantras on the way. Several people including the Committee President of Hindu Mandir – Mr. Notan Tolani, and his wife Mrs. Deepa Tolan, Secretary – Nanu Lakshmandas and Trustees – Meera Mahtani and Neetu Bakshani, among others were seen as attendees.

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The celebrations were perfect for the young and old with fancy dress competition, marathi style dandiya and Punjabi dhol specially brought from Punjab. There was also a lucky draw held where prizes included twoway airline tickets from Hong Kong to Bangkok and from Hong Kong to India as well as gold ganpati pendants.

After the jovial activities and games, it was just about time for epicureans because a variety of food graced the plates of the guests. The first bhog was offered to the idol, post which everyone devoured into delicious Indian snacks and confectionaries that ranged from Pav Bhaji, Chola Bread, Biryani, Chilli Pakodas, Samosas and Potato Wadas to Gulab Jamuns and Jalebis.

At 7:30 pm, a boat with the idol was led to the sea for the visarjan ritual, where it was immersed into the water. This immersion is said to symbolise the seeoff of the Lord in his journey towards his abode while taking away with him the misfortunes of everyone.

“With so many people attending the ritual, we even had some volunteers who were given tshirts and yellow caps”, said Maharaj Hitesh. “They helped us throughout the affair.The event was overall a great success and we all look forward to having such grand celebrations more often.”

Article by Karishma Rajwani, former Business English Editor, is a freelance writer for various magazines in Hong Kong, such as Channel 1 Publications Ltd. Her writings range from lifestyle to education and from culture to food. She has completed her post-graduation in Mass Media and Communication and loves to blog in her free time

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In the mood

Ganapathi Bappa Moriya How to Bring Ganpati Home The following information will give you all the details on the vidhis and the procedures to Bring Ganpati Home on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi.

A majority of people prefer to bring Him home one day prior to the day of Chaturthi. I too, recommend you the same.

Please refer to the Muhurut timings with any local Maharaj or on website, to guide yourself of the appropriate Muhurut time to bring Him home and perform the Sthapana.

(Leave the paan, supari and dakshina at the place behind)

Be sure to carry the following when you leave to bring Him:

Do not forget to bring the Aarti Thaali back home with you.

• Aggarbatti • Dhoop • Aarti Thaali • Matchbox • Supari - 1 no. • Paan Leaf - 1 no.

• Cloth to Cover Murti • Cloth to keep on sandli / paath* • Sandli* (also referred to as chaurang or paath) The Sandli (often made of wood) makes it easier to carry Ganesh Murti.

Performing the vidhis / rituals: Light the Aggarbatti and dhoop in the Aarti Thaali.

Saying ‘Om Gan Ganpatiye Namah’ place the Paan Leaf with a Supari resting on top of it on the floor in front of the Sandli. Also place some dakshina for the people who have artistically created the beautiful Murti.

Take His name, and pray for the festival to be a blessed one!

If you are bringing Him home one day earlier, cover the Murti’s face with a vastra. Only open this on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi during Staphna.

Chant the Praise: GANPATI BAPPA MORIYA! You are ready to leave.Take Him Home! - Ganpati Bappa Moriya!

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Before entering Home with the Murti, ask a family member to bring a bowl of rice.

Shower the rice (kacha rice) on Him before bringing Him inside.

On the day of Chaturthi, Before placing Him on his Sthaan, place some kacha rice, on it rest a Supari, Haldi, KumKum, Abhil and Dakshina.

Place Him on His Sthaan.You are ready for the Sthapna.

How to Perform Ganesh Staphna The following information will give you all the details on the vidhis and the procedures to Performing Ganesh Staphma on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi.

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In the mood Before you prepare to Perform the Ganesh Staphna, ensure that you have bought all the items from the Ganesh Chaturthi Check List for Ganesh Chaturthi • Suparis (7) •P aan Leaves (For Kalash) (5) • Coconuts (3) • Paint Brush of Big Size to clean Murti daily (1) • Rice (uncooked/kacha) • Fresh Flowers •R ed Pooja Dhaga (Raksha Kavach) To tie on wrists after Staphna • Attar (Perfumed Oil) • Black Thread (Make Ganesh ji wear before bringing him home • Banana Leaves (Kele che khamb) • Durva, Bhel Patra • Diya Wicks • Prasad (Modaks) • Fresh Fruits • Plan decoration ahead. You may need Tables, White spreadsheets, plastic sheets • Floral Ideas (Torans for outside home, table of Ganesh ji, flower mala for Ganesh ji • Measuring Tape (To keep record of Murti Size) Shringar Samaan • Mukut • Mala / Maitri • Hand / Arm Bracelets • Vastra - For Ganesh ji • Vastra - To cover Sandli before seating Ganesh ji • Vastra - To cover Ganeshji while bringing Him home if brought one day before Ganesh Chaturthi Pooja Samaan • Haldi, Pinjar, Abhil, Gulal, Ashtaghand, Sindoor, Chandan • Camphor tablets, Dhoop, Aggarbatti • Honey • Khadi-Sakhar • Cotton • Akhrot (5), Badaam (5), Khareek (5) • Jaggery • Matchbok • Ganga jal Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the most colorful and widely celebrated festivals in India.

Large numbers of people observe Ganesha Chaturthi poojas at home. Whereas most people prefer to call pundits home on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi to perform the Ganehs Staphna, majority of the people also prefer to perform the rituals by them-selves with sampoorna bhavna and prem.

Here is an explanation on how to perform Ganesha pooja and Staphna at home as mentioned in Hindu scriptures.

Ganesha pooja on the Chaturthi day is usually performed as per the Muhurat.

The pooja can be led by any one of the family members and others should join in. God worship is enjoyed by everyone.Pooja means the traditional ceremony by which God is worshipped. However, the devotion is the indispensable part of any pooja, by which, even simple gestures and poojas are like sacred rituals.

Before entering the shrine room, all the attendees should take bath, dress in clean clothes and bring a small offering of flowers or fruits. Generally fruits offered are bananas,

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mangos, sweet limes, pomegranates and jackfruit.

Firstly, Prepare the kalash: take a kalash and fill it with clean drinking water, add to the water 1 supari, Rs. 1, 25 paise coins, haldi and kumkum, some attar (perfume oil), place 5 paan leaves, and finally the coconut.

Decorate the coconut and the paan leaves with haldi and kumkum.

Next, prepare the sthaan where Ganpati will sit. Do that by spreading a handful of kacha rice grains on the place. Over the rice grains, place one supaari and put haldi and kumkum on the supari.

Over that place some dakshina.

Reciting “Ganpati Bappa Moriya”, we must place the Ganpati Idol over this preparation.

The worship begins with the “Sthapana” (establishment) of the idol. Next step is to invoke Ganesha into the image.

This is known as pran-prathishta.

The Pran Prathista mantra in Sanskrit to be invoked is found in the Rig Veda and is part of Ganesh Suktha.

Then recite the following mantra: ganananh tva ganapatim havamahe kavim kavinam upamashravastamam | jyeshhtharajam brahmanan.h brahmanaspata A nah shrivnvannutibhih sida sadanam || (Rig Veda 2.23.1) ni shhu sida ganapate ganeshhu tvamahurvipratamam kavinam | na rite tvat.h kriyate kinchanare mahamarkam maghavan.h chitramarcha || (Rig Veda 10.112.9) We invoke You, O Ganapati of the ganas (Lord Shiva attendants), Who are Brahmana-spati of the brahmas (prayers), the wisest among the wise, Who abound in treasure beyond all measure, the most brilliant one.

Do listen to our prayers, come with Your blessings and assurances of protection into our home, and be seated.

(Rig Veda 2.23.1) Sit down among the worshippers, O Ganapati, the best sage among the sages. Without You nothing can be done here or far. Accept with honor, O wealthy One, our great and variegated hymns of praise.

(Rig Veda 10.112.9) You are now ready for lifting the cover of Ganesh Ji. (If you bring Ganpati home one day prior, we cover Him with decorative vastra). You can life the vastra now chanting Ganpati Bappa Moriya!

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In the mood Here you offer 21 Druva grass blades, 21 Modakas, and Flowers to Ganesha. You need to apply a Tikka of red Sandalwood paste on the forehead of the Deity and keep the coconut along with the idol.

Offer 21 blades of Druva Grass.

Offer 21 modaks • Offer red flowers Apply a tilak using red Sandalwood paste.

Once the Idol has been stapith, you must spread 5 paan leaves

Having done that, place 1 akhrot, 1 badaam, and 1 khareek each on each paan leaf.

Over each of the paan leaf, keep 1 supari each, then put haldi and kumkum

After that place the five different fruits, one over each paan leaf.

After lifting the vastra, you must remove the black dhaaga. Clean the Murti with a dry paint brush.

Please note: washing god’s hands and legs is symbolic.

Do not actually do the same. Similarly for abhishekh with milk, nectar, curd should not be done on the murti (idol).

Offer Him the shringar in form of the Mukut, Mala/Maitri, Bracelets, Vastra For Murti. Put a garland of fresh flowers over Ganpati Bapp Offer and put on His forehead, haldi, pinjar, abhil, gulal, ashtagandh and sindhoor. Also offer His vahan, undhir mama, the Mouse.

Offer Ganpati Bappa and undhir mama (mouse), the prasad which is His favourite, the Modaks. The recipe for the Modaks can be found here. These can be made at home or can also be bought from out. For people residing out of India, you can find a very easy recipe on our website on the link mentioned above.

Keep a red pooja dhaga next to Ganpati Bappa, this can later be tied on hands of all family members after the First Aarti.

Once the ‘Pranpratishtha’ is done, then you need to light the lamp and incense sticks to please the ‘God’.

After this you have to perform the ‘ Shhodashopachara ‘, which are 16 forms of paying tribute to Shree Ganesha. (This ritual is usually performed by the priests, you can skip this.)

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Break the coconut or just keep it along with the idol.

You can also keep fried grains. (The food of the rat - the vehicle of Ganesha).

The number 21 signifies - the five organs of perception, five organs of action, five vital airs (pranas), five elements, and the mind.

Using a Diya wick, make and light the Akhand Jyot (the diya), and the aarti thaali is to be lit which can have the agarbattis, dhoop, (insense and fragrance) and camphor tablets to be lit during Aarti The Shahad and khadi shakar should be offered to Ganpati One can also offer chandan now Keep the prasad you have prepared in front of Ganesh Ji, sprinkle with ganga jal You can also recite the 108 salutations dedicated to Lord Ganesha or read the Ganesha Upanishad or just simply pray.

You are ready for the Aarti! You can sing Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh and Sukh Karta Dukh Harta.

After the Aarti, the family members should gather in front of Ganesh Ji, keep a coconut next to Him and say, “Dear Ganesh Ji, we welcome you to our home.

In our offer of prayers, incase we have committed any mistakes, knowingly or unknowingly, kindly forgive us. We pray on behalf of all of us to make this Chaturthi a blessed one.

Keep us all happy and healthy always”. You are welcome to add your prayers here. PLEASE NOTE: It is essential to ask for forgiveness at this time while placing the coconut. On the day of the visarjan, this coconut should also be immersed in the water.

You can also tape-record this entire Staphna for your memory with the Mini DV cassettes.

Thereafter, all of the family members bow down to Ganesha and ask for God’s blessings to fulfill all their desire.

While performing Ganesha Pooja at home, you can always be flexible. The strict rituals are meant for Vedic priests. All you need to be careful is to perform the pujas with a clean body and clean mind.

What is more important is devotion not the ritual.

Try to be simple. Concentrate on your prayers not on decoration and other ritualistic details.

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In the mood How to Perform Ganesh Visarjan Is there any special Ganesh Visarjan mantras or procedure?

Any specific ritual while performing immersion of Ganesha after Chaturthi Pujas?

These are some of the common doubts that many devotees have; the concept of Ganesh Chaturthi is that Ganesha comes to the home of his devotees on Ganesh Chaturthi day. He brings auspiciousness, hope, success and happiness to all homes. During His brief stay, He removes all obstacles. While returning He takes with him all problems and unhappiness.

Ganesh Visarjan Mantras: There are no specific Ganesh Visarjan mantras. The only chant that is done is Ganapati Bappa Moriya...

You can also chant this prayer Mushikavaahana modaka hastha, Chaamara karna vilambitha sutra, Vaamana rupa maheshwara putra, Vighna vinaayaka paada namasthe O Vinayaka! The remover of all obstacles, the son of Lord Shiva, with a form which is very short, with mouse as Thy vehicle, with sweet pudding in hand, with wide ears and long hanging trunk, I prostrate at Thy lotus-like Feet!

Ganesh Visarjan Procedure: Before taking Ganesh for Visarjan. You should perform Aarti. All the family members should be present. Usual Ganesh Mantras and Aarti prayers should be chanted.

On day of Visarjan, the day should start with the Pooja (Morning Aarti). We sing the Jai Ganesh Deva and Sukhkarta Dukhharta Aartis. After the Aarti, it is preferred to put ‘Bhog’ the Holy Prasad! which should be distributed among all the family members.

The visarjan ritual begins with the Uttarang puja which involves offering five items, namely deep (oil lamps), pushp (flowers), dhoop (incense), gandh (fragrance) and naivedya (food) to Ganpati.

When it is time for Visarjan, the family members should gather once again and perform the Visarjan Aarti before leaving the house. (the same aartis as mentioned above).

After the Visarjan Aarti and distributing the prasad, one of the family member should very slowly and slightly move the Ganpati Murti, about 1 inch forward. This should be done just before leaving the house abt 5-10 mins before. This is an indication / significance to Him that the family is going to take Him for Visarjan.

You should thank Ganesha for visiting your home. Thank him for bringing prosperity and auspiciousness. Thank him for taking away all difficulties with him.

Ask for his pardon for any mistakes committed. If you plan to bring Ganesh murti next year, then ask him to return. After this, all members of the household gather to sprinkle akshat or raw rice upon the lord.

Now a spoonful of curd is poured into Ganesh’s outstretched palm because Hindus especially Maharashtrians believe that any guest who receives curd and rice is sure to visit again.

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Take a red cloth, put sukha nariyal (half), stuff it with jaggery and 5 different grains, tie it in a knot and tie this around Ganesh ji’s hand. This is the food prepared for His journey.

Ask for His blessings. The family then circumambulates Ganesha murti after which it is led for immersion. Take some water and sprinkle it on the person performing the Visarjan.

When the family is ready to take Ganeshji for Visarjan, the family members must pick up the Ganesh Murti and take Him around the House, mainly the master bedrooms and the kitchen so that His Holy Feet and Blessings are taken around the full house. Other people around can chant Ganapati Bappa Moriya... and other Ganesha chants.

Once the murti is lifted up do not place it at home. Walk out of home and move towards the immersion point.

Upon exiting the house, or the building, one family member must take a Coconut and circle on the head of the Murti three times and break the coconut on the ground and leave it aside. (this one is not to be distributed as prasad) and cane be immersed in the waters the same day.

Once done, family members can proceed to the Beach or Visarjan Spot, where once again the Aartis should be performed before finally letting Him go. This should be at the Beach, with the Murti facing infront of the waves.

The person performing the Visarjan should remove all garlands and other decorations on Ganesha.

Collect it in a newspaper or cover. This should not be thrown in the river or water body. Should be place in appropriate spot given by authorities. The Murti can then be immersed and His face can be towards the Family when taken inside the water, so you can see Him while He is going. His Blessings will remain with you and your family, and He will take with Him away all kasht and problems and bless you and your family with Peace, Prosperity and Health.

Kindlynote: The Kalash should be taken with you to the beach, the water in the kalash and the contents should be immersed in the water. If you are bringing Ganpati home, next year then you should bring Home some Sand on the Sandli (paath on which Ganeshji Murti sits) and also bring back the Coconut of the Kalash which can be tied in a red cloth and kept in your temple and immersed the next year and the new coconut can be preserved. However, if you do not intend to bring Ganeshji home next year, you can very well immerse the coconut of the kalash along with the kalash water and other contents.

Return home and take bath. At home, place the sandli at the spot where Ganeshji was sitting, and you can remove the decoration the next day. The supari and rice which was kept under Ganpati ji, should also be immersed the next day. The money which was kept under the sandli can be used for any Holy purpose like poor feeding etc.

The Akhand Jyot, Diya which was lit continuous, can be kept in your temple from the next day onwards. Some people choose to let it be on for 10 days of Ganesh Chaturthi. That is your choice.

Symbolic Immersion: You can also perform a symbolic immersion by sprinkling water on Ganesha. This is if it is made of metal or porcelain and you plan to use it next year.

Such murtis should be carefully kept in the puja room or in a spot without disturbing it.

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Sa Fe dda atureHaq

Discrimination

ofWomen

It started long ago in Indian Mythology

We grow up listening to stories from Treta yug and Dwapar Yug. The Protagonists in most stories is Lord Ram and Lord Krishna both re-incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Indian Mythology has fascinating tales from Samundra Manthan to Ram’s fight with Ravan to Krishna Slaying his maternal uncle. These stories of bravery are examples of good winning over evil and they help us teach Virtue, Godliness and Righteous thinking to our children.

But According to me one thing goes terribly wrong in Indian Mythology and teaches all wrong values to the male species of all generations.

I have read innumerable number of stories and i always found them to be biased on gender. The Women in Indian Mythology have been disrespected and discriminated against.

I will share three of such instances and they will give you a proof of what i am trying to say.

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1) Ahilya

Let us start with the oldest of tales. The first Ved is called Rigveda.It sings praises of Lord Indra. It also tells us that Indra Dev was very arrogant and brave fighter. His negative traits were that he was always intoxicated with Somras (Cannabis) and lusted for beautiful women.

There is small segment in Indra’s story where he sees Ahalya. Ahalya was the wife of a Sage Gautamya Maharishi, She was created by Lord Brahma to be the most beautiful woman on earth. When Indra saw her he immediately started lusting for her and disguised himself as her husband and entered her house.

Ahalya recognized Indra dev but she gave in to his advances. And as it happens in Bollywood films, Sage Gautamya made an unexpected entry and saw them in a compromising position. He immediately took out his karmandal with holy water and cursed his wife. She was cursed to become a stone for a few hundred years until Lord Ram comes and brushes her by his foot. www.adesiflava.com

Sa dda Haq Two consenting adults but only one is punished. The Man in this debacle gets scott free and continues to seduce other apsaras and virgins in heaven.

2) Sita Maryada Purshottam Ram. Means the perfect man who does everything right. He is the most righteous king to have lived on earth but he fails to be a good husband.

He Rescues her from her kidnapper and then asks her to walk through fire to prove her purity. He suspects her and even after proving her purity through the Agni Pariksha, He abandons her because the society is speaking about this. They are asking questions. How can he be so sure about her character as she has lived with her kidnapper till he came to rescue her.

He is being the righteous man and punishing the woman of his life for no fault of hers. Her fault of being kidnapped and living with her kidnapper till he rescued her.

Many experts would love to point out that it was only a Leela .An act to show the world how it should be done.

I condemn this act. I condemn that a brave warrior cannot stand with his wife and hold her hand and tell the world that she is pure.

If a brave warrior and the most righteous King disown his wife for the fear of the society it leaves a society with a false impression of virtue. It creates a society that blames a rape victim for losing her virtue.

3) Draupadi She has the saddest tale in the history of mythology.

Her tale ensures that we never name our daughters as Draupadi. It starts with her marriage. She is perfect suitable bride that can be won in a competition where the best archer will hit the arrow in the eye of a fish

The Best Archer named Karan was invariably not allowed to participate because he was son a chariot rider .His Caste Certificate disqualified him. That period had no room for Aarakshan of minorities and lower caste and scheduled tribes had no say in the affairs of the state.

The Second best archer named Eklavya had lost his thumb as his teacher asked for his thumb in return for teaching him the art. The Third best Archer Arjun hit bull’s eye and won her hand in marriage. But the funniest part was yet to come. She was then married off to Arjun and his four brothers as their mother asks them to share their conquest.

Her torment does not end there. Her five husband play her as their asset in a gamble with their competitors and they lose the game of dice. The Winners then decide to undress her publicly.

Draupadi Vastraharan is the most shameful event as a woman is disrobed publicly and her five husbands and the other elderly members of the family sat and watched the proceedings even Lord Krishna prolongs this event by giving Draupadi more saree .From one side while dushyasan pulls her saree and unrobed her... Lord Krishna adds more saree from the other side and her torture continues.

We need to inform our kids that these events happened millions of years ago and they had significance then.

Let us save the Ahalya, Sita and Draupadi of today’s generation. Let them have a choice. A choice to leave a weak husband like Ram; A Choice to refuse being gambled for her husband’s fake honor and a choice to stick to her decisions and face her punishments and consequences equally with the man who was partner in her crime.

Article by Jitendra Kotai: Jitendra has a Bachelors Degree in Financial Accounting from Mumbai, India He Works for a reputed logistics company in Hong Kong, He is a Cricket Enthusiast, a big movie buff and a Voracious reader. Creative Writing is his passion. He regularly writes short stories

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In the mood

Must Read

The International Church Assembly (ICA) Indian ministry The International Church Assembly (ICA) Indian ministry has its roots in Hong Kong since December 2000.The church started as a Christian fellowship under the spiritual covering of ICA with the leadership of Rev. Andrew Moses and his wife Beulah Moses, and a handful of believers met on a monthly basis. However, in August 2005, the ICA Indian Church was formally established and in 2014, it was led by Pastor Ashish Allen Grey and his wife Jaya Grey. The church also has a Hindi Service which is run by Pastor John Bosco and his wife Cecilia Bosco.

Pastor Ashish explains the purpose and vision of the ICA Indian Church as “Our vision is to reach out to the Indian community living in Hong Kong. We have a burden to share the Good News of new life in Jesus Christ with them, irrespective of their religion, background or beliefs. We are here to meet the spiritual needs of the Indians in Hong Kong. Over the past years, we have also seen a large number of Indian Christians coming into Hong Kong and seeking for a Church where they feel at home. We also want to be strong and stable with emphasis on disciplining so that those who are impacted by the gospel message are encouraged to grow in spiritual maturity and service.”

His wife, Mrs. Jaya, who shoulders the responsibilities of the church, adds that “While we may appear to be small church, we are more like a family where each person knows each other. There is a strong relationship among us. The strong bonding develops friendship and confidence that the church will stand with each one in challenging times…and then we pray for each other. The children and the youth have many

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opportunities to show the talents with which God has blessed them.”

Pastor John who takes care of the Hindi service of the church, advises “We noticed that while there were churches for the English speaking, there were none for those who were not comfortable in English.

I am talking about Indian domestic helpers, laborers, restaurant servers/waiters, people who work in shops, etc. We were burdened for them, and thus started the Hindi language service. We have a desire to meet the spiritual needs of these needy and deprived people.

They live a hard life, and we want to offer them the love, comfort and peace of Jesus Christ” Mrs. Cecilia adds that “These people come to Hong Kong leaving behind their families. They lead a very tough life and send most of their earning to their families in India. They are homesick and lonely, and are craving for love and affection. We offer them the unconditional love of Jesus. In Jesus they find hope, and that makes their stay in Hong Kong bearable.”

The church service recently moved its location and now meets at the BEST WESTERN Grand Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. The congregation consists of Indians from all parts of India as well as a considerable number of Sindhis, and a sprinkling of people from other nationalities.

In addition to the main worship service, there is a youth ministry and home groups, and a strong children’s ministry, covering three different age groups ministered by two Germans. The church celebrates

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Must Read all major Indian festivals and also has special services wherein well known powerful men of God are invited to come and minister. The church’s community services includes visiting old age homes, hospitals and conducting specialized workshops on Parenting, Marriage, Anger Management, Growing up, etc.

In Pastor. Ashish’s words “We, of course, want to share your tears of joy, but even more your tears of sadness and pain. We just want to be there when you need us. Please feel free to call us anytime. We are there for you.”

The ICA INDIAN CHURCH invites you, your family and your friends

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to come, and experience a new dynamic in people relationship and warmth of fellowship. You will not regret your visit to our church service. Come to be blessed. God bless you.

Address: 1st Floor, Best Western Hotel, 23 Austin Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Day and Time: Every Sunday, English : 10:30 am and Hindi : 1:30 pm

Face book: ICAINDIANCHURCH Contacts: P s. Ashish 92736044 and Ps. John. 62847135

Article contributed by Pastor Ashish Grey from ICA Indian Church

Upcoming Events of ICA Indian Ministry: 10th Anniversary Celebrations: 25th October 2015 Diwali Special Service: 8th November 2015 Christmas Special Service: Contact for details Whole Night Prayer Service: Contact for details New Year Service: 27th December 2015

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Bollywood

10 Most underrated must-watch

movies of Bollywood Couch potato, popcorn lover, Bollywood buff – if these words describe you, this page is a hidden treasure, read on! Spice up your weekends and lazy afternoons as we bring you an exclusive, well researched list of 10 Bollywood’s must-watch, underrated movies.

Did you know?

The classic cult ‘Jane bhi do yaaro’ was not an immediate success at the box office! Not possible eh? Believe it or not, almost every Indian’s all-time favourite movie ‘Andaz apna apna’ was a failure at the box-office. Surprised? Well the list is as exhausting as shocking!These movies however, with time bagged their much deserved recognition and love from the viewers. Some movies aren’t lucky enough; this compilation is dedicated to a handful of such movies.

It wasn’t easy, believe you me! There is a pool of wonderful Indian Cinema which is entertaining and meaningful, engaging yet thought provoking, lacks the star kids but are studded with excellent performances. After an extensive exploration on such Indian movies, here is a filtered list of 10 must watch underrated films from the Bollywood. We don’t claim all of them to be stroke of genius, but all certainly deserve to be watched. I Bet! You will not regret.

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1) I am Kalam Cast: Harsh Mayar, Hussan Saad, Gulshan Grover, Pitobash Direction: Nila Madhab Panda Genre: Drama Duration: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Year: 2011 Sweet, simple, visually stunning, aesthetically pleasing This utterly inspiring, hopeful and positive film has been showcased at various film festivals and bagged many awards and honours but was ignored at the box office.

The plot revolves around an intelligent boy (chotu) who belongs to a Rajasthani family hardhit by poverty. Inspired by the then president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s TV talk on education he re-christens himself as Kalam. As he tirelessly peels vegetables and does dishes at a Dhaba, he dreams of going to the school and eventually becoming a Bada aadmi.

The film celebrates friendship, innocence, immaculate performances and highlights an overwhelming message that under privileged kids with the help of education and right guidance can be successful and live a life they deserve.

2) Dor Cast: AyeshaTakia, Gul Panag, ShreyasTalpade Direction: Nagesh Kukunoor Genre: Drama Duration: 2 hours 27 Minutes Year: 2006 www.adesiflava.com

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Bollywood Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, freedom lost, liberation attained. Death of love, birth of a friend! Excellent is an understatement Dor is an intense drama about two women contrary to each other in every possible way. Fate connects them through a series of unfortunate incidences leading to death of freedom for Meera and fear of losing a loved one for Zeenat. It’s a story of Zeenat’s unending effort to bring her love back and Meera’s journey from a caged life to self-earned liberation.

It’s a unique story of the most common bond – friendship.

All this beautifully kneaded with an enormously adorable ‘Behroopiya’ (Shreyas Talpade) who forms a string to the entire plot with his charming and humorous ways. This movie is special, for it takes you through a tremendously engaging emotional journey with a touch of strange sense of spirituality.The dialogues will move you!

The performances will bring tears to your eyes. This movie truly proves that we don’t need star kids, love stories or glamorous dance numbers to make it entertaining. Dor is an exceptionally gripping movie with incomparable aesthetic sense. A must watch!

3) Gangoobai Cast: Sarita Joshi Direction: Priya Krishnaswamy Genre: Drama Duration: 1 Hour 50 Minutes Year: 2013 Ordinary woman, extraordinary dream An offbeat story in true sense! Gangoobai is a journey of an elderly maid who has a solitary unconventional aim in life –own a Gara saree (traditional Parsi outfit). Sounds simple? What if we tell you that this saree would cost her a whooping 50k? That’s right! Gangoo Bai is a domestic helper in Matheran. She had a perfectly simple life till she came across a Gara saree worn by her employer. Awed by its beauty, she dreams to own one. She works hard to save money for buying this exquisite and expensive saree and heads to Mumbai in search of one.

It’s about her journey from Matheran to Mumbai, from being a domestic helper to being styled by Mumbai’s hot-shot design house, from the four walls of her tiny house to the elite guest list of a dazzling fashion show. It’s a simple, beautiful and certainly different story that will sure warm your heart and make your weekend afternoon! Indeed worth a watch we say.

4) 15 Park avenue Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Shabana Azmi, Rahul Bose Direction: Aparna Sen Genre: Drama Duration: 2 Hours Year: 2005

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Much critical acclaim, very little popularity or fame It’s dark, it’s intelligent and it’s hauntingly beautiful.

This national award winning film is about Mitali, a schizophrenic girl in her late 20’s who lives a parallel imaginary life of being happily married to her exfiancé Joydeep (Rahul Bose) and has five children. She imagines her family to be living at the non-existent 15 Park Avenue in Kolkata. Laced with subtle dark humour spread over the movie, it takes you through various relationships -- mother-daughter, sisters, husbandwife, and lovers in great detail.

This movie has little to offer to those who are looking for something light to watch but if you prefer an intriguing plot and skilfully executed performances 15 Park Avenue is the film for you. Get ready to step into Mitali’s world.

Disclaimer - it might be difficult to step back in reality.

5) Socha na tha Cast: Abhay deol, Ayesha takia Direction: Imtiaz Ali Genre: Romantic comedy Duration: 2 hours 37 minutes Year: 2005 Young rebels, secret affairs, family tales This is my personal favourite.

If there has been any love story with no major twists and yet manages to stay out of the claws of being called a cliché, it would be this! Imtiaz Ali’s debut movie as a director, much before his claim to fame - Jab We Met released, Socha na tha touched the hearts of its limited viewers.

Everyone wants a happy arranged marriage for Viren and Aditi but they decide it otherwise.This causes enmity between both the families. Viren and Aditi however keep in touch, enjoy their friendship, secretly go out on a vacation, lie to their families, get engaged to their exes all this to realise they are in love with each other.

Ayesha Takia’s candid dialogues performed with utmost ease, Abhay Deol’s sweet performance with a character that would melt your heart and an interesting story line makes this movie a perfect recipe if you are in mood to watch a love story on a rainy day. It’s a shame this movie went unnoticed. If my personal opinion counts, I would certainly rate this movie above Jab we met. Don’t miss this one; you will thank me for the recommendation.

6) Udaan Cast: Rajat Bharmecha, Ronit Roy Direction: Vikramaditya Motwane Genre: Coming of age drama Duration: 2 hours 18 minutes Year: 2010 A step out of the box, one key to the million locks

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Bollywood An average grosser on the box office, Udaan was highly appreciated by the critics. An unusually brave plot for Indian Cinema, Udaan takes us through the journey of a 17 year old boy Rohan, his relationship with an abusive father, a step brother Arjun and his challenging dreams of becoming a writer someday breaking through the societal box that he is trapped in. It’s a bold as well as beautiful portrayal of the dark side of notions surrounding manhood.

Ronit Roy who plays the father of the two children proves his impeccable acting abilities by portraying an utterly negative character with utmost sincerity and grimness. This movie is raw, dark, and ruthless and nothing close to the commercial extravagance we normally see in Bollywood. But for its sheer earnest effort to impose a social impact on Indian society, for the superlative performances and heartwrenching dialogues, Udaan is a must watch!

7) Ankhon Dekhi Cast: Sanjai Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor Direction: Rajat Kapoor Genre: Drama/ comedy Duration: 1 hour 48 minutes Year: 2013 Believe it only if you see it. See to believe it Ankon dekhi, 2014 movie opened to immense critical appreciation but very little mass attention. Ankho dekhi is a film about any other guy on the street, you failed to notice.

It’s an extraordinary representation of the life of most ordinary man, as he would appear to a stranger. As the name suggests, it is the story of Raje Bauji, played by Sanjay Mishra who after a dramatic incidence decides to believe only in things that he see’s with his eyes– quite literally!

With their outstanding performances Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, who plays his stressed wife and the director Rajat Kapoor who plays his younger brother will get you completely involved. They will make you laugh in some parts and leave you sad in the rest. As you finish watching, these characters will linger around you for at least a couple of hours. The depiction of the frictions in everyday relationships of a middle class joint family will make you weep.

It’s unfair that a movie like Ankhon Dekhi goes Andekhi!

8) Filmistaan Cast: Sharib Hashmi, Inaamulhaq Direction: Nitin Kakkar Genre: Comedy Duration: 2 hours 37 minutes Year: 2012 Shoot films not men!

This one deserves all your love, attention, applause and recognition. I feel sad this movie makes it to the underrated list!

Filmistan is the story of a Bollywood buff, a passionate and talented young wannabe actor ‘Sunny Arora’ with a dream to become the nation’s next heartthrob. He however ends up being abducted and is kept as a hostage in Pakistan. His friendship with a Pakistani Bollywood lover who sells pirated

Bollywood movies is epic! His infectiously cheerful character wins hearts of his captors, children in the village as well as the owners of the house where he is kept hostage. It is so easy to be charmed by his natural, ordinary, unintentionally funny ways.

This is such a positive film; I wish there were more of these kinds made in Bollywood. The film was declared tax free in Maharashtra due to the idea of binding India and Pakistan.

Still it did not enjoy much popularity that it sure deserved.

This film is pleasant, delightful, intelligent and completely enjoyable. Watch it NOW, thank me later.

9) Amu Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Brinda Karat, Ankur Khanna Direction: Shonali Bose Genre: Drama Duration: 1 hour 42 minutes Year: 2005 Harsh truth, dusty path, dark present, dusky past Amu is an ambitious film directed by Shonali Bose based on her own novel of the same name. Ahead of its time, it’s a story of Kaju’s (as she is fondly called) quest to find about her birth parents. Kaju lived in America since she was 3 and comes to Delhi to visit her relatives. She makes friends with Kabir and as the story unfolds, it opens up many closed chapters of her childhood that were carefully kept under wraps. Kabir’s parents are also involved in this mysterious past that separates little Kaju from her parents.

This movie is intense and deserves applaud for its pure concern for this nation, its current state and its people, as depicted densely in the last shot. This is a moving, sensational, impactful and thought provoking piece of art.

10) Barah Aana Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz, Arjun Mathur Direction: Raja Menon Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama Duration: 2 hours 37 minutes Year: 2009 There is opportunity in every situation, including death.

Three struggling roommates (a driver, a waiter and a watchman) from different backgrounds and age group decide to kidnap middle class men to demand not-so-high ransoms to improve their state of life. It’s humorous in parts, dark in some, realistic as a whole. Sadly it is a genuine eflection of the life of working class in a metro city.

Barah aana isn’t perfect but its unusual story line makes it an interesting watch. More so, it’s never a waste of time to watch Naseeruddin Shah perform. This one was poor box office grosser but you will not mind watching it at home on a lazy weekend night.

-Article by Padmini Pandit:

Padmini has a Post graduate in Media and passionate in fashion.

She specializes in creative content writing and has scripted for numerous Ads, Promos, Shows and Websties.

www.adesiflava.com

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Article by Jitendra Kotai:

Lo ve & Relationship

Beautifying Spousal

Relationship Couples marry with a promise to live together in love until death separates them, but marriages are constantly falling apart. Many people have religious marriages, but few people seek spiritual help in keeping a marriage. Though Professional Counselling is widely available, still some attach stigma for marital counselling. Above all these, what concerns me the most is that increasing number of married couples instead of resolving the conjugal problems they chose to deny or hide them. They live together, but seldom talk to each other or talk in hatred. Unresolved marital problems not only affect two individuals, but also upset their children and families.

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What lacks truly in many couples is RELATIONSHIP with each other.

Marriage cannot function well when there is no rapport between couples. Caught in stressful works, couples are chasing money, power, and success at the cost of their conjugal relationship.

Some couples are out of control in their behaviors and are not sensitive to their partner’s feelings and thinking.

Couples need to cultivate an intimate bond with their spouse and they must work on it daily. I like to advocate four values, which I myself and my wife have been practicing, and found to be useful and

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Lo ve & Relationship meaningful. I call it GRIP which is an acronym for Gift, Respect, Intimacy and Prayer. My clients and seminar participants, who have worked on these, experience transformation in their marital lives.

Gift: Couples should acknowledge each other as wonderful and beautiful gifts from God solely made for each other. You are very significant to each other and a glorious treasure which you can value and cherish.

Care for each other. Be responsible and accountable to each other’s growth and wellbeing. Be available for each other. Your life and your happiness remains with each other. You are incomplete without your other half.

Couples who experience each other’s appreciation can nurture their relationship, share their emotions, confess their weaknesses and receive affection. Be grateful to your spouse’s family who granted their much-loved one to you. Love them and seek their blessings.

Respect: Couples who esteem each other build their marriage together. It is your innermost responsibility to respect your partner. Respect should not be based on gender, position, wealth or appearance. Respecting means showing an unconditional and positive regard for your spouse. One of the root causes of marital conflicts is making decisions individually and compelling the other to follow. Regard each other and make decisions together. When you revere each other, you are respected by everyone. Do not expose your differences to other people. It is very sad to see that

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some couples complain about their spouse to children, friends, or to anyone. Such behavior will only ignite fights. Live and lead your partner to a righteous life.

Speak kindly and politely by which you can enable your partner to lift his or head up and live in dignity.

Intimacy: Intimacy is the essence of marital relationship.

However, Intimacy cannot be easily obtained, it has to be developed through trust and love, and be expressed in warmth and tenderness. Abundance of closeness can be experienced even at trivial things when they are done with affection. In marital life, spouse is the center person. Spousal feelings are more significant than roles and positions. Husbands and wives experience deeper joy in their marriage when they acknowledge each other’s feelings in all aspects. Correct each other with love. None of us are perfect. All of us have weaknesses in our personalities and behaviors. You can dislike and rebuke your partner’s wrong behavior but, you can still love and care for your darling. When you have a dispute, focus on the solution. When both of you focus on a solution rather than a problem, the problem will eventually cease to exist.

If couples are not warmhearted they can be easily led into the temptations of lustful desires. Great and popular people are deceived by such compulsions.

Be affectionate and faithful to each other. Differentiate between love and lust. Loving couples intimately bond with their spouse only. They save their marital love

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Lo ve & Relationship

exclusively for their spouse. Spousal love is sacred.

In marriage, offering yourself to your partner is the ultimate gift that you can give, and such an offering cannot be done to any other. By this love and offering, you both become one and none can separate you from each other.

Prayer: Couples, who pray together, can keep the family together. Some of my relatives and friends practice religious rituals or virtues like ‘Karva Chauta’ to keep their marriage. ‘Karva Chauta’ is a meaningful Hindu festival during which the wife fasts a whole day and prays for her husband’s wellbeing. However, what blocks marital growth is our sin. In sin, neither I can relate with God nor with people. It is only by the grace and light from above, people can overcome sin and make the relationship meaningful. My wife and I have received the grace and light from Jesus Christ.

The Bible says in John 1: 4 “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind”. Since then both of us have learned to relate and submit to each other through Christ. The bible says in Ephesians 5:22 & 25 (NIV): 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

It is possible to make marital life sacrificial and submissive through prayer and faith in God. Prayer empowers couples to live a sanctified life by accepting, respecting and loving each other. Prayer helps you to place one another before God. Prayer is establishing a relationship with God. In prayer you can surrender

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to God, worship and praise God and talk and listen to God. Use prayer as your powerful weapon against any martial conflict.

I am truly indebted to God for the gift of my wife Deepa, who was born on Diwali day (festival of lights).

This is the 25th year of our marriage. In spite of many challenges we live a life of love through the grace of Jesus Christ. God has greatly blessed us and gifted us with two beautiful children.

To sum up, couples cannot stop disputes coming into their marriage, but they can be handled with care. Marital hurts are painful, but they can be healed. Spousal love overcomes everything. Even if your marital situation is stony, do not give up. You can use your innate powers to turn your marriage fully functional. Seek professional counselling when it is needed. Many couples have restored their relationships through our counselling service. I am sure you will apply the four values daily, which can be an ongoing blessing to your married life. Believe that YOU can beautify your spousal relationship with your steadfast love for each other.

Article contributed by Darsi Jaya Raju

is a professional Counsellor and Psychotherapist. He provides individual, marital, family and group counselling with multiple integrated model of psychotherapy with spirituality.

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While Ago

Krishna Janmashtami, also known as Krishnashtami, Saatam Aatham, Gokulashtami, Ashtami Rohini, Srikrishna Jayanti, Sree Jayanti or sometimes simply as Janmashtami, is an annual celebration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna, the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Adesiflava had the opportunity to visit few places in Hong Kong who celebrated Janmashtami with spirited enjoyment and diligent devotion.

Brahma Kumaris RajaYoga Centre (Kowloon) Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Centre ​Kowloon and Tin Hau jointly celebrated Janmashtami on Saturday 5th September 2015 at Kowloon Centre. Kowloon​Centre was elegantly decorated by the Brahma Kumaris creating an ambience of Celebrations and Spiritual festive vibrations.

Janmashtami Celebrations in Hong Kong India isn’t too far when it comes to celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna

The program was attended by over 100 people from Kowloon and Hong Kong. The program started with Meditation followed by a short talk on “Significance of Janmashtami” by Brahma ​Kumari​Bindu Ji. After this, we had cake cutting ceremony with 9 and​ children and one adult​dressed as child Krishna and an adult Krishna. Later Matki Ceremony was held with Krishna Ras Leela dance by all those present.

The program concluded with Brahma Bhojan Prasad.​

Raja Yoga Centre Limited, Flat 23A, 5th Floor, Ocean View Court, 21-23 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon Tel: +852-2368 4693 / 3541 4340, kowloon@hk.brahmakumaris.org, www.rajayoga.com.hk

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While Ago Kowloon Hindu MandirTemple Over 300 people attended the Janmashtami Celebrations at the Kowloon Hindu Mandir located on the Carnavon Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. A very long queue extending all the way from 2nd floor to the ground floor and a jam packed scene was observed at the Janmashtami Celebrations held at the Kowloon temple. Around 11.45pm, just 15 min. before the birth timing of Lord Krishna at 12.00am, the entire building could witness the hailing of lord Krishna’s name. Just 5 min. before 12.00am a man dressed in traditional Indian Dhoti and Kurta was seen carrying a small boy dressed as lord Krishna in a basked which the man carried on his head. This entire scene was like Vasudeva carrying the divine baby lord Krishna through the river Yamuna on his head and through heavy rains. The baby Krishna in the basket was then placed near the main worship area, showing a very well decorated metal swing carrying the statue of baby Krishna surrounded by lots of flowers, incense sticks and a lamp. Indian priests present at the temple started the traditional pooja (worshipping) of lord Krishna while the huge crowd waited for their turn to go close to the lord Krishna’s statue, make their prayers and sway the swing carrying lord Krishna. Prasad (light refreshments) and fruits were distributed by the temple to all the visitors.

Kowloon Hindu Mandir Temple, A1/A2 2/F Carnavon Mansion, 8-10 Carnavon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Tel: 23660080, (MTR Exit D )

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WhileAgo Ago While

Tung Chung Indians Manish Maharaj, one of the oldest and a very well known Indian priest residing in Tung Chung organizes Janmashtami Celebrations in Tung Chung every year. This year, Tung Chung Crescent club house was the ideal location in order to accommodate these over 200 Indian residents of Tung Chung. Traditionally dressed Indians flocked the place right from 6pm onwards till late night in order to worship and visit their favorite Indian god deity lord Krishna. Devotional songs, religious group of people from the same locality, offerings from devotees in the form of food, fruits and gifts for lord Krishna and sing-and-dance activity made this Janmashtami celebrations as one of best and most memorable events ever held amongst Indians living in Tung Chung.

Manish Maharaj can be reached at +852-96657941

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Love & Relationship

Mrs. Poonam Mehta Share your love and relationship problems with her, she knows it all..

Aunty Poonam Mehta,

HK’s well-known Counsellor and our Columnist for Love & Relationships section.

— M. Ed. Guidance & Counseling, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne U K and Early Years Registered Educator in Hong Kong

Question 1:

QUESTION 2:

Hello Aunty, great to see your column every month in Adesiflava magazine. I feel very excited and happy to read your column as some of the questions people ask are really spicy and full of excitement. My question is rather a very simple one. My husband and myself moved to Hong Kong almost 6 years ago. Right from the time we’ve come to HK, we’ve been trying to settle down with our businesses. We’ve tried several different types of businesses but none of them is picking up and generating good money. As a matter of fact, it has given us tremendous experience of doing different kinds of things. Now another issue is, few of these businesses which we started are already going on and now we can’t shut them down as they are giving us our basic bread and butter, BUT not helping us in making enough money to save and make profits. So with one or two small businesses that we are doing, we are only hand-to-mouth. I think 6 years is a long time now and its time to move back to doing full time job for me and my husband. Aunty please give your wise advice.

Namaste Aunty MVP. I wanted to ask if it is legally allowed to do Ganesh Visarjan in Hong Kong? I live in Discovery Bay and am thinking of bringing Ganpati Bappa at home from next year.

I know many Indians living in HK who are immersing Ganpati Bappa statue in the sea waters near tung chung, tst, tai po and several other seafronts in HK. I don’t wish to do anything illegal in HK as my family has a very good reputation and we believe in the system and administration of the HK Govt. At the same time, my ethnic and religious beliefs has forced me to do it in the traditional way. I am thinking of bringing an eco-friendly paper made ganesh statue, which will not cause any pollution and the statue will be dissolved as soon as its immersed. Your help and views will be much appreciated. Aradhana from DB

sorry Aunty, I don’t wish to disclose my name for XYZ reasons, which you very well know.

Thanks a lot, I will read your answer in the next issue ofAdesiflava.

Hi Dear XYZ, I have noted that you both have worked hard to meet your goals. Therefore, please don’t quit.

I’ve seen companies succeed and I’ve seen companies fail. In fact, I’ve been part of companies that were able to sustain steady growth and still thrive today In your case you have still been able to sustain two companies.

Read the book SECRET OF MILLIONAIRE MIND Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth by T Harv Eker It’s an eye opener. ‘‘Where attention goes, energy flows and results show’’ therefore don’t loose your focus. However, at this point if it is hard to save money then one o of you can join the workforce and get steady income. This is an option you may consider.

Wish you all the best.

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Dear Aradhana, It is good to know your intentions of bringing Lord Ganpati Bappa home. Yes there are some restrictions.

Polluting the ocean is against the law. You definitely need permission from the relevant departments. To my knowledge a lot of paper work is involved.

However, I wish to share with you this noble cause. This year a lady made Ganesha idol out of chocolate. She made use of milk instead of water for immersing and distributed the chocolate milk to underprivileged kids. For her it is not just the GANPATI made of chocolate but the creation is born out of her soul. She further mentioned “After all, bappa’s favourite place to reside is inside us” It is indeed a great initiative that she has come up with.

We need more people like her who celebrate the festivity in a noble way. She brings smile to the faces and satisfy hunger of many children. My salute to her!

Best wishes If you have any questions related to your relationships, family issues, legal matters or counseling needs, please feel free to send you questions by email to adesiflava@gmail.com, subject line Aunty MVP www.adesiflava.com

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Horoscope

Astrology by Bejan Daruwalla - Oct 2015 Aries: Ganesha says, Cosmobiology, the study of the living universe as a whole, to just playing the flute to while away an idle hour, is your full range, and Ganesha adds, you should be proud of it. If interested in computers, children (either delivery or start of conception), hobbies, sports, fun and play, a major creative pursuit (say an epic, a film, a painting, drama, research, statistical surveys, economic policies for company or country or both, Ph.D. thesis) the RIGHT TIME TO START IS NOW. Taurus: This is one of the key period for a job, money, pets, projects of magnitude and importance which might start in a small way. Health is also highlighted for the simple reason, that, TOO MANY PRESSURES AND PULLS, INVARIABLY TAKE THEIR TOLL IN THE SHAPE OF ILL HEALTH. Hypochondria are a failing of manyTaureans, good but very sensitive people. Therefore this warning.

Gemini: Now could be a huge trapeze exhibition for you. There is the superb Sun, fame, Jupiter, money and marriage, placing, and Mars, energy, Jupiter, generosity, juxtaposition. If delay and disappointments are Saturn’s coinage, that of Jupiter is good news and prosperity.

Therefore this will be a period of mixed results.You could run into problems in your personal and professional relationships. Separation is just a possibility.

Cancer: Ganesha asserts a strong, sharp, focus on finance and family. In finance we include loans, funds, investments and assets too, liabilities and debts, joint - finance and insurance, jewellery, income - tax, very specifically your earned income, rentals, shares, debentures, buying / selling. Also, and this is equally important, those who live by speech or writing, will have an extra edge.

Leo: The period sets you free from tense situations and circumstances. Also, it allows you to be your natural self. You will set a hectic pace, run like the wind: be it heavy industries, journey, trips, pilgrimages, tour, enlisting in clubs and organizations, cleaning up your image and that of the company you represent, religious impulses and spiritual experiences, publicity, ceremony, rites, fun and fanfare, ads, computers and electronics, for the reach out to people and places.

Virgo: Ganesha says after the free - wheeling and the fun and the progress achieved, it will be in this period that the home and the outside world will really converge and finally blend in beautifully with each other. This period is thus the halfway house. Till the middle of this period, the trends of the last period will be very much there. Take advantage of them and push for all you are worth.

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Libra: “There is a garden in her face / where roses and white lilies grow” - sang the poet Thomas Campion.

Perhaps he sang it just for you. You will love and be loved. You could find a heavenly paradise on earth, at least a temporary one! And yes “pleasant fruits” will be the outcome of your efforts. Isn’t that wonderful?

Let me be the first to rejoice for you. Ganesha says, this period will have a direct link with the next period.

Scorpio: The moon connects beautifully with Jupiter, money, Mars, force, Venus, home and comforts.

Therefore, an ideal period to be outgoing and forward, communicate and contact, be social and amiable (you are very good at it, when you want to be).A period to please not only yourself, but also others. Get your work done and yet make others happy, should be your motto.

Those with an inclination or talent or penchant for music, painting (particularly so), sculpture, modeling, pottery (very satisfying), acting and soon have it made.

Sagittarius: Ganesha says, now we come to that real mosaic. I said mosaic because three trends will be operating almost simultaneously: a) A tremendous release of energy and output, so much so, that it overflows into November; b) there will be periods of rare insights and introspection and self improvement; c) -changes in office / home / shop, may be a move, a shift too.

Capricorn: Love slides in effortlessly, children given huge satisfaction, new enterprises will be launched, expansion of factory / industry is probable, and you will feel relaxed, at least partially, which is saying a lot indeed! Those in films, arts, research, entertainment, education, make things hum handsomely.

Aquarius: You will be bouncing back with a vengeance now. The personal and professional aspects will now converge and meet. You will have the energy and ability to get on with life and living. The hard time you’ve had finally comes to an end now. You will now find life an adventure.

Pisces: Ganesha says, like the confluence of the Yamuna and the Ganga, the two trends of the home and the big, outside world, do meet, giving you deep satisfaction. The Mars Uranus beautiful placings assure you success as well as joy. But the health of parents, inlaws, elders, boss, could cause a few anxious moments.

Travel is another indication of these placings. Let me put it all differently. Love and enthusiasm will be your travelling companions in this period. www.adesiflava.com

Horoscope

Astrology by Bejan Daruwalla - NOV 2015 Aries: Ganesha says from the previous full moon phase to now, your angle of expenses, restlessness, spirituality along with rendezvous and journeys are heavily focused. Accidents and bad health my befall you, especially if driving yourself or travelling alone.

Taurus: Mars brings you your full share of responsibilities, duties and commitments. The good part of it all will be that your efforts will be both appreciated and rewarded.

Your time and energies will be claimed by the 3 P’s of pets, project, policies (a wide connotation here) to sum it all u, you will work hard and play hard.

Gemini: All through this period you will have really put your shoulder to the wheel. The good results will now be apparent, and also in the coming period. A job – hop, promotion and / or perks may materialize. You will shine forth in your chosen field, and do it with style and panache. You will gain much respect and will have better health, too. Ganesha does you proud!

Cancer: Much of what was said last period may come to pass at this time, too. There may be some disruptive forces at work, through which may be reflected in marital and or domestic squabbles either in your own family or someone close. Whatever, partnerships and their dissolutions will be either imminent or at the least, troublesome.

Leo: Buying / selling / leasing / will be part of the theme of improvements in house / office / shop or warehouse that is highlighted now. Your actions will have pleasing results during this period. Though there may be some difficulties and snags now. But Ganesha exhorts you not to be dejected or give up hope.

Virgo: You will be ultra-sensitive, full of your own self – respect and dignity and the desire to be loved, cherished and appreciated. You will be on a long voyage of self – discovery. On a more mundane plane, loans and funds, insurance and joint – finance will be important to you.

Libra: Socializing, respectability, a good inflow of cash, and well – being will dispel the introspective mood of last period. There will be naturally, more responsibilities along with more group activities and club – hopping that you may find yourself doing.

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A collaboration or position of trust, perhaps even marriage, may materialize.

Scorpio: You will create new sources of income, new avenues for making money in the coming years. You will build up your financial resources and clout now, and that’s not a small matter, but this will be seen more clearly.

Sagittarius: You’re softer and more imaginative side will come forth now. Hobbies can even become a vocation. You may develop rare foresight, telepathy even a prophetic vision. In any case, romance, children and creative fields like arts, poetry, music, and literature will see at your best. Even necromancy, raising spirits, tantra and mantra draw you.

Capricorn: Money from a million different sources (I exaggerate a bit, I must confess) is what it’s all about now. Loans and funds may be easy to get, lotteries and games of chance, races and the stock market may yield rich prizes. Wills, probate, legacy are also covered here. Funds and games in terms of sex and passionate encounters are likely too. Communication will have to be vital and buzzing with life!

Aquarius: The same direction is maintained this period. But there are may be add – ons – journeys and RELATIONSHIPS. Within the scope of this world come partnerships, liaisons, personal and even intimate relationships. Some bizarre situations can turn out to be to your advantage. Help from some practically unknown, and / or unexpected period may suddenly materialize.

Pisces: You are off to a head start, with Ganesha’s blessings. Try to slow down, pace yourself, say “Time out”. Certainly do not take on extra responsibilities and effort. Pets will require care. Also, you might have a theft or pilferage, or lose something valuable. Forewarned is forearmed, they say, so do take precautions. A favorable tie for loans, funds and travel

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Spot The 5 Differences In These Photos Winners of Aug-Sep 2015 Issue Rachit Sinha 4 Years There are 5 differences in the two photos shown above.

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