Ed’s note…. Dear Twinklers, Circlers, Tablers, and readers… Finally it’s the end of another great tabling year and also time for another colorful issue of VIBGYOR . I am glad that through this issue we have managed to capture and reflect the full spectrum of our wonderful and strong Area VII - from fellowship to projects to fund raisers to our hobbies and interests to some fantastic twinkler activities to some marvelous activities by our wonderful Circlers - the full 360o Thanks for sharing your joy as articles! Now enjoy! Lets keep smiling & keep shining. Yours in Tabling. Tr. Vinay Kumar Coimbatore ACME RT 133 Vibgyor Editor - Area VII National IT Convenor
Back in October 2008, I had a weekend to myself and decided to head out to some jungle around Coimbatore. It had to be place that I have not seen before and hopefully there would be good exploring to be done. I had ridden to Munnar the same year, at an earlier date, and on the way had seen a board that read “Trekking and jungle accommodation” this was in Chinaar check post after Udumalpet towards Marayoor. Thankfully, I had photographed it. Found the photo with not much of difficulty and sure enough it had the forest reservation office’s numbers. I called for a room and booked myself at the Churilipatti Forest Cabin. No idea what to expect there. When I was about to leave the house, I met a good friend of mine (Murali) who asked where I was off to and was interested to join.
So off we went, the two of us, to Chinaar Wildlife Sanctuary. It is 90Kms from Coimbatore and we reached there at about 2 PM. Parked up at the check post, near the booking office and checked in. We were introduced to one Mayilsamy, who would guide us. The three of us then headed to Marayoor to pick up groceries for dinner and some
beer. We got back a little late it was 6:30 PM and we had to trek into the jungle to reach Churilipatti. I did not know that we would have to walk for about an hour n a half. We started at 7. It was pitch dark. Mayilsamy led the way with a 12 year old boy walking behind us, carrying a water jug filled with curry for our dinner.
At first we were walking on a jeep track that was lit by the moonlight. So the track was lit and the sky was flooded with stars but, strangely everything else around the track was dark, I mean pitch black. We couldn’t see an elephant 20ft away from us. The jungle slowly got closer to the track as we walked deeper. At one point the track was a tunnel through over hanging vegetation. The track dipped at certain points and came up after a curve. After walking for about 20 minutes, Mayilsamy froze in his tracks and whispered “Yannai.. munnadi” (elephant up ahead). I couldn’t see it. Heard some movement in the vegetation to my left. We picked up pace.
Just when I thought we were in the clear there was a loud snap to my right.
We found ourselves on a track that was parallel to a stream. The jungle in between the track and the stream was where bisons were grazing. The whole jungle shook with the bisons charging through the bush to our right. They were running in the same direction we were headed, not at us. In the jungle with pitch black around you, this sound is enough to get your heart pounding. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. We stood still Mayilsamy flashed his torch light ahead of us, showing the track.
The bisons were going to cut across the track about 40ft in front of us. However, as soon as the torch light came on, the bisons came to halt and the jungle returned to its silence as if nothing had moved seconds back.
We couldn’t see them through the bushes even when the torch was shown in their direction. Again we were told to pick up pace look straight ahead and keep walking. I was sure our friendly bison was going to T bone us. But the jungle was silent and we passed through. Took a right into the jungle and left the track. Now we were walking on a one-man path among trees that were 30 to 50 feet high and filled on the ground with thick vegetation.
There was a forest outpost here. There were two guards there who were joking about bisons grazing in the area and also, a couple of elephants. We sat there for a while and had some tea. Anything to feel like we were in civilization I guess. We started off into the jungle again after a small chat. The one-man path became a rocky trail. The vegetation grew thinner and soon we were standing on a rock out crop and looking at our hut down below.
The hut is placed on a rock by a stream. The place was amazing. It had a rock piled compound wall. The hut was placed on stilts so we had a good view above the compound. The stream was actually very strong and we could hear the loud gush of water. The boys started a fire in the compound and prepared a meal of chapathis and fried vegetables. We just sat in side the compound wall on a couple of garden chairs and soaked in the air. The amount of stars you can see from here is about a million times more than what you would see in Nilgiris. I kid you not.
The hut can house two people, maybe three if you have a sleeping bag. It is very well appointed with clean western style toilet and bathroom. Well appointed for the place it is in – the middle of the jungle. It is also the best place to sip on beer and enjoy the sound of the forest. We chatted away for a while. Had some hot dinner, then decided to go down to the stream. The stream lit by the moon is a sight to behold. Animals do not come here because it has rock face all around and hoofs do not get a good grip here. The place is not cold, it was pleasant. At about 11 pm we hit the sack. Only in the morning we could see that the terrain was hill all around and the vegetation was not as thick as we had felt the previous night. Although we trekked a longish route that lasted about an hour n half we did not see any animals but the scenery was awesome. We headed back to the car at about 11 AM and headed back to Coimbatore.
We Coimbatoreans, are very lucky to have places like this so close to us. I am planning my next visit there already. Hopefully Ill be able to make it before the summer sets in.
I quietly yelled at the driver to stop the old Mahindra jeep I was riding in. I just spotted a type of monkey in the canopy as we were riding through the Silent Valley National Park rain forest. It was black and had a dense gray lion-like mane. I quickly got down from the vehicle and shot a few pictures. I realized that it was not alone; there was actually a group of more than 20 of them, males, females, adults and infants. The driver of the jeep that followed ours would tell me that it’s a Lion Tailed Macaque, not surprisingly the animal has a lion like tail. But it seemed as though Lion Faced Macaque would be a more appropriate name. Nevertheless we were very lucky to see them because apparently they are very difficult to come by. A forest watcher would later tell me that they eat only fruits, buds and some other edible parts of a
certain tree and only when the food is at a cer- expand ours by converting forests into agricultain stage of maturity. tural area and other things like water reservoirs, resulting in decline in their population. As their food matures at different times of a year depending on the altitude where the trees If you live in Coimbatore, Silent Valley National grow, the groups move to various altitudes Park, the origin of which probably dates back where they can feed. to 50 million years, is only about 60 km away by road. You could reach there while enjoying Lion Tailed Macaque is a magnificent looking the scenic views in less than 2 hrs, and begin animal that combines the grace of a lion with lamenting why you have never been there bethe characteristics of a primate. As magnificent fore. The spectacular beauty and the scale as they are I would later learn to my distress 237.52 Sq Km to be precise - of this forest rethat it is among the rarest and the most serve is stunning, particularly when you stand threatened primates in the world. It is listed as on top of the massive 100 ft watchtower that endangered in IUCN Red List (http:// gives a 360 degree view of the park in its entire www.iucnredlist.org). Although they look exglory. If you have the eye, you could even spot otic, these are found only in the Western Ghats some beautiful birds from there, binoculars of Southwest India scattered over various arthough would be even better. But before going eas of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. IUCN that far you need to first go to the base camp reports that there are only 3000 to 3500 of in Mukkali. There you need to rent a Jeep (Rs these animals living. Unlike some of the other 1000 for 6 people) to take you into the Park. primates, like the ones that snatch ice cream The Jeep will be arranged by the folks in the from little children when you visit a hilltop tem- base camp for you. ple, Lion Tailed Macaques avoid human proximity. They don't live in plantations either. This effectively reduces their habitat as we humans
Lion Tailed Macaque
There is an entrance fee (25/adult) and still camera (25/day) and video camera (200/day) charges as well. The long ride in the Jeep from there to the Jurassic Park type entrance is a refreshing one. It can be an adventurous one as well; Tigers have been spotted on that ride, although very rarely. The driver who drove us is famous around the park because he has spotted a female
tiger with 4 cubs on that path. Crested Serpent Eagle
Spotted Honey Duck Butterflies (this species nomenclature is based on the ed’s fictitious knowledge)
Malabar Squirrel
While the Lion Tailed Macaque is the Park's flagship animal, it obviously hosts a lot more. It has about 1000 species of flower plants and over 100 species of orchids among other flora. Some of these orchids are highly endangered. The park has been identified as one of the "Important Bird Areas of India". You could just tell as you enter the park from the songs and whistling of the birds. 211 species of birds have been spotted here. The Park also hosts the Nilgiri Langur, another highly endangered animal which we spotted, along with about 30 more unique mammals. The Park is also home to hundreds of varieties of butterflies, reptiles, insects, frogs and fishes. And like any serious forest around this part of the world, it has leeches too, so if you are not into blood being sucked away from you unknowingly, do dress up to keep the leeches away.
There are several ways to experience and explore this treasure trove of nature. If you want to get more serious than seeing the view from the watch tower, you could trek on the trails. There are 3 trails but you do have to make reservations beforehand to take these treks. The Park offers Nature Camps for more serious naturalists too. Check out the Park's website — http://silentvalley.gov.in
Giant Wood Spider
Thinking BIG is always good. But thinking something unimaginable is rather risky... This was the thought that came into my mind when our Fund Raising convener & our Secretary Tr. E.P.Kumar revealed his vision of planning to sell 15-18 tons of sweets and Rs. 25 lacs worth of crackers in one of our meetings. But looking at his calculated approach, planned steps and road map for smooth execution and more ever, the confidence he had in the project, we all felt that we could achieve it. And it all started three weeks prior to the “D – DAY”. In a city like Erode, wherein the tablers do have wide contacts, all their near and dear ones – whole heartedly came forward to support us. And as the corporate community is already aware of our noble cause, they too generously came forward to place orders from 10 kilos to 1000 kilos of sweets. This made us feel that the GOAL is achievable. And what more! As the day of our sales started nearing, the extensive publicity of 50000 paper pamphlets, banners on more than 100 autos, 500 wall posters and 10 mega-size hoardings at all vantage points, 1 Illuminated van running 18 hours round the city and providing discount coupons provided to most of the schools.
Regular screening in all the local channels did the MAGIC. Also - sales started booming in our two retail counters with people thronging to support our noble cause. As the striking day started nearing, the Himalayan task started becoming a reality. Things would have been smother, had the work would have been executed as per the planned schedule... But there arose a peculiar problem, with few of the corporate orders pre-ponding their delivery schedule. It was there I learnt a great lesson from our convenor to handle every situation with smile and positive attitude. Because, that is the only way the problems can turn into better opportunities of higher sales. With every member sharing the work responsibility, we achieved the mammoth sweet sale of 15000kilos to a tune of 25lacks and cracker sale of 30 lacks. And the night before the Diwali, all of us had a great social with bursting crackers, with a sense of fulfilment that we had happily achieved our task. With our total sales touching 40000 families with excellent quality sweets with round table & FTE logo on each of the boxes, we had mobilised Rs. 8 lacks highest ever in fund raising.
This Grand success of achieving the unimaginable gave us the confidence to bid for NAGM-2012. With this kind of bonding, I am sure that having our mastermind and passionate E.P.Kumar as NAGM convenor and a wonderful blend of active tablers with highest level of bonding, we can plan and host
a wonderful National AGM 2012 at Coimbatore.
Excellent, super hot machi!!! These were the words used by listeners to express their view on the CURT 186-Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM “Hot singer� show. A show which was held to find the best singing talent in town. More than 1000 applicants, applied for the contest and after various rounds of auditions 3 finalists appeared for the MEGA "Hot singer" finals on 29th Jan at Corporation Kalai arangam. What did we get out of the show ? - well it was a good fund raiser and loads of publicity on Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM for 23 days!!!
34 times a day!!! with a special mention of "Freedom through eduction" initiative of RTI. What was more special and unique was that the final grand finale was live telecast on Radio Mirchi with thousands of radio audience tuning in. We had a special session in the program to highlight RTI and its contribition to society. The star of the show was Anuradha Sriram and various RJ's who entertained the crowd along with Agneesh and Prassanna (winners of Vijay Tv's Super singer)
Democracy is an elusive concept in West Asia and North Africa. Oil sustains most of the regimes that hold power in this part of the world. The United States of America supports most of these regimes. The popular uprising in Egypt is but a manifestation of the intentions of not only the people of Egypt but also of a large part of West Asia.
Overall, all tablers enjoyed the show and not to forget the loads of fellowship during the countdown to the event!!!
Hot singer - was Hot Machi !!!
As they should, countries conduct their foreign policies on the basis of self interest, but, policy without substance is no policy at all. Countries and individuals around the world should support the call for reform across not only West Asia but any other place where there is oppression of human rights.
The Battle of Spirits@ Ootty Pattanam by 143 In order to expand the vast empire of Malabar province; The group of Kings and Queens from Calicut 143 Kingdom started off their march to invade the "Blue Mountains". The mighty army was led by none other than the Maharaja Subil A royal welcome was arranged for the army in Ooty Pattanam by the PRO Minister of Sullivan Court who was promptly bribed by the Calicut Army. While the state kings and ministers made plans all night for the next day's series of battles with the doubly and triply malted Spirits flowing from the Subil Experienced Hands; each moves for the wars, battles, invasions and conquests were all planned meticulously. All was planned the whole night and in the middle of the night by about 2am; The GCRT-143 Team were smashed by the over flowing Spirits but the Strategies were ‘All Set’. The eldest son of the Liquor Minister ‘Kureethadam the Aji’ the heir Prince Rohan had already taken position in the boundary of Oot y Pattanam namely the Lawrence school. Nobody in Tamilnadu knew about this smart move. He had studied the territory and had made a treaty with the Nilgiris. We got a detailed tour of the Kingdom of Ooty Pattanam the next morning when the Queens visited him.
Early next morning the queens went to the temple and prayed for the Kings welfare so that their spirited husbands won the war. There was a horse racing session in the morning to brush up the battle skills. The Kings and Queens had a heavy breakfast at the Sullivan court. Then we all marched to the Holiday Inn which was the pre battle ground. There we met up with the other princely state kings and queens to gather more support for the battle that was supposed to happen that night. The robes for the attack were planned and crafted and were under the safe custody of The Queen Amitha After a sumptuous lunch the queens navigated the territories of Ooty Pattanam where antiques and collectible merchandise were in plenty and the entire Queens’ mouth watered for these valuable possessions. Calls came left and right to the Kings and the ministers from their respective Queens to plan a strategic attack so that all those possessions would be of theirs’...... While the Kings went on to make more plans for the big night’s war with the abundant Sprit which kept on flowing big time in Holiday Inn from the King Subil. The Strategic Minister ‘George the Neat’ who is the ‘Thammil bheetham Thomman’ from the lot
kept a tight control on the over spirited Calicut Team with his neatness. Our Teina Aunty the Queen of Aji had pampered her husband Aji Minister with well cooked cakes and curries to muscle up her man and Minister Aji was all rocking....Our Lady Queen Ami was the strong support for the Maharajah and actually it was her idea for this massive attack. All the Kings and Queens adorned themselves with the help of each other with their jewel studded crowns and gowns and reached the Fern hill palace for the big Strategic Attacking Event. Then; there was: The conquest.... the 17th AREA VII AGM................ Only when the army reached the Fern hill Palace with the attacking robes and arms and ammunitions; then did the army realized the warmth by which our counterparts received us and the army felt at home...!!!Then the Kings, Queens and the Ministers sang, danced and The Calicutians Conquered.....!!!! The army easily conquered the venue with our Maharaja’s Unique and Swift Aadals and Paadals....!!!! It was noted that our over spirited Maharajah Subil was after the performing artists of the other gender; which later on; on clarification the king clarified that it was an information exchange session and nothing else...!!
Also the quick dancing movements of Minister Ramesh were attracted by certain queens from the neighbouring states and Our Ramesh Minister was almost kidnapped by those Queens’ husbands; and the timely interference of King Aji helped save the Minister Ramesh’s Health and Wealth. His queen Princess Deepa’s prayers worked. After the battle was won; The King Sybil was so spirited and smashed that Queen Ami was forced to carry her man in her shoulders which she tried and but was in vain.
got up a little late and proceeded to The Court of Sullivan for breakfast. Certain kings were asking for buttermilk for which nobody knew the reason.
The rest of the army looked amazed and applauded The Calicutians for the brave and wonderful tactics and the moves. By that time Our KingSubil and the Spirit minister Aji was so rocking that the Oot y Pattanam’s Fern Hill Palace was vibrating and reverberating with the Calicut Team’s Elephantiac steps and moves and the Fern Hill Palace Walls were shivering like Earth Quake.
They were thoughtful and caring and gave away gifts for our little prince and princess.
We explored the cultural and historical sites of Oot y Pattanam and finally landed up at the Gymkhana Club where we had the victory bash. We imported a troop of country musicians from Europe and sang about the marvellous conquest we made last night...
Thus the weekend getaway remains fresh in our minds and we still hope for more conquests like these which will be launched again by the mightier and Strong 143 Empire. We loved the Nilgiris the queen of hill stations...and the Area AGM And Thus the Battle of Ooty Pattanam became Then by 4am morning; the unofficial anan unbeatable history where Spirit overtook nouncement came ‘The Calicut Team who did- the Spirit; and it became known as n’t believe in customs formalities’ won the bat- the Battle of Spirits........................ tle. They conquered with their four men army and The King declared. –The war is over.... Tr George Kuraikkose GCRT -143 Let’s leave the Tamil Empire intact. Let’s go back to bed. The Battle was over. The next day morning: The kings with their head weight because of the Spiritual Outlook
Dear tablers, The honour of being invited and inducted into tabling with the likes of past and present tablers was a very humbling and rewarding experience. A new terminology called ‘fellowship’, with its true intent and meaning, was added into the same space as ‘family and friends’. It took me not very long to realize and feel the positive outcomes of such enriching and long-lasting relationship. The learning and bonding that we all would have shared and experienced in our school and college days have yet again been resurrected with the fellowship of tablers. The focus on fellowship is what makes tabling shine and radiate, and provide the warmth to all our moral and social responsibilities. The concept of having tablers, circlers & twinklers taking part in various activities on a unified platform has brought the best in each one of us. Having spent some wonderful time with fellow tablers in meetings and social, PTBAT (Proud To Be A Tabler) sessions and NAGM, has made me realize the potential of collective leadership, which perfectly fits into our motto of “Together, we can & we will”. Am thankful for all the love, the recognition, the award ( Bob Chandran) bestowed and feel proud to be associated with this movement called ROUND TABLE. Yours In Tabling, LMF Tr. Ajay Kumar Jain, TRT 116.
My entry to GCRT 143 was unexpected…..Having been outside Calicut for almost 14 years, I was struggling to find make some good friends here. Needless to say, I was really struggling to cope with this new environment without getting to know people!!! Most of my friends who had studied with me at school and college were settled abroad. One fine day, some members from GCRT namely Subil, Ajith (Chairman & Secretary of GCRT 143) had come to my office to invite me to join GCRT 143. I was really skeptical as I knew very well the politics and back biting which goes on in other clubs. My first worry was cleared when they clearly told me that this was a small gathering with 15 members and who are all very close knit in terms of family and business, free from back biting and politics. I was able to strike a chord straight away with both Chairman and Secretary without any problems. My problem of meeting new friends was solved instantly when I had gone for one of their family dinner meeting. One advantage was meeting people whom I had already known before and meeting new people. The business meetings were really serious and I was impressed with the projects which they were handling. When I took my wife along with me for one of our family meetings, she too was very skeptical whether this is just like any other club or is it different? Her doubt was cleared as soon as she entered the hall where most of the better halves were really friendly and greeted us with a big smile!!! I hope that I will be able to contribute positively to the clubs activities and lend my full support to my team members. Looking forward to stay here for sometime!!! JAI HO GCRT 143 Tr. Basanth Chathanath GCRT -143
I am a couch surfer, as are my guests; we find one another through the Couch Surfing Project, at couchsurfing.com, started in 1999 a global community built on a MySpace or Facebook model of personal profiles connected through a network of “friends.” According to statistics on the site, it has well over 2 mil-
lion couch surfers from more than 20,000 towns and cities around the world. The group’s philosophy is also its method, which might be summed up this way: I will offer you my couch free, along with the com-
pany of my friends and a tour of my favorite spots in my city. In return, you will give of yourself, and not just slink into my home at 3 a.m. after you’ve done your own tour of my city. In this way, we will be friends, if only for a day or two. Or, as its mission statement proclaims: “Participate in creating a better world, one couch at a time.”
“Couch surfing is a lifestyle and a commitment”.
Some of the top Couch surfing websites are: www.couchsurfing.com - A professional-looking site, with numerous functions, that aims to “create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures”.
www.globalfreeloaders.com - An Australian hospitality network, with the antipodes particularly well represented.
www.hospitalityclub.org - One of the web originals, aiming to “bring people together”. Duration of stay and specifics (such as food) are set out before your stay.
www.stay4free.com - A global “free accommodation network” based in Holland.
Couch surfing takes an ancient notion of hospitality and tucks it into a thoroughly modern paradigm, the social networking Web site. But, as its members say sternly, it is not a site for dating, or for freeloaders. Infact it was my aunt who got me introduced into it when she was unable to host a couple. I have numerous experiences. A memorable one was hosting a franco-american couple who have been cycling through Africa and India. This was way back in 2008. They contacted me through hospitality club. You can view them @ www.worldbiking.info. They came carrying all their stuff and halting at my place as part of a Biking Expedition.
www.travelhoo.com - Another of the early web outfits. Also offers a travel partner-finding service. Sign up to surf .
Prasanna Krishna – ACME 133
Socials for TRT116—Tr. Mathaai The Onam social was hosted by LMF Trs.Raj Kumar, Alexander Neroth, Mathai John and Sq Leg Kannan at Raj Kumars residence in September 2010. Everyone had a great time and we are planning to make this social an annual event.
Joint Social with NRT176 as part of national Fellowship Day Date-20th November 10 Venue- LMF Tr. Rajesh Ganapathy’s Residence at Nagercoil Hosted By NRT176 The Tablers of NRT176 arranged a great joint social as part of the National fellowship day. A special thanks to all tablers of NRT176 for giving us such a great time at Nagercoil.
Diwali Social of ERT 98 Date- 30th Oct 10 Venue- Coimbatore Golf Club Hosted By LMF Tr. Senthil Kumar M, Amit Mohatta & Samanth Bajaj There could not have been a better venue for this social. The ambiance was great especially with the fireworks. The roulettes table was busy throughout the night. All Tablers ,Circulars, Sq legs and Twinkelers had a great time at the party.
Geniuses of Area VII
Painting Outings Services Sports Workshops Pen-Pals Cooking Fellowship
Rocking Stars
Dear Young Friends,
PROJECT TIGER Twlr. Bhavika of CMRT 62 and Twlr. Mehak of CPRT 101 selected as RUNNERS at this National-Level Competition. YOUNG PICASSO 2010 Twlr. Mohammed Aahil (ORT 55) of SUB-JUNIOR section, Twlr. Bhavika Duggar (CMRT 62) of JUNIOR section and Twlr. Mehak Khemka (CPRT 101) of SUPER-JUNIOR section are the winners. Twlr. Jay (CRT 117) of SUB-JUNIOR, Twlr. Varshini (TRT 116) of JUNIOR and Twlr. Tejaswini (CMRT 62) of SUPERJUNIOR sections are the runners. 98 - NOT OUT Twlrs - Sachin, Rishie, Sharav, Hiran, Mitresh, Surya, Koushik, Minali, Prithvi, Harshini, Krithunya and many more were the winners at the various sporting activities conducted at the Area Sports Meet.
The more you GIVE, the more you GET. Participate in as many activities as possible & Enjoy friendship. Your suggestions are welcome … Love, Babu.C, TMAN
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. See it always with FRESH EYES.
Entitled VII Stripes, Save the Tiger initiative of RTI Area VII. A novel idea of Painting and Essay Writing competition for all our twinklers in the country was initiated. With Oct 01 to Oct 07 as per the last tiger census carried out by the being designated as World Wildlife Week, Government of India two years back, invoked twinklers picked their pens & brushes and had the government and various corporates’ atten- their imaginations run wild. The response in tion to take up several measures to safe guard Area VII was fantastic. them.
The tiger population’s alarming drop to 1411 Even with 99 national parks and 513 wild life sanctuaries in the country, ever wondered our National Animal is soon destined to be seen only in Zoos and not in Jungles?
And the results are as follows 1st Place - Twr Hardik Chauduri ( VRT # 77), 2nd Place - Twr Bhavika Dugar (CMRT # 62), 3rd Place - Twr Viren Gehani ( PURT # 144) Consolation prize :- Twr Mehak Khemka ( CPRT 101) , Twr Parinati Khara (VRT # 77) Best Caption :- " I need help , Not a reason to yelp. Shoot with a Camera not with a Gun" - Twr Shaurya Marwah ( HDRT #189) I sincerely thank the Tmen of each area for their efforts. And FYI—all the paintings are safely stored! Tr Satish Balagopal - ACME 133 -—Convener - Project Tiger— Area VII - RTI
STRIPES- Orange & Black.
THE TWINKLING STARS OF AREA 7 THE TWINKLERS OF AREA 7 ARE A BUNCH OF INNOCENT, NAUGHTY, VIBRANT, INTELLIGENT, CONFIDENT AND CARING JUNIORS JUST AS THEIR PARENTS. WHAT WE SOW IS WHAT WE REAP. WHEN KIDS WATCH THEIR PARENTS THEIR LITTLE MIND SCRUTINIZES ALL THEIR ACTIONS .AREA 7 HAS ALWAYS ENCOURAGED TWINKLER ACTIVITIES. THIS YEAR TOO THEY HAD THEIR SHARE OF ACTIVITIES. A LOT OF TWINKLERS PARTICIPATED IN THE PIGGY BANK INITIATIVE, WHERE PIGGY BANKS WERE MADE OUT OF WASTE. THE PROCEEDS WENT INTO THE PLANTING OF SAPLINGS ON 14 TH NOV- CHILDREN S DAY. THE TIGER PROJECT WAS ALSO APPRECIATED. WE ALSO GOT TO SEE OUR YOUNG PICASSO`S IN ACTION . THE THEME WAS LOVE. THE WORD LOVE- HAD A DIFFERENT MEANING FOR EACH TWINKLER. LOVE FOR GREENERY, LOVE FOR THEIR SIBLINGS, LOVE FOR THEIR NATION AND LOVE FOR ROUND TABLE AS WELL. ROUND TABLE AND LADIES CIRCLE ARE PREPARING THE FOUNDATION OF VERY THOUGHTFUL AND VIBRANT CITIZENS , THAT IS THE ........ FUTURE. CR. SHEETAL CHHABRIA—AREA7 TW CONVENOR, SMALC 91
The Twinklers of Palghat Ladies Circle 34 & Palakkad Round Table 81 are having a lot of fun with geometry, the latest being stripes. Yes, it is ‘Save the Tiger’ project. We had a colourful painting to start with, then a HRD session on nature & to make it full circle, we had the screening of ‘Save the Tiger’ movie by renowned filmmaker Mr.Shekar Dattaray at Rosi Modern English Medium school. This movie was screened for around 200 children. The movie is very informative & can keep any age group interested. It was such a hit in their school as there was an interactive session also. The Principal of the school was so impressed, that she told my mom they could do any other such initiatives like this at their school in the future also. Our circler aunties are also planning to screen this movie in other schools also. A lot is being planned for this quarter also. My thanx to T man- Babu uncle for timely inputs now & then. A Very Happy New Year to all the wonderful Twinklers, Aunties & Uncles from all of us at PLC 34 & PRT 81. Tw.Ritikaa Rajesh Ambal. Pink Crafter. PLC 34 & PRT 81.
Dear Young Friends, It looks like it’s just yesterday I was appointed as the TMAN of Area VII, not realizing that six months are already over. All these days had been wonderful interacting with many of you all, not to mention the kind of talent many of you all exhibited during the “PROJECT TIGER” & “YOUNG PICASSO-2010” painting contests. And what more… looking at the kind of activity reports I get from the table conveners, I am sure you are having a fantastic time and will continue to do so. Friends, many of us go for table functions along with our parents and make new friends over there. But how many of us continue to stay in touch with them? Also, you might be surprised to know that there are so many of known and little known friends out there who have similar tastes or share the same days as birthdays. You will definitely agree with me that making FRIENDS across places would be just great. After all that is what our parents too do, right? It is with this idea I have compiled a data base of all the twinklers aged five and above in our area with their areas of interest. So why don’t you take a pen & paper and start writing letters to the ones who share common interests and is of your age? I am sure you will love it. Kindly take the help of your dad to get their addresses from the RTI directory and start penning them. Who knows… you might end up getting the best friend for a lifetime…. Towards Sharing the Joy to Enjoy, BABU. C—TMAN – Area VII P.S: I request the parents to encourage our little ones to make new friends. I am positive they will enjoy a new set of friends apart from their school / colony counterparts. Twinkler Name
Sex
Tiruppur RT 116 Karan Job Alex Neroth Krishna Skanda Sudan Aaditya Sarvesh Adithya Athul Varshini Suganth Farzan Lellinwalla
M M M M M M F M M
Age
Twinkler Name
6 Rhea Reuben 5 Chirag 12 Hiral 6 Bharath 5 Mahima 6 Pranavya 7 KC Vishnu Niranjan 7 KC Nimalan Sakthi 13
Sex F M F M F F M M
Age
Twinkler Name
16 Krish 14 Tushar Shetty 12 A. Rakesh 16 A. Sanjuvikashni 11 Gauri Chakravarthy 17 Aditi 14 Tarjani 12 Shivansh
Sex M M M F F F F M
Age 5 7 11 7 13 12 10 5
Twinkler Name
Sex
Age
Loves
Coimbatore RT 9
Twinkler Name
Sex
Age
Loves
Coimbatore CRT 31
Shakti K.A.
M
10
Motor Racing, Swimming, Dancing, Cycling
Parth Gupta
M
6
Cricket, TV Shows
Prithvi C.G.
M
10
Drawing, Racing
Naren Shivashankar
M
6
NA
Varun G.
M
6
Art, Playing
Haren Shivashankar
M
NA
NA
Abinav R.K.
M
10
Tennis, Golf
Rohan
M
NA
Ananya R.K.
F
7
Music, Arts
Ooty RT 55
Chaitanya
M
5
Tennis
Adil
M
10
Craft
Tharun N.P.
M
9
Swimming, Tennis
Kamran
M
5
Painting
Sai Sharan
M
7
Yoga, Music
Iram
F
NA
Reading
Shravan
M
13
Video Games
Inad
M
NA
Computers
Vishhruth
M
9
Arts, Fooling Around
Salem RT 28
Tarun
M
13
Tennis, Sports
E.Sudarshan
M
9
Cricket, Reading, Drawing
Jeevan
M
11
Reading, Music
K.Dhathri
F
5
Reading,Drawing
Shravanthika
F
NA
shuttle, band
M.Thejas
M
8
Chess,Drawing
Shruthi
F
NA
drawing, coloring
Mehaa Rajesh
F
12
Tennis
Sanjay
M
NA
Tennis, Sports
G.R.Vyshnavi
F
11
Piano,Voilin
G.R.Amirtha Varshni
F
7
Drawing
Bhavika Dugar
F
7
Swimming
A.V.R.Siddhanth
M
11
Tennis
Prakalya Balaji
F
7
Tennis/art
A.V.R.Shree Smaran
M
8
Piano
Venil Nambi
F
6
S.Sandeep
M
9
Video Games,Cricket
Prapanjj Senthil
M
9
Cars
Rishi V.K
M
6
Dancing
Udhithaa senthil
F
7
dance
V.Sharvesh Shanmugan
M
5
Drawaing,Football
Pranav V
M
13
Cricket
V.I.Madhurandhan
M
6
Building Blocks
Tejaswini V
F
9
watching tv
V.Laksanaa
F
8
Drawing,Video Games
Anirudh Anand
M
10
music/art
Varsha Manoj
F
14
Reading,Piano
Mohit Kikani
M
10
cricket/drums
Varun
M
17
Reading
Varchas Shivakumar
M
5
cars
Vishnu
M
12
Stamp Collections
Cbe Metro RT 62
Twinkler Name
Sex
Age
Loves
Twinkler Name
Sex
Age Loves
Salem CRT 84
Calicut RT 69 Nikita Siddharth
F M
11 9
Reading Music / Reading Music/ Dance/ Kungfu Reading
Saurav Nakul
M M
11 5
M M
8 13
Cricket Tennis
f f
9 8
Drawing Dance & Watching TV
Afrin Maryam Shreya Shub
F F M
7 9 5
Evan Ritika
M F
5 14
Painting Painting Drawing Computer Games, Painting Dancing
f m m m
5 9 8 15
Painting Swimming & TT Swimming & TT Tennis
f f
11 8
Music Drawing
Rupika Shilpa
F F
11 12
Painting Painting
Shree Harshini
F
11
Classical Dance
Varna
F
8
Painting
S.P.Akshya
F
8
5 11 6 16 13 17
Drawing Painting Drawing Cricket Dancing Badminton
M.Sachin Dev Udhayakumaran S.P.Aathmicka Rishie Nandhan Chinmayee S.K. Sivadhitya
M M F M F M
10 8 6 10 6 5
Drawing, Coloring, Reading & PC Tennis, Squash,Reading , Football,Horse Riding Reading, Computer Games Dancing,Drawing & Music Tabla, Cycling, Reading, Electronics Painting, Writing Horse Riding, Swimming, TV Shows
Sanjana Meenakshi Niveditha Bharath Karthika Pooja Pranav (Sreekuttan)
F F F M F F M
14
Computer Games B.Koushik
M
12
Tennis
Gopika Gowtham Pranav Meghna Akash
F M M F M
15 9 13 6 15
M. Yashwanth Ram M. Ritika Tejasriya R.Hiranmayee R.Krithunya
M F F F F
10 8 7 9 6
Painting, Dance Dance Dancing & Drawing Keyboard & Stamp Collection Dance
Varsha
F
13
V.G. Shambavi
F
11
Classical Dance, Movies, Drawing
Raksha
F
13
Reading Playing Cards Computer Games Dancing Reading & Sports Dancing, Singing, Painting Dancing, Singing, Painting
V. G. Guruharshan
M
8
Outdoor games
Palghat RT 81
Manav Prithvi Parmar Tanya Kushi
Milana Aakash Aadarsh Vijayasankar Nithiyasaai Madhu
Erode RT 98
Twinkler Name
Sex
Age Loves
Cbe Penta RT 101
Twinkler Name
Sex
Age
Loves
Cbe ACME RT 133
Yash Khemka
M
15
Reading, Cricket
Heysha
F
6
Painting, Crafts
Mehak Khemka
F
9
Painting, Cartoons
Aadhya
F
5
Coloring, Puzzles
Astriti Lakshmi
F
7
Drawing & Painting, Dancing
Mayanka
F
7
NA
Aditi Mallika Rajyalakshmi
F
11
Chess, Piano, Painting, Music, Dance
Netra
F
14
Dancing, painting
Aravind Ganesh Pranov Krishna
M M
12 8
Dancing, Basketball, Reading, Cycling Tejas Dancing Harshitha
M F
8 6
Drawing, Soccer Drawing, Singing
Dhuruva SCS.
M
8
Tennis, Guitar, Cars
Mirra Shruthika
F
8
Painting
Taarah Nandanah Menon MANASVI
F F
NA NA
Madhura Manasa
F F
9 6
RAGHAV KRISHNA
M
6
Reading, Golf, Cricket Shivaan
M
10
Art, Music,Riding Music Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Aircraft, Castles
Pravathi
F
11
Art,Music,Cycling
Connoor RT 117 Dhriti Dhuruv Vedant Prachi Purab
F M M F M
7 14 8 7 7
NA NA NA NA NA
Shanmathi Manav Arya Vora Sudarshan Shambavi
F M F M F
8 8 6 NA NA
Video Games, Dancing Music Dance, Reading Reading, Sports Singing, Painting
Marc
M
5
NA
Nishta Meeth Maanya Maansha Rahul Rohit Aashish
F M F F M M M
10 6 NA NA 13 6 15
Painting / Reading Painting Painting, Singing Painting, Singing NA NA Watching Movies
ransform t t a h t s t ugh re the tho ul are the words a l u f i t u a Be tif s and beau Writer and the d r o w o t n i e re both th ormed VIB that inspi pe that the “transf and taho reader. I s inspires Circlers not only to ay t GYOR alw e of their very bes f. iv el blers to g nt but to Life it s e the movem e nths sinc o m 7 1 l tfu 7. n an even airperson of Area e e b s a h t h I office as c ed in projects and g n i m u s s a as Excell ancy lies in each h e l c r i c r Each ea ‘s vib ircler. Let us r A . p i h s w r c fello of the floo e “NEW” VIBGYOR t c a e v i t th posi ibrancy to le India flag alv s i h t d len irc e Ladies C h t p e e k d an ng high. ways flyi Sanjjay a y m u o .S r C irperson AREA 7 Cha
CIRCLING AND I
The word has a different meaning for every Circler. For me it has been a life changing stance, if I may say so. Apart from making me realise my potential , it has given me innumerable opportunities to make lovely friends for life. I have witnessed the Metamorphosis in my confidence from being a new circler taking up Chairperson to Area 7Twinkler Convener in becoming the future ACP of AREA7. I now look at life in a very different aspect altogether. It has also brought about humility and ambition in me. An ambition to bring Circling and my SMALC-91 to greater heights and I know we can do it because our Circle comprises of “like minded” and “innovative Circlers”. So thank you Ladies Circle India, for making us what we are…………. CIRCLING ANGELS……… Article by Cr.Sheetal Chhabria, Area7 Twinkler Convener SMALC-91 Sent by Sec.Cr.VaniSrinath SMALC-91
“Oink Oink” “Oink Oink”... Nope we are not responsible for those missing pigs. Pork is the first thing that came to my mind when we decided on Coorg being our choice of place for our AGM. I Pity the vegetarians, they don’t know what they’re missing. So Coorg it was. On July 22,2010 we started our journey towards the Western Ghats. Kodagu or Coorg as we all know it has a lot to offer in terms of outdoor activities, food and shopping. Misty hills, lush forest, acres and acres of tea and coffee plantation was what Coorg is about. Was wondering whether we would ever leave this place. We made our way towards Windflower Spa and Resort which was nestled so quietly in the middle of the coffee plantations. The 1st thing that caught my eye was the swimming pool , if you plan to jump off it you are in for a dive or you could save yourself by hanging onto a tree. After a short nap we left to “Capitol Village” for dinner . We had the localites playing their music and dancing the coorgi way. We learnt a few moves though we eventually went back
to our very own “Dapang Kuthus”. The meal was sumptuous. Coorgis are biased towards non vegetarians with their variety in meat and pork.
to the lunch part… well why not not go directly to the night when we had Tabler Srikanths Social . We danced the night away hoping it would never end.
Next morning, rather afternoon we left to the Dubare elephant camp. As usual the adults were totally responsible for their children missing out on going to the camp. It was lunch time for the animals. We were late as
Sunday is one day we always long for but not this time. It was our last day at Coorg. On the way to coimbatore we had lunch in Mysore. As we moved away from Coorg we hoped that in the years to come we would explore more of this beautiful place called COORG.
usual. Children
you shall have your revenge one day. We went river rafting. It was so much fun. We were allowed to jump of our boats to float in the river. After lunch near the river we left to our resort to rejuvenate for the eventful evening that was to come. As the sky grew dark the men did their boring jobs of filling their glasses. While the ever enthusiastic women performed a dance. A few of the kids also entertained us with their dance performance. We played a lot of games like Dumb Charades, Dog and the bone.etc All in all a fun filled night. Saturday July 24th , the day of our AGM. We left to the golf club . While our outgoing Chariman Lucky said his goodbyes and gave us such a memorable gift we welcomed our new chaiman Kalpesh. While you know what the rest of the meeting would be like. So lets skip
Palghat Ladies Circle 34 had been making great progress on the Publicity front. PLC 34 has been disseminating Publicity activity through various programmes and through the media. To give the year an excellent start there was good coverage of our AGM in the Local dailies. All major events held were published in
the local newspapers Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhoomi. Amazing Publicity for Ladies Circle India, as there was a photo in these same newspapers of the National President Shilpa Baid and team during the former’s visit to Palakkad. Our Publicity Convenor Cr.Ramya Rajesh saw to it that an article or a photograph appeared in the newspaper twice a month and has gone out of her way to make PLC 34 known to everyone in and around Palakkad.
Publicity initiatives that are worth mentioning are the Charity Boxes that are kept at different business establishments with the name of PLC 34 and its logo. There were also various Brochures on Ladies Circle India and PLC 34 released and distributed. As a part of the GoGreen Initiative, Eco Friendly bags with the name and logo of PLC 34 were distributed to shops in and around Palakkad.
The most priced Publicity drive is ”Vayana Kalari” (an ongoing one), is sponsoring 10 sets of Malayalam Manorama Newspaper to 10 classes benefitting more than 500 students of Rosi English Medium School, Palakkad. This initiative inculcates the reading habit in children which also improves their vocabulary and of course not to forget their awareness of current affairs. Another initiative worth mentioning under the Publicity drive would be “Save Tigers Awareness”. As the 2nd quarter’s theme was “Go Green” we took this as an opportunity to make children of age groups of 4 to 15 aware of “The Truth about Tigers”, a short film by Shekar Dattari.
The icing on the cake was the Road safety awareness week jointly organised with Ghani Honda & the State Police. This was done at Subix childrens theme park with the DIG of Police inaugurating the event & an interactive session on road safety was done with the children & adults. There was also a gadget provided by Honda in which one could sit & drivea play station model, which had a bee-line of children & adults waiting in queue for their turn. The public enjoyed this event & infact asked us where our next event was. This event was widely covered in Malayalam Manorama, Mathrubhumi & sthe Hindu with articles & photographs. The local TV channel ACV also aired a 3 minute coverage of this event. This in short covers the publicity initiative of PLC 34 that were covered during the first half of the Circling year.
Taking into consideration the tips provided by Area 7 of doing Health Camps as a Publicity Initiative, Diabetic camps were conducted by PLC 34 along with Palghat Diabetic Centre. We released 1000 pamphlets which were provided Cr.Tina Mathew, Secretary along with that day’s Newspaper and 10 post- PLC-34 ers for Diabetic camp coverage. The Diabetic Camp coverage was on the local news channel as well as the Local Newspaper. Vision Eye Screening Programme for 400 plus students was conducted jointly with PRT 81 at Technical High School for which the pre-events and post events were covered in the Local Daily, the Deepika and Dinathandhi. Brochures were also released and distributed in association with Trinity Eye Centre.
Yes you are right! The title is a total copy from the book and now a movie Eat, Pray, Love. But then I cannot help it as this was the sole agenda during our trip to Pondi. We left on 19th day of November 2010 to Pondi for our National Fellowship Day. Of course the original plan to leave in 4 different cars at 7 in the morning did not happen as we are all normally famous for maintaining ISTs (Indian Standard Time) and so it happened that we all left at different stages of the first half of the day. Our car had complete stock of food; drink and gr8 company the perfect ingredients to make a fun trip! And that it was definitely! The first evening at Pondi was a totally relaxed one. And for people like me who always has a list of places to eat even before the actual trip happens, it was a great relief as I could tick off one place in my list (incidentally I had 4). So we went to ‘Le Club’ for some
yummmm Steaks, Crepes, lovely cocktails and desert. The desert a chocolate bomb abstained by few calorie watchers was ordered repeatedly as and when it kept breaking or
Raghu MRT 14 room. A lovely nite filled with music, laughter and more drinking which had to be forcefully wound up at 4am.
rather ‘blasting’
The next day we woke up really late checked out and went to GRT where our Inter Area Joint meeting was to take place. And surprise of surprises we were the first to reach and after a pretty quick meeting had our lunch as most of our group was leaving for Coimbatore the same day. But NO not me… remember? I had 3 more places to tick off my little list!!!
their respective
will power. The next morning after a late morning breakfast we left on a city tour. We first took a walk on beach road and then drove through the French quarters of Pondicherry with a running commentary by our very own guide Tr Amarnath. And some of us got off to do some road side shopping, post which met at a quaint restaurant in the French quarters for some drinks to beat the heat, followed by a soul filling lunch at Sq Leg Jayaprakash’s restaurant . We were so full that we had to drag ourselves to the hotel and then to the beds and snooze to get ready for the Social that nite. There were a bunch of enthusiastic few who actually went to the beach and took the kids to the pool! The Social was a total fun time with us dancing away until the wee hours and asking the DJ as always for ‘one last song’. Our host tables from Pondi PRRT 104 and table MRT 14 from Madurai were such a friendly and fun group who made us completely comfortable and guaranteed fun! How could I forget? the social was followed by an after party at Tr
siasm. And even more happy to see them walk away with a handful of prizes. The much awaited event of our AREA 7, The Sports Meet, 98 Not Out was held in ERODE on 11th & 12th of December. The event started with a wide variety of sports & indoor games on 11th morning at Club Melange. All the events went on well as we planned. The highlight of the whole event was the Hand Ball match that was in the evening followed by a wonderful Social with our DJ blowing off the speakers. The next day, 12th Dec, all the events was in C.S.Academy with everything arranged & organised perfectly. It was a joy to watch all the Circlers participated with full enthusiasm. Tablers played cricket on that day. On the whole Twinklers played very sportively. We were so happy for all the active participation in all the events with great zeal & enthu-
Cr. Abirami VC, Area Sports Convenor ELC-78.
Diwali Delight was our mega Fund raising Event of this year. We had Crackers & Sweets Stalls for a week during Diwali . This was a joint event with our Tablers ERT 98. We the Circlers were in the Sweets Retail Sales in Club Melange. The full week was so memorable that almost all the Circlers were at the stall . As we say TEAM WORK WORKS, it really worked very well . We had a fantastic week full of work , fun , chatting & full day joint fellowship with Tablers. The sales went on very smooth & perfect . We were not able to manage the customers because they came in huge numbers to buy sweets & savories . Everyone praised that the sweets tasted good & again & again repeated customers came to buy them. The last day we decided to close the stall because of lack of supply since it was more sales than what we had expected . At that stage we couldn't supply. On the whole the sales were fantastic & superb . Every day we had fun filled fellowship experience . The day before Diwali , we burst beautiful shots in the midnight . All the kids Cr . Savitha. enjoyed bursting crackers in the night after Chairperson that we all shared the Diwali Greetings to ELC-78 one another .
Our Sq leg Tr. Shivbal gave a wonderful presentation about what is Round Table & Ladies Circle. Till date what have we done to the society . After seeing the presentation our parents had a good view on RT & LC . Parent Social was one of the memorable event by our Table ERT 98, which was held in The Club Melange on 20th of October. This social was as special as a festive ceremony where we can meet our relatives & friends, like wise all the parents of our Tablers & Circlers were invited for the social. So many parents were present . This event gave us a chance to know each others parents very well. The parents those who were present had a good feel on all of us & our organization.
Another amazing factor in the social was the Chief guest who was invited has no hands & no legs . We all were stunned to see such a person giving speech to a speechless audience. The chief guest Mr. Krishnamoorthy gave an inspiring speech on life. He said I’m not worried for what I am, have to see what I can do to succeed in life with what I am. God doesn't give everything to all , but should be satisfied with what is given & try to live a successful life.
We have to search within us , any talent will be hidden and that should be brought out . He was very good at drawing & drew some pictures on the stage. Everyone including the parents rounded the chief guest o see his drawings. He sang few classical songs. He earns through taking Carnatic Music Classes . He has been acted in a Tamil movie NAAN KADAVUL. This gives an immense pleasure to write an article of such a great personality like Mr. Krishnamoorthy who is considered to be a role model to achieve great heights in life.
formed to packed audiences across India, UK, USA, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Their dance production Sambhrama The day 22nd of January 2011, will be etched in the minds of many Coimbatoreans for a long time to come. If you are wondering what was so special of this day, then I have to start at the very beginning. Coimbatore Metropolitan Ladies Circle 23 had begun its Circling year with a lot of fanfare. The new team had lofty dreams for the Circling year ahead, many worthy Projects had to be implemented, fun times to be had as well as to replenish the coffers and to blow our trumpets’ loud and clear. All this came together in the form of a single event, an extravagant one at that, to raise funds. Chairperson Cr Lavanya an accomplished and successful dancer and a celebrity herself came up with the idea to give Coimbatore a one of its kind Dance spectacle. With the idea well in place, Abhinava Dance Company from Bangalore was roped in to collaborate with us. They are one of the foremost dance companies in the country. The Company’s’ creative duo Nirupama & Rajendra strive to constantly explore new creative avenues in bringing out the true essence of Indian dance. Deeply rooted in the Indian tradition, their dance has its own distinct style of presentation by fusing ethnic and modern genres of dance. They have per-
celebrates life, nature and the symbiotic relationship man has with the Universe. Through the dance the message that they wish to convey is that of wellness and prosperity to the world. Thus, Sambhrama - a celebration was brought alive on stage on the 22nd. The Sarojini Natraj Auditorium in Kikani School was packed to the gills with music and dance aficionados. The crowd sat mesmerized as the graceful dancers moved fluidly to depict the stories they had to tell. Be it the story of mischievous Lord Krishna with Radha and the Gopikas on the banks of Jamuna or the pining Meera with her all encompassing love for Krishna, or the powerful rendition of Lord Shiva the viewer was enthralled and transported back in time. The dancers further weaved their magic with the amazing footwork. The fusion dance with its colourful and breathtakingly beautiful costumes, with matching jewellery and accessories was a visual treat. The music at times riveting and lilting sometimes was a perfect accompaniment to the dance. Hence for the audience Sambhrama harmonized, healed, united and filled the heart with visions of
beauty. The event would definitely be remembered for a long time. Many luminaries graced the occasion. The foremost being the Mayor, IG of Police and the Corporation Commissioner. President Ladies Circle India, Cr Shilpa Baid was there to share this joyous event. We also had the Past Presidents of Ladies Circle India Shashi Gulati, Asha Bhaskar and Revathy Prasad gracing the occasion. Huge Billboard hoardings were placed in vantage points of the city. Advertorials and articles appeared in the English and Tamil Dailies , pre and post the event. The publicity garnered from this event was immense. The proceeds from this grand spectacle will go towards the construction of a Computer classroom at Okkilipalayam Panchyat Union Middle School at Madukarai. This would help more than 200 students each year. Also, the Circle would be donating for Pediatric Laparoscopic Instruments at Coimbatore General Hospital and Oncology equipments at Ramakrishna Hospital, Coimbatore. This event brought forth bonhomie among the 23ers and the vain lot that we all are, we go around preening for we were able to successfully pull off a Mega programme! Cr. Preethika Balaji—CMLC 23
the wee hrs. By the time we got back to our rooms it was abt 3 30 am. The next day we were all at the apartment till late afternoon as our tablers were getting ready with the seargeanting preparation. "Memorable" would be the right word to start That night the theme was "Halloween". Many with. Yes am describing my experience at tablers were beyond recognition and i had to the"Majja ni life" National Agm which was strain my brains to actually guess who was cos held at Hyderabad. all were in masks,make up and dressed evil!!! There was a dance group and a singer that It was Tablers Ashvin, Kalpesh, Jyotish, Rajesh, night to entertain us all. The dance floor was Santosh and me from CURT186 who had aton fire again with the songs "shila ki jawani tended the NAGM. We left for Hydreabad on and munni badnam"as usual being played over 16th morning all eager and excited. It almost and over again. There was a vast spread of looked like the tablers had chartered the flight food served hot till late in the night. to hyd. We had enough tablers on the flight to actually conduct a meeting on board. The next day i did my favourite thing "shopping"!!!! While the tablers attended the Agm .The Agm session got over pretty much early because of lack of quorum. The presidents banquet started early. We had some lovely speeches by the national president, the and tablers and the other national board memWe then checked in the service apartment had bers after which the party started full on with a lovely lunch nap and got set for the party the songs "shila ki jawani and munni badnam" that night. . The theme was "salsa" and we again alternating.By the end of the third night i were all in red and black which was the colour felt like it was Round Table India s anthem!! code that night. The weather was simply amaz- The bar and food were in full flow and every ing which added to the party mood at The one were having a good time on the floor. Boulder Hills Golf Course.. The music was not bad with the hit numbers of the season "Shila To sum it all, it was one of the memorable ki jawani and Munni badnam" played over and NAGM s that i had attended. over again. The bar and food were on too, till We were greeted at the airport by the Ahmadabad Tablers. The registration process was a long one, we had to sign ,report ,shuttle between a dozen counters there.
traordinary. We knew she would do great things with her talent and she would go places. She did become famous, but not so much for the obvious reasons of her talent to draw or design, but she went places, because she asked herself one day,’
I imagine that she may have asked herself “Why do I exist? Is there something I do that will make some difference to someone’s life?” “Will the world even clinch if I suddenly drop dead?” she would’ve wondered. The sad realisation that except for a few friends and family, Have you ever wondered what you are worth? nothing would be affected and the world Have you ever asked yourself why you exist? As would just go on as it is would’ve shaken her to vague and existential it may sound, these the chore. “No one is indispensable” she maybe the very questions we need to ask ourwould’ve thought to herself. It is a disturbing selves everyday to make life worth living. Sheena moved to the USA as a student in 1998 thought indeed. Perhaps on realising this Sheena may have wanted to do something of I came to such a conclusion when I read about with a scholarship to study art in Parsons New consequence. Perhaps she needed to contribYork; the Mecca for any art student. And then my friend Sheena, who pretty much like me ute in some way to make a difference. She may was a regular woman but unlike me was quite went on to teach there. Sheena later joined a have wanted to create her own ripple. prodigious in the field of arts right from a very graphic design firm as a chief designer. She young age. We went to college together and I was the chief designer for many years and do- Life needs to be lived deliberately. We can’t still remember the ease at which she conjured ing very well for herself. But the Sheena just wasn’t satisfied. She felt jaded in her work and simply exist and disappear, we are here for a images on paper, black board or sometimes wondered if she was another dispensable com- purpose and we need to find our own niche in even etch on the wooden desks or stone or the system that turns the wheel of life. We modity in her firm, perhaps even the world. whatever she got her hands on, graphics, deneed to be grease that makes the wheel turn signs, pictures, cartoon, anything and everybetter. thing. Her art was different, insightful, and ex-
What am I worth? Why do I exist? What do I contribute?
Of course anything Sheena did would be artistic. But here it was the thought to be of consequence that stirred here creative juice...and her talent was a mere tool in the creative process. She conjured up from thin air the Uniform Project. Before I go on to explain what that is, what you need to know is, Sheena is today famous in the whole of USA, as a girl in a black dress. So much so, the immigration officer has granted her the coveted celebrity status to continue in the US of A. The moral of the story: If Sheena could do it so can each one of us. All we need to is perhaps wake up from our sleep walk and think out of the box. Because we need to be the grease that turns the wheel of life. WE SHOULD BE INDESPENSIBLE.
Thus, in May 2009, with fashion as her medium, and education her cause, U.P founder Sheena Matheiken launched the Uniform Project, pledging to wear one little black dress for 365 days as an exercise in sustainability and a fundraiser to supRevolutionize the way people perceive ethical fash-
port the Akanksha Foundation – a non-profit or-
ion and place social responsibility at the center of
ganization providing education to children living in
consumer culture. Use fashion as a vehicle to make
Indian slums. And for the next year, Sheena rein-
acts of charity more inspired and playful, enabling
vented her uniform solely using accessories that
individuals to rise as role models of style, sustain-
were either vintage, handmade, reused or donated.
ability and social consciousness. Almost immediately, Sheena and the U.P were hit with a deluge of media attention. The project was The Uniform Project™ started in 2009 when a young woman realized she was drowning in the doldrums of an advertising career. To counter the uninspired demands of the corporate world, she came up with an unusual creative challenge; to
And to know about the waves Sheena created from her single ripple, read on: Conscious
wear the same dress for an entire year – but, and this is where the real challenge came in, she'd have to make it look unique every single day and do so without buying anything new. The challenge was also designed to be an online fundraiser, raising money to send underprivileged kids to school.
featured in major publications ranging from the New York Times, The Guardian, CNN, BBC, Times London, LA Times, MSNBC, NPR, PBS, Vogue, Elle, Glamour, Marie Claire to hundreds of fashion, culture and design blogs, as well as TV shows around the world. By the end of the yearlong challenge, the U.P site received over 2 million hits and raised over $100,000 in donations for the Akanksha Foundation and Sheena was named one of Elle Magazine's Women of the Year for 2009 The U.P now has an international following of supporters, a few of whom have joined Sheena to form the Uniform Project company. The U.P is now in its second year, expanding its first year model as a global platform converging philanthropy, fashion, sustainability and social commerce into an ongoing mission.