Black & White mag Issue 56

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Vol.4 Issue 56IIMarch 7 - April 6, 2013

The truth about journalism

By Adarsh Madhavan

All about X, Y & Z

People may expect too much of journalism. Not only do they expect it to be entertaining, they expect it to be true.

Lewis H. Lapham, American publisher and editor.

“You people never tell the truth, do you?” So goes my neighbour as he accosted me on the sidewalk next to my home the other day. I went d-uh?! My dog, who I was supposed to take for a much-needed walk, silently bared his fangs at this intrusion.

I am sorry, I said. I don’t understand, I told him.

“We don’t either,” the man, who was in his walking shoes and swanky shorts, tells me. “You guys tell one thing one day and then another thing the next day – who are we to believe? I have told my wife not to believe anything you journalists write,” he said.

But, but, but…I said.

Then, I caught the drift. It was probably the recent news in all forms of the media that seems to have irked him. Admittedly, the news was quite believable and although the media was forced to retract having found out that it was not true, it is no one’s fault.

Truth is not something that can be bought from the supermarket. It is a reality that can be denied but one cannot cover it up forever.

Actually I have got nothing to do with it, but, if you ask me, I would have been doing the same things that the scribes here are doing, I tell this irate man who gets more irritated. My doggie is pulling me to one smelly corner, while this irritated man is pulling me in another direction.

“Terrible,” he went on. “You guys are terrible. You guys don’t know how to write, what to write…when to write…you create lot of disarray in the market. You guys have a responsibility,” he said, suddenly turning to his left and spitting on the road and then throwing a soiled tissue next to it.

I was appalled. But, honestly, I have nothing to do with all of this. You are right that sometimes, you

don’t know whom to believe. But, scribes here and anywhere actually walk on a tight rope because although they may sincerely believe what is told to them, what is the guarantee that whatever they are told is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Blind belief is not exactly a journalist’s positive feature but there are times when gut instinct plays a major role, especially when circumstances are of a varied nature.

As a scribe you face this issue of either being told the truth or being told a blatant lie.

The man stared at me for a long time and then told me rudely: “Cut the crap my friend! You guys are good at defending yourself, but see how much damage the pen can create. You forget that the pen is a mighty weapon, but all of you misuse it. Yes, you may claim that you have nothing to do with the recent sensationalism in the media, but you have a moral responsibility to it. You should have stopped them, or at least contained the damage.”

I stared at the man with mounting frustration. First he accuses me of doing something I haven’t and now I am supposed to take moral responsibility.

My dog began to sniff around more and my hands were paining. What am I supposed to do if wrong information went around in the media? But, maybe, the man was right. I should take moral responsibility.

What if I was in a daily news paper and I was fed the wrong information? I would have done the same thing and I will do the same thing all over again. We are not superhuman beings. In a restricted media environment this is all that we can do, I told the man.

“Humph! You have got excuses for everything except for your incompetence,” the man huffed, puffed and walked away rudely, leaving me in the sidewalk there, unable even to retort.

My doggie, sensing my exasperation, kept straining at the leash, wanting to have a go at the man. I was in a good mind to let him go… editor@blackandwhiteoman.com

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Xclusive

20 Learning ABCD...

A year back, a progressive school in a fishing village in Yiti decided to introduce kindergarten as part of their school curriculum. Black & White chronicles their journey into the world of kindergarten and also highlights the support rendered by Oman’s premium-most charity body, the Dar Al Atta’a, to this remotely located school

34

World without borders

The legendary composer and live performer, who played to rhapsodic listeners in Oman two years back, is all set to unleash his live musical extravaganza at the magnificent 5000-strong capacity City Amphitheatre, Qurum

48

Contents

10 Real life strong!

There are many out there who may have never stepped into a gym but are actually stronger than anyone of us 'gymmers'

Published by: Muscat Press & Publishing House SAOC Black & White Postal address: P O Box 86, PC 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos Office location: Hatat House A, II Floor, Suite No: 212, Wadi Adai Ph: 24565697 Fax: 24565496 Website: www.blackandwhiteoman.com Editorial: editor@blackandwhiteoman.com Printed at Oman Printers March 7 - April 6

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The best exercise

You need a very sane, sober and holistic approach to your exercise.

Of course, routine exercises can be done, but even they need to be done in a systematic manner. It is not a very easy task to achieve and maintain your ideal body shape or even succeed in a weight-loss programme

Editor-in-chief Managing editor Work editor Design & production Advt. & marketing

Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali Priya Arunkumar Adarsh Madhavan Beneek Siraj Priyanka Sampat

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Antarctica trip already enters history books The Antarctica trip by these brave young Omanis seems to have already gone into the history books. It has the youngest Omani to enter the Antarctica and also the first Omani media official, plus the second Omani woman to set foot in the windiest, driest and coldest place on earth!

Fatma Al Balushi, Nasra and Zubaida, Ruwi

Antarctica challenge I totally admire the attempts of the four young Omanis (issue 55) who are currently in Antarctica (at the time of writing this letter). It is not an easy challenge that they have undertaken and I wish them well. It would be great to know their story when they return.

Syed Abdul Khan, Wadi Kabir

Great scope for wedding planners

Reader's column

Amina Anis Al Zadjali’s Tiara will indeed be the first wedding planner in Oman.

So many marriages happen here and some of them are done quite lavishly too. There is enormous scope for an experienced wedding planner to start operations here. Like the story noted, with little or no wedding planners in town, Omani families (who are planning to have a wedding in the family) would really appreciate help from a professional quarter. Tiara’s link with Yours Truly, a wellknown Lebanese based company will bring about a professional approach to wedding planning in Oman. We wish Amina all the luck!!

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Importance of listening Dr Anchan C. K’s was quite a treat to read this time (issue 55). Like he said, listening is a vital part of our lives.

Most of our lives are spent in either listening to our own voices or becoming deaf to other’s. In this world of make believe and in this world of lies and deceit and in this world of arrogance and aggressiveness, it pays to listen.

If we listen, we succeed. I believe that. And thank you Dr Anchan for reiterating this so emphatically!

S. K. Singh, Muscat

Exploits on par with the vision Why are these Omanis risking their lives to reach the world’s windiest, driest and coldest of places? Why, because they are Omanis. Omanis are always known for their sense of adventure and we are a country that has a history of seafaring; adventure is in our blood and so is a sense of responsibility to the environment we live in.

While I congratulate the attempts of my brave fellow folks, I must proudly say that this is what we expect of Omanis.

Our leader has set a great example by taking this country forward. And today, we have reached great heights and are on par with any country in the world in many aspects, despite starting late. We are a forward looking nation and so are our people. And exploits of young Omanis such as these only succeeds in taking the name of our country to greater heights.

Abdullah Hamed Al Hadhramy, Muscat

Mail your views and opinions at editor@blackandwhiteoman.com

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Real-life strong vs gym strong

By Chris Manson

Are you a ‘gym’man? Or are you real-life strong? Are you a gym built muscled bunch of mass? Or are you simply a man into physical labour and your body naturally developed thus? Nature’s creation…natural body…?

REAL-LIFE STRONG CAN BEAT GYM STRONG The reason for asking the above is this truth. The latter could probably beat you in real life combat. Most often than not, the real-life strong could really outdo gym strong. And thus begs the question: isn’t it better to become real-life strong than gym strong?

LOOKS GOOD BUT… In our desperate need to be better than everyone and to have a better looking body than any, we have really forgotten to understand that it is not all about looks alone.

Real strength does not emanate from looks. You may look good, but are you? You look strong, but are you actually strong?

Of course, it is great to have a ripped body, and the exuding confidence that goes along with it.

But, however muscled you might be, you got to understand natural strength is not part of it.

‘S’ (STRONG) TYPES There are many out there who may have never stepped into a gym but are actually stronger than anyone of us ‘gymmers’. It has been found that we cannot really be stronger than manual labourers; those types who work out in the yards, building stuff, working with wood, stones, concrete and the like. The silent, ‘s’ (strong) types.

SWEATING IT OUT IN THE HOT SUN Compare yourself to a guy who is a manual worker (physical work involved in shifting heavy stuff etc) and picture yourself pitting against him in a real battle of the brawn. In all likelihood, you may lose. You may look good of course, and if it is just a body beautiful contest, you may win outright. If both of you compete in any

gym tests, again, you will be the winner. But, imagine competing against him in the hot sun, lifting obscenely heavy stuff and moving them around in a natural setting, or rather in the great outdoors. You might have to accept defeat even before you break into a sweat.

NO COMPARISON Guys like us who were into video games as children, graduating from expensive high schools, colleges and now enjoying cushy office jobs can never match up to a man who has lived a hard life, worked in farms, joined the military or was part of a workforce doing manual labour.

WORK OUT IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS So, should we stop our gym antics and get on to the great outdoors? Start real workouts in the real world rather than the artificial, air-conditioned world of gyms?

Well, why not?

What is stopping you from actually hitting the road, walking, jogging, trekking, climbing mountains, working out in the heat, toiling and labouring in farms – or at least in natural settings?

REAL-LIFE STRONG No, in today’s modern set up, it is not easy to find natural locales, or practically speaking you can’t just enroll yourself in farms to build your body or become strong.

But, if you devote an equal amount of time to the great outdoors as much as you devote time for your gym activities, chances are that you will not only have a great body, but also be really strong too. You won’t just look good, you can actually be good. You need not just be gym strong, but actually real-life strong.

Why not give it a try?

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O

Good bye “my dear” Sir

wall he t ff

By Adarsh Madhavan “My dear,” he would start and my dear self would freeze. I used to really dread the moments when Mr Essa (Mr Essa bin Mohammed Al Zadjali, the founder, chairman, editor in chief of the Times of Oman who passed away recently) “my deared me”. During such moments I would just wish the earth would open up and swallow me, for I never had the guts to face the head of the only English daily -- which I have worked for in Oman -- when he was in the “my dear mood”.

For if he starts his “my dear” that would mean trouble my God for the one at the receiving end. Big trouble!

At the time of joining the newspaper in 1992, I was just an arrogant young journalist hopeful from India. Since I was ignorant about everything, it was bliss. I approached life in Oman in the same manner. I had no clue as to what was happening, but it did not deter me. Of course, I was painfully shy yet I had an ego that would dwarf the most ignorant imbecile in this world and I used it as a weapon.

Since I was ignorant of various aspects of my job, there was no problem – I just went ahead and did it. And I approached life and behaved in the same manner; but, whatever swagger of confidence and conceit I had, all of it would melt before Mr Essa’s “my dear”!

I think someone of my average intelligence and minuscule creativity and sneaky sense of work and unbelievably lazy and laidback attitude succeeded in parts only because of one man – Mr Essa and yes, his “my dears”. I would go to any extent to avoid his “my dears”. For that spelt trouble with a capital ‘T’. Just to avoid being castigated by him, I would do my job pronto and in extra time and this slowly developed as a habit. I had no qualms in facing the many editors who played musical chairs during my 14 years with the newspaper. None. I also never bothered to keep any officials or any biggies of my time in my good books during my stint there – for which I am regretting today, but that is another story – but, if any of them complained to Mr Essa, I would quietly back off. I realise now – I didn’t then – I was a bit of an irritant to some people out there because I gnawed at their conscience by trying to bring out some negative aspects of what they were doing in society. I was not targeting anyone. But when I was let into the big bad March 7 - April 6 12 B&W 2 0 1 3

world of journalism in Oman as a news hound, I was forced to do my job and it was here that many felt that I was ‘washing dirty linen in public’. But, whenever they went with complaints and the like to Mr Essa, he would call me and enquire casually what it was all about. When he was convinced that there was a story and I was merely doing my job and not indulging in a personal vendetta because of some personal/ political reason, he would stick by me. Even if the entire powers that be turned against me, he would stand by me. “What else do you want him to do?

He is a reporter – he is reporting!” he would sternly tell them and even to those in the office who were often against ‘negative’ journalism. I survived all the potshots because of him. Even during the worst stages of my career, especially when I got into a real spot and when even the staff and friends alike either kept away from me or treated me like a leper, Mr Essa went directly to the authorities concerned and defended me. When heads of other departments and those under them repeatedly tried to stir trouble for me (everyone hits you when you are down) he just dismissed their accusations.

But, soon, I realised that I was putting him into more trouble and I was actually contributing to my own demise as a scribe there and so I decided to lie low; sink into oblivion. For that there was no option but to quit and it was at that time, he said in a bit of a pained voice: “Mr Adarsh (he always addressed me thus), you should stand tall and strong as an oak – forget your detractors; forget the criticism – stand tall!” When I finally decided to call it quits and went to him with a resignation letter, he said in an even more pained voice: “Mr Adarsh, you don’t have to leave!”

I wavered, but I quickly got out of his home. I was afraid he would say “My dear…” and I would then have to just tear up that letter and stay put. adarsh@blackandwhiteoman.com

Oman-Japan student forum held at Diplomatic Club In collaboration with the ministry of foreign affairs, the student forum between Oman and Japan held its first event here at the Diplomatic Club. The forum was held for two days and adopted the title ‘Diplomacy: Building Mutual Understanding and Awareness’ and used student diplomacy as a panel discussion theme.

The forum succeeded in its mission in developing intercultural communication skills, exchange of ideas and provided a training ground in event management for all participating students.

A total of eight Omanis and Japanese students were selected for a panel discussion that took place recently in the presence of the guest of honour, Mohammed bin Yousef Al Zarafi, the undersecretary at the ministry of foreign affairs for administrative and financial affairs.

Acting as supervisors of their respective team were Mohammed bin Ali Al Khusaiby, the former ambassador

of Oman to Japan and Zenji Kaminaga, the former ambassador of Japan to Oman. The discussion was lively and essentially reflected the students’ perspective and approach to grassroots diplomacy to across social and cultural barriers between the two countries. A cultural festival was held at same venue on the second day of the student forum. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Muscat Autism Center. Dr Suad Al Mudaffar, organiser, thanked all organising members of the student forum for their dedication and contribution.

Special thanks were given to sponsors: Times of Oman and Al-Shabiba (media sponsor), Muscat Eye Laser Centre (platinum sponsor); Mitsubishi (gold sponsor); Muscat College (hosts) and also SNK Production for providing video recording service and to the Japan Origami Association and Kokeshi Association for their support.

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CBO hosts a delegation

of top bankers

A delegation from Sri Lanka headed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Ajith Nivard Cabraal visited Oman recently. The 15 member delegation included officials from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka as well as the Chief Executive Officers and senior officers from the six largest banks in Sri Lanka namely, Bank of Ceylon, People’s Bank, Hatton National Bank, Commercial Bank, Sampath Bank, and National Savings Bank.

The main purpose of the visit was to express the appreciation of Sri Lanka to the banking sector of the

Sultanate for the strong interest it had shown in Sri Lanka and also to further strengthen the ties between Sri Lanka and Oman, while exploring new opportunities for trade and investment between the two countries. Addressing the gathering, Dr Mohamed Abdulaziz Kalmoor, chief executive of Bank Sohar reiterated the banking community’s continued support to Sri Lanka.

He added that apart from commercial reasons to invest in Sri Lanka, the growing political stability was another factor that had close affinity to the political situation between the two countries.

Bank Sohar has been at the forefront in initiating a climate for investment of excess money abroad after rightful deployment for the growth of the local economy.

Omantel Provides ROP Inquiry Service via SMS As part of Omantel efforts to improve customer experience, Omantel has launched a new service that allows customers to inquire about their traffic violations, vehicle registration expiry date and other pertinent information like their visa status through SMS. This service is launched in collaboration with Royal Oman Police (ROP). Commenting on the service, Sahar Khalfan Al-Asmi, team leader, data and applications at Omantel consumer unit said, "The launch of ROP SMS Inquiry Service comes within Omantel’s efforts to enhance our customers’ with new and innovative services. Customers can now inquire about their traffic tickets through their civil ID number for private vehicles or commercial registration number for commercial vehicles.

This unique service also allows Omantel customers to inquire about their personal/ commercial vehicles registration expiry date and the status of their visa application. All this can be done while there on the go!”

To benefit from this service, customers can simply send a blank message to 90085 and they will immediately receive message that contain instructions on how to use the service. The service cost is 100 baisa per request.

Badr Al-Samaa receives trophies The Badr Al-Samaa basketball team handed over the trophies to their ever supportive sponsor, Badr Al-Samaa Group of Hospitals. The team successfully emerged as the best among other teams and was crowned as “Champions” during the 3rd Basketball Tournament last 2011 and had won the 3rd Runner-up in the recently concluded “Director’s Cup” Basketball tournament. Both tournaments were organised by Filipino Muscat Ballers (FMB) in collaboration with the Filipino Community Social Club (FILCOSOC). The coaching staff and the players expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the management of Badr Al-Samaa Group of Hospitals for their continued March 7 - April 6 14 B&W 2 0 1 3

support to the team and vowed to play their hearts out in every game they will play.

‘The Pioneer…’ to be launched on March 25 ‘The Pioneer, Professor Fatma Salem Seif Al-Maamary (1911-2002): A Historical, Documentary and Academic Study’ will be launched on March 25 at Al Harthy Hall (located near the Qurum City Amphitheatre).

The biography is written by Dr Asyah Al-Bualy, advisor for culture at the Research council. It is translated by Dr Zayana Al- Badaei and edited by Dr Domenyk Eades.

The original version was written in Arabic published in 2008 by the ministry of heritage and culture and launched at the Muscat International Book festival. The 289 pages English

version was published by the Oman National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, ministry of education.

The biography provides an honest account of the life of Fatma Salem and her achievements. It has been produced in order to shed light on the role of an Omani Egyptian woman who ascended to the highest ranks of academia and society. Her biography is furthermore, a valuable topic of study due to the fact that she is an ideal role model. She became a cultural symbol during an era characterised by the pioneering role of women and the establishment of enlightenment ideals, which witnessed the advancement of women in the Arab world. Fatma Salem was therefore, undoubtedly an exceptional woman during the period that she lived in. Her pioneering role was of a special kind, which

is emphasised by the exceptional historical circumstances of her time.

The book is sold at OMR15 and all proceeds go to National Association for Cancer Awareness (NACA). It will also be available there.

Contact: ocancer@omantel.net.om; www.ocancer.org.om and 24498716; fax 24498726.

Jack Canfield Live in Muscat by NPA Events NPA Events will be organising a full day management seminar by America’s numero uno success coach, Jack Canfield.

Canfield, the originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and the featured teacher in the movie, The Secret, will be here as part of the Jack Canfield Live in Muscat event, which will be held here on April 2.

As the originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Canfield fostered the emergence of inspirational anthologies as a genre and watched it grow to a billion dollar market. As the driving force behind the development and delivery of 210 books and over 125 million copies in 47 languages sold through the Chicken Soup for the Soul® franchise, Canfield is uniquely qualified to talk about success.

“This programme in Muscat will enable you to build resilience and develop the core competencies required to thrive and achieve peak performance even in the most challenging and turbulent times. You will learn effective applications of the Law of Attraction, The Success Principles plus much more to ensure sustainable growth and success for you and your organisation. You should have your team, family and friends join you for the seminar. I am sure you will all absolutely love it,” Jack

Canfield said.

“The corporate sector and even individuals will benefit greatly from The Success Principles put forward by Canfield, It shows them the path to success and get from where they are to where they want to be. Rest assured that participants to this content-rich programme will leave excited about the potential they have for their career, their company, their personal life and their success goals,” says Ashok Suvarna, executive director, NPA Events.

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LG Optimus L series LG Electronics (LG) announced recently that an Optimus L Series device is sold every second over the past two months, propelling sales of the popular smartphones to over 15 million units. Since its launch at Mobile World Congress (MWC) last year, Optimus L Series smartphones have become the device of choice for individuals around the world who favor a well-balanced smartphone with a unique design. Building on this momentum, LG will unveil a new generation of the stylish series at MWC 2013 with an upgraded design and improved features.

Jayanta G Borpujari, general manager, Khimji’s Information & Communication Technology said, “The L series LG mobiles are already popular in Oman. We expect

the new Optimus L SeriesII smartphones to be available in Oman by second week of March and it will be available through all the major retail outlets. Customers can call our customer care toll-free number 800-75000 to get more information on LG products.”

Muscat Grand Mall official opening Management and staff from the Tilal Development Company conducted the official opening of the largest mall in the capital – The Muscat Grand Mall under the auspices of Ahmed bin Nasser bin Hamad al Mahrazi, minister of tourism, whose attendance marked this momentous milestone for the complex.

In addition to the minister of tourism, gracing the occasion was the governor of Muscat, Sayyid Saud bin Hilal Al Busaidi and Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, minister of commerce and industry, who were joined by numerous dignitaries and media personnel.

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Muscat Youth Summit mobile exPO OPENS The Muscat Youth Summit (MYS) 2012 mobile exhibition opened its doors to the public showing the culmination of what was a life-changing experience for 200 young people from 26 countries.

In a ceremony held under the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Turki Al Said, chairperson of the Muscat Youth Summit Organising Committee, key partners and supporters came together with heads of schools and colleges from across Oman to celebrate the achievements of the bright students aged between 15 and 24 who attended the Summit last December. The MYS 2012 video was also aired to the audience for the first time shedding light on the various workshops and discussions that took place throughout the four day residential programme.

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Oman Cricket appoints NPA Events as marketing consultant Under the patronage of the Ministry of Sports, Oman Cricket has currently developed five astroturf cricket grounds and one green grass ground in the wilayat of Al Amerat.

A record number of 72 teams which includes seven all Omani Teams and major corporates and banking institutions, comprising 1400 players made up of 165 Omanis with the rest made up of Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans are playing in the domestic league matches which have already started from September and will continue till the cricket season ends in May. In addition a Junior League consisting of 10 teams in the Under 16 category and 7 teams in the Under 19 category commenced in October and will continue until end February. The teams participating are the Indian

Schools in Muscat, Darsait, Wadi Kabir, Al Ghubra and Seeb, Pakistan School Muscat, Bangldesh School Muscat, Sri Lankan School Muscat, Muscat Cricket Coaching Centre and the Darsait Cricket Academy. There is also a Inter School Girls Under 19 tournament which currently attracts teams from the Indian School Muscat and the Indian School Wadi Kabir which is held in January/February.

More schools have shown interest and more participation is expected for the next season.

Oman Cricket has officially appointed

NPA Events, a leading events management company in Oman, as their marketing consultant of this prestigious project and have authorised them to promote, coordinate and execute advertising displays available on the ground such as at the entrance, on the scoreboard, sightscreens, pavilions, changing rooms water tank and other locations for the entire season starting from September to May each year. There will also be branded boards on the boundary line and portable branded flags too.

Alfardan Motors new Ferrari importer The Ferrari Middle East and Africa branch along with representatives of Shanfari Group of Companies and officials of Alfardan Motors announced today to the Omani press the official transfer of the Ferrari importership in Oman from Shanfari Group of Companies to Alfardan Motors.

The transfer of Importership comes after a series of friendly meetings between Shanfari Group of Companies and Alfardan Motors, with the support of Ferrari Middle

East and Africa branch, providing the needed support, facilitating the transition between both parties and ensuring a smooth and complete handover, with the objective of leveraging and enhancing the provided services from Ferrari in Oman.

The representatives of the two companies celebrated this moment amidst journalists, and documenting the transition by signing the formal contracts.

New Nissan Sentra makes a powerful entry in Oman Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, the exclusive importers and distributors of Nissan vehicles in Oman, unveiled the new Nissan Sentra.

The completely new Sentra is poised to become the new benchmark in the hotly contested premium compact sedan segment. This game-changing model will raise segment standards to new highs with its upscale styling, “class above” features and globally recognised levels of safety.

Nissan Sentra is the all-new nameplate in the Middle East’s compact sedan segment. It is however the 13th generation Nissan sedan in its model line globally. The

new Sentra is a modern and charismatic vehicle deriving its strengths through seductive design, unexpected spaciousness, class-defining features, safety and overdelivering on the basics.

Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA) is largely committed to supporting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman.

With a national network of more than 17 showrooms, 22 service centers and 35 parts outlets, SBA has further built upon its legacy of trust, excellent customer service and providing value for money to each of its customers.

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Radisson Blu Hotel, Muscat 'Experience Meetings' Radisson Blu Hotel, Muscat launched a unique service concept “Experience Meetings” This new concept for meetings and events harmonises the meeting essentials: breakout rooms, food and connectivity with the intangibles: service, satisfaction and sustainability. “Experience Meetings” is the newest attractive offering at 255 participating Radisson Blu hotels with a total of more than 2,200 meeting rooms in 55 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “The meeting segment is our key business. “Experience Meetings” provides our guests with a consistent high standard of products and services – from the first to the last phase of their booking – and supports our ambitious revenue generating activities”, commented Olivier Jacquin, senior vice president sales, marketing and distribution at Rezidor, operator of Radisson Blu in EMEA.

Second Cup Oman wins award Second Cup Oman recently received the Best Marketing Award for the third consecutive year, and the Same Store Sales Increase Café for 2012 vs. 2011 title for one of its popular branches at the annual conference in Doha, Qatar. Second Cup franchises from all over the world converged in one city for a chance to compete against each other and win awards ranging from Best Operating Standards, Franchise of the Year and Best Café.

Jannat Moosa, marketing director at Bin Mirza International said: “In the words of John Wooden ‘Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character’ and that is what the staff at Second Cup have proven over the

past three years. We have grown from strength to strength since our establishment nine years ago and have added many new members

to our family, who have shown their commitment to the brand.

The Second Cup Marketing Award belongs to each and every single person in our team who contribute towards our continued success everyday.”

Some of the tools that Second Cup have adopted include social media as a platform to directly communicate with their guests opening up dialogue between the two, and to receive instant feedback on service, promotions and much more. The international franchises’ understanding of the local market stems from their accessibility and interest in better identifying with their consumers.

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Bollywood Sizzlers at Sohar An entertainment show featuring Bollywood Favourites Abhijeet Sawant, Pragya Sodhani and popular comedian Rajiv Nigam, was presented by Jindal Shadeed, at Al Wadi Hotel Grounds in Sohar recently.

Organised by Roar Entertainment, the event featured a blend of music and comedy, providing high voltage performance from all artists who kept the guests entertained all through the evening. Popular stand-up comedian Rajiv Nigam was armed with his notoriously famous punch lines, creating a laugh riot.

Sohar buzzed with action, as the show attracted more than a thousand fans of Abhijit Sawant from different parts of the city. Many were on their feet, tapping to the March 7 - April 6 18 B&W 2 0 1 3

dance numbers from Abhijit Sawant,the hero of ‘Indian Idol 1’,the popular reality show.

In Black & White

In Black...

It is important that young minds are filled with the right kind of knowledge and not filled with unwanted things Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali Editor-in-chief FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE We are all born helpless. We cry out to get the help we need when we are born and in a year we start to walk a little…life moves on a set path and direction as nature tends to take it, but the irony is that we would still not have decided when we need the right things. When we have no ways and means to control the laws of nature, why make laws that cannot complement the way of life? As a child, we start learning the minute we are born, from identifying the mother’s face to capturing all that is around us.

So why should we limit education and schooling to a particular year or age? Learned scholars and religious heads say education is an important phenomenon that starts from the cradle and ends in the grave…

A GOOD SCHOOL IS NOT A BUILDING Education is a perfecting process. It starts from home, and it starts at a very young age. Children’s minds are very impressionable and they learn quickly at ages one to three. It is very important that their minds are filled with the right kind of knowledge they shouldn’t get engaged in any other useless and unwanted stuff. This is where a school plays its role. A good school is not just a building; it is a home of knowledge that secures the future of the youth,

prepares them to live their lives. Education is vital for both societies and individuals. So let us start it at the right time.

Unfortunately the Omani curriculum provides education from Grade 1 and there is not much emphasis on the kindergarten stage. Early learning experiences have a profound effect on children’s development and directly affect the way connections are made in the brain.

We would like to appreciate the efforts of the teaching faculty of the Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taie School in Yiti village, which has taken steps to start the kindergarten for the children of their village. Around 56 tiny tots are housed at the school in the kindergarten sections and Dar Al Atta’a has taken up the responsibility to facilitate the right environment to provide these little ones the best start up in their lives.

YANNI LIVE IN CONCERT Black & White join hands with Dar Al Atta’a to support Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taie School in its attempt to provide a kindergarten school shelter through the Yanni live in concert. There are many well wishers and supporters in this project and we hope B&W will make a difference too.

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Learning ABCD...

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A year back, a progressive school in a fishing village in Yiti decided to introduce kindergarten as part of their school curriculum. Black & White chronicles their journey into the world of kindergarten and also highlights the support rendered

by Oman’s premium-most charity body, the Dar Al Atta’a, to this remotely located school.

Inspired by Dar Al Atta’a, Black & White has also stepped in to support and further this cause. We have now adopted it as our charity theme for this year’s Yanni concert. The Yanni Live in Oman concert, which will be held at the City Amphitheatre on March 21 evening is set to scintillate as the world famous musician unveils his extraordinarily popular music to thousands of fans here. The extra sparkle for the event is of course this charity element, which has also managed to draw socially conscious music lovers to the venue where they can see a great musician perform live.

Fantastic music set to a charitable tone – this is in short what this event is all about.

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“A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I –P-Q-R-------X-Y-Z!” A tiny Omani tot recites the alphabets at lightning speed from his classroom. Some letters were swallowed of course, but Barazan, all of four, chirps out the alphabets in his singsong voice and smiles endearingly at his teachers and us. He is a picture of happiness, flashing two dimples (in each cheek).

His reward? A round of applause!

The teachers, the principal and some visitors at one of the makeshift class rooms of the Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taei School in Yiti village enthusiastically applaud Barazan’s achievement. The latter beams with innocent pride and joy.

Other bright students in the class also showcase what they have learnt in just a year’s time. The happy bunch reel out prayers, verses and other poems with their teachers merrily singing along, encouraging and applauding.

It is just a reciting of the alphabets, or some verses, not splitting an atom, one would say. All school students do that. But, there is much more than that here. For, if not for his school, Barazan and many other students of his age, would have to wait at least two years to learn what he has already learnt. Actually, Omani boys like Barazan, who hails from the nearby fishing village of Yiti would be learning all of this only when they reach first grade.

Because, as the school officials note, Oman’s government schools do not adopt kindergarten (KG I and KG II) as part of their curriculum.

While there are several private kindergartens in the capital area, remote locations like Yiti do not have any. Therefore, children of pre-school age in Yiti village do not have access to any forms of education until they enter Grade 1 but only when they

are around six. However, thanks to the Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taei School, around 60 children from the Yiti village are now accommodated in this adhoc kindergarten. “We have two voluntary KG classes now accommodating exactly 56 students,” Amal Khamis Hamad Al Battashi, the principal of the school, told Black & White.

56 KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS “With an aim to introduce a healthy early education opportunity, we started off the kindergarten last year and have evoked good response from the local community,” she said.

“Currently, we have 56 students and two classes. The children are happy to attend and the parents are overwhelmed at the way the kids are learning. The early education and training will make the children more organised and focussed in the first grade. The students will be better prepared to learn and understand the syllabus of the first grade.

The parents are supportive and pay a small fee of OMR10 per month for the kindergarten. The students are currently housed in two small school rooms and volunteer teachers teach and train them,” she explained.

WHY KINDERGARTEN? Children learn the basics in kindergarten. This means the basics in math, science, reading, writing, social studies, and more. You want your child to be prepared for the first grade and beyond and in almost all cases kindergarten accomplishes March March 7 -7April - April 6 6 3 B&W B&W 2 02 10 31 27

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Amal Khamis Hamad Al Battashi, principal

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that. “If your child skips kindergarten then s/he may be prepared for first grade anyway, but s/he may still be behind. Another reason why kindergarten is important is because it allows the child to become accustomed to school. Then a full day of school in first grade and beyond won’t be a shock,” Amal noted.

BRAIN BEHIND THE KG INITIATIVE Amal is the brain behind this voluntary KG initiative of the 13-year old school. “I have been thinking about this for sometime. But, finally last year, I took the plunge,” Amal explained as she proudly took us and top members of Dar Al Atta’a around the school.

She noted that she had always been worried about the young kindergarten potential children in Yiti village who would be able to enter the school only when they are ready for Grade 1 “So, after taking a consensus with the teachers and other officials, we went ahead and began the adhoc KG classes,” she says with a smile.

The reason for the smile is very simple: She and her school have been successful in transforming a segment – however small – of children of the fishing village into KG students. This is no mean feat as until last year, the village could not send their young children anywhere.

RIGHT LITERACY PATH “The Yiti village has largely low income groups of residents and the lack of kindergarten sections lowers the quality of first graders. Some of the children who get admitted to the first grade cannot even hold a pen properly. This is the reason why we took the steps to create the KG1 and KG 2 sections and thereby uplift the standards. We believe that it has given the young ones the timely boost to the right literacy path,” Amal Al Battashi said.

LIKE A SPONGE Other than the Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taei School, which has both boys and girls, there is also a boys’ school. But both these schools did not have KG, until Suffanah took the lead.

However, the interest level has caught up and parents of the village in the vicinity of the school have realised the benefits of sending their young ones to KG. “These children are actually very smart – they are like a sponge, they really learn quickly so we are now thinking of taking the next step to have a proper building for the KG section,” Amal said.

A PROPER SCHOOL SHELTER This is why we (Black & White), and the members of Dar

Al Atta’a, were at the Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taei School recently. The Dar Al Atta’a had identified this school in Yiti to provide support for them. They had looked into the issue and had decided to raise funds to build a school shelter that could house the proposed KG sections.

DAR AL ATTA’A SUPPORT “Dar Al Atta’a’s effort to contribute towards building a school shelter for the KG students is warmly welcomed by all of us from the school and the village. This shelter will help the children in their first step to literacy.

“This contribution will go a long way for the children of the village. This is an investment for the future. It is very important that the children are trained at a young age and the right atmosphere and facilities will make their school days a motivating experience. We thank all those who worked behind the scenes and hope that this small step will pave the path to a progressive future,” noted Amal Al Battashi.

YOUTH – OMAN’S FUTURE The youth of Oman was the future of Oman, members of the Dar Al Atta’a team who visited the Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taei School in Yiti village, said.

The members, which included Maryam Issa Al Zadjali, chairperson of the board of directors; Nada Al Jamali, head of families, and May Al Bayat, marketing director, Dar Al Atta’a, stressed on the need to highlight the fact that children need to be given the right education. Most importantly, it should start from the right age, they added.

"Children are our future; they are our assets. The right education sets them on the right path.

We feel it is the duty of every single person to motivate and encourage education in the right way, so that the nation benefits. The current educational curriculum locally follows a system of Grade 1 to Grade 12 and does not have a system of kindergarten."

This is the reason why this school (Suffanah bint Hatim school) has taken this right initiative to introduce KG. We congratulate the school and its dynamic teachers, led

by Amal Al Battashi, who has taken the step in the right direction.”

The team also noted that they had visited the schools several times before to explore the possibilities of extending support. “So, when we learnt that they were planning to introduce this KG system into their curriculum, we were all for it. This was the reason why we decided to support the drive to build a proper school shelter for them – the kids deserve it!” Nada Al Jamali added.

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Children are our future; they are our assets. The right education sets them on the right path.

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We feel it is the duty of every single person to motivate and encourage education in the right way, so that the nation benefits. The current educational curriculum locally follows a system of Grade 1 to Grade 12 and does not have a system of kindergarten

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Benefits of investing in early childhood care and education centre (ECCE)

“There are compelling developmental, social and economic reasons for Oman to invest more in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE),” feels Michele Ni Thoghdha, chief supervisor, English, ministry of education.

“Neurological studies show that stimulating environment for young children can enhance the physical potential of the brain and that the plasticity of the brain is at the highest around age three. Studies of educational and social impacts of early quality intervention point to benefits of ECCE in terms of better cognitive achievement as well as social and emotional adaptation by children, impacts that last over the long term.

“Studies of long-term economic benefits indicate that ECCE is a form of investment that pays for itself in returns to the economy and government revenues.

More importantly, early intervention in favour of children from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds can be an important policy for overcoming disparities along socio-economic lines and for creating a cohesive society.”

Text: Adarsh Madhavan & Priya Arunkumar Photos: Ben

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Yanni’s music is a world without borders He has come all the way from London to Oman just to be part of the Yanni Live concert, which is being held at the City Amphitheatre.

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Sultan Rashid Hamed Al Manji, a young Omani who was currently in London came back to Oman “just to be part of the Yanni show”.

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WOULDN’T MISS YANNI “Wouldn’t miss Yanni for anything in this world,” the jovial young Omani told B&W. Sultan Al Manji had walked into the B&W office some days before the concert and although he appeared quite cheery, one would detect a slight flicker of anxiety when he made his entry. He was worried whether the tickets were sold out. But, luckily for him, there were tickets at the time he came. “After this show, I am going back to London,” Sultan declared, adding that he was a very big fan of the world famous composer with magical fingers.

BUZZ PRIOR TO THE EVENT The legendary composer and live performer, who played to rhapsodic listeners in Oman two years back, is all set to unleash his live musical extravaganza at the magnificent 5000-strong capacity City Amphitheatre, Qurum, today. And the buzz he created prior to the event can be understood by the various statements of his fans.

Omanis, expatriates, everyone are united in their love for Yanni.

ALL THE WAY FROM LEBANON A Lebanese group who was visiting Oman was all set to get back to their home country when they stumbled upon a media report about Yanni’s proposed trip to the Sultanate. Quickly plans were changed and all of them decided to extend their stay. Alaa Abou Zaky and his friends who trooped into the B&W office also noted how they were caught in the magic of Yanni’s music.

Another lady of Egyptian-Canadian origin expressed her happiness of being able to grab this chance to see Yanni.

“I couldn’t attend his event here, last time – but, I am going to make up for it this time,” she enthused. Yanni was brought to Oman by B&W in 2011. This was the first time that Yanni was entering not only Oman but any country in the AGCC. ANYTHING FOR A PHOTO There is another couple, who, besides their love for music are also bird collectors. Apparently, they have also missed the show when Yanni came to Oman in 2011.

So, this time they wanted to be part of the show come what may. They also cutely requested for a snap with the great musician. “We’d give anything for a photo,” Dr Vijayshankar Nanjagowda and his spouse confessed.

There are many others. And not just from Oman. Yanni’s magic is that he can draw his fans from across the world.

In short, the experiences of our dealing with Yanni fans are varied, but all have a singular love for the musician.

“Our collective hearts are beating for Yanni,” they note, adding that few can actually pinpoint the real captivating charm of his music. “But in that mystery lies the beauty of his music,” they claim.

WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS Under the theme, ‘World Without Borders’, Yanni, who has performed around the world, including previously to sell out crowds at the Acropolis, Taj Mahal and China’s Forbidden City (he was the first western performer to play at the latter two), has managed to capture the hearts of romantics and musical lovers everywhere.

SOLD OUT CONCERTS Yanni recently played two sold-out concerts at the historic 16th-century Castillo San Felipe Del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a Unesco heritage site. Yanni’s performances at Castillo San Felipe Del Morro represent a 20-year dream come true for the artist. The shows also connect the famed Puerto Rican landmark with other iconic sites that have played host to Yanni’s spectacular concerts.

MILLIONS OF FANS Yanni has brought hundreds of millions of fans and fellow world citizens together through his concerts, with countless experiencing the magic of his music through television broadcasts. Yanni’s contemporary symphonic music has inspired millions of fans around the world.

In concert, his passionate, soaring melodies and lush orchestration has always succeeded in creating a spirited and uplifting musical experience like no other. Yanni’s music cut across borders and always manages to woo the musically inclined with its rich musical repertoire; scintillating soundscapes unleashed by exotic instruments and gorgeously treated vocals and his trademark hightech studio wizardry.

CHARITABLE INITIATIVE Brought to Oman and organised for the second time by the Black & White magazine (www.blackandwhiteoman. com), this year’s show also has a charity initiative behind it. This year, the B&W has teamed up with Dar Al Atta’a to build a school shelter for children in Yiti Village.

OMAN ON THE MUSICAL MAP “Besides bringing a world class event to Oman, for the second time that is, we also feel that world famous musicians like Yanni can help put Oman on the musical map of the world. Yanni and his team are known to promote the countries they perform in and this was evidenced in the media blitz that he created during his last visit to Oman,” Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali, editor in chief of B&W said. “Also, all our events have a charity initiative. This time, we wanted to support Dar Al Ataa’a to build a school (building) in Yiti Village. We sincerely hope our Yanni event will help us in our humble attempt.”

More details on www.yanni.com, www.yannioman.com or mail to yanniconcert@blackandwhiteoman.com

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“Do you have the patience to wait’...

It's my life

By Dr CK Anchan

It is a common saying that patience is a virtue.

All of us want to be good people with high morals. This is important if you want to be a confident happy person. Some of us are flexible, broadminded, adjustable, humorous and patient.

Stop for a moment and ask yourself - why is patience important. It’s just like any other quality, but fit more into the qualities you require to be successful and happy. There are moments when our immediate gut-level response to a situation is a flash of intuition that can be trusted, moments when it’s crystal clear what needs to be done.

But at other times, an experience stirs up, and at those times, patience engages us in the process of becoming still.

We’ll have to accept the reality of life that not all we aspire will be given to us instantly. We need to sacrifice and wait. Things come at the most appropriate time and opportunity. If we have the patience to wait, that opportunity will be given to us just as we need it. But then if we don’t wait, we become desperate and we lose hope, thus losing the opportunity in the end.

While some of us are born patient, others can with help develop this in them. You can over time get over your mood swings and angry behaviour. Being patient is staying calm, without getting anxious. It could be an accident or a work related problem.

Many situations arise in our daily living which can easily raise your blood pressure. Health wise over a long time, this can lead to hypertension and heart risks. Further most things will sort themselves out, only you need to give it time and wait.

Patience is one of the virtues that man need to possess. We may have everything we wanted in life but all of these were achieved because of patience. Patience is what we need especially in times of heartaches, despair, and agony. If we don’t have patience in life, we make decisions instantly and this would lead to a more complicated situation.

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Dr Anchan C.K. managing director, World Wide Business House

Why not change for the better by becoming more enduring and patient? It could make a big difference to your work, family and social life.

Nothing is difficult if you have a mind to do it.

Cultivating patience keeps us from being stuck to preconceived notions, and helps us let go of our fixation on outcomes. We come to accept that we don’t always or immediately know what is best, and learn to recognise that our reality is in constant flux.

Patience elevates our understanding of deeper truths and helps us transcend our limited views.

And therein lies its virtue. Patience is rooted in knowing that our current reality inevitably gives way to change. But change won’t always happen when we think it should, and patience with ourselves comes from accepting that there are things we can control and things we can’t Lao Tzu in his powerful quote states : “Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles, and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving until the right action arises by itself?” We might think of “waiting” as taking time, but it’s actually less about clock time and more about inner space.

When we think we know, we expect to find a solution in the direction in which we are looking; when we don’t know where to look, we remain open to all directions. But remaining open and “unmoving,” as Lao Tzu suggests, isn’t about being passive or lacking conviction. There are lot of committed activity happening beneath the surface -- it takes great effort and discipline to remain alert to what’s happening within.

So it’s time that we take the ownership of being patient, History has time and again proved that people with utmost patience have created history and they have been successful irrespective of the area and background they came from, be it from sports, science, politics, business, art..., any field, the singular strength was to accept and inculcate the true virtue of patience.

By Dave Green

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Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

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Kidstuff

Something

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• Starfish are not fish. Neither are jellyfish.

• Although the fangtooth fish is only a few inches long, it has teeth about the size of a human’s.

• The mudskipper is a fish that spends most of its time out of water and can “walk” on its fins. It carries a portable water supply in its gill chambers when it leaves the water.

It can also breathe through the pores of its wet skin.

• Catfish have over 27,000 taste buds. Humans have around 7,000.

• Most brands of lipstick contain fish scales.

• Lungfish can live out of water for several years. It secretes a mucus cocoon and burrows itself under the unbaked earth. It takes in air with its lung through a built-in breathing tube that leads to the surface. A lungfish has both gills and a lung.

• Seahorses are the only fish that swim upright.

• Some fish, such as the great white shark, can raise their body temperature. This helps them hunt for prey in cold water.

• The oldest known age for a fish was an Australian lungfish. In 2003, it was still alive and well at 65 years old.

• Fish use a variety of low-pitched sounds to convey messages to each other. They moan, grunt, croak, boom, hiss, whistle, creak, shriek, and wail. They rattle their bones and gnash their teeth. However, fish do not have vocal chords. They use other parts of their bodies to make noises, such as vibrating muscles against their swim bladder.

• Fish can form schools containing millions of fish. They use their eyes and something called a lateral line to hold their places in the school. The lateral line is a row of pores running along the fish’s sides from head to tail. Special hairs in the pores sense changes in water pressure from the movements of other fish or predators.

• Since a fish’s jaw is not attached to its skull, many fishes can shoot their mouths forward like a spring to catch startled prey.

• Electric eels and electric rays have enough electricity to kill a horse.

• Sharks are the only fish that have eyelids.

• Fish have sleep-like periods where they have lowered response to stimuli, slowed physical activity, and reduced metabolism but they do not share the same changes in brain waves as humans do when they sleep.

• Some fish, such as the herbivorous fish (grazers), often lack jaw teeth but have tooth-like grinding mills in their throats called pharyngeal teeth.

• Most fish have taste buds all over their body.

Fresh fried fish, Fish fresh fried, Fried fish fresh, Fish fried fresh.

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We have been thinking of it since quite sometime now. Finally, we have taken the plunge to bring home to you some offbeat stuff. Here goes, if you like it, give us the green signal for more; if not, just take it with a pinch of salt. For this fortnight, here is some nitter natter for the B&W Bitter Batter:

Cold cold trip You should have seen the way the hostesses doled out the orange juices. No hello sir, hello ma’am; in fact no words at all. She rudely tapped at the side of the seat and since we didn’t hear, she shook the same under our very nose. Verily! This is in-flight service?

It was cold and we asked for a blanket; it never came.

Later they came pushing a trolley and from a distance one of them asks: “boolan…?” the rest of the word gets chewed off, or is blown away by some mysterious gust of wind. She tried it for three times and the passenger gets tired of it and asked her politely, please, could you tell me what sandwich it is, I did not understand.

Finally, she is clear: Bolognese sandwich, she says sans accent; beef, she adds to make the ignorant passenger understand. Ok. Thanks, but no. This passenger did not want beef. Chicken?

No. Veg? No again.

Our team has been flying to and fro to Qatar off late for business purposes.

And we have so far enjoyed our trips on Qatar Airways (even though they only give out a tiny sandwich for an hour and a half trip; well, what did we expect, a five-course meal? And they have the latest movies, but do not provide ear phones, ha!) but during one of our recent night flight back from Doha (to Muscat) we literally could feel the classic case of hostess freeze in mid air. They

were so cold, so plastic, so distant, and so ungenerous that we just couldn’t wait to get back to good old warm Muscat asap…brrr!

Journalists vs citizen journalists

Nitter natter

It is okay when citizens try to become journalists, but what happens when journalists try to become citizen journalists? There are plenty of seasoned journalists here now attempting citizen journalism, meaning they seem to be showing more interest in writing about general issues of interest (pot holes on the road, lack of parking spaces etc)?

But, perhaps, if they leave it to the citizens themselves, they could concentrate on other issues? No? Just a humble suggestion…

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Driving KJ crazy We welcome KJ, a new contributor to BB. A firebrand, who works for one of the media houses here, she is someone who always – ALWAYS – stands up for her rights unlike other women who run away when confronted by a problem.

However, her experience is mostly road-related.

For example, take this incident where she is on a busy street when a man in a sedan clearly bumps into her car from behind. Although the traffic was slow and they were all in front of a traffic light, the absent-minded driver behind her just came and banged. The thing is everyone saw it; our lady felt it and her car had a dent to prove it, but the driver of the car behind her was oblivious to everything. He had huge headphones on and he was shaking his head in tune to the music and he did not even realise that he his car had bumped into the one before him. He was totally immersed in his music so when our lady got out of her car shaking her hand at him, he put his side window down and asked casually what? The lady told him to remove his earphones and when

he did, she gave him a piece of her mind. But the music lover was quite baffled by the whole thing and confessed that he did not realise that he had hit her. Finally, the issue was settled but our lady still chuckles at the incident and says how careless drivers have become and how oblivious they are to the roads they travel on.

She has more road cases to reveal but let us take it fortnight by fortnight.

Entertainment loaded Whoever has been complaining the lack of entertainment events in town can be happy now. Off late there seems to be a glut in the Muscat’s events calendar. Be it last month’s Shah Rukh Khan Temptations, Himesh Reshammiya concert, Chris Tucker stand up comedy, Yanni Live concert, Akon, Justin Bieber, and a series of self help kings like Deepak Chopra, Robin Sharma and the like…We think we are all going to have a rollicking good time. Entertainment reloaded, hey?

(Note: Readers who have something bitter to chatter about can either email on editor@blackandwhiteoman.com or call 99218461)

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Your TAURUS April 21-May 20

GEMINI May 21-June 21

Find your centre and work with it this week, as fragmenting your energy will leave you tired and frustrated. Kick your inner demons into touch and focus on long term goals that will bring you happiness.

Relationships are stabilising but still need effort applied.

You’re in the frame of mind where you want to stabilise or ground a situation, so you’ll want to make commitments of some sort, be they emotional, financial or professional.

Focus on the legalities of everything and make decisions that’ll have a long lasting impact.

It will take determination and resolve to get things done this week, but as long as you’ve patience and don’t allow anyone to divert your attention, you’ll make steady progress. Think before you speak, as if you come across as abrasive, others wont be so keen to help you.

CANCER June 22-July 23

LEO July 24-August 23

ARIES March 21-April 20

If old career prospects resurface, keep them to yourself for now as there may be some glitches to overcome before getting back on track. If work or personal relationships need attention, don’t waste any time tackling these issues.

Strong unions are your backbone.

Joint financial arrangements need attention, especially where budgets and outstanding credit is concerned.

If its not money its love that blurs the boundaries between you and a partner, so stabilise intimate relationships and work together to plan the future.

VIRGO August 24-September 23 Open and honest communications with those in your inner circle gives everyone a chance to clear the air of recent crossed wires and confusion. Try not to lose your temper if travel plans go askew. It’s not your fault and yes its challenging, but others will realise it cant be helped.

EVA JACQUELINE LONGORIA (BORN MARCH 15, 1975) is an American television and film actress.

Longoria is best known for her roles as Isabella Braña on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2001 to 2003, and as Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. For her work on the Desperate Housewives, she received a Golden Globe Award nomination. She has also has starred in films such as Harsh Times (2005), The Sentinel (2006) and Over

Horoscope

Her Dead Body (2008).

March 7 - April 6 42 B&W 2 0 1 3

stars LIBRA September 24-October 23 Are your expectations realistic? Have you set your sights a bit higher than is attainable? Be careful here as if you over stretch and don’t quite reach your goals you’ll be left feeling that you’ve failed, and you haven’t. Try lowering the bar for a while over money and love.

CAPRICORN December 23-January 20 With so much love in the air this week, its hard to keep your mind on work or mundane matters.

Feeling extravagant? What about a night out for two with champagne by the fire when you get home? It’s been a while since you’ve felt like this so let your hair down and indulge.

SCORPIO October 24-November 22

SAGITTARIUS November 23-December 22

A sympathetic approach will win the day be it with partners, family or work mates this week, so when someone wants to go back over old ground, again, try to grin and bear it. A Saturn/Pluto configuration will help you find lasting solutions to problems by the weekend.

Now is the time to heal old family wounds if there are any to heal, so be patient and understanding even with those you feel have done you wrong. Show others you’re taking the high road even if they didn’t in the past. Relationships get stronger and stronger now.

AQUARIUS January 21-February 19

PISCES February 20-March 20

Your finances are a lot rosier than you’re making them out to be, so stop sweating the small stuff and focus on plans for the long term. Sweet talk your way into getting influential others to get behind you over plans and projects to create powerful long term alliances.

Some self indulgence is inevitable this week, but that’s not to say you should go over the top.

Pace yourself. If anyone gets under your skin, try to manage your anger constructively. There’s no point losing the head. Others are watching and judging remember.

For men X SPRAY $ IUHVK JUHHQ Ó?RUDO IUDJUDQFH VLPLODU LQ VW\OH DQG LGHQWLW\ WR %H 'HOLFLRXV E\ '.1< Top notes Ě&#x17E; JUHHQ DSSOH ZDWHUPHORQ FDVLV DQG FXFXPEHU Middle notes Ě&#x17E; URVH ZDWHUOLO\ IUHHVLD DQG YLROHW Base notes Ě&#x17E; PXVN ZKLWH DPEHU VDQGDOZRRG DQG PDULQH QRWHV

E-MAIL: marketing@albahja.com, Website: www.albahja.com March 7 - April 6 B&W

2 0 1 3

PICK-UP POINTS MUSCAT WADI KABIR Bait al Zubair Bait al Baranda Marina Bander Al Bustan Palace Hotel Oman Dive club Shangri-La- Barr Al Jissah Sri Lankan School NHI Pencil Building (Stationery shop) Al Maha bunk –Wadi Kabir Ajay Enterprises (Khimji) – (Next to Jingles nursery) Hotel Golden Oasis Sana Fashions Al Maya markets – (Old Rawasco) Scientific pharmacy – Opp to al Maya market ( Arab Udipi Rest)

Circulation

CBD AREA TO DARSAIT Al Amana Building materials – Opposite Jawad Sultan Al Omaniya Financial Services office Oman oil bunk Khimji mart shopping mall – (Old shopping & saving) Khimjis Bait al Ahlam- CBD area Pizza Muscat (Opposite ministry of manpower) Pizza Hut/TFC – CBD area Centre point-Splash Muscat Securities market Times of Oman Shell petrol Bunk (Next to Sheraton) OCCI Library – Oman Chamber of commerce (OPP MSM) KFC – Ruwi Oman International Bank – Ruwi Palayok Restaurant – Filipino restaurant Ever ready supermarket New India Assurance Office Al Fair – Ruwi high street Lakhoos Money Exchange, Ruwi High street Damas Jewellery/office – Ruwi Oman UAE Exchange – OCC Centre Air Arabia Office- Shanfari Travels Ruwi Hotel Gulf air building – Gulf air office Saravanabhavan Restaurant Sarco – Samsung showroom Khimji Megastore – Swarovski showroom OTE Moosa Abdul Showroom – next to al Jadeed Toshiba Showroom Al Jadeed shopping Badr Al Samaa Samara video (next to Talentz, old bait al ahlam) after 5pm Ministry of Education – Opp Wearhouse – Ruwi Future management consultants -(opp Toshiba showroom) Haffa House Hotel Al Falaj Hotel Muscat Bakery- Near church Pakistan School (after temple & church Darsait) Naranjee Hirjee office (before Hotel Golden Oryx) Hotel Golden Oryx Bank Muscat corporate office (Opposite Hotel Golden Oryx) Kamat Restaurant Uptown Restaurant Turtles Book shop Al Rima Clinic Lama Polyclinic

March 7 - April 6 44 B&W 2 0 1 3

Oman Air – CBD NBO- CBD area Bank Muscat Bank Sohar HSBC Standard Chartered Oman Arab Bank Harmony Music Centre – Next to OAB Bahwan Travel Agencies – CBD banks area OTTB – Oman Travels Bureau Air India office – CBD next to Costas Costas Papa John Supa Save – CBD Woodlands Bank Dhofar Horizon Restaurant – (Next to Moon travels) Oman post office Lulu Darsait Khimji Ramdas Head office, Muttrah (Kanaksi Khimji & pankaj Khimji) Majan College – Darsait junction (canteen) Indian Social Club Melody Music Centre – Next to ISM German Embassy – Hamriya roundabout Apollo Medical Centre Computer Xpress – Hamriya Roundabout Atlas Travels (Wadi Adai Roundabout (next to polyglot) Hatat House Passage to India Best cars Hyundai/Subaru/GM showroom Al Asfoor Furnishing Ahli Bank Shell marketing office SEAT car showroom- Wattayah DHL office- Wattayah Honda Showroom Sabco Head office wattayah NTT travels Wattayah Toyota Bahwan Advertising – Ist floor – Toyota showroom Lexus Ford showroom Shanfari Automotive Wattayah Motors- VW showroom Khoula Hospital Institute of Health sciences – opposite Khoula Kia showroom- wattayah QURUM AREA TOWARDS AL KHUWAIR Al Harthy ComplexPizza Muscat – next to Sultan Center in al Harthy complex Sultan Center Nissan showroom BMW showroom Muscat Private School Qurum city centre Pizza Hut – Qurum Capital Store Al Asfoor Plaza KFC Hardees Fono showroom next to Sabco centre Shah Nagardas Sabco Centre- Barista coffee shop only Al Araimi Panasonic Showroom NBO Qurum Al Khamis Plaza Al Wadi commercial centre – Coffee shop Mercedes showroom

CCC- Stand CCC Al Fair Bollywood chat Pizza Hut – Qurum Second Cup Nandos McDonalds Salman Stores Jawahir Oman Hamptons Business Services & Travel Amex office Ernst & Young buildg (OUA Travels) Starbucks Hawthorne institute- ELS Fahud Street, opp Qurum park Mumtaz Mahal Left bank Oman Association for the disabled Ministry of education (20 +20=20) Muscat Intercon Jawaharat Al Shatti complex- stand Oasis by the sea - crepe café stand LNG Office Al Qurum resort Bareek Al Shatti Complex Al Qandeel head office -, Entrance of Bareek al Shatti Al Shatti Cinema - Dunkin Donuts Al Sahwa Schools– principal’s office next to Ramada hotel Hotel Ramada Al Muriya Offices- next to Al sahwa schools Grand Hyatt Muscat Al Masa Mall Radio Shack Al Sarooj Complex Shell Petrol Bunk- Al Sarooj Al Fair Ramee Guestline Rock Bottom Classic Institute of Arts- next to Asas Oman Asas Oman Apartments Crowne Plaza Coral hotel Qurum Pvt school PDO Ras Al Hamraa Club Omanoil head office AL KHUWAIR/MSQ TOWARDS AZAIBA ELS – Al khuwair service road British School Muscat – MSQ British Council Oman oil- Madinat Qaboos Pizza Hut Khimjis mart – MSQ Kargeen Café Al fair Family Book shop- MSQ Tavola – Al Noor Hall buildg Starbucks Hana slimming centre – Ist Floor Fotomagic Al Noor Hall Al Jadeed Eqarat office Above Welcare Clinic – al Khuwair Domino Pizza Oman mobile Safeer Hypermarket Mustafa Sultan Souk Technia Omantel Oman international Bank – Al khuwair main office Ibis Hotel

Park inn Hotel Friendi Office Muscat Bakery Tropical Ice creams Subway Pizza Hut service road Ice Skating Rink National Training Institute Golden spoon Restaurant Shell Select- Al Khuwair Mcdonalds Mct holiday Inn Hotel Oman Bowling Center Halliburton Café Vergnano Khimji Mart – Next to Verganano Safeer suites Axa insurance (opp assarain Al khuwair) Zakher shopping Mall PAN Furnishing Harley Davidson Thrifty Al Amal Medical Centre – Dr Bashir Hotel Radisson Pizza Hut Al Khuwair Ozone Video Shop(Next to Pizza Hut) American British School Omar Khayyam Restaurant, next to V kool Grill House (next door) V Kool TAISM Centre for British Teachers – CFBT Baushar Complex Café Aviation Club Restaurant AZAIBA TOWARDS SEEB Lulu Hyper market – Baushar Oman Medical college College for Business & financial Studies opp Oman medical, baushar Azzan Bin Qais school - Baushar Muscat private Hospital Dolphin Village – Bausher Royal hospital Ghala industrial area – NTI National mineral water – Tanuf ( next to Al Madina Holiday Inn) Oman oil Azaiba Spicy Village – Rusayl Pizza Hut – Ghala Oman oil – Ghala Towell head office – Enhance & Ist floor Mazda showroom Mcdonalds – Azaiba Select shell Azaiba Oman Tribune – Al Watan office New India assurance Azaiba office Safeer Hypermart Nawras head office Zubair showroom and Yamaha corporate office(two places)- Yamaha Showroom – close to Zubair showroom – 1st floor Polyglot Institute GU Tech – Beach road Azaiba Chedi Muscat The wave Muscat corporate office NACA – national cancer Awareness Assn MCC – Crepe Café Al Bahja– Mood Café & food Court Al Maya Super market Oman air Seeb office (Below Flyover, before Golden Tulip) Oman Tourisn College Golden Tulip Hotel Air port Select Shell – Seeb Pizza Hut airport KFC

MUSCAT, SALALAH, SUR, SOHAR, NIZWA, BARKA, KASAB MUSCAT continued...

SALALAH

SOHAR

NIZWA

Muscat golf hills, SEEB KOM SQU – SQUH hospital , SQUH 2- canteen, 3Diplomatic Club, 4 – College of Commerce, 5 – Students banking area) Pizza Hut – al Khoud Sultan School al hail service road – principals’ office Caledonian college – principal’s office Oman Foot ball association

SHOPPING MALLS Lulu shopping center Al- Istaqarar shopping center (Salalah) Dhofar shopping center Bab Al- Salam market Al- Mashoor (Salalah) Al- Mashoor (Saada) Al-Khareef K.M Trading Al-Isteqarar (Saada) Al-Hoq super market Hamdan commercial market Fresh super market (Al-Sarat) Union Salalah Market Family bookshop

Spicy Village Restaurant Lulu Hypermarket Jumeirah Shopping Centre Khimji’s Mart Al Salem shopping Centrepoint Moosa Abdul Rahman – GMC Toyota Nissan Mitsubishi LG showroom Sohar Bakery Sohar University Bank Muscat Habib Bank Bank Sohar Oman International Bank Al Raffah Hospital Badr Al Samaa Oman Arab Bank Bank Dhofar HSBC Travel City National Travels and Tours Universal Travels and Tourism DHL Dhofar Insurance Al Ahlia Insurance Taeeger Finance Co Omantel Al Jazeera Group Narenjee Hirjee (International)

OIB, Nizwa OIB, Firq BankMuscat, Nizwa BM main branch, Nizwa BankMuscat, Firq NBO, Nizwa NBO, Firq Bank Abudhabi Toyota OTE Omantel Nawras Khimji, Nizwa Khimji, Izki Muscat Bakery, Nizwa Pizza Hut Discount centre Family shopping Al Diyar Hotel Safari hotel Al-Nif shopping, Izki Hungery Bunny, Nizwa College of Science College of Technic Nizwa Medical College Busmath Clinic Thalal Clinic Omanoil, Izki Omanoil, Firq Omanoil, Nizwa Omanoil, Marfa Shell, Izki Shell, Firq Shell, Nizwa Al-Maha, Firq Nizwa university -Dept of foreign lang Al-Maha, Marfa

RUSAYL AREA Rusayl Industrial Estate Oman Cables Sadolin Paints Jotun Paints Al waqia shoes Mehdi Foods Areej veg oils MINISTRIES AREA – AL KHUWAIR Ministry of tourism(Ghala, next to ISG) Ministry of social Development(next to Regional municipalities, Bank Mct) Ministry of foreign affairs

SUR Al-Hashar LNG LNG, Club Sur Sur Beach Hotel Sur University OTE, Sur Mitsibushi Rawaya coffee shop Toyota Nissan Sur Plaza Hotel Mazda Khimji Omantel Private Hospital, Sur BankMuscat Sur Hotel NBO, Sur Bank Dhofar, Sur ELS, Sur

HOTELS Crown Plaza Hilton Salalah Hamdan plaza Dhofar Hotel Salalah hotel Haffa House Redan Hotel Al- Hanaa Hotel BAMSIR hotel Al- Jabel hotel Al- Nile suite (Saada) Salalah Mariott MINISTRIES Ministry agriculture & fisheries Ministry of education Ministry of defense Ministry of housing & electricity Ministry of water Ministry of tourism Diwan of Royal court (Salalah) Ministry of primary court and justice Ministry of Commerce & industry Dhofar municipality (Baladia) Ministry of man power PETROL STATIONS, BANKS Shanfari filling Station shell select, al saada Oman oil Shell Salalah Bank Muscat Omantel Oman Arab Bank Pizza hut Dhofar University Al Maha souk

BARKA Lulu hyper market Safeer Centre Al Nahda resort Al Maha Souk Oman Oil Rumais Oman College of management OIB NBO Bank Muscat Shell OTE SARCO Nissan showroom Omantel

FREE FORTNIGHTLY MAGAZINE AVAILABLE ALL OVER OMAN ON 7TH & 21ST

20, 500 COPIES (BEING AUDITED) Circulation enquiries: 98675976/24565697

March 7 - April 6 2 0 1 3 45 B&&W B&W

Chicken Bicol Krystel Ann B. Sakai

Ingredients 3 large boneless chicken breast, cubed 1 tbsp shrimp paste 1 small onion, chopped 4-5 green and red hot chillies, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 thumb size ginger, chopped 1 can (1 1/2 cup) coconut milk 1/4 cup spring or green onions, chopped salt and pepper to taste cooking oil

March 7 - April 6 46 B&W 2 0 1 3

Method Add cooking oil to a preheated pan. Saute onion, garlic and ginger until soft and fragrant. Put in chicken and saute for a few minutes until light brown. Season with shrimp paste and pepper. Stir until well combined. Pour in coconut milk and stir. Simmer over medium low heat for at least 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the sauce thickens. Sprinkle in the spring or green onions and stir until well combined. Turn off heat.

Serve and enjoy!

Simple

Biscuit Pudding Ingredients: Digestive Biscuits - 1 pack Milk - 1/2 cup Sugar - 5 to 6 tbsps Whipping cream 1 packet Nestle cream 1 tin Coffee decoction -use 1-2 tsps of instant coffee with 3-4 tbsps of warm water Nuts or chocolate chips or mm-For garnish Method: Soak the biscuits both sides in the coffee decoction ( you can add a little milk to the decoction) Put a few soaked biscuits in a serving bowl as a layer Blend whipping cream, milk, nestle cream and sugar to taste (5 to 6 tbsp) together in a blender Pour some of the blended cream mix over the biscuits.

Next layer put some more of the soaked biscuits Then again pour the cream to cover the biscuits Continue making layers of biscuit, then cream, then biscuit and then cream again till it gets over Garnish with nuts or chocolate chips or MM gems Refrigerate for 4-5 hours and serve chilled!

Simple biscuit pudding is ready to be served. Simple and easy.

Vijayalakshmi Shetty

March 7 - April 6 2 0 1 3 47 B&W

The in the world…

Shape n sound

Forget all that has been said before about exercises. Forget everything you know about exercise. Now, with a clear mind, having swept away the cobwebs of your past workouts, why not start all over again?

Before we even take that first step, let us also understand that at this moment the best exercise in the world is the one that you are NOT doing.

March 7 - April 6 48 B&W 2 0 1 3

DONE THIS, DONE THAT “But, I am doing every exercise in the book,” you may argue. And you are right. You are doing quite a lot of exercises. And you are also working very hard for many hours. But, who told you that the exercises that you do are the right ones? Have you gone through a system that enabled you to understand what exactly you need to lose or gain weight? You haven’t? And that is simply why your exercise regimen is not bringing you the desired results.

NOT AS FAST AS YOU WANT Yes, you are losing weight. But it is not happening as fast you would want it to. The reason is just this: you are working on the wrong game plan. Maybe there are other genuine reasons that you are not losing weight or not getting to be fit the way you want yourself to be.

However, research has found that the prime reason that many women are not able to reach their desired fitness levels, despite proper exercise is because they are doing the wrong thing again and again. They are repeating the same mistakes.

GET A FITNESS COACH And what about you? Are you repeating the same mistakes? The only way to find out is to approach a fitness coach. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t baulk at the idea because you may be under the impression that only the rich and the famous can have their own coach. You do not have to employ one, but you can just consult him/her at one; or maximum two times. Get a simple work plan based completely on a diet including stringent work outs. Do not get afraid and do not lose hope in your attempts. It is not going to be a mountainous task.

THE HEALTH TRIO Every gym in town will have an instructor; health instructors are not hard to find. But to get a real 360 degrees approach to a real fitness plan, an instructor alone is not enough for you â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you need a dietician and

also a doctor. The latter is required because you need to be sure that the exercises that you are going to do would be according to your body requirements. You should not overdo it and cause unwanted harm to your body.

HOLISTIC APPROACH This is why you need a very sane, sober and holistic approach to your exercise. This piece is not about what type of exercise you should be doing because you are yet to find the correct one for you. Of course, routine exercises can be done, but even they need to be done in a systematic manner. It is not a very easy task to achieve and maintain your ideal body shape or even succeed in a weight-loss programme.

COCKTAIL PLAN Exercise works. But it has to be supplemented with other methods of diet, a proper food plan, yoga and meditation.

It a cocktail of these essentials that drive you to success in whatever you want to achieve on the weight loss or ideal body shape front.

NO ONE SINGLE SOLUTION Otherwise, all attempts, strenuous exercise, limiting meal portions, skipping breakfast, avoiding fast foods, skipping ice creams and sweets will not work. The trick is to understand that if you are looking for one key to open all doors to a heavenly body and figure, you will find yourself locked out of the fab fit world.

Poem $ JODPRURXV Ó?RUDO IUDJUDQFH VLPLODU LQ VW\OH DQG LGHQWLW\ WR 6FDUOHWW E\ &DFKDUHO Top notes Ě&#x17E; MXLF\ FLWUXV WHD OHDYHV DQG KRQH\VXFNOH Middle notes Ě&#x17E; ULFK MDVPLQH DQG VZHHW KRQH\ Base notes Ě&#x17E; VPRRWK ZRRGV DQG PXVNV

E-MAIL: marketing@albahja.com, Website: www.albahja.com March 7 - April 6 B&W

2 0 1 3 49

Shape n sound March 7 - April 6 50 B&W 2 0 1 3

By Mary Allen

Women all over the world are making a concerted effort to improve their work lives. But, experts claim that whatever they do, they need to have a drastic change in their attitude if they really want to progress. Most of them time women know what they want and how to get it, but then, there are also those who do not know what they want and often waste their time trying to find ways and means to get it.

GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING The toughest challenges remain in creating time for business priorities.

So, let us look at how we can change our attitude to better our prospects.

Everyone would say that we should adopt a strong, aggressive makeover.

I beg to differ. We are women; human beings. And we are wherever we are because of a higher power…bearing all of this in mind, let us try to adopt a new attitude structure. A simple policy to adopt is to be forever grateful for all that you have now and all that you have achieved so far. Be grateful that you are alive and that you are well; be grateful for having wonderful family and friends – remember there are many out there who are alone and simply don’t have anyone.

This feeling of gratitude should be all enveloping as that would give you the base from where you should start anew with this changed attitude.

Adopting a spiritual stance will not put you into any harm. Feeling grateful for what you have will not throw you off track or soften your attempts at success in any field.

But once you begin feeling grateful, slowly you will find your eyes opening in various ways. You will find yourself broadening your horizons and also working from a very new positive perspective. Life opens various new possibilities for those who appreciate it. The more you dislike it, the more you complain and the more you find fault in the world, you will move around with the same attitude and the sky will open up with all possibilities.

SPIRIT OF OPTIMISM In the same breath, let me tell you that

this mood will help foster a spirit of optimism in you.

When you are optimistic, you are smiling, cheerful and happy. Who does not want to be happy? The whole world is running after happiness but why can’t we simply look within?

Why can’t we be grateful, why can’t we have faith in ourselves and most importantly, something greater than ourselves and why can’t we be happy?

When you are happy, it will also be a chance for you to be sincerely loving towards everyone you are with and even those whom you are meeting for the first time. No, this is not about being saints and showing the other cheek, but to simply walk with a developed aura of happiness, love and gratefulness.

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY Also adopt a heart that always seeks knowledge and truth; believe in honesty and practice it. But, where is this all driving you? You want to improve your work life, right? What has all this got to being a better achiever?

Very simple. You become a better person, you also become a better worker; better achiever.

SOUND VALUE SYSTEM A better person doesn’t mean you let go of opportunities and make everyone treat you like a doormat. Nor does it mean that you let go of that chance to ask for a promotion or let someone snub you or treat you like a worm.

By being a better person means having a sound value system with which you can climb the ladder of success anytime, anywhere.

March 7 - April 6 2 0 1 3 51 B&W

Whooo…Man!!

Vandana, award winning author (‘360 Degrees Back to Life')

By Vandana Shah

Kalpana Chawla,Shobha De,Priyanka Chopra,Chanda Kochhar,Indira Nooyi,Monisha Kalteborn, Anshu Jansenmpa,Indira Gandhi,Queen Elizabeth,…..the list is endless. If I sit down to write all the names I’ll probably be writing way after March 8, International Woman’s Day, comes and goes, and... I’ll be still adding more names to this limitless list.

Space, accountancy, corporate ladder, films, books, imprint with publishers, ruling countries and kingdoms, Formula One Management, scaling Mt. Everest not once but twice in a fortnight. Is there any summit that has been left unconquered by women? Courage, confidence, excellence, acumen, and most of all the fabulous ability to multitask have helped women storm to the top even in spaces reserved as “bastion of men”.

When I read about the how women were not allowed to vote or work outside the house, because they were thought to be dumb, I rejoice in my view of the world which was shaped by a progressive father where the currency of success was minted through hard work and brilliance and being a girl was no excuse for not doing well.

I am hopeful and confident that the dark history that shackled women is relegated to the dustbins and women all over the world, my sisters everywhere, will fearlessly somersault to the top.

As for the men, talk to me baby, the day you can carry a child in your womb for nine months.

It's my life

Hugs to my sisters and the men who have supported us!

Vandana Shah, Author 360 Degrees Back To life, editor of Ex-Files. www.vandanashah.com.

Email me what you’d like to say on 360degreesbacktolife@gmail.com Follow me on twitter Vandy4PM

March 7 - April 6 52 B&W 2 0 1 3

Black & White 52

Thank you sir!

Hooked

By Priya Arunkumar We are human beings with intelligence, not sheep, Mrs Priya.

We don’t need paths; we need to make our own trails, he had said.

It was a very long way back in 1995.

Sitting in front our chairman, I was as nervous as anyone else could be.

I was just a junior copywriter, who knew nothing about management, coordination or marketing.

Here I was sitting across the table with the boss, listening to him explaining the whole complex process of organising the quiz in three simple steps.

First, look for the venue and permissions, second call up all the schools, you can even write to them. And third is publicity and marketing, I can give you a team member in sales for that. There the event is done, he smiled at me.

Sir, I stammered, I do not know anyone in town yet, am new to Oman.

And I haven’t done any events yet!

I can only write.

No one is born with a particular job portfolio Mrs Priya, all of us learn.

Have an open mind, if one person can do it, so can you. You are a lady, have you not organised a party at home, a birthday party, a wedding party, anything… even a get together? Ladies are better event organisers; they can make anything look beautiful. Any event is that. Simple as you make it. Or complicated as you make it!

Here let me help you start right away…

I will book the venue, get you the permissions, balance make your own path.

Here you go… he made couple of calls and grinned at me. Half your job is done; you have to pay me now.

Yes, it did sound very easy.

You choose one of your team members from the media sales team… well, I said Bejoy.

Good luck to you and Bejoy. I am confident that you both will do well.

He got up to leave, and once again reminded me… remember the sheep.

Sheep are followers. If one sheep moves, the others will follow even though it may not be the right decision. If the lead sheep jumps over a cliff, the others are likely to follow. Most of the time, we are followers. We follow what other people are doing, even though it may be detrimental to us.

Don’t be a follower. Be a leader… we can set our own path!

There… we ventured in to the world of events, me and Bejoy, not knowing anything other than how to make proposals. My first step in to the world of events, difficult as it was, there were no readymade models or shortcuts. Adjusting to a new job can be a daunting challenge, whether you took the new job by choice or out of necessity. I can tell you, It has been an incredible journey since 1995.

Today, sitting on my table, planning one of the most sought after global event –Yanni live in concert, I am overwhelmed that without my beloved chairman, I would never have entered this world of events; leave alone execute world class events.

Almost everything I learned in my career, I learned from him, from the small lesson, money saved is money earned to the fact of life: how to say no!

I frequently made mistakes on the supplements and special features I did, and he would admonish me saying if only you had learned to say no, you would not have overloaded yourself in to committing what you could not deliver!

Learn to say no, know your limitations, but don’t accept the limitations.

We all can fly, if we wanted to…

Every new step I take in my career, I stop for a moment to say: Thank you Mr Essa! priya@blackandwhiteoman.com

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