FWD Life April 2013

LIFESTYLE TRAVEL LEISURE ENTERTAINMENT LOUNGE

PREMIUM LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

g weddin l specia

www.fwdlife.in ISSUE 06 VOL 02 APRIL 2013

` 50

Matches made of money dowry system in kerala

8 WEIRD WEDDING RITUALS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT

GREEK Goddess

MAKEOVER

BHAMA S BRIDAL AVATAR

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editor’s note MY PICK

share our experiences

maKEOVER

Bridal

Avatar

Photographer Anson antony Model Bhama Make up & Hairstyle Renju Styling & Designing Achu Assisted by Smiji k t Co Ordination Maxxo Creative

Bridal lacha -bridal lacha is richly handworked with zardosi and stone work .applique work is also used .fabric used is net 30

APRIL 2013

MOST HAPPENING PARTIES AND EVENTS

Amen Audio Launch

Changing roles, shifting traditions T

Editor Abraham Tharakan

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The evening was perfectly set for the audio launch function, which was a star-studded affair. The celebrities spotted at the event include actors Indrajith, Swati Reddy, Natasha Sahgal, Rachna Narayanankutty and singers Vijay Yesudas, Biju Narayanan, music composer M. Jayachandran, producer Sudeep Karat and directors Rajeev Nath, Hari Kumar among others.

Main Cast Indrajith Fahadh Faasil Swati Reddy Natasha Sahgal Rachana Narayanankutty Behind the sCene Producer: Fareed Khan Direction: Lijo Jose Pellissery Written By: P. S. Rafeeque Cinematography Abinandhan Ramanujam Music: Prashant Pillai

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travel destinations

he introduction of the Internet has vast implications on traditional practices like arranged marriages in India, where arranged marriages are crucial in reinforcing the social structure of society. Online personals have been remarkably successful in the Western World and have been emulated in other cultural contexts. Indian youth is silently bringing in a social change by adopting the online personal concept.It reaches beyond the principles of endogamy and conditioning to an extent. Many new companies like ibluebottle, mymitraare formulated as a solution to the frustration with existing matchmaking services. These websites are quite different from the online matrimonial services like shaadi.com that mirror existing social practices. The algorithms of these new gen websites matchesmembers on the basis of personality and eliminates the requirements of caste, community, religion and horoscopes. In a society where dating itself is a taboo, these matchmaking services will fill in the gap left by the absence of social networks.

aUdiO LaUnCh The audio launch of new Malayalam film Amen was held at a five-star hotel in Kochi recently.

Here are some of the ‘melodious’ moments at the event.

2013 APRIL

101 Days to

Wedding Tips To avoid lasT minuTe wedding planning misTakes

S

tarting a new life, be it with your sweet heart after a year of convicting your parents or with the one your folks picked up from the matrimonial market, it is an exciting and momentous affair. But for making this occasion grand, an organised approach is necessary. So for running a show that is next to perfection, right from food to invitation,

finance to photography, follow FWD’s wedding guide.

tiPs to FolloW deCiding the Wedding date

Quick read Wedding Venue It depends on the theme, the expected number of guests and also whether to go in for an indoor or outdoor arrangement.

Check the seating capacity, parking space, fire safety, power backup. Visit the venue two days prior to the wedding.

Catering and Floral deCor Inspect cutlery and crockery, proficiency in car service, hygiene and never miss out to check the sample food menu.

And when it comes to flowers, specify the kinds you wish to have for the decoration.

5 Months to the Wedding

tiPs to FolloW serViCe ProViders Talk to a caterer, wedding photographer, florist, DJ, stylist and be good at negotiating for a fair deal. Or to make things easy fix an appointment with an event manager.

PhotograPhy As they are precious moments book in advance.

Inform them the date and time of wedding and the kind of shots you will like to have. Better if a family member could assist the photographer while clicking pictures. aCCommodation and transPortation For guests Make hotel reservations in advance or if they are to be put up in apartments, ensure the service of a cook and laundry facilities.

Hiring cars for guests’ transportation should also be kept in mind.

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Visualise your wedding theme and list out the genre of music to be played

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Start your jewellery and trousseau shopping

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Decide on your honeymoon destination and if travelling abroad check your visas, passports and medical clearance.

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Start a beauty regime

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Decide on what gifts to be given for guests in return

1 Week to the Wedding

1 Month to the Wedding

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Final confirmation of all reservations

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Confirm all reservations

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Handing over final guest count to the caterer

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Pre-bridal/groom makeover

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Packing your honeymoon suitcase

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Visit a spa for a complete relaxation

List of photographs to be taken

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Usually it’s the pundit or the elders who decide the auspicious date and time, but now it is a more special person in their life who indirectly decides the date…..their boss.

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FinanCe and Wedding

Last minute alterations on your wedding attire Checking if all have received the invitation card

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Make order for the special wedding cake

Illegal thoughts if you guessed it to be dowry. It’s about planning the wedding budget. For help take references from friends’ and family who have recently conducted weddings.

PrePare the budget list Prepare a list of urgent and optional items and keep aside an approximate amount for each of those requirements and some amount for uncertain expenses. But before all these, better for the families to decide on the share each needs to pool in for their children’s wedding. guest list and inVitation Cards Compile a list of invitees and when it comes to your customised wedding cards; don’t forget to place a small map of the venue. And post cards to far off invitees weeks ahead.

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I would love to know what you think of the magazine.

E-mail me at abraham@fwdmedia.in

CONTENTS LIFESTYLE TRAVEL LEISURE ENTERTAINMENT LOUNGE

PREMIUM LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

APRIL/2013

exclusive Set a good example

www.fwdlife.in ISSUE 06 VOL 02 APRIL 2013

` 50

Matches made of money

weddingl specia

dowry system in kerala

8 WEIRD WEDDING RITUALS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT

26

GREEK Goddess

MAKEOVER

BHAMA S BRIDAL AVATAR

Behind the Scene

Photographer Anson Antony Model Bhama Make up & Hairstyle Renju Styling & Designing Achu Assisted by Smiji K.T Co-ordination Maxxo Creative

Matches made of money

Dowry is a social evil that needed to be addressed appropriately. FWD Life traces the current scenario

from 14 notes all over

wEIrd wedding 98 8rituals

96 Discovering ‘Marriage

A round-up of major news, launches and gossips in April

Check out some of the most bizarre wedding traditions from all over the world

It’s time for summer vacation.

Read a few things you should take care of before you set off

FWD LifeTakes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs or material. All photographs, unless otherwise indicated areused for illustrative purposes only. Views and opinions expressed in the articles are of the authors subjects and do not necesserally reflect those of the editors or publishers. While the editors do there utmost to verify information published, they do not accept responcibility for its absolute accuracy. In matters which may be sub judice, femina takes no legal stand. FWD Life can not be held responsible for products, product information, pictures, illustrations, etc Any information received by us through responses by users / subscribers to the short messaging services (SMS) key codes or such other subscription service of ours will be used in whole or part, in our publications (other than contact information), for our research, individual marketing, strategic client analysis and for other internal purposes and all copyrights in such information will vest with us. Your contact information shall not be sold traded, rented or in any way divulged to any third party unless we are legally bound to do the same.

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lifestyle 34 Planning the Big day Chat with one of the premier wedding planners about how to plan for the wedding day

42 Tracking a go-getter Seventy-five-year-old athlete Prof Vijayalakshmi is a real champion in Masters Athletics at 80 life startup village

Highlighting techies’ life and a report on major happenings at startup village South Indian

54 Wedding Etiquette

Etiquettes are part of every wedding, it can make every event memorable or spoil it

68 Artfully Articulate An office that amalgamates functionality as well as aesthetics par 74 taste excellence

Six restaurants in town reveiwed on the basis of their ambience , service,dishes

GREEK Goddess

design

chat

55 Designs to desire

Days to 60 101 Wedding

cover 40 Fwd launch party

Antique jewellery designs have a legion of patrons everywhere

Tips to avoid last minute wedding planning mistakes

Report on the Cover launch party of FWD Life magazine held at Hotel Dream, Kochi

lounge

Wedding 62 Dream at God’s Own Ambience

Meet Ross and Christy and read more about their 3 day grand wedding affair at the serene backwaters of Allappuzha

96 wtf survey FWD Life readers respond

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in focus

Twining Success

38

FWD Life Catches up with the promoters behind Kilipoyi Siby Thottupuram and Joby Mundamattom

LIFESTYLE TRAVEL LEISURE ENTERTAINMENT LOUNGE

Chief Mentor Padma Shri Mammootty Corporate Office Director Sony Joy Forward Media 9th Floor Director & CEO Arun Balachandran* Bhageeratha Square Editor Abraham Tharakan Banerji Road, Cochin- 682 018 Vice President Sameer Hamsa Legal Advisor Adv. Aginov Mathappan Zonal Office Features Editor K.R. Rejeesh Forward Media Features Writer Thabitha Marion 1006 -Ivory Court 1, Essel Towers, M.G Road, Gurgaon, Contributing Copy Editor Anoop Sankar Haryana-122002 Creative Consultant Subin Beats Contributors V Create Media, Thrissur Forward Media Creative Head Sreerag Vinod Flat No.7, 4th Floor Layout Assistant Pramod Chandra Dhanush Kutti Co- Op Housing Photographers Jinson Abraham Society, 15th Road Bandra West, Mumbai 400050

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Nidhin Bose Printed at Circulation Babu.G S.T Reddiar & Sons (EKM) Circulation assistant Eby Accounts Manager Nithin Viswanathan For Advertising Business Ashik Abdullah info@fwdmedia.in +91 98090 10111 Aniruddhan Rajan Anu Justin Finance Office Assistant K.R. Digith

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All rights reserved. FWD Life is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reproduced fully or in part without permission. All inputs, text, image or illustration, are accepted on the understanding that no liability is incurred. All characters in any fictional story are purely imaginary and no references or allusion is intended to apply to any living person or persons.

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Notes From Allover news A glance through the major happenings in April.

gossips Know the latest from the showbiz industry in case you missed it!

launch New ventures and products are being featured for your info.

Baskin-Robbins Launches Flagship Store at Lulu Mall Yusurf Ali M.D EMKE Groups inaugurated Baskin-Robbins store at Lulu Mall Food Court, today at Kochi. Speaking at the occasion he commented “It is great to have the international ice cream brand Baskin-Robbins opening at Lulu, Kochi. I am sure it would be one of the most sought after place at the food court” .This store is uniquely designed according to the Happy 1.0 model formulated by the company.“ All Baskin-Robbins Customers have a great reason to turn up here month after month as each month will have new ‘flavor of the month’ other than their existing 57 flavors,” says Sameer Hamsa, Director Youniverse Ventures, who owns the store at the Mall.

HOT NEWS Mollywood shines at National Film Awards

Malayalam Cinema won 15 awards at the 60th National Film Awards. Ustad Hotel won the best popular film.

Anjali Menon won the best dialogue award. Kalpana got the best supporting actress award for Thanichalla Njan. Celluloid is the best Malayalam film.

Spirit won best feature film for national integration, Biji Bal was recognized for best background score Lal won special menton for Ozhimuri.

I love being single: Selena Gomez

Mahindra launches e2o The Mahindra Group launched its first electric car e20 priced at Rs 5.96 lakh almost three years after it acquired Bengaluru-based electric car maker Reva. The company promises a running cost of 0.50 paise per km, nearly one tenth of a petrol car and about a fifth of a diesel car. The vehicle uses a lithium ion battery and promises a run of 100 km on a single charge. The e20 has a maximum speed of 81 km per hour and requires an electricity charge for five hours for a full run. Mahindra officials said they expect monthly sales of 500 units to begin with.

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Selena Gomez revealed that she is absolutely enjoying being single. The Wizards Of Waverly Place actress, who appeared on chat show Chelsea Lately recently, was asked if she was happy single. “Yes, I really am,” a website quoted her as saying. The 20-year-old singer, who was busy promoting her latest flick Spring Breakers.

tit bits Woods, Vonn are dating Golfer Tiger Woods and Olympic skiing champion Lindsey Vonn have confirmed they are dating. Woods released a statement and photographs of the pair on his website and Facebook page before Vonn posted similar messages on her social media accounts. Vonn also posted a note and pictures on her Facebook page, confirming rumours they were romantically linked. Woods, a winner of 14 golf majors, divorced from his Swedish wife, Elin Nordegren, in 2010 after a highly-publicised sex scandal in which he admitted to infidelity. Vonn divorced from her husband Thomas Vonn in January.

Ambani bro ink Rs 1,200 cr deal Billionaire Ambani brothers struck a Rs 1,200 crore deal wherein Mukesh will use his younger sibling’s optic fibre network for launch of his telecom venture. Under the pact, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries’ telecom arm will hire nationwide optical fibre network of Reliance Communications for the rollout of 4G services. “Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd and Reliance Communications Ltd has announced the signing of a definitive agreement for approximately Rs 1,200 crore as one-time indefeasible right to use (IRU) fees for sharing RCom’s nationwide inter-city fibre optic network infrastructure.”

Sugathakumari gets Saraswathi Samman

Malayalam poetess Sugathakumari has been selected for the Saraswathi Samman 2012 for her poetry collection “Manalezhuthu”.

Instituted by K.K. Birla Foundation, the award carries a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh, a citation and a plaque. The 79-yearold poetess was selected for the honour by a 13-member jury headed by former Chief Justice of India R.C. Lahoti after considering works published in 22 languages during 2002-2011.

Bergoglio is new Pope

Argentina’s Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

He said he would take the name Francis I. The choice of Bergoglio, 76, was announced by French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran. It is after 1272 years a Pope has been elected from outside Europe. Although a conservative, he is seen as a reformer and was not among the small group of front runners identified before the election. He is the oldest of most of the possible candidates and was barely mentioned in feverish speculation about the top contenders before the conclave.

He is the first Jesuit to become Pope.

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Staff sacked for speaking to women The Saudi Arabian head of Pakistan’s International Islamic University fired employees who spoke to women colleagues and took action against an official for allegedly watching a movie on the Internet. The president began termination proceedings against the male director of the university’s finance wing because he spoke to a female employee. Action was also taken against the director of human resources for talking to a female employee. Ahmed Yousif Al-Draiweesh, the president of the varsity, can neither speak Urdu nor English and is unable to communicate with the students or faculty without interpreters.

Angelina Jolie opens school in Afghanistan Angelina Jolie has opened a school in Afghanistan through her foundation The Education Partnership for Children of Conflict.

Jolie plans to fund more schools by selling her own self-designed accessories collection, the Style of Jolie, with 100 per cent of the profits going to the foundation.

India is top arms buyer

China has become the world’s fifth largest exporter of major conventional arms buoyed

by Pakistan’s import from it communist ally, even as India emerged as the leading buyer of arms, according to a data published by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The top five importers of major conventional weapons worldwide, India (12% of global imports), China (6%), Pakistan (5%), South Korea (5%) and Singapore (4%), were all in Asia.

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tit bits Josco’s world class gold & diamond showroom at Lulu Mall

Inaugurated by film star Isha Talwar in the presence of Tony Jose, MD & CEO, Josco Group. Babu M Phillip, Director, Josco Group

Wow MAKERS WINS BIG

Wow Makers won Brands of the world award in the photography section for the logo of “Clicks for Kicks”, community photography concept run by Jinson Abraham.

HAZEL KEECH DAZZLED THE RAMP FOR DESIGNER PURVI DOSHI AT THE LAKME FASHION WEEK

British Indian actress of Bodyguard fame Hazel Keech walked the ramp for designer Purvi Doshi at The Lakme Fashion Week.

Hazel donned the designer’s gorgeous creation of print depicting a forest with endangered species, representing the ‘Save The Endangered Species’ cause that designer Purvi’s collection ‘Sanrakhshan’ (Conservation) signifies.

The actress looked gorgeous and pulled it off exceptionally with her style and confidence.

IPL’s flavour this season

Bandra’s Escobar gives you an exciting opportunity to enjoy a larger than life screening of the IPL Matches along with unlimited alcohol and mouth watering starters. Indulge in a variety of starters from the very first ball of the match till the last. A special IPL Menu has been prepared with Escobar’s signature tapas such as Roasted stuffed chicken with goat cheese dip Garlic, Flame grilled harissa chicken, Green herb roasted rawas, Golden cheesy cigar rolls and more.

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feature story

Matches

made of

money Dowry is a social evil that needed to be addressed appropriately.

FWD Life traces the current scenario Text FWD Media hen Rajan returned from Qatar, his biggest dream was the marriage of his only daughter Lakshmi. In a few days a dishy bridegroom was found.

Money was not an issue; he had made fortune by working 23 years abroad. The groom was from a middle class family.

After the customary meetings between the two families, the wedding date was fixed.

And the auditorium was also booked.

One morning the bride-

W

BONUS

groom’s uncle telephoned Rajan insisting that they need more land and gold as dowry.

Reason: the groom has to marry off his sister soon. Things turned ugly as the groom’s relatives began to bargain, and interestingly, the bridegroom was a mere spectator in the ‘trade’. But the feisty bride told her father that she was not interested in ‘buying’ a boy for her. So it all ended there. How many girls in our society can show the temerity like Lakshmi did?

Dowry (sthreedhanam) is, no doubt, a permeating trend

APRIL 2013

Arbhada Rahithya Mangalayam (Aramam) Aramam, launched in 2012, is an ant-dowry organization at Kanjikuzhi in Alappuzha.

People are vying for conducting posh marriages. After marriage, dowry is frittered away on expensive things, says D. Maheedharan, its secretary.

There is no dowry system among tribal people in Wayanad, he says.

Dowry is most prevalent in southern districts like Thiruvananthapuram Kollam and Alappuzha compared to north of Kerala.

Aramam has 10 members who have never accepted or given dowry. A website will be soon launched by them.

During seminars in colleges, when we ask girls if they are willing to take pledge against giving dowry, there is lukewarm response.They say their marriage wouldn’t happen on time if dowry is not paid in the wedding market. Though abolished by law, those giving it and accepting it have conveniently interpreted it as the bride’s share from her parents’ assets.

As marriages have become ceremonies to show off one’s family status, giving or taking a heavy dowry is also a prestige issue. Nowadays, the common question to the groom-to-be is, “how much you are getting as dowry?” Be it love marriage or arranged marriage, dowry has its importance in Kerala society.

“Love at first sight,” sounds good, doesn’t it? But it would be riveting to know how many people fall in love without real-

Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961

S.3 of the Dowry Act deals with penalty for giving and taking of dowry. The scope and ambit of S.3 is different from the scope and ambit of S.304B IPC. S.4 of the Dowry Act deals with penalty for demanding dowry, directly or indi-

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Quick read

dowry system

rectly, from the parents or other relatives or guardian of a bride or bridegroom, as the case may be.

The object of S.4 is to discourage the very demand for property or valuable security as consideration for a marriage

between the parties thereto.

S.4 prohibits the demand for ‘giving’ property or valuable security which demand, if satisfied, would constitute an offence under S.3 read with S.2 of the Act.

izing the girls’ property or family status.

In Kerala Widening social gaps, disintegration of the joint family system, consumerism, globalisation, and commercialisation of marriage are some of the reasons for the prevalence of dowry system in modern Kerala. Gold, vehicle, land and house top in the dowry list. “Communities that did not traditionally practise ‘bride price’ also practised dowry system today.

Today dowry system is much disguised in Kerala and dowry is given as ‘gift’ to the daughter. The practice is, in fact, is taken for granted today,” said Anna Lindberg, director of the Swedish South Asian Studies Network (SASNET) at Lund University, said in a seminar on the topic “Dowry System in Kerala” in Thiruvananthapuram recently. She said that the practice of demanding extended dowry had also increased over the years.

Women’s role From a survey conducted by FWD Life among a few women, including employees, we got the impression that women

themselves participate in keeping up the dowry system. They said, “It is given as the husband needed to be compensated for maintaining the family.” The biggest tragedy related to dowry is violence against women. In most dowry issues, after marriage the woman faces harassment and it may lead to her death/murder.

According to K.C. Rosakutty, chairperson of State Women’s Commission, it’s the result of malfunction of our system.

“Even though a law is there, it’s difficult to implement it effectively because we are unable to find out the culprits,” she says and adds that the Commission conducts seminars and awareness programmes on this issue. “There are people who are ready to give dowry. Their attitude has to be changed. By giving dowry, it’s wrongdoing from the part of parents to their daughters. During seminars in colleges, when we ask girls if they are willing to take pledge against giving dowry, there is lukewarm response. They say their marriage wouldn’t happen on time if dowry is not paid,” reveals Rosakutty.

After giving dowry the girl may be deprived of her rights in parents’ property

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feature story

dowry system

because parents might have arranged dowry after selling her share. Once the marriage extravaganza is over, her ornaments would find a place in bank locker. “Dowry is a common factor in most of the cases we get here. Torturing women at houses is a byproduct of dowry system. We have submitted a report to the government suggesting regulations on marriage expense,” she adds.

History Lindberg has chronicled around 187 marriages held between 1935 and 1999 and researched on the practice of dowry in erstwhile Travancore.

Traditionally the dowry system was prevalent among the Namboodiri Brahmin and Syrian Christian communities in Kerala. The Nairs, being a matrilineal caste, did not have the dowry system until the 1920s; nor did lower castes and tribal communities. “In fact the

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Pulayar caste association abhorred the practice of dowry a hundred years ago,” Lindberg pointed out.

The dowry system had a sudden spurt in the 1970s and 1980 when money from the Gulf started coming into the State. The disintegration of joint families and emergence of nuclear families, that vested the responsibility of maintaining families on individuals, also strengthened the dowry system.

Unlike Kerala, in States like West Bengal, dowry system is most prominent in rural areas. Of late, educated urban youth in Kolkatta is not interested in taking dowry. Normally, they give two-wheeler and furniture required for a house as dowry. Initially, dowry was introduced to encourage young men to marry and to control the sexuality of men and women. Today it has become more of a prestige issue for families.

snapshot

Definition of ‘dowry death’ under S.304B Death of a woman must have been caused by any burns or bodily injury or her death must have occurred otherwise than under normal circumstances.

Such death must have occurred within seven years of her marriage.

Soon before her death, she must have been subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or any relative of her husband; and such cruelty or harassment must be in connection with the demand for dowry.

Quick read

Use law to face it According to the Women and child developement ministry stringent laws are needed to curb dowry system in the country

In India, there are civil, criminal laws and special legislative acts against the tradition of dowry. Even after more than half a century after dowry was made illegal the National Crime Records Bureau reports 6,995 dowry deaths in 2000, which climbed to 8,093 in 2007 and 8,391 in 2010.

Text Krishnendu Sureshkumar owry is a two-way traffic and unless there is a giver there can be no taker. In order to eliminate this evil both the giver and taker have been made liable under the Act. It is not possible to leave one and book the other. It is time this social welfare legislation is ruthlessly implemented and none is permitted to take the shield of social compulsion. This has become all the more necessary in order to check the misuse and abuse of special laws. Expensive gifts given by relatives to a couple before and after marriage must be brought to the notice of the authorities for levying of taxes.

The recent development is that the country’s dowry law is set to be overhauled. The changes proposed by the Women and Child Development Ministry will make accepting dowry a bigger crime than giving it. It will be mandatory for the bride and groom to maintain a list of all gifts, including ‘sthridhan’ worth Rs 5,000 or more, and register it with the dowry-prohibition officer.

Failure to comply could invite upto a year in jail.

Amendments to the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 also include reducing the jail term for those found guilty of giving dowry to one year from five years.

The punishment for dowry-takers, however, will continue to be five years in jail. Registration of gifts would help a woman seek compensation for the gifts given, if the marriage breaks down,

D

the ministry has said. The definition of dowry is to be expanded to mean “any demand for property or valuable security before, during or after marriage, where the failure to meet such demand would lead to harassment, harm, injury or endanger the woman, or the property or valuable security given or agreed to be given under such threat”.

Apart from the proposed amendments, the panel also identifies persons who can inherit property of a

woman if she has an unnatural death.

Her children will be the first claimants followed by parents/ siblings and then the State.

The husband will be entitled to the property with the children, provided he is not prima facie charged for her death. The panel was set up by the ministry in 2012 after India recorded 8,618 dowry deaths in 2011. However, Without a social sanction, no legislation would be effective.

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EXCLUSIVE

She is simple and her simplicity speaks volumes. Next month she not only celebrates her birthday, but also her sixth year in the Malayalam film industry. What brought her to the industry was her hesitant acceptance of an offer to do anchoring for a leading channel. She went for it with her sisters coaxing her to take it up and when the same was being telecast; little did she know that she would conquer the imagination of the late director Lohithadas, who was hunting for a new face for his next movie.

With him as her mentor, her debut as a naïve Malayali girl in ‘Nivedyam’ got acclaimed. After proving herself in the industry, she has now crossed boundaries of Malayalam cinema, making her strong onscreen presence in Tamil, Telugu and mostly in Kannada.

GREEK Goddess Text Thabitha Marion

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cover model

Excerpts n conversation with Bhama, who sits amid designer saris and compact cakes for FWD’s bridal shoot.

i

As a fresher, were you ever ragged….

Initially I was so quiet on the sets. But a few friends of mine; Indrajith, Jayan and Bhavana kept pulling my legs. They made me talk and got me out of the shell.

We see you only thrice or so in a year. Are you too choosy or is competition treating you?

I’m choosy, as I am not interested in counting the number of movies I did in a year, I take assignments only worth giving a try. At times I have regretted, because some characters that I had said ‘No’ became hits.

Happens…..

Have there been roles that you left untried thinking that you couldn’t do justice to the character?

No, because I always like to do roles that’s challenging and that would add to my professional life once I retire from the industry.

Actor Jayasurya and you shared screen space many a times. How did you live past the gossips?

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QUICK READ

bhama

Ragging Jayan and Bhavana kept pulling my leg.

heroine As I have offers in Sandalwood, I bought a flat in Bangalore.

Link ups…I take it positively, though there is nothing. But other gossips that exceed heights of tolerance, I get pissed off.

Did circumstances make you undergo a makeover from a naïve village appearance to a modern bold look?

Being in the industry, over a period any artiste would prefer to go in for a makeover. If I wouldn’t, then the industry would always picture me in roles clad in sari, playing roles of a village girl.

during ‘Amma’ show 2013 this season Practice sessions for Amma show was on. All artistes were to sign a register to indicate their presence. I was signing and immediately Lalettan came and said, ‘let me see your handwriting’. Looking at it, he said, ‘a bit slanting’ then unknowingly I blurted, ‘just like you’. He just walked off without saying anything. I got so tensed. I ran after him saying ‘I was joking sir. Please don’t take it seriously’. He smiled and said ‘I know. Who said I took it to heart’. Do you know which dialogue would’ve been suitable for this scene “You don’t know anything, because you are a small child”, from the movie Natturajavu.

Your involvement in other film industries…..

Was in Tamil,Telugu and currently I am concentrating on Kannada and Malayalam films.

With more Kannada films in your kitty, there are talks that you plan to relocate to Bangalore…….

It’s partially true. I bought a flat in Bangalore. It is an investment and also a nest for me during my shoots in Karnataka.

I am getting attached with the Kannada industry, just as I am with my home film industry.

Chances of seeing you do an item number…….

98% it’s a ‘no’. But recently I did a dance number in Kannada as the character demanded it.

Some notable moments

Bubbliest actress you have worked with ……

Nadia Moidu…she is so energetic and vibrant for her age.

Another artiste would be Bhavana. She is good at making sets lively.

An actor who has contributed a lot to make you who you are……

Many of them….Venuchettan have taught me values. He shared with me the importance of punctuality on the sets of ‘Nivedyam’. And I still try to abide by it. Though we don’t keep constant contacts, to me he is like a father.

Free from shoots relaxing at home, what would you cook?

Now it’s only movies, homework based on that, research on costumes and I do watch a lot of films.

Backless blouses or hot pants….

Hot pants…I did have them on in Goa for the shoot of ‘Husbands in Goa’ Angry man of Mollywood People say it’s Mammookka, but I find him to be friendly.

Close friends in the industry There’re 5-6 of them.

Don’t want to reveal their names.

Chances of you getting married to a Kannada actor……

Preference is to get married to a Malayali, because marriage is not just about me or the man; it’s about two families as well.

Upcoming movies…..

Malayalam movie ‘Mirror’ by director Rajesh Gopan. It’s a women-centric film that has Laxmi Rai, Swetha Menon, Gowthami Nair as my co-stars. There is a Tamil movie titled ‘Ramanujan’ and a Kannada movie with Puneeth Rajkumar as the male lead.

Referring to the moe above my upper lip, Lalettan has remarked that I resemble actress jayaprada.

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Bridal lacha -bridal lacha is richly handworked with zardosi and stone work. Applique work is also used.

Fabric used is net.

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maKEOVER

Bridal

Avatar

Photographer Anson antony Model Bhama Make up & Hairstyle Renju Styling & Designing Achu Assisted by Smiji K.T Co Ordination Maxxo Creative

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maKEOVER

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Christian bridal - embroidered net saree embellished with heavy cut work design.this saree is mainly used for christian bridals.over all work of this saree is gone with heavy jari work.

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Ravishing in black - Double colour saree with heavy border work. Saree is gone with cream and black combination.border is in red colour. Rich emroidery work with kunthan and jari combination is used in this saree

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maKEOVER 2013 APRIL

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behind the scenes

photoshoot

Creating the celebratable bride sneak peek in to the making of the FWD Cover & centerspreads he looks stunning!

We’re not surprised either. FWD Life joined forces with LULU Celebrate for a wedding makeover and it didn’t take much thought to zero in on Bhama as the lady in the limelight. To change the bubbly next door girl to a shy and modest bride took some preparations. All of the people who made it happen, from the camera assistants and photographer Anson Antony to the stylists Achu and Smiji K.T to the hair and make-up team Renji, the coordinators, Maxxo Creatives under the expert supervision of Huwais... Bhama was so much fun to work with. She was not just beautiful and photogenic, but we was also talking and laughing, having fun and enjoying herself in front of the camera. When the shoot stretched to wee hours of the morning, the crew were tired, but Bhama was all in her spirits and ready to go another round.

The only thing that stopped her from having one more change was the sheer weight of the jewellery embedded heavily worked sari.

All well organised by the team from Maxxo Creatives, Turn the pages for the makeover photos or watch the behind the scenes video taken by CAT Entertainments. Go behind the scenes and get inside the action.

When we saw the final photos, we were happy the big team effort paid off well!

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Photographer checking an image, with a chandeliar prop hanging in the foreground

Photographer Anson Antony with Makeup artist Renju posing for the camera

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SPECS

Equipments used

Cameras used Phase One P45, Canon 5d mark 3 Props Various vintage props Special lens used for video purpose

lensbaby Spark

Bhama’s reaction after been asked to read out a tongue twister for the video.

Model being styled and various props and equipment being placed.

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spotlight

ayoobi

Planning the Big day FWDLife catches up with one of the premier wedding planners in town to know more about how to plan for the wedding day Text Thabitha Marion

“ We wanted to transform the monotonous ways of wedding celebrations in Kerala and bring in more freshness, appeal and add lots of creativity”

beautiful beginning celebrated with ceremonies, colour and newness; that is what a wedding is to most of us.

To make it special without applying the multiple suggestions put forth by uncles and aunts, the day would surely demand the presence of an expert who can plan a marriage like never before; a completely customized

A

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theme wedding. Interesting would it be to know more about it through the words of the initiator of such weddings in Kerala, Ayoobi himself.

Ayoobi, Managing Director, Primetime Events and Brands India Pvt Ltd who worked with Taj Malabar hosting events, after his graduation had an eye for colours, fabrics and decor. “I was more into decoration and started my own company ‘Royal Touch’ specializing in corporate parties,

theme parties in 1995. And in a year I launched Primetime Events, with a vision to introduce theme weddings in the long run. And in 1998 we did the first theme wedding in Kerala,” says Ayoobi.

To transform the monotonous ways of conducting weddings in auditoriums with flaky wall paints and crammed ambience, he and his team of production unit, put their heads together and rediscovered

Quick Read creativity for the joy of couplesto-be. Mughal, Rajasthani, Goan and beach weddings are some of the theme weddings they have organized so far. “Whichever theme our clients choose, we give them choice of colours from the colour palette we have created. The very refreshing mango monsoon theme is one such which has shades

Excerpts Is there a standard path of progression that needs to be followed to prove oneself in this industry?

Do we fulfill our clients wish or not? is the only test to find out how we progress in this industry For which we discuss with our clients for hours together what exactly they are looking for, before we start a project. This gives a clear picture about their expectations.

Recent skill you have learned as a wedding planner?

We conceptualize their likes on the spot.

How do you keep upto-date with the event industry changes?

As times change we move ahead with trends that cannot be compared with our competitors. Say

of tangerine, warm orange, coral, golden yellow and peach blended together,” says Ayoobi.

Very berry, with a reddish tint, cocoa dream with brown being the base colour, Tiffany Blues, Peacock passion, Lavender Magic and Damask are the other colours in Primetime’s palette. “We do everything we can to go far and

Prime time events did their first theme wedding in 1998

beyond our client’s expectation, to give them an amazing unforgettable experience,” says Ayoobi.

Having conceptualized and executed umpteen number of high profile marriages in and around Kerala for over two decades, he shares with us more about theme weddings and about the industry.

The company handles thirty to forty wedding a year

if we used flowers and fabrics, today we replace them with expensive crystals and accessories and above all we try to make each wedding unique with various themes.

We mostly rely on the feedback of our clients, their friends and relatives.

Usually after the wedding, they come to us acknowledging our artistic and timely preparations.

Tips to enhance a wedding on a budget…

If our client wants a wedding holding onto a budget, we would plan the wedding accordingly. To cut down costs we might replace costly crystals with plastic cuts, expensive satins with priceless fabrics. All of this would be created without ruining the beauty of the occasion; but definitely with a compromise on classiness. You know the exquisite is always expensive.

Number of top-notch weddings you handle in a year?

We plan more than thirty to forty premier weddings and a few other conventional marriages with little pomp and splendor.

How do you measure the success of planning a wedding?

Ayoobi says communication between a client and event planner is very important; the lack of communication can end in complete chaos and disaster.

The planner must keep in mind the taste and expectation of his client. However, if the client is unclear the company provides him various suggestions to choose from.

How do you charge your fees?

Charges depend on the wedding theme. If the kind of materials used for décor and other arrangements are costly, then naturally the budget will also rise up. Generally I would say a theme wedding would cost around Rs.5 lakhs. And if

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spotlight

Quick Read

ayoobi

Excerpts contd. the same theme needs to be put up on a lesser budget with lesser crowd, it would come around Rs.2.5 lakhs. It’s all left in the hands of our clients to decide on what emphasis needs to be given. If they are vague about it, we spread across before them suggestions through PowerPoint presentations.

Then it is left to them to pick and choose.

A client comes to you…..

We get to know them first; their tastes, any theme they are particular about and also show them our colour palette. Depending on whether they like to go in for subtle or loud wedding, we help them choose.

We provide them with a pencil drawing of the venue and discuss the

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budget. In two weeks time we mail them a 3D model of the venue. And next in line is food tasting, designing and printing of invitation cards, bridal showers, photography, accommodation for guests and the list goes on….

Prestigious event you have organized so far…

Recent weddings would be that of Vineeth Sreenivasan, director Fazil’s daughter’s wedding to name a few.

Three of your favourite wedding venues in Kerala….

Marari beach, Gundu Islands and Taj Malabar are my personal favourites.

But I would say every place if decked up artistically and in grandeur looks fabulous.

Foreigners in Kerala and theme weddings…..

Sometime back we had a script wedding for a foreigner couple. The backdrop of the wedding was a Nair tharavad which had a ‘Karnavar’ heading the ceremony after briefing to the guests, the rituals of a Hindu marriage.

And to add cultural flavor of Kerala flavor to the wedding we organized a number of cultural activites like ‘Kaavadi Aattam’ and ‘Kathakali’.

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in focus

siby & joby

Siby’s Quick 5

Twining

Success FWD Life Catches up with the promoters behind Kilipoyi Text Thabitha Marion n the town of Pala, until last year Siby Thottupuram and Joby Mundamattom were looked upon as two ambitious businessmen involved in real estate business. And for Joby in addition to that, ‘Mundamattom glasshouse’ a hardware store was his world.

But today continuing to have their hands onto their business, they have managed to enter the film industry producing movies that entertains the new generation with its unique plots and appreciable sense of humour.

Driving their way from Pala to Kochi, we got in conversation with the busy bees Joby and Siby, producers of the movie ‘Honeybee’ and ‘Kili Poyi’ sharing their journey from property and accounts to producing their debut movie ‘Oru Yatharyil’, followed by ‘Kili Poyi’ and now ‘Honeybee’, the shoot of which is progressing at Fort Kochi.

“We got to know each other a decade back, made friends with each other and families and

I

BONUS If not Asif Ali, who else would have been in ‘Kili Poyi’…..

The script came along with the artist ad so we never thought of a alterative.

Favourite comedian in

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became pillars to one another supporting the other in bad times. Having flourished in our business, like any entrepreneur we too thought of investing in something that would not boomerang like consequences of gambling,” says Siby.

After confirming the year with Siby, Joby adds, “It was only four years back.... one evening when we got together, the idea had clicked us. We debated that there are sure chances of risking money, but finally decided to watch the trends and activities within the industry before giving it a try.”

They knew that it was not a joke because the amount of investment for the same might put their profits at stake. The duo silently watched the industry; right from choosing an appropriate script which becomes a hit, to sensible control of cash flow.

With their debut production ‘Oru Yathrayil’ in 2012 they entered the Malayalam film industry. The movie was an anthology film with four stories, directed by Major Ravi, Priyanandhan, Mathews and Rajesh Amanakara starring Dileep,

Joby’s rapid fire Malayalam….

anytime?

Jagathy Sreekumar

I drink only occasionally and when I do, honeybee is not the brand to my liking.

Holiday destination you wish to visit….

Switzerland Has honeybee been your favourite brand

An actor whom you wish to cast in your next movie….

Dileep

Beauty with brains in Malayalam industry….

Rima Kallingal About Jean Paul (Jr. Lal) and his style He is a cool guy.

Initially being with this young crowd, with pony tails and carefree looks, I doubted how easy it would be to work with them. But in a while time I got to know that they are a harmless gang of youngsters energetic with a passion for films and fun unlimited.

Favourite Malayalam director….

Siddique Food you cannot live withoutAuthentic Kottayam Kappa and fish curry. I love it so much that at times I get it to the sets to share with the crew.

Your ‘Kili Poyi’ experience during the shoot….

At times when a day’s shoot prolongs than planned; I say ‘Kili Poyi’ when tired.

Remya Nambeeshan, Jaardhanan, Sukumari and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy. “It did fairly well at the box office; after all it was our maiden attempt, we didn’t expect any miracles. We learned quite a lot from the making of this film. And after gaining confidence we went for the next,” says Joby.

Excerpts How do you name yourself in the industry?

We are like co-producers of a couple of youth centric Malayalam movies.

What is film for you both?

It’s only business, we are not crazy about or never fancy walking around like celebs in the industry.

Preparations by both of you before entering the industry….

Three years might sound to you like a long term, but we took so much time to finalise our mutual interest.We were guided by some in the industry, and we also took the initiative to study where some producers went wrong eventually drowning in debt, inspite of their hit movies.

How are you finding the glam and fame being producers?

We are happy that the youth accepted the movie though it was tagged ‘A’ movie for its reasons. More scripts are coming to us; we are meeting new people from the industry.... enjoying the untrodden fields of business.

Your reaction when ‘Kili Poyi’ was given an ‘A’ certificate....

If not for the ‘A’ tag, more families would have watched it and there would have been better collection. But even with such a title it was a hit among the youth and we are happy about that. Going through the script, we expected and predicted this to happen. But as the story was catchy we were happy to go ahead.

Experience producing ‘Kili Poyi’ and ‘Honeybee’….

‘Kili Poyi’ was mostly shot in Bangalore and Goa.We are in our thirty’s and the experience working with artists like Asif Ali, Aju and Jean Paul (Honeybee’s director) has been

amazing. The sets were full of energy and wit. Now we are on our way to Fort Kochi, location of ‘Honeybee’.

From the producers mouth….what can audience expect from the movie ‘Honeybee’?

A back-to-back youth centric film, that is thoughtful and humorous.

How has the industry changed your lives?

Other than keeping us engaged all the time, it hasn’t altered our lives much. No matter how busy we are with other businesses, one of us finds time to be there at the location always.

What is next for Siby and Joby?

‘Disco’ a comedy film to be directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery starring Indrajith, Fahad Fazil is our next project. The heroine is yet to be finalised. And the next is an untitled movie by director Boban Samuel. Dileep and Kunchacko Boban are the two artistes we have in mind. Depending on their dates and convenience one of them will play the lead role.

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spotlight

sabu johny

The Drive to Success It’s never easy to carry on the tradition of successful business practice that spreads over a variety of industry. FWD talks to sabu johny to find out more

Quick Read EVM Group started in 1935 as a small entrepreneur. EVM Group could spread the wings in many business sectors:Cultivation and Selling of Hill produce like Cardamom, Cashew and Lemon grass oil including its exports.

Supply of Natural Rubber and Rubber products to popular tyre manufacturing Companies of India including Rubber crumbing factories.

Entertainment Industry - More than 20 Movie houses spread in Kerala among which “Kavitha” at M.G. Road Ernakulam.

C&F Agent for TATA Tea & Coffee and Distribution of Reliance Petro Chemicals etc and Fleet owners of Trucks in the State.

Tourism Development through Three Star Hotels and Resorts like Hill view in Munnar, Mountain Club Resorts at Chinnakanal, Isola-Di-Cocco Beach resort at Poovar (TVM), which is tourist’s favorites, and Hotels at Adimali and Kothamangalam.

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abu Johny, owner EVM Motors, talks about the myths and transformation of the Indian automobile industry and how retaining a team help in overall business growth. FWD Life team meets him at the expansion EVM Motors showroom in Kochi. The presence of a yellow Porsche was certainly a conversation starter. He readily admits that he prefers Suvs for the frequent long distance drives the family undertakes and adds with a smile “My wife is a better driver, she has not even had a accident with any of our cars”

S

Sabu Johny with wife Divya and children Tanya and Paul.

The Indian Market Well, it’s certainly different from the new segments of cars.

The Indian buyer in general has the notion of mileage and a service center in the neighborhood. One of the reasons why cars ( SUVs) of many brands which are known for their sale in the more economical segments is because of the lack of proper servicing network. The non Indian cars are competing with a service network Maruti has built over 28 years. The bigger car owners can afford to go beyond their locality to repair and service the car.

Myth Busters Automatics are a kind of cars that should have ideally sold well in the Indian market yet there are many reasons why they haven’t. One major factor of course is that they are mostly available only in one

fuel options. Even manual shift cars are finding sales difficult only with one version. The other factor is the myth that automatics have lesser mileage than manuals. While it was true for a period of time, technology has changes a lot. There are even cars in the Volkswagen family that gives better mileage for automatics, than manuals.

The Drive to Succeed Automobile industry is all about after sales service. Very often we see the goodwill and loyalty build over the years getting destroyed, rather suffering a backlash due to poor follow-ups and services.

In order to maintain the high standards the employees have to be properly motivated.

Since the market is very competitive, salaries are always on par, good

infrastructure that would help them deliver their targets and retention of key personnel are all very important. Having a group of people who has been working with you a long time helps the growth of the company as, their personal growth is intertwined with the companies’ growth. Personally I have been lucky enough to retain all my key people from the last 11 years. They are totally aware of the service philosophy and involved in the growth of the company. If I was asked to sum up the secret of success then I would say the people who work with me, they can be trusted to carry out any tasked assigned to them.

Brand Loyalty Brand loyalty has evolved in multiple ways in Kerala. People have started changing their cars

at least once in four years and have also started exploring different makes of cars. But then the brand loyalty for German cars has been amazing. Many customers have come back and brought the same model even after the particular make has been a total write after accidents.

Work Life Balance I am doubly blessed because not only my family but also my wife’s family is into similar areas of business, therefore the pressure and demands of the work are more or less familiar to all of them. The larger family always makes it a point to have an annual trip to an international destination.

Other than this, there are many dealer conferences and meeting.

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sports

prof. Vijayalakshmi

Tracking

a go-getter Seventy-five-year-old athlete Prof Vijayalakshmi is a real champion in Masters Athletics Meets. For her sports stokes up the spirit to live a peaceful life

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Singapore Invitation Meet (1987) World Meet at Melbourne (1987) Asian Meet, Malaysia (1990) World Meet, Finland (1991) Asian Meet, Singapore (1992) World Meet, USA (1995) Asian Meet, Thailand (2009)

Text & Photography K R Rejeesh ho said autumn days are meant for a reclusive life? After meeting Prof Vijayalakshmi. S. Nair, I had to mend my notional perception. Let’s stroll towards the starting point to unfold the real story. Septuagenarian Prof Vijayalakshmi. S. Nair, who retired from NSS College, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram as physical education teacher, always keeps an ear to the ground to know about upcoming Veterans Athletic competitions. Remember, she is not a spectator, but a participant.

In 1983, at the age of 45, Vijayalakshmi participated in the Asian Meet for Veterans, New Delhi and won medals. Even at this age, she participates in Veterans Meets (Masters Athletic Meet) and wins medals in her favourite events -100m, Triple Jump, Long Jump, High Jump and

QUICK READ

Hurdles. Her records in different age groups in the Veterans Athletic Meet remain unsurpassed.

“In 1983, a letter came to Kerala Sports Council from New Delhi informing that Asian Athletic Meet will be held there and participants can be sent from the State. Nine male and me were selected. Only at that time we realized about such a competition for veterans,” recalls Vijayalakshmi.

Asian Meet, Kualalampur (2010) Asian Meet, Thaipei (2012)

Speed track Residing at Sasthanagar, Pangode in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayalakshmi has been a sportsperson since her school days. “My father was in military.

I participated in the annual day sports events there at the age of four and got prizes,” she says.

While studying in school at Thiruvananthapuram she participated in inter-school championships.

In 1953, she participated in the National Meet

BONUS

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Daily 40 minutes walking in the evening is Vijayalakshmi’s sole exercise.

From 1951 to 1956, Vijayalakshmi won medals in four National Athletic Meets.

Though a pure vegetarian, she eats egg. She can’t skip a glass of milk every day.

She will practise her events at the University ground only a few days before every competition.

Meeting athlete Milkha Singh at Jabalpur National Meet in 1955 is still a sweet memory for her.

Her record in Long Jump, High Jump and other sprint events in State School Meet was invincible for a long time.

APRIL 2013

She usually hits the sack around 11.30 pm and wakes up late in the morning.

snapshot Singapore Invitation A Meet star(1987) in Veterans

Athletic Meet

World Meet at Mel-completes 100m in 18 seconds Vijayalakshmi bourne and 200m(1987) in 39.21 seconds. In Long Jump, she has

achieved a distance of 2.69m and 6.21m in Triple Jump.

Asian Meet, Malaysia (1990)

Vijayalakshmi and her two sisters were known as World Meet, Finland ‘Pangode sisters’.

(1991) P.T.Meet, UshaSingapore is her all-time favourite sportsperson.

Asian (1992)

are narrow-minded, you are unlucky. Getting a job in sports quota should not be the ultimate aim. The government or companies should make it mandatory that those who get jobs in sports quota must compete in games at least for five years,” she points out, and wistfully remarks about the encouragement she got from Colonel Godaraja Varma in those days.

For competitions abroad,

veteran stars have to bear the expense as the government stopped grant 10 years ago.

“Our association is not affiliated with the Sports Council. So getting financial aid remains as a pipe dream. But I want to compete in athletics till my health permits,” winds up Vijayalakshmi as she gets ready for her daily jogging. This travel enthusiast now aims at the National Meet to be held in Bengaluru.

World Meet, USA and got first(1995) place in High Jump.

The family supported the chilAsian Meet, Thailand dren in choosing sports as ca(2009) reer. Her brother is a participant in Veteran Meet and another Asian Meet, Kualalam(2010) coach. brother is pur a basketball Her one sister was a swimming Asian Meet, Thaipei coach and another sister retired (2012) as physical education director.

“My husband also supported me in sports. I could have been satisfied with the job in college.

But my passion for sports rekin-

dled my spirit to come back at the age of 45 in Masters Meet,” adds Vijayalakshmi, who was also a national hockey player.

She retired from NSS College, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram in 1991.

Budding stars Why do young talents diminish once they finish schooling?

“We have to find out talents at an early age. If your parents

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MOST HAPPENING PARTIES AND EVENTS

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FWD Life turned nautical by joining with the great visionaries of Unreasonable at sea. The March issue with Anson Paul on the cover was launched at Hotel Dream, which saw an unprecedented mix of world’s leading entrepreneurs and the stars of Malayalam film industry. The entrepreneurs who graced the event include Megan Smith,Vice President Google [x] at Google Inc, Matt Mullenweg, Founder WordPress, Daniel Epstein, Founder Unreasonable at Sea, Cynthia Yeung,Director International Partnerships, Unreasonable at Sea. Babu Antony, Jacob Gregory, Vinay Fort, Jishnu, Nikhil et al. were among the stars present.

fwd life cover launch The March issue cover launch of FWD Life magazine was held at Hotel Dream, Kochi.

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MOST HAPPENING PARTIES AND EVENTS

Amen Audio Launch

Main Cast Indrajith Fahadh Faasil Swati Reddy Natasha Sahgal Rachana Narayanankutty Behind the Scene Producer: Fareed Khan Direction: Lijo Jose Pellissery Written By: P. S. Rafeeque Cinematography Abinandhan Ramanujam Music: Prashant Pillai

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AUDIO LAUNCH The audio launch of new Malayalam film Amen was held at a five-star hotel in Kochi recently.

Here are some of the ‘melodious’ moments at the event.

The audio release of movie “Amen� was held in a unique style.

Leading ladies of the movie walked the ramp in shimmering gowns in perfect style The celebrities spotted at the event include actors Indrajith, Swati Reddy, Natasha Sahgal, Rachna Narayanankutty and Sandra Thomas .

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wedding

quotes

what they

think about

Marriage FWD life sets about to find out if some of the leading men in the industry are M.C.Ps or real gentlemen I would like my partner to be.......

Excerpts Concept about partner “Our level of thinking should jibe. She must have strong values. I’m not inclined to getting married to a girl from the industry as I can’t take in watching my fiancé romancing onscreen,” says Unni. He sounds to be more comfortable settling down with a girl who lives a normal life without lights and makeup.

1st outing together after marriage That would be the Himalayas. Personally I am not the kind who enjoys

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A girl not from the film industry

loud and busy ambience especially for a special moment like this.

What extend would you go to please your in-laws Absolutely no buttering them. As a good son-inlaw I wouldn’t do or utter anything that hurts them.

A special gift you would want her to gift you “I would like her to continuously surprise me with dainty gestures. It’s not the worth but the thought that counts,” says Unni. Girls!

For your information, he prefers paper wrapped

candies over chocolate bars.

Would you make breakfast for your wife “Yes, I would love to do that for her. I am good at making puttu and egg curry, tasting that would make her decide whether she should try out more of my culinary skills,” grins Unni. He fears how his mother would react, as he hardly enters kitchen to lend a helping hand.

I would like my partner to be....

Understanding and encouraging

Excerpts Concept about partner “She must understand and encourage my love for cinema and try not to interfere between me and my passion,” says Nishan. This chocolate boy seems to be least concerned about beauty. But let it not show green signals to all out there, as he sounds comfortable leaving the choice to his mother.

1st outing together after marriage Would go to a place we haven’t visited before. What

extend would you go to please your in-laws – I will love and take care of them as I do to my parents, but wouldn’t go out of the way to impress them. They might find it fishy.

A special gift you would want her to gift you Peace of mind. That’s all what I would want her to shower on me.

Would you make breakfast for your wife “Initial days if she gives

me an opportunity I will do it for her. And over the years if love remains, I will continue doing the same. But only hope that I do it for the same girl even after ten years,” he giggles.

Manu’s take Concept about partner She must be a good singer, must have long hair, should be an excellent cook and above all should love me. It sounds like a marriage for convenience….Touch wood!

Let expectations in life not lead to giant disappointments.

1st outing together after marriage Haven’t thought about it yet.

What extend would you go to please your in-laws I will be nice to them and if they are rich I will suffocate them with my unconditional love.

How would you handle a situation when your partner is eve teased?

It depends…if the crook is big for my boots, I might stare and walk off. What else can I do if he is double my size? He might bash me up and my wife will have to dial 100.

Would you make breakfast for your wife I will make upma for her till she gets fed up.

A gift you would love her to gift you Something she gifts me knowing my predilection.

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wedding boutique

Celebrating

Womanhood First time customers’ experience at Lulu celebrate, the exclusive bridal boutique Text Thabitha Marion Photography Vishnu Vijay got a call from a close friend of mine, asking me to accompany her for her wedding shopping. Saying yes to it, we went to the newly opened Lulu mall, which has a lot of wedding shopping preferences. As we entered, we saw a store with mannequins’ draped in bridal saris and exotic lachas that looked out of this world. It recalled fairytale fantasies we had as children about marriage and the wedding wardrobe.

We walked into ‘Lulu Celebrate’ the one and only bridal boutique that has a modern atmosphere with a personalized and intimate approach by its staff. We were told that it is the only bridal wedding store in Kerala which showcases three floors of

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exclusive ethnic bridal collection with an array of unshared collections.

They have a long stretch of racks arranged with silk saris, a collection with pristine mauves, burned oranges, rust and pinks, that narrates the tale of a blossoming bachelorette turning into a married woman. One thing that made us feel so comfortable was the number of staff who attended to our needs, unlike the service you get at similar places.

After going through a section of saris, they showed us some beautifully crafted tissue uppada brocade Kanchipuram saris, Kanchipuram tissue brocade with bawanchi border and Kanchipuram tissue brocade with golden and silver zeri that exhibited the artistry of weavers who have added to its weft

QUICK READ To be a unique bride dressed in the most elegant bridal wear, Celebrate is the place as it offers to its customer’s best quality bridal wear with exquisite designs.

Unlike other showrooms, Celebrate is exclusively for brides who wants the best for herself and can choose from a variety of sarees and lachas.

And as they have already started taking up customized bridal wear, in the near future we won’t be surprised to witness ‘Celebrate’ turning a designer bridal couture.

and waft. Inspired by the blushing excitement of brides-to-be, their service sounded to us to be truly genuine when we were told that they have the service of customized weaving of Kanchipuram saris which on order would take say two months.

In the meanwhile as we were trying out the saris, we saw customers trying out wedding gowns.

The gowns looked beautiful with crystals, silver embellishments and designs. But as my friend had no plans of wearing a gown for her wedding, we didn’t get into details.

Here, prospective brides might get confused whether to go in for the most attractive thick stoned heavy embroidered designer saris or lachas stuck to curves with stunning cuts. Most of the designer saris come in net, chiffon or crepe silk fabric with zardosi work, embroidery or embellishments, with pearl or high quality sequences. They had some amazingly pretty bridal lacha stitched in raw silk and net

fabrics, designed with perfect fitted fish cut skirts heavy with zardosi work, coloured stones and French knot designs. Prior to seeing it here, we had seen such intricate works only when we attended high-end North Indian weddings.

Have you heard of ‘Jalabiya’?

It’s only after coming to ‘Celebrate’ we heard of this exclusive edition of bridal wear, similar to a lacha worn by Arabic brides.

The only difference being its heavily embroidered knee-length top that falls below the knee, covering three fourth of the skirt, exposing the flares at the bottom lavishly worked with embellishments. The signature designs at ‘Celebrate’ exude panache that is synonymous to the enigmatic appearance of a Mughal bride.

The 3 hour 20 minute journey through saris and lachas was a mind-blowing experience for us and so would it be for any bride-to-be who has been hunting for a bridal fashion station.

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wedding

etiquette

South Indian

Wedding

Etiquette Etiquettes are part of every wedding, it can make every event memorable as well as the lack of it can spoil it Reproduced with permission from http://bengaloorubanter.blogspot.in/ f you’re anything like me (and I hope for your own good that you aren’t), I’m sure you’re fed up to the gills with all the irritating things people do at South Indian weddings. I have decided therefore to publish a “Lets call it like it is” pamphlet on South Indian wedding etiquette, so that all the fools who make them as unpleasant as they are, can mend their errant ways. I have to add here though, that this pamphlet does not apply to Malayalee weddings. For them, a visiting card with the words “Do not blink, or you’ll miss the wedding” will suffice.

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Bridal etiquette Smile, woman. We didn’t drive all the way through the maddening traffic to see you look doped-out and weepy. If you’re that glum you probably shouldn’t be geting married. Go home.

Brown is beautiful. Really. If we wanted to see pancake, we’d go to dosa camp.

If you liked the black saree you saw at the shop, wear it at your wedding. Anyone who says black is taboo has been irreversibly brainwashed by Queen Victoria who’s dead anyway.

If you plan to be in bridal makeup 4 hours into the reception that you invited us to attend, either give us the address of your beauty parlour so we

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can drop by and murder you, or for God’s sake allow us to eat and go home.

Groom etiquette Face it, you can’t help looking silly in semi-drag with an umbrella over your head. Just go with the flow.

You can smile reassuringly at the bride, and maybe at your friends.

Not at all the pretty young things around.

Do not give your friends a “thumbs up” before, after, or while tying the knot. We shudder to imagine what you’re implying by it.

If you’re a Greencard/H1 groom, try not to talk much. A Banshankari II Stage accent with a West Virginia overlay cannot be taken seriously when you have kohl in your eyes and a fat black dot on your cheek.

You’re going to be half naked at the wedding. Please work out. We wholeheartedly agree that your flab is nobody’s business but yours. Seriously fool, hit that treadmill and pump that iron. Your wife will love it, and we will too. Unless you plan on saving on lunch expenses by putting your guests off their

Eating etiquette food for the next month.

We really don’t care if you don’t understand what the priest is asking you to say. Google everything later. Do not irritate us by asking the priest to explain every line. Lunch is waiting.

Younger/single guest etiquette Listen, if you’d rather stay home and not go to the wedding, we understand. We know you have a life and can do with a little less of the marriage pressure, you poor thing. There, there.

It is acceptable to walk away when old biddies with only sex on their minds ask you your age, height or salary. In fact it is increasingly becoming acceptable etiquette to reach out and slap their faces before walking away.

Flirt, flirt, flirt as much as you can. A wedding is the only place you are officially allowed to.

Remember to mentally undress the flirtee though.

Think kerosene colour pant shirt, faded green salwar kameez, yellow overgrown nails, bajji-pakoda induced thunder thighs and radish breath on

a Thursday evening. See if the flirtee is still worth it. And if an oversexed old biddy swoops in and tries to hook the two of you up while you’re still deciding, show them your armpit.

If you can’t handle all the irritating people, the smoke and the noise, either skid off with your gang to the kitchen, or hole up at a nearby ice cream shop. Nobody cares, besides if someone wants to reach you, you can always ignore them when they call you on your cell.

If you’re NRI or ABCD, wipe that perpetually surprised, open-mouthed leer off your face. We don’t get it. Try frowning when you’re uncomfortable, or grinning from ear to ear when you’re happy, like normal people do. That way, we’ll atleast know what’s up with you.

Parent etiquette You’re allowed to look good. But remember, you are at your most endearing when you look hassled and disheveled. The guests will take pity on you and leave you alone. If you’re all primped relaxed,

Try and get to the dining room as early as possible, to avoid the feeding frenzy.

It doesnt matter if the cooks sigh and grumble that you’re early. It will save you and the hosts needless trauma if the diners are spread out through the day.

If you’re the host, please get a grip on the number of guests you’e expecting. Make extra food, and make prior arrangements for the left over food to be transported someplace where it will be appreciated.

We like it when you fuss over your guests.

Makes us feel less guilty about stuffing our faces while the world outside starves, because you’re the ones forcing us to.

Don’t be pathetic and hover over your fellow guests to make them finish fast. Go home and eat if you’re that desperate.

If there’s something you don’t like about the food, shut up. This is a one-off thing and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Remember the starving millions outside your door.

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etiquette

snapshot

Older guest etiquette Don’t swarm the stage during the mangal sutra ceremony. This is the only part of the ceremony anybody has even the slightest amount of interest in. We do not want to fling our rice at your ample posterior. If you’re that keen on establishing your importance in the ceremony, hang a sign around your neck.

If you’re too feeble to climb up to the stage, cut the drama and sit tight in your seat. Spare us the agony of watching you painfully hobble up the steps to bless the couple, holding up the rest of the ceremony for interminable periods of time. Just let the bride and groom know that you wish to bless them and if they think you’re important enough, they will come down to you.

When your beady eye spies a young guest who seems ‘perfect for your third cousin’s second daughter’, shut the hell up. Do not point, glare, whisper or pounce. These are people, not camels at the Pushkar bazaar.

When you see two young people talking and feel the urge to make an entendre-filled remark, slap yourself and go wash your face. You’re proving irrefutably that the only thing that’s on your mind, always, is sex.

Before coming to the wedding, sit down and think of things to talk about, that do not involve coupling or reproduction. We realize how hard that can be, considering this is all you have ever thought about during your adult life. Make the effort, it is time you evolved. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the number of young friends you’ll make, who won’t get up and leave the moment they see you coming.

they will assume you haven’t done enough for them.

Delegate, delegate, delegate. Or die.

Honestly, all the wild goose chases the priests send you on, are rubbish. You are allowed to tell them to go fish if you can’t do something with minimum effort.

Do not usher people secretly into the dressing room and palm them off with a recycled blouse piece. If you don’t have anything nice to give them, just grab their hands and say “ate aa?”

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Do not get the audience’s hopes up by waggling your finger at the nadaswaram players and getting them to play the getti melam every 43 seconds. One pee-pee-dum-dum during the thali ceremony is enough. Nobody cares about the rest.

Tell the cameraman not to moon the audience everytime he wants to get a closeup of the groom picking his nose, or the bride counting her toes for the 600th time. He’s going to scrap all the footage and encase their mugshots in purple circling hearts anyway.

Dress etiquette - women If you’re under 45, wear anything you want. Really, everything from a 9 yards saree to a strappy number looks great on you.

If you’re over 50, do not wear anything you want. Really, sarees look awesome on you.

Try not to wear those rather bizarre duppattas around your waists and over your forearms, that tie your arms back all evening. They’re pretty but we feel sorry for you and do not want you to be deformed for life on their account.

Do not wear stilettos. Most people in South Indian weddings run around barefoot. Amputees are significantly lower in the marriage market.

Dress etiquette - men Dude, dress down. Please. Those jigajiga brocadey kurtas only serve to accentuate your thair sadham features and make you look dorkier than you already are.

Leave those filmy man-dupattas that you wear around your neck, at home. They are 5 minutes ago. I will personally come and blow my nose and wipe my sweaty face with them if you don’t.

Give those curly jooties to the poor. Even they will probably hit you with them if you do. Wear sensible stuff like chappals or floaters that you can take off and leave at the door without worrying about them.

trends

QUICK READ

antique

Designs to desire

Actor Ashokan has purchased traditional design Ashta Lakshmi chain (14 sovereign) for his daughter.

Amidst the latest trends in gold fashion, antique jewellery designs have a legion of patrons everywhere. hey adorn the jewellery showcase heralding the glory of yore. Yes, we are talking about antique jewellery collections. Latest designs, of course, rule the roost in the gold market, but the vintage fashion is here to stay. When it comes to antique jewellery, customers in Thiruvananthapuram have every reason to rejoice. There are a few stores in the heart of the city specialized in traditional jewellery making. FWD Life approached a couple of jewellery stores in the city to know more about antique jewellery and the latest trends.

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Old is ‘gold’ First we went to Chalai, which is always been a hive of commercial activities. Our aim was to trace Ganesh Fashion Jewellery along the busy narrow road. But it wasn’t that much difficult to locate it.

They have more than 70 years of experience in antique jewellery making. And their name is syn-

onymous with traditional ornaments. It was more evident when we enter the shop.

“We have around 15 workers who make handmade traditional gold ornaments. We make antique jewellery designs according to the customers’ preference,” says Murali, the owner of the shop. The jewellery was started by Murali’s grandfather Ayyan Perumal Asari and later it was taken over by his father Subramaniam.

Though not glitzy as the yellow metal, the beautifully carved handmade ornaments certainly make you say ‘wow’! For the three sovereign chain kaliya mardhanam, it will take two months for delivery.

“Normally all models take a period between 20 days and one month for delivery. Some of these designs are bought for marriages,” says Murali, and adds that he is happy to carry on the tradition of the shop in future.

They have collections of Christian antique jewellery like valika. Other antique collections

Navya Nair has purchased antique jewellery for her marriage from Ganesh Fashion Jewellery. In fact, her uncle, director K. Madhu, suggested the shop to her.

include Sarappolimala, Kallu Poothali, Alankara chain, Kash chain, Ara Chilanka, Kazhuthila, Dasavatharam bangles, Nagapadam bangles and Pathak etc.

Art that shimmers Later, we called at Bhima Jewellers in Thiruvananthapuram, and the collections looked like tradition melded with trendy designs. “We have handmade ornaments in our antique collections. It comes with dull polish.

Customers now ask for trendy kunden stone ornaments,” says Satheesh, salesman at antique collection section.

Tradition melds with fashion Mango chain

Lakshmi pendant

Navaratna chain

Traditionally used in marriages as a second set. Gem stones and kundan stones are used.

This jewellery comes with colour thread; apt for your dress combination.

It consists of earrings (jimikki), bangles and chain together.

Shiv Parvathi chain

Adyal

Gaja Lakshmi chain

It consists of shiva lingam, nandhi, Parvathi and other things related to Lord Shiva.

This marvelous piece is made of chem stones.

Beautifully carved design of Goddess Lakshmi forms the chain.

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Manjooran’s hill thrill, partnered

by FWD Life, a one of the kind off-road experience was held in the stunning Vagamon heights resorts. A timed race, each driver was tested to the limit by the enduring challenges from steep hills to mud pits, fallen trees, boggy ground and ditches.

Manjooran’s Hill

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ll Thrill

show biz

rian, u K n a i r Ku Winner: Thomas, j a r u S : p er U Ist Runn m Kumar e r P : p u er 2nd runn

2013 APRIL

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wedding planning

101 Days to

Wedding Tips to avoid last minute wedding planning mistakes tarting a new life, be it with your sweet heart after a year of convicting your parents or with the one your folks picked up from the matrimonial market, it is an exciting and momentous affair. But for making this occasion grand, an organised approach is necessary. So for running a show that is next to perfection, right from food to invitation, finance to photography, follow FWD’s wedding guide.

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Tips to follow Deciding the Wedding Date Usually it’s the pundit or the elders who decide the auspicious date and time, but now it is a more special person in their life who indirectly decides the date…..their boss.

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Finance and Wedding Illegal thoughts if you guessed it to be dowry. It’s about planning the wedding budget. For help take references from friends’ and family who have recently conducted weddings.

Prepare the budget List Prepare a list of urgent and optional items and keep aside an approximate amount for each of those requirements and some amount for uncertain expenses. But before all these, better for the families to decide on the share each needs to pool in for their children’s wedding.

Guest List and Invitation Cards Compile a list of invitees and when it comes to your customised wedding cards; don’t forget to place a small map of the venue. And post cards to far off invitees weeks ahead.

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Quick read Wedding Venue It depends on the theme, the expected number of guests and also whether to go in for an indoor or outdoor arrangement.

Check the seating capacity, parking space, fire safety, power backup. Visit the venue two days prior to the wedding.

Catering and Floral Decor Inspect cutlery and crockery, proficiency in car service, hygiene and never miss out to check the sample food menu.

And when it comes to flowers, specify the kinds you wish to have for the decoration.

5 Months to the Wedding

Tips to follow Service Providers Talk to a caterer, wedding photographer, florist, DJ, stylist and be good at negotiating for a fair deal. Or to make things easy fix an appointment with an event manager.

Photography As they are precious moments book in advance.

Inform them the date and time of wedding and the kind of shots you will like to have. Better if a family member could assist the photographer while clicking pictures.

Accommodation and Transportation for Guests Make hotel reservations in advance or if they are to be put up in apartments, ensure the service of a cook and laundry facilities.

Hiring cars for guests’ transportation should also be kept in mind.

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Visualise your wedding theme and list out the genre of music to be played

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Start your jewellery and trousseau shopping

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Decide on your honeymoon destination and if travelling abroad check your visas, passports and medical clearance.

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Start a beauty regime

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Decide on what gifts to be given for guests in return

1 Week to the Wedding

1 Month to the Wedding

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Final confirmation of all reservations

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Confirm all reservations

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Handing over final guest count to the caterer

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Pre-bridal/groom makeover

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Packing your honeymoon suitcase

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Visit a spa for a complete relaxation

List of photographs to be taken

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Last minute alterations on your wedding attire Checking if all have received the invitation card

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Make order for the special wedding cake

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lifestyle

wedding

Dream Wedding

at God’s Own Ambience Meet ross and chrity and read more about their three-day grand wedding affair at the serene backwaters of Alappuzha Text Dhanya Menon Photos Parinaya Wedding Planners porating the best from North” says Jayita. Another requirement was that an international feel has to be created as they had guests coming from all the continents. So the real challenge was to cater to the tastes of people from multi national ethnicities and at the same time extract the best of India, especially Kerala for them,” she continues.

Jayita who is from North and knows Kerala close had no hassles in planning the best wedding for this curious couple.

She suggested a blend with the best from East and West for a three day fun filled grand event

Here goes the brief of the grand 3-day affair hristy and Ross met at Warwick in 2010. The strong bond started there was fulfilled through a colourful and fun filled destination wedding at God’s Own Country. For Christy, Kerala is her homeland. But she had spent a major portion of her life in Kuwait and thereafter in UK. Ross is from Bulgaria had heard a lot about the memerising backwaters of Kerala, from Christy. And no wonder

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the couple decided to fly to Christy’s homelandKerala, for a dream destination wedding. And their families arranged tickets for all their friends, colleagues and relatives to fly to God’s own country.

The couple who had great hopes but vague ideas called up Jayita Mondal of Parinaya Wedding Planners and briefed their requirements. “They wanted to have a backwater destination wedding at Alapuzha, but with a multi cultural appeal incor-

There were more than 100 people to reach Kerala to get soaked in the traditional Keralan warmth. “They had about 35 guests flying alone from UK itself, and from countries including USA, Denmark, Switzerland, Nigeria, Thailand, Taiwan, Kazakhastan etc” says Jayita.

The guests from different parts of world reached Alapuzha a day

Quick Read before the actual event with curious eye to explore one among the 50 must visit destinations of the world.

Day 1- Mehendi and Sangeet at Pagoda Resort, Alapuzha The sequence of events started with the Mehendi and Sangeet on the wedding eve. It was a colourful event with Mix & Match - North Indian Theme with DJ playing Rajasthani folk music tracks, dandias, mehendi artists, dancers and more. Even minutest elements of a typical north Indian wedding eve and folk feel was created with additions like Tarot readers and

5 Tips for Planning a Destination Wedding If you are planning your destination wedding offshore, contact the country’s embassy or consulate for legal requirements. Local hotel wedding coordinators / travel desk may help you in this.

Assistance of a local wedding planner helps in understanding the traditions and processes.

Keep the needs and interests of the guests in mind while you plan Destination Weddings and honeymoon can be clubbed together And most importantly, plan in advance – at least six months before

palmists. It was a very personal fun filled affair for the family and meant to present the best from Indian celebrations to the foreigners who arrived first time to Kerala. A rich north Indian decor with bright multi colour set up, diwan seating, chimneys, drapes and dance platforms was set up to compliment the affair.

The cuisine too was a mix of North and South.

“Indian people are ardent lovers of beauty and elegance.

This is what reflects in the Mehendi and Sangeet ceremony- the hectic hustling bustling activities before marriage. It is one of the most enjoyable cere-

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wedding

monies before the wedding and is to get to know everybody” says the couple.

Day-2 Wedding Day – Camelot Convention Centre A pure traditional Kerala wedding was orgainzed so as the entire guests will get the real flavor of Kerala. Apart from the usual rituals, the highlights were welcoming the guests with caparisoned elephant and traditional percussion ensembles (panchavadyam ). At a typical

Kerala mandapam erected with kasavu and flower décor and with all Hindu wedding elements, Ross tied the knot.

This was followed by a pure God’s own treat- a grand Kerala sadya in banana leaves and a cinematic shoot of the wedding in different back water venues.

“The wedding processes were translated by emcee of the groom family” says Jayita.

Day 3-Reception Lake Place Resort An English style reception held here at the lawns of Lake Palace Resort with a backwater view.

Lanterns, white flowers, lighting, shimmered the venue which was mixed n matched in cobalt blue and white shades. A grand entry was planned by team Parinaya for the bride-groom with sparkles lit by guests at the time of the couple’s entry.

Cake cutting was followed the first dance by the newly married couple. A surprise element happened in the event which was a purely Western affair- a sudden walking street play performance of traditional Kerala Art forms including Kathakali, Mohitayyom, Kalaripayattu etc. This was followed by speeches by the couples, their families and guests.

Soon after the dinner which was a multi cuisine affair and Western styled, the dance.floor was open for everyone with DJ playing till late evening. At 12 midnight a special sky lantern was lit for the couple wishing them a happy and prosperous life ahead. “This too was a surprise from team Parinaya”sums up Jayita.

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leisure

Quick Read

takashi waltar

For the Brides,

All Over this time in the whodunit series FWD life looks at the creative agency Takashi Waltar and their jewellery client.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds is a versatile brand that showcases a varied and distinctive collection of wedding jewellery, be it traditional or modern. The brand distinguishes itself through a corporate philosophy that deeply appreciates India’s rich and diverse culture. Such a pan Indian outlook is surely an asset when it comes to expansion plans outside Kerala.

The Idea The reason why we at Takashi Waltar, felt we ought to think big and develop a campaign, not limited to our state, but one that would hold sway along the length and breadth of India.

Accordingly, we hit upon the Brides of Indiacampaign for Malabar Gold & Diamonds,considering the jewellery brand’s foray into states outside Kerala.

Throughout India, marriages are occasions when the distinct and centuries-old beliefs, rituals and ceremonies would come to the fore. Even the jewellery chosen are both region and culture specific even as it is traditional. On this truth we focused, and we knew this would

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provide a unique opportunity for a brand like Malabar Gold & Diamonds.Our campaign would represent the brand’s philosophy of understanding not just the needs and aspirations of the customers, but their cultural milieu as well.It would highlight the emotional and traditional aspects of marriage and its sanctity. And all these in a tone that is sincere, appreciative, clear and precise.

In short, the campaign aimed at creating a pan Indian image for the brand, and an innovative one at that, through creating an intellectual property that shed the spotlight on distinct and traditional wedding practices across India. This, we

Media Print and TV Brand Malabar Gold & Diamonds Title Brides of India Agency Takashi Waltar

The campaign was started to bring a Pan Indian image for malabar gold & diamonds

believed, wouldproject a distinguishing image of the client, and wouldgo a long way towards differentiating the brand and its varied and distinctive collection from the competition.

Shoot Concept As for the campaign specifics, ‘Celebrate life’s precious moments with Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ was the central theme. The campaign involved detailed and extensive photo and video shootsfeaturing Punjabi, Rajasthani, Sindhi, Marathi, Gujarati, Uttar Pradesh,Marwari wedding rituals and ceremonies as also the Christian Hindu and Muslim weddings of Kerala.The intrinsic message was that wherever you are in India, whatever community or religion you belong to, Malabar Gold & Diamonds has an inimitable collection and range of wedding jewellery to match the occasion and make it memorable.

The branding ad that introduced the concept featured such superstars of the present and past like Mohanlal and HemaMalini.

The same campaign was taken a step further through a beautifully designed coffee table book.

Apart from displaying the products, the book aims to highlight the bridal jewellery of different regions and cultures across India, and to be a collectors’ item on traditional Indian wedding practices.

What’s more, the campaign is intended as a live and ongoing process. Each year fresh regions will come under focus, resulting in a fresh set of ads and ad films. The coffee table book is also intended to come out each year, featuring these additions.

Behind the scenes of this colourful campaign were brilliant copywriters, art directors, photographers and ad film makers. No wonder, the campaign is still creating waves and goes on drawing an overwhelming response through its broad sweep, its Indianness, freshness and disarming simplicity, and we are confident this would project Malabar Gold & Diamonds as one of India’s foremost jewellery brands.

Final ads

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lifestyle

Quick Read

architecture

Artfully

Articulate

Text Dhanya Menon Photography Paveen Mohandas, Lijo Jos

This compact office owned by Architect Lijo.Reni amalgamates functionality as well as aesthetics for hitting the right note - to providing a relaxing and inspiring working atmosphere.

Project Our Office Downstairs Design Lijo.Reny.Architects Location Punkunnam, Thrissur Total floor area 58.8 sq m.(Lounge & lower level- 47sq m, mezzanine level11.8sq m) The project was awarded the IIA KC Award - SILVER LEAF for Excellence in Architecture (2012)

01 Art works, curios and

01 ffice environments are sure to have a direct influence on the creativity and productivity of the people working inside. So it is essential for anyone to plan their office space for maximum inspiration.

As you enter the office you are welcomed with a surprise element, as from outside it looks just like any other building. It’s a compact office space, but creatively designed to corporate a feeling of spaciousness and a refreshing aura for creative

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inspirations. And there is an underlying concept for everything here.

Design Concept and Layout: As the site was in two levels, the office space space lies in multi-levels. The entry brings one to the mid level of the office, where there is a waiting area. A large window opens to a bamboo grove is a planned one. The lower level is the designing and draughting section with a small discussion

paintings forms an important part of the office ambiance. The Interiors was specifically designed to take the ever changing art works.

02 The office lies in

multi-levels having originated from the fact that the site was in two levels.

03 The Interiors was specifically designed to take the ever changing art works.

area, a pantry and a toilet. The studio level being positioned below the actual ground level creates a feel of sitting under the shade of a large tree.

“It is blissful to work that way” says the designer couple. “With the large openings we hardly have to use the lights during daytime. The mezzanine level has the library shelf and another discussion area. The store finds it place below the stairs.

Interiors Facts: Vibrant and curious art works from established artists to their own works, from paintings to installations- the interiors are specifically designed to take the ever changing art works. Large mirrors on the sliding shutters of the storage units visually double the space. Care was also taken to reflect the ‘feel’ usually seen in the photographs of Fernando Guerra. It’s rather unusual to be inspired by an architectural photographer’s work in creative spaces but we were” they continue.

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lifestyle

architecture

Interior Highlight: The Growing Wall This is a wall in the waiting that takes the memorabilia which includes original sketches by people like Ar. Peter Rich and Laki Senanayake. It also has several pieces from their travel.

Over a period of time the compositions on the wall changes as pieces of art are getting added and removed.

Colour Scheme: Three main colours that constantly show up in the office are red, black and white. The designer uo explains the concept: “Red for being one of those colours with most meanings,

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Black, for being stoic, bold, and concealing and White as a base/connector. These are the colours that we constantly experiment with in our art works and it was natural that it became the base for the office interiors as well”.

The Scale: This is something that every architect’s office should have, a scale that shows the length and height in feet and meters. It has been done with black and red reflective stickers in such a way that is registers as a scale only from the studio side and from the waiting its turns out to be another site specific art.

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04 The growing wall-

Wall in the waiting which includes original sketches by Ar. Peter Rich, Laki Senanayake, etc. Its also has several pieces of the couple collected from their travel.

05 Large windows dou-

bles the space. Also it opens to a bamboo grove providing a green effect.

06, Various art 07 installations 07 05

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parenting

sibling rivalry

Battle of brats The more they are allowed to fight as kids, the more likely they are to fight as adults. Children will be both buddies and battlers y son, 12, and daughter, 10, fight a lot…so much so that they beat each other up during their quarrels.

How do I tackle the situation? This was a question asked by a mother to a child counselor recently in a TV programme. “Out-of-control sibling rivalry should not be considered an unavoidable consequence of having more than one child,” say experts. Get your older child acquainted with the new baby before birth. Show her pictures of a baby growing in mommy’s belly. Let him pat the baby beneath the bulge, talk to baby, and feel baby kick. Replay the older child’s babyhood. Sit down with your child and page through his baby photo album.

Show him what he looked like right after birth, coming home from the hospital, nursing, and having his diaper changed.By replaying the older child’s baby events, he will be prepared for a replay of his brother or sister.

Being complacent and concluding that the childhood relationship will naturally grow from sour to sweet is being naïve. It doesn’t. The relationship is likely to get more sour when children grow up being deprived of the brotherly and sisterly love that is the birthright of being a brother or sister. Be particularly vigilant to prevent emotional scars, which take longer to heal than the physical ones. Show them alternatives ways of handling differences, a valuable

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BONUS

Quick Read If your children are several years apart, give the older child some supervised responsibility for the younger one. This will motivate the older brother or sister to care, and the younger sib will sense this.

Encourage your child to teach a skill he is proficient at to his sibling. Assign children tasks that require cooperation and motivate them to work together.

Humour is the best medicine. Humor disarms and catches children by surprise, so that they can see how insensitive their actions are toward one another.

Parents should make it as clear as possible what the child is to expect if he or she performs the undesirable behaviour.

Make it very clear what the undesirable behaviour is lesson for life. Listen to both sides. Give your children time and space to vent their anger and frustration before beginning your “therapy.” Kids are so caught up in their own emotions that they don’t hear what you’re saying.

Show you understand both children’s viewpoints and help them hear each other by echoing their feelings.

Brothers and sisters are a sort of live-in support system.

To children: Once your other friends have moved or drifted away, your family friends will always be there when you need them. Friends come and go; siblings are forever.

Check it out. Alternatively, it could be stemming out from some stress issues. Sit with them independently and resolve it

stablish support and care towards each other.

E Establish understanding between actions and consequences Encourage play and social interaction. Build up on their self-esteem Foster a team spirit among them. It is also important to

promote the quality of empathy Children do not have to be treated equally. But minimize comparisons. This is also the basis for feelings of inferiority.

Promoting sibling harmony requires a bit of parental marketing.

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finance

banking

Banking on loans There are certain things one should know before taking gold loans from financial institutions.

Read more… old loans are loans given against gold. Banks and financial institutions offer up to 80 per cent of the market value of the gold pledged as loan. People go for this type of loan to finance marriage and education, or to meet emergency needs. They are getting popular among small businesses as it is easy way to raise hard cash.

For gold loans from banks or other financial institutions, there is no need to show your salary slip or your credit history. If you are taking gold loan from a bank, it may insist on opening an account because they release the money through that account. Even unemployed and unsalaried people can go for gold loans. It would be a better to following tips before taking gold loans: Banks and other gold loan providers offer different rates on gold. Some may even include service charge in the loan amount. Before choosing the loan provider, read the fine print, compare the terms and conditions of 2-3 loan providers

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and get the feedback of your friends or relatives.

Banks accept gold ornaments and gold coins while non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) accept only jewellery. Both don’t accept gold bars. They take only 22-carat gold. There are exceptions, like Manappuram Finance, which takes gold above 18 carat.

The loan amount depends only on the value of gold.

Keep the receipt of pledged gold and other documents on the loans safely. If you miss them, don’t worry. You can file a declaration along with identification proof like Aadhaar to get back your pledged gold.

Like other loans, most of the service providers charge late payment penalty and this too can vary from one institution to the other.

Gold loan givers do not charge a penalty for repayment before the loan tenure is over.

But some may still have this charge in place.

Gold has a sentimental value.

Go for gold loan only if you are confident of returning the money in time. Otherwise you will lose the pledged gold.

Quick Read Some non-banking institutions may ask you to pay valuation charges i.e. fees to be paid for checking the value of the charge.

Don’t be shy to ask about these hidden charges before pledging your gold.

Avoid taking loans on borrowed gold or gold ornaments.

While some of the service providers may waiver processing these charges, some banks do charge a processing fee.

Interest rates for a gold loan offered by banks are cheaper, averaging 11-18 per compared with 15-24 per cent from an NBFC. Gold loan providers do not take into account value of precious and semi-precious stones in the jewellery.

For gold loans from banks or other financial institutions, there is no need to show your salary slip or your credit history.

If you are taking gold loan from a bank, it may insist on opening an account If you go for private lenders then better to go with one who has been in this business for many years.

Gold loan NBFCs are popular as they disburse the loan fast.

Make sure you are pledging the gold with an NBFC, which is genuine and offer good service.

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

Mahatma Gandhi

pets

skills

Examining Your Pet Dog Are you a responsible pet owner who has the habit of taking your pet for monthly checkups? any dog owners tend to overlook tell tale signs of illness but we advice a monthly home examination of your dog to prevent a serious illness from snatching its healthy living. For you never know; it could be its body temperature or heart rate that can point out the sickly future of your pet.

Do you have a spare digital thermometer to measure its body temperature? If so, take it out and check if your dog’s temperature is between 100-102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Pets having a temperature under 99 or over 104 should be taken to a vet immediately.

Reading heart rate is also equally pivotal.

You get a good heart rate reading when your pet is calm and relaxed. It’s quite simple; place your hand on the left side of its ribcage, the area where its elbow fits into the chest. Count the number of heartbeats for 15 seconds and then multiply it by 4. The result digit is your pet’s resting heart rate. A dog’s heartbeat accelerates

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and decelerates with each breath and to a great extend its heart rate depends upon the size of your pet dog. A dog which is larger in size like the St. Bernard’s or Mastiffs has slower heartbeats when compared to puny breeds.

Count the number of times your pet inhales in one minute and also look closely if it requires extra effort to inhale or exhale. Never measure it when your dog is panting.

Examine its mucous membranes once in a while to see if it has oxygenation or blood circulation problems. You can determine the symptoms of the same by studying the pigmentation on its gums or the coloring of its eyes. Open their eye and gently lift the eyelid to get a good look at the coloring or else apply pressure to their gums and release. If the area turns pale and rapidly return to its normal color within three seconds, your dog is ‘bloody’ enough.

Jot down this vital information; it helps in case of an emergency.

QUICK READ

Oogy:The Dog Only a Family Could Love

by Larry Levin Oogy receives a second chance to live and he proves it to the world that tragedy does not define life.

97Ways to Make Your Dog Smile by Jenny Langbehn It is a book on pets which offers unique ideas to make pets happy, with small gestures that go a long way.

BONUS This happened in Beijing last year. Mr.Yu bought a beautiful Tibetan Mastiff and two years later it was time for him to breed the dog and make some money. Yu found the skin of his dog was flabby and to rectify it he took it to plastic surgery.

Unfortunately the dog died on the operation table due to negligence. He sued the hospital demanding $141,240 as compensation for dog’s death.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

by Garth Stein This witty book is about a terrier-Lab Enzo who shares his insights as he learns key life lessons of kindness, love and loyalty from his human counterpart.

2013 APRIL

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food reveiw

taste par excellence six restaurants in town were reviwed on the basis of their ambience , service and signature dishes Text Thabitha Marion Photography Jinson Abraham To create the ultimate bucket list of restaurants in Kerala, FWD Life begins with the hunt for eateries and diners as we are to start with a series on restaurant reviews.

By experiencing the ambiance and tasting the specialties of each of these places, we rate the settings and preparations of these food destinations. Armed with lights and camera, the team went in search to pick the most visited restaurants, be it the ones with

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an elite ambience or the local eaters. In this issue we have covered six food joints that include a bake house and five restaurants. The bake house known for its pastries, cookies and rolls serves snacks with utmost hygiene and quality and some of the listed restaurants have fully air-conditioned comfortable amenities and a few with not so enjoyable environment, but lovely food. Though most of them have a variety of dishes, we have picked up one of their signature dish.

Quick Read Heat a banana leaf over low flame for a few seconds. Grease it and wrap the spice coated fish in the greased banana leaf.

Tie it tightly with a banana string so that the steam doesn’t escape.

To make soft chapathis add warm milk while kneading or add one teaspoon yogurt while kneading.

Never overcook shrimp as it becomes dry and rubbery. Cook only until the flesh is opaque.

Crabs can stay alive for three to four days if kept cold and damp, ideally at the bottom of your fridge covered with a damp cloth.

Bake My Day Location Subhash Chandra Bose Road, Kadavanthara Ambiance A relaxed and tidy eat out were one can hangout for hours together; relaxing on their luxurious couches sipping shakes or munching some scrumptious rolls or rich pastries. Within ‘BMD’ to the left you have racks filled with cookies and then come the stretch of pastries to ones choice of taste, sandwiches, patties and ice creams.

Snack combo for 2: Chicken California (2 nos), Choco mud pastry (2 nos), cappuccino (2 nos) Price 280 + tax FWD’s pick Blueberry cake Price 650 + tax

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Owner John Thottam says “It’s a cake made of fresh cream, blueberry and white sponge cake”.

Kettuvallam Location Kaloor Kadavanthara Road Ambiance This restaurant by the roadside built in the shape of a boat has its entrance with a door opening to a dinning space with cushioned sofa seats, were one can enjoy sitting under the bamboo blanketed roofs with the fragrance of some delicacies prepared there, listening to melodies Malayalam film songs of the seventies.

Meal for two: Fish curry meals (fish curry, aviyal, thoran, koottukari, pacadi, inji curry, pickle, sambar, moru, rasam, papad, payasam) Price

200 + tax

FWD’s pick Karimeen Pollichathu Price as per size + tax

Chef PR Mani about the dish: “A medium spicy fish preparation cooked with a mixture of onions, garlic, chilly, tomato and chilli powder wrapped in banana leaf, seasoned with mustard seeds.”

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Shaappukada Location Vytilla Ambiance Though named ‘Shaappukada’ never expect it to be a men’s only accessible restaurant; dingy and dark.The semi air conditioned restaurant has been constructed, imbibing the ambiance of a modernised toddy shop has coir wrapped door handles and roof lanterns, stylised bamboo thatched roofs worked on with boat-shaped bamboo artefacts’ embedded with lights at the backdrop to wooden varnished benches.

Meal for Two: Chirattaputtu (3 nos), Duck Roast (2 nos) Price

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FWD’s pick Chapathi, Chicken Fry Price 120 + tax

200 + tax

Manager Siji about the dish: “We serve 2 chapathi’s and a piece of medium spicy chicken fry with green salad; filling for one.”

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food reveiw

Nalukettu Location Vytilla -Tripunithura Road Ambiance This fully air conditioned restaurant on the first floor has a delightful environment designed with Kathakali statutes and elephant caparison highlighting Kerala culture. It is a family restaurant, spacious to accommodate over forty at a time.

Its hygienic seating with detachable white covers and clean tables shows how carefully they maintain and serve their customers who rely on their preparations.

Meal for two: Butter Naan (3 nos), Chuttaracha Chicken (1 no) Price 220 + tax FWD’s pick Crab Roast Price 220 + tax

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Chef Girish about the dish: “It’s a crab preparation cooked in coconut milk.”

Cochin Coffee Club Location Thammanam Ambiance ‘C3’ in short, has the best of road facing seating facility with cosiness and privacy to the heights. Entering this 24x7 coffee shop as you climb the arrow stairs with wall papers inspiring to have a cup of coffee, on its first floor they have an air conditioned family restaurant serving Continental, Tandoor and Chinese cuisines. And walking up to the second floor they have the ‘Hookah lounge’ with the best of ambiance created with paper and wall art arranged with black round tables and couches, perfect for a flavoured gang puff.

Snack combo: Black bean coffee (2 nos), Ozone chicken flat sandwich (1 no), Chicken Lowers (1 no) Price 300 + tax FWD’s pick CQ Jango sizzler Price 350 + tax

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Chef Mohammad about the dish: “A mixed non vegetarian sizzler made of chicken, prawns, beef, mutton.”

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Nasarani Kitchen Location KK Road Ambiance By the roadside, with ample parking space, you see a restaurant’s name board with the picture of an old Syrian Christian granny. As you enter a few steps to the left takes you in to the restaurant, a food joint with limited space and facilities, but one of the restaurant’s that serve good Syrian Christian fish preparations.

Meal for two: Vegetarian meals (aviyal, thoran, pachadi, kichadi, mezhukkuperatti, pickle, papad, koottucurry, sambar, rasam, payasam) Price

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160 + tax

FWD’s pick Prawn Roast Price 160 + tax

Chef Darwin about the dish: “A medium spicy prawn preparation with pepper, chilly powder, onions and garlic; seasoned with curry leaves.” snapshot

BONUS

Spice Guide (Black pepper)

It speeds up the rate of heartbeats.

Black pepper can be used as a home remedy for poison.

It can prove to be a first aid for situations when a poisonous substance is swallowed accidently.

Black pepper induces vomiting which results in the removal of poison from the alimentary canal.

Effective for the treatment of common cold and flu, for those suffering from brain related disease.

Black pepper boosts hunger.

Vitamin B, vitamin E and iron are found in black pepper.

It cures urinary tract problems and helps to remove sputum from air passages.

Muscular strength can be attained by using black pepper.

Grannies Cooking Tip Added too many tomatoes to a curry and has it turned sour? Add 4-5 cubes of ground breadcrumbs along with ½ teaspoon of sugar to the curry and mix well.

To avoid sticky-sticky rice, soak washed rice in water for at least ten minutes before cooking.

A teaspoon of oil can be added to get separate grains of cooked rice.

To thicken any gravy, add corn flour to it. To avoid lumps, mix the corn flour in water before adding.

It is an excellent thickening agent. Running out of corn flour, add maida/all purpose flour instead.

While sautéing onions, add a little bit of salt. Salt will absorb the moisture content and helps in faster sautéing.

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automotive toyota land cruiser

Luxury Goes Wild The perfect car for those who would not like a flashy 4WD

FWD RATING 1.18 Cr. approx

he 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser comes standard with everything this year. Previous options like rear-seat entertainment, navigation, heated and cooled seats -- you name it, it’s got it. Of course, this Rs. 1,18,72,728**, eight-passenger SUV with go-anywhere four-wheel-drive

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capability might not seem to be the kind of simple, user-friendly Toyota to which you’re accustomed, but actually it’s the kind of vehicle that every Toyota aspires to be. It goes everywhere, does everything, yet never shows off.

The 2013 Land Cruiser features items that automatically set the truck up for specific

kinds of terrain, alter the stiffness of the stabilizer bars (more body control for pavement, less for off-road) and take control of the accelerator and brakes during slow, hair-raising off-road maneuvers.

To rational car shoppers, the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser offers limited appeal. Many less expensive crossovers work better

for daily use.

Driving Impressions As with previous Toyota Land Cruisers, the 2013 model has excellent off-road capability and still delivers a thoroughly comfortable ride on urban streets. It is also a technological tour de force. When exploring the untamed wilds, high-tech

SPECS

Audi Q5 can accelerate from 0-100kmph in just 7.6 seconds with a top speed of 222kmph

Engine

Diesel Seating capacity

7

Length (mm)

4950

Max. Power

281 Bhp @ 3600 rpm

Width (mm)

1970

Max. Torque

650 Nm @ 1600 rpm

Height (mm)

1865

Kerb weight (kg)

2725.00

Wheel base (mm)

2849

Turning Circle

5.90 mtrs.

Displacement (cc)

4461

Gears

6 Automatic

Ground clearance (mm)

225

Tyre size

285/60 R18

snapshot FWD LIFE’S VERSION If on the outside Toyota Land Cruiser is aggressive on roads, on the inside it ensures maximum comfort and ease of driving for the driver. The interiors could have been a bit more appealing for the price tag. The Extra drive options definitely gets a thumbs up.

** Ex- showroom price, Delhi

features like Multi-Terrain Select and crawl control take much of the worry out of the hands of the driver. Just select what type of terrain you’re driving on, then dial in the desired speed (as low as 5kmph), keep your feet off the accelerator and brake pedals and steer in the desired direction.

In the more maddening wilds of the urban jungle, the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser behaves like the civilized luxury SUV it’s intended to be, soaking up bumps with composure and insulating driver and passengers from the outside world.

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Startups

movie tarot

Movie Tarot Read on some of the success stories from startup village. o you recall when was the last time you went to a movie and walked out of the movie hall dismayed? I am sure it won’t be a long time back. Have you ever thought that you wouldn’t have wasted your money and time if you had known more?? Wouldn’t it sound exciting if you could know about the movie before it is released? Don’t feel downcast; this is not about the boring columns of review that appears on the newspaper but about an application that runs on the iphone that you carry!!!

Riafy Technologies Pvt Ltd, an incubatee of Kochi-based Start-up Village, has come up with this exciting application! The application, Movie Tarot, predicts how well a film will perform in the box office before it is released. It will tell you if the movie is going to be a Blockbuster, Super-Hit, Hit, Average, Flop, or a Sleeper. This is not all, it also predicts the opening and overall collection of the movie.

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The tarot card also has something more special for movie lovers. It is going to tell you the percentage of viewers of the film who will be truly happy with it! Films with high happiness factor are those that will sustain their collections even after the release weekend.

Riafy Technologies was started by a bunch of engineering students of Sree Narayana Gurukulam College of Engineering. Their journey started with an online quiz ‘cypher’. These innovative techies wanted to create a quiz that could talk back, and tell you how close you are to the correct answer.

They finally ended up creating an amazing system that could relate any two things. This was their kick start on a relationship building system. The Movie Tarot is one of the applications of their relation building system. It gathers information for across the internet and puts it together to give you exciting predictions. No wonder the app got picked for Blackberry’s new Blackberry10 handset!

Quick Read Movie Tarot card had predicted that the film ‘Kai Po Che’ will be a ‘Hit’ with a collection of 18 crores. I was really taken by surprise when I found that it actually raked 18.1 crore! The app certainly offers an edge over conventional trailers and reviews in terms of predicting a hit or a miss in an instant. Is this going to benefit just the movie lovers?

Certainly not. The data will be useful for film-makers too.

Unreasonable @ Sea Read on some of the success stories from startup village. tors, who will be joining them on their voyage.

They mentor over 600 undergraduates who will be studying abroad on Semester at Sea throughout the entire voyage. Some of the great mentors who will be on board are Megan Smith, Vice President Google[x] at Google Inc; Matt Mullenweg Founder of Wordpress PC,World’s Top 25 People on the Web and many more. Some of the 13 countries on the itinerary are the United States, China, Japan, Burma, India, Mauritius and South Africa. As I explore more about the Unreasonable at sea I feel that Sir G B Shaw was a great thinker having rightly said,

he name brings an adventurous journey along an intangible, violent sea into our minds. Yes! It is infact an adventurous journey. The Unreasonable at Sea is a new approach; instead of uniting entrepreneurs under a roof, this accelerator takes place on a ship as it travels more than 25,000 nautical miles around the globe to 13 international destinations.

Unreasonable at sea is a mentor-driven accelerator program for tech-entrepreneurs who wish to take their ventures to international markets. They partner with Unreasonable Institute, Semester at Sea and Stanford’s d.school in launching this program. They work with technology based companies who are enroute to solving some of the toughest problem sets of our time.

The exciting part about this is that the program takes place on a ship. The ship goes around the globe during its voyage; giving young entrepreneurs a chance to explore the economies of 13 countries, where they will experimentally market their technology and will bridge connections with top government officials, foundations, venture capitalists, and serial entrepreneurs. They also get an opportunity to be mentored by 20 world-class serial entrepreneurs and innova-

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“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.

Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man [and woman].”

George Bernard Shaw 2013 APRIL

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photo story contest

Life through the lens

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Winner’s of ragam 2013 Photography contest

“Red Soul”

Nithin Divakar Sree Narayana College, Kollam

1st Prize

“In the realms of Sea” Tom Robins Vazhappilly, Sunny

2nd Prize

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photo story contest

“If conversation was the lyrics, laughter was the music, making time spent together a melody that could be replayed over and over without getting stale.�

Shefeeq Garden City College, Bangalore

5th Prize

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“Barter’s Luck for Life, the First..Buys luck for life , the Second...Burns Lucks of Life, the Third...And the satire of life goes on.... :) ” Jithin Jain JEC,Trissur

4th Prize

“Look what I found, pink!”

Maryam Khan Jamia Millia Islamia,New Delhi

3rd Prize

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The 27th edition of Raagam, the annual cultural fest of NITC, was held from March 15th-17th. This year Raagam had on offer over 40 events and prizes worth 12 lakhs up for grabs.

Take One, the short film competition was judged by our eminent panel members Anjali Menon, Bobby-Sanjay and Rajesh Pillai. The dance workshops (Salsa and Bachata) and the Nikon certified photography workshop also saw a huge participation.

Playback singer, Shankar Mahadevan, rocked the stage at Raagam. Popular singer Haricharan and Grammy award winner Tanvi Shah also entertained the audience.

Raagam 2013

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2013 APRIL

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QUICK READ

yoga & wellness

Shirshasan for

overall well being the posture has the power to rejuvenate your mind and body at the same time. hile on a yogic journey one of the memorable milestones is the headstand or Shirshasan. It is known as the King of Asanas as it revitalizes the entire body, refreshes the mind and helps break away from negative mental patterns. The response to seeing the pose for the first time is that awe and fear and most people feel that they are not physically capable of doing the posture. Unless you have specific medical conditions, headstands are for everyone who wants to have joyful and zestful life. Personally it has changed the way I look at the world and helped me overcome an irrational fear of the dark. The days that I practice the headstand I find myself smiling away despite the odds of the day.

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Benefits of Shirshasan Prevents varicose veins Sitting at a desk most of the day translates to sluggish circulation especially in the legs as veins have to work against gravity to return blood to the heart.

Headstand reverse the action of gravity and encourages venous return in the legs.

Detox Effect The pose helps improve diges-

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tion and elimination therefore has a detoxing effect. Headstand also ensures that the lymph nodes gets a boost to flush out the toxins.

Improved Respiration The pressure on the lower part of lungs aids in improved respiration. This means better immunity, more vitality. The better utilization of lungs means a more relaxed you.

Anti Ageing The pose has anti ageing properties as it prevents sagging and gives a mild face lift. The pose is also known to reduce chances of ischemic stroke.

Regulate Hormones The brain is nourished with a rich supply of blood which means regulation of hormones for growth and reproduction.

Enhanced Core Strength Physically the pose strengthens neck, spine, abdominal muscles such as obliques, rectus abdominus and the transverse abdominus.

Mental Benefits If you are suffering from mild depression, insomnia, nervousness, phobias, lack mental clarity , the ability to focus, trouble remembering, negative mental patterns that sabotage your plans here the pose for you. 8

minutes of headstand is said to have the same effect of an hour of sleep

The author Nuthan Manohar is a wellness consultant and researcher based in Cochin : nuthansm@gmail.com.

To come out of the pose bring one leg down at a time and relax in childs pose.

You will realize that the headstand is not on the head but the effort is on the elbows and shoulders. Like any balancing practice you need to patiently and mindfully practice to avoid falling. Never hold your breath and always smile.

Shirshasan is a very rewarding experience provided you persist at it patiently.

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* Check with a medical practioner or a trained therapist prior to starting any physical practice

health

entertainment preview

NEW Releases On Air

93.5 Red FM

Hello My Dear Wrong Number Wanna listen to a radio prank call segment? Tune into 93.5 RED FM where RJ’s turn mischief mongers playing pranks.

With novel ideas and cranky imaginations, RJ’s get together and brainstorm hilarious pranks on receiving calls or texts from their loyal listeners.

It could be a call from an employee requesting to play a prank with his/her boss, making the listeners; stutter, scream and squirm or a call pretending to be interviewers, officials, a cook or even an

electrician who converses decently or in an annoying cold manner to make their listeners laugh their lungs out. On special occasions like Valentine’s Day, these pranksters don’t hesitate to spare celebs from the traps of going blue and green.

Waiting to hear this unexpected fun and frolic, its loyal listeners tune into 93.5 RED FM as the clock strikes 9 am. Conveniently for those who miss out the hearty burst, it’s replayed at 11am, 4pm, 5 and at 7 in the evening.

RED ON DEMAND Here is a show that would definitely brighten dull evenings with music and entertaining conversation listening to the chatter-boxes of the station; the spontaneous and dynamic RJ Shafi and RJ Midhun. Known as ‘Dasan’ and ‘Vijayan’ ,on air they have cat fights when they receive requests from a girl, dedicating a song only to one ignoring the

presence of the pair.

They are not love gurus or guys for expert advice, but they always have solutions to problems. And if it’s a lady on line, they take extra effort to sympathize and cajole them. This is the only show that takes up daily song dedication and a platform for listeners to request their favourite tracks or to dedicate music to their near

and dear ones via SMS, phone call or through RED FM Facebook Page. The show also shares with its listeners a whole lot of information, interesting trivia’s that updates the youth at large. To enjoy the show to the fullest tune into 93.5 RED FM every Monday to Saturday 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm with RJ Shafi and RJ Mithin as you drive back from work .

AMULYARAGANGAL Tune into this popular retro show on Monday to Friday from 10pm to 12am, you hear a matured voice talking complete sense with subtle grins; that is RJ Ajeesh on air.

Bringing to the busy streets of the city and to the happy homes of Kochi, a pack full of remarkable golden classics, he just not plays music of yester years but also talks about music and more on it.

The show drives his listeners back to the 60’s and 70’s as he shares with them trivia about their favourite and noted singers, actors and directors of yester years; who has left back memorable songs and movies. Not surprised for RJ Ajeesh to have more elderly fans coming to the radio

station with flowers and sweet words.

As the show plays enduring, evergreen, nostalgic tracks, its dedicated listeners who will either be driving back home or relaxing in their balconies, treasure the two late hours of the day as a gem. RJ Ajeesh crafts interesting music with a mix of Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi melodies sung by legends like Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Yesudas and more. And on every Friday its listeners do make live dedications of songs right from the 60’s, a short cut to run back to the past or as a reminder to freshen up childhood memories. In few words, it’s a touchy two hour musical journey.

2013 APRIL

89

entertainment preview

NEW Releases Movies Hollywood

Upcoming movies in march

Bollywood

Mollywood

Jurassic Park 3D Genre: SF Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum

Nautanki Saala Genre: Comedy Cast: Ayushman Khurana, Priya Salvi

Surangani Genre: Action thriller Cast: Ajith Kumar, Arya, Nayanthara

Ladies and Gentlemen Genre: Comedy Cast: Mohanlal, Padma Priya, Meera Jasmine

The Big Wedding Genre: Comedy Cast: Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Katherine Heigl

Rabba Mein Kya Karoon Genre: Romance, comedy Cast: Arshad Warsi. Paresh Rawal, Riya Sen

Chennaiyil Oru Naal Genre: Thriller Cast: Sarath Kumar, Prakash Raj

Veettachan Genre: Drama Cast: Biju Menon

The Heat Genre: Genre: Action-comedy Cast: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcon

I Love New Year Genre: Comedy Cast: Kangna Ranaut, R Madhavan, Sunny Deol

Vettai Mannan Genre: Action thriller Cast: Jai, Silambarasan

Louis Araman Genre: Comedy Cast: Prithviraj

Primetime STAR WORLD

90

kollywood

primetime shows on tv channels

AXN

DISCOVERY

TLC

WHITE COLLAR It is about the most unlikely of partnerships, between a con artist and an FBI agent.

HOUSE MD A medical drama where an irreverent, controversial doctor solves medical mysteries.

Human Prey Amazing stories of those who have been attacked and how they managed to survive despite the odds.

Hotel Hell The show follows Gordon Ramsay as he attempting to fix horrid hotels and awful inns .

ONE TREE HILL It’s a story about two half-brothers and their turbulent relations

TOP CHEF A whole new ballgame for competing chefs to see who qualifies to wear the Top Chef Coat

JUNGLE GOLD Follow George Wright and Scott Lomu who risk it all to strike it rich in the gold fields of Ghana

Get Out Join Lindsay Clubine, Camille Anderson and Misty Rice take you to top VIP tourist spots.

APRIL 2013

NEW Releases BOOKS

new books to hit the stands soon

‘The Burgess Boys’ by Elizabeth Strout The Burgess Boys are two brothers whose father gets killed in a freak accident when they are young. They flee their small Maine town for New York as soon as they are and deal with their past and the dynamics of family relationships.

Price: `1,644 approx.

‘Maya’s Notebook’ by Isabel Allende Chilean author Isabel Allende known for her historical fiction that takes place in Latin America, for a change writes about the present day. ‘Maya’s Notebook’ is a story involving drugs and assassins.

Price: `1,477 approx.

‘Telling the Bees’ by Peggy Hesketh It’s a debut novel that tells the story of an eighty year old beekeeper, Albert, who has spent his life as a bachelor, but has a deep and complicated relationship with a friend, Claire. The book is about how Albert works through his memories and their past, on the murder of Claire after a burglary.

‘Middle C’ by William H. Gass The book begins with days in Austria in 1938 and moves over to England and then Ohio. It’s about a man who takes his family to London to escape impending Nazi occupation of his country, but over the pages, mysteriously disappears.

Price: `1,484 approx.

Price: `636 approx.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson In 1910, Ursula Todd is born, the third child of a wealthy English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, and embarks upon a life that will be unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in any number of ways. Clearly in Ursula rests nothing less than the fate of civilization.

Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg Chief Operating Officer of Facebook examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, and offers compelling, commonsense solutions that can empower women to reach their full potential.

Price: `1,300 approx.

Price: `1470 approx.

@ Web

Viral Videos

Youtube Hilarious parody of the hit song ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’

A speech delivered at the National Prayer Breakfast by Dr. Benjamin S. Carson.

See how this powerful invention, Virool, is changing the world

Gandhi vs Martin Luther King Jr. Epic Rap Battles of History

2013 APRIL

91

leisure

pick of the month

GADGETs Disclaimer: Price and features are subject to change. Buyers are advised to act on data after cross-checking

Samsung Galaxy S4 What we liked

FWD RATING

Exceptional 440ppi 5” inch AMOLED screen Exynos 5 Octa processor with 2GB RAM

45,000/-

13 MP camera

approx

Cameraman mode in photos The most hyped up phone of the year delivers, but without a big ‘wow’.

What we disliked Very plasticy like most Samsung phones Not a ‘wow’ upgrade from the S3

Hercules BTP02

Wacom Intuos5 What we liked

FWD RATING

Multi touch controls Very sensitive, best in its class

17,000/-

Natural feel with 2048 pen pressure levels

approx

Can also be used as normal touchpad

What we liked

What we disliked

No wires, bluetooth audio streaming

Rubbery buttons

Great battery life, 20 hours playback

Effective drawing area is too low

Clear audio.

What we disliked Poor frequency range for its price.

FWD RATING

Awkward form factor

23,000/92

APRIL 2013

approx

A professional grade tablet for all you keen illustrators.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 What we liked Ruggedly designed body for rough outdoor use WiFi and NFC for photo transfer Full HD video recording

What we disliked Poorly designed buttons Image quality could have been better Premium price A camera you can take along for your adventures with confidence

FWD RATING 30,000/-

Icomania

Magisto

Any.Do

An incredibly fun word guessing game. You are shown an icon and you need to guess the word associated with it. Some of the levels are sure to make you chuckle!

Don’t worry if your videography skills are below par, Magisto magically transforms your videos into pieces of art.

A great way to share your moments with the world.

A beautifully designed simple app to make you remember things that you need to do.

Syncs with the cloud automatically and even lets you dictate notes.

Qrcode Android

Qrcode iOS

Qrcode Android

Qrcode iOS

Qrcode Android

Qrcode iOS

2013 2013 FEBRUARY APRIL

apps

approx

Did you know?

Smartphones make up 18% of all phones sold today. This is estimated to increase to almost 50% by 2014.

93

Absolutely, men are also subject to domestic violence. They get into trouble just the same. Domestic violence cannot be prejudiced based on gender. It is very situational and bound to vary. The reason men’s plea is not out loud is cause of society’s frame of mind that men are volatile and only the weaker one can be harmed; which is why, men have not been heard or given much importance to. Men should also be given an opportunity to express themselves.

Alphonsa Thiruvinkal Student

Men are also susceptible to domestic violence, but the same is not being reported because our system do not have a special wing or cell to protect such men who are subjected to domestic violence. This is mainly because ours is a male dominated society and it is generally considered that only women are being tortured. This is the reason for overlooking the later. My opinion is that our government should take some serious steps in order to curb such injustice met out to the men in the society.

Lakshmi Nithin Lawyer

WHAT

Male are susceptible to domestic violence but MEN are not. If he is a real Man, he never have to be, coz he’l know how to tackle the situation so as to avoid it. I’v heard that in 7 out of 10 cases females are the victims of Domestic violence. I dont say that female are bad at tackling such situations, but since it is a fact that they are physically weaker than male, many a time they have no choice but to bear it and remain silent. Moreover most of the female esp in India would prefer staying silent and save her family rather than raising voice and react. Their husbands on the other hand take advantage of this. But doing so does’nt make them a Man. Sruthi Media Professional

F***K ?

FWD readers respond to the topic - “Are men susceptible to domestic violence?”

It’s an emphatic ‘NO’ from me, because I think women are much more sensible than men. Even if they lose their cool, they wouldn’t go to the extent of bashing up their partner or lover. Height of anger or trauma might make them think of silently walking out of the relationship without causing much disaster. But of course, there might be exceptions like the one we came to know recently through a section of media very recently.

Franko Davis Manjila PR Consultant Divorce on the grounds of domestic violence is very common. But, a man being a victim of it does raise a lot of eyebrows.Over the years, women have proved to be more accommodating than men.Forget the meek exterior; I’m sure a woman can pack quite a punch if she feels she is in danger. Hence, I would say men are susceptible but with the notion that he has done a lot to provoke that kind of behavior from a woman.

Yogitha Saraswathi IT Professional 94

APRIL 2013 MARCH 2013

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2013 APRIL

95

wedding

How to

quiz

Discovering

‘She’ in a Marriage

Take a pen; comfortably sit down with a cup of coffee to take up this self-help quiz.

Calculate the total number of ‘yellows’, ‘blues’, ‘reds’, and ‘greens’ to decide if you are his boss, child, mother or his best pal.

Find out what kind of relationship you are likely to have

t’s common to slip into a comfort zone with your partner, but what is that particular role you play in his life is equally important. A married woman can behave as though she is his mother, running after him fulfilling all his needs, or a bossy partner who says, ‘you are not going to watch the match with your friends,’…so negatively taking charge of his life just because he got married to you.

I

The housework really needs to be done, so you…

You andyour partner fancy aweekend away together, andyou…..

Make a start on it without asking him for help. You know you do a better job of it anyway.

Let him do the planning, while you are busy sorting through the clothes you need to pack.

Tell him exactly what needs to be done and when you expect it to be finished

Choose the destination and arrange everything without him knowing, for a pleasant surprise

Division of labor- he tackles the cleaning up and you do the cooking

Finalizing a destination after confirming that the place has enough choices to keep him occupied and lot of shopping malls for you.

Ignore it until he makes a start on it or asks you to help.

Research for a few different options in consultation with him.

When you go to social events together, you tend to….

Get drunk after a few drinks just to make him the driver for the night constantly on guard all night, staring at women 02 Be and watching the number of pegs he takes

96

APRIL 2013

Spend the night catching up with friends, shooting at him flirtatious looks Let him be the center of attraction

Without a doubt, his most annoying habit is Making alldecisions in your relationship without asking your opinion Giving excuses whenever you ask him to do something Selfish, when it comes to you sharing your time with your friends Walking straight from bathroom with loads of water to the bedroom.

Your husband is sharing his troubles with at work with you. Do you: Think ‘why am I breaking my head for this’ Give practical advices to fix the problem or to improve the situation.

Bitch along with him, about his boss and tell him to search for a better job.

Patiently listen to it and soothe him with a cup of coffee

After having an argument with him, you: Skulk from his presence till he makes the move to melt away the rift Just be passive about the situation You go to him and give hima hug to end up hostilities Cook for him his favourite meal

What kind of birthday gift are you most likely to get him: A relaxing time at a resort A pair of shoes or a designer wear Something small and sweet Some kid of a fun time which he wouldn’t have normally

Discover the Partner in You Mostly yellow (Nurturing mother)

Playing the nurturer can be draining. Here you are talking responsibilities which are not meant to be shouldered on you. There is nothing wrong about caring, but giving up everything and accepting things which doesn’t make you feel comfortable can over time build up resentment against himthat would come out of you one day, when you unknowingly blurt it out.

Mostly Blue (Critical boss)

You often have high expectationsof what a relationship should be like and what he should be doing, being your partner. Berealistic and avoidchallenging him over petty things. Learn to pick your battles wisely and identify what issues are important to you and the ones you can let go. Long time you change your attitude towards him, or else he would continue seeing you like a pest who eats up all the happiness in his life.

Mostly Red (Needy child)

You suffer from a negativity about yourself that results in you going in for constant validation that makes you believe that you are loved and wanted. Improving your self-esteem is about liking yourself for who you are, not about expecting your partner to be the solution. If you keep asking him whether he loves and cares for you, at first he would be happy to give ananswer, but later it might make him think ‘Nuts or what….Why does she underestimate my love for her… crazy woman’.

Mostly Green (Best friend)

You tend to compromise on most things and enjoy each other’s company. But as you are too much into each other, somewhere you forget who you are. You need to have outside friendships too.

It brings freshness to your relationship. As he is so very understanding, you really need not take pains to explain what you like to do other than him being around all the time.

2013 APRIL

97

wedding

rituals

Kidnapping Brides

Charivari

1

A French folk custom were the community makes a noisy, discordant mock serenade, pounding on pots and pans, at the doorstep of the newlyweds. Practiced for over 700 years, it was first recorded in France.

2

Marrying Animals

3

In some parts of India if a girl is born with a tooth rooted to her upper gum, due to evil spirits she was obvious to be eaten up by a tiger sometime in future. So to ward off unfortunate future, she has to marry an animal prior to her real wedding.

Marriage by abduction is a practice still prevalent in some areas of Central Asia and among the gypsies. The groom abducts the bride whom he wishes to marry, a senseless gesture of a man to express his love for her.

Fishy Beats

4

In South Korea after the wedding, friends of the groom takes off his socks, ties a rope around his ankles, and start beating the soles of his feet with dried yellow corvine, a kind of fish; a tradition that make the groom stronger for the first night.

8 weird wedding rituals Ancient culture is still a mystery to many butsome of it still powerfully prevails even in modern days. Here check out some of the most bizarrewedding traditions across the globe

Baby Rolling

Bride Dance

5

A polish tradition were the bride dances with her father, as her relatives hold out an apron collecting money thrown by guests, who stands a chance to dance with the bride. By then the groom surmounts all contributions by flinging his wallet to win her over.

6

Zuo Tang

7 98

Popularly practiced by Tujia natives of China, it’s a custom were the bride-to-be, her mother and aunts cry an one hour every day, a month prior to the wedding.This tradition is believed to offset the happiness of the occasion, leading to a happier marriage.real wedding.

APRIL 2013

A pre-wedding custom in Greece wishing the about-to-be-married couple fertility and happiness. To wish them their friends and family members with babies get together at the couple’s house to roll their tiny tots over the couple’s marital bed.

Jumping the Broom

8

This time-honored custom were the bride and groom jumps over a broom during their wedding ceremony symbolizes a new beginning, sweeping away the past. It also signifies union of two families or a tradition paying to respect to family ancestors.

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8 WEIRD WEDDING RITUALS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT

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RNI Reg. No. KERENG /2012 /42759

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