Culturama july 2016 by Rohini Manian

culturama POWERED BY GLOBAL ADJUSTMENTS

Living wholebrained

July 2016 Volume 7, Issue 05

An exclusive interview with neuroanatomist Dr Jill Bolte Taylor, who was on Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Rs 40

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July 2016

Dear Readers, Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Senior Editor Lakshmi Krupa Business Head Archana Iyengar Creative Head Prem Kumar VP Finance V Ramkumar Circulation S Raghu Advertising Chennai Archana Iyengar Bengaluru Meera Roy Delhi/NCR Ruchika Srivastava

I am writing this note from Washington, D.C. When I proudly told people in America about the TED speaker Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor whom I had interviewed, I was surprised when I did not get the ‘oohs’ and ‘aaahhs’ I expected from them. Then when I added, you know the woman who brings a brain on to the stage during her talk and tells the story of a stroke she lived through, recognition dawns! Clearly, Dr Jill Bolte Taylor has succeeded in spreading her powerful message with selfless leadership. Did you know that our right brain focuses on similarities, the present moment and how we are all connected? And that the left brain is the one that sees difference and has memories and judgements, prejudice and bigotry? I learnt from Dr. Jill, the amazing author of My Stroke of Insight, that we can consciously work on having our two brains speak to each other. This 'whole brain' living that she speaks of can be a life-changing revelation to many of us.

I was among the 3.7 million viewers who had just watched her talk and something compelled me to reach out to her via her website. The message on her site said ‘I am grieving the passing of both my parents in quick succession and am unavailable for public talks but leave a message.’ I did. Pat came the reply, and she warmly gave me time for the interview on Page 16. As we are rooted in spiritual thought from time immemorial in India, if we combine this with Western research and practicality from Dr. Jill we could truly live fully. This issue of Culturama is dedicated to our faith in the human being and the doing brain, and our inter-connectedness across the world as one family. Hope you also enjoy the articles on street art, unique Indian products and more in this colourful edition. Ranjini Manian Editor-in-Chief globalindian@globaladjustments.com

Mumbai/Pune Arjun Bhat To subscribe to this magazine, e-mail info@globaladjustments.com or access it online at www.culturama.in Chennai (Headquarters) 5, 3rd Main Road, R A Puram, Chennai – 600028 Telefax +91-44-24617902 E-mail culturama@globaladjustments.com Bengaluru No.: A2, SPL Habitat, No.138, Gangadhar Chetty Road, Ulsoor, Bengaluru – 560043. Tel +91-80-41267152, E-mail culturamablr@globaladjustments.com Delhi-NCR Level 4, Augusta Point, Golf Course Road, Sector 53, Gurgaon 122002, Haryana Mobile +91 124 435 4224 E-mail del@globaladjustments.com Mumbai #1102, 11th floor, Peninsula Business Park, Tower B, SB Road, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013 Tel +91-22-66879366 E-mail mum@globaladjustments.com Published and owned by Ranjini Manian at #5, 3rd Main Road, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai – 600028, and printed by K Srinivasan of Srikals Graphics Pvt Ltd at #5, Balaji Nagar, 1st Street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai – 600032 Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Disclaimer Views and opinions expressed by writers do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s or the magazine’s.

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Letters to the editor

Cover Image

Dear Editor, On the cover in this issue of Culturama is Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor with a human brain. Turn to Page 16 to read our interview with her. Photo: Kip May

Advisory Board Members

N. Ram is an award-winning journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu. He is Director of Kasturi & Sons Limited, publishers of The Hindu. Suzanne McNeill lived in India for seven years before returning to Scotland. She is a freelance writer and graphic designer. Marina Marangos is a lawyer, and enjoys travel and writing. She lived in India for four years before moving to Australia. www.mezzemoments. blogspot.com G. Venket Ram is an acclaimed photographer and the creative mind behind many a Culturama issue. www.gvenketram.com Annelize Booysen is a business consultant and social entrepreneur. She lived in Asia for more than a decade, which included three years in India. She is currently based in the United States. Namita Jain, founder of Jaldi Fit, is a leading fitness guru and a businesswoman who helms Kishco, a world-class cutlery brand.

Contributors Susan Philip is a freelance writer based in Chennai, and the editorial coordinator of Culturama’s various coffee table books. Eknath Easwaran (1910–1999) was a spiritual teacher, author and interpreter of Indian literature. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press in California. Devdutt Pattanaik is the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group and a writer and illustrator of several books on Indian mythology. www.devdutt.com

I have been receiving Culturama for over a decade, maybe 15 years now, and enjoy reading every issue. What a transformation it has undergone in so many years – kudos to the Editor-in-Chief and the team. M. Nataraj, Coimbatore

Dear Editor,

The new logo of Global Adjustments, based on the concept of mandala, is superb and very strong yet has a warm brand look. Your editorial is simple yet it had a subtle message in it. Best wishes. Ramakrishnan, CEO, Color Homes

Dear Editor,

At the outset, let me congratulate you and your team for the Culturama June 2016 issue. Your magazine is outstanding. Its unique feature is its ‘Indian-ness’. The leader in you makes all the difference to the magazine. I read, with interest, the Founder’s message in every issue and your message in each excels the previous one. Congratulations. Your team, which puts together the content for each issue is doing an excellent job and my congratulations and best wishes to them. Congratulations on your new logo. The way you explained mandala and the background to your new logo in the Founder’s message says it all. Particularly, the colours chosen and what they represent. The new logo with GA in a pure white centre is excellent. The quality of the magazine with its contents, photographs and printing is world-class. K. Vasudevan, via email

Dear Editor

I have been following Culturama (earlier At a Glance) for 21 years. I was awestruck by the cover of the June 2016 edition, in white, which means purity, and cleanliness. The mandala is also known as yantra and it is a symbol or icon – particularly of a goddess (devi) in geometric form. R.K. Bhuwalka, Mumbai

culturama – Subscribe Now! Get your copy of Culturama as a hard copy or as an e-magazine - visit www.culturama.in to subscribe For other enquiries, e-mail us at culturama@globaladjustments.com or call us on +91-44-2461 7902

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Contents 34

Ten for the Road

Trivia about an Indian state – featuring Uttar Pradesh this month.

India Now

A recap of the events and people that made news in the last month.

Look Who’s In Town

26 Feature Looking for some fun, India-inspired products? We have curated a list of funky new brands.

India’s Culture 8

Short Message Service

Short, engaging snippets of Indian culture.

Festival of the Month

Completing their month-long fast, Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Fitr in July, while Hindus celebrate Guru Purnima.

Expats share their views about life in India.

Journeys Into India

Seeing India

Journey to a ‘living’ Chola temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram.

Holistic Living

You become like the people you hang out with.

Calendar of Events

See what’s going on in the main cities and suburbs.

Picture Story

India’s street art culture is alive and vibrant.

India Diaries

Regulars 44

India Impressions

Raffaela Schneid captures her first month in India through her lens.

Relocations and Property 78 All about the ancient art of Mallakhamb.

Space and the City

Property listings in Chennai.

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SMS 8

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by Suzanne McNeill Short cultural snippets for an easily digestible India

Art/textile/craft Terracotta Today there are more craftsmen working with terracotta in India than anywhere else in the world. Terracotta – essentially clay that has been shaped, dried and fired in a kiln – occupies a central position in Indian life and culture. It has been used for millennia to create everything from common earthen pots for water storage to lamps, bowls, cups and toys. Potters in Odisha craft a style of cylindrical terracotta roof tile, uniquely decorated with figures of birds and animals, and Madhya Pradesh’s Bankura district has given its name to the large, stylised terracotta horses that are created as votive figures. Significantly, terracotta is associated with religious ritual in India. Incorporating the vital elements of air, fire, earth and water, terracotta is used to mould the small figurines that can be seen at rural shrines and the giantsized deities made for festivals.

Words By Two

Food and drink Pani Puri

Sharing food is an integral part of Indian etiquette and culture, and an important way of bonding for families and friends. Colleagues and visitors will always be urged to sample each other’s meals and snacks; and when two people are dining together in a restaurant and have two different dishes, it is customary to share those dishes. It is also perfectly acceptable in an Indian restaurant to order food ‘by two’, which means one dish that is to be shared and eaten by two people. Waiters will actually pour, for example, one portion of soup into two bowls, but charge you for just the one. ‘By two’ is part of India’s unique food culture, so don’t be shy to try it out!

Chaat is a Hindi term known throughout India for mouthwatering savoury snacks that are typically served from roadside stalls and food carts. One of the most popular chaats is pani puri (also called phoochka or golgappa). Puris are puffed, hollow dough balls, fried to a light crispness and filled with a masala of cooked vegetables such as spicy potatoes, peas or chickpeas, and served with pani, a sweet and sour, tangy chutney made with tamarind or coriander. Indians eat them on the move, stopping at favoured stalls where the little puffed puri are piled high, ready to be speedily filled and served. Watch a busy street vendor serving without a pause: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RppB9BEju5I

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Chanda Kochhar is one of India’s most influential businesswomen, widely recognised for her role in shaping India’s retail banking sector. She is CEO-Managing Director of ICICI Bank, the country’s largest private-sector bank. Kochhar was born in Jodhpur in 1961. She attended school in Jaipur before moving to Mumbai to study cost accountancy, taking a Master’s in Management Studies. She joined ICICI, the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India, as a management trainee in 1984, impressing colleagues with her focus and ability to make inroads in a male-dominated field. Kochhar was instrumental in establishing ICICI Bank during the 1990s. Under her leadership, the bank started building its retail business. Stints as chief financial officer and joint managing director followed before her appointment as MD and CEO in 2009. Kochhar has been credited with steering the bank through the economic downturn of 2008. Today, ICICI is present in 18 countries outside India. Kochhar is active on the boards of many national committees and institutions. She has won numerous industry awards and is a recipient of India’s Padma Bhushan. Chanda Kochhar has always laid emphasis on family life. She launched iWork@home, which allows female employees to work from home for a year, and encourages executives to take young children on business trips. She is currently no. 40 on the Forbes List of the World’s Most Powerful Women.

Photo: Michael Conrad, Germany

Name to know Chanda Kochhar

Interpretations Salt production provides a livelihood for many farmers in Tamil Nadu, with around 40,000 acres of land under production in salt pans along the east coast. India is the third largest salt manufacturer in the world. Hot, sunny days are essential for salt production. Seawater is pumped into collection pits, and left to evaporate in the sweltering heat, allowing the salt to crystallise. It is then swept into mounds and left for days to continue drying, before being inspected for consistency and poured into sacks for distribution. Salt production is also associated with India’s struggle for freedom. Mahatma Gandhi organised the 24-day Salt March, known as the Salt Satyagraha in protest against punitive British taxes on Indian salt production. This challenge to colonial authority gave impetus to the independence movement and ignited the national struggle for freedom. Just as the expression ‘salt of the earth’ implies trustworthiness, namak, meaning ‘salt’, is associated with loyalty in many Indian phrases.

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India now by Susan Philip

The month that was

As we enter a new month, we quickly recap the events, people and places that made news in the past month

Politics and Polity Her Excellency The Union Territory of Puducherry has a new Lt. Governor – Kiran Bedi. She has the distinction of being India’s first woman officer in the Indian Police Service (IPS). She made a mark in several areas during her years as an IPS officer, and is particularly noted for the reforms she carried out at the Tihar Jail in Delhi as Inspector General of Prisons. She took voluntary retirement from the IPS, and later joined politics. Culturama carried an interview with the feisty Ms Bedi in August 2015 (https://issuu.com/globaladjustments/docs/ culturama_august_2015__web.

Winning ways In the recently held elections to five State Assemblies, two women managed to repeat their success of five years ago, and led their parties to victory, while in three other States there was a change of guard. The AIADMK party won again in Tamil Nadu and the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, giving Chief Ministers J Jayalalithaa and Mamata Banerjee another term each in office. In Kerala, the Congressled United Democratic Front yielded place to the Left Democratic Front, and Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn in Chief Minister. In Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal became the first

BJP Chief Minister after his party toppled the long-standing Congress Government. The Union Territory of Puducherry saw the Congress-DMK front taking over. Q Ms Jayalalithaa is the second Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to win a second contiguous term in office. Who was the first? A. M G Ramachandran, founder of the AIADMK party and Ms. Jayalalithaa’s political mentor.

Scientifically Speaking Mission Accomplished! India took another stride forward in its space odyssey when it successfully launched the first indigenous Reusable Launch Vehicle. The RLV-TD lifted off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is justifiably proud of the achievement, particularly in the light of NASA having abandoned a similar project. ISRO describes the RLV success as a ‘very, preliminary step’ in the development of a reusable rocket. The fact that the technology is ‘made in India’ means that costs will be considerably curtailed.

Awards and Accolades Jai Ho! Sought-after, Oscarwinning music composer A R Rahman has one more feather in his cap – he has been awarded the Grand Fukuoka Prize 2016 for his outstanding contribution to Asian culture through his music. The award is given by the Japanese city of Fukuoka to honour the outstanding work of individuals, groups and organisations working to preserve and promote the unique and diverse culture of Asia. Other Indians who won the award earlier include Ravi Shankar, Amjad Ali Khan and Padma Subrahmanyam from the world of arts, historian

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Ramachandra Guha and author-environmental activist Vandana Shiva. Q. A very popular figure from a totally different field was in the news for his collaboration with A R Rahman. Can you name the personality and the project? A. Indian cricket’s swashbuckling Virat Kohli, also the brand ambassador for the Premier Futsal League, is singing part of the lyrics for the League Anthem composed by Rahman. (Futsal is a quicker, shorter version of traditional foot ball).

Sports Spots Rio, watch out!

RIP Aich He was all of 4 ft 11 inches, but he was a veritable Hercules in stature. Manohar Aich, whose diminutive size won him the nickname ‘Pocket Hercules’, was declared Mr. Universe at the NABBA Universe Championship in 1952. The body builder kept up a rigorous discipline of exercise into his eighties, but age finally withered him. He breathed his last at the age of 104. Did you know, Aich began his body-building regimen in the 1940s, when he was with the Royal Air Force? It was a British Officer who introduced him to weights.

News for Use APPlying technology to tourism

India’s badminton star Saina Nehwal defeated China’s Sun Yu to clinch the Australian Open, the second time she’s winning the title. The hard won victory was her first this season, and a huge confidence booster, coming as it does before the Rio Olympics. Q. Saina was the first Indian shuttler to win a medal at the Games. Where did she win? Which medal?

The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) is working on a mobile app which will provide all details that a tourist would need at all major tourist spots in the state. The app will be available in eight languages. It will do away with the need to browse the web, either in Net Cafes or on mobile phones. The TTDC is working on making the experience of downloading information as smooth and quick as possible via the app. Users will, among other things, be able to access audio and video elements, and also book accommodation in TTDC hotels.

This and That All aboard the Tiger Train!

A. She took the bronze at the 2012 London Olympics. Will she get a medal at Rio? Fingers crossed!

End of an Era Curtain call Acclaimed actress Sulabha Deshpande passed away after a prolonged illness, at the age of 79. She acted in both Hindi and Marathi films, and will also be remembered for strong performances on the stage as well as on the small screen. Sulabha was a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest recognition that a theatre personality can win. Her roles in films like Bhumika and Gaman, as well as in the Marathi play Shantata! Court Chalu Ahhe left a deep impression on the minds of viewers. Watch English-Vinglish, a film starring the versatile Sridevi, in which Sulabha Deshpande plays the role of Mrs. Godbole.

Tiger spotting has assumed a whole new dimension with the Indian Railways introducing a semi-luxury train called the Tiger Express. Passengers get to tour two major national parks in Madhya Pradesh – Bandhavgarh and Kanha – and there’s a stopover at the breathtaking Dhuadhar falls as a bonus. The package covers a five-night, six-day trip which includes safaris in the parks famed for their tiger population and food and stay at hotels. The fully air-conditioned train offers two classes of travel: AC First Class and AC Two-tier Sleeper Class. Facilities include shower cubicles and a dining car. For a breathtaking, if vicarious tour of tiger country, read Jim Corbett’s Man-eaters of Kumaon.

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Photo: Kip May

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Thought Leader by Ranjini Manian

Living as whole brained beings… It all began when she was invited to make an 18-minute presentation at the TED conference in Monterey, CA on February 27, 2008. There, she shared her personal story which has since been viewed millions of times and has even been included as one of the Top 10 TED talks of all time! Meet Dr Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist. When she experienced a severe haemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain in 1996, she could not walk, talk, read, write or recall any of her life. It took her eight years to recover and then she wrote about this experience in her New York Times bestselling memoir My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey. Dr. Taylor who ‘values Indian people’ said that she readily agreed to an interview with me, because she resonates with us, Indians. She also spoke about the intrigue that our work caused – at Global Adjustments we have a long tradition of helping transient populations – moving people in and out of India. ‘I love finding like-minded people,’ she said, and that is,

In this exclusive interview for Culturama, Harvard-trained neuroanatomist, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor speaks about dealing with negative emotions, raising emotionally intelligent children, breaking bad habits, Sufism and more… in fact, a part of her motto… ‘Healthy people making healthy connections.’ Recently as the world celebrated International Yoga Day, it was yet another reminder that ancient Indian wisdom continues to be in sync with modern-day science, as yoga too advocates left and right brain synergy.

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Photo: Katherine Domingo

re-stimulating that response to happen again. So I joke that people can stay angry for decades! As far as children are concerned, we already teach them all this. For example, if you count to 10, it is very comparable to looking at your watch and waiting for 90 seconds to pass. I think that taking a time out is the exact same thing, just as ‘take a few deep breaths and step to the side of the potential conflict’... I am a huge advocate of educating children about their brain. Not just teaching them to observe but also teaching them alternatives when they face questions like: ‘What do I do with my frustration?’ Can addiction or other such behaviours in adults be controlled with the knowledge of the brain cells?

People ask me if I ascribe to a religion... My right brain resonates with Buddhism and Islamic ways of thinking (very sufi) while my left brain is very Christian, based on what I am familiar with and the community within which I live Your TED talk, ‘My Stroke of Insight’ is amazing and has opened people’s minds to the goodness that resides in our very hearts, isn’t it? Yes. It’s been remarkable how it has broken down barriers between people. You say that if you can get over 90 seconds of a negative emotion and continue to have the same emotion, then you are choosing to have that negative emotion. Can you tell us more about this ‘90-second strategy’ and how we can incorporate this in child rearing? Abilities we have exist because we have cells that perform that function. Even our negative thoughts and our negative thinking patterns are simply groups of cells that are for some reason resulting in those thought patterns. These patterns actually run in less than 90-second cycles. So, if you are experiencing some kind of a negative thought or a positive thought, it takes 90 seconds for that to flush through and out of you. After 90 seconds, there’s nothing physiological in your body anymore other than the memory of that circuit. And if a person stays in any emotion for longer than those 90 seconds, then that is because the person is re-thinking or

To a certain degree, yes. When you are dealing with a physical or an emotional addiction, then the circuitry itself is driving towards a need. And the addiction circuitry is deeper inside a brain stem and mid-brain region than the emotional, which is right below cognition. But circuitry is circuitry and people do break their habitual habits by conscious choice. If you are dealing with something like a drug, it is going to result in a major physiological withdrawal, and then it takes support. Can you elaborate on the relationship between healthy cells and a health community? A human is a collection of billions of cells, and those cells are communicating with one another, and, to me, that represents the microcosm of all of humanity. Humanity is made up of billions of people, and those people, in turn, are communicating and living together on planet Earth. When you consider using the model of a healthy brain, it is a brain made up of healthy cells that have healthy communication with one another. They are extremely well integrated with one another. As a global family, taking this as an example, if we become well integrated, and look for similarities instead of differences, we become stronger, as a healthy species. What advice would you give to people who are relocating from one part of the globe to another, and how can they deal with change and the fear related to it based on your right brain–left brain concepts? Tell yourself no matter where I am in the world, it is my number one job to be the best ‘me’ that I can be. And If I am a healthy person and I see myself as healthy and as bringing something positive and constructive to those around me,

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Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor with Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Oz

treat people with respect, come forward with love instead of fear, then I am more likely to be received with love, as opposed to fear. Bigotry and prejudices are alive and well in our left brain and we can certainly approach life through that filter. At the same time, our right brain is filled with curiosity, exploration and love, and it has a real curiosity for sharing different experiences. Are you influenced by Buddhist thought? There’s a lot of it in what you are saying… People ask me if I ascribe to a religion... My right brain resonates with Buddhism and Islamic ways of thinking (very sufi) while my left brain is very Christian, based on what I am familiar with and the community within which I live. When we evaluate the value structure of different religions, that’s probably true for most of our right brains and left brains... I have a huge following of Indian population and I am sure that it’s because in the TED talk or book, they hear that my values are the same as their values. I presented at a World Summit for Women in France and there was a large contingent of Indian women and they loved me. They said that it was because everything I said supported their religious beliefs. But because India has become so Westernised and is doing so much business with the West that the Indian brain has become more left-brained, and it was more of a struggle to find that peace inside of the religion. After your stroke, you took to creating stained glass art as therapy. Can art and creative activity be therapeutic?

In order to be creative, you must tap into right brain consciousness. The left brain is comfortable with what is familiar. There’s safety. In creativity there’s no safety. Whatever the creative activity is (I carve stones, do stained glass) it can be very creative if you are not doing it for competition. It is important to step out of our comfort zone with a trust and love for our own self. This brings it back to what I have been honing my whole message to – which is that the relationship we have between our two hemispheres is of critical importance. Our right brain is going to do what it does. It is a generally positive. And our left brain is going to place judgement. If our left brain likes our right brain, then we come into the world and we get to be whole brained people. And that is the ultimate goal for each one of us.

WATCH •

•

Watch Dr Jill Bolte Taylor’s famous TED Talk – My Stroke of Insight here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=UyyjU8fzEYU Watch her inspiring speech at the 2016 commencement speech at Butler University https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=3WGeBGnScUw

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Look Who’s In Town Chennai

Argentinians Maxi Luque, chef and, Chula, Barmaid at SUDAKA restobar at The Legends, chennai, on finding tranquillity and more in india...

A suitcase full of spices Then & Now While the human imagination is infinite, to interpret India before you know it is impossible. There is no difference between what we thought was India and what it is. Since the first day we’ve been feeling as if we are in a movie. In a note we did for Argentina, we used a phrase that has become very popular: ‘In India we learned to cross the street again’. India on a platter Indian cuisine is a ritual of flavours. In the beginning we were amazed at Indians’ knowledge of spices and how to use them! Here, we learnt to merge all those variety of spices with our colourful art of cooking. Argentinian food is totally different. It has mainly meat. Our country has a huge number of Angus beef consumers. In fact, breeding cows is a major occupation throughout the country. Roast beef, wine and Sundays with family are all integral parts of Argentinian culture. Our food is not spicy. Festive feelings Last week we were invited to a wedding. The experience was fascinating. Flowers, the costumes, the music... it was beautiful. We were greeted with so much love and it made us feel like a part of the family.

Travel tales We haven’t travelled a lot yet because the opening of a new project involves a lot of dedication. And we are perfectionists! However, we have visited Puducherry, Mahabalipuram and Goa. Walking in Puducherry is like walking in the old streets of Paris. That was fascinating. And we confirm that Goa won our heart! From when were children we have been lovers of the sea. What I would like to change in India... It is a simple question with a complicated answer. I am taking home... What we got from India is not something you can touch or see. It may sound a bit strange, but what we got is a magical feeling in our hearts. A tranquillity that we have not experienced before. A wonderful internal evolution and a suitcase full of spices!

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Look Who’s In Town Mumbai

Happiness all around Nick Tyson, an American in Mumbai, who works at The Abraaj Group and THC Restaurant, on finding happiness in all situations in India…

I moved here to work in the Mumbai office of my company, The Abraaj Group, a private equity firm based in Dubai that invests in emerging markets globally. Outside of work, I’ve helped open a restaurant chain with a few home-chefs from Mumbai, known as THC. THC is a Mexican-focused QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) with outlets now in both Bandra and Oshiwara. Then & Now I was in Dubai for a brief while before moving to Mumbai. I had a few friends and colleagues there from India, so I was able to get a sense of what it would be like and even connect with a number of people living here before I arrived, which made the transition smoother. I think I actually expected more of a culture shock upon arrival than I have experienced. Living in a city like Mumbai, there are really all of the offerings of any major city. Things here may at times run a little bit less ‘smoothly’ than elsewhere, but that just takes some getting used to. India on a platter I’ve really enjoyed the cuisine here, and the breadth of options is enormous given the multitude of religions and peoples. I’ve also enjoyed a lot of international cuisine while in India, which I’ve found is always ‘Indianised’ to some extent. Holi Hai I took part in Holi, which was a lot of fun and definitely different from the small Holi celebrations I’d witnessed in the United States. I was here during the T20 Cricket World

Cup, where the entire country turned into die-hard cricket fans (even more than usual) for the month. Even though I have never watched or played the sport before, I became very engaged and ended up following all of the matches very closely. It was really an exciting experience. Sightseeing I’ve travelled to Bengaluru and Delhi, and even the large cities are entirely different from one another. I was in Bengaluru only for a brief stay, but the weather and nature there, given how large a city it is, were incredible, and it’s somewhere I’d like to spend more time. Bengaluru is also the start-up hub of India, so culturally it feels in many ways like a Silicon Valley type of place, with tons of young and extremely well-educated and motivated people, which is neat to see. I haven’t yet had the chance to travel outside of the metros, and I plan to travel to North India in the near future. What I would like to change in India There are a lot of infrastructure-related problems (roads, pipes/drainage, sewage), which, now that the cities have all grown to be so large, are very difficult to address. I am taking home... There is an innate need here to find happiness in any situation, regardless of one’s class, age, gender, and so on, that really doesn’t exist elsewhere. Having lived recently in New York, where everyone is always in a hurry to go somewhere or get something, when you walk outside here it is very much the opposite; even if I am stressed about something, seeing that around me helps put things into perspective.

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Photo: Chumbak

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July 2016 June 2016

Feature Team Culturama

Bold&

beautiful

India has embraced colours, kitsch and quirk like never before. We’ve curated a list of brands that are making waves in this big world of bold colours, unique products and uber-cool finish! A new breed of entrepreneurs and artists have kick-started a new movement of sorts that has led to the creation of products – from stationery to furniture and clothes – that are unique and have oodles of style. Their success stories are a testament to the presence of a market for all things new and fun in India!

Chumbak Chumbak, founded in 2010, was born ‘as an idea for creating a range of fun souvenirs for India and Indians.’ It was among the earliest brands to come up with the idea of giving the world something cool to take back from travels to India. ‘We also loved design and that was always above everything. Period. Though little did we know what was to follow. What started with souvenirs stocked in multi-brand outlets soon transformed itself into a business spanning stores across the country,’ the Chumbak website informs us. Shop at: www.chumbak.com

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Kitsch, bold, colourful, funny... What's your pick?

Photo: Chumbak, Happily Unmarried, Alicia Souza, Engrave, Cupick

CART

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Photos: Happily Unmarried

Happily Unmarried Happily Unmarried is a young, vibrant brand of products. ‘We make fun products, we do music festivals, we work with corporates,’ says the brand’s website. Find accessories for your bar, home, apparel, bags, stationery and phone covers here. Inspired by local culture and imagery, the brand has taken the kitsch trend forward with an intelligent mix of art and design. With references to pop culture, a generous smattering of Hindi and an irreverent attitude, Happily Unmarried is for the laidback connoisseur of all things India. Shop at: www.happilyunmarried.com

Engrave

Illustrator Alicia Souza’s store is a treasure trove of quirky cool things for your home and office. ‘Alicia Souza has been drawing since a kid, but unlike many kids, she just never stopped! And after working on many brands and corporate products, she has finally got together a range she can call her own. Expect a constantly changing range with kooky characters and wonky personalities on products that you'd love to have or give! This mini pop-up store is only open for a few festive months till stocks last! Our products are proudly made in India, with all the love and care in the world,’ her website informs.

Engrave is a ‘Maker's Market’. It is a unique platform for furniture, art, craft, fashion and home decor created by artisans across India. ‘Not only are we a collector’s dream, but also a makers’ hub. We are your source of products that are not mass-produced, that have individuality and character and cater to connoisseurs of the same... If you're tired of wearing the same clothes and accessories as all your friends, having the same furniture and home décor as all your neighbours, then welcome to Engrave. Our makers’ market is the perfect place to find products that match your personality and aren't mass-produced. Read about the people behind your favourite purchases and even interact with them when you want something customised,’ Engrave, proudly claims.

Shop at: www.aliciasouza.com

Shop at: www.engrave.in

Alicia Souza

July 2016

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Photo: Raw Mango

Cupick A brand new platform for artists to showcase their work as well as make money off it, cupcik.com is a favourite of many a young doodler. ‘Selling your artwork on Cupick is as simple as uploading your work, choosing the products that you want to sell, setting your price and posting it,’ the company’s webpage reports. Users can select from hundreds of original artwork and have it on merchandise they choose – like coasters, notebooks, t-shirts, laptop skins, canvas and more. The artist gets a royalty every time a product with his or her design is sold.

Photo: Pernai's pop up shop

Shop at: www.cupick.com

Raw Mango Making magic in six yards, this fun, beautiful brand has been quietly winning the hearts of handloom lovers as well as all things quirky and bold. ‘Raw Mango was born out of a thought to re-look fashion and design without any preset notions. We do not believe our designs need to be kitschy to be Indian. Our colours and designs find roots in Indian philosophy and traditions. Raw Mango is not just about the designs but about a larger program that has managed to uplift an entire community by creating a new value for an existing and ignored product. Handloom saris, though worn by a large number in India, remain an area perceived to have little scope for new explorations. We have adapted traditional designs to make them simple, sophisticated and distinctly contemporary, thereby creating a fresh new aesthetic that is both indigenous and modern,’ rawmango.in informs. Further Details at www.rawmango.in

Pernia’s pop up shop Bringing Indian designer products to customers across the globe, this fashion enterprise has a loyal clientele. This is obvious from the over 2.8 lakh people who have ‘Liked’ its Facebook page. Founded by Pernia Qureshi, a stylist and fashion icon, www.perniaspopupshop.com, ‘is a carefully curated design platform that articulates Pernia’s personal style and her accumulated experience’. Shop for clothing, accessories, men’s fashion, and take a peek at celebrity fashion, check out designer wear on sale, and more on this platform. Shop at: www.perniaspopupshop.com

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July 2016

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Coasters

Bookmarks

Playing cards

Coffee Table Books

India-inspired souvenirs have a place of pride among Global Adjustments’ products catalogue. Corporate souvenirs such as coffee table books – on India’s beauty, art, culture and so much more, the rulers of India (a ruler with the images of India’s Prime Ministers on it), coasters that are inspired by Indian culture, its past and present and fun playing cards... the company has delivered hundreds of such innovative products to clients over the past two decades. Looking for an India-inspired gift or souvenir for your corporate events? Contact archana@globaladjustments.com

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July 2016

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29 Indias: One Nation, published by Global Adjustments, has 10 hand-picked snippets about each of the Indian states. Read the book for free at www.globaladjustments.com. Global Adjustments has created an animated video that captures the cultural markers of all 29 states: http://tinyurl.com/m734xsm

Ten for the Road by Susan Philip

Uttar Pradesh

Explore the 29 states of this fascinating subcontinent. This segment will set out a collection of interesting, bite-size facts from each state – this month, we look at Uttar Pradesh 1.

How the Land Lies: This state, ‘UP’ in location and in acronym, encompasses a variety of geographical features because of its sheer size – mountains and plains, forests and rivers. It shares borders with several other states and also touches Nepal. Lucknow is the capital city.

Political Pressures: Uttar Pradesh was the seat of the Mughal dynasty which controlled the destiny of the subcontinent for almost two centuries. It played a central role in the independence struggle and the shaping of the new nation.

Past Glories: The history of the region is studded with so much that is remarkable! It is the setting for both the greatest epics of India – the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. It is inextricably woven into the story of Lord Krishna. The city of Sarnath, where Siddhartha Gautam delivered his first sermon after gaining enlightenment and becoming the Buddha, is located here. The list goes on…

Ethnic Fingerprint: The Kol tribals are native to northern and central India and can be found in several states, including Uttar Pradesh. They are associated with Lord Rama, as they claim descent from Shabari, the tribal woman who gave the Prince of Ayodhya berries to eat during his exile in the forest. Culture Quotient: This is where the classical kathak dances came into being. Religion and mythology inspire folk performances like the raslila, the Ramlila and the qawwali. Talking of music, Uttar Pradesh can take credit for giving shape to the tabla and the sitar – two musical instruments widely used across the country. Personality Plus: The men and women from here, who have played deciding roles in the country’s political and cultural development, are too many to name. Among them, Kabir Das stands unique. Though his roots are shrouded in mystery, what

is clear is that both Hinduism and Islam impacted him. The poet-Saint’s works propagate the oneness of God, and his pithy couplets embody a deep spirituality. He is a real-life example of communal harmony. 7.

Sights to See: The Taj Mahal at Agra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is arguably India’s biggest tourist attraction. No one, President or peasant, can resist the pull of this monument dedicated to ‘love’. Though its aesthetic appeal is hard to beat, the architectural wizardry of the Bara Imambara at Lucknow is admirable too. The central arched hall of this 18th century palace is almost 50 metres long and about three stories high, but has no pillar or beam to support it!

Tasty Treats: UP’s cuisine has a strong Mughal influence. Think Mughal food, think biryani . This one-pot meal, made with fragrant long-grained Basmati rice and succulent mutton or chicken, flavoured with aromatic spices and herbs, is a dish the world associates with India.

Crafted with Care: The textiles of UP are world famous. The heavy brocades from Varanasi are as popular as the delicate chikkankari embroidery of Lucknow, and the opulent zardosi embroidery is highly valued, too. A niche craft practised in the Lucknow region is perfume making. Known as attar, spices, herbs, essential oils of various flowers and leaves, and sandalwood oil are some ingredients of the aromatic art.

10.

Worshipfully Yours: In Hinduism, the confluence of rivers is considered very holy. And among the holiest spots of such intermingling is the Triveni Sangam – literally the coming together of three rivers – the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswathi, the River of Enlightenment, at Prayag, close to Allahabad. It is the venue of the Maha Kumbh Mela, held only once in 144 years, and believed to be the largest religious gathering in the world.

culturama

July 2016

Advertiser's Feature

Manthra Bali Spa Experience the original!

Manthra Bali Spa located in Khader Nawaz Khan Road is indeed an original Bali delight for Chennaites! The spa welcomes you with traditional umbrellas from Bali, with comfortable seats in the reception. A refreshing lemon iced tea is offered after which you can browse through the menu card with a choice of around 25 massages and choose from six oils and four scrubs – all imported from Bali. The therapist from Bali will then lead you to the spa room through a pleasant corridor. Finally, time for that massage! Our experienced therapists from Bali skillfully incorporate oils, ensuring that the pressure is consistent. It will lull you into a trans-like state, as you lie there listening to Bali music. With the therapist massaging you and the sweet fragrance of frangipani in the air, you are sure to feel like you are in Bali! Our specialty massages include Fire in the Beach, Kecak and Dreamland. The ear candle is an authentic signature therapy found only in Manthra Bali Spa. We also offer massages for children above 5 years of age, so spa time becomes family time!

The spa also offers royal gift vouchers. A gift voucher with a personal touch – a welcome bouquet, personalisation of spa room decoration, etc. Manthra Bali Spa also offers a new concept called ‘charter the spa’. Tired after a wedding, family / corporate event, you can charter the spa for one day (more like a private spa). The spa is all yours! Manthra Bali Spa takes pride in the fact that everything in the spa is Balinese – from the decor and the oils to the therapists and even their uniforms (tailored in Bali). The therapists are technically trained and are experts in their fields. To sum up Manthra Bali Spa is a unique, authentic, elegant and original Bali spa in Chennai. For Appointment: 044 4208 1333 | 9444 444 404 No. 24, 2nd Floor, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600 006

July 2016

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Festivals of India

Photo: Aurelie Marsan, France

Photo: Bipin Khimasia

July 8

July 19

Eid-al-fitr

Guru Purnima

Ramzan is the holy month in the Islamic calendar, when every Muslim needs to perform an obligatory fast from dawn to dusk. It marks the month when Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the holy book, Quran. The period of fasting is for 29 or 30 days, and is determined by the lunar calendar each year. Fasting is one of the five major pillars of Islam and teaches self-restriction and patience. Special prayers are held every night after the fast is broken and during this month people engage in reciting the Quran and offering charities. The evening meal after the fast is called Iftar. July 8 marks the end of the fasting period and this festival called Eid-al-Fitr.

Guru Purnima is observed by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. Hindus mark the full moon day in July as Guru Purnima in honour of Sage Vyasa, who compiled the Vedas, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ancient scriptures, and the epic Mahabharata. It is also on this day that Jains remember their patron saint Mahavira becoming a Guru or teacher with his first disciple. Buddhists celebrate through day-long meditations Gautama Buddhaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first sermon given on this day. Guru Purnima is also significant to farmers, as it marks the period when the hot summer ends and the rains begin. To Go: Guru Purnima is celebrated grandly at the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh (www.sivanandaonline.org), Uttarakhand, and has devotees coming in from across India. This is also a good time to try the rigorous Buddhist meditation practice of Vipassana.

culturama

July 2016

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India writes

iREAD

Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai

Reviewed by Janani Nagarajan ‘The novel gives an excruciating account of how society can seize control of individuals – especially women – through such practices as eating, and remove them from everything they intended to be’ – Dasgupta, Rana Short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1999, Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting looks gently but without any naivety at an Indian family that, despite Western sway, is bound by Eastern stereotypes and traditions. As the title hints, this book is divided into two parts: the first half is set in a myopic and authoritarian household in India and the second is set in a stony and isolating home in Massachusetts. The story revolves around a family of two daughters and a son – Uma, Aruna and Arun. Uma falls short of the traditional definition of an Indian woman, as one who is marriageable and domestic. On the other hand, her sister Aruna is pretty and socially confident; she manages to succeed as a traditional Indian woman by marrying a rich and good looking man. Uma is then ostracised by her own family because she falls short of the standards set for her. After several failed attempts at marriage, Uma resigns herself to a life at home, as she takes care of her parents. After getting married Aruna does not treat Uma well and her struggle to free herself from her roots and her family's limitations is reflected in her tendency to lambast them. She eventually decides to live a life apart from them. Arun is the promising child in the family and is smothered by his parent’s aspirations. Prodded along by his

father, he flies to the United States. At the Massachusetts University, Arun too tries to free himself by withdrawing from social interactions but fears being drawn into the judgement of others in a typical American society. The novel masterfully portrays the problems that arise for both men and women in India. Women are stifled by society’s expectations of them as housekeepers and child bearers and men are stereotypically expected to be rich and successful so that they can provide for their families. Desai examines forms of gender, class, racial disparities and discrimination in this book. Fasting, Feasting is a mordant commentary on the age-old paradoxes, entrapments, provincial customs and attitudes that dictate the futures of children: girls are to be married off and boys are to become as educated and wealthy as possible...

culturama

July 2016

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Advertise in Culturama's Northeast-special August edition!

This August, Culturama, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only cultural magazine for expats, also enjoyed by Indians across top metros, will present a never-seen-before peek into the north-east of India. This special edition is being curated by the Editor-in-Chief of Culturama, Ranjini Manian, who is just back from an immersive trip to the north-east. This edition will be circulated to various international missions and will reach worldwide audiences! With features on people, places, the vibrant cuisine, customs, stories, little known sights and insights... this edition, we are sure, will lead to an increase in engagement between the rest of India and the north-east. The living root bridge in Meghalaya, Dipa Karmakar the Olympian, Danny Dengzonpa the actor, the famous Shillong Choir group, legendary writer Easterine Kire... these are a few of the names and places you will read about in this edition! Our content, we are sure, will spur an interest among our large readership to visit the north-east and engage. Partner with us, via advertisements and advertorials and benefit from the seamless content that will drive people to use your service! Contact: archana@globaladjustments.com

culturama

July 2016

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Advertiser's Feature

Monkey Falls

Azhiyar Dam

Pristine Pollachi

Pollachi is a town in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu state, India. 40 km to the south of Coimbatore Pollachi with large markets for jaggery and vegetables is a very popular marketplace and is considered to be South India's biggest cattle market. Pollachi was known as Pozhil Vaitchi in Tamil which later became Pollachi. It was also known as Mudi Konda Chola Nallur during the period of the Cholas. Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at an average altitude of 1,400 meters in the Western Ghats near Pollachi. Valparai is about 65 km from Pollachi and is situated at an altitude of 3,500 feet above the sea level. Valparai can be reached via Azhiyar through a hilly road with 40 hair-pin bends. Topslip is a point located at an altitude of about 800 feet in the Anamalai mountain range. It is about 37 km from Pollachi, and this small town serves as an ideal picnic spot with its wooden log houses and safaris. Chinnakallar receives the highest rainfall in Tamil Nadu. Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the valley between the Anaimalai Hills of Tamil Nadu and the Nelliampathi range of Kerala. The area is hilly and rocky, drained by several rivers, including Parambikulam, Sholayar and Thekkady. It is thickly forested with bamboo, sandalwood, rosewood and teak, the sanctuary has some marshy land and scattered patches of grassland. Kannimara, one of the oldest and largest teak trees, is another attraction in the sanctuary. It had a girth of 6.52 metres, height of 48.25 metres when the measurement was taken in 2003. Parambikulam-Aliyar multipurpose project involves a series of dams interconnected by tunnels and canals at various elevations to harness the Parambikulam, Aliyar, Nirar, Sholiyar, Thunkadavu, Thenkkadi and Palar rivers, laid for irrigation and power generation. The Azhiyar Dam is located on the foothills of Anamalai in the Western Ghats. Monkey falls deriving its name due to the abundance of monkeys found in the region is located close to the dam. Solaiyar Dam is 15 km from Valparai and is one of the largest rock dams in India. The length of the reservoir it impounds is about 20 km.

Valparai Tea Estate

Bison in Valparai

Road

Grey Partridge

Photos: Raghavan Prabhu, Madhavan Muthukaruppan, Ashwin Kumar and Dhruvaraj S, via Flickr

Pollachi is linked by National Highway 209, State Highway 19, SH 78 and SH 78A. The central bus stand caters for bus transport which is used by Government-run TNSTC and private operators. TNSTC operates city and intercity buses services from Pollachi and has an online reservation centre. Rail Pollachi Railway Junction connects with Palakkad Junction to the west, Podanur and Coimbatore Junctions to the north and Dindigul Junction to the east. Air Coimbatore International Airport is the nearest airport, located about 48 km from Pollachi town.

culturama

July 2016

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India Impressions Text & Photos by Ashok Viswanathan

Mallakhamb an ancient art

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Mallakhamb is the art of making the body swift, supple, agile and healthy... Every morning at 7 a.m. the gong sounds at the Shree Samaratha Vyayam Mandir in Shivaji Park, Mumbai, calling all pupils young and old to attention. The flag is hoisted in the presence of Uday Deshpande the Chief coach and Hon. Secretary of the institution, followed by the commencement of the exercise routine on the rope and pole. Shree Samaratha Vyayam Mandir is a pioneer in Physical Education for the past 91 years, with several thousand Indian citizens having been imparted its basic training. In addition, a few foreign visitors have also joined the course. The institute promotes disciplines such as mallakhamb, khokho, kabaddi, yoga, gymnastics, wrestling, body building, weightlifting, athletics, karate, judo, and so on. The teachers devote their time in an honorary capacity and are past students. The institute has over 1,000 national champions in different sports, with over 100 students who have represented the country in international events. Their summer coaching camp attracts over 2,000 participants. Mallakhamb is the ancient art of making the body swift, supple, agile and healthy. It started as an exercise for wrestling and developed into a sport in itself. Its origin is found in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Manasolhasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, an epic by Someshwar Chalukya in 1135 A.D. It was resurrected in the 19th century by Guru Balambhatt Dada Deodhar, in the regime of Peshwa Bajirao II in the Deccan. During his rule, two wrestlers from the kingdom of the Nizam of Hyderabad visited and challenged anyone to a match. Not surprising, there were no takers except for one

July 2016

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young man of 18. Balambhattdada Deodhar accepted the challenge but asked for some time to practice. He sought the blessings of Goddess Saptashrungi Devi of Nasik. Legend has it that Lord Hanuman, the god of strength and energy, showed him exercises on a tree trunk and disclosed an effective method of practice using a wooden pole as a partner. Balambhattdada won the wrestling bout in Pune, which started the renaissance of mallakhamb and adopted it as an important daily exercise of Indian athletes and wrestlers. Pole mallakhamb consists of a straight, strong, wellpolished pole of 260 to 280 cm in height with a rounded neck and a spherical top. Rope mallakhamb is practised by both men and women with different yogic postures and acrobatic feats performed on a suspended cotton rope of 15-cm circumference and 550-cm length covered with a canvas coating. The students of Shree Samarth Vyayam Mandir also perform feats holding burning torches in hand or weapons tied around the body. Collective pyramids on all types of mallakhamb are a specialty.

The exercises give shape, form and strength to every muscle, with control over the limbs. Due to the continuous turning and twisting of the body around the pole, the whole body gets massaged and toned. Additional benefits are improvement in the efficiency of the internal systems such as respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and so on as also breathing control and increased spiritual faculties. Studies conducted on mallakhamb at Cologne University, Germany have concluded that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only sport that gives maximum exercise to the whole body in the minimum possible time. The students of Shree Samaratha Vyayam Mandir have given demonstrations of their skill all over the world. Most recently, at Vishakapatnam, for the visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the International Fleet Review.

culturama

July 2016

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Graffiti such as this fun one spotted in Puducherry have increased in numbers across Indian towns

Picture Story by Team Culturama

Colours of Paradise Street art has for long been a part of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture. Take the kolam, elaborate pretty patterns that are drawn in front of homes, for instance, or political graffiti and filmy posters that brim with colour and style. In places like Goa and Puducherry (erstwhile Portuguese and French colonies respectively), the colours of homes are in beautiful shades of yellow, green, blue and pink. Other forms of street art too are now making inroads with graffiti artists from across the globe descending on Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cities to paint the walls, subways and railway stations.

July 2016

Photos: MV Swaroop

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Many stunning art works with women as their subject have cropped up across Fort Kochi

A theatre company announces its presence in style in Puducherry

An old-fashioned window flanked by art that reflect the colours of the ocean near Jew Street in Kochi

Every carnvial deserves its space on the walls of its town

Che Guevea finds his space in a wall in Kochi

July 2016

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A 160 stairs up the St. Thomas Mount is all it takes to marvel at all the colours of Chennai

India Diaries by Raffaela Schneid

Into India Raffaela Schneid captures, through her lens, her first month in India, and offers us a peek at the sights and sounds that moved her in the southern city of chennai... Crawling out of bed at 5 a.m. is never easy, but the sunrise at Marina beach definitely makes up for it

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Innumerable deities, countless colours, blending smells and a multi-cultural soundscape â&#x20AC;&#x201C; nothing describes India as well as a temple

Teaching English to passionate, eager, brisk kids at Chennai Primary School made my Fridays the happiest day of the week

July 2016

Three grown men were necessary to navigate this flower bouquet, made for a funeral, in the narrow aisles of a bazaar

While the actual ceremony is simple and light, a Kerala wedding boasts days of festivities, a grand Sadya (feast) and an abundance of flowers and gold

Heaven on earth after a bike tour through Mylapore â&#x20AC;&#x201C; rose milk at Kaalathi's

Vegetarian delicacies are an integral part of South Indian cooking and the local markets left no wish unanswered

July 2016

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July 2016

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July

Calendar of events

Presenting the best of India’s events in different categories across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and nearby suburbs

Art & Exhibitions

Art Show Chennai

Workshop Bengaluru

Gallery Veda presents ‘Factual Fictions’, V. G. Venugopal’s art show. The central theme in his work is the exploration of urbanism, often routed through his personal experience. Underlying the imagery of a built landscape is a deep engagement with notions of displacement and migration, and questions of home, belonging and identity, that are shared feelings in this world of trans-national and trans-regional entities.

‘Little Hands Big Feat’ is a fun activity for kids aged 6-plus to acquaint them with handbuilding techniques, instilling an interest in art, while offering a platform to hone their creative skills.

Date: Until August 31 Time: 1100 hrs–1800 hrs Venue: Gallery Veda @ Shilpa, L20, VSI Estate – Phase 2 (off OMR), Thiruvanmiyur

Exhibition Mumbai

Date: July 18–30 Time: 1100 hrs onwards Venue: Clay Station Art Studios, 1-C, 2nd Floor, 1st D Main Road, 14th B Cross HSR layout Sector 6, Bengaluru

Kaleidoscope, the new exhibit at the Piramal Museum of Art features work from the collection of K.G Subramanyan, M.F Hussain, Ganesh Pyne, K. Ramanujan, Sujata Bajaj, F.N Souza and S.H Raza, among others. Date: Until August 31 Time: Weekdays 1300 hrs–2000 hrs, weekends 1000 hrs–2200 hrs Venue: Piramal Museum of Art, Piramal Tower, Peninsula Corporate Park, Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel. (W)

culturama

July 2016

Events

Storytelling Bengaluru

Dance show Mumbai

How about sitting on a rooftop, sipping chai and listening to stories as the sun goes down? The late evening storytelling session for adults by Vikram Sridhar will explore stories from folklore, mythology, politics, nature, and so on for over an hour. Limited to 25 people, the stories will bring in emotions of love, valour, envy, joy, and so on. Note: The session is only for adults

AIM for SEVA presents 'Antar-Yatra'. Choreographed and performed by Sharmila Biswas, of the Odissi Vision and Movement Centre, Kolkata, the dance-dramaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theme for this year is 'Temple Dance Traditions'. Date: July 20 Time: 1900 hrs Venue: Yashwantrao Chavan Hall, YCP Center, Gen. Jagannath Bhosale Marg, Foreshore Road, Near Sachivalaya Gymkhana, Nariman Point, Mumbai

Date: July 17 Time: 1900 hrs onwards Venue: No.2906 and 2907, 80 Feet Road Kodihalli, Hal Stage 2, Near Golden Daffodils, Bengaluru

Stand-up comedy Chennai '2nd Decoction' is a Karthik Kumar's second Stand-up Comedy Special, after his first #PokeMe. This one is a celebration of all the things that are second best â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that people reserve for themselves, because they don't deserve any better! Date: July 2 Time: 1930 hrs Venue: The Music Academy, New No. 168 (Old No. 306), T.T.K. Road, Chennai

July 2016

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Theatre NCR

Poetry Performance Bengaluru

Starring Sonali Kulkarni and Arif Zakaria, Gardish Mein Taare is a tribute to the creatively volatile era of Hindi cinema of the 1950s. It owes its genesis to the mad, passionate people who forsook everything for the one thing they believed in cinema. Somewhere, it is also inspired by the turbulent times and relationship shared by two creative geniuses Guru Dutt and his wife Geeta Dutt. Watch Gardish Mein Taare for the sheer musicality of unfulfilled love. Watch it for the tribute of the 1950s. Watch it for love. Watch it with love.

Kitchen Poems â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Poetry in Performance by Padmavati Rao features Dhiruben's 'Kitchen Poems'. They use the metaphor of the 'kitchen' to create a narrative about what it means to be an Indian woman. The performance brings out the poetry's wit and frivolity, sarcasm and ire, playfulness and serenity.

Date: July 2 Time: 1700 hrs and 1930 hrs Venue: Epicentre at Apparel House, Sector 44, Opp. Power Grid Residential Complex, Gurgaon

Comedy Mumbai Directed by Rajat Kapoor, starring Vinay Pathak, Mansi Multani and others, Hamlet the clown prince, is about a bunch of clowns who are putting up a show of Hamlet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they sometimes misinterpret the text. Sometimes find new meanings in it, sometimes try and understand it, very often make a mess of it. They chose to use some phrases from the play and mixed it with gibberish. They even edited the text, threw out some important scenes and made a mess of the order of things as if the pages got mixed up. But through this all, they were simply looking for the essence of Hamlet, and trying to find a context in our own times. Date: July 9 and 10 Time: 1900 hrs Venue: Sophia Auditorium, Sophia College Campus, B. Desai Road, Breach Candy, Mumbai

Date: July 2 and 3 Time: 1530 hrs and 1930 hrs Venue: Ranga Shankara, 36/2 8th Cross II Phase, JP Nagar, Bengaluru

culturama

July 2016

Spotlight by Team Culturama

Chariots of the Gods Watch the unique spectacle of Gods going on a summer vacation! This month, the spotlight is on the annual Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra, to be held between July 6 and 15 at Puri, in the state of Odisha

What can you say about a festival that gave the English dictionary a new word? To say the Puri Jagannath Chariot Festival is massive would be an understatement. The 45-foot-tall chariots that move with an almost destructive force gave birth to the word ‘juggernaut’ and it is just that – a ‘large unstoppable force’. Puri is home to the Lord Jagannath Temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna. The rath yatra or a journey on chariots is when Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra, set out to visit their aunt at the neighbouring Gundichi temple. The trio remain there for a week, after which they return home in another grand procession. The temple-dome-shaped chariots that the three gods travel in are made afresh every year and the idols that travel in them are crafted every 12 years. These idols are the only ones to be made of wood, unlike in other Hindu temples, where the idols are made of stone or metal. Interestingly, the idol of Lord Jagannath does not have arms and legs. The story goes that when the idols were being crafted by a carpenter, no one was allowed to see them before they were completed. The King of Puri, however, took an impatient peek and that is why the Lord is sans arms and legs! There’s much to look forward to in this festival – from the rhythms of the ‘Dahuka boli’ or poetic songs that are believed to control the movement of the chariot, to the ‘Banati’ players, people who perform the age-old art of spinning fire balls.

July 2016

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July 2016

In Focus by Team Culturama

Photos Courtesy: By Hand From The Heart

Handmade, with love

Meet Deepa Sekar and Kshiti Davey of By Hand From the Heart, a popular makers’ market... Makers’ markets are all the rage now across the country. By Hand from the Heart, a venture that promotes all things handmade, is a pioneer of sorts in this world of beautiful, organic products. By Hand... is a biannual, makers’ market in Chennai. In this interview with Team Culturama the founders explain the rising popularity of makers’ markets, despite the world moving towards e-shopping...

How did the idea of a makers’ market come about to you? As a team of design and craft entrepreneurs ourselves, we were seeking the right platform to showcase our works in the city. From our collective experience, we knew there was a grand scope to build an event that will address the

July 2016

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independent makers’ community, exclusively. Over the years, what kind of products have gained popularity at the market? Over the many editions, we observe that a lot of slow design and natural and organic products have gained popularity. Be it organically dyed garments, organic food, preservative-free bath and body care and even organic jewellery. People are looking to going back to the basics. What about the crowd that throngs your events... What are they looking for? We get a diverse crowd – tourists, locals and the expats in the city. The one thing common among all of them is that they all appreciate design and enjoy the experience of meeting and interacting with the makers themselves. We have shoppers and retailers looking for great finds and collaboration opportunities. In this era of start-ups and digital markets, what do you think draws people to an event like yours? Digital bazaars and online shopping may be the rage right now, but there’s something organic about a personal outing. There is an organic adventure in exploring a market. A certain joy that comes with observing and interacting with

the maker, and touching the products. The impact of holding a product physically before buying it will never completely die out; this is one reason that attracts people to our market events. How has this journey been? When we started in 2011, we featured a humble number of like-minded design entrepreneurs from Chennai and Bengaluru. Over the many editions, the good word about our juried event spread within the makers’ community in India. Today, 17 editions later, we are so humbled by the growing response we have received from makers here and overseas! The dynamics of good content best defines our success. Through our events we want to offer the shoppers the best arts and craft alternatives. And through our blog's ‘Meet the Maker’/‘Meet the Artist Series’, we publish makers’ entrepreneurial stories that will motivate, inspire and connect other fellow makers and the global audience. What do you hope to achieve with By Hand...? As a curated makers’ market, we believe in bringing to the forefront the many design entrepreneurs and makers who create original and unique art- and craft-based alternatives. Our vision is to promote emerging and establishing folks who love to work with their hands.

culturama

July 2016

culturama

5 Join Us Every Saturday India Immersion Centre in Chennai facilitates a weekly spiritual fellowship group following Easwaranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eight Point Programme of Meditation. E-mail us for more information at globalindian@globaladjustments.com. If you are in other cities, visit www.easwaran.org for e-satsangs.

Holistic living by Eknath Easwaran

Protect the seedling

We become like those we hang out with...

Photo: Kevin Doncaster, via Flickr

culturama

July 2016

Photo: Matthew Kuhn

When a seedling is planted in the countryside, it is fenced in so it will have some protection. Similarly, as spiritual seedlings, it is a good idea to surround ourselves with the protection of others who are spiritually minded. In Sanskrit there is a pithy saying that was on the tip of my grandmother’s tongue every year when school began. At the end of the day I would run home to tell her who I had been with and what we had done that day. ‘You don’t have to tell me who you have been with,’ she would say. ‘I can tell.’ ‘All right, Granny, who?’ She would proceed to name every one of them. And she was always right. ‘Granny,’ I would ask in amazement, ‘how did you know?’ And she would reply, ‘Samsargad doshaguna bhavanti’ – which means, roughly, ‘We become like those we hang out with.’ Granny wasn’t one to waste words, so it was only when I learnt to meditate that I began to understand what she was trying to tell me. Much more than words or behaviour, Granny was talking about character – the influences on the mind that shape the kind of person we are becoming, for better and for worse. According to this ancient Sanskrit saying, what is good in us and what is bad, our strong points and our weak points alike, develop because of constant association. When we associate with calm people, we become calm; when we associate with agitated people, we become agitated. When we frequent the company of people who are wise, we become wiser; when our company is otherwise, we become otherwise too.

If you want to be secure and selfless, the Buddha says, associate with people who are reasonably secure and selfless, and learn to be like them in their daily living example. By association we can become good, by association we can become selfless, by association we can elevate ourselves to a nobler way of life. When I say we need to be selective in our company, I am not talking about withdrawing into a little group and refusing to have any contact with people who do not do as we do. We should be courteous and friendly with everyone, aware of their feelings and points of view, and avoid being judgemental. I am stressing the need to build deep relationships with those who welcome the changes we are trying to make and who will help us make them. In time, of course, when our new ways of thought, speech and action have taken a firm hold, we can stand in any company without being uprooted. Far from returning to our old patterns of conditioning, we will influence others by our personal example to change their patterns as well.

Reprinted with permission from ‘Levels of Consciousness’ from Essence of Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran from The Blue Mountain Journal. Copyright The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, P.O. Box 256, Tomales, CA 94971, www.easwaran. org. (Extract from https://bmcmwebsite.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/ bm-journal/2016/2016Spring.pdf

July 2016

culturama

Photo: Nagarjun Kandukuru, via Flickr

So a businessman goes to an astrologer. The astrologer tells him of a tragedy that is about to unfold, or a malevolent influence that blocks his progress. He hears all patiently and then asks, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Any upaay?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; He wants a way out, to outwit the stars, the planets, the astrological forces. For he knows there is always a way out. He does not accept his fate; he wants to twist his fate. He wants a bypass, a way around. So much for Indians being fatalistic! We find this in stories. An asura invokes Brahma and asks for immortality. He is told that immortality cannot be given to anyone. So the asura asks for a boon that makes him invincible and near-immortal. He becomes all powerful. No one can defeat him, until a god comes along and finds a chink in the armour, a weak spot, an upaay, a bypass that enables him to cross the insurmountable. We are conditioned to think laterally. We are conditioned to think in terms of bypass, when the highway is not available, even if the highway is available but we feel there is the possibility of a shorter cut, a quicker way of

reaching the destination. This is why, across Indian Railways, despite foot overbridges, people cross the tracks taking risks with their lives, ignoring all warnings, negotiating with security staff who stop them. It is to this mindset that we can trace the jugaad. Jugaad is the Indian way. We want to glamourise and valourise. But it also evokes disdain, a way of short-changing the system. It is all about the fixer, the one who meanders through the gaps in the system to get things done, the trickster who does not care for the system. What is jugaad? It is contextual, non-replicable improvisation. Contextual, as they are solutions that are created at the spur of the moment using resources at the moment. Non-replicable as unlike innovations they are not meant to serve as the solution always in every similar context. Improvisation, as they are tiny alternations and not major dramatic transformations. The word jugaad has many meanings. Its usage in the corporate world has the flavour of an upper class fixer. But in

culturama

July 2016

Myth and Mythology by Devdutt Pattanaik

A bypass in business

Art: Devdutt Pattanaik

The word jugaad has many meanings. Its usage in the corporate world has the flavour of an upper class fixer... Odisha, a ‘jogadu’ means a resourceful person, ‘one who can get things against all odds’. And in the slums of Delhi, ‘aaj ka jugaad karna’ means, ‘surviving yet another day despite odds’. The root has been traced to ‘jog’, which is the colloquial way to pronounce ‘yoga’. It means creating alignment between disjointed elements. He who brings together disconnected forces to solve a problem is the jogi or jugadu. In modern imagery, a yogi is a sublime ascetic but in folk imagination a jogi is a magician, a sorcerer, who can bring rains in drought, give children to the childless, by invoking forces of nature that are otherwise intransigent. In other words, he finds the upaay when there are none. India has been a culture of abundance and scarcity. It all depends on the rain. When rains are good, life is good. But in drought one has to do ‘jugaad’ to survive. Jugaad thus is an outcome of scarcity, where you can use intelligence to get things otherwise reserved for the rich and the powerful. It allows you to break the queue. If you follow the queue, there is a strong chance you will be left out. Any ‘system’ in a poor country ends up creating unfairness, as there is not enough

resources to go around and invariably the rich and powerful benefit. Further, jugaad thrives in India as we don’t trust systems. Unlike in the United States, where there is always a 911 to call in emergencies, Indians don’t have a national 911 equivalent known to every man, woman or child. Each one has to fend for himself or herself. You work with whatever you have. And the one thing you can always rely upon is your wit. Your buddhi. That which gives Siddhartha Gautama an upaay out of the world of sorrow and makes him the Buddha, is the very same thing that gives the jugadu an upaay out of a crisis. It has gone to a point where, even when systems are working, and there is no scarcity, we still rely on the jugaad, and seek upaay even in fortune and abundance. For there is valour and glamour in jugaad. For the jugadu, everyone else is a buddhu, a witless fool. Published in The Economic Times, 20 March 2015. Reprinted with permission from www.devdutt.com

July 2016

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Creating Empowered Global Citizens

Global Adjustments is looking for a

RELOCATION SPECIALIST

Postcard from India omas my husband, Th The photo is of the feeding some of Brouns, who is e every geons that com pi of s nd sa ou th ina Beach. section of Mar sunrise to one group of iends with the Tom became fr single e pigeons every th ed fe ho w le peop lograms of e, using 300 ki in sh or in ra y, da spired y. Tom was so in birdseed each da ins, he ho are mostly Ja by this group, w em. It's video about th created a short in who make living people like this arding! Chennai so rew erty, USA

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culturama

July 2016

Learn from the Bhagavad Gita by Team Culturama

culturama

Capturing the essence of the Bhagavad Gita in a single sentence, one chapter at a time; accompanied by an inspirational photograph from our Annual Photo Competition.

Chapter 3

Selflessness is the only way to progress and prosperity.

Photo Credit: Carlo Sem, Italy

Learn a yoga pose by Namita Jain

Seated toe touch Can you bend forward all the way up to the toes? 1. Sit with your legs extended out in front of you. 2. Lift your arms up and then reach forward, bending from the hips. Try to get your hands to grip the ankles, or touch the toes. Benefits: Stretches the back and legs.

July 2016

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sri lanka

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visit: www.milesworth.com Milesworth Travels & Tours Pvt. Ltd., 39 R M Towers, 108 Chamiers Road, Chennai. Tel: +91-44-24320522 / 24359554 Fax: +91-44-24342668 E-mail: holidays@milesworth.com

July 2016

Photo: Terry Presley via Flickr

culturama

July 2016

t o g Glory t o g r & fo Seeing India ody by Devanshi M

The ‘other’ Brihadeeshwara Temple, in Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Tamil nadu, is an architectural wonder in its own right...

Built by Rajendra Chola I in 1035 AD, the Brihadeeshwara Temple, also called Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and Gangaikondacholeswaram, is amongst India's largest temples. Along with Thanjavur’s Brihadeeshwara Temple and Darasuram’s Airavatesvara Temple, it makes up the UNESCO World Heritage triumvirate of the ‘Great Living Chola Temples.’ When I first arrived in Chennai from the United Kingdom, where I lived, I hadn't heard of the Great Chola Temples or even of the Cholas. But I’d heard of Thanjavur that obliterates all else and preponderates as ‘the’ temple. I was then writing about the temples of Tamil Nadu for various international magazines and contacted Parveen Travels, who were recommended as the tour operator in Tamil Nadu. The CEO personally orchestrated a comprehensive temple trail, where every

July 2016

culturama

Photo: Aravindan Ganesan via Flickr

weekend I was dispatched to a famous temple. Included were Thanjavur, Madurai, Mahabalipuram, Chidambaram, the temples of Kanchipuram, Trichy and even Kumbakonam’s Navagraha temples. Gangaikonda Cholapuram was not mentioned. Only later, having visited Thanjavur and learnt of the Chola temples, did I uncover the ‘forgotten’ Chola temple. This engineering and architectural marvel connoisseurs consider superior to the Thanjavur temple for its sculptural intricacies and mathematical minutiae that ensure the shadow of the main tower never falls on the ground. And yet the shining glory of Chola Dynasty Dravidian architecture has remained in the shadows of its tremendous predecessor in Thanjavur.

became, in 1025 AD, the Chola capital which it remained for 250 years. Gangaikonda Cholapuram was administratively and strategically more efficacious than the medieval Chola capital Thanjavur to manage the Chola Empire spanning all southern India to the river Thungabadra in the north and extending southwards to Ceylon and Southeast Asia. Its erstwhile majesty and significance in Indian history notwithstanding, today the ancient city is a desolate village where the temple, once swirled in splendid palaces and fortifications, now languishes amidst dilapidated walls. Indeed, the temple's massive fort-like wall was ravaged by the British who siphoned off temple stones to construct dams with consummate disdain for this religious and artistic icon.

Rajendra Chola I (1012–1044 AD) ventured into the Ganges and vanquished the Pala Dynasty, thus assuming the name Gangaikonda Cholan, meaning the one who conquered the Ganges. To commemorate his triumphal exploits in the Ganges (whose waters the Chola armies brought back in golden vessels) Rajendra constructed the Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple in the eponymous city he founded. This

The temple of Gangaikondacholisvara is approached through the eastern ‘Mahaduvar’ entrance opening into the inner court where the stupendous Vimana arrests. This temple tower, 180 ft high, is 9.8 ft shorter than that at Thanjavur. Its recessed corners and inclination contrast with Thanjavur's straight-sided pyramidal tower. Shorter than the latter and with a broader plinth, the former is often described

culturama

July 2016

Photo: flickr.com/photos/53319892@N0324289751212

Photos: Samir Mody

Nevertheless, the masculinefeminine contrast or concomitance of the temples at Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram is pertinent

as the feminine counterpart. Despite its ‘femininity’, the Gangaikonda Cholapuram Vimana, surrounded by little shrines evoking a great chakravarti (emperor) engulfed by chieftains and vassals has also been called a ‘devalaya chakravarti’ or emperor (rather than empress) among South Indian temples. The masculine–feminine contrast or concomitance of the temples at Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram is pertinent. On a metaphysical plane, the stark seeming boundlessness of Thanjavur recalls Purusha of Vedanta and the finite flamboyance of Gangaikonda Cholapuram corresponds to the feminine aspect Prakrithi. This is my interpretation but the vedantically imbrued Cholas no doubt conceived the two temples as metaphors for Purusha and Prakrithi. Experts deem that Rajendra deliberately made his temple smaller than the Thanjavur prototype constructed by his father, the legendary Raja Raja Chola (984–1014 AD) in filial deference and perhaps also with obeisance to the exploits of his father, surely the greatest of all Cholas, who famously conquered expanses of South India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Sumatra, Kadaram (Kedah in Malaysia) and Cambodia, amongst other places. Although Rajendra assisted his father on numerous expeditions to vault the Cholas to supremacy and proliferated his titles before attaining the supreme Chola

July 2016

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title ‘Parakesari’, he seems to be paying homage to the mighty father by emulating Raja Raja's temple at Thanjavur but with humbly attenuated physical grandeur. Rajendra nevertheless establishes his mark with a masterpiece of architectural and technical ingenuity. The three-tiered Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple is built on an elevated structure where the presiding deity Brihadeeshwara, worshipped as a Lingam, is enshrined in the central sanctum approached through a columned mukhamandapa (prayer hall) and an ardhamandapa (hall of sacrifice). Flanking the sanctum are enormous dvarapalas or guardian deities, 6 feet high. The lingam, itself at a towering 13 feet, is the largest at any Siva temple. An immense Nandi (divine bull) made of stucco and stone and facing the sanctum is so placed that it reflects sunlight onto the sanctum that seems aquiver in a halo. The shrine is inlaid with a stone called chandrakanta that extraordinarily keeps the enclave cool in summer and warm over winter (if one exists in Tamil Nadu!) Experts dispute the temple’s actual date of construction, with some proposing it was built in 1020 although inscriptions indicate 1035 AD. Inscriptions and excavations suggest the temple was the nucleus of a well-structured city of palaces and fortified walls. Rajendra apparently redirected all endowments of the Brihadeeshwara Temple at Thanjavur to this temple and instrumented the same craftsmen his father engaged, whom he transferred from Thanjavur.

Like the Thanjavur Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram is also believed to have emerged as a centre of social, economical and political activity whilst education and science were keenly pursued. The Cholas were not just aesthetes, but were great patron of the arts, like the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Music, dance, poetry, drama and art in the form of bronzes thrived under their rule. Bronzes gained special renown as they were showcased in the temple. The Chola temples are classified as ‘Great Living Chola temples’ as they are alive in cultural aspects and religious practices even today. Indeed, the millennium celebrations of the coronation of Rajendra Chola were held over two days in July 2014 at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, which remains a place of worship with daily Saivite rituals observed rigorously. Festivals, too, are celebrated. The temple is accessible from Chennai by road, and an overnight trip is easy to do. Photo: Samir Mody

culturama

July 2016

culturama

At Global Adjustments Team Culturama

I Can!

Two words united one hundred hearing impaired students attending ninth grade at the Little Flower Convent, Chennai, on their first day of school With open eyes and eager minds, the ninth graders listened closely during the workshop conducted by Usha Ramakrishnan, Director and Trainer at Global Adjustments Foundation. The day was off to a good start, celebrating life with rhythmical clapping and a deep, meaningful talk on the importance of Carpe Diem – Seize the Day! Everything was swiftly translated by a group of helpful teachers, placed all around the room. Usha Ramakrishnan embarked on a 60-minute journey, with a workshop that combined small activities, interactions and inspirational stories, to spark a sense of self-esteem, aspiration and commitment in the girls. The workshop provided practical guidelines on self-motivation, determination to follow their individual path and resistance towards negative input. Supported by pictures and real-life examples of underprivileged people who are now famous and well-known, Usha Ramakrishnan made an abstract concept visible and clear. The tools shared with the students at Little Flower Convent are part of a programme called ‘I CAN’, which strives to equip students aged 13 to 16 from an underprivileged background with the ability and self-esteem to not only face fears and failures but also develop their own ideas about what their lives should be like and what is important to them. However, spirited minds are just one side of the ‘I Can’programme. The other part is how we treat our body. The girls were asked to think about daily routines in their lives: What food is healthy? How do you take care of your personal hygiene? Do you exercise regularly? ‘Only if you are happy

and peaceful on the inside can you give happiness and peace to the people around you,’ Usha stated. Part of a balanced life is inner peace. Therefore, the girls received one last, but nevertheless important message before the workshop was concluded with a group meditation: ‘Before you fall asleep, dream and think of positive things and they will come true.’

Upcoming programmes Workshop Name: "Emojis... in life" - a 10-hour workshop over two Sundays to make the best of childhood and enhance Emotional Intelligence of children aged 10 – 15 years. Date: Sunday, July 10 and July 16 (with monthly follow-up sessions) Venue: Global Adjustments Foundation, No 5, 3rd Main Road, R. A. Puram, Chennai For details contact Usha Ramakrishnan at 98405 20394 Fee: Rs. 2,000/

Help 1,000 girls achieve their goals Global Adjustments Foundation is now raising funds for its Aspiration to Achieve programme. You can help change the lives of 1,000 girls in one year by contributing to this fund. Log on to: https://milaap.org/campaigns/AspireToAchieve

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July 2016

culturama

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culturama

July 2016

Bringing the world to India

Global standards. Indian warmth.

Creating Empowered Global Citizens

Relocation | Realty | Academy | Publishing | Foundation

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