T weekly for October 18, 2018 by Muscat Media Group

VOL 11 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 18, 2018

Celebrating the undying spirit of women

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 18, 2018

Celebrating Oman’s super women HILLARY CLINTON during her concession speech in the year 2016 had said, “To all the little girls who are watching, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.” From Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey to Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai and Rihanna, women from different parts of the world have continued to inspire us in many ways. And here in Oman as we commemorate Omani Women’s Day, we meet some inspiring women who have made a mark through their hard work and determination, faced many challenges and ensured their place in society. Meet Dr Badria Ibrahim Al Shihi, member of the State Council’s Economic Committee; HH Sayyida Basma Al Said, mental health activist and founder of the Whispers of Serenity Clinic; and HH Sayyida Mayya Al Said, life coach and social inﬂuencer, who share their life’s experiences in our cover story. Jane Jaffer, chairperson of the Dar Al Atta’a Let’s Read Campaign, and Zuweina Al Barwani, one of the earliest members of the Oman Down Syndrome Association, who are working tirelessly for children and ensuring a bright future for them also share their inspiring journeys in our Special Feature. Indeed, it’s time to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of those women who have shown the world that they can make a world of a difference in every sphere of life. Let’s soak up the spirit of womanhood. — Swati Dasgupta

Founder: Essa bin Mohamed Al Zedjali Chairman: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali CEO: Ahmed Essa Al Zedjali Editor: Charles Lavery Features Editor: Swati Dasgupta Research Editor: Ashish Dubash Copy Editor: Gautam Bhargav Viswanathan Online Editor: Christopher Isaac

Graphics Editor: Antonio Farach Design Editor: Sahir K.M. Lead Designer: Gregory Fernandez Designer: Geri B. Sonny, Jerrard Cedro Production Manager: Shafi Shaik Photography: MMG Photographers On The Cover: Design by Gregory Fernandez

For general enquiries or comments: swati@timesofoman.com

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VOLUME 11 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 18, 2018

18 WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ON

THURSDAY Magnificent City View If you want to take some breathtaking views of the city and the sea then go to Qurum Heights. Take a right from the Qurum Roundabout and then an immediate right onto Sayh Al Malih Street before turning left at Fahoud Street. Enter Ras Al Hamra street and once you reach the Ras Al Hamra beach take the road to Qurum to reach the Heights.

THIS WEEK 19

FRIDAY Relax at Tiwi Beach Start your weekend by going on a long drive to Tiwi beach near Wadi Shab. Relax with friends and family on the gleaming white sands and swim in the calm blue waters.

20 SATURDAY

Think Pink Visit Oman Breast Cancer Awareness Fest to be held under the leadership of Oman Cancer Association at Marah Land at 5pm. The programme will include talks by doctors, surgeons, nutritionists, and cancer survivors. The event will also include entertainment events.

22 SUNDAY Visit Seeb Souq Check out Seeb Souq not only for traditional goods but also for fresh vegetables and meat, sold everyday. If you arrive early, you can also strike some good seafood deals. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to buy local dates and halwa.

MONDAY Soak up in History Go to the National Museum of Oman that contains silver ornaments, copper crafts and displays of Omani ships. Visitors to the National Museum can now check out Portuguese cannon that dates back to the 17th century, in addition to the many other historical artefacts in the building.

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TUESDAY See the Ruins If you visit Sur, don’t miss seeing the ruins of Qalhat near Sur that has been recognised as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco). The ancient city of Qalhat was developed as a major port on the east coast of Arabia between the 11th and 15th centuries CE, during the reign of the Hormuz princes. This is the fifth site in the Sultanate of Oman to be added to the Unesco World Heritage list.

WEDNESDAY Oman Women’s Summit 2018 The first-ever Oman Women’s Summit will be held at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, from 7pm. The event will host women from Oman and other international female speakers who will encourage and inspire by sharing their experiences.

Eighth Grade (Film) Genre: Comedy, Drama Cast: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson An introvert teenage girl tries to survive the last week of her disastrous eighth grade year before leaving to start high school.

Killing Eve (TV Series) Genre: Drama, Thriller Cast: Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, Fiona Shaw A security operative hunts for an assassin. Based on the Villanelle novellas by Luke Jennings.

(Genre

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (Film) Genre: Animation , Adventure Voice Overs: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez Count Dracula and company participate in a cruise for sea-loving monsters, unaware that their boat is being commandeered by the monsterhating Van Helsing family.

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The old saying goes, “Behind every successful man is a woman.” Whoever coined this phrase, though, was surely not just referring to males, but all of mankind in general.

This Omani Women’s Day, T weekly brings to you stories of women who have championed noble causes to help Oman’s society and the good work they have done for the betterment of all.

STORY MADIHA ASIF

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IF YOU ARE STRONG YOU CAN OVERCOME ANY BURDEN

HON. DR BADRIA IBRAHIM AL SHIHI Member of the State Council’s Economic Committee

ailing from Suwaiq in Batinah region, Dr Badria calls herself a “Muscat person” as she was raised here and she lived all her life in Muscat. “I grew up in different areas of Muscat – Muttrah, Qurum, and finally settled in Seeb. I studied in government schools throughout my life and went to Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) to study chemistry, and then worked as an engineer at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO),” recalled Badria. “The company then sent me to complete my masters and PhD in the UK for five years, and during that time I was blessed with two daughters. When I finished, I came back and worked as an engineer in Marmul and other fields at PDO. I continued to work for four years and then thought it would be good to pursue my dream and go back to SQU and join the faculty. I established a new degree — ap-

plied chemistry — with the team and now it is the 10th year for the degree and it is supposed to be successful. “I moved forward at SQU and took up administrative positions. I took the directorship of the foundation unit and later when it was merged with the language centre, I became the director of Centre for Preparatory Studies at SQU,” shared Badria. Moreover, she is also a member of the State Council’s Economic Committee and proudly spoke about the challenges she faced and overcame with the support of her family. “There were many challenges that I faced during my journey, but the one that I remember the most was pursuing studies while living abroad and just starting my married life. But luckily, I was supported by my husband who was there with me and also my father who came and helped

me while I was doing my thesis.” “Right now, the challenge that I am facing is that I have three jobs — a lecturer and holding an administrative position at SQU, and a member at the State Council in the Economic Committee — which is quite challenging and very demanding but with support from my family it is always easy to overcome.” “I would also ask every woman who ﬁnds it difficult at any stage in her life to overcome challenges and be strong, as I know if you are strong you can overcome any burden,” said Badria. “In October, as we are celebrating Omani Women’s Day, I would like to congratulate all women for the blessings His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has given us for the empowerment and for the recognition he has given us. We should thank him and show him that we really deserve his trust.”

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LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

HH SAYYIDA BASMA AL SAID Mental health activist and founder of the Whispers of Serenity Clinic

n advocate of mental health in Oman, Her Highness Sayyida Basma Al Said is a mental health counsellor and psychotherapist, and has been doing this for 18 years. “It is very important, especially for women to maintain mental health not because they are weaker than men but because we are the ones who bring up the lovely generation of children. And if we are doing ﬁne with our mental health, these children are going to grow in society very well. So, look after yourself and your mental health, and you will do an amazing job for all the family and the society,” said Sayyida Basma. She is also the founder of the Whispers of Serenity Clinic, Muscat, and has been working towards reducing social stigma about mental health disorders. Her most notable work includes a countrywide awareness campaign “Not Alone” that was launched in 2014. The initiative has, till date, carried out various awareness campaigns including a short video clip featuring a host of famous personalities, an awareness walkathon, a mental health convoy for six months in six different governorates of the Sultanate and an artistic talent show which showcased several forms of expression including short stories, poetry, sculpting, music, and fashion. While speaking on the occasion of Omani Women’s Day, Sayyida Basma said all women can do things that they are really passionate about if they just focus and love what they do, and will succeed. “It has to be something that is continuous and you ﬁnd yourself in and not something that you felt someone else doing and wanted to do the same. I am sure all of you will do a wonderful job, and we have so many lovely examples in Oman and I am sure there will be more and more generations of amazing Omani women,” she added.

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LIFE IS NOT ABOUT GIVING UP

HH SAYYIDA MAYYA AL SAID Life coach and social inﬂuencer

or Her Highness Sayyida Mayya Al Said, her journey began at a young age with education and when she joined the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra as a violinist at the age of eight and had the privilege of travelling all over the world to accompany His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and play for his guests as well as in public. She got married at the early age of 21 and with that she had a change of career and went to pursue a diploma in business administration in Australia. “That was also the time I got pregnant with my ﬁrst daughter. It was very challenging to handle being a mother, wife and studying but I didn’t give up, as life is not about giving up even when you are faced with the toughest challenges. There is always a reason for everything; every challenge is to push you to be better and not to break you.” “No matter what challenges you go through in your life, I was previously divorced and was a single mother for ﬁve years but that didn’t stop me from chasing my dreams. Yes, it is difficult, but like everything in life, once you overcome it and believe in yourself, miracles can happen,” said Sayyida Mayya. From then on, life continued, but this didn’t stop her from following her passion of inspiring people and helping them by becoming a life coach at the Whispers of Serenity Clinic in Muscat and through social media under “the sewist”, with the sole purpose of inspiring people to love their lives. —madiha@timesofoman.com

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BELIEVE IN YOURSELF EVEN IF NO ONE ELSE DOES

SHAIMA AL LAWATI Founder and MD, Destination Sustainability

es, companies do practice corporate responsibility, but have you ever heard of a company that was founded solely on that idea? Destination Sustainability is aimed at giving advice to companies with regards to running themselves successfully and sustainably in the long-run. The ﬁrst aspect of every company, according to Shaima Al Lawati, should be to give back to the community, while also preserving the immediate environment. Doing good to the world will bring good back to you. “My father was always talking about work ethics and having principles in life since I was at school,” she said. “He kept on leading by example on daily basis. I understood the importance of being ethical, have principles in life and work to achieve goals. Now I am practicing what I have learnt in my own work and these really have had its impact of my business and who I am today.” Today Shaima has learned much about what it takes to be successful. She believes in giving 100 per cent and in having set goals. “Believe in yourself even if no one else does!” she said, adding that one must think carefully before taking any decision and have a purpose in life and act on it.

MUNA AL RIYAMI Director of Learning and Development Al Bustan Pa a Ritz-Carlton Hotel

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PLAN THINGS AHEAD, BE DETERMINED

JANNAT MOOSA Marketing director, Bin Mirza

t has been far from easy for Jannat and her husband to achieve success, the brains behind bringing global brands such as Wagamama, Nando’s and Second Cup to the Sultanate. Jannat who always believes in staying strong and not giving up hope feels that when one door closes, another door opens and one must use it to ﬁnd their successful path. As is often the case with those who have striven to achieve success, the manner in which Jannat was brought up has played a huge role in shaping her. The lessons taught to her may have been intangible to the outside world, but her reactions due to them are as tangible as they are priceless. “My father comes from a human rights background, so I grew up living by this and not accepting anything less,” she explained. “It is very important to always treat people equally and fairly, no matter the nationality, gender or age. What goes around comes around is one of my strongest beliefs, so it is very important to treat people like you would like to be treated, and to always be fair and give full rights to every individual, regardless of job level or nationality. “Rules and regulations are always changing in Oman so we have to keep up with all the changes,” revealed Jannat. “Finding quality ingredients in market is a challenge so we have to end up importing, which costs a lot. But the lessons learned from here are to always plan things ahead, be determined, and you will get there.”

LOVE WHAT YOU DO

alace,

ducation makes half the person, and that’s a very important lesson to learn. Your education alone does not deﬁne who you are. While it does provide you with a foundation, it alone does not shape you. Just ask Muna Al Riyami. After completing high school, Muna moved to Muscat and worked as a receptionist to support her family. Today, she is one of Al Bustan Palace’s top decision makers and is training young Omanis and expats alike to take the next steps in their careers. “I was born in Izki which is a town in Dakhiliyah and then later moved to Muscat after graduating from highschool, I didn’t go to college because I had to work and support my family,” she said. Muna started working as a receptionist and then moved to aviation where she worked at Oman Air as a cabin crew and then within four years became one of the youngest ﬂight managers. “A big challenge for me was having the opportunity to study, I went to a government school, I skipped college because I had to start working and support my family, I didn’t blame anyone for this outcome but instead I decided to change it,” she added. “I got my degree and now I’m on to my masters.” Growing up, however, Muna was taught many lessons that simply cannot be taught in a classroom. “I always remember what my father once told me, he said

‘If you can’t do what you love then love what you do’. Some of us don’t always have the opportunity to do what we want to do in life, but that shouldn’t stop you from being passionate about what you do,” she explained. “You have to give your best and do what you can to reach your highest potential and while doing so, it’s important to remember you are doing it for yourself and not for acceptance. “The biggest challenge for me as a woman was getting into hospitality because the perception it carries is that if you work in hospitality you are exposing yourself too much, which is something that is not accepted for women in our culture. It was difficult for me to try and change people’s mindset, especially within my family,” added Muna. “I want to tell people that they shouldn’t blame their current circumstances, or use them as a drawback. If you want something you should go ahead and get it, and not give up without a ﬁght. There are three types of people in the world; people who are born with very little and are ﬁne with that and accept it, then there are the people that are born with everything they could ever want and then there are those born with not a lot, but they work hard to change that. “One of my favourite quotes is ‘everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die’. We all want to be successful but very few of us have the commitment and put in the work to do so.”—gautam@timesofoman.com

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SHINING THE LIGHT ON CHILDREN Meet Jane Jaffer, the chairperson of Dar Al Atta’a Let’s Read Campaign, who spoke about her dreams of putting books in the hands of children all across Oman, and Zuweina Al Barwani, one of the earliest members of the Oman Down Syndrome Association whose volunteers are tirelessly working to raise awareness for children and provide better care for them.

FOR CHILDREN TO ENJOY READING, THE FIRST AND FOREMOST THING FOR THEM IS TO HAVE ACCESS TO GOOD BOOKS.

JANE JAFFER CHAIRPERSON, DAR AL ATTA’A LET’S READ CAMPAIGN Reading is the key to unlocking a child’s potential. Literacy is one of the most important foundations for a child’s success in school and in life, and a child who reads is a child that succeeds. It is well documented that an individual’s literacy level affects his/her opportunities in life, education, employment, income and wellbeing. But it’s more than just that. It broadens your mind. Reading helps us learn about the world we live in, and also about people. When we read about people facing obstacles, for example, we can really sort of relate to those role models, and we think about how we would react to that sort of a situation. We kind of learn about ourselves, also, when we read. Reading has so many benefits. It stimulates the imagination, and of course, it makes good learners, because the child that reads everything avidly is the child that is more likely to succeed and do well in studies. For children to enjoy reading, the first and foremost thing for them is to have access to good books. We know that children are definitely more motivated to reading books they chose themselves. That is my feeling. In 2007, I got a group of friends together, and we were brainstorming over ideas on how we could get children to read to make it a fun and enjoyable experience, and not about reading for homework as it’s boring and it’s something that you have

been told to do. This is literally for pleasure, so we realised that the main thing was that we needed to get books to children, so as to give them the opportunity to choose. The beginning was to create book drives. We managed to get quite a lot of books donated and so what we would do is go out to the interiors and go to schools, and go and talk to children, go and read to children, and also joined literacy activities, and of course, set up libraries, so that they could have access to their own books. We set up libraries with some schools in the interior and in hospitals such as Khoula and Royal Hospital where we had lots of lovely books and a children’s playroom, and of course, we had trollies so that books could be taken to children who could not get out of bed. That was the starting point, it was great fun, and then in 2013, we realised that it would be fantastic if we had a big bus to do this to take books around in a bus. The Omani Women’s Guild were incredibly helpful; they raised enough money to give us a bus, and then I was stuck with this bus, and I remember thinking, “Oh my goodness, how am I going to convert this bus into a library? And I found a company down in Ruwi to modify this. We had to rip out all the seats and convert it. I knew someone who actually designed the Oriental Express interior, so he pitched in. The great thing is that everyone has joined in, it is very

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much a joint effort, and we now have two mobile libraries.” We do know that roughly about 11,000 books are actually distributed every year, via the Maktabati mobile library programme, and we also have the Let’s Read bookshop. One of the most important thing is how important it is for parents and family members to be actually seen reading. Children learn a lot about reading as they watch their family members read and write in everyday life, so I think that is really important. When your child sees you reading a book, a magazine, a newspaper, or even a recipe, when they are writing an email, or even something as simple as a shopping list, reading and writing is important in today’s society, and they realised that. We are living today in the technological society, where we have to ﬁlter out so much knowledge. Being able to be a discerning reader is very important. We have books for all interests and for all ages. We also have books for adults there as well. I would say our impact has been a drop in the ocean, but one always hopes that one gets through to people. Reading and writing go hand in hand and we have been holding this for the last 12 years now, and we have had hundreds of winners from these children, aged from ﬁve up to 18. We have actually published four books of the winning stories, so it is great for a child to see his/her own work published.

FORGET ABOUT ANY STEREOTYPES ABOUT DOWN SYNDROME, AND LOOK AT HOW THEY CAN LEARN. GIVE THEM SUPPORT, AND ENGAGE THEM IN A LOT OF ACTIVITIES.

Zuweina Al Barwani (left)

ZUWEINA AL BARWANI MEMBER, OMAN DOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION The Oman Down Syndrome Association began in 2003, and both of the founders had children with Down Syndrome. Because there weren’t enough facilities, both of them thought they should start a group to help the parents and children with Down Syndrome in Oman. I got to know about this group because I too have a child with Down Syndrome, and since then, I have been active with the group,. We are trying our best to give more information about Down Syndrome, raise awareness, and gather parents of children with Down Syndrome together in a group so that we can learn from each other and provide simple services such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, and special needs teachers. In the beginning, it was only once a week, and we had to work under the umbrella of the Association for Early Intervention for Children With Disabilities. We were raising our own funds and arranging for part-time specialists to come and work with our children. Down Syndrome is a condition where you have an extra chromosome. This normally happens when the 21st chromosome is triplicated, when normally, it is only duplicated. Until now, why children are born with this is not exactly known, despite so much research being done. Down Syndrome shows on the face. The eyes and nose are diamond-shaped, for example. Doctors will know about

this the moment the child is born, and there is a way to know if the child has Down Syndrome when he or she is still in the womb. But these children are not suffering. This is just a condition that they are born with. People often say that they are suffering, but it is not a disease that will go away when you give them medicine. It is just something they are born with. They will be as they are, but they are very loving and happy children. The stigma that exists against those who have such mental conditions is because of a lack of awareness, and we try to educate people about this. The problem is that we need to get people to be interested in this, because the moment they get interested, there will be awareness. We hold lot of events, we work with schools, and we try to do a lot of work on social media. We also have a centre in Azaiba, and there, we welcome anyone who wants to learn about Down Syndrome. If someone wants to work with us as a volunteer, we will be more than happy to accept them. We request families and friends to take an interest to learn about Down Syndrome. When I ﬁrst learned that my daughter had Down Syndrome, it was deﬁnitely a shock. I didn’t know much about Down Syndrome, just like anyone else. I had to search for resources online, and I was so worried about how she would be able to learn, what her future would be. I found

out about the support group, and it gave me great relief. My daughter has grown up well. Even her siblings are very fond of her. I have two other children, a girl who is older than her and a boy who is younger than her. My daughter, Ruiya, is 16 years old now, and she goes to the rehabilitation centre in the school. She really loves school and enjoys it. She is very social, enjoys different activities, has done horse riding, roller skating, and also went to the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi last March. She came back with two silver medals and I am so happy about it. My advice is to forget about any stereotypes about Down Syndrome, and look at how they can learn. Give them support, and ﬁnd places where you can take them, and engage them in a lot of activities. Don’t keep them at home doing nothing. Give them conﬁdence, so that they feel like they belong somewhere. The most important things for these children are the speech and physiotherapy. When they are young, they need physiotherapy because some of them delay walking and crawling. There are special material for them to learn, and most of the Down Syndrome children learn more with visual aids. They will use visual aids such as pictures and sounds. Ruiya, for example, learned very quickly about colours through signs and sounds. —gautam@timesofoman.com

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1 BEAT THE FLU – Or if you’re just feeling a little blue! Add a little rose water and a teaspoon of honey to a cup of hot water, ﬁnd your favourite niche and enjoy your drink. Rose water is said to relax muscles, so if you’ve got a sore throat, try this simple concoction.

2 DIGESTION – Rose water is often taken to aid in digestive problems. It is also said to work great for those suffering from uncomfortable bloating of the belly. Bet you didn’t know that.

WAYS YOU CAN USE ROSE WATER STORY ANTARA BOSE

Come to think about it, Cleopatra had really good reasons to draw herself rose water baths – it’s a detoxiﬁcation ritual, both from the inside and out. Through ancient times, rose water has been revered for its goodness and is used in a variety of natural skincare products, even lending its healing properties in other areas of health.

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4 3

MOUTHWASH – Bored of your minty mouthwashes? Try a herbal alternative with some rose water instead. Along with ﬁghting germs, its anti-inﬂammatory properties will relieve any ache too.

AROMATHERAPY – Ah, the sweet smell of roses! Rose water vapours are often used in spa rituals to set the ambience. And for good reasons too. Research has proved that inhaling the vapours can help relieve stress, reduces depression and anxiety, and uplift one’s mood. You can also use it at home by adding a few concentrated drops of rose oil in the diffuser.

5 SOOTHE TIRED EYES – Soak a pair of cotton pads in rose water and cover your eyes with it. The healing properties of rose water help to soothe tired, puffy eyes. You can also use it as eyewash if you suffer from irritation in your eyes. It’s the next best thing to pure water.

8 6 TONING AND MOISTURISING – Mix rose water with glycerin for dry skin and apple cider vinegar for oily skin. Rose water helps to shrink pores while removing all the grime. You can follow this up with a quick moisturising routine using rose oil. All you need is a few drops. Say hello to fresh, hydrated and supple skin.

7 MAKEUP REMOVER – Most commercial makeup removers seem to effectively take the makeup off in just one swipe, scoring points right away. But what they also do (and we don’t see) is strip the skin of its essential oils. Swap to a homemade makeup remover with rose water. Mix rose water with just a little bit of olive oil for your very own, natural makeup remover. The oil will ensure you get all the makeup off and the rose water will keep the pH balance of your skin intact. What’s more, it will leave you smelling fresh, dreamy and well, rosy!

MIST – If you’re out on a hot and dry day, the quickest way to freshen yourself up is by spraying some rose water on your face. You can either wipe it off with a cotton pad or even let it stay. Rose water helps maintain the natural pH balance of your skin, thus giving it the essential hydration. What’s more, you can also spray some on your hair. You don’t have to worry about getting any chemicals in your hair and it’ll leave your tresses smelling great too!

Antara Bose is a model turned fashion and beauty consultant. A popular blogger, anchor, and voice over artist, she maintains a deep connection with the local fashion industry and is passionate about discovering and celebrating aspiring talent as well as promoting animal rights. For fashion updates with a side of humour and sarcasm follow Antara on instagram @antarabose and on Facebook: Antara Bose.

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GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN Cast: Ken Jeong, Madison Iseman, Wendi McLendonCovey, Jack Black

A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the ﬁrst man to walk on the Moon.

Halloween comes to life in a brand-new, family adventure comedy based on R.L. Stine’s 400-million-selling series of books.

SANDAKOZHI 2 Tamil Cast: Vishal, Appani Sarath, Hareesh Peradi, Keerthi Suresh, Meera Jasmine, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar Tamil

FIRST MAN Cast: Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Ryan Gosling

Sandakozhi 2 is a sequel to the successful Sandakozhi (2005). The ﬁlm features Vishal for his 25th ﬁlm in a dual role as father and son with Keerthi Suresh and Rajkiran in the lead roles. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Soori in other pivotal roles.

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THE OLD MAN & THE GUN Cast: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Keith Carradine, Danny Glover, Elisabeth Moss, Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek At the age of 70, Forrest Tucker makes an audacious escape from San Quentin, conducting an unprecedented string of heists that confound authorities and enchant the public. Wrapped up in the pursuit are detective John Hunt, who becomes captivated with Forrest’s commitment to his craft, and a woman who loves him in spite of his chosen profession. Running At: Vox Cinemas

BADHAAI HO Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta, Sanya Malhotra, Sheeba Chadda

A man in love follows his wife to London where she has gone to gain freedom to follow her dreams. Namaste England is a young and refreshing story of Jasmeet and Param, whose love story traces along different places from Punjab to Dhaka to Paris to Brussels to ﬁnally London. How far would you go for love?

A man faces embarrassment in the society when he ﬁnds out his mother is pregnant.

COMING SOON

NAMASTE ENGLAND Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra

BOARDING SCHOOL Cast: Samantha Mathis, Sterling Jerins, Tammy Blanchard, Will Patton, Luke Prael, Nadia Alexander

WHITE FANG Cast: Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, Paul Giamatti

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TIMES DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

DRAGON AGE ORIGINS

SUDOKU

HOW TO PLAY Fill empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column, and area.

Level | Easy

6 2

1 6

3 9

8 1

Level | Moderate

2 6

8 7

6 8

Level | Difficult

6 4

7 4

Difficult

7 4 9 1 3 2 8

5 3 8 7 2 6 4

6 9 1 4 5 8 3

4 8 3 6 2 5 1 9 7

1 7 4 8 5 9 6 3 2

5 6 9 2 4 3 8 7 1

2 3 8 1 7 6 9 4 5

Medium

Easy

8 6 9 3 5 1 2 4 7

2 5 4 7 6 9 8 3 1

3 7 1 4 8 2 6 9 5

5 4 8 2 1 3 7 6 9

1 2 3 9 7 6 5 8 4

6 9 7 5 4 8 3 1 2

4 8 5 6 9 7 1 2 3

7 3 6 1 2 4 9 5 8

9 1 2 8 3 5 4 7 6

2 7 8 9 1 4 6 3 5

1 5 6 8 3 2 7 9 4

9 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2

5 8 2 7 9 3 4 6 1

4 1 9 6 2 5 3 7 8

3 6 7 4 8 1 5 2 9

8 2 5 1 7 6 9 4 3

7 4 1 3 5 9 2 8 6

6 9 3 2 4 8 1 5 7

THIS WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

rise up in massive numbers every few decades and slaughter the surface dwellers, hat makes a good role-playing also known as Blight. While the dwarves game? Is it a good story, good who live in underground kingdoms deal characters, good graphics or with the darkspawn on a daily basis so that good music? the surface kingdoms can sleep soundly, a When you play a good role-playing game, new Blight is about to threaten Ferelden. you feel it come alive, so much so that when The first Blight began millennia ago, and you make a decision, your conscience while the darkspawn brought fear and terpoints you towards the right thing to do. ror, the Grey Wardens stood against them. When you volunteer for a rescue mission, Wardens were looked upon in the highest it’s because you want to save those who regard, because the men and women that need your help, not just because it is your bravely gave their lives to stop the horrors of next objective. the darkspawn willingly made the ultimate For all these reasons and more, Dragon sacrifice, and with Ferelden about to receive Age Origins has to be among the best RPGs yet another hammer blow, another warden to ever grace the genre. The game repre- is going to join these hallowed ranks. You. sents another smash hit by game makPlayers can choose from several origin ers BioWare, who have to be among the stories and backgrounds to begin with. Are best makers of role-playing you, for example, the eldest games. The team that gave son of a human noble, who us Mass Effect and Star THE SHORT AND SKINNY grew up in a grand castle, Wars: Knights of the Old or an elf, who was raised Republic has produced anName: Dragon Age Origins in the squalor of the slums Genre: Fantasy RPG other amazing game that rejust a few yards away? You Produced by: BioWare and EA mains a favourite to this day. might choose to be a dwarf, Games Dragon Age Origins is one who either had to tough What it’s about: Millennia ago, a game that you’ll want to it out on the streets, or who brave men and women known as Grey play over and over again, was born and bred to lead. Wardens banded together to stop just because it’s so engrossOnce you’ve chosen your the world from being swallowed up ing, and is available to buy character (who, by the way by darkness. Now, with people’s very on PC and consoles. is fully customisable), you existence being threatened again, The game is set in a fancan choose what sort of you join this sacred band of warriors tasy medieval world, and fighter you want to be. You to shine as a beacon of hope against takes place in the fictional might be a brawler, who is the coming gloom. continent of Thedas, which clad in the thickest of arPlatforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac is split into a number of mour and fights with an axe OSX, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 nations, each of which has that cleaves a bloody path Where to buy: Origin, EA Store, GOG their own unique customs through your foes, or you Games, Steam Store, Microsoft.com, and cultures. DAO takes might be a nimble fighter PlayStation Store, Xbox Marketplace place mostly in the kingdom who prefers dancing with IGN Rating: 8.7/10 of Ferelden, which is based daggers. Then again, you on medieval England, and might prefer to work from a is still recovering from sucdistance, as you draw back cessfully repelling an invasion and occu- your bow and thrillingly watch as your arpation from neighbouring Orlais, Thedas’ row meets its intended mark. largest empire, which is French all the way You could also be a mage who uses his from the pastel-coloured architecture to powers to freeze your opponents, who their outrageous fashion sense and their watch on in horror as your shape rocks oh-so-obvious accent. around you into a fist, their eyes widening in While Thedas is home to many civilisa- helpless terror as it hurtles towards them, tions and races that have their differences, moments away from shattering them. there is one that compels all of them to If that sounds fun, it’s because it is. unite and fight as one. Deep underneath Dragon Age Origins is a game you simply the surface live the darkspawn, a human- must play this weekend. oid but monstrous race of creatures that -gautam@timesofoman.com

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Times News Service

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 18, 2018

12TH OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKER (OFW) WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT, WAS HELD IN MUSCAT COLLEGE SPORTS BUILDING.

IN FOCUS MUSCAT GUJARATI SAMAJ, THE GUJARATI WING OF INDIAN SOCIAL CLUB OMAN, ORGANISED A MUSICAL CONCERT “JEENA ISI KA NAAM HAI” FEATURING A GROUP OF VISUALLY CHALLENGED ARTISTS PERFORMING BY THE BAND NAME BLACK AT AL FALAJ HOTEL.

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 18, 2018

Enjoy Oman’s rich blue ocean view and great hospitality at Mysk Al Mouj A

l Mouj or The Wave as people know it is one of Muscat’s premium destinations offering everything, from comfortable luxury residence to shopping malls to great restaurants all under one huge figurative roof. Basically, if you are an Al Mouj resident, then you are bound to be lazy and spoilt as you will find everything you need or want at your footstep or at most at a hop-skip-jump distance. However, if you don’t reside in one of the lavish residences of Al Mouj and still want to experience what this ITC has to offer and more, then you can always make use of Mysk Al Mouj by Shaza, the first hotel to open in within the premises of Al Mouj. Like the name, the hotel, part of the Global Hotel Alliance, and a property of Golden Group Holding under the leadership of Sheikh Salim bin Ahmed Al Ghazali, has a very elegant, contemporary vibe to it making sure that it retains its Arabic essence but with a modern twist. The designs, from the minute one sets foot into the hotel, will have you gaping and appreciating the intricacy in thought and execution. The paintings, the lightings, the seating areas all have a certain grace about them that will force you to acknowledge it. Godwen Austin Johnson is the lead designer who managed to transform local traditions into a narrative capable of producing unique, appealing, and cozy spaces. Mysk Al Mouj’s location isn’t just ideal because it is nestled within Al Mouj. Even in Al Mouj it has found itself a cozy spot

where it is in the middle of the ITC surrounded by the walk, which hosts all the retail outlets, restaurants, and boutiques on one side; the gorgeous marina offering Oman’s rich blue ocean view along with a few luxury yachts docked majestically; and easy access to the residential complexes on the other side. Mysk Al Mouj by Shaza hotel is well equipped with all facilities and services including different options in rooms, four sumptuous eateries with a menu designed to satisfy the hungry palates of all guests

with gourmet cuisine, a round-the-clock health club to sweat out all the calories you earned at the restaurants and lounges, and the lovely inﬁnity rooftop pool that overlooks the marina and remains open all day and night. Mysk Al Mouj by Shaza in its essence is a serene amalgamation, where the east meets west, tradition meets modernity, culture meets innovation in terms of the food, ambience, decor, rooms, and all the services they offer and that too in a prime location in the heart of the city.

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