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editor-in-chief & founder
Sumathi Srinivas
managing editor
Dharmma, D.F. Tech
associate editor
Nithya Ravindran
feature writer
Amritha Prem
creative head
Anto M
on the cover
Sayyeshaa
designer
Sathish Kumar B
PhotograPher
Jatin Kampani
columnists
Andal Chockalingam Dr Bhairavi Divya Sathyaraj Geetha Gangadaran Rajee Mani Shahnaz Husain (New Delhi)
wardroBe
Shaheen
makeuP and hair
Vipul Bhagat location
writers
Chennai Gokul Sriman Khushi Lena Tamilvanan Dr Mohitheen Batcha Dr Ramya Sampath Sumitra Kumar Valsala Menon Others Cities Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji (Gurgaon) Sophia Christie Prabakar (Bangalore) Dr Tausif Thangalvadi (Kochi)
St. Regis Hotel, Mumbai Pro
Ramesh Bala
Publication Address: No.8/3, 13th Street, Nandanam Extension, (Behind Venkateshwara Hospital), Chennai - 600035. Rays Publications (P) Ltd., To advertise, reach us on sales@womenexclusive.co.in
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READERS SPEAK Readers are recommended to make appropriate enquires before entering into deals with advertisers who advertise in this publication. The Editor and publisher do not vouch for any claims made by advertisers and hence shall not be held liable for any adverse consequence. Women Exclusive is not responsible for any unsolicited material received at its office. The editor, publisher or the magazine is not held responsible for the views and opinion expressed by the writers.
8 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
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editor's note ‘The End’ is NOT the End! I have been pretty disturbed of late, reading about suicides triggered by an infamous game! It is disheartening to know that youngsters end their life in a jiffy, without even giving a minute’s thought about their kith and kin. But, on the contrary, aren’t these near and dear ones also partially responsible for such suicides? Most of the houses have both the parents working – either because they are ambitious individually or because it is a necessity. Irrespective of the reason, one of the biggest mistakes many commit is ignoring their children or family! To keep children or people occupied and away from busy schedules, many turn to gadgets for a remedy, particularly mobile phones! Eventually, such younglings or people start getting dangerously addicted to devices, in which they seek solace! Even worse is when they start living more in a virtual world, where they feel they belong to, stating, it helps them fill the void they sense. This is a ‘red alert’ situation!
NOTHING CAN REPLACE THE qUALITy TIME PEOPLE OR FAMILy CAN SPEND WITH ONE ANOTHER
People get into a cocoon or remain isolated only because they do not have someone to speak or purge their emotions to! Nothing can replace the quality time people or family can spend with one another. The yearning to share their emotions is immense and the sole solution to avoid psychological complications that could arise from loneliness is communication! There used to be a time when the TV was referred to as an ‘idiot box’, but looking at the current scenario, that box of entertainment seems far safer a choice! But, beyond all, nature is our best guide! The human body is the best example one can fall back on for inspiration, because there’s nothing that the body cannot do, it’s just the mind that one needs to convince and train! Thus, keeping nature as the guiding factor is the best way to lead a sane and sensible life! Attaining equilibrium in life helps in maximizing its quality. Let’s not run after the frills of life, ignoring necessities, least we regret later. Let us be alert and aware, to adapt only changes that can enhance our life, and lifestyle and not pull it down completely, because what is seen to be ‘the end’, isn’t meant to be the actual end!
/we magazine 10 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
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11
contents SEPTEMBER'17 32 “i do” uBt
A rendezvous with Music Director Dharan and Model Deekshita Manikkam, who are soon to tie the knot!
36 sPeaking Books
Sai Lakshmi, a social worker, an inspiring woman entrepreneur and the license holder of Human Library, shares her love for people who she calls books
38 the taste of success
AK Rahamuthullah, whose Briyani is popular both in Tamil Nadu and abroad, shares his business secret
39 living with a vision
24 saYYeshaa CONqUERING NEW TERRITORIES
grOOmINg
FASHION
18 dealing with hair loss
21 kantha - the art of threads
Many tend to think that hair loss and hair breakage are the same, but they are not, explains Shahnaz Husain
19 for the well groomed man
Male hair removal is becoming increasingly popular and among regular top-up treatments, laser hair removal can produce long-lasting results
16
WHAT'S TRENDING THIS MONTH
Shubendu, a prodigal student of class 8, the recipient of the National Child Award for 'Exceptional Achievement' has a vision of providing every farmer an opportunity to work at ease
mONtHly SpecIAl 40 take a minute, change a life
Dr Ramya Sampath provides an insight into the complexities of human behaviour in relation to suicide and on ways to tackle it
Kantha, a popular style of embroidery has taken the fashion world by storm!
48 HAPPINESS IS
HOMEMADE
HeAltH 52 waiting in anticiPation
Renowned Nutritionist, Divya Sathyaraj shares alarming details about malpractices in the medical industry and why she wrote to the PMO
HOme 54 make Your home monsoon-readY
Tips on making your home a cosy place to enjoy the damp weather
58 PregnancY and vaastu
A house built based on proper vaastu advice not only yields good and positive results, but also helps a woman to give birth to a healthy offspring
22 BeautY from within Six lingeries that are in vogue currently – stunning pieces that can help you sport a stunning look inside out
peOple 30 Being human
TKS Senthil Kumar, Founder and Secretary of Anbalayam, guides and counsels HIV affected people, gets them married to their counterparts, thus, preventing STD from spreading through marriage
31 the light in the dark
12 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
Annapurna Mohan, an inspiring English teacher at Villipuram, uses phonetics to make her students speak better English than their counterparts
42 onam - gala, gaietY, grandeur A harvest festival celebrated with joy and enthusiasm by Malayalees all the over world
46 the triumPh over evil - durga PuJa
The worship of Goddess Durga is evident from prehistoric age, explains Sumitra Kumar along with its significance
60 relAtIONSHIp 62 knowing genders in & out Mohitheen Batcha, Psychological Counsellor explains gender differences based on cognitive, behavioural and emotional aspects
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letters to the Editor AuguSt 2017
Aadarsh, Chennai The 'Wedding Special' issue is spectacular and the models on the cover look stunning! This edition of yours has interesting content too. Good work WE team! ►
Shruthi, Mumbai
‘Guide to a Basic Bridal Makeup’ write-up is both interesting and informative. I shared this article with one of my friends, who is going to get married very soon and indeed, she found it very helpful. Thanks a lot for this article; I have decided to treasure it for future reference.
► ►
Shakti, Bangalore
Radhika, Chennai
►
As I am getting married next month, I was doing a lot of research to get ideas for complementary gifts. To my surprise, I found your ‘Wrapped Affection’ article which has unique and mindblowing gift ideas! It has saved me a lot of time, and effort and I have also chosen what I need to give from the list. 14 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
Amala, New Delhi
►
‘Shop till you Drop’ was a brilliant idea. This article gave me an insight to where and all I can head to and shop during my visits to the stated places, not just for wedding, but in general also.
Komalika, Kolkata
I loved the ‘Bonding Beyond Borders’ article; very interesting! Being someone who loves to learn about other places’ culture, cuisine and history, such articles elevate the interest in me to travel more. You must write more on travel.
I am a doctor myself and I always recommend to-be-married couples to go for health check-up and to meet a sexologist before getting married. Unfortunately, not many follow the latter, because they feel shy. Your interview with the sexologist helps such people as it covers a lot of important information. Glad you included it in the ‘Wedding Special’ edition.
Please share your thoughts and feedbacks to editor@womenexclusive.co.in
15
what's trending this month
BEAUTy LIPSTICk BALMAIN x L’OREAL To be Announced The upcoming Balmain x L’Oréal Paris collaboration lipstick is ready to hit the stores very soon. The collection of 12 couture matte shades come along with a marble printed tube with three themes such as green, purple and black, enriched by colour riche formula adding a sparkly vibe to the classic look! Pick your colours and flaunt it in style! Shades: Orange, Power Brown, Freedom Purple, Glamazone and Urban Safari, Rose Gold and Purple to mention a few
EYE SHADOW MARC JACOBS 3,000 onwards Marc Jacobs’ latest eyeshadow palette comes up with four new fashion finishes such as buttery matte velvet, shimmering satin, sparkling silk and metallic lame giving you an ultimate impression that lasts longer and making your dressed up eye look elegant! This is a must-own for every woman who loves to deck up for occasions and parties. Shades: Camouflage and Reflective Gold, Chilled Greige and Violet, Dusty Plum and Magenta, Bare and Bronze, Rust, Warmed Browns and Scarlet, Celestial Cobalt, Icy Teal and Prismatic Gray
PERFUME GABRIELLE CHANEL EAU DE PARFUM SPRAY 8,000 onwards Olivier Polge crafted this Eau de Parfum as an imaginary flower, just for women! This perfume is prepared from a bouquet of four white flowers. It has tinges of exotic jasmine, fruity green notes of ylangylang, fresh and sparkling orange blossom fragrance and a glimpse of grasse tuberose. 16 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
HANDBAGS CARPISA PHILLIS 2,000 onwards Stripes being one of the in trends, Carpisa has come up with a chic looking bag made exclusively for working women. It has compartments that help to conveniently store items in and is on the reaer side of the bag. It has a removable shoulder strap and coloured handles, making it easier to be used, based on one's convenience. The glossy logo adds pride to the owner! Colours: Light Grey and Taupe
PRE-ORDER
MAkEUP PALETTE KATE MOSS’ 12,000 onwards Supermodel Kate Moss, who is popularly seen in beauty campaigns, has teamed up with the super-luxe Japanese beauty brand Decorté, to launch a makeup palette of her must-have lip, eye and brow products. Her kit consists of - six silky-smooth powder shadows in neutral taupes, browns and ‘moss’ green, which are not sparkling but shimmery; four matte lipsticks in two pinky nudes, one classic red and a berry mauve; lip pencil, inky liquid eyeliner, brow pencil and three applicator brushes packed exclusively inside the sleek black pouch.
what's trending this month
cloThing
gadgET
DOTTED CROCHET DRESS SHEIN
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 8
2,900 onwards This outfit is made up of 100% polyester allowing your skin to breathe effortlessly. The intricate designs on the plain fabric with multiple layers of lacework give the outfit an elegant look! This also makes a perfect attire for dinner-dates or parties. Colour: Pink Size: XS, S, M and L
To be Announced Galaxy Note 8 is Samsung's first flagship to feature a dual-camera along with a slightly larger infinity display plus a highly enhanced S Pen stylus. ‘Bixby’ is another unique feature embedded on Note 8, as it’s the Samsung’s AI assistant, akin to Goggle Assistant.
dEcor SPLENDID TAPER LANTERN HOME CENTRE 249 The blue and silver colour combination of this splendid taper lantern can give your living room and master bedroom an alluring look! Though this lantern is made up of glass, it’s quite easy to maintain and handle.
WaTch OYSTER PERPETUAL LADY-DATEJUST 28 ROLEX 3,98,700 Rolex introduced a 904L steel version of its classic Oyster Perpetual LadyDatejust 28 recently, with high end features such as larger 28 mm case and a new-generation mechanical movement, calibre 2236, equipped with the Rolex-patented Syloxi hairspring in silicon. It has Twinlock double waterproofness system guaranteed with virtual scratch proof sapphire! Available as: Oyster or Jubilee bracelet SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 17
COSMETOLOGY
dealing with hair loSS
S
ome of the common causes of hair loss are stress, nutritional deficiencies, dandruff, oily scalp, illness, thyroid or hormonal imbalances, and hair damage caused by chemical lotions and heat applications. In men, hair loss can be due to hormonal and hereditary factors.
Shahnaz huSain
cosmetologist | Founder, chairperson & Managing director of the Shahnaz husain group of companies | Trained in cosmetology & cosmetic Therapy
We tend to think that hair loss and hair breakage are the same, but they are not. Hair breakage happens when hair shaft breaks off, due to various reasons such as use of chemical lotions, heat applications, tying the hair with rubber bands, dryness and split ends, wire brushes and rollers. Hair loss, on the other hand, happens when the hair falls off from the root. Obviously, hair loss should cause more concern. However, 50 to 100 hairs falling off daily is quite normal. If the rate of replacement slows down, hair becomes thinner. If you are facing hair loss, try to find out the cause for it. For instance, older women face the problem of thinning hair during menopause. You could also consider instances of illness, thyroid imbalance, or regular use of permanent hair dye. I am often asked if too much hair washing can lead to hair loss. It is not washing of the hair, but the product one uses that can have a detrimental effect. Wash hair according to hair type and season. In hot and humid weather, the hair should be washed more often, in order to remove sweat, dirt and oil deposits. Oily hair may be washed three or four times a week. For dry hair, wash twice a week. It is important to choose the right products. Harsh products disturb the normal acid-alkaline balance. They stimulate the scalp further, leading to a build-up of dead cells on the scalp. If your work entails travelling long distances, wash hair more frequently, using less
18 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
shampoo. If there is excessive oiliness, a hair rinse should also be used. Among hair care products, one needs shampoo or hair cleanser, along with conditioner or hair rinse. If the hair is oily, use a hair rinse. For dry hair, use creamy conditioner. Leave-on conditioners are also available. You may also need hair oil, herbal hair tonic and a hair pack. Select products containing herbs like amla, shikakai, reetha, brahmi, bhringaraj, arnica, trifala, hibiscus (gurhal or javakusuma), bael, neem, sandalwood, etc. They have healing properties and are safe. We have found that a non-oily herbal hair tonic, containing ingredients like trifala, amla, brahmi, etc., has helped in controlling hair loss. In fact, brahmi helps stress-related conditions.
A nutritious diet helps healthy hair growth, since the hair is actually fed by nutrients in the blood stream. If scalp is oily or if there is dandruff, drink plenty of water! Clinical treatments are also available. These help to stimulate hair follicles and improve blood circulation to the scalp. During clinical treatments, hair tonics are also applied and steamers are used for greater absorption. As nutritional deficiency is one of the most common causes of hair loss, diet is very important. A nutritious diet helps healthy hair growth, since the hair is actually fed by nutrients in the blood stream. I would recommend taking a small bowl of sprouts daily. Sprouts contain amino acids, which are very beneficial to hair. Include fresh fruits, raw salads, leafy green vegetables, whole grains and curd in daily diet. If scalp is oily or if there is dandruff, drink plenty of water. Add the juice of a lemon to a glass of water and have it first thing in the morning. Ask your doctor to prescribe vitamin and mineral supplements. Try to reduce stress. Learn yoga and practice it daily, including deep breathing exercises. Learn relaxation techniques. They help to reduce stress and thus, control hair loss. ♌
AESThETiC CArE
For ThE WEll grooMEd Man
M
etro sexual, modern man, stylish grooming - call it what you want; but men taking care of their appearance is no longer considered unusual. Men could easily think it's a step too far. However, in reality, there's no reason why they shouldn't get the same long-lasting, hassle-free benefits as their female counterparts.
DR. BhaiRRaVi
M.B.B.S , dip aaaM , Md (dermatology) Medical director, Behanced luxe dermatology, centre for clinical dermatology and Preventive cosmetology
Men, with excessive hair, feel conscious, and are searching for effective and long lasting hair removal solutions. Some men are embarrassed by excessive body hair, especially on the back and shoulders. Many men remove hair and take treatments to reduce the same considering the profession they belong to such as modelling, acting, sports (athletes, swimmers, cricketers, etc.) and so on. Male hair removal is becoming increasingly popular and can be done on almost any part of the body including ears, sideburns, beard, chest, nipples or even full back. With regular top-up treatments, laser hair removal can produce long lasting results. Laser treatments have been used for many years for a variety of medical and cosmetic procedures. Laser hair removal is designed to destroy the base of the hair follicle that is the source of new hair growth, without damaging the surrounding tissue, making the hair treated, fall out. It is important to understand that hair, in the active growth phase, is the most affected by treatments, as the hair contains optimum levels of melanin, which is directly targeted by the laser. Hair is not susceptible to laser hair removal treatments during the transition and resting phases.
The duration of these phases of hair growth varies from person to person and is affected by our basic genetic (DNA) make-up, age, health and gender. Different hair colour and follicle shape also affect the timings of these phases. As hair follicles move back to the growth phase, they become susceptible to laser treatment and can then be removed permanently. Hence the need for follow-up visits to treat follicles that were not in the growth (anagen) phase during earlier visits is important. Laser hair removal treatment is more effective with thick dark hair than it is with thin light hair. If you have natural dark hair and dark skin, you can still benefit from laser treatment for hair removal. However, additional treatments are usually required to achieve satisfactory results. After treatment, the skin may look and feel as though it was sunburned for 1– 2 days. Using cool compresses and moisturizers is recommended to ease any discomfort. I also recommend that you avoid sun exposure for a few days before and after your treatment, as your skin is sunsensitive. Also, be careful not to expose the area to direct sun. A 30+ SPF sunscreen is recommended. You may notice some hair that appears on the surface of your skin within 7–10 days following the treatment. These hairs are usually those that have fallen out of hair follicles impaired during treatment. You will most likely undergo multiple treatments spaced approximately 4-6 weeks apart. Although the number of treatments varies from one individual to the other, most individuals receive approximately 6 treatments. It is important to realize that laser hair removal is likely not to prevent hair from growing completely. However, it can reduce hair growth significantly over time, giving your skin the smooth appearance that you desire. As per studies, laser hair removal results in permanent reduction of up to 90 percent of hair in the treated areas. ♌
Behanced Luxe dermatoLogy Email : info@behancedclinic.com Web : www.behancedclinic.com For appointment: +91 822 076 6766
SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 19
knOw MOrE
Bell’s Palsy ThE FacE ThaT drooPEd
symptoms affecting the rest of the nervous system.
How does one recognize a Bell’s Palsy patient? The disease is always sudden in onset. People who are affected may have weakness of facial muscles on one side, characterized by inability to close the eye fully on one side, inability to lift the eyebrow on one side, the face getting pulled to the normal side when trying to smile, blurring of vision, taste disturbances, eye and ear aches, increased sensitivity to sounds and excessive or decreased watering of the eye.
Diagnosing Bell’s Palsy
A condition that definitely sounds or looks scary when read about - Bell's Palsy! Who could get it and what triggers it are inevitable questions? Keeping the self informed about the basics is always advisable. Dr Tausif Thangalvadi Consultant & Head, Emergency Department (Aster Medcity, Kochi) - throws light on details of this alarming body condition
M
y first encounter with Bell’s Palsy happened when I was in medical college as a first year greenhorn, about 20 years back. I had an affable senior, a Kashmiri studying dentistry, two years ahead of me. One morning in the hostel, I found him walking around with a droop on the left half of his face. I was speechless. I didn’t know how to react. I tried telling him that something is wrong with his face. He looked at me and said, “Yeah, I know, it happens to me. I will be better after I eat a few eggs”. Saying so he left and did what he said! The next day, he was back to looking his usual self!
This incident fascinated me - what was this medical condition for which you had to eat eggs to cure? Thus, I was introduced to Bell’s Palsy – an
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often self-resolving medical problem, which causes one side of the face to go weak and refuse to obey you! It can be scary to see people go through it and even scarier when one goes through it themself for the first time. But the fear reduces when you know that, thankfully, there is often a full recovery.
What is Bell Palsy? Bell Palsy is the most common cause of unilateral or one-sided facial paralysis. In a large majority of cases (80-90%), it gradually resolves over time, and its cause remains unknown, although, viral infection, trauma and decreased blood supply have been strong suspects. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning doctors diagnose Bell’s Palsy when all muscles of one side of the face are affected in the absence of any other disease or
When one goes to a doctor for treatment of Bell’s Palsy, he/she will examine the ear, as the facial nerve passes through the ear canal and problems of the ear canal can be the cause. They will also examine eyes, and mouth and do a quick neurological examination. There are no specific tests to diagnose Bell’s Palsy, but the doctor may order a few blood tests and scans such as an MRI, to rule out other causes of similar complaints that one can suffer from.
Treating Bell’s Palsy Steroids are the mainstay of current treatment protocols along with treating a possible viral infection. Also, eye care is very important. As the person affected is unable to close the eye, it can lead to a dry eye and corneal ulcers. To avoid this, lubricating eye drops are usually sufficient. We can also keep the eye covered. In case the recovery is delayed by 6-8 weeks, surgical treatment options can be explored to decrease the pressure, if any, on facial nerve. So that’s about Bell’s Palsy. It is relatively common, affecting 1 in 3000 people with nearly 7% of those affected having a repeat episode. But the good news is that, 80-90% recover within 6 weeks to 3 months. So there is nothing to be afraid of. And yes, eating eggs has no direct effect in treating Bell’s Palsy, but it is still a good source of Vitamin B12, which is good for the nerves. So, all you egg fans, eat away to glory! ♦
TrAdiTiOn
KanTha - the art of threads
K
antha, a popular style of embroidery that comes from West Bengal, is a significant symbol that displays the skill and talent of rural women in Bengal. Kantha, which basically means ‘throat’, is associated with Lord Shiva. The story revolves around how Lord Shiva consumed poison while stirring up the ocean and therefore, the significance of this word goes all the way back to Vedic times.
GeeTha GanGaDaRan
This type of stitch is basically the running stitch, accompanied by other stitches like chain, herring bone and the cross, and is very simple. Traditionally this embroidery was used for quilts, dhotis and saris, but over the years, it has evolved and made its way into the heart of Indian fashion. The yarn is taken from old sari borders; the design is then traced and finally covered with running stitches. Today, this kind of embroidery can be found on shawls, pillows covers, dupattas and home furnishings as well. Kantha originated behind the thought that needle work can be used, to reuse old clothes and materials, and then turn them into something new. Kontha or Kantha in Sanskrit also means ‘rags’. Kantha work is approximately 500 years old and there is a myth surrounding it, which points out that Lord Buddha and his disciples used old rags with different kinds of patch work to cover themselves at night and this gives the Kantha embroidery its origin.
Traditionally, women would take four to five saris, layer them together and create different running stitches on them, which they then use as blankets to cover their children with. However, what started as a way to make life more comfortable went on to become a big trend in clothes and furnishings as well. The day-to-day life was the biggest source of inspiration behind this craft. The motifs or designs on clothes or bedspreads were of birds, animals, folk scene and fish. Economical, practical and yet beautiful is what Kantha embroidery is all about.
There are seven types of Kantha stitches as follows: • Archilata Kantha is used for covering mirror and usually comes with colourful motifs and borders. • Baitoa Kantha is used as covers to wrap books. • Durjani Kantha are used in the inside of wallets. • Hep Kantha is used to make warm padded quilts. • Oaar Kantha is used on pillow cases. • Sujani Kantha is used to make bed covers. • Rumal Kantha is used to cover plates with a lotus motif in the centre.
The credit of reviving Kantha art can be given to Shamlu Dudeja in the 1980s. She founded Self-Help Enterprise (SHE) that helped empower women and their livelihood through Kantha embroidery, which has taken the fashion world by storm. Sharbari Datta, a designer has displayed beautiful ensembles of Kantha work on several fashion shows. Hillary Clinton, on a visit to India, expressed her appreciation for Kantha embroidery. Designers in the UK and Japan have also reached out to local sellers and have used this embroidery in their designs. Initially Kantha was used on cotton or silk, but it is now used on other fabrics such as georgette, crepe and chiffon. Till today, this combination of thrift and aesthetics is not mass produced. ♦
SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 21
fAShiOn
Looking bold, yet sexy is every woman's dream. However, choosing the right lingerie to make your attire look perfect is very important. We Magazine comes up with lingeries that are in vogue currently - stunning pieces that can help you sport a stunning look inside out
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VelVeT linGeRie These are in vogue now-a-days. The right colour chosen based on skin tone will give you a stunning look! Using a robe will add on to the wow factor!
eMBROiDeReD linGeRie Bold and stunning embroidery patterns on lingerie is trending these days. These are a perfect buy, especially for honeymoon.
FlORal aPPliQuÉS This would be an apt choice to embrace one’s femininity! One of the sought after patterns for the year is lingerie with floral appliqués on them.
laCeD BODYSuiTS An absolutely stunning piece of innerwear that can elevate sensuality and is a must-have for your honeymoon. The lace gives a mix of sexy and elegant look, when worn.
BluSh linGeRie Soft and romantic coloured lingerie look gorgeously classy, and enhances both fair and dark skin tones. Opting for ones with fewer patterns would be ideal, to prop up the colour's beauty.
BaBYDOllS These come in a variety and each has its charm, be it laced ones or ones made of satin, sheers, etc. They, again, give a combo look of being sexy and stylish! SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 23
COvEr STOrY
SayyeShaa conquering new Territories
Though just three movies old, she has already turned to be people’s favourite! Her dancing skills are way beyond what words can describe, which justifies the title people have bestowed on her – ‘Female Prabhudeva’! Despite being legendary actor Dilip Kumar’s grand niece, Sayyeshaa has paved her own path, created her own niche and has stepped into the challenging industry, determined to fly high and make her own mark! By nithya Ravindran
Photographer
Prasad naik
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Wardrobe
Shaheen
Makeup and hair
namrata Soni
SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 25
26 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
enGlanD TO MuMBai A huge part of my personality is what I acquired from my days in England! I have spent many years of my childhood in London, where I did my primary schooling; we used to live in the country side. Over a period of time, I started becoming more a foreigner than an Indian with my language and mannerisms, which seemed like a red-alert to my mother! In fact, I was reaching a point where I did not want to get back to India anymore. That is when my family decided to wrap up and get back to Mumbai, which was home to us, because our family was here. My initial days were difficult, particularly with learning to read and write Hindi. Now, I am very fluent in it, though. After all these years, when I look back, I am so happy my mother took that decision, because, if not for it, I would not have gotten into movies or trained so much for it.
BeinG leGenD aCTOR, DiliP KuMaR’S GRanD nieCe I am blessed to be associated with that name, but despite this filmy background, there was nothing filmy about the way I have been brought up. I live a simple life at home, where I cook, help my mother in the kitchen and have always concentrated on doing well academically. Films were never discussed over dinner tables by anyone and there was no film magazine that was ever subscribed. In fact, as a child, I wasn’t even thinking about movies! But eventually, things changed for me.
SaYYeShaa, The STuDenT I was a very studious student – an absolute teacher’s pet kind! In fact, my teachers and friends were shocked when I told them I was going to pursue movies, taking a break from studies! They were aghast and insisted I aim at doing my higher education in the Oxford University considering I had scored 97% in my board exam. Though, I was scared in the beginning about stepping into movies, because it’s a field where there’s no guarantee of success, I am glad I took that leap of faith! I am happy about how things are taking shape.
The BRillianT DanCeR I am extremely passionate about dance and dancing! I started getting trained from the age of nine years in several dance forms such as Odissi, Kathak, Belly Dancing and Hip Hop. The Latin American dance form is my base. In fact, I have stayed abroad in places such as South Africa and Rio De Janiero for months together just to learn dance! It has become a vital part of my daily routine, be it as a form of fitness or as a stress buster!
DeBuT MOVie, aKhil (TeluGu) I initially signed ‘Shivaay’, the hindi movie featuring Ajay Devgan and me! However, it took a while for the project to take off. In the meanwhile, I got an opportunity from Tollywood in Vinayak sir’s movie called 'Akhil' as the lady lead, opposite actor Akhil, who was also making his debut. They were looking for a new face that could match him. After about
to think of it, I feel lucky considering the different genres I could be a part of, be it Shivaay, Vanamagan or Akhil.
scanning through more than 150 auditions, I was chosen. It was a pleasant experience working with the team.
I was scared in the beginning about stepping into movies, because it’s a field where there’s no guarantee of success, I am glad I took that leap of faith! I am happy about how things are taking shape ShiVaaY I feel blessed I could work with such a huge star – he has several years’ experience and is such a big name! But, when you interact with him, you will be surprised to know how humble, and simple a person he is! It was a very serious movie, with acting and performance given a lot of importance. Coming
FiRST DaY aT ShOOT I vividly remember my first day, where my introduction scene was shot. I had to run after my pet rabbit and catch hold of it and take it back. It was a very cute scene, more like a dream sequence. I initially thought I may get nervous or have butterflies in my tummy; but surprisingly things turned to be the other way round! Since I always wanted to become an actress for the love of dance and creative fields, I realised I loved being in front of the camera! I was so comfortable and enjoyed every minute of it.
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was so excited when Vijay told me that Prabhu sir would be choreographing for Vanamagan. He, apparently, had seen my video with Tiger Shroff and liked my dancing. I cherish every minute I spent with him learning the steps he taught, the rehearsal sessions, the actual shoot – everything was amazing! In fact, when Prabhu sir took over, he had changed the entire choreography for a song.
Prabhu sir is one person I have looked up to probably ever since I was born! I cherish every minute I spent with him learning the steps he taught, the rehearsal sessions, the actual shoot – everything was amazing VanaMaGan I can go on and on about the movie and even more about Vijay! Vanamagan, perhaps, is the best thing that’s happened to me till date and I am sure nothing can beat the joy and experience this movie has given me! I love and cherish every role I could portray till date, but this movie and the character I played stays the closest to me! I shouldered the movie to a great extend, and Vijay and Ravi let me take up that responsibility! I can’t thank them enough for it! And Vijay is such a humble and down to earth person! He is a brother to me and whether I will get to work with him in future or not, he will remain one of the most important people in my life!
JunGa WiTh ViJaY SeThuPaThi My next in Tamil is with Vijay Sethupathi. Though I eagerly wanted to watch his movies, especially 'Vikram Vedha', after all the excellent reviews, I have seen several songs of his on Youtube. He is such an excellent artist and I feel happy thinking I am soon going to start my shoot for Junga, in which I am playing the lady lead. His connect with the audience is great.
BeinG CalleD ‘FeMale PRaBhuDeVa’ Oh my! No! Please don’t call me that, because Prabhu sir is one person I have looked up to probably ever since I was born! I am not even close to being his toe nail! I
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I remember Vijay had wound up the day early for me, after which I was sent to learn steps for my new song. We rehearsed for seven hours continuously, where I didn’t stop learning and Prabu sir also stayed along, teaching me my steps. There is this wave step I did in the ‘We don’t give a damn’ song – I remember sir telling me that he is giving me that step to perform, which was earlier done by him in 'masthana masthana' song from Raasaiyya movie, and that no one else had done it for the last 20 years! I executed the step and sir said ‘perfect’! He is a man of few words and that ‘perfect’ that he told me is the most cherished moment for me till date! He
is one person who will not compromise one bit and I feel extremely happy and lucky to have been trained by him.
MeSSaGe FOR YOuR FanS I can’t thank them enough for all the love and affection they shower on me! I have a long way to go and I will give it the best I can to entertain my audience. I wish to connect with each of them. That is precisely why I handle my own social pages so that I can interact with them myself.
Rapid Fire One trait of a ‘Leo’ that you have I love being pampered Favourite song of your favourite singer Let me love you and Sorry by Justin Bieber Will give up acting for? Nothing! Favourite form of dance Samba Most loved Dilip Kumar movie Ganga Jamuna A festival you eagerly wait to celebrate Diwali Dance or acting Acting Your favourite genre Rom-com Most loved food Fish curry rice, Andhra style preperation Most loved travel destination London, Italy ♦
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inSpirE
Being huMan When many of us walk past the mentally affected on streets, TKS Senthil Kumar, Founder and Secretary of Anbalayam (Trichy) owns them with pride, takes care of them, accommodates them in his care centre and helps in treating their illness. He also guides and counsels HIV affected people, gets them married to their counterparts, giving them a new life and thus, preventing this STD from spreading through marriage! By amritha Prem
Holding a double degree (MA Social Dynamics and LLB), since when and why did you choose to get into full time social service? From my younger days itself, the homeless and vagabonds on streets bothered me a lot. I used to help them, buy them food and spend time with them. One day I saw a mentally ill woman being chased away from a tea shop. I helped her, treated her and sent her back home. That’s when I realized that she hails from a very good family, but was abandoned due to her mental state. That incident made me realize my life’s purpose and thus, I started ‘Anbalayam’ in 1990, after completing my post graduation.
Unfortunately, people diagnosed HIV+ are ignored by the society. How did you choose to come forward to treat them and help them get married to their counterparts? There are several misconceptions about AIDS. I wanted to create awareness and started doing so for sex workers, hotel and lodge workers, pimps and the many who were illiterate. In 2003, while we were getting HIV check-up done with the support of government hospitals, I realized that many women were getting affected because of their 30 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
husbands, who hide that they are HIV affected while getting married. It was a big shocker for me. Thereon, I got into matchmaking between HIV affected people.
What was that one challenge you faced, while matchmaking between HIV+ victims? Affected men, who came to me looking for brides, told me not to reveal about their disease to their parents and also asked for widows without kids. Adhering to these requirements was quite difficult.
Can a HIV+ couples get a healthy kid? Yes, 98 % of kids can be born healthy as their parents will be on antiretroviral drugs and under doctors’ guidance regularly.
What kind of counselling and guidance do you provide to HIV affected people and their parents? Many HIV affected people never reveal about their illness to their parents until they reach the advanced stage. Also, when parents come to know about it, they are shocked, which in turn put them under immense stress. We educate parents on healthy eating and preventive measures to be taken, whereas for
HIV affected victims, we tell them that though they wouldn’t die, they would have to intake advanced medicines lifelong. We also boost their confidence and help them mingle with other HIV victims to strengthen them emotionally.
According to reports, sex workers can’t come out of the industry. How did you manage to save and empower them? Age is a matter in this field. Women between 20 and 30 years can’t come out and it’s difficult too. But, women above 30 years and who have children can. I empower them by training them to become independent and to earn their living.
Who helps you with counselling and guidance? I have worked in a rehabilitation centre, where I got exposure to counselling. Also, I have friends who are practicing counselling, pursuing Doctor of Humane, MSW and similar courses. Renowned psychiatrists such as Janaki Raman, Batcha and Ramakrishnan are helping us. It's basically a teamwork.
Why and when did you decide taking up educating special children? My wife Genova, PG in special education was passionate about treating adults who are mentally ill. That’s how 'Matram Special School' and 'Hope Special School' for the mentally challenged and autism began.
How do you earn your daily bread? I take up funded projects and also, practice law, where I handle cases and fight for my clients. Apart from these, I also own a fancy store; these help me run my family.
What’s your future plan? I am deeply concerned about the mentally retarded who can’t take care of themselves. Anbalayam’s dream is to help such people.
Your message to the society. Parents must start understanding their children’s opinion on marriage and not force it on them. Technology has taken over tradition. I recommend to-be-married people to conduct an HIV test on them to ensure a healthy marriage.♦
fACE in ThE CrOwd
the lighT in the darK A child’s mind is a clean slate. Both parents and teachers play a major role in deciding what goes into it, thus, making a teacher’s role as important as that of a parent’s. Annapurna Mohan is one such extinguished teacher, who has definitive motives and goals to brighten up her student’s future, fighting all odds! By amritha Prem and Sophia Christie Prabakar
A
nnapurna Mohan is an English teacher, who started her career with utmost reluctance since she had always wanted to become a doctor like her father and missed out on that opportunity by a lack of 0.5 cut-off marks. Her father encouraged her to choose teaching profession and advised to be the best at what she is. Believing that fate had overshadowed her choice of career, she set out to achieve what her father told her, but with less interest. She joined the Panchayat Union Primary School in Kandhadu village in Villupuram district 13 years ago and continued
working with a sense of detachment in the initial days. Eventually, as time went by, she was drawn by the love and admiration her students had for her. She noticed that she had a positive influence on the kids, in their behaviour and intent. This ignited the spark in her to see the effort the students put in and the potent they had to flourish. She felt a strong urge to shape them up into distinct individuals and to eliminate the imaginary line that lies between private and government schools when it comes to adaptation of English language. She tried to bring about changes in many ways,
but all in vain. She didn't have much support from the management to give life to her vision. Having reached the verge of giving up, she happened to attend a phonetics training course conducted by the Tamil Nadu government and that was her life’s turning point! She was immensely inspired to bring about the changes she intended to begin with and used the knowledge she had gained from the training as a tool. She created thousands of presentation slides, which had all the English words written down with the Tamil and English meanings, the parts of speech and their pronunciation. She insisted the school on bringing in ‘smart board’ method to teach, which was again a let down; but none of that put a stopper to her efforts. She invested her own money to bring about changes in the infrastructure of her class room in order to facilitate the smart board environment. Thus, with unrelenting effort, determination and the cooperation of her students, she persisted in her journey and started tasting the fruits of her effort. She could see a dramatic change in her students' English and gradually achieved tremendous results. Her students are now speaking the Queen's English, perfecting it all the way long. They can speak better English than any of their counterparts in the neighbouring schools. "They have gained immense confidence too" says an excited Annapurna. She had recorded the classes and uploaded the videos on social media just to create awareness. What happened after that is a
major marker in her history of teaching. A lot of kind people, having witnessed her genuine cause and effort being rewarded with remarkable results, started sponsoring for her cause. That led her to induce further technological betterments in her classroom atmosphere. She says that she still has a long way to go and that her biggest fear is watching the children getting sucked back into the regular education system. She hopes that the other teachers would get themselves trained the way she did as well in order to maintain the balance.
Annapurna felt a strong urge to shape her students into distinct individuals and to eliminate the imaginary line that lies between private and government schools She intends to conduct classes on a larger scale to share her knowledge on the subject. She believes that teachers should work with a vision for their students and not just for the money that comes out of it, since they, apart from their parents, bear a huge responsibility of shaping them up into responsible, knowledgeable and self sufficient young adults who can go into the world bold, brazen and up for confrontation! ♦ SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 31
wEddinG BELLS
“i do� uBT He prefers living a low profile life, and keeps a lot to himself than flaunt around or be pompous. But today, when he sits next to his lady love, their chemistry speaks volumes beyond anything else! In a rendezvous with Music Director Dharan and Model Deekshita, who are soon to tie the knot, nithya Ravindran discovers their fun side, and the immense love and respect they have for each other Photography VS ananDha KRiShnan
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Stylist & Wardrobe aShWin ThiaGaRaJan
Make up SuReSh MenOn
Location BinnY MillS, Chennai
for new composers for the movie, Parijatham. Thus, took off Dharan’s career as a Music Director, for his compositions in his debut itself were chartbusters, particularly the song ‘Unnai Kandane’, which was declared to be the top ten songs of the year! There has been no looking back ever since, for Dharan.
T
he ambience in Dharan’s studio is serene. Lights were dimmed and there was music being played in the background – Dharan’s assistant was working on a project. Though it was pouring cats and dogs outside, you wouldn’t event get a hint of it inside! As I sat there browsing through a magazine, a pretty looking girl, full of energy, walked in with a contagious smile and shook hands with me. She introduced herself as Deekshita. Immediately after her, entered Dharan. It took me a second to recognise him, thanks to his stunning make-over, the credit of which he gives to his fiancée, completely! As they sat down for a chat up, they looked at each other and smiled – a smile that perhaps, spoke a million words!
Deekshita Manikkam, a graduate in computer engineering, is multifaceted! She is a stylist and a well established, Chennai-based model – a familiar face for anyone who is acquainted with ads and the ad industry. With more than 100 ads to her kitty, Deekshita has proven her talent as a model and is going strong, with also two movies to her credit. “I casually tagged along with a friend, while she was going to register for the Miss South India pageant. People there asked me to take part as well, because I was making the maximum noise, becoming the centre of attraction. That’s how my modelling career started”, recollects the bubbly Deekshita.
With no inhibitions in pulling each others’ legs, this beautiful couple sat there reliving moments they met, became friends, their courtship period and now the wedding hullabaloo! “Being in the media industry, we had heard about each other and were familiar with one another’s faces, but never knew each other, literally. I met Deekshita at Hotel Hilton at an event and thereon, became good friends”, said Dharan with a smile, when asked about how and where the two got acquainted. Here’s another example of two people who clicked from the word ‘go’! Though there wasn’t any typical proposing scene that happened, deep down they knew they were meant to be with one another the whole life! The transition from being good friends to a couple was smooth for them. However, getting Deekshita’s father’s approval was a challenging task for Dharan – multiple convincing sessions, along with Deekshita’s conviction over her choice finally led to her father giving in. And now, every day is a happily busy one, as the countdown is on for their big day – 15th September 2017! ►
Dharan got his first break after his visit to MOP Vaishnav College, Chennai, as a judge, a little more than a decade ago. He bumped into Saranya, the daughter of ace actordirector, K Bhagyaraj and yesteryear actress Poornima, who was looking SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 33
RAPID FIRE DEEKSHITA The craziest thing Dharan has done for you till date? On our very first meet at a cafe after the Hilton event, he took me to a police station (laughs)! There was a small problem he had to sort out. A cop called when I just entered the cafe and Dharan insisted I go with him, so that we could chat-up after the issue was solved. One thing you want Dharan to change? His biological clock is sick! He sleeps late, wakes up late, skips breakfast; I can go on! I want him to get into a proper routine, to stay healthy. A quality in Dharan you like? His kindness. Your idea of a romantic vacation. Shopping and food! A song by Dharan that you like? Songs from Poda Podi What helps you snap out of a bad mood? Biryani and shopping!
DHARAN ► Opposites attract, they say, and this can’t get truer than in Dharan and Deekshita’s case, where the former was this extremely unorganised self, who slept when the world was awake, and vice-versa, while the latter was the obvious opposite - the early-tobed, early-to-rise kind! This was just one of the many differences! But against all variations and odds, they worked their way out steadily, either changing the other for better or by adapting to the other’s mannerisms – after all, everything is fair in love and war! “If I become even 50% of what Deekshita is, I would consider myself as disciplined and changed-forgood”, says Dharan. Deekshita, on the contrary credits Dharan for teaching one of the best qualities – taking life as it comes, “I have understood how important this trait is, because it makes life so much simpler and worth”, said the pretty damsel. 34 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
Reminiscing earlier days of a relationship is indeed fun and that was evident while getting to know this happy-go-lucky duo. With the unfortunate demise of Dharan’s parents at a young and sensitive age of 20 years, putting things back together and running the home, alongside taking care of his younger brother, has been no piece of cake for him! And today, Dharan credits Deekshita for owning several qualities of his mother and feels joyous thinking about the wonderful relationship she shares with his brother, “They are the best of friends. In fact, now-a-days, it’s one versus (Dharan) two (Deekshita and Dharan’s brother)! I get easily cornered”, he laughs, with a twinkle in his eye. As the house waits eagerly for its daughter-in-law, the future smiles bright at this adorable couple, who are soon to start their journey together as man and wife!
One thing you want Deekshita to change? Currently, none. But earlier, she used to cut off completely after a fight, for like 2-3 days, driving me mad! I disliked this quality in her. But she doesn’t do that anymore, which is a relief! A quality in Deekshita you like? She is not bossy. Your idea of a romantic vacation. I prefer getting closer to nature, and being at calm and serene places. A song that reminds you of Deekshita? Many. But I cherish the songs from ‘Aaha Kalyanam’ a lot, because I was working on this project when I fell in love with her. What helps you snap out of a bad mood? A vacation ♦
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Woman EntrEprEnEur
Pictures Steevez Rodriguez, White Feathers
Further, I planned to pursue an MBA course, but was shocked to see the syllabus, because it didn’t offer me what I looked for. That moment, one of my friends named Mahesh guided me to enroll for MSW (Master of Social Work) course, which made me a professional HR consultant. I still wasn’t happy with my job as none of my skills were utilised, though was highly paid. I badly needed some one’s help to channelize my energy, and hence I enrolled myself in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) course, which was self-awakening. All the ideas I contained, started to surface. I learnt about how to create a curriculum and an institute. Thereon, I started believing in the law of attraction, where I began getting what I sought.
AS A WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR
SPEaking BookS Sai Lakshmi, a social worker, an inspiring woman entrepreneur and the license holder of Human Library, Chennai, shares her success journey with Amritha Prem, at the second session of Human Library held at British Council
FROM AN ENGINEERING STUDENT TO A SOCIAL WORKER Being a physics lover, I joined engineering and very soon realised it’s not my cup of tea, as I was keen on human development and not just machines. I always prefer working for the people and thinking for 36 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
them. Luckily, my faculty members understood it and encouraged me to participate in all extra-curricular activities (symposiums, forums, events, parties) by giving ODs. By doing so, I cultivated a lot of interest in event management and built a good rapport with people.
NLP gave me the confidence to establish my own training institute named ‘Essenture Minds Training – Communication Skill Development Centre’ services at Mogappair. Majority of the students never try to understand what they learn in school or college. So, I decided to enable this through my institute, where people are trained to utilise their skills to attain their life/career goals. All my sessions are done on a one-to-one basis, just as practised commonly by NLPs to create a positive impact.
HUMAN LIBRARY – AN AGE-OLD IDEA OF KNOWLEDGE SHARING Human Library (HL) is similar to a lending library; the difference here is that instead of books, people and their stories are lent. ►
► In India, though the concept began at Indore, Harshad from Hyderabad brought it into limelight through social media. His posts inspired me to start the same in Chennai. I was confident that Chennaiites will encourage this concept and so far, the response and feedback has been positive!
HUMAN LIBRARY – LICENSE PROCESS The licensing process for Human Library was easy for me, where I was asked questions such as why I had decided to take up such a noncommercial initiative, number of sessions planned for a year, books I wish to introduce to my readers, etc. These questions made me think in depth before I took the leap. Conducting a HL session is for bringing people together and reaching out to them, spreading knowledge, refining oneself and for goodwill.
Human Library is similar to a lending library, the difference here is that instead of books, people and their stories are lent
PEOPLE WHO ARE BOOKS People are the books at the HL. I search for books, whose life is worth taking inspiration from. Thus, the conversation will be loaded with information, as such people would be living an out-of-the-box life. I listen to the books first, analyse them and then introduce them to my readers (participants). Though it’s a cumbersome process, it’s quite challenging!
DECEPTIVE SIDE OF A CONVERSATION These days people have a lot of insecurities, pass judgements and speak with one another with inhibitions. This needs to change. To understand a person, open communication is important, like olden days. Once people get into this practise, mutual understanding will increase, leading to better bonding and lesser problems.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL SERVICE Social work needs a lot of time, as it deals with people’s body, mind and soul. And also, people who are passionate about other people’s development only can pursue it and take it forward. For example: If you give a poor man a fish when he is hungry, its social service and when you teach him to catch a fish, its social work.
FUTURE PLANS When it comes to HL, I want to take this concept to schools, colleges,
corporate companies and every other place possible, where there are likeminded people and a healthy group to accept this concept. Personally, ten years down the lane, I aspire to be a part of the Ministry of Human Resource Development playing the role of a critical policy maker. I also wish to revise some education policies, because we possess a lot of potential. I also wish to bring concepts that give both rural and urban children equal training and opportunities, thus, paving way to a better India. ♦ SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 37
pEoplE
The TasTe of SuccESS Like father like son, goes a saying and he is a living example of it - AK Rahamuthullah, a 51 years old gentleman, with 30 years of experience in the catering industry! He inherited culinary skills from his father, KM Abdul Khader (who is unfortunately, no more). The former was fascinated watching his father’s unique style of cooking briyani to such an extent that he, with no second thoughts, decided to take forward the legacy. By Amritha Prem
Though many of his and his father’s patrons say that his briyani tastes similar to that of his father’s, Rahamuthullah adopted a different working style. He goes a step further to ask his patrons details such as crowd split (number of men, women and children), taste specification (spicy, medium or too spicy), if any, etc., to deliver the best output, so that everyone, irrespective of their age, can eat to their heart’s content. This gives him a great sense of satisfaction and joy. Rahamuthullah does not own a restaurant or kiosk that serves biryani and on asking why, he smiles and says, “My father didn’t want to own one and I decided to stick to his policy, where he says people should come to us for the output we give. We should not go around marketing to seek 38 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
Photo: Malar Stills, R Saravanan
R
ahamuthullah got nostalgic, when asked about how and when he started his culinary journey, “My father passed away on March 15th, 1992 and post that along with my brothers, I took his role and started cooking for all the wedding orders placed before his demise. Thus, started my journey, which eventually gave me the recognition I have today. The word-of-mouth marketing and distributing my visiting cards at wedding venues when asked for was all that was done for branding. Though I wasn’t scared of cooking all alone for the first time, I missed my father’s presence a lot”, he added
business.” His team, which possess 25 members at present, are trained by him. He instructs and guides them on the required ingredient list, their measurements, when it has to be added, the quantity and much more, just as his father did. The two aspects that make his briyani popular both in Tamil Nadu and abroad are cooking using firewood - which enhances the flavour - as against gas stoves and the taste! The ratio he uses, which is ‘1kg rice to 1.5 kg meat (chicken, mutton)’, gives a perfect end product! He also proudly says he hasn’t experienced
any disaster while cooking till date. Whether one kilogram or 100, the taste and quality of his briyani is the same! He has also created a record of cooking 8,000 kgs of briyani at once! Rahamuthullah gets raw materials for biryani from Broadway and purchases meat from stalls known to him. He also opines that despite sheep tasting more delicious, many prefer lamb due to its medicinal values. Also, once one steps out of Chennai, Lamb is more prominent than sheep, he explains. Everyone’s life would have memorable moments, and when asked to share his, Rahamuthullah says “When the new secretariat was opened at Mount Road, I was invited to cook for the occasion to serve for around 30,000 people, which made me feel proud. It seemed like a recognition from the government for my hard work”. Though wedding orders is his speciality, he and his team also cook for other festive occasions based on requirements. Delivering a good output on time and with good quality is his USP. However, there’s one thing that many follow, but Rahamuthullah strictly doesn’t, which is providing sample biryani to patrons before an order is placed. When asked why, he says “I do not like doing it and don’t encourage this practise, because a minimum of five kgs of biryani only will give you the actual taste and anything less than that may not.” Wedding orders with him are placed many months prior to the date, but orders for occasions are given just a day or two prior. He owns his own cooking appliances, and vessels and most of the cooking is done at his spacious verandah. He both cooks at the venue, and sometimes cooks at his place and delivers too, depending on requirement or feasibility. To conclude, on being asked about his future plans, he says, “I have three sons and all the three have already started assisting me and also getting recognised by my patrons. I want them to take this business forward and keep the legacy going”, and signs off. ♦
Child prodigy
Living with a Vision
A spark to ignite, a parent to believe, a teacher to guide and a child to dream make the perfect recipe for a better, brighter tomorrow. The story of Shubendu, a prodigal student of class eight, the recipient of the National Child Award for 'Exceptional Achievement', stands witness to the same. The sweet, humble and respectful boy gives an insight into the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ that led to his rendezvous with the Chief Minister of Odisha and the President of India. By Sophia Christie Prabakar
S
The thing to be noticed here is that the National Award is not the only prestigious award our child prodigy has received in the recent years. He had been a part of several other extra-curricular activities over the years and had received a number of accolades at both state and nationallevel competitions. He counted them while answering related questions and ended up somewhere around 60 to sum them up - quite the number, at which we can't help but daze in awe!
hubendu is a student of the Somapur Project Upper Primary School, Ganjam district, Odisha. He broke ground in the field of agriculture by inventing the 'Gift for Farmers', a 'seven in one' farming equipment that accomplishes various farming activities like boundary laying, grid forming, seeding, watering, pesticide spraying and ploughing, facilitated by a pulling gear that shifts the function of each equipment, simplifying the burden of strenuous labour that falls on every farmer. Inspired by President Modi's initiative to aid farmers in simplifying the process of manual labour, Shubendu set out to invent and model the 'Gift for Farmers' as a part of his science project with the guidance of his science teacher and the never ending support of his parents. He successfully created his small scale module by putting in meticulous efforts along with his family every single day. He would relentlessly work late hours at night between 9pm to 1am and wake up at 5am to keep up with his regular school routine, until he accomplishes his task for the day. The brilliance of the end product took it to the zonal-level science exhibition held in Kolkata, which paved way for applying for state and national level awards. He thanks his headmistress profusely for helping him with the application process and enrolling for the National Child Award. Soon came the remarkable day in his life when he got to know about his invention's qualification for the award. When asked about it, he said that it was overwhelming to find out that his invention was awarded the
He broke ground in the field of agriculture by inventing the 'Gift for Farmers', a 'seven in one' farming equipment that accomplishes various farming activities like boundary laying, grid forming, seeding, watering, pesticide spraying and ploughing, facilitated by a pulling gear
bronze medal in the National Child Award For 'Exceptional Achievement' and that it was a proud moment for him to represent his state and the farmers of his state. Followed by that, the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik congratulated him for designing an award-winning, multi-functional farming device and gifted him a laptop. “I am impressed by his humble attitude and hope this young innovator would achieve many success in future,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said.
On asking about his upcoming projects, Shubendu said “I want to serve farmers, which will not be done until my invention reaches manufacturing units functioning in full swing, allowing every farmer an opportunity to work in ease. Until then, I do not intend to switch fields or rest!” It is very evident that Shubendu has a vision for an international recognition for his invention and is working industriously towards it. With his target set, mind focused and heart ready, Shubendu is all set to taste more success! ♦ SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 39
World SuiCidE prEvEntion day
Take a minuTe, changE a life! The Blue Whale, a mammal with the longest lifespan, would be shocked if it knows that people on land are driven to committing suicide because of an online game bearing its name! On account of World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), Dr Ramya Sampath Consultant Psychiatrist, provides an insight into the complexities of human behaviour in relation to suicide and what can be done to tackle this emerging social issue
SUICIDE – ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONCERNS!
end their lives for seemingly trivial reasons?
Suicide, an act of ending one’s own life, is a tragic reaction to stressful life situations, primarily because it is preventable! And by understanding this, you may save a life — either of your own or someone else's. When did you last hear about an unnatural demise of someone close? Have you ever felt sad that people decide to
Every year, more than 800,000 people commit suicide and for every such case, there are 25 attempts made to avert the same! To put it in simple words, every 40 seconds, we lose a person to suicide, which doesn’t end the chances of life getting worse; it sadly just eliminates the possibility
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of it getting any better.
WHAT LEADS TO A SUICIDE? Most often, suicidal thoughts are the result of perceived mismatch between coping abilities and the seemingly helpless challenges of life. You may experience a sort of tunnel vision, where in the middle of a crisis you believe suicide is the only way out. ►
► SUICIDE RISK FACTORS The risk of suicide is high in the presence of certain bio-psycho-social factors. BIOLOGICAL FACTORS
PSYCHO SOCIAL FACTORS
• Depression • Bipolar disorder • Borderline personality disorder • Anxiety disorders • Substance abuse disorders • Serious illness or chronic pain
• Stressful life events including death, separation or job loss • Prolonged stressors like relationship problems • Exposure to sensationalized accounts of glorified suicide (like the online game, Blue Whale Challenge)
THE BLUE WHALE PARADOx Though suicide is normally an act of dejection, the Blue Whale challenge is glorifying the same by daring vulnerable individuals to commit self-harm. Basically, our children are brought up based on the act-reward principle, which has been sensitively exploited by the curator of The Blue Whale Challenge. Our children should be taught that any act of self-harm is unhealthy and they should not fall prey to such false glorification!
TAKING A MINUTE CAN CHANGE A LIFE SUICIDE WARNING SIGNS There is always a time lag of weeks to months before a passive death wish becomes a suicidal idea, ultimately ending up in a planned suicidal act. This time gap offers enough space to save a life. When you observe a negative change in your friend or relative’s talk or behaviour detailed below, it could be a warning sign CONVERSATION • Being a burden to others • Feeling trapped or hopeless • Experiencing unbearable pain • Having no reason to live • Killing themselves
BEHAVIOUR • Increased use of alcohol or drugs • Withdrawing from activities • Isolating from family and friends • Sleep disturbances • Visiting or calling people to say goodbye • Giving away prized possessions
PREVENTING SUICIDE There's no substitute to professional help when it comes to treating suicidal thoughts. A psychiatrist is best positioned to conduct psychotherapies and prescribe medication for treating the underlying mental health issue. Psychotherapies impart emotional self-regulation skills. In addition to professional help, following these simple rules help
MOOD
• Depression • Irritability and guilt • Anxiety
reduce suicide risk: • Avoid drugs and alcohol: Alcohol can worsen suicidal thoughts and make you feel less inhibited, which means you're more likely to act on your thoughts. • Form a strong support network: Being socially connected with family and friends can ward off these thoughts. • Get active: Physical activity and exercise help reduce depression symptoms/suicidal ideas.
A survey of people who survived suicide attempts indicate that they yearned for a listening ear with non-judgemental attitude. Taking a minute to reach out to someone in need can change their course of life. Suicidal individuals only look for compassion and empathy from others, and not advice per se. Offer a shoulder to lean upon and you can see the change. There is a myth that talking about suicide to someone can put the idea into their head or trigger the act. This is wrong! In fact, evidence has proven that exploring a person’s suicidal thoughts helps him or her to step out of that notion. Each of us have an indispensable role to play in our fellow beings life and the minimum we can do is help them snap out of unacceptable thoughts as a suicide! Recollecting Winston Churchill’s words ‘Success is not final, Failure is not fatal; It’s the courage to continue that counts’. After all, you have all the power to say, “This is not how my story will end”. ♦
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FEStivity
Onam is the biggest and the most important festival of Kerala. It is a harvest festival, and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm by Malayalees all over the world, as much as the natives in the state. WE Magazine Columnist, Geetha Gangadharan elaborates on details about this beautiful festival
A
ccording to a popular legend, the festival is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali, whose spirit is said to visit Kerala. This period is celebrated as Onam, with zest. This festival is celebrated in the beginning of Chingam, the first month of the Malayalam calendar. This corresponds to the month of August-September according to Gregorian calendar.
The festival is celebrated across a period of ten days. First day, Atham and the tenth day, Thiruonam are the most important of all. These days are decided based on star positions. It is believed that Onam celebrations started during the Sangam period.
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Popularity and presentation of the rich culture of Kerala have made Onam the state’s festival. Elaborate feasts, folk songs, elegant dances, energetic games, elephants, boats, flowers are all a part of this vibrant festival. Legend goes that during the reign of the mighty asura king Mahabali, Kerala witnessed its golden era. Everybody in the state was happy and prosperous, and the king was highly regarded by his subjects. Apart from all his virtues, Mahabali had one shortcoming he was egoistic! This weakness in Mahabali’s character was utilized by Gods to bring an end to his reign as they felt challenged by Mahabali’s growing popularity. However, for all
the good deeds done by Mahabali, God granted him a boon that he could annually visit his people with whom he was attached. It is this visit of Mahabali that is celebrated as Onam every year. Keralities take efforts and make elaborate preperations to celebrate the festival in a grand way and impress their dear king, to show they are happy and to wish him well. King Mahabali is affectionately called ‘Onathappan’. Onam celebrations are marked in Trikkakara, a place 10 kilometers from Kochi on the Edapally-Pookattupadi road. Trikkakara is said to be the capital of the mighty king, Mahabali. A temple with a deity of Trikkakara Appan or ►
► Vamanamurthy, who is Lord Vishnu himself on disguise, is also located at this place. Celebrations of the first day of Onam are marked by intricate floral carpets called ‘Pookalam’. More flowers of different colours are added to the ‘pookalam’ on each passing day. Special prayers are offered on Atham day. The biggest and the most happening day in the carnival of Onam is Thiruvonam. Festivities begin as early as 4 am. People clean up their house, take early bath, wear new clothes and perform elaborate prayers to seek divine blessings. A massive and more exquisite ‘pookalam’ is prepared on
this day to welcome the spirit of king Mahabali. High point of the day is the enormous lunch called 'Onasadhya'. People of Kerala are extremely passionate about preparing this extensive feast, which includes a minimum of 11 to 13 prescribed dishes. This has to lead to the saying in Malayalam - ‘Kanam vittu onam unnanum’ - which means - ‘we should have thiruvonum lunch even if we have to sell all our properties’. There are a lot of activities that takes place all over the state as a part of Onam celebrations. ‘Pulikali’ performers paint themselves in the guise of a tiger and enact hunting scene
‘We should have thiruvonum lunch even if we have to sell all our properties’ to entertain people. ‘Kummattikali’ artists don an attire of plaited grass and big wooden mask. They move from one house to the other, collecting small gifts and amusing children. At Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala, elephants move in a procession and present a regal sight. While at Cheruthuruthy, Kathakali artists cast a spell on the audience with their magical performance. Women perform their graceful, traditional ►
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► clap dance called, ‘kaikotikalli’ on the day. ‘Vallamkali’ - the popular boat race - is also organized in several parts of the state. All the sports events are collectively called, ‘Onakalikal’. Some of them are rigorous sports like Talappanthukali, Kutukutu, Kayyankali and Attakalam, which take place at many places. Archery is also a part of ‘Onakalikal’. To complete the ritual of Atham, people take bath and offer prayers in the local temple. There is a set breakfast for Atham consisting of steamed banana and papadam. This breakfast remain the same till the tenth day. A swing, decked with flowers, is also strung from a high branch and youngsters take great delight in swinging and singing. A grand procession called ‘Athachamyam’ is also carried on Atham to mark the beginning of the great carnival.
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Atham is followed by Chithra, Chodi, Visakam and Anisham – when the boat race on the banks of the river Pamba at Aranmula happens. After Anisham are Thriketa, Moolam and Pooradam – the eighth day, when devotees create clay idols in the shape of small pyramids called a Ma. As the idol is created on the day of Pooradam, it is called ‘Poorada Uttigail’. Each Ma is decorated with flowers. On Utradam, tenants and dependents of Nayar Taravad [traditional large joint families sharing common kitchen] bring produce of their farms to the kaarnavar [eldest member of the taravad]. These gifts from the tenants to the karanavar are called ‘Onakazhcha’. The two days following ‘Thiruvonam’ are also celebrated as third and fourth Onam. The third Onam called Avittam marks the preparation for king Mahabali’s return [ascension to heaven]. The main ritual of the day is to take the ‘Onathappan’ statue, which is usually placed in the middle of every pookalam during the 10 days and immerse it in nearby river or sea. The celebration of Onam festival, to remember the benevolent Mahabali, is significant not because Mahabali’s rule ended, but it emphasizes the Hindu belief that in the cyclical nature of events, no individual, no ruler and nothing lasts forever, except the virtues and self undertaking that overcomes all sorrows. ♦
optimiSm
iT is JusT TheRe
on MY LaP The essence of any festival is cleansing of the mind – holiest aspect of a human body! This inner world of love, happiness and sanctity should always remain. It has the potential to be the most powerful place on earth if we give up the concept of 'I, me and myself'. Our existence then becomes a piece of fine art. Joyous occasions such as festivals not only is fun, but also helps to bring people together to give hope and iron out differences of the past, if any. Here, all gettogether brushing aside their ego, just to celebrate and spread positivity. Here’s a poem that emphasises on these ideas. By Sumitra Kumar
Trying to be the ideal me, As exotic as 'I' can be! I know not what is I, For it is nothing but a lie! I know not what is me, Something I cannot see. I know not what is myself Do you get that on a store shelf? But I know what is mind, As much that it does not bind. I know what is body, Five senses does it embody? I know what is ego Yes, that one must always let go! Thereby seeing myself in everyone else, And everyone else in myself, what else? That makes me free of hurt,
Disappointments seem to skirt. A new me, resplendent in the now! There is neither overwhelming love Nor there is overwhelming hate. Waiting at the threshold of heaven's gate, Arousing a feeling of neutrality and peace Limiting thoughts of the past and future, cease. Expansive freedom emanates from peace, Sharing and caring expressed like gentle breeze. Gracefully optimising earthly performances, Tuning in to the right attitude and its nuances. There is no quest for success, Or that ever eluding happiness. Without asking or hesitation, It is just there on my lap For secrets are laid bare.
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FEStivity
THE TRIUMPH OVER EVIL
DURGA PUJA
When there is oppression, the mighty Goddess Durga is an inspiration to all to fight for what is right. She is an embodiment of power, valour and justice. The thrust to arts, crafts, culture and traditional heritage is given through festivals like Durga Puja, the decorations for which reflect the changes and advancements in these fields over the years. Sumitra Kumar explains the significance of the festival in the city of joy 46 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
I
n ancient times, the spiritual and social life of people revolved around temples. All Hindu festivals mark the victory of good over evil. Durga, the Mother of the universe is grandly worshipped in Bengal and many parts of eastern India during Navaratri. Durga Puja pandals are also seen in rest of India and the world where we have Bengali communities. ‘Sarbojanin Puja’ or community worship is the long followed norm of this festival through public subscriptions, making no distinctions between the rich and poor, who voluntarily contribute and coordinate to make the festivities a grand success. Since She is the Mother of the universe, She is seen as the personification of tender love, wealth, power, beauty, justice and all virtues. The worship of Goddess Durga is evident from prehistoric age, as her idols were found in the excavations of Harappa and Mohenjodaro!
The magnificent Durga has ten hands. With one hand, she thrusts a spear into Mahishasura, a buffalo demon, while with the others, she holds various other weapons. She places her feet on the back of her carrier, a lion and on the shoulder of the demon. Durga Puja is a bunch of festivals celebrated as Mahalaya, Maha Shashti, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami (Durga Ashtami), Maha Navami and Vijaya Dashami (10th day Victory). It generally takes place in the lunar month of Ashwin (September/October), when the Goddess Durga and her attendant deities are worshipped with offerings of flowers, betel leaves, rice, banana, sweet meats, coconuts and other fruits. After destroying evil forces, the triumphant Goddess, on the last day of the festivities, is taken on a victory march through the streets of cities, where the celebrations happen for the customary immersion of the idols in the sea. Bengali ladies give an emotioncharged send-off to the Mother amidst ululations and drumbeats. This marks the end of the Goddess’ brief visit to the earth. As Durga leaves for Mount Kailash, the abode of her husband Shiva, it’s time for ‘Bijoya’ or ‘Vijayadashami’, when people visit each other’s homes, hug each other and exchange sweets. Goddess Durga, being a manifestation of Goddess Parvati, and her other
manifestations in the form of Goddess Lakshmi and Saraswati together are called the Tridevis. Also, the family of Parvati - Lord Shiva her husband and her children, Lord Ganesha and Lord Karthikeya, are also part of reverent worship and festivities. Their earthen idols are craftily worked on months in advance and people cannot wait to worship the ultimate splendour of the Gods and Goddesses with singing, dancing, devotion and merriment. Traders make brisk business during this annual event. One important aspect of festivals is that it calls for cleaning of households, arranging things, disposing the old, family bonding, promoting a spiritual team spirit and also creating friendly neighbourhoods. Durga Puja, being a community event, has a great significance in bridging gaps between the rich and poor, friends and foes and between family members, who lost communication in their run for survival. All sections of people in the neighbourhood partake in different activities of worship and enjoy
the ceremonial meal. People cannot independently afford such grand festivities year after year and event; it not increases bonding, but also is a pragmatic approach. Today, this form of celebration has become preferable. In fact, many are taking steps to make it mandatory to make idols using Eco-friendly materials like during olden days. The customary immersion of the idols requires conforming to these standards in order to not aggravate an already contaminated ocean. Besides this, a high decibel orchestra at the puja, and extravagant spending on lights and pandals must also come into check, even though, attractive pandals attract people from all over the world. The city of joy, in fact, never sleeps during Durga Puja. Kolkatta is known for street food, which is available round the clock during the celebrations. Experiencing this beautiful period of festivity is a must at least once in a lifetime, for the festive fervour is as infectious as Christmas in London! ♦
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rECipES
Happiness is
Homemade No meal is complete without a dessert, especially during festivals! Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji, Culinary Expert, Food Blogger, Author and, Hospitality and Food Consultant, pens down her unique recipes that one can try at home and relish this festive season
NOLEN GURER PAYESH (Rice Pudding with Date Palm Jaggery) A traditional Bengali rice pudding, prepared especially during Durga Pooja, with the richness and flavor of the delectable nolen gur.
Preparation Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 30 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients and Quantity • Milk, full cream – 750 ml. • Heavy cream - 1/2 cup • Rice (gobindo bhog/ dubraj) - 1/2 cup • Date palm jaggery shavings - 03 tbsp/or as required
• Bay leaves - 02 nos. • Cardamom powder -1/4 tsp. • Raisins, golden - 05 gm. • Almonds (Blanched, peeled and finely slivered) - 05 gm. • Pistachio nuts - 05 gm. For Garnishing • Raisins, golden - 05 gm. • Almonds (Blanched, peeled and finely slivered) - 05 gm.
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• Pistachio nuts - 05 gm. Method • Pick, wash and soak rice (gobindo bhog/dubraj) for 30 minutes. Drain water and let it dry completely for some time. • Add milk and cream in a large heavy bottomed pan; add bay leaves and cardamom
powder. Simmer till thick (reduced); add the drained rice. Add sugar. Stir continuously. Cook it on low flame till the rice becomes soft (till the rice is cooked up to 60 – 70 %). • Take off from the heat and add date palm jaggery, mix it well with the milk. Now on a very low heat, keep stirring till the jaggery melts completely and is incorporated well. • Add raisins, almonds slivers and pistachio nuts. • You may serve it chilled or warm as desired, garnished with raisins, almonds and pistachio nuts. • You may set it in earthenware pots, if served chilled.
Tips • Stir continuously, otherwise rice and milk will be separate. • You may sear the rice in a little pure ghee after draining and drying it. • Rice should not be overcooked (rice should be cooked up to 80%). • If jaggery is added on a high flame, milk will get curdled. • Jaggery (grated) may just be mixed in the payesh without putting it on flame, in order to prevent it from curdling. (Has to be mixed so that it melts and incorporates properly in the payesh)
PARIPU PAYASAM (Moong Dal Payasam)
A specialty of Kerala - creamy dessert prepared with yellow moong dal, jaggery and coconut milk, flavored with green cardamom powder and garnished with lightly fried coconut slices, raisins and cashew nuts.
Preparation Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 35 minutes Servings: 4
For Flavouring • Green Cardamom powder1/4th tsp.
Ingredients and Quantity • Split green gram skinless - 3/4 cup • Coconut oil - 01 tbsp. • Cashewnuts – 10 gms. • Raisins - 10 gms. • Coconut slices: 14 nos. • Jaggery, roughly chopped - 1 1/4 cups as desired • Coconut milk – 1/2 cup • Coconut cream - 30 ml.
For Garnishing • Coconut slices - 08 nos. • Cashew nuts - 10 gms. • Raisins - 10 gms. Method • In a heavy bottomed pan, dry roast split green gram till light brown. Keep aside. • Heat coconut oil in a nonstick pan, add cashewnuts, raisins, coconut slices and
sauté till light brown. Place on an absorbent paper to remove excess oil. • Add roasted gram and sauté for 5 minutes. Add five cups of water and mix well. Pressure cook till done well and almost mashed, i.e. 5 whistles. Open lid of the pressure cooker. • Add jaggery and mix well. Cook till the jaggery melts completely. Sprinkle green cardamom powder and
mix. On medium heat, add coconut milk and coconut cream, mix well. Cook gently for a minute. Switch off the flame. • Serve hot/warm garnished with coconut slices, raisins and cashew nuts.
Tips • Do not add coconut milk and coconut cream on a very high flame/boil as it will curdle.
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almond into half and place in a pan along with the water it was soaked in. Add sugar and honey. • Cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, till the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes pulpy and blended. Keep the bigger apricots aside and puree the rest 3/4th apricots. Cook the puree mixture till it thickens and starts to bubble; now add the reserved stewed apricot halves. • Add lemon juice and stir well. • Transfer into a serving dish and let them chill. • Serve cold accompanied with ice cream. • Top with freshly whipped cream. • Garnish with slivered almonds, pistachio nuts slivers, apricot kernels and dried rose petals.
KHUBANI KA MEETHA (Apricot Pudding)
An Indian dessert made from dried apricots stewed in honey accompanied with ice cream and topped with fresh cream
Preparation Time: 10 mins Soaking time for apricots: 05 hours Cooking Time: 15 minutes Serves: 4
only honey 100 ml – I personally recommend honey over sugar) • Water - 03 cups • Lemon Juice - 02 ml.
For Accompaniments • Vanilla ice cream - 04 medium sized scoops • Fresh cream (whipped) 1/4 cup
Ingredients and Quantity • Dried apricots (Khubani or Jardaloo) - 500 gm. • Sugar - 1/4 cup • Honey - 30 ml. (P.S: If you want to avoid using sugar, then add
For Garnishing • Almonds, blanched, peeled and slivered - 10 gms. • Pistachio nuts, blanched, peeled and slivered -10 gms. • Apricot kernels: 10 gms. • Rose petals (dried): 01 tsp
Method • Wash apricots and soak in 03 cups of water for 05 hours. • De-seed apricots, chop 3/4th of the apricots; cut the remaining 1/4th
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Tips • It may also be served warm, if desired. If so, skip steps 5 and 6. • To enhance the flavour, apricots may be stewed in honey alone, i.e. without sugar. For this use 100ml. honey. (I personally suggest using only honey). • To further enhance the flavour and colour, you may add ½ gm. of saffron strands steeped in a little hot milk or hot water. • Do not discard the apricot kernels. Remove the kernels and blanch them. Remove its skin and set aside the kernels for garnishing. • After topping with freshly whipped cream it may be topped with a little honey.
ALOO AURGULABKA HALWA A twist to the regular halwas, prepared with potatoes, gulkand, gulab (edible rose petals) and khoya, flavoured with green cardamom powder, drizzled with rose water garnished with dried edible rose petals and slivered nuts.
Preparation Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 25 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients and Quantity • Potato parboiled and peeled - 01 Large • Clarified butter - 1 ½ tbsp. • Sugar - 1/2 cup • Mawa (khoya) - 150 gms. • Full cream milk - 3/4 cup • Gulkand - 1/2 tbsp. • Rose petals, edible, dried,
finely chopped - 1 ½ tbsp. • Rose water - 10 ml. • Green cardamom powder - ¼ tsp. • Almonds blanched, peeled and slivered - 10 gms. • Pistachio nuts blanched, peeled and slivered- 05 gms. For Garnishing • Almonds blanched, peeled and slivered- 05 gms
• Pistachio nuts blanched, peeled and slivered 05gms. • Rose petals, edible, dried 1/2 tbsp. Method • Grate the parboiled potatoes. Keep aside. • Heat clarified butter in a heavy bottomed non-stick pan, add the potatoes, sauté for 5 minutes,
stirring continuously. • Add sugar and sauté for 3 minutes. Add grated mawa (khoya) and sauté till it mixes thoroughly for 2 minutes. • Add milk and cook till the milk is absorbed. Add Gulkand and chopped dried rose petals. Sprinkle rose water. Add almonds, pistachio nuts, green cardamom powder and mix well. • Garnish with dried rose petals, slivered almonds, pistachio nuts, green cardamom powder and serve hot or warm as desired.
Tips • Do not overcook the halwa as it will turn brownish in colour. • Parboiling helps in preventing enzymatic browning that occurs in raw peeled potatoes. • You may apply ‘silver leaf’ to the halwa, if desired. ♦
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ExpErt’s AdvicE
WAITING IN ANTICIPATIoN
DIVYA SATHYARAJ
Nutritionist CFN, PGDPC, M.PHIL in Nutrition Suman Clinic, Behanced Clinic, Chennai
A couple of months ago, this letter had become the talk-of-the-town, and its content was startling! Renowned Nutritionist Divya Sathyaraj and WE Magazine’s columnist explains why she chose to write to the PMO and throws light on what one needs to keep in mind while buying medicines
Your letter has created a stir across the country and it was a bold move too! What triggered you to write one? Me writing that letter was the result of a few disturbing incidents that happened around – one of which was my own experience, while the others happened to people I know well.
Could you elaborate on the incidents? I usually meet medical reps or medicine manufacturers only after consulting hours. Similarly, one evening there were two people from the US and one from India 52 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
who came over, asking me to prescribe their multivitamins, fat burners and muscle gainers to my patients. I asked them for approval, which they said they would be getting soon, with all required papers. I started going through content details and was shocked to see that their products had large doses of Vitamin A, collagen and COQ10 to name a few, which over a period of time could lead to major health problems! An over dose of vitamin A could lead to kidney problems and liver malfunction! To this, they told me to prescribe these to my patients and wean
them off it later! When I denied betraying my patients, they first offered me a higher percentage of bribe, then started talking about their connect with politicians, their power and all. After a point, I requested them to leave, because I cannot do things against ethics!
Vitamins A, E, D and K are fat soluble and should not be taken regularly, whereas Vitamins B and C are water soluble, which, if taken more than required, will be flushed out of the body
What are the other incidents that disturbed you? My friend’s son had developed rashes and she took him to a well known dermatologist, whose clinic was far away from her place. He gave her medicines from his clinic itself, which she used and once it got over, she chose to buy them again, but from a pharmacy this time, to save the trouble of going all the way to the clinic. She anyway had the prescription. But she was shocked when the pharmacist told that the medicine the doctor had given and prescribed was banned a year ago! The second incident is where my friend got her acne cured in less than 48 hours. She got some random, nameless medicine from some house in a street here in Chennai. I have no idea what it contained, because usually the skin takes longer to heal! These things run a chill down my spine! The medical industry seems to be going for a toss, which is a huge threat!
But you could have approached the Tamil Nadu Health Minister, why the PMO? Usually, medicine, fashion, restaurants, etc., reach Chennai in the end only. And according to
what the reps told me, they had already circulated their medicines in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. Which means, people are soon going to be or are being victims! I wanted to do something to stop it or at least warn people! That’s why I chose to knock at the PMO’s door! I got an ID online and shot an Email to it. I’m sure there are umpteen numbers of Emails that pour in to that ID every day. I haven’t got an acknowledgement or reply yet. But I’m positive; I’ll wait.
What is the correct dose one can intake of vitamins? See, this is subjective. However, what one needs to know is, vitamins A, E, D and K are fat soluble and should not be taken regularly. Usually, good doctors, prescribe them with intervals in between. Vitamins B and C are water soluble, which, if taken more than required, will be flushed out of the body. So based on these and the need, doctors prescribe them to their patients. But it gets dangerous, when a doctor recommends a product or medicine, despite knowing its side effects! Such doctors work hand-in-glove with medical mafias!
What do you think is the solution to this? Sadly, this is a cycle! The amount a medical student spends on getting admission in a medical college is humungous! This could be either a huge loan that they take or what their parents spend for them. Thus, many medical students live in this guilt and plan to repay their loan or compensate for what their parents have spent. This, in turn, makes them choose the unethical path to earn fast money! Commercialization of education, the medical industry, sales of medicines, etc., should be stopped. Hopefully, steps as these could bring a respite.
Are there any points people should keep in mind while they buy medicines? Check for the expiry date and details for sure! Do not buy medical products randomly from online sites or after watching TV channels. Consult an expert for sure. Get a prescription. Go to pharmacies that are genuine or pharmacists you know. Do not Google details and get into self-medication blindly. Last, but not the least, please take a second opinion, because prevention is better than cure! ♦ SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 53
dEcor
Make your Home
Monsoon-ready Monsoons are all about curling up on the sofa and reading a book, while enjoying the pitterpatter of rain in the background. Add to it hot samosas and cups of hot tea, now that’s indeed a slice of heaven on earth! It is also the right season to make your home a cozy place and give it some brightening up says Valsala Menon and explains how
ARoMATHeRAPY
BRIng In THe ouTDooRS
Monsoon can make your home smell faintly of mildew. Beat it by investing in a few good aromatherapy options. Stock up on scented candles and incense sticks, having mild fragrance that can keep at bay the musty smells associated with this season. Randomly hang bright lanterns all over the home to give it a fairy tale aura.
Place houseplants in most corners of the house to usher in a slice of nature and give your home an environmentally positive ambience.
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CARPeTIng Store away your expensive carpets, and rugs in plastic wrappers and occasionally vacuum them to prevent
clothes and saris in metal closets.
eLeCTRICAL ConneCTIonS Call in the electrician to do a thorough check-up of electrical connections. This is doubly important if you have kids. Faulty wiring and damaged connections should be replaced. Electrical switches and plug points exposed to rain should be covered to prevent rain water from seeping in. Be extra cautious about multi pin sockets and extension cables during the monsoon season, as these can lead to short circuits.
LeATHeR FuRnITuRe Clean your leather sofas regularly to prevent them from turning lumpy due to mould.
mildew and dampness. During monsoon, go in for bamboo mats and eco-friendly or moisture-resistant carpets.
CoLouRFuL CHInAwARe Brighten up your meal times by setting your table with bright coloured chinaware. Opt for ones that have floral art or distinctively bright yet ethnic designs.
DAMP-PRooF YouR wARDRoBeS The dampness from rain water can damage your clothes kept inside wardrobes. Keep camphor balls and neem leaves between the folds of your clothes to keep them safe from silverfish and mould. A few cloves sprinkled between clothes can protect them from insects. Place your expensive
Take an inventory of your bed linen. If you need to buy fresh bed linen, go in for soft fabrics and bright colours. For instance, a bright pink bed linen set can be teamed up with canary yellow spread or bed linen.
THe ouTDooRS See to it that your home is not surrounded by stagnant water. These can be breeding ground for mosquitoes and you are placing the health of your family at risk! SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 55
Go through your apartment’s roof and walls for any kind of leakage and seepage; plug the holes as and when they are spotted with generous doses of wall putty. Call in the plumber to check drains for clogging, blockage of any kind or leakage. Change rusted drain pipes, if any. Check out the balcony drain pipes as well.
VenTILATIon Ensure adequate free movement of air inside the house during monsoon; this will help to keep out dampness when fresh air is circulating throughout.
wInDow TReATMenT Replace your thick, dark curtains with sheer ones that stream in light. Invest in colourful cushions so that you have a bright, fresh and cheery home to beat monsoon blues. During monsoon, keep your homes spanking clean always. Mop regularly using antibacterial floor cleaners and keep fresh smelling flowers in vases. ♌ 56 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
WE MAKE IT
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vAAstu
PREGNANCY AND VAASTU
AnDAL CHoCkALIngAM Vaastu Consultant
Pregnancy is an amazing phase in a woman’s life – a phase many women await for eagerly! A house built based on proper vaastu advice or which is compliant with vaastu, not only yields good and positive results, but also helps a woman to give birth to a healthy offspring. A lot of people believe and follow vaastu closely, as it showers a lot of goodness and positivity into people’s lives. Here are some useful vaastu tips for you to ensure healthy pregnancy -
♥ Spend time in south direction of your room when you feel weak or tired.
♥ A married couple should engage in intercourse at the south–west master bedroom.
Following these tips based on vaastu can
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♥ Painting your bedroom blue in colour will give it cooling qualities. ♥ Along these lines, having a light that emits light blue colour or subtle tones like lilac or violet are extraordinary choices. ♥ Divider tints in the room should be flawless as well.
help increase prosperity among couples and in their family lives. ♦
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tEmplE
sri siddhi vinayak Temple aT mumbai InVoCATIVe SLokA Sri Ganesha aarti song in Marathi "Jaya Deva Jaya Deva jai mangala murthy; Darshana mhatre mama kamana poorthi"
TRAnSLATIon "Victory to you the auspicious Murthy of Sri Siddhi Vinayaka; Just a darshan of you is enough to fulfill all desires of my heart"
rajee Mani
Journalist & Columnist in Tamil & English
T
his is one of the most popular aarti songs [a hymn sung during the camphor lighting and deepa aarti puja] in the Ganesha temples of the Maratha belt.
Amongst the innumerable temples dedicated to Lord Ganesha in India, Sri Siddhi Vinayak temple in Mumbai ranks as not only the richest, but also as one which magnetizes the rich, the famous, the poor and the downtrodden alike. A visit to this temple in Mumbai is said to fulfill every wish of a true devotee.
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nAMe oF THe TeMPLe Sri Siddhi Vinayak Temple
LoCATIon It is situated in one of Mumbai’s central localities by name Prabhadevi, about a few kilometers from Dadar station, reachable in about 20 minutes by road.
THe HISToRY It was the period when the British were ruling India and the Mughals were invading North India that Maharashtra strongly shaped into a Hindu state under the Maratha kings, particularly Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj [later half of the 17th century]. Worshiping Lord Ganesha became a defense mechanism to get united to fight the allies, so much so that Vinayaga became one of the most popular deities worshipped by many. This temple at Prabhadevi was built by Laxman Vithu Patil [a contractor] in a small 3.6 meter square area in 1801. The temple complex was developed later. A Hanuman Sannidhi was developed in 1952 on the outer prakaram. The sanctum sanctorum has a dome shaped brick structure on top. Though it is very different from the traditional temples in India, the temple’s popularity brings in not only about 5000 devotees on ordinary days, but also 100 to 150 million as donation from all over the world, thus making it one of the richest in the country.
THe DeITIeS The main sanctum sanctorum is that of Lord Ganesh. The not-too-big idol’s trunk is turned to the right instead of the usual left [called Valampuri Vinayaga] and is flanked by His wives Riddhi and Siddhi [though in the south He is depicted as a Brahmachari, i.e. not married]. Mostly shimmering in orange, He is decorated by priests, who show their expertise in the same. The ornaments and the flower alankarams mesmerize the devotee. The glittering Ganesha sits on a beautifully decorated, artistic silver mandap [stand]. The roof of the sanctum sanctorum is highlighted with gold lining and one can imagine the effulgence of the entire scenario in this small yet powerful kshethra of Ganesha. Added to these is the background score
of loud drum beats, the divine sound of high pitched conch synchronized with the chants of aarti song by the priest and followed by the bhaktas. The atmosphere is soaked with indescribable trance and bhakti for the Adimoola moorthi, Siddhivinayak in Mumbai the capital of Maharashtra. The idol of Sri Hanuman in the outer circumambulatory path is said to have been found, when the road outside was being dug for repair works.
THe FeSTIVALS It is surprising to note that all festivals related to Hinduism are celebrated with pomp and splendour here - be it related to Vishnu or Shiva. But the most breathtaking celebrations are that of Ganesh Chaturthi! Every year the city witnesses grandeur taken to another level altogether! Humongous and innovative idols of Lord Ganesha are made, worshipped, taken out on a procession and immersed after 10 days. People stand in serpentine queues to pray to their favourite God, shouting “Ganapati Bappa, Morya!” The famous aarti song goes as below: “Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh Deva Mata Jaaki Parvati Pita Mahadeva
Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh Deva Mata Jaaki Parvati Pita Mahadeva Ek Dant Dayavant, Chaar Bhuja Dhaari Maathe Pe Andhan Ko Aankh Det, Kodhin Ko Kaaya Baanjhan Ko Putra Det, Nirdhan Ko Maaya, Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh Deva” “Glory to Thee Oh Ganesha Deva, Thou art the son of Mata Parvati and Lord Shiva. As one fulfills all the righteous wishes of the true devotee, you make the blind see, make the deaf hear, bestow a baby to the childless and enlighten the ignorant! Jai ho to Thee, Sri Siddhivinayak” ♦
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rElAtionship
CognITIon
knowing genders
in & ouT Gender differences are a result of complex interplay of biological, developmental and cultural factors. Mohitheen Batcha, Psychological Counsellor and Director of Emotional Wellness Services (P) Ltd, explains how and why the differences crop up between the two genders
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Cognitive abilities include attributes like perception, attention, memory, motor, language, visual, and spatial processing and executive functions. Generally, females show advantages in visual fluency, perceptual speed, accuracy and fine motor skills, while males outperform females in spatial, working memory and mathematical abilities.
eMoTIonS The wiring in men and women’s brains are different, thus, making them different. There are hormonal differences too in these genders, making emotional needs different. Scientists generally study four primary levels of differences in male and female brains, namely - Processing, Chemistry, Structure and Activity. Women: They have a larger hippocampus and a deeper limbic system than men, which allows them to feel the full range and depth of emotional spectrum than their counterparts. Women are prone to talk about what they think, and feel and also exhibit or express their feelings with their tears, facial expressions, hand gestures and body language. They feel more comfortable expressing their emotions. ►
► Men: Men, on the contrary, tend to process their emotions inwardly. Many times, they don’t exactly know how they feel. So, they try to figure it inside their head. Some men are afraid of their emotions and keep them buried inside in order to protect themselves from looking weak. This, unfortunately, could lead to a heart attack. Male brains synthesise serotonin far more quickly than female brains, which may explain why women are far more prone to depression and any posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), after a traumatizing event.
Both males and females release a hormone called oxytocin during stressful events, but female estrogen combines with oxytocin producing a calming effect, while the male testosterone only makes men more aggressive
BRAIn SIze The male brain is typically about 10% larger than the female brain. Although the extra size gives a male more processing power, it doesn’t make them more intelligent. Rather, science believes that the increased brain mass is to accommodate the bigger body mass and muscle groups of men.
BRAIn HeMISPHeRe Many men are sharply left brain dominant, while women tend to be more evenly balanced between left and right brain processing. Women are therefore thought to be slightly more intuitive and sometimes better communicators. Men are often less socially adept and are more taskoriented thinkers than women.
woMen FeeL MoRe PAIn Upon experiencing pain, men’s right amygdale is activated, while for women, it is the left amygdale. Since the left amygdale is more closely associated with internal function, this
is stated to be the reason for women being more sensitive to pain than men.
ReLATIonSHIP
The brain areas that control aggression and anger are larger in women than in men, which may account for some degree in larger rate of violence in the latter.
Women are purported to have better communication skills and emotional intelligence than men. They tend to be group oriented and are apt in seeking solutions by talking through issues. Men, on the contrary, have trouble in understanding emotional cues unless they are clearly verbalized, making communication between sexes tricky.
SPATIAL ABILITIeS
STReSS
The parietal region is thicker in female brain, making it harder for them to mentally rotate objects - an important spatial skill. Women often report differently with spatial tasks, both in test and real life.
Both males and females release a hormone called oxytocin during stressful events, but female estrogen combines with oxytocin producing a calming effect, while the male testosterone only makes men more aggressive.
weAkeR IMPuLSe ConTRoL In Men
LAnguAge Women often excel at language-based tasks for two reasons: brain areas that deal with language are larger and language processing is done in both hemispheres. In men, this is done in a single brain half.
During stressful situations, men usually employ fight (or) flight tacties, while women use tend (or) befriend response that is rooted in their natural instincts for caring for their children and establishing strong group bonds.♦ SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 63
The award show, which recognises highflyers of the society and felicitates them with unprecedented titles, was a trending event that turned several heads! The event was hosted at Hotel Feathers in Manapakkam and was not only a star studded one, but also a space that was bubbling with a sense of admiration for all the achievers. The evening saw dignitaries from various arenas speak high about the uniqueness of WE Awards and applauded the concept that enjoys its distinction
Nallamai Ramanathan, Radha Ravi, Abirami Ramanathan
Lena Tamilvannan, VC Guhanathan, Shoba Chandrasekhar, Abirami Ramanathan, Dharmma
Shoba Chandrasekhar, Atlee, K Bhagyaraj
T
Shila Dasgupta, Sai Kaustuv Dasgupta, Shyam, Sumathi Srinivas
he 13th edition of WE Awards started with full zest, a huge credit of which goes to emcee Nakshathra Nagesh. Pretty and elegant in a black gown, she pumped in a lot of energy into the evening with her excellent hosting skills that both captured audience’s attention greatly and added a lot of life to the show! WE Awards is known for the several unique titles that are crafted aptly for its winners, against the usual cliché and this year’s titles and its winners are equally creditable!
D Imman 64 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
The award ceremony started with felicitating two extremely
inspiring personalities, namely Prithvi Sekhar and Sai Kausthuv Dasgupta. Prithvi Sekhar, a 23-year-old from Chennai, who scripted history by winning bronze in Mixed Doubles Tennis in Deaflympics and made the country proud, was given the ‘Ace Idealist’ award. He thanked his parents, and coach and also said he is targeting for a ‘gold’ next year! Sai Kausthuv Dasgupta, who was bestowed with the ‘Persistent Enthusiast’ title, is a differentlyabled person who suffers from a rare condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also called as the
Smile Settail Team, Sumathi Srinivas
Viji Chandrasekhar, Lovelyn Chandrasekhar
Naresh Iyer
Ravi, Lena Tamilvannan
Meena
Dr Kamala Selvaraj, Dr JS Rajkumar
Aishwarya Rajesh
Arun Vijay
Radha Ravi SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 65
Pradhayini Sarvothaman
Meera Mithun
‘Brittle Bone Disease’. He uses a motorized wheelchair to move around. But none of his shortcomings have stopped him from going after his aspirations. He has proven his mettle as a graphic designer, singer, composer and motivational speaker. He ran through his life history and gave a gist of it to the audience, only to make them realise how important it is not to let difficult situations pull one down. He expressed his joy and thanked his mother profusely for being his pillar of strength! Celebrities from the cinema industry such as
Imman & Family
legendary actor Radha Ravi, Viji Chandrashekar, Arun Vijay, Aishwarya Rajesh, Atlee Kumar, D Imman, VC Guhanathan and Naresh Iyer were felicitated. Apart from these, several others such as team Smile Settai, Rifath Sharook (his team members), Dr JS Rajkumar, GR Balasubramaniam, Sai Kaustuv Dasgupta and Prithvi Sekar, reining their respective fields, were crowned with titles as well. The wise and talented actor, Radha Ravi was bestowed with the ‘Robust Bravado Award’. He nailed his thanks giving speech, in which he appreciated - the MD of the
Sanjana
Dhanraj, Balakarthik, Regeena, Murli
Atlee 66 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
Priya
Sobha Chandrasekhar
Vinisha
Nallamai Ramanathan
Bob Syed
Sumathi Srinivas
Twilite Group (Ms Sumathi Srinivas) for being the bold and able lady that she is, the anchor Nakshathra and also the other award winners. His golden words touched many among the audience, particularly when he highlighted the importance of one’s mother tongue and culture, both of which he said needed to be deep rooted and kept alive!
Nakshathra Nagesh
Arun Vijay, Aarthi
Vivek, Karthik
Babloo Prithviraj
Dr Srimathy Kesan, Space Kidz India, Meera Mithun, Pradhayini
Shyam
Mime Gopi
VC Guhanathan, the ace film writer, director and producer was given the ‘Pragmatic Icon’ award applauding the extraordinary talent he has been portraying for over four decades in cinema. He appreciated Sumathi Srinivasan profusely and stated she is the second woman whom he wishes to call ‘madam’, after late (former CM) J Jayalalitha. He also spoke about how he wishes to see more women in decisionmaking roles in future and politics, and shared his idea on wanting to speak more on it on public platforms. He placed across a very encouraging idea of wanting to give one gold coin to debutant directors in the industry from the following year, sponsored by his trust. He appreciated Dharmma, the Managing
Editor of WE Magazine for his praiseworthy work in cinema. Director Atlee bagged the ‘Passionate Diligent’ title. It was inevitable that one would let him go without uttering a few words about his upcoming movie with ‘Ilayathalapathi’ Vijay, who he referred to as his elder brother. He also profusely thanked his mother and wife, Priya along with whom he walked the ramp. He encouraged everyone to follow their passion and to brush aside the negative comments the world may hurl at them, and just keep going! The handsome looking Arun Vijay was given the ‘Ingenious Diligence’ award for his outstanding performances in his latest set of movies. He took the opportunity to express his gratitude to the people who have been with him through thick, and thin and WE Magazine. He also said that if one follows his passion closely and never gives up despite challenging situations, he can definitely achieve great heights! It was a loveable sight to see his wife and him walk the ramp together.
Ravishankar, Prithvi Sekhar, Vinisha
Sheriff
VC Guhanathan SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 67
Singer Naresh Iyer was given an apt title of ‘Mellifluent Nectar’. A singer par excellence, he thanked his kith, and kin and also stunned the audience with his evergreen song, ‘Munbe va en anbe va’ from the movie Sillunu Oru Kadhal. D Imman, Music Director received the ‘Enthralling Symphonies’ award, in appreciation of his extraordinary contribution to the field of music. He thanked God Almighty and his parents profusely, quoting them to be the driving force behind his dreams and success. He also said he wishes to live a fulfilling life by helping many to achieve their musical dreams, which he believes will bring him goodness in return. It was a very cute sight to watch his two little girls walk the ramp along with him, his wife and father, after he gave his ‘thank you’ speech.
Viji Chandrasekhar, who has been a prominent face in the industry and has acted in several movies with all the known stars was applauded for being multitalented and bestowed on with the ‘Sedate Versatility’ award. She spoke about the importance of good body language and dedication, stating them to be key traits for a good actor. She also appreciated WE Awards for its uniqueness. Aishwarya Rajesh, who was looking simple, yet pretty was given the ‘Dainty Nimble’ award. She spoke about starting her career playing the mother of two children and thanked the many who had showed immense faith in her. When team Smile Settai was awarded the ‘Exemplary Astute Award’ for their brilliance in the field of parody and comedy, the audience not only applauded them for the same, but also
for their witty comments and ‘thanks giving speech’. They dedicated the award to all the newsmakers who keep their job going. Rifath Sharook’s – he, with his team called ‘Space Kidz India’ has launched the world’s smallest satellite recently – gang was crowned with the ‘Orbit Prodigy’ title. Well known doctor JS Rajkumar, Founder of Lifeline Group of Hospitals was bestowed on with the title of ‘Medico Intellect’, appreciating his commendable medical service to many, while GR Balasubramaniam, Founder and Chairman of GRB Dairy Foods Private Limited was given the ‘Top-notch Baron Award’. His sons collected the award on his behalf. Thus, the marvellous and meaningful evening ended with several hearts being and feeling contented.
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ChEnnai
EvEnts
VBJ’s Masterful triBute to the DiVinity Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers is a known name when it comes to jewellery and also for adornments for the Divinity across the world, particularly because of their design’s creativity and uncompromising quality. And this time around, they have stunned all with their marvellous work of art of the new Abhayahastham, Katihastham, Sangu and Chakram designed for the Shiva-Vishnu Temple at Livermore, commissioned by a devoted Indian
named Nandakumar, living in the US. The price of the adornments put together is around INR 3 crores. They are made of pure gold and have precious stones studded on them. When asked about the process of making such beautiful adornments and why people entrust the work with so much confidence to VBJ, Jithendra Vummudi, Managing Partner (VBJ) said, “Most of the jewellery are for alankanram (decoration), which are made as per
moulds of the Divinity sent to us by the concerned temple priest. All jewellery is hallmarked and goes through quality check for diamonds used. Precision and detailing are given utmost importance. Thus, extreme care and attention is given while making jewellery. This is also one of the primary reasons why many come to us for such requirements, as they know their order is in safe hands and will be executed flawlessly!”
Knowing Chennai through a Quiz On account of Madras Day Celebrations, the Master Chronicler Mr Muthiah conducted a quiz to test one’s knowledge about Chennai. The event took place at Madras Literary Society, Nungambakkam (Chennai). He was in top form, teasing the audience and encouraging them to think harder and take up questions with confidence! He also shared lovely stories of Madras to the audience and happily posed for selfies and photos with enthusiastic boys and girls.
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ChEnnai KaMaDhenu Jewellery launChes the MahuVa series Kamadhenu Jewellery launched the ‘Mahuva’ series on 18th August at The Folly, Amethyst in order to celebrate motherhood. Each design exhibited of the series was stunning, and was made to suit one’s style and taste. Their four exotic collections of jewellery are Brinda, Purva, Raya and Subra, which were showcased elegantly at the event. Suhasini Maniratnam, along with several other prominent personalities graced the event with their presence.
KERaLa
sunny leone inaugurates 'Phone 4 Digital huB’ Sunny Leone’s visit to Kochi for an inaugural event turned to be the talk-of-the-country! The actor, who has a huge fan base, visited the city for the inauguration of 'Phone 4 Digital Hub’ at MG Road. The streets, bylanes and all roads leading to the store were jam-packed and experienced an unprecedented traffic jam due to fans who had gathered there to catch a glimpse of the beautiful star. She was overwhelmed by the response! Twitter was stormed by her tweets and live photos that were uploaded while she was travelling in her car. SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 71
KERaLa 65th nehru troPhy raCe
hYDERaBaD
The Nehru Trophy boat race is undoubtedly the most exciting event held at Punnamda Lake (Alleppey) Kerala, in memory of India's late Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Its 65th edition saw a record number of 78 boats’ participation, including ‘snake boats’, and the introduction of a digital timing system. Around two thousand policemen were present to ensure security and the whole town was under CCTV surveillance. The highlight of the event was the live webcast of the race and Doordarshan live transmission.
saMantha anD naga Chaitanya at woVen 2017 Woven 2017, a fashion event organised by the Telangana government to promote handlooms on ‘National Handloom Day’ was a huge hit as Tollywood celebs and sports stars such as Naga Chaitanya, Anu Emmanuel, Catherine Tresa, Adah Sharma, Ritu Varma, Mithali Raj, PV Sindhu and VVS Laxman attended the event, casting their support. Samantha Ruth Prabhu was drapped in a beautiful black and white handloom saree, with tassel knots hanging from the sari pallu. Her speech was both inspiring, and enlightening and highlighted the importance of supporting weavers, who are diminishing in number. Naga Chaitanya walked the ramp amusing everybody, especially the apple of his eye! 72 | women exclusive | SEPT 2017
MUMBai BollyBooM – an eleCtro-MusiC festiVal
nEW DELhi
Bollyboom - a Bollywood electro-music festival with a blend of Bollywood music, dance, and entertainment under one roof - is an intellectual property belonging to Percept. The event featured six hours of non-stop entertaining Bollywood music with an attendance of over 4,500 Bollywood music enthusiasts at the NSCI Dome, Mumbai. DJ Raftaar, DJ Aqeel, DJ Shilpi Sharma, DJ Zulfi Syed and DJ Aman are a few names to mention out of the many at the event. Bollyboom also featured live percussionists, exotic performers and entertainers to usher in a high-tempo mood for the young crowd. The center-360-degree stage, with light installations, looked magical and was first of its kind in the country!
inDian inDePenDenCe Day The country’s 71st Independence Day was celebrated by paying tribute and remembering all the freedom fighters, who sacrificed their lives for India’s independence. Honourable Prime Minister, Narendra Modi invoked 'Quit India Movement' again (after Mahatma Gandhi) in order to encourage countrymen to use the same spirit to banish problems such as corruption, communalism, terrorism, casteism, poverty and dirt forever, by 2022. He requested people to take a pledge to uproot and get rid of these evils and create a ‘New India’. For the first time, 300 cameras (360 degree view with night vision) were installed at Red Fort for close surveillance near the celebration point. SEPT 2017 | women exclusive | 73
bollywood
cine buzz
Hollywood
Kollywood
Tollywood
Mollywood
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BOLLYWOOD
KaJoL LaYS a coNDiTioN
SuPriSE babY SHoWEr For ESHa DEoL
Esha Deol, who tied the knot with businessman Bharat Takhtani, is expecting her first baby. The actress, who is seven months pregnant, recently got a surprise from her sister Ahana, who was secretly planning for a lavender-themed – the colour being, the actress’ favourite - baby shower for a month! Starting from the invites, balloons, floral arrangements to her chiffon lace vintage gown, everything was coloured lavender. A very special lavender-based chocolate Belgium cake, with a miniature version of vintage perambulator on the top was the highlight of this surprise baby shower. Esha’s close friends and family members added joy to the party. They were given a dress code, where those expecting a boy for Esha should be in blue and those thinking it would be a girl baby, were to dress in pink.
An older actress acting with a younger hero is quite normal these days. On asking Kajol on the same, she says “It would depend on the script. If the script demands it, I would not be averse to it, but my only condition is whoever from the younger generation is cast opposite me, should be manlier and less boyish”. The actress, who was seen recently staring opposite to Dhanush in Tamil movie, VIP2 (also dubbed into Hindi and Telugu) refused to tell the name of the young actor she would want to work with.
TWiNS MiSbEHaVE WiTH JacQuELiNE
Jacqueline, who visited Mumbai recently for the trailer launch of 'Judwaa 2', sharing screen space with Varun Dhawan and Taapsee Paanu, faced an unpleasant incident before the trailer launch of 'Judwaa 2'. Fifty pairs of twins, who won a contest, were invited for the event to spend time with the stars as their gratification. Unfortunately, an over-enthusiastic pair barged past the security to click selfies with Jacqueline, got close to her, thus, making her feel uncomfortable. Varun, who was not too pleased with the incident, swung into action and rescued her. The twins were sent out, after which the event took place smoothly.
hOLLYWOOD
DWaYNE JoHNSoN caLLS Jacob o’coNNor a rEaL HEro
Johnson praised Jacob O'Connor, a 10 year-old boy who saved the life of his two-year-old little brother, Dylan from drowning in the pool at Detroit by using the CPR methods he learned while watching Dwayne Johnson's ‘San Andreas’. Johnson took to social media to praise the kid - “Jacob, I'm so proud of you so much so that I've got to meet you. I've got to shake the hands of a real-life hero.” After saving his brother's life, Jacob will now get a chance to meet the actor on the set of his upcoming film ‘Skyscraper’. The necessary arrangements for the same are being done.
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bollywood
cine buzz
Hollywood
Kollywood
Tollywood
Mollywood
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THE WaiT bEGiNS For #GoT FaNS
The popular drama 'Game of Thrones' (GOT) season 7 titled 'The Dragon and the Wolf', which aired in HBO, has been hit by a huge crisis. Hackers released the season’s summary a day before its premiere on Reddit. A report says that these hackers are demanding approximately USD 6.5 million worth of Bitcon from HBO. Apparently, they haven’t left HBO’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. However, despite the mess, fans of GOT, still wait eagerly for the grand finale that is expected to be aired next year during mid-winter.
Sivakarthikeyan's upcoming movie ‘Velaikkaran’, also starring Nayanthara and Fahadh Faasil, has launched its first song track. In a perfect salute to the movie’s title, the song ‘Karuthavanlam Galeejam’ (The dark are uncouth) is a folksy celebration of the working classes. Composed and sung by Anirudh Ravichander, this kuthu number is guaranteed to appeal to the masses. Directed by Mohan Raja, who is making a comeback on big screen after the 2016 blockbuster ‘Thani Oruvan’, this movie is expected to release during puja holidays.
Gautham Menon's long-standing wish of making an English movie catering to the Tamil audience finally is taking shape. The ace director had penned the thought long time back and had even shared the idea with his close friend and actor, Suriya. However, the actor was reluctant to the whole idea of making an English movie in Tamil, doubting its reception and performance at the box office. The latest update on the same is that actor Simbu is going be a part of Gautham's ambitious project and also clarified that the movie will be made only in English, and later would be dubbed in Tamil and other regional languages.
kollywood
GauTHaM VaSuDEV MENoN’S DrEaM ProJEcT coMES TruE
SiVaKarTHiKEYaN– aNiruDH coMbo
MErSaL auDio LauNcH
The much-awaited audio launch of 'Mersal' took place at Nehru stadium in Chennai. The event saw the who’s who of Kollywood in attendance including Dhanush, SJ Suryah and Sundar C, to mention a few. Much to everyone’s expectations, AR Rahman perfomed live at Mersal audio launch followed by Vijay’s inspiring speech! The much-anticipated movie also features Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kajal Aggarwal and Nithya Menon in lead roles. Vijay will don three different looks for this film, which is expected to release for Diwali this year.
SYE raa NaraSiMHa rEDDY rELEaSE DaTE coNFirMED
tOLLYWOOD
Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, an upcoming Telugu-Hindi bilingual film starring Chiranjeevi, Nayantara, Vijay Sethupathi, Kiccha Sudeep, Jagapathy Babu and others, has confirmed that the movie is going to hit the screens in 2019 for Sankranthi! Big B, Amitabh Bachchan is going to be seen in a very important role in the film, says sources. The film is based on the life of Uyyalavada Narasimha Reddy, the king and first freedom fighter, who revolted against the British Empire. AR Rahman will be scoring music for this movie! The first-look poster that released on the eve of Megastar Chiranjeevi’s birthday, is creating a lot of hype among his fans and audience, says reports.
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bollywood
cine buzz
Hollywood
Kollywood
Tollywood
Mollywood
Sandalwood
NaNi ENcouraGES NEW TaLENTS
Nani, who is currently busy with the shoot of MCA and Krishnarjuna Yuddham, has been awestruck after listening to an interesting script narrated by Prasanth Varma! Nani is known to encourage new talents and it is not surprising that he has chosen to produce the movie. The pre-production of the movie is on currently. The film will have a decent star cast and they will be finalized soon, says sources. Nani’s first production, 'D for Dopidi', a crime thriller not doing well at the box office has not disappointed the star or stopped him from producing more movies!
PriTHViraJ’S ViMaaNaM To rELEaSE iN SEPTEMbEr
Mollywood
Prithviraj’s ‘Vimaanam’, a complete romantic entertainer, is ready to hit the screens on or before the fourth week of this month. Directed by newcomer Pradeep Nair, this movie is based on the real-life story of Saji M Thomas from Idukki, who made headlines and entered the Indian Book of Records by constructing a helicopter on his own. Debutante Durga Krishna is essaying the female lead role opposite Prithviraj (Saji) in the movie along with Aanandam fame, Anarkali Marakkar also plays an important role, alongside Nedumudi Venu, P Balachandran, Shanthi Krishna, Sudheer Karamana, etc.
FirST 6D MoViE oF iNDia LauNcHED
Mohanlal starrer ‘Pulimurugan’ launched its first 6D version at Kochi recently. Reports claim that this movie is probably India’s first 6D movie, which is going to be a guaranteed visual treat for its viewers! The crux of the movie has been condensed into ten minutes, compiling the most important and visually splendid scenes of the movie, considering the high expense. Anubha Sinha, the head of the team behind the 6D innovation, quoted cost factor to be the probable reason for other movies not taking the same leap.
sandalwood
KGF MoViE'S SEcoND PoSTEr GoES ViraL
What is told to be Yash’s very important film in his entire career, is a big budget film directed by Prashant Neel and produced by Hombale Films. Riding on high expectations, the team has released the second poster of the film on social media. This has created a lot of buzz, particularly over the actor’s notorious look! Though the first poster also was attention capturing, the second one seems to have superseded the reception of the first!
aiSHWarYa uPENDra’S DEbuT iS WiTH HEr MoTHEr Aishwarya Upendra, the second child of Upendra and Priyanka Upendra, is all set to follow the footsteps of her parents. She will be playing a role in the movie ‘Howrah Bridge’, which will feature her mother as the protagonist. Lohit, who had previously directed Priyanka Upendra in the film, ‘Mummy - Save Me’, has taken the responsibility of helming Howrah Bridge. It will be released in both Kannada and Tamil languages simultaneously.
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MOviE REviEW
By gokul sriman Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers and Danny Lloyd Director: Stanley Kubrick year of release: 1980 genere: Drama/Thriller
Wendy finds Jack typing tens of pages with just “All work and no play makes Jack a Dull boy”. When she tries and fails to reason with Jack, she knocks him out with a baseball bat and locks him in the pantry. She then realizes that Jack had disabled the radio system and the snowcat, thereby, trapping them all in ‘Overlook’. A concerned Hallorann flies out to the hotel. Jack frees himself, manages to murder Dick and hunts for Danny through the hedge maze outside. Danny gets out of the maze by leaving a false trail and flees the hotel with Wendy on Dick’s snowcat, while Jack freezes to death. The movie comes to an end after focusing on a picture hanging at Overlook dated July 4, 1921, wherein Jack Torrance is seen standing amid a crowd of party revelers.
T
he 1980 Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, ‘The Shining’ is considered as one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Based on the 1977 Stephen King novel of the same name, it's unlike Stanley Kubrick’s other famous works such as the 2001: A Space Odessey. ‘The Shining’ is entirely set in the singular building of the Overlook Hotel, a mountain-isolated luxury hotel, with the nearest town being 25 miles away. The protagonist, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) accepts an offer to be the winter care-taker at the Overlook, along with his wife and son, Wendy and Danny. A recovering alcoholic and a struggling writer, Torrance hopes that he can find solace in the isolation and overcome his writer’s block. When the Torrances are given a tour of the hotel, the Chef, Dick Hallorann, offers ice cream to Danny telepathically. He goes on to tell Danny that very few people have this ability and that he calls it the “shining”. He also tells him to stay away from room 237 and that the hotel itself has a “shine”, in a way of saying that the ‘hotel’ had ways to communicate with its residents. The manager
also informs Jack about a previous caretaker going insane because of cabin fever, and killing his entire family and himself over a dreadful winter. After an uneventful first month, Jack continues with his struggle to write, while being increasingly prone to violent episodes. When riding his bike around the hotel, Danny encounters the ghosts of twin girls and eventually checks room 237 out. He returns from it with a bruise on his neck, which Wendy assumes
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was because of Jack. She accuses him of abusing Danny and begs him to leave the hotel. Frustrated, Jack looks around and finds the ghost of an old woman. He later goes to the Gold Room where the ghost of a bartender fixes him a bourbon. When he returns to the Gold Room after arguing with Wendy, he sees hundreds of ghosts attending a ball and the bartender tells him to “correct” his wife and child. He also tells him that Danny had reached out to Hallorann already.
The scintillating scenery, brilliant cinematography and excellent use of steadicam lent the movie a beautiful yet eerie feel at all times. The simplicity of the way in which ghosts and visions were woven into the screenplay was outstanding. The iconic scene where Jack breaks the door just enough for his face to look inside and yells “Here’s Johnny!” remains one of the most famous movie scenes of all times. The methodical and perfectionist ways of Kubrick has made the movie one of the best horror movies in terms of direction and screenplay, ever made! ♦
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taROt
looking forward
SEPTEMbEr 2017 by KHUSHI
aries (Mar 21-aPr 19)
taurus (aPr 20-May 20)
geMini (May 21-Jun 20)
When an Aries has a bad day, they just want a hug! love: Love will chase you, and will be filled with excitement and fascination. Career: Your ideas will be quite extraordinary this month helping you reach great heights along with the help of your friends and colleagues. health: You may travel often this month, so consume healthy food and also exercise regularly to stay active throughout the day. strength and weakness: Highly emotional
Taurians crave for affection always. love: Singles will use their personal allure to attract the opposite sex. Couples will have plenty of fun and enjoyment along with their family members. Career: Career takes a backseat this month, but don’t worry as everything happens for a reason. Relax and take a short break. health: Taurians will be hale and hearty. Try consuming citrus fruit juices to retain good health. strength and weakness: Being stubborn
Gemini will always crave for someone to laugh along with. love: Couples-to-be will be busy with their D-day preparations, enjoying all lovely moments. Career: Gemini will use their creativity and imagination to shine in their respective fields, but ensure you have patience to enjoy the fruits of your hard work. health: You will rigorously workout to stay strong and remain healthy. strength and weakness: Being shorttempered
CanCer (Jun 21-July 22)
leo (July 23-aug 22)
Virgo (aug 23-seP 22)
When a cancerian is happy, they light up a room. love: Love has hit the peak and couples can expect good news very soon! Career: You might not be serious about your personal growth, yet new opportunities may knock at your door. Utilise it properly. health: Health will be wonderful till the 22nd of this month. Ensure timely breaks after that to avoid stress-associated health problems. Indulge in practising mindfulness. strength and weakness: Being crazy
When Leo is sad, they just need someone’s care and attention. love: Singles will find their soul mates, while visiting friends or relatives’ place; however, be careful before getting into serious commitments. Career: There will be turmoil in corporate structure and you may be forced to work hard to survive in your present position. Be prepared! health: Health is quite delicate, and hence you need to take enough rest and relax your body for conserving some energy. strength and weakness: Being emphatic
Virgos love to cuddle, whether they are happy or sad. love: Lovers will lack commitment in their relationships and couples may delay their parenthood. Career: Perfect time to analyse your performance over the past one year and make corrections to attain your career goals/success. health: You will focus on maintaining your fitness with good exercise, and diet plans to improve the way you feel and look. This, in turn, will boost your confidence and vitality. strength and weakness: Being sympathetic and helpful
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looking forward
SEPTEmbEr 2017
Libra (Sep 23-Oct 22)
ScOrpiO (Oct 23-NOv 21)
SagittariuS (NOv 22-Dec 21)
Librans are known for their random acts of kindness. Love: You will find your love in social gatherings, when you’re having fun with your friends. career: Good vibes are present near and around you helping you reach the next level of success. Health: Your health is getting better this month, consume more of homemade food to stay healthy and keep yourself hydrated. Strength and Weakness: Being independent
Whether happy or sad, Scorpions will shed a tear to express their emotion. Love: Love has a spiritual angle and there is a chance of meeting your soul mate at spiritual gatherings. career: Your professional environment will be challenging, yet you will manage the situation with your optimism and determination. Health: Those who are concentrating on losing weight, workout seriously and go for regular check-ups. Strength and Weakness: ‘Who cares’ attitude
Sagittarians motivate others even when they are sad. Love: Couples will get ready to welcome their baby, whereas lovers will initiate marriage talks with their parents. career: Career will be excellent, with phenomenal improvements. Health: Indulge in outdoor activities to get rid of tiredness and reduce stress levels. Strength and Weakness: Kindness and caring nature
capricOrN (Dec 22-JaN 19)
aQuariuS (JaN 20-Feb 18)
piSceS (Feb 19-Mar 20)
Capricorns care seamlessly for both their friends and enemies. Love: Couples may opt for family planning; hence ensure your sexual urges are controlled and dealt with in the right way. Fun and excitement is to be found among families. career: Perfect time to invest to start your own business. Friends and family will be your support system. Health: Health will be fragile towards the end of the month due to stress and tension. Never skip your meal to stay healthy. Strength and Weakness: Being overconfident
Aquarians crave for pure love and honest opinions. Love: Love will be more physical than romantic. There will be sexual problems in an on-going relationship, hence solve them without losing your temper. career: Your business intelligence is powerful, and hence this is the perfect time to fix your professional targets and try to achieve them. Health: Cleanse your body from unwanted impurities and toxins by indulging in liquid diet. Strength and Weakness: Taking things personally
Pisceans can’t stop thinking about you when they like you. Love: Opportunities for serious love, marriage and pregnancy are high this month for pisceans. Also, students preparing for government exams must take their examinations seriously. career: Your dreams will get fulfilled one-by-one, but be cautious of what is happening near and around you. Health: You may fall sick this month. So, be careful on what you do and intake. Ensure you eat healthy and sleep for eight hours a day. Strength and Weakness: Being stubborn and showing off
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Nydh jkpo;thzd;
Published and owned by Sumathi Srinivas at No 8/3, 13th Street, Nandanam Extn., Chennai 600035 and Printed by B Ashok Kumar at Rathna Offset Printers, 40 Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai-600014. Publisher: Sumathi Srinivas. RNI Reg No: TNBIL/2005/17756 Postal Reg.No. TN/CC(S)/DN/505/2017-19, Licensed to post without prepayment under WPP.No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-489/2017-19. Date of Publication, 1st week of every month, Posted at Egmore RMS/1 Patrika Channel, Chennai-600008.
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Registrar of News Paper for India, Reg.No. TNBIL/2005/17756, Postal Reg.No. TN/CC(S)/DN/505/2017-19, Licensed to post without prepayment under WPP.No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-489/2017-19. Date of Publication 1st week of every month, Posted at Egmore RMS/1 Patrika Channel, Chennai-600008. If undelivered please return to: Rays Publications Pvt.Ltd., No.8/3,13th Street, Nandanam Extension, Chennai-600035.
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