September 2012 An ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd. initiative
Celebrating the spirit of learning
TECHNOLOGIES
An effort to make learning a way of life
Strength 04
A wellness coach for a healthier lifestyle
Family Matters 08
Grandparents & parents are our first teachers
Cuisine 12
Chefs take a bow for their teachers
Cover Story 14
The spirit of learning knows no bounds
Lifestyle 20
Edutainment is the new buzzword
Off The Shelves 22
The world of theatre & street plays does more than just entertain
Money Spinner 26
Make your kids money smart by training them early on
CONTENT
ON I AT AL C I U ED PEC S
31 Bliss
Learning how to play a musical instrument can be a stress-buster
34 Rendezvous
Chhavi Rajawat, sarpanch of Soda village, shares her inspirational journey
36 Spotlight
Failing to plan means planning to fail Secure your child’s future
40 Haute Couture
Budding fashion designers on what drives them
44 Wanderer
Ranvijay Singh shares his travelogues
48 Soul
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar talks about spiritual well-being essential for overall fitness
50 Wanderer
The world is our classroom
56 Impressions
Inspirational quotes on education
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What is education? It’s a term we use every day to describe the process of putting young souls into a classroom and filling their heads with extensive information over the first quarter of their lives. But can we really call that education? In this issue, we embark on a journey to explore the spirit of learning and what ‘education’ really means.
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited Managing Editor Lopah Mudra Bhattacharrya Editorial Board B Srinivas Priyamvada Thomas Agnel Dsouza Maxposure Media Group India Pvt. Ltd. Unit No. F2B, Second Floor, MIRA Corporate Suites, Plot No. 1&2, Ishwar Nagar, Mathura Road, New Delhi - 110065 Tel: +91.11.43011111, Fax+91.11.43011199 www.maxposure.in Publisher & COO Vikas Johari CEO & Managing Director Prakash Johari CFO Kuldip Singh Executive Editor Saurabh Tankha Information info@maxposure.in
ELITE LIFE is the quarterly magazine printed by Mail Order Solutions India Private Limited and published by MaXposure Media Group India Pvt. Ltd. (MMGIPL) for ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited and published at (MMGIPL), Unit No. F2B, Second Floor, MIRA Corporate Suites, Plot No. 1&2, Ishwar Nagar, Mathura Road, New Delhi - 110065, India. All rights reserved. The writing, artwork and/or photography contained herein may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of MMGIPL. MMGIPL does not assume responsibility for loss or damage of unsolicited products. The views and opinions expressed or implied in ELITE LIFE are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited or MMGIPL. All advice and suggestions given in the articles are the author’s own and are not the advice of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance. The reader may follow the said advice at his/her own risk. It is suggested that the opinion of an expert be taken before following any advice given in the magazine. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance shall not be liable for any loss/harm caused due to following any advice printed in this magazine. Unsolicited material is sent in at the owner’s risk and material in this publication may not be reproduced, whether in part or in whole, without the consent of MaXposure Media Group India Pvt. Ltd. (MMGIPL) and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited.
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STRENGTH
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Road to
health
A wellness coach’s job is similar to that of a teacher where he guides his clients to help them find ways to pursue a healthier lifestyle and achieve overall fitness Words: Shilpa Pulyani
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ave you ever felt inspired to make big changes in your life, but failed to follow through? Got a few self-help books or motivational CDs biting dust at home? Congratulations, you’re normal! All of us have goals, plans, hopes and dreams... but how is one supposed to make them come true? Maybe you’d like to get back in the best of shape, physically. Or swap a soul-numbing corporate job for a creative one. Or face an illness or life transition keeping your sanity intact, full of fresh ideas for a hopeful future. Perhaps you dream of transforming yourself from a disorganised, self-critical procrastinator into an efficient, adventurous superhuman – one who never raises his/her voice or forgets to return a library book. Well, all that is possible with the help of a wellness coach.
Most people find that with all the distractions life throws in our path, it’s easy to lose sight of our goals and get discouraged. The result: putting off important plans and cherished dreams for another day. It is time to start shaping your own future, instead of waiting for it to randomly happen to you.
A wellness coach is someone who can put you on the road to better health. He works with the clients to help them find ways to pursue a healthier lifestyle. It’s not the same as having a personal trainer, since exercise is not always the behavioral change that needs to occur. In contrast, a person who is a wellness coach works with clients to encourage them to change aspects of their lives that are most unhealthy, and this could include changing dietary habits, getting more exercise or quitting smoking. Latika Kumar, an 18-year-old student, couldn’t imagine working with a wellness coach. In fact, she didn’t even know what a wellness coach was – until one transformed her life. A compulsive overeater, Latika had struggled with her weight since childhood. She tried different diets but none worked, and finally agreed to consult a wellness coach. After her first appointment, Latika was so impressed that she decided to take on the challenge to attain complete physical wellness. Although Latika has made significant improvements to her diet and lost weight, she says she’s gained something far more important. Through the
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STRENGTH coaching process, Latika discovered that losing weight wasn’t what she needed most. She needed overall wellness – mental and physical. “My goal didn’t change, but how I got there did,” she says, adding, “The time and exploration of the right food plan helped me explore myself and what I really want in life.” Mohit Ahuja, Latika’s coach, says, “The most difficult part of wellness coaching is getting people to admit the problem. Once you identify the problem, half the job is taken care of. In Latika’s case, she lacked will power, as is the case with other people suffering with obesity. But today she’s 17kg lighter and her attitude towards life has changed immensely.”
The right wellness coach
A wellness coach may help with principles of a good diet. In addition, wellness coaches also offer help on other health issues. For example, for those trying to quit smoking, they will offer some accountability as well as advice on what
A wellness coAch will: • Help you improve health and fitness • Thrive during life transitions • Help in clarifying values & achieving goals • Help you achieve work-life balance • Help you in personal & creative growth
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to do when the urge hits. This may not totally stop relapses but should provide another tool for those individuals. In addition to smoking, alcohol and fast food there are many other problems areas a wellness coach helps individuals deal with.
from ‘prescribe and treat’, or what I like to call ‘education and implore’ – where we’re begging someone to change after we give them a lot of information – to a coaching model where we’re advocating for change and becoming an ally of that person,” says Michael.
A wellness coach often works with clients, who are part of an employee wellness or corporate wellness plan. These coaches may be hired to help keep track of an employee and offer encouraging words of advice. This may even be done over the phone or through an e-mail. Various software products can also serve some of these functions, especially when it comes to helping individuals keep track of exercise goals and planning a diet.
Not everyone who calls himself a coach, especially a wellness coach, is qualified. However, because certification is neither standardised nor required, searching for a good wellness coach is still a case of buyer beware. “Coaching is a fairly new field, and someone can call themselves a health coach and not have any credentials attached to that. There is no national certification out there to protect people.
Michael Arloski, Ph.D, is the author of Wellness Coaching For Lasting Change, a training manual used by several coaching programs, works with dozens of corporate clients, training them on the finer points of coaching for long-term lifestyle changes. “We need to move
There are also a lot of matchbook credentials. Anybody can put a shingle out there and call themselves a coach,” says Mitali Khurana, who’s researching on this topic. To determine whether a coach is reputable, Mitali suggests one should check references and ask for
testimonials. One should look for people with degrees or certification from reputed organisations and then interview them extensively about their background. Ideally, a wellness coach should have at least two years of experience working oneon-one with clients, and preferably a year of coaching experience following training. Other qualities to look for include professionalism, passion, confidence and humility, so be sure to interview several before making a decision. Credible ones will offer a free initial consultation. Mitali advises choosing a coach who makes you feel the most energised and confident. You should be inspired after a coaching session, with lots of “Aha!” moments, as well as motivated about your ability to make needed changes in your life.
The wellness coach trend
This profession sometimes gets a little flack from society as there are no educational requirements for one to become a life and wellness coach. The lack of these standards does allow some money grabbers to stake their claim as wellness coaches and you need to watch out for those who are there just to get your money but do not have intentions of seeing your life take on better shape.
According to a recent survey by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), “educated and experienced fitness professionals” now constitute the most important fitness trend in the world, having jumped from third to first place since last year. Personal trainers rose from seventh to third place. “We want to be well. We yearn to be in control and feel better. We want more energy,” says Margaret Moore, founder of Well Coaches, the only health and wellness coaching certification program endorsed by the ACSM. “But there is an enormous gap between wanting to be well and the everyday reality of living with the mental and physical health penalties of overeating, underexercising and having too little down time.” That gap is growing. The CDC reports that more than 66 per cent of adult Americans are overweight or obese. Worse still, about a third of the adult population is obese.
Is wellness coaching right for you? Coaching is not psychotherapy. Nor is it like a chat with a friend, a training program or a tarot card reading from your neighborhood psychic. It’s a partnership in which you set the agenda and get help achieving your dreams. A wellness coach is an individual who helps others keep on track with their wellness plan. The coach will help to not only devise an
exercise routine but also work on other aspects of wellness with the client. In some ways, the wellness coach will be a teacher. In other ways, the coach will be an encourager. Overall, the coach is a person who helps a client meet his/ her wellness goals. Most people are familiar with personal trainers and what they do. These individuals set exercise goals for an individual and then work with them to attain cardiovascular and weightlifting goals. Once they are met, new goals are set. This is also a part of the job description of a wellness coach in many cases. However, exercise goals are not where the job ends, but simply a small part of the overall responsibility. Many wellness coaches have been working to increase awareness about the field among medical professionals. Mohit admits that although the idea is becoming increasingly popular with the public, it’s only beginning to catch on with doctors. The overall objective of a wellness coach is to not only teach their patient but to counsel him as well. This means, dealing with change in life. Change is a problem for everybody in his or her life, and some people do not adapt to change as easily as others, and such a coach could do well for their lives.
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FAMILY MATTERS
Playing
dual roles A child spends a majority of his time with his parents, especially in the growing up years which in itself means the parents unknowingly begin to play an influential role in his/ her learning process. We applause their good work. Words: Purva Grover
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love children even when they scream at ear deafening volumes, spill milk on many occasions or refuse to go to bed at all hours, days or weeks. Yet, I find it difficult to be around them for a simple reason that their little heads are full of sentences that perpetually begin with a ‘why’, ‘how’ or ‘what’. Yes, one of the many things the books that prepare you for a child don’t teach you is how to satisfy their little curious minds. I recently met the mother of a three-year-old boy and she aptly put it by saying, “The book taught me how to get him to burp but not how to play his Google god.” Her misery re-stated the well-known fact that the home is indeed a child’s first school and the parents (and grandparents, in case of extended families) his first teachers. And while this teaching job doesn’t come with an 8 am to 2 pm official hours or summer breaks, it does bring in the rewards for both the students and teachers. What’s interesting is that not many parents realise how much they teach their children, knowingly and unknowingly. We stepped into a few such homes and attended a few classes.
Desire to teach and learn
It is a simple fact that one can’t be taught a skill or a subject till the desire to learn exists. Our parents inculcate this desire in us and they do it through many ways and means, the desire to follow being the foremost. You don’t need an expert to tell you that children love to mimic. Hence, if your child grows up watching you read books, laying the table or learning a skill from their grandparents, they would pick
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why Are you the best teAcher? • No one understands your child & his/ her growth better than you. • You spend the maximum time with your child so you can encourage his/her development. • Your child’s safety and well being is your priority. • Your child trusts you the most so he/ she will look up to you to help solve problems. You can teach them to take decisions. • Each child has a hidden talent and it is the parents who can help bring this out. • In a classroom, a weak child can get lost but at home he/she can get the right help/guidance if need be.
these traits from you. “This is one class that starts from the moment your child starts recognising you,” says child psychologist Vandana Sharma. The statements like ‘My mom does this too or I saw my dad do it’ are often heard at interactions between parents and teachers. Gurpreet Manchanda, a mother of a three-year-old girl, shares, “A home offers advantages that can’t be duplicated at school. It is interesting to watch my daughter use the fork and knife like we do it.” Yes, it is not just the alphabets that are part of the home curriculum.
A desire to follow naturally stems from the desire to teach. It’s often said that parents are born to play good teachers just that they don’t realise when they switch roles. “Inculcating the desire to learn in a child and letting them know that it is fun is an art that every mother is born with,” says Manchanda. It is easy to review your performance as a teacher remarks Sharma as she shares a list of questions for this test. “Seek answers to the following – Do you make conversations with your child in mother tongue? Is there a mix of educational and stuffed toys in your
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FAMILY MATTERS
Researches suggest that even before a kid starts going to kindergarten, he/she gets accustomed to social situations and values child’s rack? Do you read bedtime story?” If yes, then you are playing a good teacher.
the enthusiasm for learning and ending with imparting knowledge, skills and values.
Remember that to be a good teacher you have to be a good student too. “It’s often said children of academicians grow up to join the literary profession too. This is simply because they grow up watching their parents’ take keen interest in education,” says sociologist Vineetha. If parents show lack of interest in education or good manners, the child too doesn’t take interest in educating himself/ herself. Sociologists emphasise on parents to be good students. Teaching even translates to appreciation. A parent who is appreciative of a child’s artwork, school projects, marks, et al is imparting a significant lesson too.
A strong foundation
Skills, subjects, values and traditions
“Activities like teaching your kid how to tie his shoe laces or say please are counted as valuable teachings,” says Leena Varma, a mother of a six-year-old boy and a three-yearold girl. “Teaching your child how to blow his nose in a tissue is as important as algebra,” says Sharma, adding, “It is at home that a child learns traditions and values, something which is personal and specific to each family.” “A teacher can introduce a child to the festivals of India but parents teach them their significance and how to celebrate it,” says Deepa Toni, mother of two boys, three and six. “Even the act of hugging a child on a birthday or giving sweets on a festival is a lesson. A home full of love, affection and appreciation introduces the child to emotions. A child who feels loved develops self-confidence,” says Vineetha. Researches suggest that even before a kid starts going to KG, he/she gets accustomed to social situations and values. Playing in the park is the time when parents teach the child to share or take turns. Each adult at home plays the teacher by beginning with igniting
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Dr Raymond J. Huntington, president and founder, Huntington Learning Centre, often says, “When children have a strong
foundation of support developed in their home, they are more likely to succeed in a classroom environment.” So a child’s performance at school and perhaps later even at a college depends on the learning environment at home. The sooner you start the better it is, for children do pick things up quicker than any adult. Author Sangeeta Sanjay Chaubal, who studied the subject of parent’s involvement in a child’s education, writes, “It is often said that education begins at home and hence, it’s all upon parents to help their child educate and be a better person. Education is the most important thing for a child and if parents are actively involved in it, then the child is definitely going to do better.” Homes are places of correction. By now, you have experienced some pride in the dual role of a teacher-parent. Pat your back for all the good work but never be over-ambitious. Of course, go ahead and fill up the moments at home with lessons, inspirations and skills.
lessons pArents teAch • Talking to the child while feeding/ playing with him/her is a natural habit. The child picks on new words during these small interactions. • A simple sticker book or a puzzle helps in the development of his/ her skills. • Reading stories at bedtime is a common activity in most Indian homes, which happens to be their introductory class to the reading and learning. • Encouraging the child to eat on his own or to put the toys back in their place. It is the simplest class of making them independent. • Taking the child for a walk, a play session or a picnic to a museum opens his mind to the outside world and they begin to explore their surroundings.
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CUISINE
Secrets from mom’s
kitchen Great chefs are made behind kitchen counters at home. The earliest culinary memories of wonderful cooks stem from food prepared by moms and grandmoms. We learn more about these teachers and students. Words: Purva Grover
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f you’ve ever had the chance of interacting with any of the renowned chefs across the world, you would be familiar with the fact that conversations with them stand incomplete if they don’t talk about their families. While flavours and aromas define their work, it is their mothers, grandmothers, fathers and grandfathers who define their passion, love and inspiration for cooking. Culinary schools may be the place where they learn the skills but it is the kitch-
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en at home where they fall in love with food and learn how to eat, cook and cherish each bite. We travel back in time with a few master cooks and learn more about the tastes, traditions and techniques that they learnt at their first cooking school, their homes. It’s said that all you need to do to learn to appreciate a meal cooked by your mother or grandmother is to simply observe her standing next to the hot stove. For, it’s the
simple act of her moving the ladle in the pan that introduces most of us to the world of gourmet. Unknowingly, we develop a bond with the special woman who cooks for us, be it the mother or grandmother and it is these women who teach us how to make every meal, humble or exotic, a celebration. Chefs across the world echo the thought that “it all begins with observing the mom cook, followed by walking to the vendor to pick the ingredients, taking interest in kitchen experiments, adding a personal touch to the
Sanjeev Kapoor
“My mother used to chop just twothree vegetables and pressure cook them with salt, no spices. Any degree from a college cannot teach you how to make food taste like home-cooked food.”
dish and then later working to improve it each time.” Television host and cookbook author Nigella Lawson often talks about her Friday cooking experiences with her grandmother. She would be dropped at her granny’s house in the mornings and then they would walk to the local butcher and return to cook it together. Interestingly, many dishes that make it to the restaurant menus happen to be the creations of the mothers and grandmothers of the chefs. One of the judges on the second season of MasterChef India Vikas Khanna acknowledges his grandmother as his first teacher. “I found solace in just watching her cook,” he confesses in almost every interview. Of course, back then little did Khanna know that his training for learning the finer intricacies of Indian cuisine had already begun! Today Khanna, one of three Michelin starred chefs of Indian origin in New York, claims with pride that had his biji (grandmother) not
shared the secrets of her recipes he would have not been here. Executive chef Inder Dev, Fortune Select Excalibur, Gurgaon, feels lucky to have been born in a Marwari home where food was as important as business. His mother taught him the most important skill of the hospitality industry, of serving food with passion and humility. “The use of home ground spices and season-specific cooking like different menus for summer and winter
Inder Dev
“The use of home ground spices and season-specific cooking like different menus for summer and winter and festive cooking are things I owe to my mother and grandmother.”
salt, no spices,” he had shared, adding, “Any degree from a college or any course cannot teach you how to make you food taste like mother’s home-cooked food.” Interestingly, the role of the fathers and grandfathers too can’t be undermined. India’s first-ever MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria confesses on her portal that it is her father’s passion for good food that allowed her to learn the nuances of cookery unknowingly from the age of 12. She grew up tasting different kinds of foods at her home in the capital. She recalls how
Vikas Khanna
“I found solace in just watching my grandmother cook. I can proudly say that had she not shared her secrets, I would not have been where I finally managed to reach.”
All you need to do to learn to appreciate a meal cooked by your mother or grandmother is to observe her standing next to the stove and festive cooking are things I owe to my mother and grandmother,” he says.
she loved watching her father experiment with regular recipes.
One of our first and most favourite men in the kitchen Sanjeev Kapoor shared his teachings from his mother in his book titled Cooking With Love: Vegetarian Recipes from My Mother’s Kitchen. “This book contains recipes from the masters of the kitchen who inspire me – my mother and mother-in-law,” he had said at the launch. The book teaches one to prepare nutritious home-cooked food, “My mother used to chop just two-three vegetables and pressure cook them with
So one can safely conclude that the real training begins at home and perhaps at an age when one is shorter than even the height of the kitchen counter. Right? “The unwritten theory of cooking passed on by the mother and grandmother combined with scientific cooking learnt at hotel management schools makes for good cooks,” says Dev. Truly said, training at home lays the foundation and the sweating in restaurant kitchens acts as the garnishing.
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LEAD STORY
Learning to
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fly
Education gives wings to different people in different ways. In this education special, we bring to you four exceptional human beings who have changed the doctrines of education and learning. Words: Meghna Sharma
Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. We are all Learners, Doers, Teachers. – Richard Bach
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n today’s competitive world, education can easily be termed as the fourth necessity for man after food, clothing and shelter. It is indeed a powerful tool to combat the cut-throat competition that man is faced with at every juncture in life. The importance of education in India is rising with each passing day. Along with that, globalisation has helped a great deal in bringing world class education to our country. Though India has always been a
great source of learning for centuries, it still needs to improve, not just on the quality of education but also on the number of people being educated. In the past decade, India has seen a rise in population, organisations and charitable missions who have taken it upon themselves to change the age-old doctrines of the educational system. They are increasingly working towards passing on the message that through education only one can create one’s individual identity. Education is one of the important factors which formulate the persona of a person. We may be highly educated, but if we are without meaningful combination of thought and feeling, our lives are incomplete and clashing. And that’s what education helps us to do, develop a meaningful outlook on life.
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LEAD STORY
Ambi Parmeshwaran
Ambi M G Parameswaran has had a 30-plus year career in marketing, advertising and brand building, with the last 23 years with Ulka Advertising, now Draftfcb Ulka Advertising. Over his long career, he has had the opportunity of partnering with leading clients and brands spanning a wide spectrum of products and service groups including automotive, financial services, consumer products, media, IT, etc. He has published numerous articles and has six books to his credit. He is also the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Madras and is a member of the Board of Governors of IIM Calcutta. And after all those years of working, Ambi has decided to pursue his Ph.D.
Being an IIT alumni and an Honour Roll graduate from IIMC, how do you think it has shaped your career and you as a person? Education has shaped me in so many different ways that it’s difficult to explain. I believe life in itself is an educational experience. IIT Madras was a great place to learn how problems are to be faced and keep your chin up. The numerous tests (we even celebrated the 100th test), the problem-only approach to exams, the great friendships/comradeship all went on to define my five years at IITM. I’m often asked what is an engineer, that too an IIT engineer doing in advertising. My answer to that is ‘I’m helping clients solve complex branding and marketing problems’. From IITM to IIMC, it was a nice transition. Education taught me to pull back and look at the problems from different perspectives. I was one of the early IIT plus IIM products to enter Indian advertising and I am happy that many others have taken this route. You decided to pursue your Ph.D now. What prompted you to take this step? I think learning doesn’t stop when you leave an institute’s campus. In fact, it just starts. I had started taking guest lectures at campuses like NMIMS, KJ Somaiya and my own alma mater IIMC about 12 years ago. Seeing my interest in teaching, reading and writing, my
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friends sowed the seeds of doing a Ph.D in my head about eight years ago. I didn’t know that I could pursue a Ph.D and also hold on to my nine to nine advertising career. I started the journey with a lot of trepidation, my guide Dr. RK Srivastava and my friends, especially Prof Meera Venkatraman of Suffolk University were great sources of support. There were many challenges but in the end, I think it was worth the journey. I managed to submit my thesis and also clear my viva voce. How does it feel – being a student once again, especially with all those years of experience behind you? Going to the class room is something I have been doing for over a decade, but attending classes on research methodology was indeed a new experience. In the class of 15, I was the oldest, though there were several other seniors. More importantly, the rigour of doing academic research was a learning and a humbling experience. I became a member of Association for Consumer Research, the pre-eminent association of consumer research academics and professionals. I published several papers in journals in India. I even managed to get my papers accepted for the ACR Asia Pacific Conferences held in Hyderabad and last year in Beijing. It was a heady experience presenting papers to a room with 20 professors drawn
from universities across the world. We often read of people like Bill Gates quoted as examples of education not being compulsory to success. Your views on this. The world has produced several successes who have achieved great acclaim without the benefit of a college education. I think they are the exceptions who prove the rule. In fact, Steve Jobs has spoken eloquently about how the chance exposure to a typography class in college got him to think about desktop publishing differently. I am sure Bill Gates too got a leg up from his exposure to Harvard, though he did not complete his college education. So while there are several experts who pooh pooh college education, I would only submit that may be for Bill Gates and Steve Jobs it was not a necessity but for lesser mortals, formal education is a must. And let me repeat, it’s not what you learn in those class rooms that is going to shape your thinking and future but it is the process of learning that gets encoded in your brain, so that you can be a student for life. I think that is the biggest contribution of education, it has to prepare you to be a student for life. I think somewhere our education system is teaching the young and more so their parents, that education, a degree, an MBA is the end game. It is not. It is really the starting gun.
Preeti Sancheti
Preeti Sancheti has been working with ICICI Pru for the last 11 years in various roles, ranging from Branch Ops & Underwriting to Business Excellence and handling the website. She holds an MBA degree in finance and enjoys reading, travelling and swimming. Preeti is always willing to learn and imparting knowledge and her passion for education made her join the Teach for India campaign.
How much do you think campaigns like Teach For India help in bringing about a change in the community? Campaigns work wonderfully at two levels. On an apparent level, such campaigns give a lot of hope to communities with the message that the young and the talented of this country have prioritised their urge to help these communities over their individual careers. The change in the kind of education that is provided in the classrooms is superlative in nature. But on a different tangent, it makes social service aspirational for a generation that is often clueless about how to bring change in the country. It gives them a good platform to rethink their careers or take a healthy break like I did, and return to their normal careers with a bit more conscientiousness. And that extra conscientiousness goes on building an altogether different perspective to your work, be it in a corporate or social sector. Talking about your students, can you share any anecdotes? Once after an event at school where a channel
was promoting a show sponsored by a leading chocolate brand, I thought it was a good idea to talk to my kids about advertisements. So I asked them to think as to why there are ads during TV shows. Nooman, one of my most naughty kids, answered, “Didi, ads are there so that actors can practice their part during the break.” While the other kids thought that was the most logical answer, I couldn’t stop laughing at his innocent reply. What, according to you, is the meaning of education? Education is quite complex and it is very difficult to produce one definition that is relevant everywhere. It is to develop the knowledge, skills, character of an individual. It is the process of exploring and discovery for each individual which ultimately should help in building a happy society. How different is life, before and after your Teach India experience? I think I have become a more conscientious and contributive person. Kids have taught me how to be content and I feel lesser as a part of the rat race than before. What do you think are the strengths of our current education system? Some of the strengths of the system today are: • The comprehensive continuous evaluation system in our schools. This helps in students expressing their understanding in a way that is meaningful for their personal growth. • The enrollment of students through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan is commendable. Ninety six per cent children go to school in the elementary phase. For a country of a billion and more, this is impressive. It’s generally believed that modern education can make the people literate but not educated. Do you agree? While school should play a huge role in building an educated lot as a parent/society, we can’t absolve responsibilities by sending our children to school and expecting them to become good citizens. Along with an education system which builds mindsets along with skillsets, we need a lot of things to supplement the effect of a good education system – like good parenting at home – revive things like the forgotten art of story telling, inculcating a habit of giving, etc.
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LEAD STORY
What would you do if something you had always wished for came knocking on your door but you couldn’t take the opportunity because you didn’t have enough money! Well, it only made Anand Kumar work harder to make a mark. Fascinated by mathematics during childhood, Anand always dreamt of becoming a mathematician. In 1994, he got a chance to study at the prestigious Cambridge University but unfortunately, financial hardship ended that dream. “It was heartbreaking but had it not happened to me, I would probably not have started Super 30. I decided to do something for the underprivileged students, who invariably lose out without getting the right opportunities,” says Anand.
Anand Kumar Anand Kumar is the founder of renowned IIT entrance coaching programme ‘Super-30’, founded in 2002. In the 10 years of the Patnabased Super 30’s existence, a whopping 263 students have cleared the tough IIT-JEE.
If Super 30 has become an architect for the budding poor talented lot, it is not without a reason. Having witnessed extreme financial hardships since childhood, Anand felt the pangs of poverty so much so that he decided to do something for the poor students who invariably fade away without getting right opportunities. This led to the birth of Ramanujam School of Mathematics. “All my teachers encouraged
me and under their guidance, I started a free training programme for math-lovers.” Paying a nominal fee, a small group was trained for various competitive examinations. Those who couldn’t afford it were coached for free. After some time, Anand decided to shape his programme seriously to cater to the poor but meritorious students significantly. He called his brother Pranav, a violinist, from Mumbai to start the innovative Super 30 programme. Pranav had helped Anand earlier but now he was entrusted with the responsibility of managing Super 30. After a thorough screening, 30 poor but talented students were shortlisted. Initially, making all arrangements for 30 students was difficult but Anand’s family extended all help. Anand generated finances by tutoring students of other schools while his mother, Jayanti Devi, cooked food. For the students, there was only one goal – to study hard. What followed was rigorous training and the results came as a big surprise in the first year. It motivated Anand for put in more effort along with his team of dedicated teachers. Anand success mantra is his unique teaching methods. “I use a multimedia projector to teach students with the help of two characters, Rikki and Bholu. Rikki is from a rich family and wears a tie, a jacket and nice shoes. Bholu is from a poor family and wears simple clothes and worn-out chappals. Both are serious about clearing the IIT-JEE. While Rikki eats pizzas and burgers, Bholu eats bhutta. Rikki rides a motorbike, Bholu rides a broken cycle. When I give them a question to solve, Rikki solves it using traditional methods but Bholu uses multiple solutions. Through this method, students learn better,” says Kumar. Super 30 has been included in the list of Best of Asia by the Time magazine and has garnered appreciation from the US President Barack Obama’s special envoy Rashad Hussain who termed it the ‘best’ institute in the country. Newsweek magazine has taken note of the initiative of Kumar’s Super 30 and included his school in the list of four most innovative schools in the world. For his efforts, Anand has been awarded the Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar by the Bihar government in 2010. Discovery channel made a documentary on the coaching centre and called it a “revolutionary experiment to bring about social change.”
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Nitin Pulyani
Nitin worked for six years in the technology industry before pursuing his MBA degree from Indian School of Business (ISB). Realising that his true passion lies in education and internet, he co-founded an education technology venture – www. edvento.com. Since then, he has performed multiple roles to grow the venture. He is passionate about technology and travelling.
Being an engineer from one of the premier institutes in India and an ISB alumni, what does education mean to you? I always wanted to do something in higher education. I had done so much research on MBA options and other careers, so going through the process myself was important. Education to me meant that I should build my own credibility. Later, I found that education was something more. Learning more always affects your perspective in a positive way.
educators, so that the candidates can bring out the best in them that will eventually help them create winning MBA applications. Applying to top-tier management programme like Harvard and Kellogg is not easy. One needs to know themselves in and out to make their application stand out from thousands of others. Also, to meet your career objective, you need to go to the right school. With this research, we built a network of professionals, now a team of 30 who’re helping candidates with these decisions.
What made you quit your corporate job to start your own venture? I was a program manager in a large telecom infrastructure firm. I always had a belief that you should only work for things you’re passionate about, only then you’ll love what you do. After my MBA, I helped many candidates in making their choice for a higher education programme and by the time I quit, I had worked with more than 100 students. This made perfect sense and the timing was right to be on my own. I created a plan with my ISB classmate Shouvik Dhar, and quit my nine to nine job to launch ThinkAdmit.com.
How did you come up with the idea? And how does it help an MBA aspirant? Going forward, we realised that students need more than just consulting. They needed help with test preparation as well. And we wanted to reach out to as many people as possible. With this objective, we launched our second venture Edvento.com. With Edvento, you can practice for GRE and GMAT in a socially engaging, adaptive and gamified platform. The system is built so intelligently that it identifies your weaknesses and strengths, and the content adjusts to your level of competence. Also, with every small milestone, you get a virtual badge and activities like challenging each other, discussing attempted problems online keeps students motivated. Basically, we’ve built an intelligent online tutor who keeps a personal attention on your progress so that you ultimately end up working on your weaknesses and improve your score. We’re planning to
Tell us about your websites. I first launched ThinkAdmit.com as a premier admissions consulting firm to help people make the right decision when selecting their MBA options. Second, we were more than just MBAs, we had to be good motivators and
extend this platform to other exams as well, like IITJEE, CAT and even primary school exams. Clients from our first venture in MBA admission consulting (ThinkAdmit.com) also posed us queries for GMAT preparation. Hence, we developed proficiency in guiding aspirants for GMAT over two years. We then realised that admission consulting was only 10 per cent downstream from all test takers. So, we decided to cater to this larger market. Our love for technology and experience in having taken multiple exams became natural allies in providing a scalable product for test preparation. We picked up our books, I learnt programming and Shouvik studied for exams. After more research in modern learning technologies, we conceptualised Edvento. How has education helped you in your personal growth? For me, education was the foundation of my confidence. And the journey I have been through was made easier. Moreover, my business is in education so it was important for me as well to get my foundations strong. If you were to explain the meaning of education to an illiterate, how would you do so in a punch line? Education is a tool that is not physically seen, but is so strong that it can help anyone stand on one’s own feet.
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LIFESTYLE
Edutainment ahoy The Indian education system is undergoing a massive makeover with new-age tablet PCs fast replacing the books. We explore how it will change the future of education. Words: Shilpa Pulyani
E
ducators from all across the world foresee a future in which digital books, hybrid mobile computers and touch-screen writing tablets will replace text books, chalk and blackboards, and technology will change the future of education forever. Emeritus Professor Jonathan Anderson, Flinders University of South Australia, predicts that “knowledge in the form of books and printed matter will rapidly become digitised. Today, full text of over seven million books can be accessed through Google Books. This number is growing quickly as Google expands its digitisation effort with international associations, publishers and authors. Many companies are also contributing to this development”. A number of libraries in Asia Pacific are
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aggressively digitising content and India too is part of this movement. The National Library in Kolkata, the largest library in India, is going through a massive digitisation effort. “We have digitised 9,140 books and converted close to 1,80,000 records into machine-readable formats last year,” says Asesh Ghatak, library and information officer, National Library, Belvedere, Kolkata. Amid this revolution, tablets are fast emerging and taking on a great role in the way students can be educated. “We are likely to see a convergence of mobile and PC technologies in the field of education. This will not only increase productivity but also make learning a lot of fun,” explains Anderson. But do the teachers and parents agree? Sonal Khote, an eighth-grade teacher in a reputed
private school in Pune, says, “Although schools haven’t yet allowed private laptops or tablets inside the premises, there’s no denying that students today take the help of Internet to do their homework and projects. I’m not so much in the favour of this methodology as it hampers a child’s creativity and ability to think on their own.” Deepika Bajaj, mother of a 14-year-old views that today’s classroom technology should be changing to support the learning needs of the students who have grown up using technology every day. “My son started using a computer when he was 11 so we have to understand that today the kids are used to technology. And the schools should also engage students by allowing them to use tablet PCs in the classroom.” A study suggests
mix of mobile phones and personal notebooks,” she adds. Razali believed that such a mobile device will make a great impact on students. However, it must first be durable and affordable.
Tablet PCs offer better learning experience with superior web access, customisation, e-Readers and note-taking ability that 75 per cent of children between the age group of 13-17 have a cell phone. Many of those devices, specifically smart phones, have more computing power than PCs just a few years ago. So why not take advantage of cell phones and use them a centre piece for learning in the classroom? Dibakar Sengupta, father of a 12-year-old, says, “Schools (public schools, at least) are required under different rules to provide ‘equal access’ to tools and specifically technology tools for all of the students. And as technology is taking over everything in today’s world, the education system to needs to be revived.” Dr Norrizan Razali, senior manager, Smart School Department, Multimedia Development Corporation in Malaysia, agrees. “One of the key emerging technologies that will transform schools is mobile devices. Hybrid devices which are a
Tablet PCs offer a better learning experience with superior web access, customisation, e-Readers, note-taking ability, and everything else that exists in the world of apps. As tablets become standard, more and more applications specifically built for learning will emerge. The increasing pervasiveness of cloud computing will support such a device. Cloud enables operating systems to be trimmed down and applications to rely less on end-clients for processing power and memory space. Also, touch-screen technology will become the key method students interact with ICT devices. “Such a device will be held in the hand like a mobile phone but it will have a larger surface, something like a writing tablet. It will be used for all kinds of communicating – browsing the Internet, e-mailing, reading books and other materials online, phoning and texting, and social networking with friends and colleagues,” Anderson elaborates. While it is not easy to spell out the implications for education, Anderson advises that educators need to keep abreast of the latest ICT developments and echoed the need for teachers to be brought up to speed on new technology. But what about filtering content on the Net? The worldwide web exposes the children to a whole new world but at the same time illicit content can pollute their tender minds. Sundar Golecha, who is writing a thesis on the same, says, “The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires that protections exit on what type of websites students can visit for protection of the student. School Wireless Networks should (and are required) to provide web content filtering to control access to harmful sites. Today’s ‘Next Generation Firewalls’ provide application level controls. In other words, the firewall can see what websites the children are accessing (FaceBook, YouTube, etc.) and apply policies based upon that specific web address or application. If the student is using their own device, they may be connecting to the cell phone provider’s network and thus bypass the school’s web content filter.” Well, with the advent of tablet PCs, the future of education look not only bright but also fun.
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OFF THE SHELVES
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Act
now
Theatre has long been a medium for social change and now, it has become an imperative pedagogical tool Words: Shilpa Pulyani
E
very country faces social challenges and India being one of the developing nations is amid various social reforms. Education alone cannot eradicate the various issues the country faces everyday. And that’s where drama steps in as a pedagogical tool. Hundreds, if not thousands, of organisations and initiatives have used theatre as a development tool: for education or propaganda, as therapy, as a participatory tool or as an exploratory tool in development.
Theatre in education
What is it about theatre that has captured the interest of people for thousands of years and in every culture? Theatre is an important part of people’s lives, bringing the gifts of entertainment and story sharing to people around the world. Theatre takes different forms in different cultures – Indian nukkad nataks (street plays), Indonesian shadow puppets, Chinese opera, traditional African storytelling and drumming, and fully staged Broadway-style shows. No matter the style of theatre, performances have the potential to create magical and unforgettable moments for their audiences. “The term ‘theatre in education’ refers to using theatre for a purpose beyond entertaining an audience. This purpose is generally to change the knowledge, attitudes or behaviours (or perhaps all three) of audience members,” says Unnati Raja, a social analyst and psychologist.
Theatre has always been a bridge between education and entertainment. From the earliest time, theatre has been used to spread news, share history or educate people about events outside of their communities. Recently, the use of drama and theatre arts for educational purposes has undergone a remarkable resurgence. Manish Tripathi, a research analyst with an MNC, says, “Television dramas, radio plays, mass media campaigns, comic books and other imaginative offerings have been used around the world to convey information and influence behaviour.”
How theatre influences people
At its best, theatre captures people’s attention. Even youngsters bored by school work or television programmes are animated by live theatre. Theatre engages the audience, focussing their attention and actively involving them in an experience. Active involvement means that the audience’s emotions, not just intellectual or cognitive skills, are affected. Manish adds, “Audience members often relate to characters on stage or in the radio or television dramas and are motivated to participate in interactive opportunities for discussing the controversial and sensitive issues of sexuality, intravenous drug use, violence against women, and other health-related topics.” It is this ability to touch emotions that allows theatre to influence attitudes in ways that traditional instruction cannot. However, in order for theatre to change the behaviour of young people, it must do more than simply create an emotional response. It must deliver its messages in a way that youth can understand and act upon.
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OFF THE SHELVES
C o m m u n i t y - b a s e d p l a y s t o u c h t h e l i v e s o f t h e c o m m o n m a n
Theatre involves audience both intellectually and emotionally. It sensitises audiences to issues, ideas and people portrayed. What theatre can do
Theatre makes concepts concrete and real. It involves its audience both intellectually and emotionally, sensitises audiences to issues, ideas and people portrayed, and it engenders a personal connection with events and characters on stage. Community-based theatre goes a step further. When a play is directly relevant to audience members’ lives and concerns, a process begins which can lead to deeper understanding and change. Audience members recognise the character(s) and their dilemmas and identify with the people portrayed. And because they can watch rather than live the experience, they objectify the problems, and in doing so begin to think critically about possible solutions or alternate actions. Combining empathetic involvement with the opportunity to observe, analyse and form opinions regarding characters’ actions creates a condition where audience members want to think; they have the opportunity to problem solve in a safe but vital environment. Navpreet Kaur, an NGO volunteer, used theatre as a medium to eradicate illiteracy. “We adopt theatre as a tool to educate them about the benefits of education. Street plays also play a great role to help kids value education and it can help them come out of poverty.
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Popular theatre and participatory research
The ‘popular’ in popular theatre implies that the process of making and showing a theatre piece is owned and controlled by a specific community. That the issues and stories grow out of the involved community, and that it is a vital part of a process of identifying, examining and taking action on matters which that community believes need to change. Often, there is an implication that the communities involved are little heard from in the mainstream media or that they are in some way disenfranchised or powerless. The ‘popular’ refers to ‘of the people’ and ‘belonging to the people.’ Popular theatre sets out to be part of a movement towards greater empowerment on the part of participants. It tries to be part of social and political change as well as individual change. It tries to enable those who are marginalised in some way to examine collectively their issues from their perspectives, to analyse causes of these issues, to explore avenues of potential action, and to create an opportunity to take such action. Popular theatre shares goals with participatory research. This kind of theatre is a useful approach to participatory research, a research process which is owned and used by the groups most involved in an
issue. Popular theatre presents and elicits people’s stories and anchors discussions in lived experience. It offers a humanised look at what sits behind statistics, concepts or rules. In difficult situations, where there are fears about speaking out or speaking about personal situations, it can offer fictionalised, and therefore, safer ways to story tell and name issues. In short, theatre as an education tool offers embodied ways to discover stories which relate to community’s issues and to test possible actions before ‘trying them for real’.
theAtre cAn be used to • Contact & acknowledge the emotional aspects of an issue. • Empathise with characters which are like themselves. • Relate information & ‘right answers’ to real, emotional & relational situations. • Investigate dilemmas. • Analyse their personal and social situations. • Challenge assumptions.
MONEY SPINNER
start early Saving lessons can
Money saving habits can be inculcated since childhood; all it takes is right approach and the bridging the communication gap between the parent and the child Words: Ankit Sharma
R
emember your little piggy bank from your childhood days? The small boxes your parents bought for you to save a coin or two from your pocket money and fill it to the brim. A decade ago, as kids our knowledge about saving money was probably limited to just a piggy bank. But times have now changed. Fast changing lifestyles and new-age parents have realised the importance of saving money even before their child arrives. Also, parents have now made it mandatory or rather feel it is their duty to teach their wards about saving money. New Delhi-based homemaker and mother of a school-going daughter, Anjali Srivastava, says, “New-age parents like me go through an information overload. With every passing minute, we know the movement of the financial markets, rising and dipping inflation and the importance of saving money for future. This makes us more aware and cautious about how we spend the money. What’s more, our kids get to learn about financial literacy like they study ABCD in school.” However, before you plan to teach your kid about managing his money, you need to understand a few things – first, kids are receptive to all sorts of temptations in their lives. Thus, it is likely they would come under peer pressure to buy certain things they see in their financial institutions. Second, their
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demands will keep increasing with each passing day so what you can do is teach your kids about saving money.
Pre-teens
Begin early: Giving lessons about money should start as soon as the child starts to express and speak. Delhi-based psychologist Arpita Gupta, feels children learn faster when they are young. “Their minds can adapt to new things, new learnings during their growing up years but being creative is the key.” Getting one of the many piggy banks will make it a fun activity for them. Try to show how money relates to the many things they are learning. Connect it to them: Kids learn best when the lesson is weaved in something linked directly with something important to them. If they want a toy, use it as an opportunity to teach about earning and saving so that they can get the toy. Repeating the lessons learnt on spending will help them improvise on the saving techniques while they grow. These discussions can be included as a part of every day conversations and interactions. Explain at every step: As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Do not surrender easily to your kid’s demands at a toy store. After teaching money lessons, make sure to endorse them with your own actions. If you are buying furniture for your
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MONEY SPINNER
Parents have now made it mandatory or rather feel it is their duty to teach their children about saving money
house or a washing machine, explain your kid why it is important to buy it. Small denominations help: If you want your kids to give some pocket money, small denominations make them understand the saving better. For example, if you pay him `5 after every 10 days, he will not be able to spend much but he will also understand that while buying his toffee from the confectionary shop will require a siginificant amount off `5. It might just happen that he might save `2 to buy the rest some other time.
Teenagers
While it is difficult with toddlers, it is more difficult with the teenagers. Though the basics remain the same, techniques vary. Divert attention from frills: If you as a parent opt for an extravagant lifestyle and your children can see it, consider you are inviting trouble. You cannot stop your children from going after the same. In
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addition, sales push by fast moving consumer goods companies and other types of services companies make it even worse for that temptation to die. Adds Gupta, “Children have a tendency to follow what is happening in their own family. Diverting attention from frills could be a good idea. This applies to even toddlers.� For example, preparing a dinner at home may be healthy rather than eating outside at a restaurant serving junk food. Or going on a family trip instead of watching a movie can help them understand the importance of saving. Make them to understand about budget: Children simply won’t realise the concept of budgeting their expenses. The best way to make them understand about the budget is to simply show them how adults divide their money every month. You can start off by giving them a rough idea about your monthly salary and telling him how you spend it. He can then replicate the same with his pocket money.
Open a student’s savings account: Having a savings account at a local bank will show your child two important things: when money is kept and how is the interest earned. Bank savings accounts help them learn about some basic money management elements and understand how to make deposits and withdrawals. This would make them prudent and independent. Banks these days provide accounts with zero balance facility for students. This gives them the flexibility of usage and frees them from the burden of a maintaining a minimum balance. Set annual targets: Children having savings account could be given goals for the entire year. You can ask him to save a lump sum by the end of the year. Setting rewards will help him achieve the goal. For example, you can plan a trip to his favourite destination if he achieves his target. Achieving targets will make him more responsible towards his savings. In addition to this, setting goals will help him to meet his/her small needs and shopping.
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MONEY SPINNER
Keep communication lines open: But before you apply these techniques, you need to befriend your kid. You can never monitor their every action but you could alwsy keep healthy mode of communication with them — to a level where they are ready to share their little secrets from the schoolroom or of their friends. Thus, you will always be in the loop of whatever is happening in your kid’s life. Once you develop the ease to talk on any topic, you will be able to discuss about where the money goes. But this should be done without challenging your kid’s freedom. For instance, you could tell your child to maintain an account and when the child is over with the money you can have a conversation with him on how he spent the money and what were his shopping requirements. And if there is a comment to be made then you choose your time and make that comment. When the child grows up, this sense of privacy is bound to creep in. At this point in his life he may not want to share much with you about his finances but eventually as your child grows up, he would understand your point said at the young stage. He would then cherish and
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remember these small lessons that would go onto become founding stones of core values in his life.
One should carefully choose a basket of schemes, which should be a combination of debt and equity investments.
Various children insurance plans available in the market not only provide the basic risk cover that is an essential requirement of a long term plan but also offer good tax advantage. It is also be clear that the risk cover under these policies should clearly be on the earning parents and child’s life should not be covered. When compared with other investment avenues, child insurance policies have some advantages.
There are designated children mutual fund schemes available, which can be combined with good diversified equity funds, which together can provide a much better growth opportunities in the long run. One can also use Systematic Investment options available with all the mutual funds, which also saves the entry cost. Even though there is no uniqueness in dedicated children plans, they still provide a number of advantages that are coupled with the income of the parents.
Unit Linked Insurance Plans: The basic, traditional children plans usually work as an alternative for the bank deposits etc. where as unit linked insurance plans can be used as a double advantageous plans where the risk is also covered and the investment decisions will remain in the hands of the investor and thus can generate much better returns. Mutual Funds: There are enough mutual fund schemes are available in the market to meet each and every need of an individual with a various risk appetites.
Direct Equity: It is an option used by knowledgeable investors. The operation and investment styles are that one can open a demat account in the name of child itself and keep on investing and accumulating good quality stocks with long-term track record and with a very good growth opportunities in smaller quantities over a period of time. But one has to be very careful in this and should not get carried away by the momentum of the equity markets.
BLISS
heals
When mu ic
If living life meaningfully is what matters, it’s time we brought in some melody in our lives. It not only entertains, it takes you on a high and leaves you asking for more. Words: Pallavi Singh
M
usic gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” These words by renowned Greek philosopher and mathematician Plato sums up the significance of music. It is something that has always been a part and parcel of one’s being, beginning from the lullabies a mother sings to her child and the soothing notes of a carol in the church to the tinkling of bells accompanied by the divine notes emanating from the temples as part of the early morning prayers or the evening aarti. In fact, music is all around us. How can you forget the sweet chirping of birds around you, the clear tinkling sound of a river as it gently flows round the bend or the anklets on a dancer’s feet as she swerves to the sound of tabla. It goes without saying that life without music is unimaginable. Would you have watched a Hum Aapke Hain Kaun or a Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge without music or songs. Or can you forget the evergreen Hollywood musical of the 60s, Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews, Gilchrist Stuart, Christopher Plummer and Eleanor Parker based on the true story of the Trapp Family singers. Chinese philosopher Confucius said long ago, “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” Playing a musical instrument has many benefits and can bring joy to you and to everyone around you. Research has shown that both listening to music and playing a
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BLISS
musical instrument stimulates your brain and can increase memory. According to an article from The Telegraph online magazine, “New research suggests that regularly playing an instrument changes the shape and power of the brain and may be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills.” There is continually more evidence that musicians have organisationally and functionally different brains compared to non-musicians, especially in the areas of the brain used in processing and playing music. If you learn how to play an instrument, the parts of your brain that control motor skills such as using your hands, running, swimming, balancing, hearing, storing audio information and memory grow and become more active. Other results show that playing an instrument can help your IQ increase by seven points. Popularly referred to as Punjabi music’s true urban balladeer Rabbi Shergill says, “I don’t know how or why exactly playing an instrument is therapeutic. All I can says is that it is.” Learning how to play an instrument requires you to really learn how to be organised and to manage your time wisely. A good musician knows that the quality of practice time is more valuable than the
benefits of music • Research has shown that music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves to resonate in sync with the beat, with faster beats bringing sharper concentration and more alert thinking, and a slower tempo promoting a calm, meditative state. • With alterations in brainwaves comes changes in other bodily functions. Those governed by the autonomic nervous system, such as breathing and heart rate can also be altered by the changes music can bring. This can mean slower breathing or slower heart rate.
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quantity. Music helps you in building a team spirit, an essential component for your success in life. Playing an instrument requires you to work with others to make music. In band and orchestra settings, you must learn how to cooperate with the people around you. Also, in order for a group to make beautiful music, each player and section must learn how to listen to each other and play together. Learning to play an instrument requires time and effort which teaches you patience and perseverance. Music helps enhance coordination, betters mathematical ability as also improves reading and comprehension skills, increases responsibility by way of learning to maintain instruments, remember music events like rehearsals and programmes and taking time out to practice, exposing you to cultural history as well as sharpening your concentration. It fosters your selfexpression and relieves stress, creates a sense of achievement, promotes your social skills, boosts your listening skills, teaches you discipline, enhances your respiratory system in the case of wind instruments, even as all of this will finally leave you happy and content because it is not only self gratifying it also brings happiness to your audience.
Playback singer Shaan feels learning to play an instrument is definitely therapeutic. “It helps you focus your energy and you can concentrate better. As you play an instrument, you listen carefully and this leads to enhanced coordination and improved cognitive skills.” A recent study recently claimed that music therapy was found to reduce psychological stress among pregnant women. Medical experts too say that playing music reduces stress and has been shown to reverse the body’s response to stress at the DNA-level. Playing music lowers heart rates significantly and calms and regulates the blood pressure and respiration rates of patients who have undergone surgery. Research has also shown that blood samples from participants of an hour-long drumming session revealed a reversal of the hormonal stress response and an increase in natural killer cell activity. Anger management music therapy can help people identify the emotions that underlie anger and increase the patient’s awareness of these feelings and situations that can trigger them. If a situation or emotion is presented in a song, healthy options for expressing that feeling can be discussed and conflict resolution and problem solving can be practiced in a positive
Playing a musical instrument can help you control depression, anger, help relax your nerves and reverse stress manner. Drumming is also used by music therapists to help patients appropriately vent anger and other emotions. Another use of drumming can be a non-verbal conversation on drums where the ability to listen to the other person’s drumming is needed to ‘converse’ on the drums. Playing a musical instrument can reverse stress at the molecular level as published in Medical Science Monitor. Making music can help reduce job burnout and improve your mood. According to a study, engaging in playing music reduces depression. Biomedical research in music says that rhythmic cues can help retrain the brain after a stroke or other neurological impairment, such as Parkinson’s disease. Researchers have discovered that hearing slow, steady rhythms such as drumbeats helps Parkinson’s patients move more steadily. Studies show that cancer subjects who participated in a clinical trial using the HealthRhythms protocol (a researchbased group drumming protocol which has demonstrated biological and pscyho-social benefits) showed an increase in natural killer cell activity and an enhanced immune
system. Playing music increases human growth hormone (HgH) production among active old citizens. The findings conducted at the University of Miami, for example, revealed that the test group who took group keyboard lessons showed significantly higher levels of HgH than the control group of people who did not make music. In the case of working adults, Recreational Music Making (RMM) has been scientifically proven to help workplace by reducing employee stress, depression and burnout and improving employee retention. Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas says, “There is an old saying in Hindi that sangeet zinda jadoo hai and it work like magic on your mind and body. Playing an instrument can help you control depression, anger and also relax your nerves. So one must try to learn to play a musical instrument.” Music’s power as a mood booster is unquestionable. Not only does music has the power to affect areas of the brain that improve mood, it can enhance a person’s social life as well. Interacting with a music teacher, meeting fellow students, playing at recitals or entertaining friends and family can strengthen social bonds and heighten a sense of accomplishment. Playing music alone can help people overcome stress and explore or sort out life’s emotions in a positive, healing way. So pick up a guitar or a flute else sit down to play the drums or the tabla. Remember, it’s never too late to start learning.
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RENDEZVOUS
The changing face of
India
Chhavi Rajawat left a flourishing career to get back to her roots and pull her native village Soda out of darkness Words: Meghna Sharma
O
ne look at Chhavi Rajawat and it is difficult to say that she’s the sarpanch of one of the most backward villages in India – Soda. Young, articulate, well-educated and one with a vision – Chhavi, an MBA graduate, shattered all myths when she quit a flourishing career to return to her native village. Soda, situated 60 km from the city of Jaipur falls in the Tonk district, which is home to more than 12 lakh people. The district has an average literacy rate of 53 per cent, lower than the national average of 59.5 per cent but Chhavi is determined to change that through e-education, one of the easiest ways to pull the village out of the darkness of illiteracy. Credited as the changing face of India, Chhavi also represented the country at the UN poverty summit recently. She feels that computerisation will lift the veil of illiteracy from her village. “The youth in the village is mostly unemployed as they couldn’t complete their higher education due to the absence of a college. We want to change that with e-education,” says Chhavi. After taking over as sarpanch, she also launched a website, www. soda-india.in, where she regularly posts about funds allocated for projects such as a village bank, community centre for weddings and cataract surgery for the needy. In a tete-a-tete with this woman of substance, we discover how she is working towards making Soda a better place.
Excerpts: You belong to the Soda village but have had a cosmopolitan upbringing. Tell us something about your growing up years. I went to a boarding school in Andhra Pradesh and completed high school from Mayo College Girls’ School in Ajmer. I then went to Lady Sri Ram College in Delhi for my graduation and later did my MBA from Pune.
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Though I didn’t live in the village, I have spent a considerable part of my vacations all through my growing up years in Soda. So it wasn’t really a new territory for me. You left a successful corporate job to uplift the village you were born in. What made you come back to your roots? The villagers. It was their idea, their dream, their desire. They chose me because of the faith they have in my family. They got my grandpa elected unanimously as sarpanch post his retirement from the army back in 1975. Between my grandpa and me, there’s a gap of 20 years which saw many others in the village become sarpanch. The development work though was brought in only by my grandpa because of which they were keen to bring me in. They were sure that I’ll deliver. In addition, their primary concern was that about 16-18 women wanted to contest these elections which would have meant the village would have fallen apart. They stated if I came in, all would withdraw and the village would remain united. Surprisingly, that is just what happened. Only two women contested against me (one from previous sarpanch’s family and the other appointed by him to divide the votes). The villagers were disappointed but I was glad I got to see the elections closely. I won by the highest margin in the district. Did you always think of following your grandfather Brig. Raghubir Singh’s footsteps and becoming a sarpanch or was it a gradual decision? No, it was a sudden decision. I agreed because I had been visiting my village since my childhood and noticed that, in spite, of funding for rural development having increased over the years, the situation was only getting worse. The village has been my home and I thought if I, who hails from there, did not do something to improve the conditions, how could I possibly expect an
outsider to come do so. My purpose, given the education, is to be a bridging agent between the village and the government as well as the non-government sectors. My vision is to uplift and develop my village in totality, thereby creating a model village the development works of which could then be replicated in other villages in rural India. What was the transition like from a corporate sector to a more social one? It wasn’t really difficult except that it’s been one of moving from an organised sector to
an unorganised one. The panchayats in my area are not as empowered; even an SDO can overrule decisions and cause hindrance to the development. Sanctions are slow and there is not enough funding in the panchayat which is at the complete mercy of the district headquarters. There are limitations even within the government schemes. Thus, outside support is imperative for holistic development of the village. How has your journey been so far? It has been challenging. Getting funds
sanctioned through the district headquarters have been slow and, receiving support from outside difficult! However, when the support does come through (and now it has slowly started to), it is satisfying to see the relief that support and the project is able to bring. What is your message for the youth? Don’t run away from your roots because that is your and the nation’s foundation too. If you want to make a difference, you have got to start at the bottom. There is so much one can do.
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SPOTLIGHT
Shape your child’s future
I
n today’s time education plays a major role shaping one’s future. And a common cause of worry in every parent’s life is their child’s education. As a parent, you would want to provide the best that you can for your children and this includes planning for their educational needs. To fulfill your child’s education goals, you need a savings plan that is designed to provide adequate funds at key educational milestones, and take care of your child’s future even if you are not around.
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ICICI Pru SmartKid Premier at a glance
Minimum Premium
Maximum Premium
With this objective in mind, we present ICICI Pru SmartKid Premier – a unit linked insurance plan that offers flexibility with options to cover both you and your spouse in the same policy while offering you multiple choices to decide how you would like to grow your savings to secure your child’s future.
Key benefits:
Coverage options: Ensure a comprehensive safety net for your child by choosing between: • Single life: Insurance coverage for yourself. • Joint life: Insurance coverage for both you and your spouse in the same policy.* Comprehensive protection for child’s education: Lump sum payment of Sum Assured plus waiver of all future premiums payable under the policy by the Company in the unfortunate event of death of the parent. Units will continue to be allocated as if the premiums are being paid. Multiple portfolio strategies: Choose a personalised portfolio strategy from: • Fixed Portfolio Strategy: Option to allocate your savings in the funds of your choice. • Life Cycle based Portfolio Strategy: A personalised portfolio strategy to create an ideal balance between equity and debt, based on your age. • Trigger Portfolio Strategy: A unique portfolio strategy to protect gains made in equity markets from any future equity market volatility while maintaining a pre-defined asset allocation. Flexible premium payment options: You can either pay premium throughout the policy term or for a limited period. Loyalty additions: Loyalty additions shall be allocated at the end of every fifth policy year, starting from the end of the tenth policy year, provided all due premiums have been paid. This loyalty addition will be calculated as 2% of the average of Fund Values on the last
day of the eight policy quarters preceding the said allocation. Partial withdrawals: Facility to withdraw money at key educational milestones of your child’s life. Tax benefits: Tax benefits under the policy are subject to conditions under Sec. 80C and Sec 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Premium Payment option
Minimum annual premium (Rs.)
Regular Pay
18,000
Limited Pay 5
48,000
Limited Pay 7
36,000
Limited Pay 10
18,000
Rs. 100000 per annum
Premium Payment Term (PPT)
Premium Payment option
Premium payment term
Regular Pay
Policy Term
Limited Pay 5
5 years
Limited Pay 7
7 years
Limited Pay 10
10 years
Policy Term
10,15,20 or 25 years
Minimum Sum Assured
Higher of (10 x annual premium) and (0.5 x Policy Term x annual premium)
Maximum Sum Assured
As par maxmum Sum Assured multiples
Min/Max age at entry (Parent)
20/60 years for Single Life, 55 for Joint Life
Max age at maturity (Parent)
70 years for Single Life, 65 years Joint Life
Min/Max age at entry (Child)
0/15 years
Modes or Premium Payment
Yearly / Half yearly / Monthly
How does the policy work?
With these simple steps you can secure your child’s future: • Choose the premium amount, sum assured, coverage option, premium payment option, premium payment mode, policy term and portfolio strategy for your policy. • After deducting the premium allocation charges, the balance amount will be invested in the portfolio strategy of your choice. • At maturity, the Fund Value including Top Up Fund Value, if any, shall become payable. Alternatively, the Settlement Option can be chosen.
Death Benefits
In the unfortunate event of death of the parent (Life Assured) during the term of the policy, the Company shall pay the full Sum Assured and shall also waive all the future premiums payable under the policy while continuing the allocation of units as if the premiums are being paid.
* In case of the joint life option, the death benefit shall become payable on death of either of the parents, whichever is earlier. The maturity benefit shall become payable on the date of maturity.
IN THIS POLICY, THE INVESTMENT RISK IN THE INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO IS BORNE BY THE POLICY HOLDER Unlike traditional products, Unit linked insurance products are subject to market risk, which affect the Net Asset Values and the customer shall be responsible for his/ her decision. The names of the Company, Product names or fund options do not indicate their quality or future guidance on returns. Funds do not offer guaranteed or assured returns. Investments are subject to market risk. © 2012, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co. Ltd Registered Address: - ICICI Pru Life Towers, 1089 Appasaheb Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai-400025. Reg No: 105. Insurance is the subject matter of the solicitation. UIN of the product 105L120V02 For more details on the risk factors, term and conditions please read sales brochure carefully before concluding the sale. Tax benefits under the policy are subject to conditions under Sec. 80C and Sec 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Service tax and education cess will be charged extra as per applicable rates Tax laws are subject to amendments from time to time. P/II/675/2012-13
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SPOTLIGHT
plan
Failing to means planning to
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fail
O
ne of the true secrets of success is the ability to look far into the future. And planning ahead definitely helps a great deal. Each one of us has certain important milestones to be achieved be it owning a house, our children’s education and marriage, or having ample funds in one’s retirement kitty. It would certainly be a dream come true if one could achieve everything. However, this would require careful planning and a regular savings approach. ICICI Pru Guaranteed Savings Insurance Plan is an endowment plan that ensures that you and your family are free of any financial worries by helping you plan your future wisely. Let’s look at some of the benefits the plan assures:
Key benefits • Pay premiums for a limited period and enjoy a long term savings benefit. • You will receive a Guaranteed Maturity Benefit (GMB). (Conditions apply*) • Your GMB at policy inception would be equal to the Sum Assured, which is the sum of all payable premiums. • The GMB would increase with guaranteed Regular Additions, which accrue throughout the term of the policy. • You may also receive a Maturity Addition at the end of policy term. • In unfortunate event of death you get a death benefit, which is the higher of sum of all premiums paid till date compounded at the rate of 5% per annum and 10 times of annual premium. • Tax benefits on the premium paid and
ICICI Pru Guaranteed Savings Insurance Plan ensures that you and you family are free of financial woes benefits recieved under the policy as per the prevailing Income Tax Laws. So what are you waiting for, invest in the ICICI Pru Guaranteed Savings Insurance Plan now and make sure you achieve all you future goals. The table below lists the historical Regular Addition Rates for GSIP since its inception Period
Regular Adition Rates
October’10 - December’10
4.00%
January’11 - March’11
4.10%
April’11 - June’11
4.00%
July’11 – Sept’11
4.20%
October’11 – December’11
4.40%
January’12 - March’12
4.10%
April’12 - June’12
4.40%
July’12 – Sept’12
4.10%
*Past performance is not indicative of future performance Terms & Conditions • Guaranteed benefits are available only if all premiums are paid as per the premium paying term and the policy is in-force till the completion of entire policy term opted • The RA shall be calculated as a percentage of the SA and is guaranteed to be 50% of the annualized gross redemption yield (GRY) of the 10-year Government Securities (G-Sec), rounded down to the lower 0.2%. The RA rate shall be declared every quarter and will be applicable to all policies whose policy anniversary falls in that quarter. The applicable RA shall accrue to your policy at the end of each policy year. Disclaimers © 2012, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Registered Address: ICICI Pru Life Towers, 1089 Appasaheb Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai-400025. Reg No: 105. Insurance is the subject matter of the solicitation. UIN 105N114V02. For more details on the risk factors, term and conditions please read sales brochure carefully before concluding the sale. Tax benefits under the policy are subject to conditions under Sec. 80C and Sec 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Service tax and education cess will be charged extra as per applicable rates Tax laws are subject to amendments from time to time. P/II/751/2012-13. | 3 9
HAUTE COUTURE
The young and the
talented Young fashion designers always bring a whiff of freshness at the fashion galas around the world. In this education special, we bring you the story of two fashion design students’ special debut. Words: Meghna Sharma
A
mid legendary fashion houses, famed couturiers and industry elite, an enthusiastic crop of young designers made their debut on one of fashion fraternity’s largest stage – Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive. Taking their skills from the classroom to the runway, two Inter National Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) students presented a show that was worthy of opening a fashion week. We are talking about the talented Asa Kazingmei and Kavita Sharma, students of the INIFD, the official knowledge partner to Lakme Fashion Week for seven consecutive years. Talking about this long-standing collaboration, Anil Khosla, CEO INIFD Ltd, says, “We are pleased to be associated with Lakme Fashion Week as its official knowledge partner. This season two of our fashion sesign students were selected as the Gen Next designers. Such young designers help in adding a fresh perspective to this dynamically changing industry and space.” LFW offers students and recent graduates an opportunity to present their looks to a global audience and get a glimpse at what it takes to market themselves. In the company of Neeta Lulla, Shivan & Narresh, Sanchita Ajjampur Kallol Datta among others these students showed powerful women’s wear collection. Their designs demonstrated the culmination of techniques learnt in the classroom and brought to life by the range, vision and creativity of the young designers. “It has been gratifying to watch our students grow not only as designers and artists but also as human beings,” says Anil.
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( L e f t & a b o v e ) A s a K a z i n g m e i ’ s c r e a t i o n s
Asa Kazingmei Immortal Fashion When LFW opened, one set of designs stood out — striking red and black combinations, running motifs of diamonds and shawls and clean lines with bold architectural structures. The applause and notice people took were an obvious testament to creator Asa Kazingmei’s talent. The 28-year-old marked his debut as part of the Gen Next Designers who kicked off the five-day event. The designer from Ukhrul, Manipur, has drawn on the customs of his people — the Tangkhul Naga tribe — to create his collection, Immortal. Over 250 aspiring designers applied from all over the world and Kazingmei was one of the seven chosen ones. Presenting the collection, Kazingmei was inspired by the beauty of the Naga tribe’s textiles of Tangkhul. Unconventional thread work and weaves of the fabrics were highlighted by the creativity of Asa. Interesting lattice work on black and maroon sheaths and stunning abstract prints for asymmetric hemline dresses were the eye-catching additions to his range. Using the beautiful shawls – Raivat and Chonkhom, Asa transformed them into amazing couture creations with unbelievable cutting and construction techniques. The opening asymmetric dress in chiffon and hand woven fabric was a stunner; followed by the two-piece dress with a wired hemline in fiery red. Each piece was a show stopper as sensational stand up collars and wired curved and asymmetric skirts dazzled the audience with the colourful weaves of the Manipur region. It was a fashionable ode to the immortal spirit of Tangkhul that the designer recreated on the catwalk.
Excerpts: What was it like debuting on a huge platform like LFW? I came to Mumbai with a dream... a dream to make it big in this fashion industry. It’s a dream come true to showcase my collection at LFW. How would you define yourself? I’m edgy, non-conformist and contemporary yet grounded in tradition. I am someone who keeps pushing boundaries to outdo myself everytime.
Immortal as the name suggests is the theme of my line which is dedicated to the never dying art form of our nation
What inspired your collection? They say the same fashion comes back every few years... have your mother, aunts or grandmothers influenced your collection? My collection was inspired by the beauty and the intricacies of hand woven textiles from a Tangkhul Naga Tribe. Immortal as the name suggests is the theme of my line which is dedicated to the never dying art form of our nation. My theme revolves around the mesmerising beauty of Northeast and its hand woven textiles. My line is developed with the help of hand woven fabrics but in a very contemporary style for today’s women ageing between twenties to forties or may be more if the physical aspects allows. Tell us about your collection. The diamond motifs I have incorporated in my designs are mostly found in each and every art piece. Yes, an art piece because of its immortal beauty and finesse. Every piece has a story behind it, the motifs depicting the bravery of the soldiers and the shawls are draped by the superior head of the family. What are things you learnt and did not learn at the fashion school? My knowledge of stitching helped me in subjects like pattern-making and garment construction. I managed to learn patternmaking techniques which are different to what tailor’s use as also the art of fashion illustration. Once upon a time, fashion was not a career choice... how and when did it change? It was always a profession but people always thought that if one wants to become a designer it means he’d be a tailor. Media exposure has helped in changing people’s views.
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HAUTE COUTURE
Kavita Sharma Intricately embellished ‘It’s a Beautiful Life’ was the collection that Kavita Sharma showed at LFW Winter/ Festive 2012 which displayed touches of elegance and simplicity. Keeping true to her theme, the inspirations were simple and naive like a telephone booth, children’s park, zebra crossing, ice cream parlour and clock tower which were used for the intricately crafted embellished dresses, long skirts and seductive tops. White skirts with 3D appliqué of insects and butterflies, asymmetric halter over resort print skirt, white jacket with appliqués and ombré maxi, the burnt effect layered skirt and the frayed edged appliqués of architecture; gave the collection a rustic yet modern touch. Very bohemian and ultra trendy, the collection had that youthful look for the coming season.
Excerpts: How did you feel when you showcased your collection at LFW? It was amazing. I was a little nervous but the energy at the fashion week was spectacular. It was an honour to be part of such a huge platform and sharing the stage with the legends of the fashion industry. What inspired your collection? Bhagwat Gita inspired me a lot. My collection was basically based on the idea of rebirth depicted in the Bhagwad Gita. It’s about a child who is amused by his surroundings, and all my creations depicted different stories.
( A b o v e & f a c i n g p a g e ) K a v i t a S h a r m a ’ s c r e a t i o n s a t t h e L F W W i n t e r / F e s t i v e 2 0 1 2
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They say the same fashion comes back every few years... have your mother, aunts or grandmothers influenced your collection? Yes, that’s true but fashion is always evolving. Designers like me do take cues from certain eras but put out our own imagination to work and present that trend in our own way. I wasn’t really influenced by women in my family when it comes to this particular collection but
probably in my future collections, I might take an inspiration from their style. Being an undergraduate and still learning the nuances of fashion design, how helpful was this experience? Undoubtedly, this was an experience that has taught me a lot. As a fashion design student, we dreamt to debut at such a platform and I understand not many people get an opportunity like this. I guess all my hardwork paid off and I hope to learn from this experience and implement it in future collections. I also got a chance to meet some of the biggest fashion designers, some of whom have inspired me a lot. It’s said one can’t be taught how to pen poetry and similarly that a sense of style and fashion can’t be taught... Do you agree? That’s true. One needs to be creative enough to understand fashion. That’s how you can stand out individually; otherwise everyone will look like clones of each other.
One needs to be creative to understand fashion and that’s how you can stand out individually or you will look like a clone
What prepared you to assume the responsibility that comes along with being a professional designer? I learnt every aspect of fashion designing at INIFD. Our college’s design programmes are very exhaustive and our professors teach us the intricate aspects of designing. I learnt to make illustrations, draping, pattern making and garment construction at the college itself.
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WANDERER
People always see the
better side
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Carrying a legacy of five generations of an army background, Rannvijay Singh has had the opportunity to travel a lot and his profession has just extended that privilege. Words: Amir Ali Hashmi
R
annvijay Singh, a veejay-turnedactor, who came into his own after playing a participant, then judge, in MTV’s popular show, Roadies, learns a lot when travelling. A keen observer of the happenings taking place around, he tries to grab whatever he can during that short encounter. Born on March 16, 1983, in Jalandhar, he went to nine different schools. “As my father is in army, it gave me an opportunity to travel a lot during the initial years of my life and thus, get acquainted with the learning that is an inseparable part of travel,” he says. Counting the positives of travel, he says, “Travel gives you knowledge, you become independent, it helps you to adapt to situations, and also helps in developing good communication skills.” He adds, “By getting a chance to travel to not only in India but abroad too, you get to notice different cultures, people and food. This broadens horizon towards life and work.”. An actor, VJ, and one of India’s most visible television anchors, he tries to get the maximum out of his travel, which forms an integral part of his work schedule. He was a participant and finalist in the first season of MTV Roadies in 2003 and subsequently has hosted the show since then. By next month, he will get involved with the tenth season of the show. Travelling has indeed shaped up his personality and given him a world view. According to him, travelling abroad helps one to see newer things, new adventures, sports and food. “I love adventure sports and outdoor
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WANDERER
filmogrAphy Year
Film
Role
2009
Toss: A Flip of Destiny
Ryan
London Dreams
Zoheb Khan
2010
Action Replayy
Kundan Lal
2011
Mumbai Cutting
Is in the Segment “10 Minutes”
Dharti
Heera Singh
Mod
Andy/Abhay
Taur Mittran Di
Ranbir
2012
activities like rock climbing. Adrenaline is what I eat for breakfast. Pushing the limits is what I have always craved. What better way to let out the animal in you. I have always had an extreme liking for motorised transport like the bikes. I take my adventure sport to extreme biking, rock climbing, kayaking, running, snowboarding, mountaineering and from parasailing to paragliding. River rafting is also an essential part of my holiday plans,” says he. This means that Rannvijay has eaten almost everything, which he has shared during various media interactions, such as raw snakes, cooked reptiles, scorpions, cockroaches and much more. “Travel,” says Rannvijay, “means you meet a lot of people and go through various experiences. This, in turn, helps in getting into the skin of various characters that you play as an actor. You go back in time and recall various things you have experienced. And then it translates into a real life role.” Travel experiences stay with the person and can come in handy even after years, shares the actor. Recalling a character he played for Nagesh Kukunoor’s Mod, he says, “I played this character of a very shy guy. When essay-
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ing the role, I recalled the time when in school. I went for the national level tournament as a part of the basketball team. There I noticed a boy who was good at table tennis but when it came to interacting with people, he was extremely reserved. That guy played in my mind when I essayed the role.” Recently, Rannvijay went to Leh, a place which has a special place in his heart. “There are so many good things there. It is beautiful, calm and if you want little activities you can always hit the main market,” he adds. However, even here he saw through the smiling faces of locals in the summers and understood the difficult climate and times these people face there. The highly observant side of Rannvijay came to fore and he described the hardships at length. The journey to such places has also taught him good lessons in life. “Most of the tourists come here in summers and see the beautiful climate and enjoy it. They only see the smiling faces of the local people. However, if you image winter here when temperature goes below zero degree, life becomes tough. This has taught me a lesson that people always see the better side and hardly care about the other part,” he shares.
Places close to Rannvijay’s heart are LehLadakh, Kerala, Goa and army stations where his father has been posted Being busy as he is, how does he find time to meet common people who inspire such emotions and learning? “As a judge for MTV Roadies, we have the opportunity to travel and scout a lot of locations. And we always work with lot of people around - production guys, cameraman, event managers... So it gives us an opportunity to get to know different people with different backgrounds. Then we always go out in cities and meet people. Life as a celebrity VJ is more difficult than in the army. I have friends in the army and they are pretty chilled out. They have time for everything: workouts, friends, family and vacations. And me, I often don’t even get time to eat! Sometimes, I work for 76 hours at a stretch.” The places that are close to his heart are Leh-Ladakh, Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan and army stations where his father has been posted.
Rannvijay is, at present, working on a Nagesh Kukunoor action film where he will be playing a role of a disgraced boxer. Kukunoor decided he would make a bio-pic on a boxer after shooting with Singh for Mod. He made his debut as an actor in 2009 in the Bollywood film Toss: A Flip of Destiny. He went on to do supporting roles in London Dreams and Action Replayy for director Vipul Shah. He made his debut in Punjabi Films in 2010 in the film Dharti which was the debut production of Jimmy Shergill and was a huge box office success. Since Rannvijay is based in Mumbai, Goa and Pune are his weekend getaways whenever he is in town. “The drive to Goa takes a while but then the beaches are amazing. Pune is a chilled out city, I enjoy spending time with my brother and friends in the city,” he says.
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SOUL
Sense of
belongingness Remember that you only succeed when you are compassionate, cultured and committed Words: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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N
ot many of you will be aware of the fact that the first lesson in management begins with the mind and the remaining happens in the body. This means that when the mind is able to manage or control itself, it can handle just about anything. Therefore, it is important that we keep away from grudge, hatred and bitterness so as to enable the mind to function properly. However, despite innumerable efforts, problems do sneak in time and again which need mature handling, understanding and development. In fact, it has become imperative be it for the growth of an organisation or society. But when do you succeed? Only when you are compassionate, cultured and committed. Always remember that you are a global person and the world belongs to you. There is some virtue to be learnt from every part of this world. Be it teamwork from Japan; precision from Germany; marketing and negotiation skills from the United States or courtesy, decency and refinement from the British and human values from the villages of India. Special qualities are present everywhere in the world, even in you but they require nourishment. Another aspect affecting us is stress. When you are under stress, you don’t listen to anyone. Conventionally, there are three kinds of people who do not listen – the stressed, the unhappy and the deaf. They don’t listen to any reason. Also, if someone is against you, even if they are talking sense, you get biased in your judgment due to your dislike for that person. In fact, you don’t even absorb or accept the good things they talk about you. Your opinion towards them is that they are wrong. So what you do in such a situation? First of all, recognise these as your problems. Once you know this, half of the problem is solved. The next step is to improve communication and develop human values in the set up, in the environment and
The more responsibilities you have, the more stressed you are and the more the need for you to take some time off for yourself the surroundings. The aim is to create a sense of belongingness and a broad vision to deal with stress. There are a number of programmes on relief from stress. From timeto-time get together to sing, meditate, loosen up and celebrate. Whenever you have to do any important job, another technique you can follow is to give it a 15-second gap. Start off on this today as the mind has a strange tendency and indulges in anything that’s wrong almost instantly. From now on, postpone it. For example, if you want to shout at somebody, delay or defer it. You will find that this will help you in the long run and prove beneficial too. Another important part of management is creativity. All CEOs and all chairmen want to better their business but they sideline the research and development or the creativity bit. The same is assumed for scientists. Creativity can come only from silence. Just maintain two minutes of silence and a whole new dimension of life opens up before you. After you read this, either your mind is calm and quiet or there is a chain of thoughts. Are you aware of what is happening when you are interacting with people or the inner dialogue you are having with yourself? Therefore, awareness is important as it creates health and you become healthier. Therefore, always attend to the source of creativity, as our consciousness is its source. Also, take out time for yourself, as it is a great investment opportunity. The key is not to waste any time. Take time off, at least, once a year from your busy schedule to
expand your awareness and by indulging in meditation. Over a period, you will be able to achieve a lot with minimal efforts. The aim is to develop an understanding within ourselves that we need to spend some time for ourselves. The more responsibilities you have, the more stressed you are and the more the need for you to take some time off for yourself to rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit. Bring out the enormous amount of creativity that is hidden within you as the creator is within you. Everybody should spend a little time with themselves as it is the greatest, biggest, most yielding investment for sure.
counter stress • Discuss your stressful feelings with someone you trust who will listen without being judgmental or pressuring you to their own point of view. • Be willing to take risk and make change, no matter how small. • If you learn about how your body reacts to stress, you can learn how to counter that stress. • Sometimes a change, however small, can do wonders for your spirit. • Make your own life better by making someone else’s life better.
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Learning is fun... ... also it is a never-ending process. Learning is not confined to childhood or the classroom, but takes place throughout life and in a range of situations. We present some of them through this photo spread
Pedalling to success In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn
Magnify one and all Change is the end result of all true learning
Mould it best Learning is not child’s play; we cannot learn without pain.
Not just play The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn
Pristine as water The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you
Strike the right chord A man, though wise, should never be ashamed of learning more, and must unbend his mind
Balancing act Small minds have always lashed out at what they don’t understand
Inking the future There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent
Colour my dreams Wisdom.... comes not from age, but from education and learning
The right move ...to learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know
Life in black and white You have learned something. That always feels at first as if you have lost something
Right steps Everybody who is incapable of learning has taken to teaching
Sing along I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught
Waves of future Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself
Life’s a ball Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation
Get the right shape To learn something new, take the path that you took yesterday
Knowledge bank Few activities are as delightful as learning new vocabulary
IMPRESSIONS
What some of world’s greatest people thought about education
Literary education is of no value, if it is not able to build up a sound character. -Mahatma Gandhi You can never be overdressed or overeducated. -Oscar Wilde
When you know better you do better. -Maya Angelou
Books are the means by which we build bridges between cultures. -Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan
Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil. -C.S. Lewis
Give a girl an education and introduce her properly into the world, and ten to one but she has the means of settling well, without further expense to anybody. -Jane Austen
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