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 May,2010   May, 2010 Eve’s Times

Enhance your life

Rs. 25.00

Exotic Destinations
Mesmerizing Mauritius, Venice,
Egypt, Bankok, Greece…..

India Incredible
Andaman & Nicobar,
Hyderabad, Kerala, Chennai

Kaleidoscope
Know your jewelry

❥ A Smile to Remember - Care of Teeth ❥ Star Chef’s Summer Recipes

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May, 2010 Eve’s Times

Scalding and Hot

India is getting hotter every year (pun intended). While the temperature graph keeps soaring, one
is worried if we may end up competing with the Middle East and some African countries as far as
the heat is concerned. Finally, the world and especially our country has woken up to the issue of
global warming and at least on paper strategies are being written out. When and how they are being
implemented, if at all, is anybody’s guess. There is no dearth of policies and schemes that have been
chalked out since our nation was born. Yet, we seem to be slipping down in all possible development
indices globally. While leaving it to the experts to deal with the issue of warming, as a media person
I am concerned about the heat being generated all around due to the blatant display of corruption
and the resultant upshot of public bickering, scheming and compromising .

One is apprehensive to even plug on the television today, for fear of ‘today’s breaking news’. There
seems to be so many breaking news on all news channels, and the same is reflected in the print the
next day. Whether it is the delayed justice being meted out to the accused in Jessica’s or Ruchika’s
case, or the mind-boggling sordidness and magnitude of corruption in sports, or the argument over
why Kasab should be spared or not spared, every scrap of news is again a casualty in the money
game, because, then again it is all a matter of TRP.

I never watch a cricket match!

There was a time when I adored cricket. Men like Gundappa Vishwanath, Gavaskar, Kirmani, Ven-
katraghavan, Bishen Singh Bedi and Kapil Dev were important people in our lives. We read up every
little news about them. Whenever there was a cricket match, we stuck little transistors to our ears like
the collegians do today with their mobile phones. Amidst a lecture in the class room in Delhi Univer-
sity, there would be sudden eruptions of hurray and whispers communicating the latest scores to all
ears. At home we were cheerleaders, urging Bedi to stay on till India managed to capture the last run
in the last over and last ball. We were on the edge of our chairs, when our players always managed to
keep the blood pressure soaring till the nail-biting finish. We reveled when Kapil Dev held the world
cup aloft and distributed toffees to our friends and celebrated by going for a movie. All that came to
an end with the ‘betting game’ that was a major factor in transforming a national game into a farce.
And the farce not only continues, but has reached mammoth proportions, enriching many Swiss
Bank Accounts, selling players, flaunting celebrities and hot cheerleaders with scanty clothes, all the
name of the game. The heat is on!

Ciao,

Swati Amar
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Eve’s Times May, 2010

Content
Exotic Destinations
Wold Tours
Globe-Trotting this Summer 8
Mesmerizing Mauritius 12
Magical Venice 16
Greece, the land of islands 20
Buddhas of Bangkok 23
Egypt, the land of pyramids 28

India Incredible
Unraveling Nature’s Bountry 30
Hollywood in Hyderabad 34
Jews of Cochin 38
Culture and Crocodiles on ECR 42

Take it Light
Fitness First

Jus’ Ask Brinda 46

Fitness First 63
A SMILE TO REMEMBER 65
Art Nook 67
Salt & Peper Korner 71
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May, 2010 Eve’s Times

Travel Quiz 49

Jest 4
Summer Super Laughs 52
Samaiyal 69

Your Jewel Designing

Statement 54 Careers 56
Summer Beauty 61
Exquisite Jewelry The Big Screen 72
By a Jewel 76 Allowing the
Kaleidoscope 78 Feminine to Flow 80
The special all-girls team from
Stella Maris College, Chennai,
that helped put together this
issue
Urmimala
Stellina
Josephine Nirupama
Sylvia

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Eve’s Times May, 2010

Cover Page Credit

Chennai Silks

Kalpana Yuvaraaj

160
May, 2010

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May, 2010 Eve’s Times

World
Tour

Exotic
Destinations
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Eve’s Times
Globe-Trotting this Summer
T here are no Dream
Destinations! In an era
when everybody flaps their
wings and does a Christopher
Columbus, no land is left
unexplored or visited. Well,
recession does not seem to
have dampened the spirits of
families bitten by the travel
bug this summer. Says Thomas
C Thottathil, Head-Corporate
Communications, Cox & Kings
India Ltd, “This year the travel
industry has picked up We are
seeing a growth of 25% as the
travel sentiment continues to
improve.”
F| 8
Kashmira, Commissariat COO,
Kuoni India (SOTC) says, “Spe-
cialized experiential innovative
products are becoming popular
and will drive the Indian tourism
industry in the future. Emer-
gence of niche products like ad-
venture sports, luxury holidays,
Spa & Wellness retreats, wild-
life vacations amongst others
have added a new dimension
to tourism and played a major
role in the growth of the indus-
try. Sports travel is distinctly on
the rise in India. DLF IPL and
ICC World Twenty20, England
2009 received an incredible
May, 2010
response with sports enthusi-
asts opting for sports packages.
With sports events like the ICC
Champions Trophy and FIFA
World Cup coming up sport lov-
ers are keen on attending these
events leading to an increase in
sports tourism.
Kashmira enumerates the
trends of the Indian outbound
travelers, “People with less
time for leisure are likely to
take more frequent but shorter
trips nearer home, opening up
opportunities for ‘neighbour-
ing country’ tourism. Weekend
breaks are becoming popular.
Exotic/ varied places in India,
theme based and experimental
holidays are becoming popu-
lar. Travelers are evolving and
the well traveled travelers are
opting for tours that are differ-
ent. The experienced traveler
opts for authentic, off-the-beat-
en-track vacations in remote
and less well-known places as
against luxurious five-star va-
cations, leading to an interest
in rural and ethnic tourism.”
May, 2010
To counter the effects of reces-
sion, Thomas Cook India came
out with an innovative product
this summer which is an ad-
ditional destination for four
days , completely free of cost,
but with the same quality of
stay, transport and sight-see-
ing that travelers enjoy during
their trip. One of the pioneers
in introducing innovative prod-
ucts, Thomas Cook promotes
the concept of ‘Honest Destina-
tions for Honest Prices.’
Travel companies are vying
with one another to lure the
traveling populace with attrac-
tive offers. Cox & Kings offer
Cash-Back tour packages. If
you take up a European Pack-
age of 14 Days and 13 Nights,
it will cost you Rs 157,999 per
person on twin sharing basis
but you will get cash back of
Rs. 55,300/- returned once the
full and final payment has been
made before the trip. The tour
price includes return airfare;
accommodation; overseas trav-
el insurance; services of Cox &
Kings tour leader or local rep-
resentative; meals, coach trans-
fers, entrance fees, excursions,
sightseeing and surface trans-
portation as mentioned in the
itinerary.
SOTC has gone a step head of-
fering The ‘YRF Enchanted
Journey’ which gives consum-
ers a firsthand opportunity to
live the authentic YRF experi-
ence by visiting original sites
and locations in Switzerland
used by Yash Raj Films, as
well as engaging with vari-
ous themes and elements seen
in the Studio’s most famous
movies, including Dilwale
Dulhania Le Jayenge, Mohab-
batein, Veer Zaara, Chandni,
Eve’s Times
Darr and Bachna Ae Hasee-
no.. SOTC has added Yash Raj
Films’ “Enchanted Journey”
exclusively on SOTC’s Tours of
Europe. This includes 15-Day
Grand Tour of Europe with
Free Mediterranean Cruise (3
additional nights on cruise to
Greece & Turkey) and free one
additional night stay in Athens.
Customers booking now would
get an additional discount of up
to Rs 50,000 per couple.
Thomas Cook offers a free desti-
nation with its travel packages.
If you take their Europe Bargain
package tour you can visit nine
destinations in fourteen days
for a cost of Rs 64,250 + Eur
1355. You also get any destina-
tion of your choice free of cost
for four days. You could decide
to visit Scotland or Ireland or
take a cruise in Turkey. You
may also want to go to Cairo or
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Eve’s Times May, 2010

Dubai or Spain
or Berlin and
Prague or visit Nice
and the French Rivera.
Professional, multilingual and
experienced Indian tour managers
travel with you throughout your tour in Eu-
rope. They also offer daily continental breakfast, 9 Jain/
vegetarian lunches and 13 Indian Jain/vegetarian/non-vegetarian dinners.

The most preferred national destinations today are the hill stations. Kashmir, Leh and Ladakh are
emerging to be frontrunners. As for outbound tours, the most popular ones are Europe, The US and
the Far East comprising of Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. Tours to Australia, New Zealand,
South Africa, Mauritius, Maldives and Dubai are also popular.

If you go through a travel agent the cost of your trip comes down. On your own, if you plan to book
a star hotel for your family, you cannot get the rates that your travel agent gives you simply because
of the volume of business they generate for the hospitality industry. Also you will get to see strategic
locations within a planned time period. Apart from group tours, travel companies also offer custom
made packages for families. You don’t have to fret completing travel formalities such as organizing
tickets, visa, insurance etc. With all the hassles accompanying a trip taken care of and with the travel
companies competing to offer you a lot of value-added bonanza, after planning your finances all you
have to do is to put your feet up and wait for your dream holidays.

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Eve’s Times May, 2010

A beautiful, tropical island set in the Indian Ocean; Mauritius is an ideal holiday destination. The
island is known for its lovely beaches which are some of the best in the world and the whole
island is ringed by coral reefs which make it ideal for snorkeling and water sports. The island is
the perfect getaway for a relaxed and lazy vacation but it would be a sure waste to miss out the
multicultural capital of Mauritius; Port Louis, also the main port of Mauritius. Traces of its past
elegance are found in the fine French colonial buildings, especially the Government House and the

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“market o Port Louis”. A widee collection
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lection
n of
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tropiica
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After exploring the town the next stop should be Pamplemousses which is the royal botanical gardens.
It is a 60 acre garden which boasts of 500 different species of plants, of which 80 are palms. Pamp-
lemousses also features plants from all over the world –such as wild bananas, cam-
phor trees, and clover and nutmeg trees from Manila. It also houses an art gallery.
The main holiday centre in Mauritius is the Grand Baie. It is a charming village
with white, sandy beaches bordered with shops and restaurants. Initially a tiny
fishing village it is now the hub for yachting, water skiing, windsurfing and many
other water sports. Next in line comes Curepipe and Chameral Colored earth. A

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May, 2010 Eve’s Times
fascinating phenomenon of nature; they are colored dunes of volcanic ash naturally displayed in
the orderly pattern of seven colors. Curepipe is now a residential city of 75,000 inhabitants which
took its rise when inhabitants of Port Louis took refuge from the malarial epidemic. Grand Bay was
the first area of the island to fully experience the tourist boom. A shopping and leisure paradise,
Grand Bay also happens to be the area where Mauritians head for when they want a fun-filled night
out. There are also quite a few nature preserves in Mauritius such as the Domaine Du Chasseur na-
ture reserve and the Macabee Bel Ombre nature reserve. Stags, monkeys and boars live amidst the
luxuriant vegetation of the hillside. One can also watch a few species of endangered birds, including

the kestrel. There are bungalows and restaurants to cater to the tourist’s requirements. Islands that
are a must visit include the Ile Aux Cerfs Island and the Rodrigues Islands.

Where transportation is concerned the common way to enter Mauritius is by plane. Air Mauritius
is the national carrier travelers coming from abroad and operates a network of routes to the local
islands and to international destinations in Africa, Australia, Europe and Asia. It is a long journey via

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Eve’s Times
ships and so not many travelers
seek this mode of transporta-
tion. However the Mauritius
Pride and the Trochetia are the
Mauritian vessels that usually
sail to Reunion Island, Rodri-
gues Island and Madagascar.
While in Mauritius there are
many bus services and car rent-
al firms which cater to the trav-
el needs of the tourist. Bicycles
and motorbikes are also avail-
able for hire. When it come to
water sports such as diving and
surfing the best season to visit
the island is from December to
March and June to August. The
Christmas and New Year period
is usually packed with tourists.
Light summer clothes such as
t-shirts, shorts and swimming
costumes are best suited for the
climate of Mauritius. Mauritian
rupee is the currency used. To
conclude, Mauritius is a splen-
did holiday destination. Mauri-
tians are hospitable people who
respect other traditions and are
extremely proud of their own
culture. So, for all you travel
freaks out there Mauritius
F| 14
May, 2010
❖ It is advisable not to patron-
ize unlicensed taxis; the ride
might be cheaper but there
are high risks of burglary.
should be the next travel desti-
nation and well, for all the non
travel freaks you might as well
go there anyways right? There
will be no regrets!
TRAVEL TIPS:
❖ There is a slight risk of ma-
laria in Mauritius, it is ad-
visable to take yellow fever
vaccination before planning
a trip
❖ While there, don’t miss out
on the local restaurants; you
might discover that fried rice
has more than one flavour!
❖ Carry light woolens for the
winter months From May to
September.
❖ October through April is an
excellent time for big game
fishing as large predators
feed close to shore.
❖ In Mauritius, private cars
have black registration plates
while rental cars have yellow
registration plates. Foreign By Urmimala & Sylvia, Stella
license is accepted. Maris College, Chennai
Eve’s Times
T here are some places that
have a magical ring to
them. Venice in Italy is one such
place. It is a captivating city that
attracts thousands of tourists
from all over the world. Venice
is known for its innumerable
palaces and churches that are
repositories of remarkable
Renaissance art in the form of
F| 16
Magical Venice -The L
frescoes, sculptures, paintings
and mosaics.
The tourism sector in Venice
is doing good business and the
city boasts of a number of tour-
ist attractions. The first of these
is the Canal Grande. It is a won-
derful stretch of water and it is
often referred to as ‘the most
beautiful street in the city’.
Traveling along the historic ca-
nal is a great way to see some
of the city’s most spectacular
and extravagant architecture.
The city is also known for its
number of churches and exqui-
site buildings. The Basilica di
Santa Maria is one of the most
important church in Venice and
May, 2010
its architecture is a rare combi-
nation of plain brickwork and
fine detail. The church has a
striking interior and contains
many high quality pieces of art-
work. Next comes the Chiesa
di San Sebastiano or Church of
St.Sebastian. This church was
built in the 16th century, deco-
rated by artist Paolo Veronese
and the interiors are filled with
wonderful frescoes and can-
vases which cover most of the
ceiling and walls making it tru-
ly individual. Scuola Grande di
San Rocco is a splendid build-
ing with large, white marble
columns on the façade. The
interior of the building is abso-
lutely breathtaking. The Campo
dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo is a
square that is full of many popu-
 May, 2010
e Land of Gondolas and More..
lar attractions of Venice. It con-
tains many wonderful sights. It
features an imposing sculpture
which stands in the square. One
of the most precious Christian
relics, the body of St Mark was
recovered by a miracle and bur-
ied beneath the Basilica di San
Marco. This church is a jewel
in the Venetian crown and a
symbol of the power and wealth
that Venice had once attained.
The Palazzo Ducale is a beau-
tiful, Gothic- style palace that
was a showcase of architecture,
craftsmanship and artistry of
the times. This palace in addi-
tion to living quarters also con-
tained meeting rooms, offices,
law courts etc which are all con-
nected to the palace.
Venice also has an amazing gal-
lery, the Gallerie dell’Accademia
which contains the finest collec-
tion of Venetian art. Renowned
works are housed here such as
the Tempest by Giorgione and
Pieta by Titian. Ponte di Rialto
is one of Venice’s most famous
bridges arched over the Grand
Canal. It is the city’s centre for
old trading area and trades such
as wine, coal and iron that are
still reflected in the nearby street
names. To this day, shops are
strung along this bridge, selling
jewelry, linens and glass. The
Ca’ d’Oro is a Venetian Gothic
palace displaying incredible op-
ulence with its elegant architec-
ture and décor. Ca’d’Oro is also
known as the House of gold.
There is a structure in Venice
known as Scuola di San Gior-
Eve’s Times
gio degli Schavoni which was a
brotherhood devoted to chari-
table works. A number of works
are at display here. Apart from
these places mention must also
be made of landmarks such as
Chiesa di santa Maria della Sa-
lute which guards the entrance
to the Grand Canal. This ma-
jestic church depicts serenity
and grandeur through its bold
architectural style. Chiesa di
san Zaccaria is also a church
that was built during the 15th
century. Lastly there is the Cor-
rer Museum which charts the
art and historical importance
By Urmimala
Stella Maris College,Chennai
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Eve’s Times
of Venice through its paintings
and sculptures with a fascinat-
ing history of the Republic.
The Correr is Venice’s main
historical museum for docu-
ments, costumes, coins etc. In
this museum the entire history
of Venice and its origins can be
traced.
Venice is a place that is clearly
steeped in its past and cul-
ture. Every monument, church,
building is a living testimony
to its past. However there are
many places to visit in this city.
So there are a number of differ-
ent tours available that can be
taken as per the traveler’s con-
venience. The Venetian Carni-
val is an event that must not be
missed. Venice is a romantic’s
place. Travelling in “vaporetti”
or the city’s water buses or tak-
ing a ride down a gondola cross-
ing the Grand Canal is a must.
F| 18
The ride will have a mesmer-
izing effect on your senses. As
there is no car traffic in Venice,
gondolas and water buses are
the major mode of communica-
tion. That truly epitomizes the
Venetian experience. Venice
should be visited in February
to attend the famous Vene-
tian Carnival which is a major
highlight. It is packed with per-
formance, balls and pageants.
Venice can be reached from
the European cities of Rome.
Package tours are also avail-
able. Venice is a magical city;
the sights of which allure and
enthrall the mind and soul. Ev-
ery place sounds magical and I
consider Venice as one of the
most exotic travel locations. A
place for all lovers and roman-
tics and in our heart of hearts
we all are that. So, buon guorno
to Venice!
May, 2010
TRAVEL TIPS:
❖ Light cotton clothing is pre-
ferred in Venice
❖ Venice has no car traffic.
Water buses and gondolas
are the preferred mode of
communication
❖ Italian is mostly used in Ven-
ice. Even if you don’t know
the language a little attempt
at Italian might be a good
way to ease the Venetians
❖ Since August is Italy’s official
holiday month, it is advised
not to plan a trip then be-
cause shops and businesses
would be closed
❖ Due to Venice’s adriatic coast
location, thunderstorms and
rains are frequent in Venice
Eve’s Times May, 2010

Greece, the
land of islands,
beaches and
architectural
marvels K nown for its rich cultural
heritage, Greece is
considered to be the birth place
By Stellina of the European civilization.
Stella Maris College, Chennai During the fifth century BC
Mediterranean art, drama,
sculpture and literature
developed in Athens and
several other cities in Greece.
Modern Greece is a unique
country where remarkable
technological advancements
have happened, still retaining
the cultural flavour of its
quaintness and the richness of
its archaic civilization. Greece
offers its tourists all the modern
day luxuries. Moreover, one can
regress back in time and enter
into the bygone era by savouring
the unique experiences visiting
the architectural marvels and
ruins of the antediluvian era.

The Greek Islands are one of

the favourite tourism destina-
tions in Europe. They are the

F| 20
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

most popular Greek holiday
destinations, particularly in
summer. Big or tiny, green or
infertile, the islands are ideal
for all types of visitors offering
excitement for the adventure-
some and relaxation for the
tranquil tourists. The islands
offer opportunities for sun-
bathing, swimming, waterski-
ing, windsurfing and sailing.
These spectacular islands were
once the home of unique civili-
zations and offer incredible ar-
chaeological adventures.
world. Cape Sounio is located
at the eastern part of the coun-
try and is famous for the stark
ruins of the Poseidon Temple
of the fourth century BC. This
is among the most Famous
Tourist Spots in Greece mainly
because of the wonderful view
of the wide panorama that can
be enjoyed over here. Another
breathtaking place is Piraeus lo-
cated at the heart of the Saronic
Gulf, outside Athens. Piraeus is
the main port near Athens. A
ferry ride can be enjoyed from
this place to the main land of
Greece. Delphi is another Fa-
mous Tourist spot in Greece.
This place was the Oracle of the
ancient Greece and it is said that
several emperors of the ancient
country used to come here for

Each island has its uniqueness

and constitutes the famous
Greek paradises. Santorini is
known for having the most ro-
mantic sunset in the world,
Rhodes is an island of the
medieval castles, Crete has its
revolutionary spirit with the
wild nightlife; Corfu, is famous
for its Venetian style and is
the homeland of the renowned
Greek hero Ulysses; Samos is
the greenest of all Greek islands
and Skiathos is known for its
long and sandy beaches. These
islands are richly endowed with
the beauty of nature.

Coming to Athens, the beautiful

capital of Greece and also the
largest city in Greece the tour-
ist is in for an out of the world
experience. Tourists explore
the breathtaking view of the
surrounding area consisting of
all the flat topped hills located
at the Acropolis. The 2400 year
old monument of Parthenon
creates an awe-inspiring view
of the area. This monument
is considered to be among the
classical monuments in the

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Eve’s Times
moral and political guidance.
The ancient temple of Apollo
is also located here. The Delphi
museum houses a lot of articles
worth exploring.
The monasteries of Meteora are
among the most photographed
scenes in the world. Sitting
atop tall spires of rock, the mon-
asteries were reputedly built
to give religious hermits pro-
tection from thieves and oth-
ers who would interrupt their
meditations. One of the most
famous archaeological sites in
Greece, Delphi offers interest-
ing excavations of the Oracle’s
world. The Delphi Museum in-
cludes the Charioteer and other
important statues.
Corinth is largely a Roman
(not Greek) archaeological site
because it was once destroyed
by the Romans. An interest-
ing walled city on the sea in the
south-eastern Peloponnese,
Monemvasia offers a pleasant
afternoon’s diversion. The city
is entered through a narrow
gate followed by walkways that
F| 22
climb slowly around its hill. It
is filled with stone walks, small
houses, good restaurants and
shops. The peak season for
Greek tourism lasts from May
to September, since the third-
quarters of the tourism flow
choose this time of year to come
to Greece. The sunny weather,
warm beaches and variable
landscapes invite people from
all over the world to experience
the Greek hospitality and peace-
ful way of life. A special interest
May, 2010
is given to promote, apart from
summer holidays, winter tour-
ist resorts, therapeutic spas,
ecotourism, working holidays
and discovery holidays. Greece
is a country of beauty that has
everything to offer to the tour-
ists It has beautiful and variable
landscapes, some of the most
beautiful beaches in the world,
picturesque white painted or
stone-built villages, passion-
ate culture and traditions and,
a heavy history, not to mention
the quaint archaeology and my-
thology that add exoticism to
the place. There are a hundreds
of archaeological and histori-
cal sites to visit in Greece that
gloriously depict the country’s
past. Greece’s fundamental role
in ancient history, its gods and
goddesses, literature, and phi-
losophers are immensely rich.
Visiting Greece provides an op-
portunity to examine the cul-
ture that provided many of the
threads woven into the fabric of
Western Civilization.
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

Buddhas of W hen you say Bangkok,

Bangkok
the first few things
that a travel brochure
emphasizes is it’s rosy
night life adventures, the
soothing massage parlours,
the sumptuous sea food and
the thrills of shopping in

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Eve’s Times May, 2010

some of the world’s cheapest
malls.But my focus is on some
of the most exquisite statues
of Buddha resting inside even
more gracefully crafted temples
called Wats (in thai).
There are about 400 Wats
sprawling around the city but
my journey can afford to cover
only six of them. I gather that a
Wat is not only a place of wor-
ship but also a center of educa-
tion and community gathering.
It is customary to have a Bodhi
tree(under which Buddha at-
tained enlightment) within the
temple grounds.The monks live
in their quarters and adminis-
ter the Wats and teach the stu-
dents there.
lein.Wat Pho is also famous as
Thailand’s first university and a
center for traditional Thai mas-
sage.One can even take courses
to learn this traditional and an-
cient art. You can stop by and
get a massage done in the tra-
ditional manner which might
take around 2 hours but if you
are running out of time just
like I did, settle for a quick foot
reflexology instead.It costed
me around 175 bhat (roughly
around 200Rs.) but worth ev-
ery penny spent.I found myself
springing like a deer after that.
Next on my agenda was Wat
Arun (Temple of Dawn) situat-
ed on the other side of the river
also housing similar pagodas as
Wat pho.It’s so called because
the early morn sunrays first fall
over this temple and at dusk it’s
brightly lit and beautiful.
From here I proceed to Wat
Benchamabophit or simply Wat
Ben -- the Marble temple.Of all
the Wats of Bangkok, this one is
my personal favourite.Not only
does it house the most unique
statue of Buddha ,(seated over a

I start off by visiting the Wat

Tramit which houses the worlds
largest golden Buddha(made of
solid gold) in a sitting posture,
meditating, with a peaceful, se-
rene smile.I then follow my fel-
low Thai-women to kneel down
and offer flowers(usually lotus
with their stalks) and light the
incense sticks.

From here I proceed next to

Wat Phra Chetuphon or simply
Wat Pho which is the largest
and oldest Wat in Bangkok.This
temple is mainly famous for the
huge reclining Buddha statue
it houses.The highly impres-
sive gold plated Buddha is 46
mts long and 15 mts high and is
designed to illustrate the pass-
ing of the Buddha into Nirvana.
The large grounds of Wat Pho
contain more than a thousand
images of Buddha and impres-
sive pagodas made of porce-

F| 24
May, 2010
seven headed Shesh Naga, just
like Lord Vishnu ), it also hous-
es the idols of Buddhas from as
far as Afghanistan, Persia and
Turkey. In accordance with
the country the idols hail from,
the face of Buddha differs—the
ones from Mangolia and China
have flattened nose and chinky
eyes while the ones from middle
east are with Aryan features,
depicting the Gandhara hair
style.Wat Ben looks more like
a church with reflective mosa-
ics of coloured glass which are
supposed to drive the evil spir-
its away.The long flight of steps
leading to the Wat are guarded
by hissing serpents or Nagas.
I couldn’t linger long, though
I’d wish to, for , the next Wat I
was to visit could consume my
entire noon.It’s the Wat Phra
Kaeo or the temple of Emerald
Buddha within the complex
of the Grand Palace.I haven’t
seen anything so breathtak-
ingly beautiful—the gold plated
walls and pillars studded with
enamels and stones will keep
one gaping openmouthedly and
you would not have enough of
clicking your cameras.
However photography inside
the sanctum sanctorum is pro-
hibited. It is here that the royal
family worship the sacred em-
erald Buddha made of jasper
and seated over a gem studded
throne.The temple is enclosed
by a cloister like gallery paint-
ed with scenes from Ramak-
ien, the thai epic based on the
Hindu Ramayana.The entrance
is guarded by Garudas which is
the National emblem of Thai-
land.
Entry to the temple is free
to Thais but foreigners, in-
cluding me had to shell out
200bhat(around 250 Rs.) but
it was all worth the visit.Given
a choice I would have spent
the entire day moving in a daze
around the temple premises but
then I still have one last Wat to
visit and the sun is already roll-
ing down the western horizon.
The final temple on my list
is Wat Indrawiharn which
is walking distance from the
Eve’s Times
Flower Market.This temple
has the Buddha standing at
32mts high, myself looking as
small as an ant at his sacred
feet.I sat beneath the Bodhi
tree for sometime, reflecting
on the wonderful teachings of
this great preacher. Mind and
soul at peace, I walked back to
the taxi, directing the driver to
take me to my hotel at Petch-
aburi Road.Enroute spotting
the famous Pratunam Center,
I was tempted to stop since I
was told beforehand that here
you can buy anything under
the sun for dirt cheap price.
Though shopping was not on
the top of my list, I ended up
spending some useful mon-
ey on it. Loaded with bags of
all sizes, I walked back to my
hotel down the road and on
the way bought some sticky
rice mixed with coconut milk
and raw mango shreds from a
street vendor.Probably it was
the best rice preperation I’ve
tasted so far.Simply yummy!
The next morn I headed to the
beach side destination of Pat-
taya (2hrs drive from Bangkok)
to enjoy some of the adventure
sports never dared so far.But
then that’s another journey al-
together.
Travel tips:-
❖ Most shops don’t accept
credit cards and so it’s ad-
visible to carry enough
cash(Bhat).
❖ It’s no longer difficult for
veggies to survive in this city
since most hotels cater to
Indian food, including tall
25 |G
Eve’s Times
glasses of chilled lassi—Ye
Balle! Balle! Check out on
that, at First Hotel (firstho-
telbangkok.com) on Petch-
aburi road, near Pratunam
Center.
❖ For N.V’s however the choice
is unlimited and must try
out some of the sumptuous
street food too.
❖ Avoid the pungent Durian
but if you love jack fruit then
you can still go ahead and try
this out.
❖ Incase you wish to visit the
famous floating market be
there before sunrise to get
the real feel of the place.
❖ Along with the Buddhist
trail don’t forget to visit the
Vimanmek Royal Mansion
(castle in the clouds). This
is the world’s largest build-
ing made entirely of golden
teak wood and is extremely
beautiful.
❖ The Jim Thompson House
and Suan Pakkad Palace can
be visited too if there’s time
F| 26
on hand but remember that
no shorts and sleeveless t-
shirts should be worn while
visiting the palaces as a mark
of respect to the presiding
royal family.
❖ Even today, the King and
Queen are held in high es-
teem and regard and well re-
spected by Thais all over the
country.The tourists need to
be aware of this fact before
making unhealthy remarks.
❖ You can partake in a pletho-
ra of activities if you happen
to be there during the Thai
New Year in April, called
Song Kran Festival.
❖ Let go your tensions with a
relaxing, traditional Thai
massage.There are lots of
quacks offering the treat-
ment and so check out their
genuinity before you decide
to go in for one.
❖ Shopping is a pleasure since
the Thai currency is slightly
higher than the Indian ru-
pee.Check out the famous
Chatuchak weekend market,
May, 2010
with more than 15,000 in-
dividual stalls, spread over
35acres.It’s a bargain hunt-
ers paradise.
❖ When you buy garments in-
sist you try them out since
it’s difficult getting large and
X-L at many places.Branded
clothes and accessories come
at one fourth the price.
❖ For suveneirs and artifacts
and furniture and china,
check out the Lukdod whole-
sale shop situated between
Bangkok and Pattaya .They
have a choice of more than
3000 items on display and
items can be bought in bulk
at the cheapest rates pos-
sible. They also have a cargo
sent to most countries.More
more details log on to www.
lukdod.com
❖ A theme park called Dream
World (entry fee:- 400 bhat)
can be visited if you have
enough time on hand.
❖ For adventure sports like para
sailing and scuba diving, head
for the next door Pattaya
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

27 |G
Eve’s Times
Egypt, the land of pyramids,
deserts and cruises
F rom tradition to modernity,
Egypt is a country which has
succeeded in creating a present
that is as fascinating as it’s past.
Egypt is one of the most exotic
travel locations of the world. A
city that is steeped in its cultural
history but it is only in recent
years that the tourism sector
has developed. Visiting Egypt
is easy as many international
airports from the North and the
South welcome thousands of
tourists,. The national carrier
of Egypt is Egypt Air.. A trip to
Egypt entails visiting the desert,
pyramids and the bedouin way
of life.
Without the pyramids defi-
nitely Egypt would not have
the privilege of being one of the
most sought after holiday des-
tinations of the world . There
are over 100 pyramids relative-
ly unknown but few of them are
found in and around the city
Cairo . Pyramids are originally
the tombs of the rulers of the
ancient Egypt built to portray
their power . The most famous
and the largest of all pyramids
are the great pyramids of Ghi-
za and khufu .Getting around
F| 28
Egypt through the river nile
popularly known as the Egypt’s
Nile river cruise is one of the
most enjoyable means of trav-
eling where one happens to
see the prospective of the ru-
ral Egypt .The usual cruise is
referred to as the floating hotel
with its accommodations exact-
ly equaling the standards of a
star hotel . It takes around fair-
ly 14 days through this cruise
to tour Egypt . Definitely not an
experience worth missing out.
An out of the world experience
you can savour when you visit
is the travel through the oasis
which will be an adventure trip
.The very beauty of this place is
that unlike any other locations
meant for touring it does not
have well paved roads and one
cannot go alone for the chances
of moving ahead correctly is
slim . Irrespective of the mode
of transportation be it a 4*4
rent vehicle or a camel it is very
easy to be disoriented .
Evening brings delightful songs
and dances with delicious food
cooked in open fire . Though
Egypt is an Islamic country
its history traces it back as a
May, 2010
Christian nation where Jesus is
known to have traveled . Most
ancient Basilicas in Egypt are
built based on the Roman de-
sign where the church is en-
tered by 2 doors with a way of
3 along the sides . Some of the
churches are found in caves that
are believed to be the rest place
of baby Jesus. Unfortunately
when the period of the pharaoh
rose , many churches were de-
molished and were built as
temples by the pharaohs . Egypt
boasts itself as the spot that
possess the world’s largest reli-
gious structures , though most
relics of the past have been rav-
aged by time . It seems these
temples were built not only for
religious purposes but also for
political purposes. For exam-
ple, Sed-festival Temples that
celebrated the king’s jubilees
seem to have had a completely
different purpose than “god’s
mansions”. Temples provided a
residence not to the dead king,
but for his soul. Most temples
stands high up in air either to
speak up the name of the king
or God . Temple Karnak is
the biggest temple existing in
Egypt
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

The very name Egypt blinks

vast stretches of desert lands in
our minds . But one would be
surprised to hear that Egypt has
a lot of tourists tripping down
to lie on the warm, inexpen-
sive beaches .. Egypt possesses
seven great beaches . The larg-
est man – made lake in Egypt
is the lake Nasser having 32
species of fishes and Nile River
Crocodiles . It presents it self
as the best fresh water lake in
the world with the best fishing
facilities for the tourists. Egypt
is not only known for shopping
and tourism but also for vari-
ous therapies. The hot springs
and the sun baths consisting
of curative properties provide
hopes of healing for various
ailments such as rheumatism
and skin diseases like psoriasis.
Egypt is today a round the year
destination for people with as
varying interests of archeologi-
cal survey to shopping. Egypt is
a fun spot serving all kinds of
entertainments from sporting
to shopping for all those seek-
ing a break from their hectic
schedules .

Sylvia, Stella Maris College

29 |G
Eve’s Times May, 2010

India
Exotic Destinations Incredible

UNRAVELLING
NATURE’S BOUNTY
By Swati Amar

A n escapade into the lap of Mother Nature from the grueling pace of city life is an experience
worth savoring during one’s lifetime. Discovering an idyllic place such as Andaman and
Nicobar islands fills us with a yearning to linger amidst nature’s bounty, where time stands still
and beauty overwhelms. One is reminded of Charles Lamb’s words, “I am in love with the green
earth.’

Kissed by the azure waters of Bay of Bengal as well as the Indian Ocean, India’s remotest state is
accessible from Kolkata, Chennai and Vishakapatnam. The islands are a veritable treat for nature
lovers, adventure lovers and art lovers, not to mention those who have a passion for exotic sports,
collection of exquisite artifacts and animal lovers and those involved in the study of tribes.

F| 30
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

Even as you land in the smart,

newly extended Veer Savarkar
airport terminal in Port Blair
on South Andaman you realize
that you are visiting a unique
place where the beauty and
wonder of the sky, the green
earth and the mighty oceans
meet and where exotic flora
and fauna enhance the sin-
gular experience of being one
with nature.

Adventure lovers can revel in

the out-of-the-world experi-
ence of indulging in water
sports such as scuba diving
and snorkeling in the beaches
of Port Blair. Before you go
underwater however, you can
garner a lot of information
about the aquatic life from
the marine parks there. A fa-
mous marine park is located
at Wandoor where you see the
famous coral reefs. Havelock
Island has some of the first
coral reefs of all shapes and
colours. Filled with colourful
fish and kaleidoscopic corals,
the pristine waters of the An-
daman Sea are home to some
of the world’s richest marine
reserves and a good venue for
snorkeling and scuba diving.
Sea cruises are popular too.

The most popular excursion

from Port Blair is the boat
ride from Wandoor to any of
the fifteen islets comprising
the Mahatma Gandhi Na-
tional Marine Park. The trip
provides access to one of the
richest coral reefs in the re-
gion and is worth consider-
ing seriously. The long white

31 |G
Eve’s Times
beach at Wandoor is fringed by
dense forest that houses varied
birdlife. During the boat ride
you can revel in the enthralling
experience of passing through
broad creeks lined with dense
mangrove swamps and pristine
forest leading to Red Skin Is-
land or Jolly Buoy.
Nature lovers can visit the Bo-
tanical Gardens, Burma Nul-
lah and the Wimberlygunj
Lumbering Centres. The zoo
on Haddo Promontoly houses
saltwater crocodiles, hornbills
and crab-eating monkeys. To
watch wildlife, you can visit
the Interview Island, a nature
sanctuary, which you can reach
by chartering a private fishing
dinghy from Mayabunder jetty.
Only a day-trip is allowed and
you must also obtain permis-
sion form the Chief Wild Life
Warden in Port Blair to visit
this place.
Art lovers can plan visits to the
several museums and empori-
ums that Andaman is renowned
for. The Cellular Jail which was
F| 32
home to four hundred free-
dom fighters is today a mu-
seum. You must not leave out
the Anthropological Muse-
um where you can see mini-
reproductions of villages of
local tribes. You must also
visit the Burmese temple at
Phoenix Bay, the Ghol Ghar
spice stores and the Cottage
Industries Emporium from
where you can pick up exotic
knick-knacks.
If you want a glimpse into
the historical past of Anda-
May, 2010
mans, you can follow up your
visit to the Cellular Jail with a
visit to the Vyper Island where
executions used to take place.
You may also decide to visit the
Ross islands which was the seat
of British administration and
had the Chief Commissioner’s
residence.
Chatham Island has the biggest
Saw Mill of its kind in Asia. In
Burma Nallah you can witness
logs being extracted with the
help of elephants. The forest
here is beautiful with the most
colourful and rare varieties of
orchards and rich flora and
fauna. A breath taking view of
the city of Port Blair can be had
from Mount Harriet, the high-
est hill around South Andaman
which is about 1200 feet.
For beach lovers, Andaman Is-
lands provide immense plea-
sure and fun. The closest beach
is Corbyn’s Cove, 6 km from
town. There are beaches in
Wandoor and Shirya Tapu too.
Madhuban is 15kms from Port
Blair. It provides a sea beach in
May, 2010
front, hills behind and is being
used as a training ground for
elephants by foresters. Neil Is-
land has a long shallow beach
and is used for timbering op-
erations. There is also a lake.
Those researching in tribes
can garner a lot of information
about the natives of Andaman
and Nicobar Islands. The main
aboriginal groups are the Ong-
es who live on Little Andaman.
They are of the Negrito stock.
They practice food gathering,
hunting, honey-collecting and
fishing and are the only tribe on
the islands who accept contact
with the outside world. The
Shompens live in Nicobar and
abhor contact with the exter-
nal world. Villages in Andaman
throw light on the tribal lifestyle
and worth the visit.
If you are a shopaholic or a
collector of exquisite sea prod-
ucts, you can lay your hands on
items made out of shells such
as trendy beaded jewelry and
show pieces from the empori-
ums and shops.
Eve’s Times
An extended stay in Andaman
and Nicobar islands is what will
give you the experience of a true
holiday amidst the bounty of
nature. There are innumerable
resorts for you to organize your
stay. The best time to visit these
islands is between January and
May. When the sun rises at 4.30
am and darkness envelops the
quaint islands at 5 pm the sense
of awe and appreciation of the
earth we live in that arise in our
bosoms stir the yearning to live
in harmony with nature.
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Eve’s Times May, 2010

Hollywood in our own backyard?

HOLLYWOOD IN HYDERABAD
Yes, I’m talking about the Ramoji
Film City which is Hyderabad’s
answer to the Universal Studios of
L.A. Situated 16 miles away from
the city central and spread across
an area of 2000 acres, this man-
made ethereal city is where I’m
heading for.

I park my vehicle at the entrance

itself and get into one of the red
coloured buses stationed there,
which would take me further up
into the studios.The entry ticket
is Rs.200 and this includes most
of the shows and rides.It’s again
50Re less if you are visiting on a
weekday. I pick the brochure at
the entrance to note the directions
and the show timings and I’m
there right on time for the open-
ing ceremony at 9.45am.

The open Jumbo bus first circles

around the settings of Persian
boulevards and jug fountains be-
fore stopping by at the replica of
the famous Hawa Mahal and Mu-
ghal gardens.The second stop is
the famous Leg Garden which has
a huge cross legged statue in the
middle of the lawn.

Enroute I come across the

Japanese Pagodas and Italian
wonders,the rustic Indian gullies
and the westend cowboy streets
all situated adjacent to one oth-
er. The bus now stops by a make
believe airport with half a body
of a stationary aeroplane and a
railway station with a couple of
bogies and an artificial steam en-
gine.There’s a movie shooting go-
ing on—a tearful goodbye scene at
the railway station.

F| 34
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

The jumbo bus next halts infront of the fantasy lands

called Eurekha and Fundustan.Here one gets to witness
a couple of virtual shows and games and rides.The fairy
tale snail ride through the seven wonders of the world is
worth a mention.As I walk out, I also spot an imitation
of the Hollywood sign peeping at the backdrop of the
wild west scenario.

There are help counters spread out everywhere with

people to assist you with your queries. However patience
is the key word when you end up in mile long queues es-
pecially on weekends.

Apart from the small eataries stationed at every corner,

there are a couple of good restaurants called Alampana
and Chanakya, serving Indian, Continental, Mughlai
cuisine to tickle your taste buds.The three star Tara and
the five star Sitara are the two hotels where you can plan
to stay overnight if you are in a mood to spend more
time inside the Film city. Otherwise, you head back to
your Jumbo bus, as I did, after you have seen the closing
ceremony parade at half past five.

I get back to my parking lot, exhausted though but not

regretting the 200 bucks well spent.

I get back to my base in Hyderabad and the next morn-

ing, proceed to seeing the rest of the historical city.

My first visit is to the magnificient edifice, Charminar

situated in one of the most crowded parts of the old city.
I’m allowed to climb up to one of the minars from where
I catch a glimpse of the neighbouring Mecca masjid and
the four famous roads radiating from the focal point.
One of them is the Chudi Bazaar where I decide to pick
a dozen glass, lacquer and stone studded bangles unique
to the place and also a string of the famous hyderaba-
di pearls from Laad Bazaar.Though I’ve been warned
about the possibility of getting duped by purchasing a
fake, I’m still tempted to buy.

Pearls across my neck and bangles jing-jangling over

my wrists I head for my next destination--the Salarjung
Museum. A one man’s collection of some of the most
exquisite pieces in the world including the marble won-
der—the veiled Rebecca, this place is a must see at any
coast.

Note:- The museum is closed on Fridays.

35 |G
Eve’s Times
My next destination is the Fa-
luknama palace situated on the
hilltop which used to be the
summar retreat of the Nizams.
Enroute I stop by the famous
Karachi bakery to take a quick
bite of some of the crunchiest
cookies I’ve eaten so far and
upon recommendation, get a
box of sweets wrapped from the
neighbouring Pullareddy sweet
shop.
However, upon reaching the
foothills, to my disappointment
I discover that the Faluknama
palace is undergoing rapid res-
toration and would soon be
converted into a five star hotel.
I now head for my next destina-
tion--the Golconda fort. Stand-
ing atop an isolated hill and
spread over a radius of 3kms,
this legendary fort is the proud
producer of the one and only
Kohinoor diamond. Built by
the Qutub Shahi kings, whose
tombs in grey granite can be
spotted a km away from the
fort, Golconda is known for it’s
acoustic effects whereby a clap-
F| 36
ping of hands at the entrance
gate can be heard at the top of
the fort 61mts high.
An added attraction is the
light and sound show in the
evening(7pm-8pm) which is
simply spectacular.
Leaving behind the lonely tombs
to the façade of the dark, I now
proceed towards the Hussain
Sagar. Constructed in 1562A.D.
around which the ancient city
of Hyderabad spread, this lake
is today the bejewelled heart
of the twin cities of Hyderabad
and Secunderabad.
The road across the bund is a
busy throughfare, connecting
the twin cities and the largest
gathering place for recreation
with boating and water sports
becoming a regular feature.
The bund is also lined with 33
statues of famous personalities
of different states. Jutting out
of the middle of the lake is the
18mt high, 350 tonne, mono-
lithic statue of Lord Buddha, on
the rock of Gibraltar.I decide to
May, 2010
take a speed boat ride right up-
to the rock and what a place to
be, especially when the evening
sky is lit!
A walk down the bejewelled
lake and one can visit the Lum-
bini Park with it’s new amuse-
ment area and musical fountain
show.The bund garden road is
strewn with hordes of latest
eatie joints but I settle for the
traditional Hyderabadi Biryani.
Savouring it’s unique flavour I
slowly return back to my base,
carrying with me, the picture of
the majestic Buddha emerging
like a phoenix from the heart of
the ancient Sagar.
Travel tips:-
❖ Hyderabad is well connected
domestically and interna-
tionally and with the city
growing as an I.T. hub is a
well sought after destination
for the youth too.
❖ Summers(April-June) are
extremely hot, when the
temperature shoots upto 40
May, 2010
degrees. Winters are pleas-
ant and cool. Sparing mon-
soons (July- Sept).
❖ You need a minimum of
two days if you plan to visit
Ramoji film city also.There
are special buses plying to
the Studios from the city
central and for further de-
tails the Studios can be con-
tacted at
Information;- Ramoji Film City,
Ranga Reddy Dist(501512),
Andhra Pradesh, India.
Tele:- +91-8415-
246555/246333
Fax:- +91-8415-246408
Email:- cidambi@ramojifilm-
city.com
Web:- ramojifilmcity.com/
tourist/index/html
It’s open 7 days a week from
9am to 6pm and admission is
Rs200 for adults and 150 for
children below 12.There are
also special tickets of Rs750 per
head which includes a exclusive
ride across the studios, in a A.C.
cab instead of the Jumbo bus
and a sumptuous buffet lunch
at the five star hotel Sitara.
Weekends are jam packed and
be prepared to stand in end-
less exhausting queues.Given
a choice, make the trip on a
weekday.
Dress comfortably, decently to
avoid unnecessary teasing.
Most of the sight seeing places
including Salarjung Museum
are closed on Fridays.Check out
before going.
The snow world at Himayat
Nagar can be visited if you have
time on hand.
Don’t miss the boat ride to the
rock of Gibralter on Hussain
Sagar.
Bargain wherever possible and
check out the genuinity of the
shop incase you are buying
expensive pearls.Some of the
well known shopping areas are
Abids Basheerbagh,Sultan Ba-
Eve’s Times
zar, Nampally in Hyderabad;
MG Road and Rashtrapathi
Road in Secunderabad.The
Chudi Bazaar near Charminar
is famous for bangles and the
Laad Bazaar for pearls.
Savour the Karachi bakery
products and Pullareddy sweets
if possible.
Don’t miss out on the authentic
Hyderabadi cuisine which in-
cludes the world famous Biry-
ani, Haleem and Khubani ka
Meetha(made of dry apricots).
And finally, respect the culture
and customs of this ancient city
and soak in it’s richness.
Geeta Canpadee
37 |G
Eve’s Times
I ’m now heading for the
harbour city of Cochin
popularly known as the queen
of the Arabian sea. Though
the city is much known for it’s
backwaters, forts and shipping
yards, my interest lies in it’s
ancient Synagogue, one of the
handful still existing in India.
Built in 1568, the Synagogue is
situated at the Jewish colony
of Matancherry. It’s not only a
place of worship but a standing
monument of religious
toleration and hospitality—a
thing of beauty and an
architectural achievement in
itself. Magnificiently decorated
by Chinese tiles and Belgian
F| 38
chandeliers, the giant scrolls
of the old testament can be still
found here.
The Jews of Cochin are sup-
posed to have arrived in King
Solomon’s merchant fleet near-
ly 2000 years ago.Of all the
maritime nations that traded
with India, they were the first
ones to come not only as traders
but as settlers.They made their
home on the south west coast
as early as the 1st century itself.
The Jewish merchants were
into import and export of pep-
per, timber, amber, coral, rice,
cotton.They not only enjoyed
complete religious toleration
but their holy days and Sab-
May, 2010
baths were gazetted holidays
for them in the state.
I get to interact with some of
them outside the Synagogue and
was surprised to see the ease
with which they have jelled into
the Indian society.They con-
verse in Judeo-Malayalam and
restrict themselves to the Jewish
town of Matancherry.However
many are returning back to Je-
rusalem not because they have
been discriminated against or
socially pressurized but just for
their deep sense of religious fer-
vour to live and die in the holy
land.Thus more and more Jews
are returning to the land they
migrated from and the handful
who are left behind are getting
converted to new religions.
I linger for a while in the cob-
bled streets of Mattancherry
hopping in and out of several
antique shops that line the
pathway to the synagogue be-
fore I proceed to the next door
Dutch palace where the corona-
tion of many Rajas of Cochin is
supposed to have taken place.
The palace also has a fine collec-
tion of mural paintings unique
to kerala art.
From Mattancherry I next pro-
ceed to Fort Kochi which is be-
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

lieved to be the oldest European

settlement in India.Enroute I
come across the Chinese fishing
nets called cheenavala which
are unique to Cochin.They are
massive in size and a source of
livelihood for many a fishermen
residing along the coast of Fort
Kochi.It is believed that traders
from the court of Chinese ruler
Kublai Khan introduced these
nets here and surprisingly they
are found no where else out-
side China. Along the shoreline
I could spot many a European
style bungalows and loads of

stalls preparing traditional fish- Catholic Church, then during

dish.
My next stop is at the famous
St,Francis Church at Fort
kochi.Supposed to be the first
and foremost church built by
the Europeans in India, it is
even more famous because
the Portuguese sailor Vasco-
da-gama who died on the X-
mas eve of 1524, in Fort Kochi
was buried inside this church.
His remains were later trans-
ported to Portugal but the
burial spot inside the church
is clearly demarcated.During
the Portuguese period(1503—
1663) St.Francis was a Roman
the Dutch period(1664-1804)
it became a Dutch reformed
church and during the time of
the Brits(1804—1947) it was an
Anglican church.I also visit the
Vasco house situated on Rose
street in Fort Kochi where the
greatest explorer is supposed to
have resided.
With a sufficient dose of history
down my throat, I next proceed
to the harbour point where I
take a small boat ride to an-
other Dutch palace situated on
Bolghatty island.The island has
a tiny golf course and makes an
attractive picnic spot. The pal-

39 |G
Eve’s Times
ace however is been converted
to a hotel by the Kerala tourism
dept and can be booked at KT-
DC Bolghatty Palace Hotel for a
royal stay.
I however settle for a cup of
steaming tea along with some
french fries (inplace of the pop-
ular fish fries ofcourse), and
with a laid back stance, cap-
ture the panaromic view of the
Cochin harbour and port from
where I stand.
Afterwards, I instantaneously
decide to board the Royal Lady
which is a specially designed
luxury boat for 30-40 people at
a time, offering a five hour sight
seeing cruise through backwa-
F| 40
ters. The Lady has upper and
lower decks and offers a scenic
view of the coastal and back-
waters of Kerala.
Standing on the upper deck, I
could spot the Chinese fishing
nets, the Synagogue, the Dutch
palace, St.Francis Church,
Fort Kochi all from a distance,
seeming like a collage on a pic-
ture post card—a mesmerizing
memory which I would carry
for days and days to come.
Travel Tips:-
❖ Due to it’s strategic location
and commercial importance,
Cochin or Kochi is exten-
sively connected to the rest
May, 2010
of the country and world by
air, rail, road and sea.
❖ The international airport is
30kms from the heart of the
city and both the domestic
and international terminals
are adjacent to each other.
It’s the 5th busiest airport in
India.
❖ There are three main railway
stations—Ernakulum junc-
tion, Ernakulum town and
Cochin harbour terminus.
❖ Three national highways
pass through this city, con-
necting every part of the
country.
May, 2010
❖ The port is used regularly by
large cargo ships and regular
boat services to Kottayam,
Kumarakom, Alleppey(called
Venice of the East) through
the backwaters of Kerala are
available.
❖ Summers are hot and sweltry
(April-May).Monsoons from
June-Sept. pleasant from
Oct-March.Some intend
to take a monsoon holiday
to experience the non-stop
rains of the Malabar.
❖ View a Kathakali
performance(a traditional
dance performance of Kera-
la which will leave one spell-
bound).
❖ Take a course of relaxing
Ayurveda massage
❖ Swim along the Cherai
beach.
❖ Shop for curios, clothes,
handicrafts along M.G.Road
and the line of shops at Mat-
tancherry enroute to the
synagogue.
❖ For an extended stay, visit
the neighbouring tour-
ist spots like Munnar
hillstation(140kms), Thek-
kady and Periyar Wild-
life sanctuary(190kms),
Thattekad bird sanctuary
(60kms), Kumarakom and
Allepey where you can even
Eve’s Times
hire a house boat called Ket-
tuvolam (traditionally ,the
rice boat.)and spend a night
in there.It’s a spectacular
experience as you move
slowly down the backwa-
ters bordered by rich paddy
fields, watching the sun-set.
One can even go upto the
mesmerising Lakshadweep
islands(400kms off the coast
of Kochi).
❖ Don’t forget to savour the de-
licious Malabar cuisine wher-
ever you go and wash it down
with the sweet nectar of coco-
nut water.
Geeta Canpadee
41 |G
Eve’s Times May, 2010

CULTURE AND CROCODILES ON E.C.R

E ast Coast road or simply E.C.R is a beautiful stretch along the unpredictable Bay of Bengal.It
connects Chennai with Mahaballipuram, Pondicherry, Cuddalore, Nagapatinam and beyond
and the drive down the highway is smooth and fast.Most of the weekend getaways, beach resorts
and amusement parks are situated along this road and so is my destination.Come along with me and
let’s get face to face with the Crocs of Chennai at the Madras Crocodile Bank, before jumping into
the cultural hotspot of South India at the heritage village--Dakshina Chitra.

THE MADRAS CROCODILE BANK:-

As you drive along the E.C.R, once you cross the toll gate, a km down
Muttukkadu, on your left is the Crocodile Bank.Started in 1976 by
Romulus Whitaker, the wild life conservationist also known
as the Snake Man of India, to conserve and protect the
crocodile species that were nearing
extinction.So this piece of land
was bought and enclosures
built.Eggs were collected from
various parts and hatched
here.Today of the 23 species of
crocodiles in the world, 14 can be
seen at this place.

F| 42
May, 2010
Apart from crocodiles you
also get to watch many spe-
cies of endangered turtles,
snakes, lizards, tortoises etc.
This is now the only centre for
herpetology(study of reptiles
and amphibians) in India.
As I enter, I’m in awe of the
reptiles that greet me.One en-
closure had around 357 crocs in
all, cuddling one other. It’s but
amazing, though some might
feel a little uncomfortable with
the creepy feeling exhibited all
around.
But if you are game for some
adventure then you can venture
to feed the crocs, take a picture
with a baby croc or a massive
python and watch for yourself
how the venom oozes out of a
snake’s fangs.And if you ask
for more, then get ready for
the night safari
(6.30pm to
8pm) for an addi-
tional fee of Rs60,
per adult.
The center
also con-
ducts
weekend puppet shows by the
nearby village youth, followed
by regular summar camps for
enthusiastic kids wherein they
get to interact with Irula tribes,
study of crocs from close quar-
ters, go on Nature trails and a
wide many activities.
For further details you can con-
tact Madras Crocodile Bank
Trust.
Centre for herpetology
Post bag no.4
Mamallapuram---603104.
Tele;- 91-044-27472447/
27472953
Email;- mcbtindia@vsnl.net
Curator in charge, Nikhil Whi-
taker (9840379164)
Don’t forget to pick your mem-
oralabia as you walk out and
leave a note behind about your
experience with the amazing
crocs
DAKSHINA CHITRA which
when literally translated means
a picture of South India is an
Eve’s Times
excellent destination for the
culture conscious.As you step
into the heritage village, you are
transported to a different world.
Start off by going through a vid-
eo of the entire setting before
you start your journey through
the different kinds of houses
belonging to the various clans
of the four southern states,
maintained intact along with
their belongings.
In the Tamilnadu section, you get
into a Chettiar’s house where the
living style of the business com-
munity is on display; a Weaver’s
house where you get to see how
the famous Kanchivaram sarees
are put on the looms, A Farmer’s
house where you can get to know
more of agriculture and harvest-
ing and even try your hands at
pounding paddy, a Brahmin Pan-
dit’s house, set in a typical Agra-
hara (a lane of houses emerging
from the Temple entrance.) and
a Potter’s house where you can
try to mould a pot at the potter’s
wheel.
43 |G
Eve’s Times
In the Kerala section one gets
to see the typical Syrial Chris-
tian house(as shown in the pic
where you see the boat hanging
from a window which actually
is used as a means of commut-
ing during monsoons when the
entire region gets flooded.).
Then we have the Mapillai’s
house which is a typical Mo-
hemmadan house of Kerala and
you get to see the attires worn
by the Mapillais(muslims) of
the state.
In the Karnataka and Andhra
sections, you get to see the Ill-
kal house made of slate stones,
including on roofs to cut out the
immense heat of the regions,
the Lambani house where you
F| 44
have a glimpse of the typical
tribal attires and jewellery , the
Fisherman’s hut with it’s dis-
play of the requirements of the
fishing community.
Apart from these you also get
to watch a glass blower and can
even learn the tricks of creat-
ing beautiful objects from glass.
You can learn the craft of basket
weaving, mehendi art, puppet
making and ethnic embroidery.
Regular art and culture events
are organised here and the im-
portant festivals of the indi-
vidual states are celebrated in
their original forms.The place
is a big hit with foreigners who
are there to learn more about
Indian culture and living.
May, 2010
Stay at Dakshina
Chitra:-
1) The heritage village has
well appointed and comfort-
able Guest rooms(A.C. and
Non.A.C.). Aesthetically de-
signed and set in an ambience
of a bygone era, your stay will
be truly an unforgettable one.
2) From here you can go to
Muthukkadu lake which is a
scenic spot and a boat house
attached to the lakes gives visi-
tors an option of enjoying the
boating experience.
3) The day visitors can lunch at
the restaurant inside the heri-
tage village where they usually
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

have a sumptuous buffet orga-

nized at reasonable rates.

4) It is open daily from 10am to

6pm. Tuesday holiday and the
entry fee is Rs.50 per head.

5) There is a shop attached

where you can pick some ethnic
attires and artifacts and books.

6)Dakshina chitra is situated

on E.C.R Road, Muttukadu,
Tamilnadu—603118.

Tele:- 954114-2272603; For evening get-togethers you

2272783.
7) It’s affliated to The Madras
Craft Foundation which is a
non-profit organization and
conducts various courses and
events to promote culture.
Tele:- 91-44-24462435;
91-44-24918943
Email:-
mcfdak@md3.vsnl.net.in
The Sterling holiday resort,
very close to the shore temple
at Mahabalipuram is another
excellent place to stay and quite
reasonable at it. You get a com-
plimentary foot massage and
an Ayurveda body massage too
for a nominal amount. All these
beach resorts have their own
private beach for some great
sun-tans.
There are several amuse-
ment centres too along the
E.C.R like the famous V.G.P
, M.G.M, Mayajaal which is
an indoor recreation cen-
tre with sports arena and a
multi-plex, Prarthana which
is a drive in theatre.
have restaurants like Basera
(pleasant ambience and excel-
lent food) and fast foods like
Pizza hut and more along the
east coast road.
Drive to Mahabalipuram is of-
course historic and it’s best to
hire a polished guide if you are
a lover of history. Don’t depend
on the quacks. These profes-
sional guides accompany you
and take you to the right places
and eating joints. You can con-
tact Global Adjustments (an
organisation basically set up to
cater to the expats of Chennai
and Pondicherry)
From Mahabs if you still in-
tend to go further then there’s
nothing stopping you.Just go
following the Bay and you’ll hit
Auroville, Pondicherry, Tran-
quebar (Dutch settlement) and
the famous Velankani church.
So, what are you waiting for?
Put your feet on wheels and
head for the East Coast Road.
Happy traveling!
Geeta Canpadee

45 |G
Eve’s Times
Jus’ Ask Brinda
I am a 15 year old girl and
I am fat and unattractive.
I get very tensed when I
have a lot of school work
and during exams. So I
tend to reach out to junk
food and soft drinks. I gen-
erally do not each much
and during holidays I am
very active, but this is my
only vice. My school mates
tease me for being fat so I
feel very ugly. Please tell
me what I should do to
deal with this tension as it
is affecting my confidence.
You are right in thinking that
you lack confidence and your
poor body image started this.
You get worked up about your
academics as you are not con-
fident. This low self esteem
makes you believe that you are
‘not good enough.’ This leads
to the feeling of depression
and that is why you resort to
F| 46
Eve’s Times is happy to an-
nounce that family therapist
and Parent-Teacher Educa-
tor Brinda Jayaraman will
answer any query you want to
ask relating to interpersonal
interactions. Send in your
questions to askbrinda@
evestimesonline.com or to
editorevestimes@gmail.com
binge eating at times. After
binging, you regret, as you are
aware that you would put on
more weight! To make things
Eve’s Times
Group has voted
Viswanathan Anand
as the Star Icon of
the month. Congrats
to the Finest World
Chess Champion!
May, 2010
Our
Counsel
worse, you receive negative
comments from people around
you! Are you able to see how
happenings in succession have
resulted in the present plight?
Does it look like you are caught
up in a mess? These are not is-
sues that cannot be sorted out.
Your first goal has to be weight
reduction. Starving is not the
solution; approach weight re-
duction scientifically by learn-
ing exercises and following a
diet suggested by a special-
ist. Second goal is to remember
your positives which have been
forgotten so far. Write down a
list of what made you feel that
you are ‘good enough’ and keep
reinforcing that you are good in
certain things. This kind of ‘self
talk’ would help you change
your negative perception about
yourself. You can take the help
of your folks to get some posi-
tive feed back about you.
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

Latest Jewelry Fads

Creative Careers

Summer Beauty Tips

Fitness Queries

The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people,
But because of the silence of good people- Napoleon.

47 |G
Eve’s Times May, 2010

OF CHANGES, AMONG OTHER THINGS

U niversities, schools and colleges have shut for the summer, and now is the perfect time
to rid yourself of the things that you’ve been shouldering all year long, be it academic
pressure, or juggling friends, with academics and a myriad other activities. Seasons of
English Sitcoms, Disney Channel, lots of junk-food, and hanging out with friends is exactly
how we all envision our vacation. Some of us still have to sweat it out by interning, though,
amidst what seems like tons of fun.

I went swimming the other day, and I was entering a pool after four years. I had almost
forgotten how the chlorinated water felt against my skin, how it made my eyes sting, and
how it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I thought I had forgotten swimming, till I plunged
into the water in an attempt to swim. The first two laps were torturous, and I was breathless
after swimming barely ten meters. My lungs throbbed, my head pounded, and I wanted to
clutch those kiddy-bars and gulp mouthfuls of air, more than anything. I was appalled at
how out-of-shape I had gotten, thanks to the last year of school, and the years of law school
that had followed. Yet, I continued to swim. Three laps later, I overcame the lung-throbbing
and burning, and I began enjoying the swim. I swam faster, and I enjoyed it, slicing through
the water.

And then, I realized, that perhaps, this is exactly how change is, for some of us. Initially,
some changes seem terrible, and they leave you with burning lungs, and out of breath, as-
phyxiating, and craving for air. But if you keep plodding along, you might actually feel the
endorphins in your veins. Even if you don’t, at least, the lung-burning won’t last forever.
You’ll make it, unscathed. Things aren’t as bad as they seem, though human nature is to
form prima facie judgments over everything, especially people.

And this, I realized, is most applicable to me, and law-school. Maybe the transition has
grown in on me, and now, I realize that I have found a home in that place. Not exactly a
home, but sort of. Change is a good thing, after all. We will never know, unless we try it, will
we?

Until next month,

Namrata
Editor, Teen Mag

F| 48
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

TRAVEL QUIZ
A. What is the most economic manner of exchanging your domestic
currency for a foreign currency?
1. Look for a black market in the foreign currency after you arrive
in the country
2. Use your credit card wherever possible to make purchases
while on holiday
3. Purchase travelers cheques in the foreign currency prior to
your departure
4. Purchase the foreign currency in cash prior to your departure
B. In which country are you most likely to offend someone by
showing the usual OK sign by making a circle with your thumb
and forefinger?
5. Botswana
6. Brazil
7. Russia
8. Taiwan
C. Which of the following options is not given when you search
online plane ticket sites?
9. “Red eye” (late night) flights
10. Coach class
11. Book two separate flights
12. More than one connecting flight

D. Where is better to carry cash money nowadays?

13. In a purse or a wallet
14. In pockets
15. In travel money belts
16. In your shoes
E. How should you NOT discard old clothes during travel?
17. Leaving them in your hotel room
18. Donating them to the service staff
19. Dumping them in the trash

49 |G
Eve’s Times May, 2010

F. Which of the accessories listed below would be of a great help

while traveling?
20. Amulet-bracelet
21. Bandana
22. Whistle
23. Pillow
G. What kind of fabric should you avoid when choosing socks
before a trip?
24. Acrylic
25. Wool
26. Cotton
27. Capilene
28. Nylon
H. What type of shirt weighs the least, takes the least luggage space,
and is appropriate for a wide variety of travel circumstances?
29. Silk shirts
30. Linen shirts
31. Cotton shirts
32. Woolen sweaters
I. You are lost in a foreign city, which of the actions below will
likely get you back to your hotel the quickest?
33. Ask a taxi driver to take you to the McDonalds in the city
center
34. Follow the signs
35. Ask locals for directions
36. Stop a police car and ask for directions
37. Show the taxi driver the business card from your hotel that you
picked up after checking in
J. What kind of cards must you take with you if you want to be
sure you will be able to get money in most locations?
38. Playing cards
39. Credit cards
40. Debit cards
41. Discount cards
K. What MUST you do if you don’t want to have problems with
money while traveling?
42. Bring some local currency for your first city
43. Make sure your pin number is 4 digits
44. Keep your money in a checking account, not a savings account
45. All of the above

F| 50
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

L. What color of clothes had you better avoid wearing while

traveling?
46. Red 47. Blue 48. Green 49.Pink
M. Who is supposed to handle your luggage when transferring
buses?
47. Employees
48. The bus driver
49. Porters
50. You
N. You should definitely take into account having an International
Driver’s License (or International Driving Permit) if you go
to…
51. Countries where non-Latin alphabets are used
52. Spanish speaking countries
53. Former Soviet Union countries
54. African countries
O. If you are going to move from place to place which is the best
tactic of room-finding?
55. Call or e-mail to the hotel two or three days in advance and
reserve a room
56. Just go on traveling, you will take on the room finding as soon
as you reach the destination
57. Ask your friend
P. What should one do to avoid mosquito bites?
58. Wear light-colored clothes
59. Wear long–sleeved shirts and long trousers
60. Use perfumes and aftershaves
61. Use mosquito repellants with DEET compound
Q. What should you do in order to prevent traveler’s most frequent
disease, jet lag, if you are traveling from west to east?
62. To drink as much water as possible
63. To take all soporific and anesthetic medicines you have at once
64. To go for a brisk walk as soon as possible after your arrival
65. To stay out of the sun until the day after your arrival
R. What is the safest liquid to drink in developing countries?
66. Water
67. Beer
68. Milk
69. None of the above
Stellina Aimol, Stella Maris, Chennai

51 |G
Eve’s Times
Jest 4 Laughs
Dumb Bells
Feeling embarrassed about a
recent faux pas? Don’t worry.
There are others out there in
the world who can outwit you!
Some guy bought a new fridge
for his house. To get rid of
his old fridge, he put it in his
front yard and hung a sign
on it saying: ‘Free to good
home. You want it, you take it.’
For three days the fridge sat
there without anyone look-
ing twice. He eventually de-
cided that people were too
mistrustful of this deal.
So he changed the sign to read:
‘Fridge for sale $50.’
The next day someone stole it!
One day I was walking down
the beach with some friends
when someone shouted....
‘Look at that dead bird!’
Someone looked up at the sky
and said...’where?’
F| 52
My sister has a lifesaving tool in
her car which is designed to cut
through a seat belt. If she gets
trapped. She keeps it in the car
boot.
I was hanging out with a
friend when we saw a woman
with a nose ring attached to an
earring by a chain.My friend said,
‘Ouch! The chain must ripout
every time she turns her head!”
I had to explain that a person’s
nose and ear remain the same
distance apart no matter which
way the head is turned...
I couldn’t find my luggage at
the airport baggage area and.
went to the lost luggage of-
fice and reported the loss.
The woman there smiled and
told me not to worry because
she was a trained profes-
sional and said I was in good
hands. ‘Now,’ she asked me,
‘Has your plane arrived yet?’...
(I work with professionals like
this.)
While working at a pizza par-
lor I observed a man ordering a
small pizza to go. He appeared
to be alone and the cook asked
him if he would like it cut into
4 pieces or 6. He thought about
it for some time then said ‘Just
cut it into 4 pieces; I don’t think
I’m hungry enough to eat 6
pieces.
A noted psychiatrist was a guest
speaker at an academic function
May, 2010
where a woman professor took
the opportunity to schmooze
the good doctor a bit and asked
him a question with which he
was most at ease.
‘Would you mind telling me,
Doctor,’ she asked, ‘how you
detect a mental deficiency in
somebody who appears com-
pletely normal?’
‘Nothing is easier,’ he replied
‘You ask a simple question
which anyone should answer
with no trouble. If the person
hesitates, that puts you on the
track.’
‘What sort of question?’ asked
the lady.
Well, you might ask, ‘Captain
Cook made three trips around
the world and died during one
of them. Which one?’’
She thought for a moment, and
then said with a nervous laugh,
‘You wouldn’t happen to have
another example would you?
I must confess I don’t know
much about history.’
Contributed by J. Ramkumar
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

Sudoku Answer on page 60 Travel Quiz

3 6 8 ANSWERS:
A) 2 J) 2
2 B) 2 K) 3
C) 3 L) 3
9 4 5 D) 3 M) 4
E) 1 N) 1
2 9 1 6 F) 3 O) 1
G) 2 P) 4
3 7 9 1 H) 1 Q) 4
I) 5 R) 2
4 2 6 7
your first cup of coffee.
6 8 1 ❖ You end sentences with 3 (or
more) full stops while writ-
2 9 8 ing letters by hand.
❖ You actually enjoy the fact
7 2 4 that you are addicted.
❖ You don’t want to leave in
❖ complete sentences.
case you miss something.
❖ You begin to say “heh heh ❖ You double click your TV re-
heh” instead of laughing. mote.
❖ When someone says “What ❖ You stop typing whole words
did you say?” you reply and use things like ppl, dun-
“Scroll up!”
Graffiti ❖ You type messages to people
no and lemme.

Signs that show you’ve been
online too long
❖ Someone at work tells you a
joke and you say “LOL”.
❖ You no longer type with
proper capitalization, punc-
tuation, or
while you are on the phone
with them at the same time.
❖ Your buddy list has over 100
people on it.
❖ You wake up in the morning
and the first thing you do is
get online before you have

53 |G
Eve’s Times
Your Jewel Statement
“Fashions fade, style is eternal.” - Yves Saint Laurent
F ashion trends keep changing
every season. What’s “in”
one day is “out” the next day.
Fashion jewelry trends have
undergone revolutionary
changes in the recent years. A
piece of jewelry is the reflection
of one’s personal style and
attitude. It can bring an outfit
from drab to fab. The right
kind of fashion jewelry can
accentuate a simple outfit and
make it stand out.
Fashion trends of 2009
2009 was all about jewelry
with a twist in bright and bold
colors. The must have colors
F| 54
May, 2010
are yellow, coral, sea blue and
amazonite green. Yellow gold is
back. This is a great choice for
prove to be economical but will
look classy and chic. You will
want to choose pieces that are a
your soirées but you can still bit more outrageous than your
wear white gold or platinum
as day wear. But 2009 is gone
and with the beginning of a new
year trends will change and our
focus is to bring to you those
new styles in jewelry that will
make you the trendsetter.! So
read on to find out what 2010
has in store for you.
Statement jewelry is one of the
largest trends right now. Pieces
like this may not be the most
expensive pieces in your ward-
robe, but they will not only
May, 2010
every day jewelry. Explore fun
shapes, rich colors, and lots of
sparkle. Chandelier earrings
are back once again. They bring
with them an instantly feminine
and glamorous look to any out-
fit that you add them to. Typi-
cally, chandelier earrings have
some sort of sparkle to them,
and this makes them the per-
fect addition to any going out
look. They can also be paired
with simple jeans, heels, and a
T-shirt, giving glamour to your
everyday look. In short they are
the perfect accompaniments
for any kind of attire. Colors are
in vogue this year. The fashion
focus with this year’s colors is
actually warm and rich shades.
But it will no longer be the bright
oranges or the vibrant yellows.
It will give way to soother color
tones and the rich vibrancy will
lead to lighter, softer and more
neutral colors. The Jewel tones
are very popular as long as they
are rich and lush. But 2010 still
has a long way to go and we
never know what changes the
world of fashion jewelry will
bring. So we bring to you a few
trends that 2010 intends.
In 2010 a more localized focus
can be given to tribal jewelry,
native materials and beads.
A more subtle use of your jew-
elry is trending in.
Beaded jewelry and unique
custom made pieces will help
people express their individual
style while not taxing already
strained financial resources.
Col d co lo r s will se t th e
t r e nd in 2 010. o sta n d o u t
Eve’s Times
with f la r in g co lo r is no
lo n g e r tr e n dse ttin g .
Handcrafted unique jewelry
will continue to be hugely pop-
ular because of the desire to ex-
press oneself through creativity
rather than extravagance.
Craft jewelry making will be an
unbeatable trend for 2010. With
financial pressures mounting,
and little relief in sight, families
will return to what matters, and
fashion will reflect this.
Celeb talk on trends:
Bollywood beauty Aishwarya
Rai is known for being the
most stunning face to endorse
various high fashion brands,
and now the actress is all set to
launch her own designer jew-
elry line. According to a source,
“Ash is contemplating putting
her own jewelry line in the mar-
ket soon”.
By Sylvia & Urmimala
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Eve’s Times May, 2010

Career Concerns

Designing Careers
D esigning today has come
to encompass not only
ensembles, but also interiors,
jewelry, footwear and such other
fields. Design offers immense
scope for carving out a career
for those whose are creative.
Designing of the interiors and
jewelry were earlier considered
as past time, especially for
bored homemakers. Today,
one can have a flourishing
career in these fields. Today,
people are letting their creative
instincts guide them and that
has resulted in the emergence
of new and highly innovative
career options in the fashion
industry.
technical knowledge required
for the profession. These cours-
es teach managerial skills such
as finding clients, retaining and
managing them. A very impor-
tant factor however is that this
course must be pursued in a
reputed institute. Interior de-
signers have a most lucrative
market open before them due
to factors like expansion of the
market economy, growing con-
sumerism etc. Thus, they are
with entrusted the task of not
only making attractive interi-
ors but also utilizing the given
space for maximum benefits.
This is one field where self em-
ployment is a great possibility .
All in all a highly promising ca-
reer provided one has the skill,
grace, imagination and a well
matched confidence to make it
big.
Footwear Designing
Next we take a look at footwear
designing. Shoes have been
objects of fascination for both

Interior Designing
Let us take a look at interior
designing and the prospects
it offers. Interior designing
is the shaping up the experi-
ence of inner space keeping in
mind the environment psychol-
ogy, architecture and product
design. It is one of the most
sought after designing courses
available today. The primary
objective of interior design
courses in India is to equip the
students with creative aware-
ness, imagination, attitude and

F| 56
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

that are creative, artistic and elry designers are people who
precise. It is a profession where have a high degree of skill and
one’s creative pursuits are of precision, the ability to use a
the utmost importance. Jew- variety of specialized tools and
elry is something that has a manufacture new pieces of jew-
great economic significance in elry. They should also have a
the Indian economy and is con- good understanding of the mar-
sidered to be a major source of ket, identify consumer needs
investment. With the explosion and create impressive presen-
men and women from the age in the fashion arena the field is tations to communicate the
of fairy tales about Cinderella’s becoming a lucrative career to end product to the client. The
glass shoes. Footwear design- those fascinated by gems and fast growing jewelry business
ing plays a special role in the jewels and the likes of it. Jew- in the country has tremendous
fashion industry that involves a
lot of technical design. Shoe de-
signers combine anatomy, fine
art, kinesiology, marketing, en-
gineering, fashion, beauty, and
industrial design to create inter-
esting, durable, and attractive
footwear for all occasions. It is
a career where the designers
can work on their own, creating
imaginative, exclusive pieces
to sell in boutiques, fairs, and
through clothing stores, or they
can work on the payrolls of a
manufacturing company, creat-
ing designs for mass creation
and sale. They may even host
their own fashion shows. As
such the recent boom in foot-
wear designing that has sprung
up is quite natural. Resources
that should have been tapped
much earlier are being done
now. Footwear designing has a
great scope and with the expan-
sion this industry is receiving
from the national and inter-
national markets employment
opportunities will definitely in-
crease.

Jewelry Designing
Jewelry Designing is an ideal
career option for young minds

57 |G
Eve’s Times
employment potential and of-
fers excellent career opportuni-
ties to professional executives
in the industry. Graduates with
specialization in Jewelry Design
and Management are in great
demand globally for managing
the jewelry business. A course
in jewelry designing opens a
wide range of career options
like identification and testing of
jewelry and gemstones, design-
ing and marketing.
Fashion Designing
Fashion designing is one of the
most exciting and booming ca-
reer in today’s world. In a coun-
try like India, where textile and
garment industries have been
thriving for ages, the recent
upshot in fashion among the
youngsters has led to innova-
tion and new prospects in the
existing domain of garment
and accessory design. This is a
F| 58
great career option for students
who have penchant for creativ-
ity, style and originality. The
fashion industry satisfies both
the creative fancies and the ma-
terialistic needs of the people
and it promises glamour, fame,
success and high pay package
to talented people. Fashion de-
signing is a demanding career
as one can survive in this field
only if they can combine their
creativity with their manage-
rial skills. Thus, if you can cre-
ate magic with colors, designs
and shapes, just acquire apt
professional skills to begin a
successful career in Fashion
Designing. A trained fashion
designer can work in areas like
designer wear production, plan-
ning and concept management,
fashion marketing, design pro-
duction management, fashion
media, quality control, fashion
accessory design and promo-
tion of brands.
May, 2010
You can also find jobs as cos-
tume designer, fashion consul-
tant, personal stylist, technical
designer, graphic designer, pro-
duction pattern maker, fashion
coordinator, apparel production
manager, fabric buyer, fabric
quality control manager, show
room sales representative, il-
lustrator, cutting assistant and
outside sales representative in
this industry. People who want
to set their stone in industry
can also be entrepreneurs and
form their own companies.
If you think you are a creative
person and would like to work
wonders in aesthetics, design-
ing careers will not only be
lucrative, but will be soul sat-
isfying too. And for those who
would like to reach for the stars,
there’s a lot of name, fame, in-
ternational recognition and ex-
citement in store!
By Josephine
May, 2010
Career Concerns
To Serve with Love
R emember those times when
jobs and job opportunities
only meant charting a career in
engineering or being a doctor.
Well the scenario is much
changed today and we bring to
you the job opportunities that
the hospitality industry offers.
According to Mr. Krithivasan,
General Manager of Ambassador
Pallava, Chennai, the scope for
job opportunities are immense
in this field.
There are so many vocations
within this industry and the
expansion in the travel and
hospitality industry, despite
the recession, has thrown up
countless job opportunities.
Those with the gift of the gab,
an attitude to serve with a smile
and a pleasant composure are
the right persons for key jobs
in hotels. There are various de-
partments of course that coor-
dinate and function together to
make this a success. The most
prominent career nook is the
Front office which has to coor-
dinate with all the departments
and also handle the client with
aplomb. If you are a part of the
hospitality industry, the be pre-
pared to develop diplomacy be-
cause a direct yes or no would
lead to complications!
❖ Kirthivasan
Eve’s Times
The most important depart-
ment around with the business
of the entire hotel revolves is the
food and beverage department
where those with education in
catering will make an entry.
Creativity, planning, innova-
tion, frugality and efficiency are
the important qualities of a per-
son willing to join the F & B de-
partment of a hotel. The other
departments include the HR
department, the housekeeping
department, security, mainte-
nance etc. Ambassador Pallava
takes on interns for three to six
months and they are trained in
the various fields. Today’s age is
of competition necessitating a
practical approach to what one
has learned. Institutes of Ho-
tel Management send their stu-
dents on internships to hotels
of repute to give their learning a
well grounded finish and com-
plete their course. Commerce
graduates find their place in the
accounts department.
There are certain hotels which
have their own laboratory for
testing and have trained mi-
crobiologists. Testing of food
items, water testing, purifica-
tion of drinking water, testing
the purity of water in the swim-
ming pool etc is all done in the
laboratory. Ambassador Pallava
is one such hotel having their
own laboratory. Hotels also fol-
low norms such as providing
discounted rates. Ambassador
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Eve’s Times May, 2010

Pallava offers a discount of 50%

on buffet and follows norms
such as not allowing children
below five and above twelve
years of age to access the pool.

Mr. Kirtivasan also spoke about

how a hotel needs to cater to
the target market. Ambassador
Pallava is located in Montieth
Road, Egmore and the clientele
it caters to mostly come from
companies in and around the
area though its connoisseurs
list extends to Adyar and Anna
Nagar as well. The target market
that a hotel should aim for must
keep in mind the location of the
hotel and its proximity to other
places.

Remember, the industry is competitive but the best will stand out. If you are a part of this industry,
not only will you get opportunities to interact with varied kinds of people from different countries
including sportsmen and celebrities, but you can also have your cake and eat it too. Enjoy good
food, good ambience, turn out well dressed and work in a cool ambience. As for the pressures of the
job, which job doesn’t have pressures. After all, if you enjoy your job, then it is a relaxation for your
mind.
Urmimala and Stellina

Sudoku Answer
5 4 3 6 2 8 7 1 9 Tale
8 1 9 5 4 7 2 6 3 Piece
7 2 6 1 9 3 8 4 5
2 5 8 9 7 1 6 3 4
3 6 7 8 5 4 9 2 1
Pencil Work
Amezing

1 9 4 2 3 6 5 8 7
6 8 5 4 1 9 3 7 2
4 7 2 3 6 5 1 9 8
9 3 1 7 8 2 4 5 6

F| 60
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

S ummer is a season that

requires its own special
beauty tricks. As the peak
summer heat has set in you
should keep in mind that
different beauty rules need to
be applied in order to protect
yourself from the scorching
heat. And so, to keep looking
SUMMER
your best, here are some
beauty tips to fix your summer
problems. During the scorching
BEAUTY
heat your skin and hair are very
susceptible and so let’s take
a look at how you can protect
your skin and hair as well as
maintain their healthy look.

Cool Skin

As a teenager you must know

that you have a soft and delicate
skin and you must act wisely
to preserve it. Sunlight has a
profound effect on your skin
causing premature ageing and
darkening .It can mar the glow
of your skin. Using sunscreen is
a must in this heat. If you spend
a lot of time outside you must
surely use sunscreen with mini-
mum SPF of 25- 30 It is advis-
able to use a broad spectrum
sunscreen. Sunscreens prevent
the skin from being damaged
due to sun burns and unwant-
ed pigmentation. Sunscreens
like Kama Ayurveda Sunscreen
Lotion ( SPF 15) , Lakme Anti
-Darkening Sunscreen(SPF
30), Neutrogena ultra sheer
sunscreen(SPF 50) will per-
fectly give you the protection
you need during summer. We
should be also very careful
when applying foundation dur-
ing summer. Women tend to
become darker during summer

61 |G
Eve’s Times
and if you insist on using your
foundation, consider separate
shades for summer and winter.
While foundation makes you
feel as if they’re melting off your
face, tinted moisturizers won’t.
Tinted moisturizer like Laura
Mercier which contains SPF 15
is suggestible for the heat.
Pamper your Tresses
Humidity can wreak havoc on
both curly and straight hair.
Keep away the frizz with prod-
ucts such as Phyto Plage Pro-
tective Sun Veil after a shower
or swim. Your curls will be
protected. If you are near an
ocean, get in it. Saltwater has
wonderful effects on all hair
types. You’ll love the look once
your hair has dried. Coloured
Hair Needs protection. The sun
will turn coloured hair to wild
colours if not taken care of prop-
erly. Protect your colour with a
protector like Fekkai SunShine
Shield Spray.
Nothing is more gorgeous in
summer than highlighted hair
.Try light blonde highlights
around the face. Nothing shows
off a tan better than highlights.
Besides colour can add texture
to fine and limp hair. When
choosing a summer colour,
stick to natural colours because
the sun will naturally lighten
hair, so you need not go to an
extreme.
Got black or brown hair? Con-
sider caramel highlights or opt
for all-over hair colour, a shade
or two lighter than your current
colour. It is suggestible getting
hair professionally coloured or
F| 62
doing it yourself with a store-
bought box.
Tips and Toes
Go for a bright colour nail pol-
ish. If you are flaunting your
toes all over the place this sum-
mer, then consider painting
your nails a fun, bright colour.
Bold colours such as hot pink or
bright orange, yellow are espe-
cially popular this summer and
look great on most skin types.
Bright colours blend well with
dark skin.Plane colours will go
well with fair skin.
Cheeky Tips
Pink, blushed cheeks are gor-
geous. Nothing’s more natural
in summer than pink, flushed,
“just-back-from-a-run” skin. To
get this look, apply bronzer on
all the bits the sun would natu-
rally hit: forehead, cheeks and
nose. Then apply a pink blush
on the apples of your cheeks.
You will get the look!
KEEP Hair Off Your Face
Keep the sweat off your neck
with headbands, ballerina
bands, ponytails, loose buns or
even kerchiefs. All are gorgeous
looks for summer.
Make up Tips for Teenagers
As a teenager you must know
that you have got a soft and un-
exploited skin and so make sure
you do not use any local and
harsh products on your skin.
Also remember not to imitate
anybody else style’s because as
a teenager it is very important
May, 2010
for you to develop an original
style of your own. Do not also
give yourself an overdose of
make up because it will make
you look more mature than you
are. Try to stay away from that
ultra glam and sexy look as it
will take a toll over your inno-
cence which is the basic plus
point of your beauty.
What to do
❖ Experiment with colours.
Try wearing bright and flo-
ral colours. You can also use
light pink and yellow colours
if you are willing to go for a
feminine look.
❖ Go for natural shades of
make up.
❖ Do experiments with your
eye makeup but avoid extra
glossy makeup any where
else on your face.
❖ Go for lip gloss instead of
lipstick.
❖ Try different kinds of hair-
styles because changes in
hair do help in a complete
make over.
❖ Remember to keep your skin
clean, toned and moistur-
ized. Avoid using any harsh
products on your skin.
❖ You can try wearing bright
colour slippers and flats as it
blends well in summer.
 May, 2010 Eve’s Times

TAKE IT
light!
M y friend is a slender
Fitness First
girl and she has been
obsessed with reaching size
zero. She has always been pretty
but now with bad diet she looks
very gaunt. She will be getting
married soon and does not heed
her mother’s warnings about
her lifestyle. Please advise me
on the harmful effects of size
zero so that I can get her to stop
ruining her life.

Stop all compliments on ‘achiev-

ing’ weight reduction first .Let
her know that she looks too
old for her age. No girl will like
this and she might start giv-
ing it a thought at some point.
With marriage on the cards she
must accept and understand
that men hardly get attracted to
a stick figure, curves have always
been a turn on for men. With
size zero and the unhealthy diet
and life style that she is into,
her reproductive capacity goes
for a nose dive. Some amount
of fat is essential to protect
your vital organs like the heart,
liver, kidneys, uterus etc; which
means, life itself is at stake. It
is the fat layer under the skin
that gives you the youthful glow
which no amount of makeup
can. Your bones and joints de-
pend on a certain amount of
fat for shock absorption while
in motion. Even the vegetables
that an unhealthy size zero tries
to live on will not be absorbed,

63 |G
Eve’s Times
as vitamin A,D,E,K are all fat
soluble! Exercise coupled with
a balanced diet and an active
life style with a positive attitude
makes life worth living.
I am a 20 year old girl and I
have noticed that all my weight
goes to my upper arms. It looks
very odd because otherwise I
have a very slim frame. Please
suggest a routine to reduce and
prevent this in the future.
Our body is genetically pro-
grammed to behave in a partic-
ular way, according to our life
style, down the ages. Genes play
a very strong role here. Howev-
er I will not discourage you in
your efforts. You can tone your
arms with exercise. More rep-
etitions and less weights is the
manthra. The resistance band is
a good option which tones and
lengthens the muscles without
bulking it.
Front of the arm Biceps- Place
the middle of the tubing (mod-
erate resistance) under your
feet as you stand with feet hip
width apart, hold the handles
one in each hand with palms
facing the front. Maintain the
closeness of the elbow to the
sides of your body while you
gently, with control, bend at
the elbow bringing the hand up.
Avoid movement in the wrist.
Back of the arm Triceps-Place
one end of the tubing under
both your feet or one foot de-
pending on the length. Hold the
other end with the hand that is
on the side of the tube length.
Place the hand below the nape
of your neck with the closed
F| 64
May, 2010
hand facing the body and pull
the tube up and above the head.
Upper arm stays close to the ear
and no movement at the wrist.
You can use the other arm to
hold the upper arm from mov-
ing initially.
If you are new to exercising
please begin with 10 counts\
repetitions and slowly increase
to a point of fatigue where in,
the last 5 counts are done with
effort but not too much pain.
Aside all this you need to be
aware of what goes into your
mouth. Keep fatty and fried stuff
out. Sweets and sugar should
be very minimal. Though you
are slim, the extra calories have
a tendency to run to your arms
so be aware of that.
Do you have any queries on fit-
ness? You can get back to us at
editorevestimes@gmail.com
or editoretg@gmail.com
Vijaya Chamundeswari
Fitness Consultant - Cer-
tified by The Ameri-
can Council on Exercise
(ACE), Reebok, Integral
Yoga Institute (IYI), Pi-
lates Institute of America
(PIA).
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

ease that is neglected globally

and of which the primary teeth
or the milk teeth are the most
neglected ones. Nature’s design
of first equipping mankind with
primary teeth does reinforce
the fact that they are important
and need to be taken care of.

Importance of primary teeth

❖ help in speech
❖ aesthetics (quality of life)
❖ growth and development of
the jaws
❖ helps guide the underlying
permanent into their posi-
tions
❖ help in masticatin

A SMILE TO REMEMBER
❖ help in phonation

Common problems in milk

teeth

H umans are diphyodonts,

which means we have
2 sets of teeth namely., the
a chronic disease of the teeth
which is avoidable, regardless
is the most common disease. It
Dental caries: Early childhood
caries is a condition where a
child has at least one carious
primary and the permanent is unfortunate that dental dis-
tooth in the pre-school age pe-
teeth. ease is probably the only dis-
riod. Dental caries is caused by
Primary dentition are the first
set of teeth that start erupting
at the age of 6 months and a full
set of these teeth are seen at the
age of 2yrs. They erupt in a se-
quence and they fall off in the
same sequence that they erupt.
They are also called as milk
teeth probably because they ex-
ist at the time when the child
depends upon milk for his nu-
trition and that they are white
and look like milk.

Permanent teeth start replac-

ing the primary teeth at the age
of 6 and a full compliment of
permanent teeth is appreciated
at the age of 11-12. Dental caries

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Eve’s Times May, 2010

fermentable carbohydrates (food) such as the sugars, microorganisms, host (tooth surface and sa-
liva) and time.

Mmicroorganisms in the oral cavity in the presence of fermentable carbohydrates will produce
acid, this acid will change the pH of the saliva, which initially is basic into acidic, this change
in the pH will cause leaching out of calcium and potassium ions from the tooth surface . This
in turn promotes demineralization of the tooth and thus a cavity will form. Once the cavity is
formed, this acts a reservoir for food accumulation and caries will extend and progress.

What are the consequences of not treating carious teeth?

In the short term

❖ Pain - Cavitation of teeth occurs when the outermost layer of the tooth islost. this will render the
tooth sensitive to hot, cold and sweet substances. when there are more than one carious teeth in a
child the act of chewing food becomes painful. this can alter eating habits and also cause inability
to sleep
❖ Infection- Carious teeth are unhealthy teeth, avoiding treatment will cause death of the tooth
which leads to accumulation of pus in the surrounding tissues. this presence of pus can hamper
the development of the underlying permanent tooth.
❖ poor apetite
❖ disturbed sleep
❖ speech- temporary prob-
lem
❖ mastication/chewing of
the food:
❖ emergency visits and pos-
sibly hospitalizations
❖ loss of time for the child
from school and work for
the parent
❖ need for extractions
❖ need for treatment under
General Anaesthesia
❖ can cause malocclusion
problems

To be continued …

Dr. Prashanth Kumar

Dhanpal, International
Dental Hospital,
Chennai

F| 66
May, 2010
“BHAIRE BAANWARI – JAYASHRI”
F or Saint-poet Mirabhai,
Lord Krishna was her
universe. Her unparalleled love
for her Lord, her playmate, her
mentor, her guru… His flawless
beauty, kindness- every possible
facet of this exotic romance
was brought to life by Carnatic
vocalist Bombay Jayashri
on Sunday through carefully
chosen bhajans of Mira at
‘Bhaire Baanvari,’ a fund-
raiser musical presentation
for Sankalp Trust for children
with learning disability and
autism spectrum disorder. It
was hosted by Sankalp Trust
at Mutha Venkata Subarao
Auditorium, Lady Andal School,
Chetpet, Chennai.
It was a trip down the first-half
of the 16th century for a peep
into the trials and tribulations
of Mirabai, an ardent devotee
of Lord Krishna. Born into the
Royal family of Ranas of Me-
wara, Mirabai had to endure
hate, abuse and deceit as she
steadfastly clung on to her love
for Krishna. Humiliated by men
and women in the royal fam-
ily of her in-laws, a frustrated
Mirabai moved away to Mera-
ta, her maternal home. Her un-
flinching love for the Lord led
her to Vrindavan and finally
to Dwaraka, where she merged
into the image of Krishna.
Bombay Jayashri led the au-
dience slide into history and
into the times of Mirabai. The
emotions of innocent Mira, the
pains of a married Mira, the
pangs of a distraught Mirabai
and the untold sufferings of the
Eve’s Times
devout lover of Krishna – all
these were beautifully sketched
out by Jayashri, as she held the
audience spellbound for close
to two hours during her presen-
tation of `Bhaire Baanvari’. She
made the audience empathize
with Mirabai. It was indeed an
enriching experience.
Jayashri donned the Mira role
to perfection with her fabu-
lous singing. Jayashri sort of
transformed into Mira per-
haps, as she gave such a won-
derful expression to the lyrics
of Mira’s poems. Jayashri’s
music was chaste with clear
diction and full of devotion.
The accompanying artistes
measured up to her equally
to make “Bhaire Baanvari” a
unique experience.
Jayashri was accompanied by
Embar Kannan (violin), Naveen
Iyer (flute), Sai Shravanam (tab-
la), Jeyacha (side percussion).
The accompanying vocal ar-
tistes were: S. Sabesh, Amritha
Murali, Kedar Karat, Rahul K.
Raveendran, Chaitrra Sairam,
Keerthana V. Nath and Poorn-
ima Satish. Sheejith Krishna
lighting effects is worth a men-
tion. The artistes’ costume and
stage designs were made attrac-
tive by Lakshmi Srinath.
The programme began with
Gowri’s beautiful narration.
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Eve’s Times
Gowri had taught the team rare
songs of Mirabai that she had
learnt from MS and other Hin-
dustani singers. The success of
`Bhaire Baanvari’ should also
be attributed to Gowri for her
concept, direction and narra-
tion. Gowri’s story-telling was
elegant and replete with infor-
mation on the princess of Ra-
jasthan, as she brought life to
the story of Mira.
The opening song was “Kamala
lochana kati pitambara adhara
murali” in rag Yaman. This
song was learnt by Mira from
swami Raidas, her first mentor
who belonged to a lower race.
Jayashri excelled in singing this
opening song on Lord Krish-
na’s beauty. Gowri gave a good
introduction before each song
and made the listening session
rather interesting.
Mirabai used to pray to her
Krishna in the temple. She felt
that her Krishna should be free
of the dristhi. To ward off the evil
eyes on him, she sang “Dhristi
Padiyo”. This was sung in raga-
malika by Jayashri. “More Aan-
gan me Murali Bhajao re” is a
song where the child Mira asks
Krishna to play flute for her.
Then there was a conversation-
al song “Prabhu Ji”. Here Mira
describes Krishna as Chandan
(sandalwood) and herself as
Pani (water). She wants to be a
part of her Lord just like the way
sandalwood mixes with water.
This song was sung by Jayashri
and Sabesh in rag Durga. Sa-
besh has a charming voice. He
is not a seasoned singer but his
voice did make an impact on
F| 68
the audience that evening. In
one of the songs, “Mai Mane
Supana Mam Paranyam di-
nanatha,’’ Mira dreams of mar-
rying Lord Krishna. Jayashri
sang this with much dedication
and devotion. There is also a
conversation between the Saas
and bahu (mother-in-law and
daughter-in-law). It is between
Mirabai and her mother-in-law,
who asks her to pray to God-
dess Gowri. Mirabhai refuses
to worship any deity other than
Lord Krishna. Hence the song,
“Maana Guru Govind”. The
Saas part was sung by Amritha
Murali, who did an admirable
job during the entire concert.
Jayashri played the bahu. This
was an interesting exchange.
There is yet an interesting con-
versation song between Mirabai
and her sister-in-law Udabhai,
who gives never-ending trou-
bles to Mirabai. Mira replies
that “Govind Guna Gasayam”.
Here Jayashri and Chaitraa
Sairam (who has an absorb-
ing voice) converse in beauti-
ful Rajasthani dialect and then
the team sings the song. This
was followed by the “Paga Gun-
groo Bhaand Mira Naachi Re”.
Jayashri beautified the lyr-
ics, “Loga Kahe Mira Bhaire
Baanvari” (Meera as crazy) in
this song. There is yet another
anecdote from Mirabai’s life
where she seeks advice from
Sant Tulasidas. This is a beau-
tiful poetic letter writing con-
versation between Mirabai and
Tulasidas.
Another song is “Mera Dard na
Jane, maim to Prem Divani”.
May, 2010
Meera feels nobody can under-
stand her love’s anguish. Only
one who is wounded could un-
derstand how it hurts. In this
poem, Mira says Krishna is the
physician who can relieve her of
the pain. Jayashri gave a good
expression to the lyrics. There
was then the fascinating cho-
rus recital, “Chakar Rakho Ji”.
This song has become popular
after the film Meera . The ac-
companying male artistes gave
a whole new experience to the
song.
Mirabai remembers Vrindavan
and sings this song in praise
of Krishna and Radha. ``Ali
Maine Lage Vrindavan niko”.
The whole team renders it with
stimulating swaras and jathis,
beautifying the poem and giv-
ing it a grand treatment. ``Mayi
Re Mai to leho Govind Mol’’, a
group song started by Jayashri
and joined in by others, was
energetic and served as a hori
song with attractive colours in
the background. Mirabai calls
Lord Krishna as Jogi. “Jogi Mat
Jao”. This is a touching song,
where Mira calls upon Krish-
na and asks him to burn her
into ashes and adorn her in his
limbs. Jayashri brought out the
melancholy expressively.
The nearly two-hour concert
came to an end with “Hari
Tuma Haro”, creating an ever-
lasting impression on the audi-
ence. Sai Shravanam excelled
in playing tabala right from the
beginning.
Malini Shankar
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

Simmering Sensations TAKE IT

light!

Summer
Super Samaiyal
S ummer brings with it the delight of
desserts, cool juices and ice creams
and yummy dishes that can even the
most fervent dieter cannot desist from.
Here’s a veritable fare from Chef Arun
of Ambassador Pallava Hotel, Chennai
that can make your summer evening a
delectable one.

Mango Yogurt
Mousse
Ingredients
4 ripe mangoes
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1-cup yogurt
1 tbsp gelatin
1/2-cup sugar

Method
4 Put the mango pulp in the blender.
1 Peel the mangoes and take out the
5 Blend until its smooth
flesh.
6 Pour this into small serving moulds and cover with
2 Add the gelatin powder to a little bit of
plastic wrap.
warm water and dissolve
7 Chill overnight
3 Pour the heavy cream and yogurt into
a blender and add the dissolved gelatin 8 Demould and serve chilled garnished with mango slices
to it. Add sugar. and mint leaf.

69 |G
Eve’s Times May, 2010

Thai Cucumber and

Green mango salad
Ingredients
1 no medium Cucumber, diced
1 raw mango, diced
2 no shallots chopped fine
2 spring onions, chopped
1 medium red capsicum, finely chopped
1 small bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
¼ cup ground dry roasted peanuts
½ bunch fresh mint, finely chopped

Dressing
2 tbsp limejuice Method
4 tbsp sugar Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl
1 tbsp vegetable oil Pour over the dressing
1 tbsp soy sauce Toss well and refrigerate for 3 hours
1 tsp salt Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Heat butter in
Mixed vegetable pasta a pan. Add the
diced vegetables
with Cheese sauce and sauté till it
becomes tender.
Ingredients Method for prep-
Pasta- 1 cup (penne, farfalle, fussilli) available aration of sauce
at supermarkets
Melt the butter in
Mixed vegetables- 1 cup (Dicedbellpepper a pan.
(red, yellow and green), carrots, green peas,)
Add the grated
Butter- 1/2tsp Salt to tasteGrated Amul cheese
cheese.
to sprinkle on top
Now add the flour. Mix well.
For Sauce
Add milk slowly, stirring well, ensuring there are
Butter-1tsp Cheese- 1tsp Plain flour- 1tsp Milk-
no lumps.
1cup Pepper- 1tsp freshly ground Salt to taste
Add the pepper and salt to taste.
Method Allow it to thicken.
Boil the pasta in water along with some salt.
Now add the Cooked vegetables and cooked pasta
Drain the water when the pasta is fully to the sauce and mix well. Sprinkle with grated
cooked and wash it under running wa- cheese on top and serve hot. Chef Arun
ter so that they don’t stick to each other.
Ambassador pallava, Egmore, Chennai 8

F| 70
May, 2010
Salt & Pepper Korner
M ake your kitchen experience exciting using Mallika
Badrinath’s wise counsel. Mallika has recipes for everyone;
even bachelors and children can turn out a delectable meal using
her guidance. So go ahead with your kitchen queries and prepare
healthy, tasty meals with the help of the Cuisine Queen of south
India.
I use ginger-garlic paste a
lot whenever I make subzis,
which I buy from the market.
My question is, should we
transfer the contents from
the plastic packets into a
container? If so, should it be
plastic or steel? How long can
we store this paste? When I
try to store this paste in small
stainless steel container, I
find that it turns black. Why
does this happen? I would
rather use homemade ginger-
garlic paste. How long can I
store the homemade paste,
and how best to store it?
- Ritu Chawla, Hyderabad
Readymade ginger garlic paste
is best preserved in its own sa-
chet. Take care, however, to seal
it with cello tape every time you
open and use it. Store this in the
refrigerator. Do not store it in
steel containers as it can react
and turn black.
To make and preserve home-
made ginger garlic paste, take
the correct proportion of ginger
and garlic, [maybe 60:40], and
Eve’s Times
TAKE IT
light!
add about 100gm of vinegar
plus a tablespoon of salt. Keep
the mixture in a Pearl Pet jar
and refrigerate so that it retains
its colour and taste for a longer
period.
You are a great expert in mak-
ing ragi dishes. How can we
make tasty ragi dosas, using
ragi and urad dhal (ulundu)?
- Malathi Srinivasan, Chennai
Ragi dosas are good for health.
Soak 1 cup urad dal [ulundu]
and grind. Add a little butter-
milk to 4 cups of ragi flour, and
mix this with the ground dal till
you attain the right consistency.
Add salt, keep overnight to fer-
ment. Prepare dosas the next
morning as usual.
The Best Query of the month
will win a masala hamper from
Mallika Home Product Pvt.
Ltd. Cooking has never been a
Spicier Experience!
Eve’s Times readers have excit-
ing news! Watch out for com-
petitions on cookery tips and
recipes. Dig out exotic recipes
and innovative tips and win
prizes! Send your recipes/tips
with your colour pix to Eve’s
Times #18/1 Second Cross St
Dr.Radhakrishnan Nagar, Tiru-
vanmiyur, Chennai 600 041 or
by e-mail to editor@evestime-
sonline.com
71 |G
Eve’s Times
The Big Screen
H ow would you be able to
connect children with a
burning pyre? Wouldn’t it be
akin to trying to juxtapose life
with death? This is exactly
what Rajesh S. Jala, film maker
par excellence and winner of
myriad awards does through
his thought-provoking and
heart-wrenching documentary
‘Children of the Pyre’. In
stark contrast was his other
documentary titled ‘Floating
Lamp of the Shadow Valley’, a
film as picturesque as its name,
as Arif, a nine year old Kashmiri
boy traces his life, its hardships
and his work as a boat boy on
the Dal Lake.
The two documentaries were
screened in the Savera Hotel un-
der the auspices of the Bill Roth
Hospitals and the Dr. Jegana-
than Foundation. Dr. Rajesh
Jeganathan, Managing Director
and Dr. Manoj Beno, Medical
Director of Bill Roth Hospitals,
both spoke about how several
public outreach programmes
were being offered by them, like
free medical treatment and re-
F| 72
Deepti Menon
search and development. How-
ever, an important initiative
was to create awareness about
cancer through CANSWER, the
brainchild of Dr Rajesh. They
stressed that the key to cancer
cure was early education, and a
sustained one year programme
was going on to educate people
on how to combat stress and
make the right lifestyle changes
to stay healthy. Mr. Mithran De-
vanesen was the moving force
behind the whole event, having
brought these documentaries
to the notice of the public, as
well as being the Chief Advisor
of the CANSWER Campaign.
A top priority was child welfare
as children are the pillars of the
nation. It was in this regard that
the two documentaries which
had children as their protago-
nists were screened.
Floating Lamp of
the Shadow Valley:
The strains of Allahu Akbar and
the flicker of a lantern reveal
the paradoxes of Kashmir, a
May, 2010
From the
Burning
Ghats to the
Frozen Lake!
land of wondrous scenic beauty
and the starkness of militancy.
Across a frozen Dal lake, Arif,
a nine year old boy labours to
break the ice to ferry his pas-
senger across, a metaphor that
stands for his struggle for sur-
vival in real life. At the tender
age of seven, he took up the oar
to feed his family – an ailing
mother and four siblings even
as his abusive alcoholic father
neglected them. With dreams of
buying land, building a house,
educating his siblings and mar-
rying off his sister, Rosy in the
future, he works diligently,
making enough money for his
family to celebrate festivals like
ID, all the while taking care to
repair his boat to keep it in mint
condition.
The documentary also talks
about the political scenario in
the backdrop – the Hazratbal
firing and the meteoric rise of
terrorism, the detonation of
nuclear devices by India and
Pakistan, the Srinagar-Muzaf-
May, 2010
farnagar Bus initiative that was
meant to be the perfect solu-
tion to the Kashmir problem,
and the Kargil incursions. Arif
hates his father who was once a
terrorist and remarks candidly,
“I will never be a militant. One
bullet can kill you. Besides they
kill people and killing is bad!”
Simple but profound philoso-
phy from this young lad with a
mature head on his shoulders!
The cinematography is breath-
taking, as the camera travels
through beautiful vignettes
of the frozen lake and sombre
skies, the rich hues of autumn,
the riotous burst of spring and
raindrops of a green lily pad,
ending with a joyous glimpse of
the brothers gambolling around
like playful puppies with the
snowy downy flakes of a plant
burst engulfing them, as hope
reigns supreme!
Children of the Pyre:
Vivid images of fires burning
fiercely are associated with Man-
ikarnika, India’s most ancient,
sacred and popular cremation
ground. This documentary re-
cords the poignant tale of seven
children who work through the
day and night in the burning
ghats of Varanasi, where burn-
ing bodies is a serious business.
Each of these boys has been
baptised by fire, having spent
years in these grim surround-
ings, watching gruesome scenes
of melting torsos, arms, legs
and faces, but their main occu-
pation is snatching the shrouds
from the bodies, a harrowing
task indeed. In turn, they face
abuse and beatings, and when
they do succeed they haggle to
sell these pieces of cloth. At the
onset, they went through stages
of dread, unease, disgust and
abhorrence, dreaming of ghosts
and corpses. Today they do not
Eve’s Times
flinch, inured to the stench, as they have to earn money to fill their
bellies. They honour fire which is the mainstay of their existence,
and this has even turned them into philosophers. As one boy puts
it, “Happiness and sorrow make life. If there is only happiness,
you’ll never thank God!”
The film documents all the horrors at the ghats with intermittent
wisps of graveyard humour. For instance, one boy wonders what
the corpse has eaten before it dies as it burns so brightly. Leaders
come wrapped in the Tricolour, which too can be sold. But the boys
know enough to salute the Flag, even if they are outspoken about
leaders who fleece the poor and line their own pockets. Unclaimed
bodies are given a mock cremation by the lads, as they mimic the
actual rites, intoning the prayers in a macabre pantomime. The
boys are aware they are the untouchables, as they handle the
dead, but that does not prevent them from living life, day by day,
and more so on occasions when dancing girls provide entertain-
ment, even as bodies burn on an adjacent site. The boys dream of
a comfortable future when they will own houses and cars, even be
doctors, as the documentary ends in a haunting melody where Pt.
Kumar Gandharva sings of the messengers of Death.
What was gratifying indeed was the Dr. V. Jeganathan Founda-
tion handing over a cheque of Rs. 1 lakh to the PLAN – NGO to
rehabilitate these seven boys who worked in the ghats. In a spon-
taneous gesture, the Foundation also announced that it would pay
for Arif’s educational expenses for the coming year.
In order to catch the eye of the youth, the Foundation had also
held two competitions for college students in and around Chennai
– one on short films and the other on photography, both of which
evinced an astounding response. An expert jury would evaluate
these entries, around 200 in all, and attempt to use some of them
in future campaigns. An enlightening interaction followed after
the screening, in which such renowned names such as Balu Ma-
hendra, Madhu Ambat, Sivasankari and Hariharan spoke their
minds on film making and invited questions from the audience,
which consisted of many young film makers and film buffs. How-
ever, the impact of the two movies still lingered in the minds of
all, enveloped with a feeling of true happiness that something
concrete had been done for these unfortunate children who had
touched them briefly, but deeply!
73 |G
Eve’s Times May, 2010

F| 74
May, 2010 Eve’s Times

Exquisite Jewelry

Image Courtesy
VBC Jewellery

75 |G
Eve’s Times
Image Courtesy
VBC Jewellery
Buy a Jewel
E nough and more has been
written about Akshaya
Tritiya. The fact remains that
the luster of a jewel never fails
to entice us. So what’s the latest
news in the jewelry market?
Syed Ahmed, Chief Advisor,
Tamilnadu State Jewellers’
Federation and Proprietor
of LKS Gold House
The buying trend in the jewel-
lery industry is forever on the
rise. Recession has not resulted
in the abatement of demand for
gold and gold jewelry. In fact,
in India, particularly, in Tamil-
nadu, buying has gone up. Peo-
ple still have faith in gold and
gold jewellery , particularly af-
ter the fluctuations in the stock
market. Purchasing has gone
up by 15-20% in Tamilnadu.
F| 76
Competition in this alluring in-
dustry has thrown open several
new retail outlets and branches
of big jewellers in the suburban
and rural areas, widening the
reach .
Tamilnadu customers are
by and large cautions about
spending the extra money they
Photo
❖ Compared to last year that has
Syed
May, 2010
have in their hands. Their first
preference is to invest in gold
and gold jewelry. Of late, with
the explosion of young consum-
ers in the market, money is also
being spent on modern gadgets,
mobile phones, etc. Yet jewelry
industry has retained its luster
and charm.. There has been a
concomitant rise in the sale of
diamond and platinum jew-
elry. Office going young popu-
lace and college students go for
platinum jewelry which starts
from Rs. 3,000/- upwards.
been a steady increase in the
price of gold. This is due to
several factors like geopolitical
and economic conditions and
investment patterns. This year
there has bee a big problem
in the share market which has
May, 2010
worked in favour of the jewelry
industry. Apart from big in-
vestors even few countries like
China, India and Srilanka have
bought gold to add to their re-
serves. The price of gold in the
future will be on the rise. It is
therefore advisable to buy and
invest in gold. In my opinion ev-
ery family should have at least
25-30% of their investments
in gold. Chennai jewellers of-
fer the most competitive prices
, the lowest in the world. They
work on volume sales, which is
beneficial to both the customers
and well as the businessmen.
Ananthapadmanabhan,
NAC Jewellers, Mylapore
I just returned from a success-
ful exhibition of antique jew-
elry in Hyatt Regency , Delhi.
The response was very good
and we plan to do it again the
next year.
Since impulse buying is high
during Akshaya Tritiya, we have
decided to offer light-weight
jewelry, keeping in mind the
high price of gold as well as the
taste of young customers who
go for stylish and sleek jewelry.
We have jewelry less than 16
Eve’s Times
grams and we also offer Rs. 50
less per gram. For every carat
of diamond purchased there is
a gift of gold. We are also pro-
moting our chit scheme that is
very popular . The offer of Rs
50 less has been extended to
the chit scheme also.
At NAC Jewellers we have a
large collection of platinum
jewelry . There are no making
charges till Akshaya Tritiya. We
are also focusing on silver in a
big way. Our old showroom in
North Mada Street has been
renovated and we have an ex-
clusive silver jewelry section 5,000per month. Depending
which has stocked silver jew- upon your monthly installment,
elry, gift and pooja items. you will get either 1, 2, or 5 cou-
pons at the time of registration,
NAC Jewellers is happy to an-
which makes you eligible for
nounce that we have started de-
the 50sovereigns of Gold Bum-
signing of Pooja rooms for new
per. The contest will commence
and old houses and we take up
in Jan 2011. You will get a join-
right from carved woodwork for
ing gift too. For cash purchases
the door and wood paneling to
during Akshaya Tritiya, there is
all pooja items in silver and dei-
a value addition of 8-14% on all
ties in exquisite Tanjore paint-
gold jewelry.
ings. Those who are considering
renovating their pooja rooms
and those who are planning their
new homes can get in touch with
us for our ideas and suggestions.
Rajesh, VBC Jewellery ,
Pangal Park
We are offering ‘ Pot of Gold
2010 Scheme’, which is a 15
month scheme where your gold
savings multiply and you get
the chance to win 50 sovereigns
of gold. What’s more, you pay
only for 14 months and VBC
pays your 15th installment.
For this, you need to invest
just Rs. 1,000/Rs. 2,000 or Rs.
77 |G
Eve’s Times
Kaleidoscope
I ndian Jewelry has evolved as an
art from mere craftsmanship.
Globally, India is known for its
jewelry not only because of the
exclusivity of its designs and
patterns, but also due to the
huge variety it has to offer to
suit different tastes, cultures
and occasions. Every state in
India contributes to this variety
with its own bewitching range of
assorted jewellery, exclusive to
its unique culture.
The Royal Touch
Jaipur jewelry has always held
an enchanting sway over millions
of people across India and the
world. Jaipur is renowned for its
exclusive designs and splendid
jewelry ranging from classic trib-
al jewelry, silver jewelry, beaded
jewelry, metal jewelry, diamond
jewelry, pearl jewelry and many
more varieties.
Jaipur is a place for precious
stones like emerald, garnet, ag-
ate amethyst, lapis lazuli, topaz,
and ruby and skilled gem cutters
who carve the stones into mind-
blowing shapes; sometimes they
also carve little animals and birds
from crystal, jade and smoky to-
paz.
F| 78
May, 2010
Jaipur is renowned for its ex-
clusive royal jewelry. There are
many types of ornaments which
ago, this jewellery falls under
the category of antique jewellery
today. Uncut diamonds are set
you will find exclusively in Jaipur usually over silver and gold of 18
like Judamani (Hairclip), Baa- carats (or even lesser up to 14 car-
juband (Armlet), Tagdi (Waist- ats). Dazzling Hyderabadi pearls
Belt) and Bodla (ornament to also enhance the aesthetics of
decorate forehead). Beautiful this exquisite range of jewellery.
jewelry made of Basra pearl is al- Its ethnic look has captured the
so popular. Meenakari work jew- hearts of many Indian and for-
ellery which originated during eign women. Hyderabadi Vic-
the period of Raja Man Singh is torian jewellery has emerged as
essentially enameling or decorat- designer jewellery with an exclu-
ing the metallic surface of jewelry sive place set apart in huge jewel-
with colors. Considered to be one lery showrooms.
of the most technical forms of
jewelry, the art of doing Meena- Divinity
kari work requires perseverance
and an eye for detail. Enameling
was basically done on gold, but
these days it is being done on
metals like silver and copper.
Kundan Jewelry is art of setting
stones in gold and silver. While
setting, gems are bedded in a sur-
round of gold leaf rather than se-
cured by a rim or claw. Inspired
by the Mughals Kundan Jewelry
looks magnificent with its royal
touch and has occupied a space in
marriages, ceremonial occasions
of the North and the movies of Temple jewellery is a unique
Bollywood. Kundan jewellery is style native to Southern India,
also available as artificial or imi- especially Tamilnadu, com-
tation polki variety. Silver jew- monly associated with danc-
ellery in designs amalgamating ers practicing Bharatanatyam
traditional and modern patterns or Kuchipudi. Many of the de-
has emerged as trendy jewellery signs are inspired from the stone
and is popular among tourists carvings in various temples of
who throng this mystical land. southern India. Temple Jew-
elry is made with uncut rubies
Hyderabadi Victorian Jewellery
(pucchakallu), emeralds, uncut
is another royal range of jewel-
diamonds (param), pearls, sap-
lery that holds the pride of place
phire and other precious stones
in the wardrobes of the artistical-
with the foundation in gold. To-
ly inclined and hi-end custom-
day dancers wear kemp jewellery
ers. The choice of women from
made of artificial, colored stones
Hyderabad Nizams centuries
usually in red, green and white.
May, 2010
Temple Jewelry comprises of
exclusive head sets or thalaisa-
man with three pieces of suryan,
chandran that symbolize the sun
and the moon and nethi-chutti
or maang tikka. The ornaments
shaped like the sun and the
moon are set with rubies inter-
spersed with emeralds and uncut
diamond and are worn on either
side of the parting of the hair to
invoke the blessings of the dei-
ties -sun for good health, bril-
liance and power and moon for
romance and peace.
The rakkodi or the naagar is a
stone encrusted circular adorn-
ment at the back of the head usu-
ally shaped like a five-headed
snake with a swan in the centre.
Below this is the hair piece or ja-
danaagam that follows the shape
of the plaited hair in an inter-
twined design.
The traditional temple jewellery
also includes the billai or orna-
ment for braid decoration, the at-
tigai or choker necklace, magari
maalai or the long pearl necklace
with a pendant known as padak-
kam set with red, green and white
stones or pearls which may be
in peacock or floral motifs , the
Aaram or gold necklace, jimikkis
or bell-shaped ear jewel , mat-
tal or ear chain, thodu or studs,
mookuthi, nathu and bullaku
which form the nose jewellery,
and the waist belt or odd which is
a gold or silver belt worn tightly
around the waist with stone-en-
crusted centres Kunjalam worn
at the end of the braid has a gold
plated, cone shaped cover at the
base of three long strands for the
braid.
Vanki, an upper arm ornament,
is usually intertwined in shape
with a stone-inlaid piece set in
gold. Anklets are of various types
like the ganja golusu (heavy va-
riety with bells that tinkle) and
thandai or the stiff anklets with
bells that tinkle.
Temple jewellery is character-
ized by some of the finest hand-
work, painfully crafted by skilled
craftsmen and jewellers.
Light As a Feather
Kerala jewelry has its origin from
the age old customs and beliefs
and designs of Kerala. It in-
cludes the elaborate and exqui-
site ones as well as simple and
functional. The Nagapadam or
Serpent-hood pendent worn by
the women from the Nayar com-
munity, Namboothiri ladies’ fa-
vorite Cheruthali necklace and
the Mekka Mothiram, a kind of
finger ring are typical examples
of traditional Kerala jewelry. The
women of all communities wear
jewelry articles of different pat-
terns for the neck, arm, nose and
the ankle. Neckwear includes
nalupanti, addiyal, puthali, aval
mala and patakkam. The nose
rings are known as mukkuthi and
nattu. The native Namboothiri
women are mostly seen only with
Kasumala for the neck and the
waist band or Oddiyanam,
The traditional and religious
significance of rings for fingers,
nose, ears and toes has never
lost its credibility even today. It
appears as bright new designs
with an emphasis on style and
class. Earrings, in various forms
and sizes, are embellished with
enamel, stones, pearls and minia-
Eve’s Times
ture chains and pendants shaped
as small leaves, balls or bells and
the traditional jimkhas in vari-
ous designs and decorations are
still very popular. Some are so
heavy that they need the support
of a cord or chain.
Bangles, known as Vala or Ka-
pu are created in vivid charm-
ing designs and shapes. Women
continue to wear the traditional
necklaces in modern designs and
with motifs in the shape of man-
go fruit, rice grains, the cobra’s
hood, and melon and cucumber
seeds.
Recent economic downturn has
given a spurt in the Kerala light
weight jewellery market. The lat-
est craze one gram gold jewelry
is very popular among women
as they get all types of sparkling
trinkets at very affordable rates.
In short, Kerala is a treasure
trove of gold jewellery rich in de-
sign and quality.
Eastern Glory
Women from the eastern parts
of India go for Kolkata jewellery
which is exclusive in its own right.
Kolkata is known for its long
chains in gold and light weight
hollow kadas, Kankan, bracelets
for men and women and huge
dangling ear adornments of dif-
ferent variety in pure gold. Kol-
kata jewellery is fast catching up
in the jewellery market.
79 |G
Eve’s Times
Allowing the Feminine to Flow
N ever before in the history
of humanity has a woman
had the opportunities that
she has today, simply because
technology has leveled the
playing field. When physical
strength was determining life,
naturally the masculine would
dominate. Now that technology
has leveled things, whether
you are male or female, your
physical strength is no more
the deciding factor as to how far
you can go.
Still, this simple biological dif-
ference which nature has cre-
ated, we have magnified it so
much that what should have
been only one aspect of our life
unfortunately has seeped into
every aspect of our life. You don’t
have to be a man or a woman
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Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
in every aspect of life; you can
just function as a human being.
But culturally, traditionally, we
have established these things in
such a hardcore, straight-jack-
eted way that we think this is
all nature; but the segregation
is purely social. Women need
to work themselves out of this
cultural baggage that they have
had for thousands of years.
But the most important thing
that a woman should guard
against is trying to become
like a man because she is
carrying this cultural bag-
gage and thinks everything
that is masculine is superior
somewhere. This whole idea
of what is superior and what
is inferior is very masculine.
May, 2010
If you look at life, everything
has a role to play.
The reason why the masculine
has been more important than
the feminine on this planet till
now is because all these thou-
sands of years of our existence
as human beings, our core focus
has been survival. Just going and
getting the food was such a hard
task. Only in the last 50 years, our
food got this organized. Now you
can just go into the supermarket
and buy whatever you want.
For the first time, humanity is at
a point where we can relax our
survival attitudes a little bit. If
we relax our survival instincts,
you will see, naturally the femi-
nine becomes very significant.
May, 2010
But unfortunately, modern so-
cieties are not relaxing their
survival instinct; whether it is a
car or a home or whatever, we
are just raising the bar.
Right now the whole world
is ruled by economics. When
money is the only important
thing, the masculine becomes
the most dominant part of our
social structure. Unfortunately,
we are moving in that direction.
The feminine is being totally
obliterated in many ways, espe-
cially in the Western societies,
and it is beginning to happen
here also.
Let’s look at masculine and
feminine in terms of two quali-
ties, not in terms of male and fe-
male because there are women
who are more masculine than
men, there are men who are
more feminine than women. If
the feminine has to really flour-
ish, if it has to flow, we need to
create a society where our val-
ues are more spread out to all
aspects of life. When music,
art, love, care, all these things
are as important as econom-
ics, then woman has as much
role or even more of a role in
life than man. A home, a social
structure, a nation, or human-
ity as a whole is not complete
unless the feminine also finds
full expression. You must make
this happen in your own lives,
around you, in the society. Oth-
erwise, we will live very incom-
plete, lopsided lives.
Today, everybody is ambitious.
But there is a way to achieve
success without being fired
by ambition because that is
a very foolish way. If you are
concerned about everything
around you, you will naturally
do your best; you will not hold
back anything. That is a wom-
an’s way of operating. That is
the best way to operate in the
world.
When you operate out of per-
sonal ambition, you may do a
lot of things, but not necessar-
ily towards your own wellbeing
or anybody’s wellbeing. Global
warming for example is just a
consequence of unbridled hu-
man activity. If we continue
like this without any concern
for what is around us, we will
ultimately neither have a man
nor a woman left…
If the feminine found a better
expression on this planet, may-
be our stock market would not
hit 20,000, but generally people
would smile more, be happier
and more loving; life would be
a little more beautiful. After all,
it is in pursuit of human wellbe-
ing that all activities are carried
out. But that has completely
Eve’s Times
been forgotten because that is
the way of the masculine that it
just goes on in one way; it will
not think about the surround-
ings. The feminine is not trying
to go anywhere; the feminine is
happy where it is. If these two
aspects are in balance, we will
go somewhere but we will also
enjoy where we are right now.
That is what needs to happen in
the world.
Sadhguru is a Realised Master,
Yogi and profound Mystic of our
times. A visionary, Sadhguru as-
serts that peace and happiness
are not the ultimate goal of life,
but the most basic needs in ev-
ery human being. He developed
Isha Yoga as a powerful method
for individual transformation
leading to human emancipa-
tion. A glimpse of his life and
work can be found in the books
of Encounter the Enlightened
and Mystic’s Musings.
For more details
www.ishafoundation.org and
chennai@ishafoundation.org
81 |G
Eve’s Times
Sampurn “Making Lives Complete”
S ampurn “Making Lives
Complete” – A counselling
centre at Abhiramapuram
Chennai, aims to provide
counselling services to
individuals in order to help
them to cope with today’s fast-
paced life style, & to enable
them to lead a life filled with
peace & happiness.
The centre also conducts soft
skills training programmes on
topics related to counseling
such as Motivation& Goal Set-
ting, Communication Skills,
Memory Improvement Tech-
niques, Emotional Empower-
ment, Stress Management,
Anger Management, Assertive
Skills Training & many more
topics in various city schools,
colleges and corporates.
Services at the counselling cen-
tre include:
❖ Educational Counselling
❖ Career Counselling
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❖ Children with Behavioural
Problems
❖ Marital Counselling
❖ Work place Counselling
❖ Family Counselling
❖ Stress Management &
❖ Psychological Testing
Sampurn is headed by Ms.
Archana Achuthan, a counsel-
ling psychologist and a soft
skills trainer, who has done
her Masters in counselling psy-
chology from Madras School of
Social Work. In recognition of
her work in the field of counsel-
ling and the fact that she runs
her own counselling centre at a
young age, she was felicitated
with
The Young Achiever Recog-
nition Award by the Rotary
Club of Madras Midtown (R.I
DIST.3230) on March 16th
2009. Recently she was award-
ed The Élan – Ability –Young
Entrepreneur award as she is a
May, 2010
successful entrepreneur against
odds, (she is differently- abled
person affected by Cerebral pal-
sy which affects her lower limbs
) by Velammal College of Man-
agement and Computer Stud-
ies, on February 10th 2010.
This summer Sampurn plans
to conduct an Educational &
Career Counselling camp to
help students choose the right
courses in collegiate education
and for youngsters who are en-
tering into the workplace. This
camp will be held from April
21st- 31st May 2010, at a nomi-
nal rate.
Sampurn aims to stand by its by
line “Making Lives Complete”
and reach out to people in need
of our services.
Sampurn functions from 10am-
5pm six days a week.
For Details Contact: 98843
61562/ archana11283@ gmail.
com
Women and those who are
fighting against many odds
to initiate or run a productive
endeavour or those who have
strong opinions on any social
issue, those who have been
treated with injustice and
disgruntled consumers with
genuine issues about products
purchased can send their write
ups and photographs to edi-
torevestimes @gmail.com or
editoretg@gmail.com . This is
a social/citizen centric endea-
vour Eve’s Times has been in-
volved in seriously.
Registrar of Newspapers for India
Eve’s Times
Registration No: TNENG/2005/167/19 EVE’S TIMES
Enhance your life
Regn. No: TN/CC (S) May,
Dn 354/08-10
2010

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