DECEMBER (SECOND) 2008 ● Rs 30

WOMAN ’S ERA

ABOUT
BRINKMANSHIP
WHEN YOUR
MARRIAGE IS
AT STAKE...
ARE
“TWEEN YEARS”
PRESSING?

DO DIAMONDS
HERALD GOOD TIMES?

CINEMA’S
SEXUAL INFLUENCE
ON COMMON WOMEN:
TRUE OR FALSE

EMOTIONAL EATING:
DECEMBER (SECOND) 2008

A RUINOUS PATH
 DECEMBER (SECOND) 2008
Vol 35, Issue No. 841
CONTENTS
BUILDS HAPPY HOMES
Founder: Vishwa Nath
(1917-2002)
womansera.com

60

6
GOING BACK TO A 12
ART WITH A TOUCH
OF TRADITION
Our Correspondent
SOUR RELATIONSHIP ARE CHILDREN GROWING
IS IT POSSIBLE UP TOO FAST?
Namita Kohli Lesley D. Biswas

ARTICLES
18 A UNIQUE AQUA DISPLAY MARRIED WOMAN
OF ORNAMENTAL FISHES SEXUALITY & INDIAN
R. S. Prakash
CINEMA
Shoma A. Chatterji
40 THE HEART OF
INDIA – CHHATTISGARH
Jyoti Galada
76 PRITY BHUTANI

20
Anil Merani
84 SHINEY AHUJA
A. Merani WINTER CARE FOR
86 WITH NATURE AT HOME WORKING WOMEN
Dr Anuradha Prasad Suman Bajpai

92 THE BEAUTY OF COMBATING 80

FOCUS EMOTIONAL EATING BOMBAY
Puja Sharma FILMDOM
Bhavna Keswani
96 TRANSIT JOURNEY
THROUGH ART ...I
TRAVEL ALONG THE
FLOW...
COOKERY
50 LIP – SMACKING CAKES AND DESSERTS
32
Puja Sharma

YOGA AND ● Strawberry Cake

DIAMONDS & THE
s till the

DIAMONDS & THE

this procesblende d to
Repea t

Berry Upside Down

are well

●
paste.
ingredi ents and fluffy

PREGNANCY
obtain a
smooth add the
mixing bowl r. Into
In a large baking powde

ACKING
maida and the wet
mix in time.
this slowlypaste a little at a

SINGLE WOMAN
WOMAN
time
ingredients stirring all the

SINGLE Cake LIP-SM

Mix and
add the wet
the dry and this
so that both together. Into
TS blend erry sauce.
D DESSER
mixture
the strawb bake in a
also add

Dr Amrinder Bajaj CAKES AN

tin and O
for ring cake of the dish.
a cake 180 C and cereal the bottom over
Grease oven at a Caramel berries on mixture
prehea ted minute s or until the cake ted
Now pour Bake in a prehea

Ameeta Sharma
Sharma Caramel and Cereal
about 35 needle comes gm of sugar

●
. s at 180

Ameeta
or knitting d in the 150 the berries
skewer 30-35 minute one
when inserte to cool 3 eggs essence oven for if you are using
out clean cake of vanilla C the whole
. Allow the a serving 3 drops powder degree dish for
centre Invert onto of baking
erry 11/ 2 tsp rry or replace single baking.
completely. d the strawb of of cranbe ‘bere’ 15-20
top 200 gm berries – cake mixture need only
plate. Sprea over the with Indian will
mean e lavishly over these You are using smaller
Cakes often it to flow

Ring Cake
preserv you
and allow cake D baking minutes if till golden
brown
the cake jujube or for METHO r the maida, ers. Bake
and Top with in a needle
a lot of icing the sides. Keep in the fridge Sift togethe
r. Grind the sugar the contain or until a knitting
and on top when pierced
in
es decorations. s and serve. powde add the
eggs d. comes out clean to cool in the
thus extra calori 15-20 minute mixer and beat till well blende
butter and in the liquid mixture the
centre.
Allow
tip of a
knife
. This With the
to worry about the
a plate
Slowly mix ients and oven. and place
IDE dried ingred mixture. loosen the sides and turn upside

● Sweet Potato Scones Christmas try BERRY UPS

into the

FICTION
form a smooth or over the cake
rts CAKE blend to individual
cake tins

cakes and desse DOWN

dish. down.
Take small round baking the
take a normaldish and spread
where have EL AND
S:
we INGREDIENT – flour Grease
the

CARAM RING
of maida down cake
250 gm
avoided using
d butter Berry upside
of unsalte

Minced Meat and

175 gm

● cream and icing CEREAL

and used fresh CAKE S:
INGREDIENT
fruits and 250 gm
of maida
– flour
oil
d. of oil – soya

Cornmeal Muffins
instea 175 gm
preserves Ghosh 150 gm
of sugar
of dahi
By Roma 150 gm essence
of almond
3 drops powder
of baking r
11/ 2 tsp on powde
rry cake tion: 1/ tsp of cinnam
Strawbe decora
For the ade 2
tion:
of readym

Pineapple and Apricot

RY decora

● STRAWBER
2-3 cups preserve For the caramel
syrup
strawberry tions 1/ a cup of of
cake decora any flavour
cereal –
2
jujube or
CAKE S:
1 cup of
D and cornflakes
METHO er the maida in
INGREDIENT Sift togeth . Grind the sugar
of maida dahi
275 gm baking powderthe oil and the
2008
(Second)

Cake
of sugar Add and blend December
200 gm a mixer. Era ●

88 RING FINGER
Woman’s

26 THE REBORN
of thick curd oil red sugar
175 gm to the powde mixer for 1 minute
of oil – soya the
175 gm powder well. Run mixer a
pause.
11/ 2 tsp
of baking give the
to use and then
1/ cup of ready
2 sauce
strawberry 2008
(Second)

● Layered Walnut and

Era ● December
Woman’s

DAUGHTER RANGARAJAN Chocolate Cake ● Saffron and Black

Lakshmi Menon R. Mohan ● Rich Fruit Cake Pepper Loaf
● Wheat and Jaggery ● Caramel Topped
46 COMMANDER GENERAL A CHICKENPOX SAGA Cake Chocolate Pudding
Sniggdha Jauhari Doris Minezes ● Chocolate and Cashew ● Triple Layered Dessert
Mousse with Praline
● Glazed Apple Spice Loaf ● Strawberry Pudding
 FASHION 38
NEWS IN PICTURES

136
65 IS YOUR MARRIAGE PSYCHOLOGICAL
WORTH SAVING? (QUIZ) TREATMENT OF
DISORDERS
85 THE INCIDENT Gayatri T. Rao
I CANNOT FORGET
132 CROSSWORD 30
MOMENTS
139 BABY CLUB OF HAPPINESS
Poem
146 AS YOU SAY

FEATURES
44 TEENACHE 131 MY FAMILY,
MY FRIENDS AND ME...
49 BEAUTY QUERIES
140 CLASSIFIEDS
63 PERSONAL
PROBLEMS
READERS’
90 A FATHER
AND CHILD (Poem)
CONTESTS
FILL UP THE Page
132
91 YOUR BODY CROSSWORD

68 78 95 NEW LAUNCHES
AND WIN RS 15,000
EVERY FORTNIGHT
ENIGMATIC ENCHANTMENT LITTLE WONDER (Toddler trends)

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www.womansera.com
 EDITORIAL
WHAT’S NEXT?
M
umbai carnage is an event, which will rival
many other terror strikes in days to come. It
is one which will remain etched in our hearts
since it happened over 60 hours and people did not
read it in the morning newspapers. Besides 10 people
fought a country’s army, its commandos, public
sentiment and created war right in the middle of their
living rooms. And we could do nothing about it.
Modus operandi
It’s simple. Get enthusiastic youth who want a
lifestyle. Give it to them, topped with dreams. Their
family will not mind losing a child in exchange for
money. There is far too much poverty in the world.
These street-smart boys have been well exposed to
plethora of new technology, hence they are
a quick start. Satellite phones, GPS and
navigation systems are common knowledge
to any 14-year-old tech-savvy student of
the world. Why are we making bones about
it? What we really need to understand and
find out is whether they can also enrich
nuclear fissionable material to make Dirty
Bombs, akin to nuclear bombs, which may
wipe out 15-20,000 people in a metro like
Delhi? Lots of American movies have
shown it and the technology is quite simple.
Is war an option?
Yes, WAR is an option but striking
Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, etc. could
escalate things to a nuclear war levels. Also, there is
nothing much in these cities to strike. They are not built
like New Delhi or Mumbai hence we do not even once
have noticed their skylines. The bombs will be killing
innocent people, who in any case feel threatened by
their own. But striking military camps by the US and
Israelis will be much better for India. This could avoid a
nuclear-weapon use, which Pakistan will happily use if
India strikes.
Congress to benefit
In case the Congress cannot get the mandate in the
recent elections, they will try to divert attention by
invoking some action against Pakistan. Is it really
necessary? With the state polls fetching crowds in
record numbers, it looks for sure that the government
will change. Will the Congress act then, to tell the
Indian public that they have acted against Mumbai
carnage, just before the general elections? Let’s wait
and watch. In case the NDA uses this as a platform to
win elections by acting to appease the Indian public, we
would have reached the very bottom of ethics (if any) in
politics of the largest democracy on the planet.
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
Funding the terror attacks
All the land allotment deals have a 1:2 ratio of actual
money to the money which the politicians demand. All
the leaders with names starting with ‘Ms’ and ‘As’ in the
Northern India have pools of associates who collect
money for land allotments. Then this is given for further
investments to bodies who can either offer maximum
returns or maximum valuation. The latter is only in the
form of land, prostitution, drugs and terrorism. So the
criminal elements in the political circles speak with the
larger criminals to fund a part of investment. A part of
this is taken to actual criminal activities. And ultimately
there are very few people, called DONs, who carry out
all the crime in the world. So it’s the general public and
wealth owners who have funded terrorists in paying
small change to the politicians and larger bucks to the
larger politicians.
Can we stop bribing the politicians
for land allotments? The recession may
have halted the process for a while, but
when the economy bounces back, all
the industrialists will queue up outside
the doors of the politicians, asking them
to take the bribe and put their little
birdie on the paper of allotment.
Suddenly the sullen faces of the
former FM is absent from the much
recession tacking. It’s all gone up in thin
air and no one is talking about the stock
market. In a way it’s good that people
realise that there is something more
important than money – human life. All those who have
not lost someone precious cannot value human life.
This was a time when a sudden tragedy struck their
houses.
How much does it really cost?
In one perspective we need to look at the cost of
curbing terrorism to the cost of managing the aftermath
of terrorism. When most of the people who are engaged
in defending politicians and even the defenders are
gratified with lots of presents who really cares about
defending the people. One would rather have a cosy
corner to sit and a gym to work out than to be in the real
field. By any stretch of imagination, both the WTC
attacks and Mumbai Carnage are examples of great
planning, military execution and brave soldiery. If the
terrorists have reached this level of competence the
countries of the world will have to do something very
quickly. If a team of 15 can take down the World Trade
towers and a team of 10 hold the entire world to
ransom, we have to sit and think as to where we went
wrong in assessment.
write to: letters@womansera.com We
5
 ove, respect and trust lay the

L
foundation of a relationship,
and when any of these is
shaken, it leaves life in pieces
of pain and disappointment.
To break up isn’t as easy as it
sounds, because when you
decide to call it quits there is
so much at stake that was
once so special to the two of
you. There are dreams of the future
and memories of the past; there are
the time, energy and emotions of
years, there are smiles and tears. All
this goes in vain and lose their
meaning. Life suddenly seems to get
entangled in a feeling that is hollow
and dead.

GOING BACK TO A
SOUR

?
RELATIONSHIP
IS IT POSSIBLE
Coming together when
they’ve broken up is a big
question facing many
ex-lovers. Maybe they can find
clues to the answer here.
By Namita Kohli
 But what if there is an instinct, a
gut feeling, that forces you to get
back to the same person despite all
the ifs and buts. What if, despite all
odds, you are keen to forget and
forgive. Is it really possible to revive a
broken relationship? Will the
relationship be the same again? Will
you be able to build the same
untrammelled trust? The simple
answer is: “It’s easier said than
done.”
Many say that no one ever died of
a broken heart but when you are
suffering from one, it sure doesn’t
feel that way. Before you decide to
nurse your ailing heart by going back
to your beloved, it’s imperative to
analyse the reasons for the tiff. It may
be a breach of trust, mismatch of
future dreams, clash of personality
traits, unreasonably over-possessive
behaviour or complete neglect, or in
many cases, due to societal pressure
of not sticking to the rules of society
in terms of religion, status and family
opposition. And the most difficult to
deal with is, when you lose trust, it’s
like swinging off the holding brick of a
building. Is it really possible to restore
trust? Well, answers differ 180
degrees for this dilemma.
● Smita Sharma, 22-year-old
college student, believes, “We must
leave room for human error because
no one is perfect. If your instinct tells
you to give another chance to your
beloved, then you must go for it.
But make sure to set your rules
for the future.”
● On the other hand,
a less forgiving and a more
experienced Laura
Kapoor (45) feels,
“Once trust is broken,
it’s broken forever. Your
relationship won’t ever be
the same again even if you
try to rebuild it. It’s like once
a crack appears on the
mirror, you can’t get the
original perfection back. For
that, you need to get a new mirror.”
● Some people also have very
neutral opinions who feel that trust
can be rebuilt but not completely. It
won’t be the same virginal trust. The
lines of damage may get lighter with
time but they will always stay. If the
relationship is too precious for you to
let go, then it may be worth taking
another chance.
As the famous saying goes,
“Change is the only constant.” You
can love it, you can hate it, but you
can’t ignore it. So you must be
prepared to expect a lot of changes
when you go back to an old
relationship. If time as a factor is
predominant between the period you
broke up and you decide to patch up,
then this change will be further
highlighted. Time, argument and
analysis that follow a broken
relationship are all bound to impact
the intensity and nature of a
relationship.
● Time: Time is one of the
primary factors responsible for
bringing in any kind of a change in
two persons. Time would definitely
change you as well as your partner.
So, when you decide to get back, be
prepared to find certain changes in
your partner’s personality and
perception about life.
● Argument: You might have said
things in bouts of anger while you
broke up without really meaning
them, but rude remarks are bound to
Reviving
trust to level
up to a
normal
relationship.
TIME IS ONE
OF THE
PRIMARY
FACTORS
RESPONSIBLE
FOR BRINGING
IN ANY KIND
OF A CHANGE
IN TWO
PERSONS.
leave their imprints. So it’s always
better to discuss certain things over
beforehand and clarify all the
arguments and issues, else you may
have to bear similar consequences
as earlier.
● People: Once away from your
so-called soul mate, you would
definitely come across a lot of new
people, you will make new friends.
And all this will in any way influence
your ways of life to some extent. You
may have some problem
accommodating your new
acquaintances as well as pals with
your mate.
● Dreams and priorities: During
the time you two were not together,
circumstances may have changed
your future dreams as well as how
you prioritise things. Initially, you may
feel uncomfortable being with this
changed person whom you may have
once loved for the way he or she
was.
● Analysis: When a relationship
breaks, sooner or later everyone tries
to analyse the whole situation that
led to the break-up. This analysis
may bring forth a lot of hidden facets
of your own and your partner’s
personality traits. It’s not easy to
cope with such revelations, especially
when the two of you have been
together for quite long.
Once you are mentally and
emotionally ready to accept all such
changes and some other unexpected
ones, the next step is to cope with
them. The only way to do so is bring
to the forefront the driving emotion
 and the prime reason for your coming
ACCEPT YOUR back to this person: LOVE – because
RESPECTIVE only love can give you the strength to
MISTAKES AND make the relationship as beautiful as
earlier. And this has to come from
APOLOGISE both sides. When loving someone
BECAUSE with a strong passion and will is your
prerogative, only then that it’s
APOLOGISING possible to overlook the odds.
DOESN’T ALWAYS Even after all this, it won’t really
be that easy a task. It’s similar to a
MEAN THAT YOU natural calamity. And time is a great
ARE WRONG AND factor. Say, if you have been around
for 4 years, probably now it will take a
THE OTHER longer time to get the charm of the
PERSON IS RIGHT,
NEITHER DOES IT
MAKE YOU SMALL.
IT ONLY MEANS
THAT YOU
VALUE THE
“RELATIONSHIP”
AND EACH OTHER
MUCH MORE THAN
“ONE-UPMANSHIP.”
original back. But you have to keep
Analyse what working towards it. Still, love and
went wrong respect have to come instantly and
before starting rest will follow.
afresh.
Steps towards starting afresh with
the same person:
● Clarify all misunderstandings.
Put the past behind before looking at
the future.
● Accept your respective
mistakes and apologise because
apologising doesn’t always mean that
you are wrong and the other person
is right, neither does it make you
small. It only means that you value
the “relationship” and each other
much more than “one-upmanship.”
● Put behind the memories that
have been poisoned by bad times.
Try and make new memories.
● Change of environment works
wonders for the human spirit. So go
out for a vacation.
● Go for dates. It’s like starting
all over again but it will definitely
bring freshness in your relationship.
● Try to relive good times that
you still value and celebrate life each
moment.
● Make your soul mate feel
special. Give him/her surprises that
make him/her happy.
In life there are times when you
are at crossroads. There are times
when your heart contradicts your
head. Heart is always weaker than
the head when emotions make a
cloudy picture of life. As a mature
individual you must know how to
balance the decisions of head and
the heart. When there are multiple
reasons for staying away from a
relationship, it’s better to finish
it forever. When breach of
trust is accompanied by an
uncertain future of the
relation, when clash of
interest and dreams is
accompanied by parental
disagreement, when over-
possessiveness takes the
form of a diseased state, in
such circumstance, it’s better
to bear the brunt of a broken
heart rather than compromise.
A relationship has a
strange similarity with the
share market; you invest in
both with a positive hope to reap
fruits of happiness and security for a
lifetime. But, both at times can turn
life into a complex stigma of
confusion, uncertainty and loss. It’s
just that in one there is loss of
emotions and in the other it’s
money. Both of which are integral for
survival.
To go back to a sour relation or to
shun your one-time lover is
completely your call. It’s for you to
decide which road to take. But in all
circumstance one thing is sure that it
will take time for a relation to prosper
and get its original sheen back and to
build that untrammelled trust. If you
have enough patience and love for
that someone special, then go and
embrace your beloved before it gets
too late.
For others, if you are not sure,
then just ask yourself one question:
do you really want to look back on a
life of unfulfilling and a half-trustful
relationship? We
ARE CHILDREN
GROWING UP
TOO FAST?
The “tween years” are causing
pressure on parents and need urgent
attention. By Lesley D. Biswas

oes your child behave like alcohol and sleepovers at their

D
an adult? Find out why. At girlfriends/ boyfriends’ house, parents
the age of 11, tweens are are experiencing undue pressure to
no longer children. allow them these freedoms that belie
According to a study their age.
reported by researchers for Today’s children are growing up
the Random House way too fast. Popularly known as
publishers, girls in particular ‘“tweens” – children midway between
are dying their hair and childhood and adolescence (8-12
wearing fashionable years of age) – they are learning
dresses rather than playing with more and more to behave like adults.
dolls. As children enjoy drinking But the tweening of these children is
 Teen magazines that target girls like
Seventeen, Cosmo Girl, J-14 etc,
emphasise fashion, clothes, sex,
make-up, celebrities, being hot and
finding a boyfriend.
more than just a matter of fashion
trends and the desire for
sophisticated gadgets! Tweens are
demonstrating almost all the
behavioural traits parents would
expect from teenagers.
Misleading behaviour of
tweens: These children’s deviant
behaviour is making it hard to
comprehend for their parents and
guiding these no-longer-little children
is becoming a whole new
predicament. The meltdown of family
culture and the disintegration of a
secure environment where children
grew under the reassuring vigil of
elders has left children bereft of
proper guidance. There is so much
of uncensored time on their hands
during which they occupy themselves
with magazines, the Internet and
television. It is also evident that
where family bonding ends, the
power of outside influences like peers
and media invariably creeps in.
According to Dr Sylvia Rimm PhD,
a noted child psychologist and a
professor at the Case School of
Medicine in Cleveland, reading
material like teen magazines
adversely affect tweens
who also have an
access to them. In her
book Growing up too Fast, she talks
about how these magazines
influence young girls to give up dolls
and lose their innocence. Following
is an excerpt from her book:
“Teen magazines that target girls
like Seventeen, Cosmo Girl, J-14 etc,
emphasise fashion, clothes, sex,
make-up, celebrities, being hot and
finding a boyfriend. Most of the
photographs are of stars in sexy
poses and the advertisements show
models in flirtatious and suggestive
stances. Most teen magazines
perpetuate the idea that appearance,
sexual allure and having a boyfriend
are what’s most important for girls.”
Handling the over-informed
child: Recently in a horrifying report
published by The Times of India,
5-graders in rural north Louisiana,
New Orleans, between the ages of
11 and 13 years had been arrested
for having sex in an unsupervised
classroom. What do you expect
parents to tell their 8-year-old kids
about sex? Young children are ‘over-
informed’, and parents have to deal
 THESE
CHILDREN’S
DEVIANT
BEHAVIOUR IS
MAKING IT
HARD TO
COMPREHEND
FOR THEIR
PARENTS AND
GUIDING
with trivia that was supposed to be therapist. She suggests a way to find
THESE NO- at the dawn of adolescence. Most out if your child is growing up too
LONGER-LITTLE tweens get their information from early. Ask yourself these questions:
media, peers, magazines and the ● Does your child show an
CHILDREN IS Internet – the onus being largely on interest in wearing clothes that are
BECOMING A ‘lack of supervision’ for unsolicited designed for older children?
facts that could be dangerous. ● Is your child overconfident; is
WHOLE NEW Another source is their inquisitive he/she losing the ‘childish’ sense of
PREDICAMENT. minds. Since it is futile to sit a tween wonder about the world?
down and discuss sex, you must ● Is your child often complaining
answer their queries with of boredom?
understanding and without showing ● Is the music and games your
that this is absurd or perverse. The child enjoys, for children beyond
next best thing a parent can do is to his/her age group?
track down the source from where Children who do not get excited
the child receives it. Unabated and with toys and games that ought to
strict vigil whatever your entertain their age-group and imitate
predominance, is the only visible elder children in dress sense and
solution at hand. gestures, are rushing their childhood.
What parents should do is supervise
Protect their innocence: their shopping for clothes,
“Childhood is a precious time and it is accessories and games and not allow
really much too short; keep your them to decide their wardrobes.
children innocent and protect their There is no reason at all to allow your
childhood,” says Kimberly M. 8-year-old girl to wear thong panties
Chastain, MS, LMFT, and or your 10-year-old to wear belly-
professional life coach and family showing shirts and low-waist jeans.

Dressing up your child also indicates
the attitude you have towards making
your child grow up fast.
So do not be afraid to say no to
clothes that you do not find
appropriate for your child and explain
why you are displeased with the
outfit.
Are their demands legitimate?
One of the most frequently asked
questions by today’s confused
parents is: “What is the right age for
children to have a cellphone?” How
do you know what is the right time
when your child’s friends are sporting
fancy cell- phones and your children
demand one for themselves.
Jeanette Gardner Littleton wrote in
an article – on All in due time: Is your
child growing up too fast? – that
before allowing children certain
privileges and providing them with
things, ask yourself, “What is the
reason your child needs a cellphone?
Is your child ready for the
responsibility and can your child use
it and handle it safely? If a cellphone
allows you access to your child’s
activities and whereabouts, it’s a
valid option. But if used as a status
symbol or to look trendy and cool,
you have a reason to put your foot
down.”
How to understand your child’s
attitude?
Although this might portray a
rather grim picture of the young
children of today’s world, parents
have a big hand in averting this
situation if they are conscious
enough of their child’s behaviour and
16
CHILDREN
WHO DO NOT
GET EXCITED
WITH TOYS
AND GAMES
THAT OUGHT
TO ENTERTAIN
THEIR AGE-
GROUP AND
IMITATE ELDER
prepared to work towards a solution.
Follow these simple guidelines and
CHILDREN IN
save your child’s innocence and DRESS SENSE
childhood:
● Watch television programmes
AND
and movies with them to see what GESTURES, ARE
they are learning from them.
● Set their time for the Internet
RUSHING THEIR
when you are around and can assess CHILDHOOD.
the content they are browsing.
● If you think gaming is safe, be
informed that there are many games
on the Net that are sexually oriented
and erotic. Keep a strict vigil and dis-
allow any game you do not find fit for
your child.
● Talk to teachers and school
counsellors because they spend
hours with your child and will be the
correct source to inform you about
any problem your child faces.
● Get to know who are the
children your child mixes with and
meet their parents to understand their
perspectives on parenting.
● Listen to your child’s music.
Music is an expression of your child’s
likes and take on life. Do the lyrics
speak of sex and boyfriends/
girlfriends?
● Is your child over-conscious of
his or her self-image like wanting to
diet to look alluring? Instead, if your
child is overweight, encourage a
healthy diet with regular exercise.
Nicole Rocheleau, the author of
children’s book, Ollie Ollie in Come
Free, says, “Kids are growing up too
fast and are forgetting to be kids.”
She believes that books that talk of
positive messages will help children
combat peer pressure to behave like
grown-ups. We
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

Ornamental
fish on show in ORNAMENTAL
Chennai.
By R. S. Prakash
he Chennai Aqua Show
FISHES
T
2008 was indeed a unique
event of its kind, that too at
the national level. Organised
by the Chennai Aquarium
Development and Traders
Association, the spectacular
event stood out as a
landmark event in the
ornamental fisheries market
aimed at encouraging hobbyist
breeders and entrepreneurs.
The growing interest in orna -
mental fish-keeping has resulted in a
steady growth in the ornamental fish
trade as well as breeding techniques,
display systems and accessories.
The Chennai Aqua Show provided
the platform to the growing Indian
ornamental fish market in the country
facilitating an exchange of views and
information amidst those who are
interested in this specialised field.
As Chennai happens to be the
hub of the ornamental fish industry, it
had rightly been chosen as the venue
for the show.
The Chennai Aquarium Develop-
ment and Traders Association is
18
A UNIQUE
AQUA DISPLAY OF
basically a non-profit organisation
constituted with a commitment to
achieving newer heights in the
ornamental fish trade and also to
developing the breeding techniques,
display systems and accessories. It
also works at the aspect of providing
much-needed support to the entre-
preneurs in the state as well as those
from other parts of the country to
increase their activities pertaining to
the ornamental fish trade.
Over 500 varieties of ornamental
fish were on display and it was very
appropriate that it was held at
Chennai, which has the highest
number of fish farms and aquariums
in the country.
The profile of the exhibits was
wide and vast covering a plethora of
various ornamental fishes from both
marine and fresh water, plus
aquarium plants, aquaria and
furnitures, wall-mountings, illumin -
ations, water treatment equipment,
fish foods, health and treatment
products, medicines, drugs, chemi-
cals, etc.
Ornamental fish-keeping has
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
graduated into a fascinating hobby
these days with worldwide interest.
Aquaria offer pure viewing pleasure,
relieve stress and have a soothing
effect on the mind. Ornamental fish
are categorised on the basis of their
attractive colours, peaceful nature
and tiny sizes. These fish which
enable one to dispel solitude also
reflect their adaptability to living
within the framework of confined
spaces. At the global level, the trade
in ornamental fish has been growing
steadily over the years and more and
more entrepreneurs are becoming
interested in the business.
The present trend of the
ornamental fish market inside the
country is a very promising one. The
present supply could not suffice to
meet the heavy demand. The
demand for good-quality tropical fish
far exceeds the supply.
Needless to say, this aqua show
attracted thousands of visitors from
many places which bears testimony
to the fact that this is one of
the fastest growing hobbies of the
times! We
 WINTER
CARE WORKINGFOR
WOMEN
How to look
warm in cold weather.
By Suman Bajpai

ry skin, chapped lips,

D
unmanageable hair; these
are just some of the signs
that winter has arrived.
Maintaining a glowing and
healthy skin during winter
may be a challenging task
for everyone. As the
intensity of the sun’s rays
decreases during winter,
most women stop using moisturising
creams and applying sunscreen.
They feel that during winter there
is no fear of sunburn as most of our
body is covered by the winter clothes.
But our skin is still exposed to
harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun
during winter, and an equal degree
of care is needed to keep our skin
healthy and glowing.
 During winter, the skin tends to be soft, moist look. Application of
dry, itchy and scaly. Dry skin is sunscreen before stepping out of the
always prone to be more tanned and home is a must. If possible, take an
turns darker. Therefore, extra care is oil massage once or twice a week
needed during winter. Busy working before your bath for softer, hydrated
women no longer have the time to skin.”
pamper themselves at home with Cleansing the skin with deep pore
home-made products, and end up cleansing milk is necessary since you
spending a lot of money at a beauty do not sweat too much in winter.
parlour. Probably, all they will indulge Sweat is a natural cleanser. In its
in is an application of a night cream absence, the pores clog. Even raw
at night during the dry winter months. milk mixed with besan (gram flour)
However, with a little change in can be used to clean the face. Avoid
your skin-care regime, you can fight gel cleansers as they may leave the
winter woes and sail through the skin dry.
season in style. Exfoliation is important during the
A natural way of keeping your skin winter months because the cell
healthy during winter is to take cooler turnover slows down leaving the skin
showers. Though taking cooler dull and lifeless. Exfoliation removes
showers during winter may not attract dead skin cells and brings healthy,
you, they result in protecting your young cells to the surface. This
skin from the cold weather brightens skin tone. Make one with a DURING WINTER,
conditions. Take short and warm teaspoon of sooji mixed in double the THE SKIN TENDS TO
showers since long, hot showers quantity of chickpea flour and made
remove natural oils from your skin. into a paste with yoghurt. You can BE DRY, ITCHY AND
Spend no more than 10 minutes in scrub your face with this paste. SCALY. DRY SKIN IS
the shower, and the water “The pre-bath warm oil massage,
temperature should be below 90 preferably almond oil, is compulsory ALWAYS PRONE TO
degrees. in winter,” says Dr Ram Nath, “The BE MORE TANNED
massage not only ensures silky
smooth skin, it also tones up the AND TURNS DARKER,
USE MILD CREAMS muscles, soothes the nerves and THEREFORE, EXTRA
Use mild skin-care products that aids blood circulation. Pat excess oil
contain no alcohol and are suitable off with a damp towel before you step CARE IS NEEDED
for sensitive skin like creams, into the bath or shower.” DURING WINTER.
ointments and lotions. Do not use A gentle oil massage with warm
deodorants or antibacterial soaps. oil once or twice a
Also, avoid using soaps or shampoos week is the best
with skin irritants like fragrances. way to keep your
Avoid soaps and use body washes, skin soft and
shower gels and face washes. supple. Avocado
Make sure you refrain from using oil is great for
strong products such as extra- winter months.
scented soaps and products with Olive oil is also a
high chemical content. In the winter must-have
morning, wash your skin with a mild because of its
moisturising face wash; use a emollient proper -
sunscreen with an SPF of 30-50. You ties. Put a few
should use a good quality moisturiser drops on your palm
during the winter so that your skin and massage onto
keeps glowing and doesn’t look dry. your scalp to get
Dr Renu Nath, VP, R&D, VLCC, relief from dryness.
suggests, “Apply a rich body lotion or Add a few drops to
cream over your whole body your bath water to
immediately after the shower to seal counter itchy skin.
in the moisture. A moisturiser Due to cold
increases the water content of the weather conditions
outer layers of the skin and gives it a during winter a

Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008 21


decrease in water intake per day is
normal but the reduced amount of
water during winter makes our skin
look dull. Stay hydrated. Drinking at
least eight glasses of water a day
benefits your overall health and
hydrates your skin from within.
Use a soft conditioner and
shampoo – one without harsh
colours, chemicals and scents for
your hair. Anti-dandruff shampoos
can be harsh and they tend to make
the scalp scaly; so skip those
completely. Use leave-in conditioners
or hair serums regularly to keep your
tresses smooth and supple.
Protect the area around your eyes
with an eye cream that contains
sunscreen and ingredients like
vitamin E that neutralises free
radicals. Since there are no oil glands
under the eyes, the skin wrinkles fast.
WINTER MAKE-UP
For winter, regular skin-care and
cosmetics products are necessary for
a heavy make-over. In the winter
season, everybody wants to polish
themselves properly and look very
glamorous. One can use smoky
shades for eye make-up, matte
understated shades like chocolate,
coffee and for lips use berry tones
during winter make-up.
If one is using nude shades, a little
sheen can be used on eyes for
getting some change. Use a matt-
based foundation during the
winter. For getting fragrance,
one can use spices, any
natural aromas and the
essence of essential oils. For subtle
make-up, one can use sheer layer of
creamy blushers.
During winters, smoky eyes look
very beautiful and better than other
eye make-up. One can use coffee
and cinnamon shades for eye
shadows for getting sultry effect. Use
black mascaras after using an
eyeliner. You can also use water -
proof mascaras in dark brown
shades. In winter, always use tinted
lip balms in blackberry, red currant
tones and blackberry. Do not forget
to apply waterproof moisturisers
behind your ears. Use of night cream
will be heavy during the winter
season.
Apply olive oil to your face and
wash off after some time.
Mix equal amount of rose water
and glycerin and add a dash of
lemon juice to it. Apply on your dry
face and wash off after half an hour.
Mix equal amount of olive,
mustard and sesame oil and apply
on your skin to get rid of winter
dryness and to keep your skin
smooth and supple.
Apply the pulp of fresh aloe vera
to your skin.
To keep your feet soft and
supple, remove dead skin regularly
with a foot file after a bath, when
the skin is soft. Wash your feet in
warm water with a gentle soap
before going to bed and pat-dry.
Apply products especially form -
ulated for your feet, or just rub
some cold cream, moisturiser or
olive oil. Wear a pair of socks to
help your skin absorb the cream
completely.
Chapped lips are perhaps
the biggest downside of winter.
The lips lack oil-producing
glands. In the absence of
moisture in the air, lips dry up
and crack. Licking your lips
never helps. Crush rose petals,
mix with some butter and apply
on chapped lips at bedtime.
Avoid applying lipstick on
chapped lips as they dry
more. We
 The Reborn Daughter
With hard work and dedication the inexperienced Mini won more than
she could dream of. By Lakshmi Menon

W
ith trembling fingers Mini typed out her appreciation and confidence in no time. The director
letter and signed it after a lot of hesitancy. was so pleased with her work that a single day’s
She had enjoyed her work, friendly absence on Mini’s part caused him great concern.
colleagues and the affectionate boss. “This She did her duties as though she could read
is my first and last job,” thought Mini Mehtaji’s mind. Mini was always attentive and
painfully as she entered the director’s room conscientious in her work as well as the different
with the resignation letter. moods of her boss. It helped Mehtaji avoid many of
Jagadish Mehta was as usual busy with his work. his tensions and the unnecessary bad temper thrown
He motioned her to sit for a while. After reading the at his employees. Mehtaji had never seen a
last letter and affixing his signature, Mehtaji looked secretary as efficient as Mini, in all his 50 years of
at Mini with a smile, ready to attend to her. life. Sitting on his rolling executive chair, Jagadish
Mini handed over her resignation after a final Mehta realised with pain that Mini had become so
look, along with the wedding invitation card. indispensable to him that her absence made him sick
Suddenly, she noticed a flicker of pain passing over with trepidation.
Mehtaji’s face while he extended his hand “Saab is in a very bad mood,” his
to congratulate her. personal peon would tell others when they
Mini had been working with him as his “Saab is in a waited outside his room to see him for any
personal secretary for the last 5 years. She very bad urgent work, when Mini had been on
had informed him of her marriage mood,” his leave.
proposal 2 weeks ago when she had personal peon ‘Why should I be so upset at losing her?
returned from a month’s annual leave. The would tell Can’t I find another good secretary in her
previous day, she had received a final others when place?’ he asked himself. He soon decided
letter from her mother stating that since they waited to send his request for a good and efficient
everything was settled, she had to resign outside his secretary to all the placement agencies
and start for home as early as possible. room to see immediately.
Jagadish Mehta was very upset at losing him for any The last day when Mini entered
his efficient secretary although he Mehtaji’s cabin to hand over her keys and
urgent work,
pretended to be happy on hearing the say goodbye to her boss, she was
news of her marriage. He recollected the when Mini had surprised to get a small packet as her
day Mini, a young and pretty girl without been on leave. wedding gift. Tears pricked her eyes as
any experience in the field, had joined his she left his cabin. Back in her seat, she
office. He was initially very reluctant to appoint her, opened the small packet and, to her surprise, she
as the post demanded great responsibility. But found a thick gold chain inside with a small note
during the interview she did well, and he had come hanging at the end, Dear Mini, wish you a very
to know through a personal interview that Mini was happy and long married life — Jagadish Mehta.
the eldest daughter of her widowed mother. Mini’s

M
mother had 3 other daughters apart from Mini, and
a son who was still at school. With great difficulty
Mini was educated up to the final year of school
and sent to attend a computer course. Rajan Seth,
the personnel officer, was alarmed at the director’s
decision to appoint an inexperienced girl for this
responsible post.
But Mini proved herself very soon, and Rajan
Seth’s fears were short-lived. She handled her work
with extreme care and earned her superior’s
ini gratefully accepted other presents given
to her by her colleagues. The possibility of
their attending her marriage in her far-away
village was out of the question. She was loved and
respected by all, for her helping nature and her
sweet and innocent smile. As she bade goodbye to
all of them and the office where she had spent 5
years of her life happily, arms loaded with various
packets, Mini wiped her tears away with her
handkerchief, and tried to smile.

26 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

and take some rest. Don’t worry about your job
now. We’ll see what can be done.”
Entrusting her to his aged mother, Jagadish
Mehta called the driver and went out after making
another phone call.
Fifteen minutes later, Mehtaji’s blue Ambassador
stopped in front of Sankaran Pillai’s bungalow.
new girl to you. You are quite aware of her pleasing
personality and other good qualities. If I had a son
old enough to marry her, I would not have hesitated
to take her as my daughter-in-law. Today, I see Mini
as Reena’s sister. Could you find someone for her?”
Mehtaji waited for the answer.

“Hello Mehtaji. Good morning to you,” Sankara
Pillai greeted him fondly. After some formal talk,
Jagadish Mehta came to the purpose of his visit.
“Last time you brought me a suitable boy for
Reena. Now I have come to ask you for another boy
for my second daughter,” Mehtaji took out his towel
and wiped the pearls of sweat that had formed on
his forehead.
“Do you have another daughter? I never knew it,”
Sankaran Pillai looked at his friend in disbelief.
“Yes, I have one more daughter. My wife had
given birth 22 years ago to a girl but the child lived
only for 10 days. She has come back to life now.”
Sankaran Pillai sat astonished as if he were
listening to some ghost story. “What do you mean?
Your dead daughter has come back to life!”
Mehtaji drew his chair closer to him and said
softly, “I’m talking about my secretary Mini, who has
now returned from the wedding hall for want of
inadequate dowry. I’ll give any amount of dowry for
the boy you choose to be her husband. Mini is not a
A
fter a few moments of thought, Sankaran
Pillai put his hairy hand on his friend’s
shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, my friend.
I’m looking for a suitable girl for my son. I don’t
think I can find a more suitable girl than Mini to be
my bahu.”
Mehtaji embraced his friend and asked him to
specify his demands.
“As you know, I’m against the dowry system. I’m
concerned only about the character of the girl. I’ve
earned enough for both my sons to live happily all
their lives.”
For the first time, Jagadish Mehta looked at his
childhood friend with a tinge of jealousy for
possessing such a virtuous mind.
It took some time for Mehtaji to realise that it was
his greatest friend, a well-known businessman and
owner of 2 big soap factories, who was speaking to
him. His heart gave a jump of relief. He drove his
car, mindless of the speedometer, to personally offer
the good news to his reborn daughter. We

MOMENTS
OF HAPPINESS
My Heart cheers up,
When you’re with me.
It always dreams of you,
When I don’t find you to see.
It wants to be in your heart forever,
It feels relieved, I’m encircled by...
... your loving arms whenever
It forgets every distress, when I see
Intense emotions filled in your eyes,
Your few affectionate words are
Enough to keep me high
It doesn’t want to squander the
Pleasure of being with you.
Coz in this short life,
grieves are more and happiness is few.
– Tarang Sinha, Delhi.
30 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
 iamonds and women – they

D
are made for each other.
They conjure up a vision of
glamour, beauty, style and
above all, an astute
investment. Add to that the
heady cocktail of love and
romance – and every
woman wants to wait for the
day when the love of her
life, the man who will cherish her, is
expected to load her with diamonds
of all shapes, sizes and hues.
Beginning with a stylish engagement
ring, and continuing with the eternity
band, sets of earrings matched with
necklaces, bangles, broaches etc al.
In the modern world where women
are striving hard to break every glass
ceiling to prove their worth in the
corporate world, they are able to
demand salaries and perks far
beyond what a woman could have
envisioned about a decade or two
ago. When you earn like a man you
have to invest like a man – so bonds,
shares and real estate all become
lucrative investment options. But
none of them have the glamour of
glittering stones at your neck, fingers,
ear lobes or even the lapel of your
business suit. Women are definitely
luckier than men when it comes to
investing in jewellery.

& THE

Read this write-up to know

what makes diamonds “a girl’s
best friend”. By Ameeta Sharma
 Real life consumer: Shamita
Singha, a glamorous model, TV host
and emcee based in Mumbai,
working all over the world, says, “In
my opinion a girl does not have to
wait until her wedding for jewellery.
Diamonds are a great investment and
should be done before marriage too.
Especially the contemporary working
woman. She is financially
independent and making
investments. My criterion for buying a
diamond would be to get it from a
reputed guy and my advice to
anybody would be that you should
understand what you are buying and
do your homework, so you buy good
quality stuff. My preference would be
a single diamond because it is a
classic like a classic black dress, and
I prefer traditional designs though, if
something contemporary appeals, I
might pick for design alone.”
Suranjana, a Delhi-based MBA
working with an MNC says, “I did not
want to invest in property as there is
family property I have inherited and
diamonds seemed like a good idea
plus they are wearable. I tend to save
and buy pieces above 60 cents and
already have ear studs, pendants
and rings. Now I am saving for a
three-carat piece which I will buy from
the branded range with number and
certificate. When I marry, the man will
have to give me something bigger!”
Cost of your diamond: As any
jeweller will inform you, the cost of
your diamond is driven by the four Cs
of the glittering stone – cut, clarity,
colour and carat. This four-pronged
factor is not always in proportion
when it comes to deciding the price
of your diamond. As any jeweller will
tell you, comparing the prices of two
diamonds that might vary in just one
of the factors – colour or clarity –
would be priced totally differently,
even if cut and carat factors are the
same.
To understand the sequence of
importance of these four Cs, it is best
to do a comparative chart when you
are investing in a stone and making a
selection from two or three. Some-
times, a stone with a lower price
might appear more beautiful because
34
of the flawless,
excellent cut – so
always ask for those
details first and your
jeweller would
respect your
knowledge. If the
cut is identical on
two pieces then
look for clarity and
colour. The carat that
you can afford would often depend
on your budget for that purchase.
Importance of carat: When in
designing bigger pieces for visual
impact – often referred to as the
bridal jewellery – it is the small
stones that may be used. For pave
effect extremely small pieces would
be used. However, for the sake of
simplicity if nothing else, let us talk
here of pieces that are above 10
cents. For actual noteworthy
appreciation, it is best to consider
stones that are at least 15 cents and
more.
Technically, any diamond may be
certified but, considering that it costs
money to get certification for
diamonds, it is often offered and
expected for stones that are closer
to a full carat, definitely above 70
cents.
Since the ’70s appreciation of
diamonds has been a consistent and
average of 10 per cent annum but
this figure is applicable to certain
other parameters, including the
caratage.
All-time jewellery: According to
Indian customs, in South India, a
woman of reasonable means gets
diamonds for her ears and nose
when she gets married. For the
European and American women, a
diamond was often the choice of
stone for their engagement rings. For
jewellery bought by a woman for
herself there are no defined rules and
regulations. She may buy whatever
she desires.
Diamonds, they say, have never
been really depreciated in value,
though this could easily be attributed
to astute marketing by those at the
top of the diamond trade all over the
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
world. When speaking of diamonds
as investments it is important to
remember that some appreciations
might happen at the dealer level – in
the sense that it might have gone up
from wholesaler to retailer but every
seller has their margin of profit. So
how much a buyer is affected by that
appreciation is in itself questionable.
Every jeweller might guarantee the
appreciation differently, so it is best
to check when buying, and try to get
it in writing.
Designer speaks: Designers and
artists, as they say, often think more
with their hearts than their minds.
However, a diamond jewellery
designer has to visualise and execute
a piece with a targeted customer in
mind. We consulted Sumit Jain, a
well-known jewellery designer, who
has been awarded numerous
national and international awards and
accolades for his work. Currently, he
heads Design360, a consultancy firm
providing design and brand-
management expertise to some of
the most reputed jewellery and life-
style accessory companies in India
as well as abroad. He can be
contacted through e-mail at
sumitjain@d360.net
Sumit is aware of how certain
markets like Punjab v/s Mumbai
might differ in their basic approach to
selection of a piece of jewellery. The
latter might be more discerning in
their acceptance of stone quality and
that is a market quirk any designer
has to recognise and accept but, as
he says, “There is an exception to
every rule.”
 Clarifying the quirk of a
design that uses small and
bigger stones
simultaneously, Sumit says,
“The smaller stones would have
to be of the same quality as the
bigger, when used in a design.
If you take in a particular
design the ‘I’ colour and vs
clarity then it would be the same for
all smaller stones too. Anything less
would show up more, so the
uniformity of quality is important for a
design. In any event the quantum of
appreciation for diamonds smaller
than 15 cents would be reduced.”
Sumit agrees that for a working,
single woman with a penchant for
diamonds, it would make sense to
consider pieces with an everyday
wearable aspect. His advice: “You
can phase in a manner where you
buy 10, 15, 20 cent pieces, add to
your collection periodically and then
get a piece of jewellery designed to
rival any bridal piece in value and
impact.”
Adding to your design: As for
the possibility of adding to a piece
you are wearing, if you invest in a
piece of jewellery with a lot of three
cent pieces, to reuse them, when the
setting is opened, certain stones
might be damaged. If your stones are
10 cents and above, to have them re-
set would be cheaper and easier.
Pronged setting is easy to open
without damaging the stone.
With some astute design
selection, Sumit Jain assures that
you may buy a piece where
consideration for addition has already
been taken into account. Just have
them added when you are ready!
“Find a good worker who knows what
you have in mind, and it’s a win-win
situation as your existing piece gets
checked for firmness of setting at the
same time when you are enhancing
your value by adding more diamonds.
Select a pattern that can take
additions without changing the whole
design,” says Sumit.
Trust your jeweller: Any retailer
would also keep his margin of profit,
and certified pieces are generally
36
above one carat.
Remember these two
factors when buying your
stones. It is possible
that the outlet you buy
your stone from is
more of a trader than a
really gemology-
qualified jeweller. But he
knows what he is selling you.
If you add to the stone later,
chances are you will find a better
match with the same jewellery for
that colour and clarity as most
jewellers stock certain parameters
that suit their customer best. Ask for
a buy-back policy for the cost
justification from any retailer outlet.
You just have to understand it and
trust it.
Also, if you are adding stones to
the same design, it is better done
with a jeweller who knows and under-
stands your requirements rather than
changing your jeweller with every
addition who might or might not be
able to deliver what you desire.
Sitting through the setting of your
piece is often not possible for a single
working woman, nor is it offered by
jewellers except for the high-value
customer.
Trusting your jeweller also allows
you to periodically check appreciation
of your diamonds. Note down the four
C details of your diamonds and then
ask the rate of that annually to know
if prices are really increasing.
The perfect design: When does
a design become excellent rather
than just good? When it gladdens the
Single-stone ring (diamond/white gold)
Gold weight (without stones):
Gold weight (with stones):
Diamond (no. of pcs./weight):
Approximate retail cost:
Diamond dust (pave set) ring (diamond/white gold)
Gold weight (without stones):
Gold weight (with stones):
Diamond (no. of pcs./weight):
app. 0.015 ct. (1.5 cents each pcs.):
Approximate retail cost:
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
buyers’ heart and gives them the best
deal! Often a good design would
mean that it fits your budget, gives
you options of adding more diamonds
to it when you can afford to and a
setting that enhances all the beauty
of the stone while hiding any flaws
inherent in the stone.
The prongs-only setting will bring
out the fire of the stone, a prong
might hide a flaw of clarity, your
stone can be made to look brighter
and prettier with the right design.
Dual wearability like a pendant
that also becomes a brooch, a ring
that becomes a pendant, etc, might
seem to give you more options
but do check that this versatility does
not compromise the safety of the
stone.
As a working woman you should
have the confidence to wear it where
you want, as often as you want and,
considering that it is an investment, a
perfect design should offer you that
guarantee too.
Lure of the smaller diamond: If
you see any couture international or
Indian designer you will notice that it
is not possible to make big impact
pieces without some astute use of
smaller diamonds – sometimes even
of one cent.
While one may want bigger
stones, in some designs it is best to
opt for smaller pieces too. Then it is a
matter of wearability and quality of
stones that have been used. Most
sellers offer some sort of buy-back
policy – understand those and select
carefully. We
8.260 gm.
8.292 gm.
1 pc. / 0.16 ct. (16 cents)
Rs. 11,075
11.060 gm.
11.124 gm.
20 pcs. / 0.32 ct. (32 cents)
Rs 14,465.00
A man dressed up as Santa Claus drives a sledge up a wire
in front of the landmark TV tower in Berlin. The Christmas
fever has caught up the West and the majority of markets in
Berlin opened on November 24.

For the love of animals

Commercialised Christmas

These two women belonging to the organisation People

for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) wearing only
underwear and bunny ears, protest against the wearing of fur
in Moscow. The activists stood topless in cool Russian
weather championing animal rights.
Here rabbits dressed up in colourful fashions were on exhibit during
a rabbit fashion contest at the Rabbit Festa in Yokohama city in
Japan. Some 8,000 rabbit lovers visited the annual two-day event.

Rabbit show
 This is an artistic
reconstruction of burial done
in the past. Parents clasped
the hands of their children in
a 4,600 year-old grave which
researchers believe to be the
oldest evidence discovered
so far of the nuclear family in
early human development.
The remains of 13 people
believed to have been killed
during a violent raid were
laid out in an unusual pattern
for the Neolithic period in a
gravesite found in Germany
in 2005. Several pairs were
buried face-to-face with their
hands and arms interlinked
in four nearby graves which
were once covered in burial
mounds.

Ancient burial tradition

A promoter dressed up a man wearing
Artistes and makers of A Filmic occasion life-size plastic model of Gundam 00, a
the most expensive film Japanese cartoon character at the Anime
ever produced in Festival Asia Exhibition in Singapore.
Australia pose for the
media by the foreshores
of Sydney Harbour.
Incidentally, the movie
which is an epic and
romantic action adventure
is titled, Australia.

The last train of the first-

generation bullet train arrives
at the Hakata station in
Fukuoka city of Japan. Forty
four years after the model
made its debut in 1964,
some 1,000 fans felt sorry for
parting of the round-nose
‘O series’ bullet train.
The last bullet train

Japanese cartoon character

 ndia has great places to offer as

I
tourist destinations. But we
thought of spending our October
vacation at some non-traditional
domestic place. My husband
came up with the idea of visiting
the not-so-explored Chhattisgarh,
the 26th State of India created on
1 November 2000, earlier a part
of Madhya Pradesh. It lies to the
south-east of Madhya Pradesh and
north of Andhra Pradesh.
Being nature lovers, Chhattisgarh
bonded us with Mother Nature. We
had never seen life in its original form
— untouched forests, ancient
monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely
carved temples, Buddhist sites,

THE HEART palaces, waterfalls, caves rock

paintings all at one place. For a few
days we forgot our urban tensions

OF INDIA —
and were living in the lap of nature.
There simplicity and smiles won our
hearts.
Chhattisgarh has the peculiar

CHHATTISGARH
shape of a rhinoceros or
hippopotamus. It is also known as the
rice bowl or Dhan ka katora . The
name Chhattisgarh emerged from the
fortified lands, which had 36 chhattis

Tirathgarh falls.
Lose yourself
in nature...
discover an
ancient past...
celebrate
unique tribal
festivals... do
it all in
Chhattisgarh.
By Jyoti Galada

40 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

 This horseshoe
shaped waterfall
created by
Bastar’s Indravati
river reminded us
of the Niagra falls.
We were
mesmerised by the
rainbows arching
across the
turbulent flow.
‘Tribal Haat’: Women selling ‘Mahua’ (liquor) in pots.

(forts) in ancient times. Travelling of Chhattisgarh, and immediately town with all facilities, some six hours
Chhattisgarh was truly a learning headed for Jagdalpur, the drive from Raipur, wherein our
experience for us. headquarters of entire Bastar booking in a decent hotel had already
We arrived at Raipur, the capital division. It is a small and developing been made. Daily bus service is
available from Raipur or one can hire
a cab to Jagdalpur, the way we did.
The greenery and untouched forest
area surrounding the highway caught
our attention. We opted to stop at
various places and enjoy the serenity
and natural beauty.
Tribal way of life: Just imagine
yourself being with the tribal people,
dancing to the beats of tribal drums,
getting “high” sipping mahua, being
a part of their rituals, visiting the haat
(weekly market) with scantily-clad
natives (Gonds, Murias Marias,
Bhattras) where you can enjoy a slice
of local life.
Almost half of Chhattisgarh is
under forest cover, and tribal people
dominate the population in the forest
region. In 1997, the Bastar district of
Chhattisgarh, then within Madhya
Pradesh, was split into three districts,
with Kanker in the north, Bastar in
the centre and Dantewada in the
south. One of the finest times to
travel around is during the annual
Bastar Lokotsav that coincides with
the ritual of Dussehra during October
where all the major tribes participate.
Dussehra in Bastar has nothing to do
with Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya.
The focus here is on Danteshwari,
the local female deity who is also the
guardian deity of the Bastar rajas.
Each village has its own devi and
on a particular day during the
Navratras, all these devis congregate
for the Dussehra celebrations.
Coincidently, we had visited
Bastar at the right time of the year.
During Bastar’s Dussehra, tribals
perform traditional religious
ceremonies vibrantly.
A new chariot is built every year
on Dussehra and different tribes are
appointed to build
Tribal handicrafts.
different parts. One of the finest
examples of the power of faith
exhibited amongst these tribals is the
ceremony of kachangadi (consecra-
tion of the couch), a traditional ritual
that kick-starts the festival. To seek
the divine approval of Danteshwari to
begin the ceremonies, a young
Harijan girl is laid upon a swing of
thorns and swung to and fro. The
goddess is believed to descend upon
her to protect her from injury.
In another instance, to ensure the
success of the festivities, a young
man is lowered into a pit at the
Sihasat Chowk near the palace in
Jagdalpur in the Jogi bithai
ceremony. So positioned, he sits in
vigil for 9 days and nights with only
his head and shoulders visible to the
passing devotees. Thereafter, the
pulling of the chariot begins with a
statue of Devi Danteshwari on it.
Other ceremonies are conducted by
the royal priest.
A department store has become a
necessity for most of us urban
dwellers where essential items are
available under one roof. Well, for
tribals, it is the haat where all their
daily requirements are met in one
place. Many tribals walk many
kilometres to make it to the haat
every week. We enjoyed conversing
with the tribals, though that was
mostly through sign language.
Nature’s piece of art :
Chhattisgarh also boasts of
3 National Parks and 11 wildlife
sanctuaries like the Kanger Valley,
Barnawapara, Sitanadi, Udanti and
Achanakmar sanctuaries. The
endangered wild buffalo (Bubalis
bubalis) and the even more
endangered hill myna ( Graculis
religiosa peninsularis) are the State
Animal and State Bird respectively.
To enjoy one of the finest virgin
forest tracks on earth we headed for
the Kanger Valley National Park,
27 km from Jagdalpur. The
Kanger Valley National Park
is very dense, 34 km long with an
average width of 6 km, and one
needs to travel in the interiors
for two or three days to catch
a glimpse of various wild
animals like tiger, leopard, mouse
deer, jackals, sambar, python,
crocodile, cobra, sloth bear and many
more. Guest house facility is
available at the national park with
prior booking. We were not lucky to
see many animals and birds despite
being there for one whole day but a
stroll in the forest unveiled the
serenity and natural richness of the
place to us. A deep sense of
calmness and appreciation of nature
emerged in us. Mostly hilly, this forest
has a cluster of sal, teak and bamboo
trees throughout, that provides a
perfect home to varied types of wild
animals and birds.
There are many scenic spots
along this perennial stream of the
Kanger river. The 100-metre high
Tirathgarh falls were a visual delight.
We explored one of the limestone
caves here, known for beautiful
stalagmite and stalactite formations.
The Kutumsar cave is more than 330
metres in length and claims to be the
second largest in the world. In the
cave, we felt totally isolated from the
outer world and a walk through it
revealed the dark depths of earth.
There was a dearth of sunlight in the
caves and the floor was covered with
puddles of water and small aquatic
animals. If you suffer from claustro-
phobia, avoid the caves and don’t
forget to carry a torch if you go in.
The next day, as soon as we saw
the Chitrakote falls, 38 km from
Jagdalpur, in the morning, an instant
feeling of ecstasy gripped us. This
horseshoe shaped waterfall created
by Bastar’s Indravati river reminded
us of the Niagra falls. We were
mesmerised by the rainbows arching
across the turbulent flow. The best
part of the trip was getting drenched
under the erotic flow of water. The
waterfalls are illuminated at night so
that tourists can view them after
sunset.
Human pieces of art: On our way
back to Jagdalpur, we stopped at a
sericulture farm and learned about
the entire process of making silk.
This region is also famous for its
semi-precious stones like corundum,
topaz and crystal jewellery.
 Chhattisgarh has artistic items to
offer for shopping. Take your pick
from terracotta handicrafts, bell
metal, wood craft, wrought iron,
bamboo artefacts, the unique “coil-
thread” technique of metal sculpture
of the Bastar area and kosa silk, a
speciality of Chhattisgarh. The most
complicated kosa saris have the
Ramayana and the Mahabharat
woven along their length. I could not
stop myself from buying decorative
items that were really cheap! There is
a shilpigram 15 km from Jagdalpur
that provides an opportunity to see
craftsmen at work.
A divine place: If you love history
then visit the temples of
Chhattisgarh. Built by the Chalukya
kings of Bastar to honour their family
goddess, Devi Dhanteswari. The
Danteswari temple in Dantewada
was constructed several times, but
the sanctum sanctorum is believed
to be more than 800 years old. We
were amused to know that to enter
the temple men have to wear a
traditional lungi. This place brightens
up during the Dussehra festival.
On our return to Raipur from
Jagdalpur we explored other nearby
places too. Bhoramdev temple,
popularly known as “Khajuraho of
Chhattisgarh”, is one of the oldest
temples located near Kawardha, 116
km from Raipur. Standing 100 feet
above the ground, what mesmerised
us was the surrounding greenery
amidst which the temple stood. And
the erotic carving of couples,
elephants, horses, dancers and idols
of various gods and goddesses on
shining black stone embosses the
walls of the temple. We also enjoyed
travelling into the suburbs that was
rich in natural beauty and history.
If you are a believer in destiny, if
you have trust in stones and if you
want your wishes to come true then
visit the Mahamaya temple, 25 km
from Bilaspur. Make a wish before
the red stone Panchamukhee Shiv,
hang a coconut from the tree in front
and optimistically wait for your wishes
to come true.
Chhattisgarh provided us with an
opportunity to study Buddhist culture,
Buddhist art forms and discover the
past of the 5 century AD. Sirpur,
78 km from Raipur, was once the
capital of the Sarbhapuriya and
Somvanshi kings of South Kosala.
It is a famous Buddhist pilgrimage
site. We were fascinated by the
recent excavations of the ancient
ruins, Buddhist viharas and idols. We
had a chat with followers of
Buddhism there and got to know a lot
about Buddhist traditions, their
lifestyle and food.
The Chhattisgarh tourism
department had been very helpful in
providing all the necessary
information to us. We
 QA &

TEEN ACHE
TEEN CHE A
brother. We can hardly sleep at night
due to the fights. Why can my mother
not think of us too? Surely, we need
attached to him and does not wish to
desert him.
You and your mother can motivate
a better life—without our father? him to enroll in an alcohol de-

Q&
My parents are trying to fix my
marriage with an engineer who has a
good job and belongs to a
respectable family. But I have fallen
in love with a man I see at the bus
stop every morning when I go to
college. He is very good looking and
for me it has been love at first sight. I
have not spoken to him yet, so I do
not know if he too loves me. Shall I
tell my parents to wait before
finalising the match as I want to find
out about this other boy first?
Your “falling in love at first sight”
with this bus-stop boy seems nothing
more than a juvenile crush. How can
you “love” a person with whom you
have not even exchanged two
words?
Your mother must be having good
reasons to continue to live with your
father. She may be unable to look
after the children alone without his
financial support. Divorce is not an
easy matter, but a prolonged, messy
affair. Even if your father is an
alcoholic, your mother is clearly
I am an attractive
teenaged girl with a
good figure but I
have a dark skin. I
wish I were fairer –
especially since I live
in the north where I
stand out like a sore thumb. I want
to use fairness creams but my
mother says it will ruin my skin. Is
there any medical procedure which
addiction centre like Alcoholics
Anonymous where professionally-
trained persons can help him deal
with the problem. This way, not only
can your father get cured, your home
and family will be safe. Get the
support and help of close, trusted
relatives or friends to intervene. You
children can also think of the option
of staying with grandparents too, for
instance, if the situation does not
improve.
I was adopted when I was six months
old by a very loving childless couple.
I have been looked after with great
love and care, and now I am a 14-
year-old girl. Last week, my mother
told me that she was going to have a
baby – after 19 years of marriage!.
Both my parents are ecstatic and I
am also happy to have a brother or

A
All the same, you can discuss the
matter with your parents, and if they
are willing to meet this bus-stop boy
to find out if he is a suitable alliance
for you, you should consider yourself
very lucky. In all probability, they will
be shocked by your disclosure. You
should seriously consider the
proposition your parents have chosen
for you as they would have carefully
checked all aspects before deciding
on the boy.
My father is an alcoholic and often
abuses and even assaults my mother
when he is drunk. I keep telling her to
separate from him but she refuses to
listen to me. She thinks it is her duty
to stay by his side, come what may.
But all this is making a mess of we
children’s lives. I am a 16-year-old
girl and I have a younger sister and
will help? I am very depressed.
sister in the house. But a fear nags
It is easy to understand your
me. Will they love me less now? After
anguish. Young adolescents like
all, I am not their real child, like the
you really need to look good to feel
new baby. What will I do if they
good. Do try to be proud of your
neglect me?
looks. Dark is not ugly. A
Why do you have such negative
gleaming, clear dusky complexion
thoughts when you have no reason
can look fantastic. Fairness
to have them? By your own
creams of good companies are not
admission, they love you a lot. This
harmful but can only remove a tan
cannot change overnight. You will
if you have one. They also bleach
surely continue to be their beloved
the skin a little. Medical
child. Like all other elder siblings,
procedures which target the
however, you should be prepared to
melanin in the skin to turn it lighter
share their attention. A small baby is
is a complicated and costly
very demanding and your parents will
treatment.
spend a lot of time on him or her, but
Please consult a dermatologist
this will not mean that they are
who can advise you authoritatively
neglecting you. In fact, you will be a
on the matter. Do remember that a
great help for them in bringing up the
cheerful smiling face, whether fair
baby. Keep a positive, open and
or dark, will win more friends than
loving attitude and do not fill your
any other.
head with unfounded fears.

44 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

 Commander General
A hilarious yarn about a pompous old man with far-fetched
‘military’ stories! By Sniggdha Jauhari
W
hen Commander came to stay in our
neighbourhood, we were initially
impressed. This later turned into intrigue,
then into disbelief and finally to comic
relief. Which continues to remain. He
always wore a stiff and starched look —
that meant his clothes and his moustache.
What was plastered down was his hair to his skull,
with a drop or two of fragrant hair oil sitting pretty
on his forehead. He would move his palm with a
flourish, swipe these two tiny drops of oil and rub
them on his eyebrows. The pair was as bushy as the
tails of fully grown male squirrels.
In the earlier days, whenever we asked him about
his commandership — army, navy or air force — he
would tell us war stories. At the end of which we did
not know whether he was a commander in the navy,
air force or army.
Once, he said, looking official and upright, “The
ship was cruising at extraordinarily nautical miles.
With my telescope glued to my eyes, I could see the
enemy ship. I yelled to my men, ‘Take position.’
Then I ran to my bunker, down in the bowels of the
ship, to change into my red pants and shirt. I had to
change quickly. Mind you — change in record time.
I had barely buckled my pants when the first shot
was fired.”
Costume drama in the battlefield? I was baffled.
“But why change into red shirt and pants,
Commander?” I asked.
“Because, my dear,” he said puffing up his wide
chest, “I did not want my men to see me bleed and
get discouraged.”
“Ohh... I said, trying to sound impressed.
“Oohh...”
The next time he told us even more intriguing stuff.
“You see, back in the army, every time I went to
visit a regiment, soldiers of that regiment would get
into a frenzy, ‘Geno Deva is coming, Geno Deva is
coming’.”
“Who is Geno Deva?” I asked.
“I. Geno is short for General and Deva, short for
Devnath, my full name,” he said.
So you were a major-general?” I asked.
“No, I was a commander-general... I mean a
commander, but treated by people as general. Such
was my bearing and conduct...” he explained
proudly.
“So, as I was saying, soldiers used to say that if
Geno Deva is visiting a regiment, then even if you
are making love to your wife, finish it quickly,
otherwise Geno Deva will take your pants off.”
I was intrigued, ‘Eh...? Pants off? When that
chap’s pants are already off? Then what’s the
Commander’s contribution?’
I, along with my friends, mulled over this but
couldn’t figure it out.
Geno Deva, as we had started calling him since
that day, was useless in organising things but was
great in initiating them. He said we should have a
football match between teams of different buildings.
Enthusiastically, we arranged it.
O
ne evening, as we were putting final touches
to the boundary line, we fell short of white
chalk, “Doesn’t matter,” I said, “use blue.”
“Young man,” Geno Deva bellowed right into my
right ear. He was standing right behind me. I don’t
know when he had crept right up.
“Young man, never compromise on quality,” he
boomed. “Quality determines whether you will be a
winner or a loser. You know, once we were fighting
with the enemy. We were barely an inch away from
the LOC. I successfully pushed the enemy way, way
back. That night, we had a party. The head of the
Army was to grace the occasion. I was given the
duty to ensure that everything was clean, spick and
span... I went into the ladies’ toilet first. Because...”
he paused softening his voice, demonstrating his
sensitive side, “Because, ladies first... I checked the
flush by pulling the lever. Then re-checked by pulling
it a second time. That way I was sure that one can
flush as many times as one wants to. Then I checked
whether there were adequate tissue boxes. Not only
that, I pulled out a tissue from each box to check
whether they are coming out properly one after
another. Then I inspected the toilet paper. It should
be soft to touch, roll smoothly off your hand,
unfolding itself evenly, but not too fast. After all...
hmm... you understand, at that time one does not
want any struggle.”
We all nodded our heads.
 “What intricate planning, superb strategising,”
Mandeep said.
Commander continued, “Then I carefully checked
the jet of water. You boys know how it is when your
rear end is subjected to sudden jets of hot water, I
mean really hot water?” He paused and
questioningly scrutinised our faces.
His question brought painful memories to all of us.
Sukhbir remembered his case so explicitly that he
shuddered visibly.
Commander felt great satisfaction in looking at our
faces, which were crunched with vivid memories.
“Well, you see... female anatomy also cannot
take that. Too hot or too could water is of great
discomfort to our ladies,” he explained.
His manner and methodology reminded me of my
maths teacher, who would explain complicated
algebra exactly in the same tone.
I realised for the first time, that algebra and toilet
details can be taught in the same way, if you are
creative.
Commander’s booming voice brought me back
from my maths class. “Only after being satisfied with
the sanitary condition, I left the bathroom. So, young
man,” he put his
hand on my
meagre
HUMOUR
shoulder, “never compromise on quality. Winning a
war depends on that.”
“War? What war?” Balbir asked, facing him
bravely.
“The one I just told you about,” Commander
replied as if talking to an intellectually challenged
man.
Another time he told us a story from his life which
we thought took the cake – or should I say banana?
“You know,” he boomed one day, having caught
us unawares. “We were playing basketball and I
had thrown the ball in the slush. And we were now
pushing one another to sit on it.
“You know, speed and accuracy are key factors
in success during war. Let me tell you an incident
from my wartime days,” he said rubbing his palms
together with glee. “Once, we were flying over thick
forest when we were struck by the enemy bomb. I
was flying the fighter plane. I made all my boys
parachute down. Only then I left the aircraft. We all
landed right in the midst of a thick jungle. Nothing
to do, we decided to have a banana-
eating competition. I defeated my
opponent by 16 bananas. You know, the
important thing about these competitions is
not your rank or post, it’s your speed in
chewing and gulping. My opponent was
not fast enough, he was able to chew and
gulp a banana faster than me but his
peeling skills needed improvement.”
“What rank was your opponent?” I asked.
“No rank,” Commander said. “It was a
monkey. We had befriended him in the
jungle. The important point here is that I
was able to beat someone who is by
nature, a natural banana eater.”
We all patted and thumped Commander’s shoulder that arrangements were right. He asked the CM’s
and shouted, “Bravo, bravo, great job, well done!”
When we were looking for a president for our
building, Commander graciously said that he will be
happy to bear this great burden and huge
responsibility.
But we shuddered at the thought of him being the
president.
“Sachin, you become the president,” my friends
said to me.
“No way, this is my last year of IIT,” I said. “No way.” girl moved with a piece of cloth sewn together in the
“Not a single uncle or aunty, staying in this
building wants to become one,” Purushottam
growled. “These oldies just want to have fun. My
father says he has enrolled in the cha-cha-cha class.
He doesn’t have time.”
“Look, let Commander become the president,” I
Commander They were catching people unawares on
the road and asking for votes with folded
excelled hands. They knocked on doors and when
himself in you opened it... there stood a politician,
ensuring that with folded hands, asking for votes.
arrangements One day, we were told that the Chief
were right. Minister had been touring around,
He asked the addressing people and asking for votes
with folded hands and it was now our turn
CM’s office to see and hear him ask for votes, with
about toilet hands (you guessed it) in a folded position.
facilities for The venue was our building compound.
the CM. We had a huge compound. Around it
there were four more buildings.
Commander excelled himself in ensuring
office about toilet facilities for the CM. He was told
not to bother — the CM will go home for that.
The D-Day arrived. The CM was to come in the
morning but he arrived in the evening. We were all
tired of waiting.
When he did come, Commander got his maid
servant’s daughter to garland him. He had made the
girl practise this for a week. He himself had stood
around like a ring master taming a lion. While the
shape of a garland, Commander counted the
number of paces she should move and yelled for her
to keep her back ramrod straight. “Straight,
straight,” he yelled. “You are Jhansi Ki Rani. Back
straight.”

S
said. “He can’t do much harm. He only talks through ince morning, innumerable times, he had made
his rear end.” her garland a stick stuck in a flower pot (on that
So we all went to Commander and told him that he had written in white chalk ‘CM’).
he can be the president. So it was not by chance that the girl did a
“Thank you, I have no time,” Commander said beautiful job when the CM came on the podium.
gravely. With garland around his neck, beaming like a well-
Sitting very upright on the chair, he shook his led cat, the CM sat picking up his spotless white
head, “All my life I have shouldered immense kurta from his behind so that it does not crush.
responsibility, taken care of things which others A minute later, one of his partymen stood up and
were afraid to handle, ventured into territories where said, “May I now request the honourable CM to say
no man has dared to go. Though I am now no a few words?”
longer grappling with the enemy I have a lot of The CM walked to the podium. But, before he
work. My days are packed with responsibilities and could speak, there was a small disturbance at the
duties — towards my family, my society and my back of the room. All eyes reverted there. Three men
country. I have no time, but I will still do full justice to from the other building seemed to be arguing about
the post of president. I accept with utmost humility something.
and gratitude.” One of our building residents poked
After this speech, we climbed over each other to Commander in the ribs, “Commander,” he hissed,
get out of his house when he offered us tea. “deal with it.”
The very first thing that happened, within a week Commander got up. He looked very stern and
of Commander being appointed as president, was a official. He clicked his heels together, looked at the
prestigious one. CM and boomed, “Sir, thank you for your kind
Election time was round the corner and politicians words. With your permission, I now declare a 15-
of all shades and sizes were making speeches. minute tea break.” We

48 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

 QA &
Q&
I have very stubborn blackheads on
my nose and a couple of them are so
bad that they just refuse to budge
after intense exfoliation. What should
I do?
You can try to steam your face
and then use a clean blackhead
remover which has a hole through
which even pressure is applied
around the blackhead. However, you
A
may mark your skin, so it’s better to
trust the professional and if
recommended then opt for a glycolic
or salicylic peel as that removes the
top layer of dead skin and helps in
de-clogging the pores, thereby
removing the blackheads that are
stubborn.
When I go for a manicure, the
therapist wants to clip my cuticles
and it always makes me nervous and
sometimes I feel a swelling. What is
the right way to handle this?
Cuticles may be pushed back with
a stick (non-metal preferably). It is a
good idea to massage them just
before going to bed as regularly as
possible, but definitely after and
before a manicure.
Tell your therapist that you do not
want to have them clipped and that
should be taken as an instruction, not
a request.
I have good eyelashes and like to
enhance them with mascara in the
evening, but I often get uneven
results. What is the right way to apply
mascara?
When applying mascara, ensure
that the brush has enough liquid on it.
Do lower lash first while looking
straight in the mirror. Let it dry before
tackling the upper lashes. Now look
up and do one gentle sweep in a
curling motion.
If you feel areas have been left
untouched, then gently comb your
eyelashes apart with a fine comb and
reapply mascara. Avoid blinking for
a few seconds until the mascara has
dried properly.
Can ingrown toenail be considered a
beauty problem? I have recently
developed it on one foot and am
worried on how to deal with it.
Ingrown toenail could begin for a
variety of reasons and yet what
makes us notice them is when they
spoil our ‘foot beauty’. For lasting
remedy you have to consult a
surgeon who might do a small
procedure. Even thereafter you have
to pay attention to your footwear to
avoid a recurrence. Keep your toes
well aired and clean at all times to
avoid any infection during repair
procedure. Avoid temporary relief
that may lead to infections at parlours
during pedicures.
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
I wear make-up and find that in
winters when I use the same cleanser
the result is not as good and I need
to wash the face with water and soap
after that. What am I doing wrong?
We need stronger products in
winter for better results. Also, it
depends on which cleanser you are
using and how. In summertime it is
easier to remove make-up also, but
you could switch over to a more
heavy-duty cleanser in winter.
Massage it into the skin and leave for
a few minutes before wiping with wet
cotton wool. If there is residual make-
up left and you don’t wish to wash
off, just do a second application of
the same cleanser. Always do the
neck area too.
I plan to go for New Year to Goa. I
love being in the sea but it leaves my
skin darker and dry. Can I take
precautions rather than look for
remedies after damage?
Yes, you can use a waterproof
sunscreen before going in the water.
Reapply after an hour or so if you
have been in the water. Use a good
mild soap after the outing and rinse
well. Moisturise with heavy-duty
cream thereafter and avoid swimming
in full sun around noon. Wear full
sleeves when outside the water and
cover well.
BEAUTY QUERIES
Readers are invited to send their
beauty problems and questions
regarding face, complexion,
hair, skin, eyes etc to this column.
Address your letters, written
legibly or typed on white paper, to:
WOMAN'S ERA,
E-3, Jhandewala Estate,
New Delhi-110055.
Womansera.com
49
 LIP-SMACKING
CAKES AND DESSERTS

Cakes often mean

a lot of icing and
thus extra calories
to worry about. This
Christmas try the
cakes and desserts
where we have
avoided using
cream and icing
and used fresh
fruits and
preserves instead.
By Roma Ghosh

Strawberry cake

STRAWBERRY For the decoration:

2-3 cups of readymade
CAKE strawberry preserve
jujube or cake decorations
INGREDIENTS:
275 gm of maida METHOD
200 gm of sugar Sift together the maida and
175 gm of thick curd baking powder. Grind the sugar in
175 gm of oil – soya oil a mixer. Add the oil and the dahi
11/2 tsp of baking powder to the powdered sugar and blend
1/ cup of ready to use well. Run the mixer for 1 minute
2
strawberry sauce and then give the mixer a pause.

50 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

Repeat this process till the
ingredients are well blended to
obtain a smooth and fluffy paste.
In a large mixing bowl add the
maida and baking powder. Into
this slowly mix in the wet
ingredients paste a little at a time.
Mix and add stirring all the time
so that both the dry and the wet
mixture blend together. Into this
also add the strawberry sauce.
Grease a cake tin and bake in a
preheated oven at 180 C for
O
about 35 minutes or until a
skewer or knitting needle comes
out clean when inserted in the
centre. Allow the cake to cool
completely. Invert onto a serving
plate. Spread the strawberry
preserve lavishly over the top of
the cake and allow it to flow over
the sides. Top with jujube or cake
decorations. Keep in the fridge for
15-20 minutes and serve.
Use a cookie cutter or a small
‘katorie’ and cut out round circles.
Arrange these rounds on a
greased baking sheet or a
greased baking tray and bake in a
preheated oven at 170 degree C
for 12-15 minutes or until puffed
and golden brown. Taste best
when warm.
PINEAPPLE
AND APRICOT
CAKE
INGREDIENTS:
250 gm of maida – flour
175 gm of unsalted butter
150 gm of sugar
3 eggs
3 drops of vanilla essence
11/2 tsp of baking powder
150 gm of packeted dried
apricots
150 gm of dried crystallised
pineapple
grated rind and juice of one
orange
grated rind and juice of one
lemon
1/ tsp of salt
4
METHOD
Sift together the maida, baking
powder, salt. Grind the sugar in a
mixer and add the eggs and the
butter and beat till well blended.
Slowly mix in the liquid mixture
into the dried ingredients and
blend to form a smooth mixture.
Add the juices, rind and the fruits
and mix with a spatula so that

SWEET POTATO
SCONES
INGREDIENTS:
150 gm flour
150 gm of sweet potato –
cooked and mashed
21/2 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp of brown sugar
150 ml of milk
2 tsp of chopped chives or fresh
garlic – green portion
50 gm of melted butter
1/ tsp of salt
2
METHOD
Sift the flour and the baking
powder and salt and keep aside.
In a mixing bowl mix the mashed
and cooked potatoes, oil, milk,
chopped chives, sugar well so
that the ingredients are well
blended. Slowly mix in the dried
ingredients and knead into a
pliable dough. Roll out this dough
with a rolling pin into a ‘chapatti’
Sweet potato scones
which is half inch in thickness.

52 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

these get mixed into the mixture
well. Line a cake tin and pour the
cake batter into the tin and bake
in a preheated oven for 30-35
minutes at 180 degree C or
until a knitting needle comes out
clean when pierced in the centre.
Allow to cool in the oven. Cut into
slices and serve or store.
Minced meat and cornmeal muffins

MINCED MEAT meat – add salt while cooking

the minced meat
1/ tsp of sugar
2
one cup of milk
AND 11/4 cup of flour – maida
1 cup of cornmeal or makki ka
1/ tsp of salt
4

CORNMEAL atta
METHOD
Sift the baking powder, soda
MUFFINS 1 tsp baking powder
1/ tsp sodi bi carb
2
and maida, sugar and place in a
mixing bowl.
INGREDIENTS: 1 cup of oil Add the makki ka atta and
1 cup cooked and boiled minced 2 eggs make a well in the centre of the
bowl with the dried ingredients.
Pineapple and apricot cake
Beat the eggs and mix the milk
and the oil and either blend well
with a spatula or you can also
use a mixer to blend the
ingredients.
Now add the wet ingredients
well with the dry ingredients and
mix gently so that the wet and the
dry ingredients blend well
together.
Mix in the cooked meat and
blend well with a spatula.
Grease muffin tray and fill each
of the muffin cups half way
through and bake in a preheated
oven at 160 degree C for 20
minutes or until the muffins have
risen and are golden brown on
top. Serve while still warm.

LAYERED
WALNUT AND
CHOCOLATE
CAKE
INGREDIENTS:
250 gm maida
225 gm sugar

Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008 53

150 ml melted unsalted butter
100 gm thick whipped sour
cream – dahi
11/4 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of almond essence
150 gm of crushed walnuts
21/2 cups of ready to use
chocolate sauce
walnuts for decoration
METHOD
Sift together the maida and
baking powder and keep aside.
Grind the sugar in a mixer and
then mix in the oil and blend well.
Also mix in the dahi and blend to
mix well. In a mixing bowl, add
the dry ingredients i.e. the maida
and the baking powder and slowly
mix in the wet mixture. Stir
continuously so that the dry
ingredients and the wet
ingredients mix well together. Add Layered walnut and chocolate cake
the crushed walnuts and the
essence.
METHOD
Mix well. Grease two ovenproof
baking dishes and divide the
RICH FRUIT Sift together the maida,
prepared cake mixture into two CAKE cinnamon, all spice, and baking
powder and keep aside. Grind the
portions. Pour one portion each in INGREDIENTS:
both the cake tins. Bake each of sugar in a mixer and then mix in
250 gm maida the oil and blend well. Also, mix in
the cake tins separately in a 225 gm sugar
preheated oven for 35 minutes at the dahi and blend to mix well. In
200 ml melted unsalted butter a mixing bowl, add the dry
160 degree C or till the cakes are 150 gm thick whipped sour
golden brown on top. Insert a ingredients i.e. the maida, etc.
cream – dahi and also mix in the grated ginger.
knitting needle in the centre of the 11/4 tsp of baking powder
cake to check if it comes out Slowly mix in the wet mixture. Stir
50 gm raisins continuously so that the dry
clean.
50 gm currants ingredients and the wet
Prepare both the cakes in this
50 gm dried pineapple pieces ingredients mix well together. Add
way. Cool to room temperature.
50 gm orange dried sweetened all the fruits and the essence. Mix
Turn the cakes upside down.
peel well. Pour into a greased cake tin.
Spread the chocolate sauce on
100 gm of chopped almonds Bake the cake in a preheated
one of the cakes and then place 1/ tsp of almond essence O
2 oven for 35 minutes at 160 C or
the other cake on top of the
1 tsp of cinnamon powder till the cake is brown on top. Insert
chocolate sauce like a sandwich.
1 tsp of all-spice powder a knitting needle in the centre of
Use the remaining chocolate
1 tsp of grated ginger the cake to check if it comes out
sauce to cover the top and side
of the cakes. Decorate with For the decoration: clean. Cool to room temperature.
walnuts and keep in the fridge for 11/2 cups or more of plum For the decoration: Mix the
30 minutes or until before serving. sauce plum sauce with 3-4 tbsp of
You may need more chocolate 1 orange, or musambi or lemon - lukewarm water so that the
sauce, depending how generously thinly sliced into circles mixture can be spread evenly on
you want to use the chocolate 5 tbsp of sugar top of the cake. Spread lavishly .
3/ cup of water Heat the water and the sugar .
sauce. 4

54 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

 Rich fruit cake bottomed pan. Heat the half cup
of milk lightly and mix in the
flavoured custard powder into
this. Mix well so that no lumps
remain.
Mix the custard mixture into the
milk and condensed milk and
place the pan on a low heat. With
a wooden spoon continue to mix
the mixture so that it does not
stick to the bottom of the pan.
Heat the mixture, stirring
continuously till the mixture
begins to thicken. Remove from
fire and allow this mixture to cool
completely to room temperature.
Beat the cream and add to the
prepared milk and custard
mixture. Add the essence and
mix. With a hand blender, blend
the mixture well and place in a
freezer container with a lid. If you
do not have an aluminum ice
cream container then use any
Bring to a boil and drop the bowl and cover with cling
orange circles and cool for 2- wrap or foil. Allow the
3 minutes till crystallised. mixture to set in the
Place the orange circles on freezer and this should
the plum sauce and keep take around 2-3 hours.
in the fridge till serving. Once set, rewhip the gelato
with a hand blender or put it
back into the mixer to give it a
CHOCOLATE good whip so that it is light and
fluffy.
AND CASHEW At this stage mix in the fresh or
MOUSSE dried fruits that you are using or
the cashew nuts. Place the gelato
INGREDIENTS: back into the container and allow
21/2 cups of milk it to reset for another 2-3 hours.
1/ tin of condensed milk Serve chilled as it is or with a
2
3 tbsp of chocolate flavoured generous helping of dried fruits or
custard powder fresh fruits or biscuit wafers.
1 cup cream
1 cup broken cashew pieces or
fresh fruits
1 tsp of vanilla essence WHEAT AND
100 ml of fresh cream – this is
purely optional
Chocolate
and cashew JAGGERY CAKE
Mousse INGREDIENTS:
METHOD 1 cup wheat flour
Keep half cup of milk aside and 1 tsp of baking powder
mix in the rest of the milk and the 1/ tsp of sodi bi carb
2
condensed milk in a thick 1 cup jaggery – broken into pieces

Wheat and jaggery cake
3/
4 cup oil
1 cup curd
3 tsp blanched almonds cut into
small pieces or
broken cashew nuts
METHOD
Sift together the wheatflour,
baking powder, baking soda. Keep
aside in a mixing bowl. In a mixer,
mix in the jaggery pieces, oil and
curd and blend well to obtain a
smooth paste where all the
ingredients have mixed together.
Pour this mixture slowly in small
quantities in the dry ingredients –
namely the maida mixed with the
baking powder and soda. Blend
well so that the dry and wet
ingredients mix into each other
and the resultant dough is smooth
flowing. Add the almonds and mix
well. Grease a cake tin and pour
the contents of the cake in the
prepared tin. Bake in a preheated
O
oven at 180 C for 35-40 minutes
or until a skewer comes out clean.
The time taken for baking will
depend on your oven.
56
GLAZED APPLE
SPICE LOAF
INGREDIENTS:
2 apples peeled and cored and
cut into small pieces
160 gm of flour - maida
120 gm of melted butter
Glazed apple spice loaf
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
150 gm of sugar
150 gm of beaten sour cream -
dahi
1 tsp of sodi bi carb
1/ tsp of grated nutmeg
2
1/ tsp of allspice
4
1/ tsp of clove powder
4
3/ tsp of vanilla essence
4
1/ tsp of salt
2
For the glaze:
120 gm of icing sugar
2 tbsp of lemon juice
METHOD
Cook the apple pieces in 1 cup
of water till tender and soft. Keep
cooking and stirring till most of the
extra water is evaporated.
Cool the apple mash and keep
aside.
Sift the flour and the soda. Mix
in the spices into the maida too.
Keep aside.
In the meantime cream the
butter and sugar until light and
fluffy. Mix in the sour cream and
continue to blend till smooth. Mix
in the mashed apples. Now in a
mixing bowl, mix the wet
ingredients into the dry
ingredients a little at a time so that
the batter is smooth and fluffy.
Also, mix in the essence at this Saffron and black pepper loaf
stage. Grease an ovenproof loaf
tin and pour the mixture into the
loaf tin and cook in a preheated
O
oven at 170 C for 45 minutes or
until a skewer comes out clean
when inserted in the centre of the
loaf. Put off the oven and allow to
cool completely .
To prepare the glaze: Mix the
icing sugar and the lemon juice
and stir gently to mix well.
When the loaf is cool, place it
on a baking sheet or a wooden
board. Pour the prepared glaze
over the loaf and allow it to set. oven proof loaf tin and pour the replace this with 1 1 / 2 tsp of
Cut into slices once the glaze has mixture into the loaf tin and cook coarsely crushed pepper but the
hardened and serve. in a preheated oven at 170 look and the taste will also differ
degree C for 45 minutes or until a slightly.
skewer comes out clean when
SAFFRON AND inserted in the centre of the loaf.

BLACK PEPPER Put off the oven and allow to cool

completely. Cut into slices and TRIPLE LAYERED
LOAF serve. This cake is sweet and yet
has a tangy taste because of the
DESSERT WITH
INGREDIENTS:
160 gm of maida
fresh pepper corns. If you cannot PRALINE
find fresh pepper you could INGREDIENTS:
120 gm of melted butter
200 ml of condensed milk For the bottom layer:
1/ tsp of salt 2 tbsp of strawberry or blue
2
1/ tsp of sodi bi carb berry preserve
2
1 tsp of baking powder For the middle
5-6 strands of saffron layer:
soaked in 1 tbsp of 250 ml of milk
lukewarm milk for 10 2 tsp of custard
minutes powder
2 tbsp of fresh black
pepper For the third layer:
3 pinches of salt pitted prunes cut into
pieces
METHOD
Sift the flour, baking For the praline:
powder, salt and the soda. 2 tbsp of sugar
Keep aside 1 tbsp of pistachio nuts cut
Blend together the butter and into small pieces
condensed milk. Now in a mixing METHOD
bowl, mix the wet ingredients into First of all prepare the custard
the dry ingredients a little at a time by boiling the milk and reducing it
so that the batter is smooth and to half.
Triple layered
fluffy. Mix in the saffron dessert with Mix the custard in 5 tbsp of
(discarding the strands) and the praline lukewarm milk and add to the
fresh pepper corns after removing thickened milk together with the
these from the stems. Grease an sugar and keep stirring so that the
milk thickens and the custard
consistency is as thick as you
want it.
Put off and cool to room
temperature till the custard is just
beginning to set.
To prepare the praline: Melt
the sugar in a thick-bottomed pan
and once it is in liquid form add
the pistachio nuts and stir and mix
and put off the heat. Grease a
thali or plate or a vegetable
cutting board. Grease a
rectangular area of 2 inch by 3
inches.
Spread the melted sugar and
allow it to cool on the greased
board or thali. Once it solidifies
the praline is ready and you could
use it by breaking it in sizes you
like. You can even crush the
praline coarsely.
To assemble the dessert:
Place the preserve at the bottom
of a glass. Place the prepared
cooled custard. Top with the
prunes and serve with praline
pieces. Keep in the fridge if you
like it cold.
58
Caramel topped chocolate pudding
CARAMEL AND 11/2 tsp of baking powder
1/ tsp of cinnamon powder
2
CEREAL RING For the decoration:
CAKE 1/ a cup of caramel syrup
2
1 cup of cereal – any flavour of
INGREDIENTS: cornflakes
250 gm of maida – flour METHOD
175 gm of oil – soya oil Sift together the maida and
150 gm of sugar baking powder. Grind the sugar in
150 gm of dahi a mixer. Add the oil and the dahi
3 drops of almond essence to the powdered sugar and blend
well. Run the mixer for 1 minute
Caramel and cereal ring cake and then give the mixer a pause.
Repeat this process till the
ingredients are well blended to
obtain a smooth and fluffy paste.
In a large mixing bowl add the
maida and baking powder. Into
this slowly mix in the wet
ingredients paste a little at a time.
Mix and add stirring all the time
so that both the dry and the wet
mixture blend together. Into this
also add the cinnamon powder.
Grease a ring cake tin and bake
in a preheated oven at 180
degree C for about 35 minutes or
until a skewer or knitting needle
comes out clean when inserted
around the ring. Allow the cake to
cool completely. Loosen the cake
with the tip of a sharp knife. Invert
onto a serving plate. Spread the
caramel lavishly over the top of
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

Strawberry pudding
the cake and allow it to flow over
the sides.
While the caramel syrup is still
wet, place the cornflakes over the
syrup to decorate the cake. You
can add a few cheeslings or
different coloured cornflakes to
give it a colourful look.
CARAMEL
TOPPED
CHOCOLATE
PUDDING
INGREDIENTS:
1 litre of milk
3 tbsp of milk or as per taste
1 cup of fresh bread crumbs
2 tbsp of cornflour mixed in half
cup of lukewarm milk
2 tbsp of chocolate powder more
or less as per taste
2 tbsp of sugar for the caramel
2 tsp of broken cashews
METHOD
Melt the sugar for the caramel
in a pan. Once the sugar has
melted and started turning light
golden brown pour it into the base
of the baking dish you are going
to use to prepare the pudding.
Sprinkle the cashew pieces over
the melted sugar syrup. Allow
this to cool so that the sugar
solidifies into caramel.
Heat the milk in a thick
bottomed pan. Remove a cup of it
while still lukewarm.
Mix the drinking chocolate into
this lukewarm milk and keep
aside.
Continue to heat the milk on
low fire till the amount is reduced
to half its quantity, stirring from
time to time so that it
does not stick to the bottom of the
pan.
Once the quantity has reduced
to half, mix in the bread crumbs
and the chocolate mixture. Now
mix in the cornflour mixture and
continue to stir all the time till the
pudding begins to thicken. Stir
and cook for 2-3 minutes and put
off the heat.
Pour the contents into the
caramelised baking dish. Place
this dish in a steamer and steam
till the pudding is set. This should
take around 25 minutes. Once the
top of the pudding looks set, put
off the heat and allow it to cool
completely.
Place in the fridge for 2-3 hours
and then place a serving plate
over the baking dish and turn the
pudding over.
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
STRAWBERRY
PUDDING
INGREDIENTS:
1 litre of milk
1 cup of strawberry sauce
3 tbsp of cornflour
1 cup of fresh bread crumbs
2 drops of red colour – optional
cake decorations
METHOD
Heat the milk in a thick-
bottomed pan. Remove a cup of it
while still lukewarm. Mix the
cornflour and keep aside.
Continue to heat the milk on low
fire till the amount is reduced to
half its quantity, stirring from time
to time so that it does not stick to
the bottom of the pan. Once the
quantity has reduced to half, mix
in the bread crumbs and the
cornflour.. and continue to stir all
the time till the pudding begins to
thicken.
Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes
and put off the heat. Mix in the
strawberry sauce and the colour
at this stage. Pour the contents
into muffins cases.
Place the muffin trays into a
steamer and steam till the
pudding is set. This should take
around 25 minutes.
Once the top of the pudding
looks set, put off the heat and
allow it to cool completely. Place
in the fridge for 2-3 hours and
then loosen the sides of the
pudding with the tip of a sharp
knife and turn the pudding muffins
into a serving plate.
You can use a microwave
muffin tray and microwave on
high for only 3 minutes to
start with and if the pudding is not
set, microwave for one minute
more.
Allow to cool and then turn
over and decorate with cake
decorations. We
59

About the Artist
Name: Daniel Joseph
E-mail:
danieljoseph1971@indiatime.com
Group Shows
At gallery two - 1995, New Delhi.
Art corporative gifts - 1997 art ‘n’
soul gallery, New Delhi.
Art ‘n’ soul 1999, New Delhi.
Studio Vasant, Vasant Vihar,
New Delhi - 2006.
Guernica to Nitari and Budha
Mudra, Canvas art gallery,
New Delhi - 2007.
Solo Shows
One man show 1996 and 1998:
Gallery two, New Delhi.
One man show 2000: Art ‘n’ Soul,
New Delhi.
Awards
Camel Art Regional Award in
2006, Lalit Kala Academy,
New Delhi.
AIFACS Award in 2007.
Sponsorship Camel Regional Euro
Tour in 2007 (Due).
60
ART WITH A
TOUCH
OF TRADITION
“You can give your best to
create the best,” says the artist.
By Our Correspondent
tep into Baljeet Chadha’s
S
spacious Studio Vasart
located at Haus Khas
Village and get the joy of
getting positive energy of
finest art works. There I
encountered some capti -
vating works bearing human
and animal figures, all
superb in depicting happy
moods. Of course, the paintings have
that energy about it that captures the
viewers’ attention expressing
happiness more eloquently than any
words. An expert in semi-realistic,
figurative, abstract, drawing and pen
and ink, he’s the versatile artist
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
Daniel Joseph who owns his studio in
Katwaria Sarai, Near Qutub Hotel,
New Delhi.
Born in 1971 in New Delhi he did
his BFA from Delhi College of Art,
with Ist division in the year 1996. He
uses architectural linearity in
humorous fashion by using face and
body in impressive colours. A peep
into the life of this amazing artist of
today’s Indian art who is presently
working with Khushi organisation for
upliftment of poor and destitute
community in both rural and urban
area.
Excerpts from an interview:
When did you first realise your
aesthetic leanings towards art?
My interest in art was a childhood
urge that gave me great pleasure. I’m
inspired from a contemporary artist
Om Pal Sansanwan. In fact, I admire
all the senior artists.
Could you tell me something
about your art work!
The theme of my paintings is
nature. You’ll observe figures in my
work – figures of animals, males and
females as well. Whatever catches
the attention of my eye is perceived
in my senses. I get the essence of
the core and feel the presence of the
soul in my work.
Through my work, I want to give
solace and joy to my viewers. That’s
why you will observe predominance
of happy colours – blue and red in
The medieval story of Sohni Mahiwal depicted is relevant in modern era. The use of earth colours, bull and horse
symbolise the impact of our tradition on modern urban-India.

Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008 61


my work. My art touches the culture
of India and its exotic ethos.
Does the mood of the artist
influence the end results of his
paintings?
Yes of course but then the artist
knows how to maintain the balance!
My art is my vision. I just watch
nature and people around me, then
understand the depthness of
relationships but manifestation of
ideas are my own.
Famous artists who have
influenced you and how!
Well Pablo Picasso for his cubism.
He’s known for co-founding cubist
movement and for the wide variety of
styles embodied in his work.
Vincent Van Gogh’s impressio -
nism and neo-impressionism. I am
62
also influenced by MF
Hussain. They all are the
artists par excellence.
Each and every minutest
detail in their art, strokes,
vigour, style and mood
reflect perfection.
This means your
works bear some
significant resemblances
with their art!
No not at all. My works
are nothing but the
extension of my own
personality. My emotions,
my dreams and feelings take a
concrete shape on my canvas.
You seem to use a lot of
symbols in your work. Do your
paintings tell stories or are they
simply decorative elements of the
painting?
Yes, I put symbols in my work.
The colours and the figures have a
symbolic meaning. This is my
encoded language and how I present
my ideas to the spectators.
What inspires you to paint and
how do you keep motivated when
things get tough in studio?
Painting is my passion. That’s why
I have chosen to be a full time artist.
Daily I spend at least seven to eight
hours in painting. I go for a morning
walk and derive inspiration to paint
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
from nature. I read books on history.
The same keep me motivated.
What is the best and worst part
of being a full-time artist?
You can give your best to create
the best. The outcome is really
excellent and the piece of art is more
refined. I don’t find anything bad.
What other interests do you
have besides painting?
Music, trekking, mountaineering,
and reading. I love making drawings
on flying machines. (smiles). Do you
know Leonardo Da Vince also used
to draw and design flying machines.
And a huge metamorphosis in his
approach occured as he went from
the theory of flight
to actually attemp-
ting flight. So in a
way, I am very
much like him.
At this time
when Indian Art
has got a world -
wide acclaim, how
do you come to
terms with com -
mercial aspect of
art?
Art reflects
culture of country
so needs to be
authentic. I work because I have
sensitivity towards art. I enjoy it.
But I don’t let the quality of my
work affect it. Thanks to Baljeet
Chadhaji for supporting me and
motivating.
Advice you would like to give to
an artist just starting out?
Art is very pure so needs to be
worshiped. It’s not to be corrupted by
any means. Artists need to give their
best without imitating others. The
labour will never go waste. Hard work
certainly pays!
Ten years from now, where do
your see yourself?
Certainly evolving more and more
towards betterment in my work and
creating a niche of my own in this
vast field of art. We
 QA &
I am a 23-year-old unmarried man.
Last week, unable to control myself, I
went to the red-light area of my town
and had sex with a prostitute. She
told me that she did not have any
sexually transmitted disease, but
since that day I have been so terrified
that I have not be able to sleep, work,
talk to people or follow my usual
routine. Is it possible that I have
become HIV-Positive? I cannot
undergo the necessary tests in my
town since my family would come to
know.
The only way to be sure is for you
to have yourself tested for HIV and
other sexually transmitted diseases.
If you can’t get these tests done in
your hometown, you will have to go
to the nearest town which has
facilities and have yourself tested
there. Get married as soon as you
are in a position to support a wife and
family. Otherwise you might find
yourself tempted to go to a prostitute
again.
I am a 34-year-old woman and I have
a male friend whom I have known for
four years, ever since I joined the
company I work in now. Last month
he shocked me by confessing to me
that he loved me. He then asked me
to leave my husband and marry him
(he is still unmarried).
When I firmly told him that I loved
my husband and that he must have
Q
I am a young man of 20. I have a
slight frame and three years ago, I
developed small but distinct
breasts. My friends tease me
saying that I need to wear a bra.
I have other feminine attributes
and I like dressing up as a woman
when I am alone. Should I consider
sex change treatment?
Sex change treatment is not
something that you can take
casually. It is a life-changing
decision. You should even consider
going in for treatment (which is long
and expensive) only if you have an
overwhelming feeling that you are
actually a woman in a man’s body.
misunderstood my friendliness, he
said that he hadn’t been able to
control himself. He then asked me to
continue to be his friend. I said that I
would.
But since then I find myself unable
to treat him as I used to. I feel
awkward and embarrassed and
therefore find myself trying to avoid
him. But the man says that I am
being rude and that my behaviour
proves that my earlier friendship was
false.
I don’t want to be rude or cause
my friend any embarrassment, but I
don’t want to give him false hope
either. What should I do?
Our instincts are usually right and
we should follow them. If your
instincts tell you to avoid that man
since otherwise you might give him
hope, follow them and avoid that
friend – not in an obvious or insulting
manner, but casually. If you feel
awkward and embarrassed but try to
force yourself to be friendly, your
discomfort will show through.
Your friendship was not false. He
was the one who tried to turn
friendship into love.
I am a married 26-year-old woman
and have fallen in love with my
younger sister’s husband. Actually
the marriage alliance for this man
came for me, but other things
intervened and I made a love match.
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
You must also consider how your
family will take this.
As far as your breasts are
concerned, you should see a
doctor. You may be suffering from a
condition called gynaecomastia
which is the development of abnor-
mally large mammary glands in
males, resulting in breast enlarge-
ment. The condition is caused by
an imbalance of sex hormones or
the responsiveness of tissue to this.
When the condition occurs in
adolescence, as it has for you, it is
called pubertal gynaecomastia and
the breasts usually shrink or
disappear within few years.
The marriage of that man was then
arranged with my younger sister.
My husband is a good and kind
man, but he hasn’t got the
charismatic personality of my brother-
in-law. After coming to know this man
as my sister’s husband, I have fallen
in love with him.
I don’t feel guilty about this
because I feel that he is actually my
husband because the proposal from
him initially came for me.
Once I made my feelings known
to this man, he too began to love me
and we are now having an affair.
Recently my mother came to know
about this but though she has not told
anyone, I know that she is deeply
unhappy. I feel like proclaiming my
love to the world and then marrying
this man. I cannot live without him.
How should I set about things?
You are being extremely immature
and selfish when you say that you
feel that your brother-in-law is
actually your husband because the
alliance for him came first for you. If a
proposal for an alliance is equal to a
marriage, many men and women in
our country would have several
spouses because, in the case of an
arranged marriage, several alliances
are usually considered before one is
settled on!
You had a chance to marry this
man but fate came in the way and
you married someone else. The man
then married your sister. Nothing can
63
 change this and any attempt to play
musical chairs and change your
partner will lead to a shattering
upheaval in your family.
If you have any sense of loyalty to
your husband or love for your sister,
you should not even think along
these lines.
The man in question too does not
seem to be in love with you. He
began to have an affair with you only
after you revealed your feelings for
him. This does not show him in a
good light, but he probably will not
be ready to switch wives just
because you want him to.
And, anyway, just announcing to
the world that you love this man will
not make him your husband. There
will be two messy divorces to go
through before that.
Think about all this in a mature
fashion and you will yourself realise
that you have to move away from this
man and get along with your life in
the company of your “good and kind”
husband.
I came to know within a month of
marriage that there is “another
woman” in my husband’s life. This is
my mother-in-law! I knew from the
time that my parents settled my
marriage that my future mother-in-law
was ill, but I came to know only later
that my husband’s main reason for
getting married was to have someone
who would look after his mother.
My husband works hard during the
week and plays cricket for his
company on the weekends. I am a
full-time nurse for my mom-in-law
and get no chance to go out or to
have any fun with my husband.
We have sex during the nights
and he says that this must be enough
Click
Yo u r P e r s o n a l A g o n y A u n t O n l i n e
64
for me. But for me marriage means
more than just sex. What should I
do? I do not work but I am fairly well-
off and would have the support of my
parents in any decision I take.
Talk frankly to your husband and
tell him that you understand marriage
in a different way from him. Make it
clear that you don’t mind looking after
your mother-in-law but that you need
company and affection besides sex.
Tell him that he too has
responsibilities – towards both his
mother and you.
It can’t be work and play for him
and only work for you. See how he
takes this and whether he makes any
attempt to change and see that you
too are happy. Take a decision only
after that.
I had an arranged marriage two years
ago and have been under great strain
ever since. The reason is that the
financial affairs of my in-laws are in a
mess and I am quite rich because I
inherited a lot of money and property
from my grandparents.
When my father-in-law died he left
most of his property to his younger
son, my husband, because his elder
son had already taken a lot of money
from him to start businesses which
later failed. My father-in-law had also
given his two daughters their shares
of his property when they got
married. My husband thus has the
family home and shares in various
businesses now, while my brother-in-
law and two sisters-in-law, all of
whom took bad business decisions,
have very little.
My mother-in-law lives with my
husband and me while my brother-
in-law lives separately with his wife
and children. My mother-in-law is
Powered by
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
QA &
constantly telling me how her other
three children are facing financial
problems, and asking me to give
them money. She wants me to give
my brother-in-law 20 lakhs to buy a
house and to help the husbands of
my two sisters-in-law set up small
businesses.
I have always politely told my
mother-in-law to talk to my husband
about these matters, but she wants
me to help them with my personal
finances. She has made me promise
not to tell my husband what she
wants me to do. I am becoming a
mental wreck because of her
nagging. Should I just give them the
money she so desperately wants me
to?
You should not do anything
without talking to your husband since
this is a matter that involves his
brother and sisters. The next time
your mother-in-law talks to you about
money, tell her that you can’t keep
your promise of not discussing this
matter with your husband. Tell her
that, as your husband he has every
right to know what you do with your
money.
Your mother-in-law’s worry about
her other children is understandable
and you should not hold it against
her. Her reluctance to talk to your
husband means that she knows that
it is not fair to ask him to share his
inheritance with his siblings and that
she knows that he will ask her why
he should so. But if your husband
agrees and you can afford to do so,
you could do something to help out
your brother-in-law and sisters-in-law.
But you should lend, not give, them
money and the amounts should be
reasonable. They should understand
that they are not entitled to money
from you.
 Q U I Z
68
1Q
How long have you been unhappy
in your marriage?
a. Ages – years
b. It seems like a long time – months
c. Not that long – a few weeks

2Q
How long have you been married?
a. For more than six years
b. Not that long – a few months
c. For a few years

3Q
How do you feel about your
partner right now?
a. Just not what I expected.
b. I hate him/her – I just want a way out.
c. Some parts are okay, the others I don’t
like at all.

MARRIAGE
WORTH SAVING
?
IS YOUR

If you are unhappy with the

state of your marriage then check
here for the likelihood of you

S
being able to save it.
elected entries will be published in the t
man’s era. Look ou
4Q
When did you last have a good
deep conversation about
something important to you?
a. A few months ago
b. Years ago/Never
c. A few weeks ago

&
Answer the questions win a grand prize...
forthcoming iss ue of Wo
for the 31 January 20 09 iss ue

Last date for sending entries: 15 January 2009

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Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008 65
5Q 10Q
When you did last speak (deeply) Do you enjoy your holidays
were you happy with the outcome? together?
a. It was okay. a. Yes - we happily spend time together.
b. It wasn’t that good really. b. Not really.
c. It was good – I really enjoyed it. c. It is okay - could be better though.

11Q
If you could find a way to fix your

6Q
What areas of your relationship are
you most unhappy with? marriage would you want to know
a. Our kids/family takes up most of our time what it was?
so there’s no fun. a. Yes, please
b. We just can’t seem to talk. b. Maybe - it depends on what
c. We’re both busy doing our own things, would be involved.
we don’t have time for each other. c. Not really.

12Q
What do you like most about

7Q
How satisfied are you with your
love life? your partner?
a. The looks
a. Not happy at all.
b. The character
b. It’s okay - that part is working fine.
c. Can’t think of anything
c. When it happens it’s okay - could be
better.
Scoring Terms and Conditions:
Don’t you hate those artificial quizzes that

8Q
Do you imagine yourself being with
only have one obvious right answer? Since we don’t
someone else? know about your personal life, these questions could
a. All the time. work out, depending on one’s personality and
b. No, never. interactions. And you could probably come up with
c. Sometimes. better answers!
Prove that you are aware of this trivia.
Send us the coupon with your photo along

9Q
If you could leave your partner with the correct answers.
now with no guilt or recriminations,
would you? Name
a. Yes - just let me out. Age
b. Maybe - sounds tempting but not sure. Address
c. No way - I just want things to be better.
PIN
Phone: E-mail

Winner Occupation

of Don’t forget to attach a photograph

Friendship 1. Mark the answers and send us the cutting of

Quiz this quiz along with this coupon. The last date is
15 January 2009. So hurry up and post it now.
Contest - 65 2. The decision of the editor will be final. 3. Depict
your true self only. 4. Send a photograph of your
Neelam Nanda. own. It may be printed in Woman’s Era, along with
23, Vasant Kunj, the results. Send to: Woman’s Era, Delhi Press,
New Delhi. E-3, Jhandewala, New Delhi-110 055.
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 he sexy Faridabadi sardarni,

T
Prity Bhutani, who had a bad
start in Bollywood is all set to
make yet another attempt at
success with a slew of
releases later this year . She
has done some Tamil and
Kannada flicks as well.
Excerpts from an interview:
What went wrong with Ladies
Tailor and Jaani Dushman?
An artist alone can’t be held
responsible for his or her films doing
well or not. Maybe the date of release
and bad script could be responsible
for the above films’ fate. All in all, I
am quite proud of my work in both
the above projects.

What next?
I have a number of releases in the
next few months. Major of them is
Golmal Returns opposite Ajay
Devgan. Then there is Khalbali Hai
Khalbali with Zakir (main Sarkar
villain) as my co-star. I am also
waiting for Sangeet Shravan Ek The
Power of One to hit the theaters. Last
but not least is an item number in
Vikalp.

How different are these roles

from each other?
I have attempted to be quite
different in each outing – for example

Aspirations of
an aspiring actress.
By Anil Merani
in Ek, I am a typical Punjabi girl with
chotis . On the other hand, I have
glamorous comedy avatar in both
Khalbali and Golmal Returns. And
obviously an item number is in a
completely different bracket in itself.
How was it to act with Ajay
Devgan?
It was superb I have been a big
Ajay Devgan fan right since his Phool
Aur Kaante days. Now it's my dream
to work in a project directed by him.
You seem to have no problems
with a bold image?
Yes, I am quite comfortable with
a bold image Having said that, I want
to try all kind of looks – be it a hot
babe to demure Indian girl. I also
want to prove my acting ability by
doing diverse roles – eg a physoctic
killer.
Did your parents not have
reservations about you wearing
skimpy clothes?
No, my folks are quite chilled out.
They know that this is a part of my
profession.
How has your journey been?
Having seen the tough day's, I
value the importance of hard work
very much. I did not have the benefit
of having a godfather like some
actors.
Casting couch?
I have no such experience.
Ultimately, hard work pays. If you are
good, you will get work.
Which actor would you give a
hand and foot to work with?
I would love to work with Ajay
again. Shah Rukh is very great actor
as well. I would surely go for any
meaty role with him.
What stuff do you like to wear
when not shooting?
I am mostly dressed in shorts. I
dress according to my comfort level
and don't bother about what people
say or don't say. We

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B O M B AY F I L M D O M
o what if Amitabh Bachchan has
S left his best days behind? There
still are people who are prepared to
spend a fancy amount to share
screen space with him for a few
moments. Proof? One S. Prakash
Lohia topped the list of bidders in a
shot of Ambika Hinduja’s film Teen
Patti which fetched £ 25,000 for UK
charity. The film is a thriller wherein
Preity Zinta
bagged the
Best Actress
Award at the
Chicago
International
film festival.
Bachchan plays a mathematics
professor who has a relationship
with his proteges.
reity Zinta has done filmdom
P proud by bagging the Best
Actress Award at the Chicago
International Film Festival. The
Urmila Matondkar is quite charged
with her sterling performances.
Jury praised her performance in the
film titled Heaven On Earth as strong
yet subtle. Produced by Deepa
Mehta, the film explores the struggle
of an immigrant Punjabi bride.
rmila Matondkar who has given
U many sterling performances in
the last few years is quite charged
with her two new films: Karzzzz
(directed by Satish Kaushik) and
EMI . If in Karzzzz she plays a a
negative character for the first time,
in EMI, a light-hearted comedy, she
plays a simple widow who has to pay
back so many loans.
s if signing Sylvestor Stallone for
A
not
his next film Kambakht Ishq was
enough, producer Sajid
Nadiadwala has also signed another
Hollywood actor Brandon Rauth for
the film wherein Akshay Kumar plays
the male lead, known as Superman
from the Superman series. Brandon
who has already finished shooting an
extensive action portion of the film
with Akshay was highly impressed
watching Akshay doing dangerous
stunts.
etter late than never. Since Shah
B Rukh Khan worked in a few films,
including one 2 ka four shot in
Malacca (Malaysia), the place has
become a popular tourist resort. No
wonder, the Malaysian Government
has conferred knighthood on the
actor.
t is indeed gratifying that now
IHollywood actors are also keen on
working in Bollywood. Hollywood
actor Will Smith says he is a fan of
Aishwarya Rai and would love to do a
film with her. He says she
was his first choice as co-
star in Hancock.
ith so many films —
W Mumbai Meri Jaan, A
Wednesday, Aamir and
Contract revolving around
Mumbai and/or terrorism, it
won’t be wrong to say that
the commercial capital of
the country, Mumbai, has
also become a key character
in so many films.
Shah Rukh
Khan,
conferred
knighthood
by the
Malaysian
government.
G uess what Deepika Padukone
does after taking up a film?
She trusts her director and
surrenders to him completely. Well,
it was okay to surrender completely
to Farha Khan in Om Shanti Om, but
surrendering completely to a male
director can be risky. You know what
I mean?
t shouldn’t be difficult for cine
I buffs to recall how much work
late Sunil Dutt had done for the
spastics. Now Mithun
Chakraborty has decided
to give financial help to
Aahana, five year old spastic
daughter of a Reliance ADAG
employee in Koparkhaire, Navi
Mumbai. Laudable indeed.
eha Dhupia’s career surely
N seems to be on the
upswing. After her starrer
Singh Is King reaped gold at
the box office, she’ll be seen
in many films including Chala
Murari Murder Karne , a
murder mystery wherein
she shares stellar honours
with Naseeruddin Shah.
ll the people who
A venture into re-
makes or sequels aren’t
equally lucky. Ashtvinayak’s
Golmaal Returns shot
Deepika Padukone: Blind trust on
male directors can be risky.
extensively in scenic Goa and
starring Ajay Devgan, Kareena
Kapoor and Ranvir Shorey hasn’t
been acclaimed by the critics. Who
knows the comedy may still be liked
by cine goers?
ilmdom has suffered a truly huge
F loss in the death of veteran film
maker B.R. Chopra, a recipient of
Phalke award, who made as many
as 37 films including Gumrah, Insaaf
Ka Tarazu, Nikaah, Sadhna, Ek Hi
Raasta, Waqt, Naya Daur and Dhool
Ka Phool. May his soul rest in peace.
Brothers’ Mughal-e-Azam, a sort of
black comedy with bizarre moments.
Amply shows that the audience
cannot be taken for granted.
B elieve it or not, poet-lyricist-
director Gulzar whose film
Mausam (starring Sharmila Tagore
and late Sanjeev Kumar) bagged a
National Award had a rather modest
start in Mumbai. When he arrived in
Mumbai, at the tender age of 13, his
first job was that of painting cars at
Vichare Motors in Andheri.
o the best of this scribe’s
Festival at Wardha, Sewagram, left
the viewers highly impressed with
Gandhian values and principles.
ana Patekar loves challenges
N and therefore, takes up different
types of roles. In Horn OK Please he
plays a truck driver and a millionaire
to boot. Seeing the film, many
youngsters may be inspired to
become drivers.
n spite of tough competition from
Idebutante Mughda and Kangana
Ranaut, Priyanka Chopra steals the
show in Fashion directed by Madhur

T hanks to the golden harvest

reaped by Singh Is King, producer
Vipul Shah is ready with the sequel of
the film, but would like to keep a one
film gap in between so that he can
complete the film already on the
floors.
T knowledge, writer-turned director
Rumi Jaffry’s debut-making film as a
director God Tussi Great Ho hasn’t
been declared a hit. If in spite of that
he’s thankful to God, it must indeed
be for directing Amitabh Bachchan,
Bhandarkar of Chandni Bar and Page
3 fame. The film revolves around the
world of glamour and glitz where
anyone who matters is out to exploit
them.
sensible person is one who

mong the films Tanushree Dutta

A is eagerly awaiting release of
Saas Bahu Aur Sensex (undoubtedly
an interesting title) which revolves
around a mother-in-law, a daughter-
in-law and the stock market. She
says, “I really like the offbeat thought
that the script has.”
ith Lok Sabha elections slated
W for any time in the year round
the corner, different political parties
Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra
in his very first film.
A s an artiste, and a successful
one, Katrina Kaif is indeed
entitled to have her opinion. Asked if
she’s open to the idea of doing art
cinema, she says there’s nothing like
art or offbeat films. Films are either
good or bad. To add to Kat’s view,
the well-accepted view in the film
industry is that if a film turns out to be
a hit, it’s good and if it flops, it’s a
bad film.
A admits the mistakes made by her
or him. Like, Sushmita Sen, for
instance she says my acting career
was full of flops, but I have learnt
from my mistakes. Now she has a
couple of good films on hand,
including David Dhawan’s fun film Do
Knot Disturb . In addition, her own
production, Rani Laxmibai , with
which she takes to production and
direction, is also keeping her busy.
– Deepak Puri.

have started gearing up for elections

by drawing up lists of their star t would undoubtedly be an important
campaigners. Hema Malini has been
named to campaign for BJP along
Istep forward for Bollywood that Anil
Ambani’s £1.5 billion joint venture
with Party President Rajnath Singh with Steven Spielberg to set up a film
and others. studio in Hollywood, will be
operational January next year.
creen chemistry seen between
S Mallika Sherawat and Rahul Bose
in Pyar Ke Side Effects has not M ore than 26 documentaries
and short feature films
worked so well in Jain shown during the two-day
Tanushree International Film
Dutta –
eagerly
awaiting
release of her
film Saas
Bahu aur
Sensex.
Priyanka
Chopra
steals the
show in
fashion.
 A new look
at the Hijack star.
By A. Merani
SHINEY AHUJA
fter Gangster, intense
A
actor Shiney Ahuja has
one more mar-dhaar film,
Hijack, up for release.
Woman's Era caught up
with this reclusive Punjabi
for a chit-chat on this films
and his career.
What is Hijack ?
I play a ground maintenance
engineer at Chandigarh airport from
where my daughter's flight is
hijacked. How paternal love forces
me to take on the hijackers and
rescue her and other hostages is
what the film is about.
How did you prepare yourself
for this role?
The character needs to look lean
and fit which requires regular
exercise, something I do anyway. As
for the thought process, I do think a
lot about what the character will do,
hence I get into his psyche by the
time the shooting starts.
84 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
Is this film inspired by Die Hard
1?
Yes, we were inspired by this
Bruce Willis hostage drama. My
character undergoes the same
emotions as Bruce Willis does, the
only difference is that in the American
film, his wife is the hostage while
here my daughter is in the firing line.
How was it working with
debutant director Kunal
Shivdasani?
It was like going back in time. We
had worked together in my ad
campaigns earlier. But, yes, film-
making is a different ball game
altogether. In ads, you have to tell
your story in 30 seconds flat, while
in movies you get much more time.
Most of your previous films are
pretty complex.
Yes, but this is a simple action
film. Having said that, I will bring
certain characteristics to the table.
This happens naturally with me.
 Was this a deliberate attempt to
break from your serious-guy
image?
I always want to surprise my fans
by doing something different.
Although Gangster was an action
flick, Hijack takes the genre to a
much higher level. Shooting those
thriller sequences at Mauritius airport
was not easy.
Will you stick to the action
image now ?
I might shock you again.
But is it not risky going out of
your safety zone?
Agreed, it is risky in the short run.
But, in the long run, I will be known
as an actor who can do anything.
How was the experience of
working with Esha Deol?
She is very good and disciplined
artiste.
But we have heard that you had
issues with her.
Says who? I don't know why
An altruistic doctor
We often meet different people in
our life but only few of them touch
our hearts. Similarly, some incidents
become unforgettable.
I live in Delhi. My only son is
suffering from cerebral palsy – a
condition in which milestones of a
child could be delayed and is not
fully curable. Actually when he was
born he suffered from pneumonia and
recovered after being kept in ICU for
14 days.
After that for few days I was in
people unnecessarily spread such
rumours about me.
There was also talk that
success is getting to your head.
Had that been the case, would
directors have recast me?
What's next ?
I have Har Pall, a light romantic
my mom’s place. My son was around 5
months old. One day he got an attack
of epileptic jerks. I immediately
returned to Delhi and took my baby to
the same hospital where he was
admitted earlier. A doctor diagnosed
my son and sent us to a neurologist.
We went to the doctor’s cabin. She
admired my son affectionately (as he is
very good looking) and saw his
previous reports. Then she told us to
get the MRI (of brain) done
immediately. She was very soft
spoken. She herself called the MRI
centre of that hospital.
We went there but we came to
know that we had to deposit a sum of
Rs 1000 before the test. Unfortunately,
we didn’t have that much of amount at
that time.
So we returned to the doctor and
informed her about our problem. She
instantly gave us Rs 1000 from her
handbag and told us to go to the MRI
centre and get the test done since it
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
comedy opposite Preity Zinta. It's
something like Hum Tum.
What kind of stuff do you like
to do?
For me, the script is more
important than the genre. I am ready
to do any kind of film, be it serious,
action or light-hearted, provided the
story clicks.
Looking at your career graph,
which film gave you more
importance — your debut,
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, or your
first commercial hit, Gangster?
I would rate Hazaaron... for this film
gave me all the debutant awards. The
reason why I accord more importance
to Hazaaron... is that I think that I got
Gangster only due to this film.
Something about yourself.
People tend to misunderstand me.
I am not like your typical Bollywood
hero. Rather, I am just an ordinary
middle-class guy. My life is quite
boring. It’s not that I hit the party
circuit every day. We
was urgent to see the reports soon so
that she could start the medicine as
soon as possible.
We were so touched. We were not
among her regular patients and
without knowing us she helped us.
On our next visit we returned her the
money and due to her only MRI of
my son was got done on that very
day which was necessary.
In this materialistic world she is a
sovereign symbol of true humanity.
She is a genuine doctor – a person
who is considered to be the almighty
for the patients in pain. Till date we
are in touch with her since my son
hasn’t fully recovered yet as the
disease is not curable. Many a
time she did all for us that was
humanly possible which is beyond
description.
She is the most unforgettable
person of my life and so is the
incident.
– Tarang Sinha, New Delhi.
85
WITH
NATURE AT HOME!
Be your
gardener when it
comes to decorating
your home this
summer with potted
plants. Following
are a few useful
tips for the summer
indoor greenery
selection and
maintenance.
By Dr Anuradha Prasad

touch of greens in your rather than beautifying it. The greens

A
interiors can go a long way would work doubly by helping people
in bringing the outdoor to chill indoors and invitingly swell the
indoors and can also help decor. In case you want to bring in
to cheer dreary interiors as the plants this season, here are a few
almost nothing can that would thrive in the interiors
transform the atmosphere during the dry season, absorb air
in a room more than indoor borne toxins, help with soundproofing
plants. They have the and even reduce dust.
power to inject colour,
beauty, and have a cooling effect by
thus increasing health benefits; all
this while making the space look chic.
No wonder because of all the
benefits that go with indoor greenery
the potted plants are most popular
with not only the interior designers
but also fashion conscious and not
to forget with the budget conscious
who want to add a little 'pep' to the
panache without perks around the
house.
The hot summers, the plants
should be chosen to cool the interiors

86 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008


Coleus: Is an easy-to-grow plant
having bright coloured leaves. It is
very durable and found in a variety
of foliage. Coleus can be grown in
shade or in indirect sunlight. The
beauty of this plant is when this
foliage is grown indoors, the colours
are accentuated.
Asparagus: This is another plant
that is versatile, woody and
evergreen and grows indoors very
well. It has long trailing branches and
spikes looking extremely dressy.
There are a lot of varieties of
asparagus that vary in appearance.
It has small sweet scented flowers
and red berries that add to the overall
decor not only to the plant but also to
the looks of the space it occupies.
This plant could be a good option for
those who want to go by the look and
feel.
Philodendrons: Philodendrons
are by far the most popular indoor
plantation. There are many varieties
depending on the leaf shape and
colouring of the foliage. These plants
do not need much caring and survive
in adverse conditions if the light is
medium like the flooring of a jungle.
One point to keep in mind is that very
low light will stunt the leaf growth
while the excess sunlight will burn the
leaves.
Do not overwater the plant.
Philodendrons show lush growth in
high humidity, so mist the plant
frequently for a healthy green look.
Rubber Plants: These plants
grow very well indoors. They like
bright light but not the direct sunlight.
They are very sensitive plants, so
they are to be saved from the
extremities. Keep the soil moist
during the summers though. Wipe the
leaves frequently with damp sponge.
Crotons: Crotons are popular
house plants with variegated glossy
foliage. The multicoloured leaves
range from yellow, orange purple and
a variety of greens; variegated
patterns of stripes, spots or blotches.
Some of the varieties are Banana
crotons, Mammy croutons, Gold dust
croton and Petra croton. Crotons
need a well-drained and moist soil
with an ample amount of organic
material. High humidity and full
sunlight are necessary for the bright
and the glossy leaves.
CLEANING AND
MAINTENANCE
In the hot dry summer, spray the
plants twice a day to save them from
dehydration. It should be kept in mind
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
though that, leaves should be
sprayed twice or at least once in a
week other than summer time, if not
every day, because indoor plants
may collect dust or greasy films that
dull their appearance, making them
less attractive.
Water the plants once in two days
at least during the summers and
once a week during the winters if the
soil turns dry. Place them in a well-lit
area of the room. The plants thrive
in company so, put two to three of a
type together for better visual effect
and a better growth. Fertilise at least
once or twice a year if needed.
Take an experts opinion or your
society gardener will be useful in
giving valuable tips, if you do not
want to spend too much on a
professional.
Always remember, clean leaves
are favourable to healthy growth.
Cleaning also helps control insects
and enhances the plants'
attractiveness.
The best way to clean leaves that
are not hairy is to dampen a soft cloth
with water and wipe the lower and
upper surfaces of each leaf.
An alternative is to place the entire
plant outdoors or in the shower to
rinse it off. These useful tips would
be enough to keep your plants
healthy, green and your rooms coolly
warm. We
87
 Ring Finger Rangarajan
The case of the trickster tricked!
I
t was Saturday evening, 10 pm and time for us
bachelor boys to gather in my apartment. The
four of us – Ram, Murthi, Bharat and I (Gopal)
– met every Saturday evening for a rum-and-
cards session. This would normally start at 10
pm and end around 2-3 am in the morning.
This was a typical pastime in the bachelor dens
of south Kolkata.
This day's session had some undercurrents of
tension. Ram, Murthi and I were already there but
Bharat was still to turn up. Was he going to come or
not – especially considering what had happened
between him, Ring Finger Rangarajan and Mukta?
As we were thus wondering, there was a tinkle and
we were informed that Bharat had packed his bags
and left for his home town in Kerala. His landlord
wanted to know whether we would pay up his
pending rent on his behalf!
We were already hit by the abrupt departure of
Bharat and now this financial liability. We
responded that we would meet the landlord and
explain what exactly had happened and why Bharat
had to depart in a hurry. If the landlord had loved
By R. Mohan
and lost he would empathise with Bharat. Wait, here
I am getting a little ahead of myself.
In flashback, the four of us had first met at
Komala Vilas, the South Indian restaurant where
most South Indian bachelor boys would come to
have dinner. We developed a bond and then we
began to meet on Saturday evenings to have fun
time. We would always meet at my apartment.
R
am and I were regular guys. We would work,
earn, send money home to our parents, save
and plan ahead. But, for the weekend binge,
we were straight fellows. No chasing skirts or saris.
We were even attending evening classes to prepare
for some bank entrance exams.
Bharat and Murthi were made differently. They
had more aggressive hormones. It was no surprise
that both of them had wanted to get close to Mukta,
the green-eyed goddess or temptress, depending on
your viewpoint.
Mukta resided next door and had a casual
acquaintance with us all. She was dark, 18, slim, of
medium height and had good looks. Her best
features were the pair of luminous green eyes. She
could change their intensity at will and, whenever
she confronted Bharat or Murthi, she revelled in
SHORT

STORY
giving them the "laser looks”. These consisted of a
gradual, upward glance followed by slow variation
in intensity till she reached a penetration level that
broke their hearts. The hapless fellows melted like
chocolate in summer.
Both guys were hard-up and couldn't come up
with any exciting plans for Mukta. Murthi somehow
scrounged enough cash to buy himself a pair of
goggles and he started to flaunt them in front of her.
It was rumoured that Murthi had persuaded her to
try them once and clicked a photo.

W
hen Bharat heard of this incident, he began
to sweat. Today goggles, then ice cream, a
walk in the park near the lake and then
Victoria Memorial. Even a schoolboy knew that, put
a young fellow and a girl together in the sprawling
gardens of Victoria Memorial and there can only be
disaster. Later on, they started going to movies. No,
no – the very thought was scandalous and he had to
act fast. By the by, how did Murthi get hold of a
camera? The fellow owed Ram 100 bucks. He
would have to remind Ram about that.
Even as Bharat was turning and tossing in a
sweat-soaked nightmare and formulating crazy
plans, unknown to him, his luck was smiling on him.
Next day dawned bright and clear and the
afternoon was particularly pleasing. Murthi was
transferred for a month to Bhubaneswar. Man, what So far, he had luck only with a 30s-something
a break! In 30 days, a man can work a miracle! Gujarati lady who had been married for 10 years
Bharat formulated a plan. Step 1: he started to and was unable to beget a child. On his
grow a French beard. In a week's time this action recommendation she had bought a 24-carat gold
started to pay off. Mukta began to transmit lustful ring and had a different gemstone for each day of
vibes. That was fine but he had long-term plans for the week. The idea was that on any given day her
her. He needed to impress her that today he may be husband would always be her sexual slave and
a pauper but tomorrow he would become a prince. prospects of conception were considerably
He felt he should consult an astrologer and find enhanced. Already six months had passed, there
out how they matched and also should he worry was no result and the lady had started to get restive.
about Murthi? Apparently not, because recent He now needed to get her to commit to a large
communication from Murthi suggested that he had diamond ring!
begun to have fun in Bhubaneswar.

Which astrologer should he consult? Enter Ring
Finger Rangarajan. RR, as he was known in some
circles, was a recent import from Kerala. He
operated out of a small outhouse adjoining a big
bungalow. He specialised in studying the
horoscopes of his clients and prescribing to them
rings with gemstones to be worn on specific days to
overcome the evil effects of various planets. The
poorer clients could only afford his fees and one
gold ring with one gemstone. He got a commission
from nearby jewellery shops whenever his clients
acted on his advice.
D
espite such hiccups RR was mysteriously
acquiring a reputation for reliability at the low
end of the market. RR was becoming
confident. He could now speak Tamil and
Malayalam as well as broken Hindi, Bengali and
English. From the Gujarati lady he was beginning to
pick up a smattering of Gujarati.
When Bharat approached him, he was ready. He
told him straight away that he would need to see
both Bharat and Mukta together (two customers,
double the money in the same session!).
Bharat brought Mukta over, and RR said, in

Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008 89

addition to studying their horoscopes, he
also needed to see their palms
individually. As Mukta's lotus palm rested
in his rough, farmhand palm and as he
began to gaze into those laser green eyes,
RR began to feel a violent churning of
hitherto dormant hormones. His
expression, however, remained
deadpan and he made some harmless
long-term predictions. He made sure to
note down their addresses and phone
numbers.
distant Varanasi. One of RR's clients knew
Despite such the employer of Bharat and some
hiccups RR temporary transfer was wangled for a
was month or so to get Bharat out of the way.
He also went happily, thinking that with the
mysteriously extra money he would save during this
acquiring a deputation period, he would be able to
reputation delight Mukta with some stunning gift.
for reliability He returned after a month to find that
only the previous day Mukta had been
at the married off to RR and not only had his
low end friends not bothered to inform him about
of the the developments but had attended the

N
ext day, RR gave Mukta a call and
then arranged with her a free
market.
counselling session. He began to
work on her impressionable mind that Bharat would
not be a good match for her. His own stars were on
the rise and after investigating their mutual family
connections, he was able to establish that their
families were related somehow. He approached her
parents through one of his uncles and, after some
discussions and negotiations, there was an
agreement and an auspicious date was set for their
betrothal.
Meanwhile, comrade Bharat was sent on a wild
goose chase to procure some rare gemstone from
wedding and enjoyed the subsequent
lunch!
He felt humiliated and, without
informing his friends , packed off to distant Kerala.
That they had to pay his rent for the month was small
revenge.
The card session broke up that evening. Murthi
returned a week later and, after learning of what
had happened in his absence, soundly berated Ram
and me for behaving like frogs.
A month later it was understood that RR was
shifting base to Dubai. Obviously, his progress was
due to the good fortune that Mukta now conferred
on him! We

A Father and Child

As the tiny tot looks up the long length To the final difficult realisation
Of the strong and tall body that stays the rest of the lifetime
Right up to the handsome face of the father that the father is no god!
A smile of adoration proudly asserts He is just a human being!
to all and sundry — Rungeen Singh, Faridabad.
“My father is the best. He can do no wrong!”

Poor father!
He has to live up to his child’s unrealistic
expectations
But the truth is that this belief will falter...
As the child climbs the rock of time
The child grows taller, so the father looks shorter,
More vulnerable and gullible.
Full of faults and weaknesses,
And the doubting child has then to come to terms
That his paternal idol has feet of clay,

Q&
I am 25 years old and overweight. I
have been advised a strict diet
regimen along with exercises. But I
find it really difficult to follow it.
Please advise.
Yours is a problem which is
commonly faced by people who are
put on a diet regimen. For this you
have to develop the right state of
mind. Both eating and exercises can
go together if you maintain the right
balance between the two and time it
A
accordingly. For this you have to plan
your day and follow it strictly. All this
has to be done voluntarily and of your
own free will. So develop the right
attitude and you will succeed.
I am 30 years old and have put on
weight recently. My doctor has
advised me to go on dieting. But
despite my best efforts I am not
succeeding. Please help.
I sympathise with your feelings.
Sometimes, it becomes difficult to
diet. But when it is required you have
to follow it. You must establish your
goals and then try to achieve them.
First, know how many calories you
have been permitted.
Calculate your food requirements
accordingly. Plan your diet (which
should contain mainly fibre, fresh
fruits, green vegetables, whole wheat
bread, etc.). Do not skip your
breakfast since it is essential for your
body to start the day with proper
nutrition. If you do not eat a proper
breakfast you are likely to eat more
during the day.
I am 40 years old and suffer from
aches and pains all over the body.
My doctor says it is due to calcium
deficiency. What should I do?
There is no doubt that calcium
gives strength to the body bones. At
your age most of the Indian women
suffer from deficiency of calcium in
the body. This results in a softening
of bones and make them more liable
to break.
So you should be taking lots of
dairy products like milk, cheese, etc.
In addition, eggs and green leafy
vegetable supplements can be
beneficial. If your bone profile shows
deficiency add a tablet of calcium
daily as a supplement to your diet.
I am 30 years old and have
developed a pigmented spot on my
arm. It is not growing bigger. I have
consulted my doctor who says it is a
mole and there is nothing to worry
about. Please advise.
Moles are normally benign and an
average person has many such
growths all over the body. These are
due to hormonal changes. The
problem is when it starts getting
bigger, changes its colour or
appearance or bleeds or itches.
These are signs that it may turn
malignant. At this stage it must be
removed lest it causes some harm.
I am 35 years old and working in a
multinational. Though I take good
food, I feel there is no vitality left in
me. What should I do?
Vitality means giving energy to the
body which is derived from food,
good health and an inner sense of
well-being. The body’s mechanisms
are controlled by the environment in
which we live and the hormonal
control.
Further, regular exercises
increase the body’s metabolism and
bring more oxygen to the cells.
Vitality-building foods (green
vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs,
chicken, fish cheese, etc.) further
reinforce your vitality. Sleep and
adequate relaxation are also
beneficial. Many advise yogic
exercises like pranayam for this. So a
concerted effort on all fronts is
required.
I am a 20-year-old college student.
Recently, I have noticed that though I
am very fair, my arms have
developed a dark shade. I have
applied various creams, etc. But they
are of no help. The doctor I
consulted says it could be due to
hormonal imbalance. I am worried.
Please help.
Your doctor may be right.
Darkening of the arms, etc. occurs in
some due to excessive exposure to
pollution in the environment, sun and
the use of depilatories, soaps and
creams. It may be very difficult to
pinpoint the exact cause. The factor
of hormonal imbalance is also
important.
It is presumed that your periods
are regular and there is no excessive
bleeding. Besides the measures like
use of suncream lotion (both during
the day time while indoors and while
going out) you should take care of
your bodily nutrition by taking a
healthy diet with lots of water, etc.
I am 35 years old and my periods
have become scanty and irregular.
I consulted my doctor who says it is
the start of menopause. Is it not too
early? I am worried – please advise.
Your fears are well founded. It is
what is called premature menopause.
Various factors are known to be
operative in this regard. These range
from stress, poor diet, chronic
ailments, ovarian failure as a result
of surgery (hysterectomy) or
radiotherapy. I am sure your doctor
can take care of these aspects and
treat you accordingly.
— Dr S. N. Khosla, MD.
 About the Artist
Name: Pijush Kanti Bera
Exhibition participation
Annual Exhibition at Academy of
Fine Arts, Kolkata.
Tridhara Art Gallery, Howrah
(Eastern Railways).
Abanindra Nath Tagore birthday
centenary exhibition, Kolkata.
Annual Exhibition of Charukala
Parsad, Kolkata.
Birla Academy of Art and Culture,
Kolkata.
Annual exhibition of Dhumimall Art
Gallery, New Delhi.
Annual Show, Gallery-II, New Delhi.
Arts Festival at Ujjain, M.P.
Annual exhibition at Art Land Art

THE BEAUTY OF
Gallery, Mumbai.
Group shows

FOCUS
Group exhibition at Academy of
Fine Arts.
Metropolitan Art Salon, Kolkata.
Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata.
Krishna Art Gallery, New Delhi.
Indraprastha Art Gallery, A fluency and rhythmic treatment to communicate
New Delhi.
Summer Exhibition at Alternative the deepest convictions. By Puja Sharma
Art Gallery, Gurgaon.
P. S. K. Art Gallery, New Delhi. he Bengal school found skill

Green Wood Art Gallery,
New Delhi.
Group Exhibition, U. K.
Group Exhibition at Lalit Kala
Academy, New Delhi.
Two Men Show, AIFACS.
Solo shows
Academy of Fine Arts.
Preety Art Gallery, Noida.
Triveni Art Gallery, New Delhi.
Awards
Best painting Awards from Indian
College of Arts and Draftsmanship.
Silver medal in Midnapore Shilpi
Chakra.
Award from Avantika, New Delhi.
Award in Art Festival (Associates
AIFACS), M.P.
Group award winner in painting
(associated group, Taj Hotel and
ATN TV).
Award from Indian Academy of Fine
Arts, Amritsar.
T
to reproduce traditional
images with strong lime on
paper and canvas. Vibrant
colours allowed a fluency
and rhythmic treatment to
communicate the deepest
convictions of the artist
through his paintings. Pijush
Kanti Bera born in Midnapur
district of West Bengal in 1975 spent
most of his childhood days near the
sea along the hills which left an
impact on his mind
that even when he not confined to some
came to Delhi those people or a certain
memories lingered on section of the society, it
unaffected by such has a unique language
city life. He came to to express oneself.
the conclusion to paint Pijush is liberal in
old and new side by chosing his subjects,
side. His work is medium and concepts,
based on modern art. and his freedom sends
According to him messages to all over
modern art is different the world. He is not
from Victorian art. It is confined to some kind
Natural beauty fusing with modern attire.

of physical beauty or royal
realistic images playing with
beauty of the female form and
natural elements.
As he is close to nature, his
usual vision for landscapes with
colours seems friendly to each
other. The drama of line patches
and colours bind him close to
nature.
Excerpts from an interview:
Which artists have inspired
you?
Well, since my college days I have
a liking for Ramkinker,
K. G. Subramaniyam, Hussain,
Tayab Mehta and western artist –
Picaso.
94
Tell us about your style. How do
you develop an idea for a
composition?
The use of acrylic, pen, charcoal,
oil colours are noticeable in my work
sequentially and simultaneously as
the mix media which strengthens my
concept of unity and diversity.
I directly use brush and after a
great many times of coloured layers I
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
come out with the right form of
human feeling with its depth.
How do you take life?
I think life is beautiful and full of
joys, behind my work there is no
space problems and miseries.
The creative world is changing
and every moment creates
new ideas and thoughts. I am
a budding artist and a futurist.
I think less of the past and
more of the next millennium.
We have seen new age, new
process, new media and new
ideas to express art in the
present century even more
disciplines will emerge.
Where is your next show?
Soon in Mumbai and
abroad most probably in the
USA.
Say something about the
up-and-coming artists.
I must say that somewhere
some artists just start to
experiment. They must first
study the anatomy of the figure
then portray.
Where do you see
yourself in 10 years from
now?
I want to see people to be
demanding my paintings and I should
be a very famous artist.
Where are your paintings
collected?
Well in Chennai, Delhi, in many
government and private collections
and also abroad in Singapore, the
USA, UK, Canada, Israel and South
Korea. We
IPSA
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Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
Play-Doh may
be the Best
Way to Shape
Your Child’s
Imagination
Nurturing imagination:
Since 1956 children all over the
world have held Play-Doh
dear, whe ther it is to create
imaginary new worlds, or
explore new shapes, colours and textures.What children
can make with Play-Doh is limited only by their
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it, the more they can imagine and create.
Learning in three dimensions: Unlike most toys
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motor skills but is also more effective than picture books
or television in helping to prepare children for real life
which incidentally is all 3D.
A constructive way to pass time: Keeping children
occupied is probably the greatest challenge every mother
faces. Idle children can easily get up to mischief and even
end up hurting themselves in the process. That’s not to
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A safe and convenient playmate: Biting into anything
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Play-Doh is manufactured and marketed in India by
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95
 About the Artist
Name: Mahmood Ahmad
TRANSIT JOURNEY
THROUGH ART
Born: 1964
Qualification: B F A., (Applied Art),
J M I., New Delhi in 1992.
Group shows
Visual Art Gallery
Shridharani Art Gallery
... I TRAVEL ALONG THE FLOW
Travancore Art Gallary
Art Ville, Delhi An artist who takes the art lovers on
Rainbow in the Sun Delhi
Academy of Find Arts & Literature, to a fabulous journey where the viewer
New Delhi
Lagoon Club, Gurgaon feels unified with nature. By Puja Sharma
Feminism Canvas Art Gallery,
ike an ocean – so deep, mind never comes to realise when he has

New Delhi
Art Laureate Gurgaon, 2007.
Indian Academy of Fine Arts
Amritsar
Indo-German Chamber of
Commerce Chanakyapuri
Tatva – The Art Gallery (M.P.)
Maharaja Academy of Fine Arts &
Crafts, Gurgaon, 2006
Lokayata Art Gallery, New Delhi
Gallery Modern, New Delhi.
Solo shows
Lokayata Art Gallery,
New Delhi, 2005.
Lalit Kala Akademi,
New Delhi, 2004.
Taj Art Gallery, Mumbai
Awards
Silver Medal in drawing & graphic
Gold Medal at Travancore Galleries
M. F. Hussain Certificate of Merit by
Heart Care Foundation of India.
Consolation Prize on the Spot
Poster Competition New Delhi.
Collections
Private collection in India, Dubai,
Abu Dhabi, Bahrin, Phillipines,
Johnnesberg.
L
can travel deeper and deeper reached the space the ‘cosmos’ and
– there is no end; one can when he came back to the ground.
never reach the depth of an Sometimes in his painting termed
artist’s mind. Mahmood Cosmos he has failed to realise his
Ahmad, a young, simple and flight into the universe.
hilarious artist dives deep, Born and brought in Sant Kabir
with no boundaries, in the Nagar District of UP Mahmood was
thoughts, glimpses of which very close to nature. The village
are visible in his paintings environment left a deep impact on his
especially that series which he
named – “Daughter of the sea.”
One can observe a slight division
from his work – a certain ‘padhaav’ in
his journey of art. He explores nature
very earnestly, lives in it, portrays the
beauty and yet again comes back to
the same spot where he had started.
There seems to be a search – a
search, an aesthetic search as he
begins his journey of painting he
 The dancing field in full blossom.

Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008 97

 department of Fine Arts, Jamia Milia
Islamia. The renowned department
established by Kalam Sahib was a
miniature version of Shantiniketan,
where I had studied. The diverse
cultural activities and the richness of
its heritage attracted me and I would
watch secretly unravel the mysteries
of visual art.
In most of your paintings one
mind and he often got a punishment can see flowers, twigs, stems and
when he was not studying and only so on. Please comment.
busy sketching in his notebooks. Jamia with its semi wild
Mahmood uses both oil and acrylic surroundings was an ideal
and likes to show vibrant colours very playground for a young naturalist like
sensitively in his paintings. me. I would spend hours in the forest
Sometimes, he paints unseen gathering caterpillars and their
flowers leaves and pupae. I would take
stems of unseen red, collection back home and
blue and black. observe the eggs evolve
Excerpts from an into butterflies with all their
interview: splendid beauty.
Say something How do your relate
about your life. butterfly with that of your
I am the son of the painting?
Vice Principal of Jamia Metaphorically speaking,
School, which was art is also like a butterfly
adjacent to the emerging from a pupa. My
98 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
encounter with nature and its beauty,
finds its way into my work. My
paintings be they abstract or
figurative, are a way of expressing
my emotions and a way of liberating
myself.
Your other interests?
I do a lot of performing arts – like
theatre – I often indulge in acting in
plays specially attached to Habib
Tanvar group. All over India the
shows go on. I am also a good
swimmer, saving eight to nine people
when the fire brigade arrived a bit
late at Yamuna. I also help my
daughter Nishat Ahmad who is in
10th class and has also also got a
great interest in painting.
Mahmood is among those artists
who get buried himself with the
fragrance of nature and then get
swayed as if in a dream, he goes on
and on until unless someone wakes
him up and he realises he has
created a wonderful piece of work on
natural element.
Mahmood can never forget one of
his exhibitions of paintings when
Amarnath Sehgal, a renowned sculptor
inaugurated it and is no more now.
Where are your paintings
displayed?
Well, mostly my paintings adorn
the walls of the corporate house in
Delhi. We

Sabina Singh, Shelly Batra and designer Anupama Dayal at the Malaga store launch
NEW DESTINATION
FOR ACCESSORIES
Ask any woman what is more
important – the attire or the
accessories – and chances are she
would have no ready answer. A great
handbag, or the perfect belt for the
old pair of jeans, a pair of earrings or
other jewellery to complement the old
outfit is sometimes more important
than the outfit itself. Malini is an
accessories designer and has earned
great acclaim at a number of inter-
national shows in Paris, Milan,
London, Dubai, etc. Now, she has
opened her own outlet called Malaga
at Mumbai and Delhi. With a masters
degree in manage ment studies
specialising in finance, she was also
a national-level swimmer and her
label Malaga was born about three
years ago. Today, Malini has realised
her dream of exporting her hand -
bags, foot wear, belts and
accessories for the fashionable
contem porary women all over the
world. However, she also reflects the
Indian art and craft in her goods and
does not wish to neglect the Indian
market. Her shop opened with many
known names of Indian fashion
fraternity attending the event.
CHARCOAL MAGIC
Art on your wall need not always
have bright colours and a modernistic
approach – it can be as eye-catching
when the main colour is black and
102
the medium is largely charcoal with a
hint of the acrylic.
Ajay De is a successful artist
based in Mumbai, but he came to
New Delhi and exhibited his work at
the India Habitat Centre. He has just
turned 40 but has been holding solo
exhibitions on his merit from 1994 in
Kolkata. His group show career
began from Delhi’s AIFACS in the
same year.
There is calmness in his works
that is soothing to mind and soul.
Astute use of the colour red and
sometimes gold allows the piece not
to appear too austere – a risk any
AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Nature’s Essence
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the fast growing
personal care brands
in the country,
displayed its exclusive
cosmetic range-coloressence and a
wide array of beauty products
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
artist dealing with only charcoal might
confront.
Displayed at reasonable distance
from each other, in the IHC hall, the
works were much appreciated and
quite a few of them had the red dots
indicated ‘sold’ from the first day of
the exhibition.
As Ajay says, “Life for me began
when I was six. It was the first time I
picked up a piece of charcoal and
gave my innermost feelings an
expression… on paper.” Ajay was
mesmerised by play of shadow and
light, as also the way his mother
worked. He recognised that mundane
things of life moved him and his
calling was in expressing that
difference.
As much of a poet as an artist, he
is no longer the shy being he was at
age six, but he is just as childlike in
portraying emotions that are serene
and pure, as only a child can sense
them to be.
While some would say the pieces
were expensive, but art is like
designer jewellery. If it appeals to
you, the prices are justified. Though
the art world is said to be booming,
artists have to often tread a careful
path to be recognised and to be a
saleable commodity.
– Sona Sharma.
covering the entire skin, hair
and body care range based
on therapeutic values of
select essential oils at the
India International Trade
Fair 2008 held at Pragati
Maidan, New Delhi,
November 14-27, 2008.
For excellence in
presentation of special
display in cosmetics &
Health care, the
company was awarded
gold medal by the
chairman and Managing
Director of India Trade
Promotion Organisation.
The sale of the products
was excellent. Three cheers for the
company!
 CAESAREAN SECTION
A PERSPECTIVE
Here is an account of C-Section and how it has happened to child birth.
C-Section evokes strong feelings
and has received its share of
criticism. To perform an unwarranted
C-section is a sin, not to do a
necessary and a timely one is a
crime. The cost of C-Section is
considerable but the cost of not doing
one is painfully huge.
In 1817, Princess Charlotte of
Wales King George IV's 21 year-old
daughter spent 50 hours in active
labour with a nine-pound boy. His
head was in a sideways position and
was too large for Charlotte's pelvis.
When the baby finally emerged he
was stillborn. Six hours later
Charlotte herself died from
haemorrhagic shock. She was King
George's only child. The throne was
passed to his brother and then to his
niece, which is how Victoria became
Queen. Charlotte's obstetrician Sir
Richard Croft, shot himself to death
for the failed delivery of the Princess.
History would have been different
had Caesarean Section been a
tenable option then.
In those times, C-Section on a
living mother was considered criminal
because it almost killed the mother
(due to haemorrhage and or
infection) whose life always took
precedence over the life of the child.
Only after the development of
anesthesia and antisepsis in the 19th
century, and of sutures in the 20th
century, an opened uterus could be
prevented from haemorrhaging, thus
making Caesarean Section a
plausible option. Even then it was
held in low repute because of the
better option being around -The
Obstetrical Forceps. The story of the
forceps is both astonishing and
disturbing because it is a story of life
saving idea that was kept secret for
more than a century. The forceps
look like a pair of big metal salad
tongs with two blades shaped to fit
snugly around the baby's head and
a handle that lock together with a
single screw. This not only enables
the doctors more or less to yank out
stuck babies but also to save the
mother. However, the use of forceps
had a very high cost attached to it- a
severely torn birth canal and
sometimes a damaged child.
In 1933, The New York Academy
of Medicine published a shocking
study of 2041 maternal deaths in
childbirth which reported that there
had been no decrease in death rates
for mother and newborn deaths in the
preceding two centuries, and that
disabilities from birth injuries due to
Forceps had actually increased.
Today, after three quarters of a
century, the degree to which
childbirth has been transformed by
medicine is astounding. Now
childbirth is standardised. Electronic
foetal monitoring, intravenous fluids,
regional anaesthesia and suture
technology all have made childbirth
in general and C-Section in particular
very safe for both mother and child.
30 % of all deliveries are now by C-
section and this percentage is
continually increasing.
In the U.K., two major reports
were published in the last 10 years,
which have had a significant
influence on childbirth. The report
Changing Childbirth encouraged
women to decide for themselves the
type of care they would wish for - the
place, the hospitals or birthing
centres, the type of delivery and the
degree on intervention. The
advantages of a safe vaginal delivery
over a C-section are clear. Safe
vaginal delivery is associated with
lower maternal and neonatal
morbidity and costs less. C-section
is much safer and economical than a
prolonged, difficult, and instrumental
delivery.
Millions and millions of elderly
females are using diapers for urinary
incontinence caused directly or
indirectly by difficult or cumulative
effects of repeated vaginal deliveries.
The quality of life of such women
leads to social isolation and severe
depression. Millions are getting
operated for their wombs prolapsing
or coming out of vagina. New
indication of C-Section has now
arisen-Maternal Request. A
consensus regarding the justification
of C-Section for maternal request is
unlikely to be reached but the
indication needs to be recognised,
accepted, formally defined and
recorded in the present era when
millions are being spent on cosmetic
surgeries.
Normal and natural as criteria for
practice in obstetrics over the time
has been replaced with an open
concept of good. What makes
obstetrician a professional is her or
his knowledge of means and
consequences, and not her or his
opinion of about what is good or bad.
This is why counselling and
consenting process entails imparting
high-quality information regarding
short and long-term effects of both
C-Section and vaginal delivery,
tailored and relevant to a particular
pregnant woman's profile. The main
areas of outcome which require
detailed information are maternal
safety and complications, foetal
safety and complications, material
satisfaction and economic
implications as burden of risks and
advantages are to be borne by
prospective parents.
The ethical, legal, and economic
implications of C-Section have been
debated in both professional circles
and society at large. Whatever said
and done, C-Section deserves
respect as it has revolutionised
obstetric and perinatal standard of
care. C-Section has happened to the
field of obstetrics and perhaps
irreversibly to the childbirth.
Dr Witty Raina
OBS & Gynaecologist, MD,
MRCOG (London)
The Cradle, Gurgaon.
www.thecradlegurgaon.com
Food is good for you
only if it’s the right
quality at the right time –
not the fast kind gobbled
on impulse.
By Bhavna Keswani
COMBATING
EMOTIONAL
EATING oes your body start craving
D
for specific foods such as
chocolate or cheese when
you are upset? Does eating
make you feel better when
you are sad or worried? Has
food become a panacea for
all your problems? If the
answer to these questions
is yes, then it is most likely
that you have entered the world of
emotional eating.
Emotional eating is the practice of
eating large quantities of food –
especially the high-calorie, fattening
‘comfort’ food – in response to
emotions and not when one is
hungry. It means your emotions and
not your body dictate when and how
much you eat. It can happen to
anyone and is one of the biggest
obstacles in weight control. If you eat
carrot sticks, then it’s probably okay,
but it’s the junk food which the body
104 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
craves for. The more fattening,
sweeter or saltier the food, the better
you seem to feel.
Why we give in: Different people
have different reasons to give in to
emotional eating. For some, it takes a
major event to trigger emotional
eating – losing a job or going through
a bad patch in marriage.
For others, it’s a constant struggle:
the traffic on the way to work; a tough
day at the office...the drudgery of
mundane daily life can lead to a
seemingly unbreakable habit of
turning to food to make it seem
better.
The most common emotional
triggers of craving are stress or
anxiety, loneliness, anger, PMS and
sadness or depression. It seems
easier to stifle your feelings with food
than to acknowledge them and deal
with them.
feels like a mild gnawing sensation.
To find out if you’re feeling a craving
or getting hungry, give the urge to eat
a 10-minute waiting period. If you’ve
moved on to doing something and
suddenly realised you’re not hungry,
it was a craving; if the urge to eat is
still there, it means you are actually
hungry.
Stock healthy foods: Limit the
trigger foods by not stocking them in
your home. Instead, opt for healthier
foods like fruits, salads, smoothies
and nuts which are not only low in
calorie but also make you feel full
because of their fibre content.
Don’t diet: To manage cravings
and lose weight, don’t go on a diet.
When you try to avoid a food
altogether in the end you’ll eat more
of it. By choosing new, healthier ways
of eating and exercising more instead
of following a strict diet that omits
particular foods, you’ll get fewer, less
powerful cravings.
‘First two bites’ principle: Spangle
talks about the ‘first two bites’
principle. The first two bites of any
food have the most flavour. After that,
you are just feeding. So you can use
this to be able to enjoy a piece of
chocolate, for example, by taking the
first bite and really paying attention
to what it’s like. Notice the distinct
flavours, the texture, how it feels in
your mouth, and how it feels as you
swallow it.
Take a second bite and do the
same thing. What’s interesting is that
when you eat any favourite food, by
focusing on the first two bites, you’ll
find that you can get a
lot of satisfaction from
a small amount of food.
Create a diversion:
Engaging the mind in
another activity can
divert it from food.
Whether it’s going for a
walk or reading a good
book, planning other
activities will help you
relax and avoid binges.
Control your
emotions before they
control you: The
problem of emotional
108
eating arises when you are unable to
keep a check on your emotions.
These cravings can only be
controlled when you are emotionally
Anaemia
healthy. Analyse your life, reflect on
its positives and negatives and try to
be in control. Following these tips
may help:
● Write down an analysis of your
thoughts and emotions on a regular
basis. This way you would know what
activities a typical week includes,
whether you like these activities, and
the activities you prefer to spend your
time on.
● Think of what’s really missing
in your life. Is it food you want, or
love? If you’re feeling lonely or
depressed, talk to a friend or loved
one and reconnect with the people in
your life.
● Find positive ways to cope with
difficult situations in your life. Take
up a hobby such as a dance class or
join a local library. This will give you
an outlet through which to express
yourself and also help you feel more Diet is of utmost importance in
connected to the outside world. the treatment of anaemia. Iron
● Don’t be very hard on yourself should preferably be taken in its
when it comes to food. It’s okay if you natural organic form in food. The
eat your favourite food once in a emphasis in the diet should be on
while without feeling guilty about it. raw vegetables and fresh fruits
Acknowledge the indulgence and which are rich in iron to make up
then move on. for the lack of red blood cells or
Knowing your emotions means haemoglobin in the body. Given
that you’ll be able to enjoy food below, a few effective home
without feeling guilty. Finding out remedies, to follow up:
what you really crave, and taking ● Eat one fig and dates daily.
steps toward achieving this more ● Mix one cup each of
profound, fulfilling goal will make your beetroot juice, apple juice and
life that much more satisfying and tomato juice with either sugar or
rewarding. honey and consume once a day.
It’s imperative that ● Consume a banana with one
you combat your tbsp of honey daily.
emotional hunger for ● Soak about seven almonds
your holistic well- and dry grapes in water
being. Rather than overnight, consume it next
munching, it’s better morning on an empty stomach for
to develop new skills about 40 days.
for dealing with ● Eat a lot of green leafy
boredom, self-esteem vegetables like fenugreek, palak,
issues and stress. etc.
Try to pinpoint the ● Use sesame seeds and
major reasons for fenugreek seeds in your daily
your stress or diet.
unpleasant emotions Eat healthy, be healthy.
and see how you can – Shilpa Ramakrishna.
turn the tide. We
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
STORY
SHORT
A Chickenpox Saga
A delightful tale of how illness overcame illwill in a marriage.
By Doris Minezes
I
t was all so wonderful while it lasted. Life was
aglow with the sparkle of love and ecstatic
dreams. It seemed as if they were made for
each other and nothing could come between
them. But in no time everything changed. Wet
towels thrown carelessly on the bed led to
screaming fights and little acts of omission and
commission sent tempers soaring. Even a toothpaste
tube not properly capped fuelled the fire of their
disagreements and while once it was “roses, roses
all the way”, now it was only thorns standing out
menacingly, pricking, piercing and tearing them
apart.
Soon all talk between them stopped and
communication was only through
notes stuck in the flower bowl on
the dining table. Naveen came
home one evening to see a
paper flapping noisily under
the rotating fan and when he
pulled it out this is what he
read:
“7-9-07 5 pm
It’s more than I can
stand, this marriage that is
a great, big farce and
nothing else. I want it to
end and as a first step
I’m moving out. Three
days from now, on
Saturday morning, I’ll
be out and from that
moment you can
stop thinking of
me as
Your Wife.
Here’s what Naveen wrote in reply:
“7-9-07 8 pm
When have you ever been a wife to me? This is
not a marriage but the greatest blow-up of our lives.
What else can I call it when there has been no talk
between us for nearly a year now? When all
communication is by notes left in the flower bowl?
When one eats at home and the other at the corner
restaurant?
When one sleeps in the bedroom while the other
lies huddled up on the living-room sofa? You’ve
ruined my life and I’ve already seen my lawyer
about divorce proceedings. Soon, very soon, I’ll
thankfully cease to be.
Your Husband.
“9-9-07 2 pm
What ill-luck is mine. I thought there were only 3
days between now and freedom but my hopes are
all blasted and I’ll have to spend another 10 days
here. Another 10 days in this hell. Feeling a bit
under the weather I went to the doctor and he
shocked me by saying it’s an attack of chickenpox.
How am I to endure this double blow? Ten days of
physical discomfort and 10 days of horrendous
mental agony as
Your Wife.
“9-9-07 9 pm
What a monstrous hoax is this. I was overjoyed to
hear that you are going away and now you are
cooking up excuses to dilly-dally and continue
staying here. Why can’t you take yourself away bag
and baggage, chickenpox and all, and go to that
heaven of your choice? Give me a break I say and
let me rejoice that I’m no more
Your Husband.
“10-9-07 6 am
Are you a man? You, who never think of others?
My conscience would recoil at the thought of going
about with chickenpox and spreading infection to
others. But that means nothing to you and it is just
because of this selfish nature of yours that I hate to
call myself
Your Wife.
 “10-9-07 8 a m
A wonderful conscience is yours that hounds you
when you think of infecting others and goes to sleep
when your truly wedded husband is at risk. From
whence does charity begin outside and end at
home? It is just these double standards that make me
cringe to say I am
Your Husband.

“10-9-07 9 pm
You’ve surely lost your reason. Otherwise
wouldn’t you see that if I stay here I’ll infect only one
but if I move out I may infect hundreds? Besides
there was a time not very long ago when you stood
at the altar and vowed to take me as your wife for
better or for worse, in sickness and in health. How
can you forget those vows? Aren’t you duty-bound to
look after me now that I’m ill? Or in illness do I
suddenly cease to be
Your Wife

N
aveen read this last note over and over again
with mounting anger. Was this chickenpox a
ruse or was it real? “She’s capable of any
pretence,” he muttered to himself when suddenly he
heard Dina groaning and tossing about in bed. He
watched for a while for this was a side of hers he
hadn’t seen before. Strangely his feelings mellowed.
It wouldn’t become a gentleman to taunt his wife
when she was ill, he told himself and walked away
without replying to the note but with an unfamiliar
feeling stealing into his heart.
Sleep eluded Dina that night. A raging fever, a
head that throbbed painfully and a body itching and
smarting with a thousand pin-pricks that was
chickenpox as she was experiencing it and it hurt
her that there was no one to say a soothing word.
To take her mind off her discomfort she thought of
the morrow. Of how she would have gone to a
better day and a happier future. As her thoughts
dwelt on it she suddenly paused. Would it really
have been better? Would she have been welcome if
she had carried illness and infection to the new
place? The rules of the lodge said that inmates
wouldn’t be cared for in illness. Where would she
have gone if she were shown the door? Who would
have taken her in? Thankfully, she realised she had
been saved in the nick of time. That the place she
hated and wanted to run away from was not really
hell but home. A place she could always turn to. A
place which men in their wisdom had called Home,
Sweet Home.
With her mind swinging between Her Own Home
and Just A Room she lay awake for a long time until
her see-sawing thoughts rocked her into a welcome
sleep from which she woke up in the morning to a
very great surprise. On her bedside table “I care for myself,” he wrote again.
was a pot of freshly-brewed coffee, some Why was he so “For my own name, and can’t let it be
hot toast and a Get-Well card with a caring and yet spoilt by your foolish actions.”
message on it. “If you want anything so detached? Swallowing her disappointment she
SMS me at the office,” it said. “I’ll be asked again, “Where are you going
back at the lunch hour.” Expectantly now? You look so ill.”
Dina stared at the things in front of she waited for He pointed to the corner restaurant.
her. Stared unbelieving for a long, long just a smile, a “For coffee? I’ll prepare it for you. For
time. There was such coldness between both of us. You did it for me when I was
them in the past few months that it kind word or a ill. Now it’s my turn. The marriage vows
seemed unlikely Naveen would stretch a loving glance are binding on me too, you know,” she
hand to her. She herself would not have from him, but added jocularly.
done it. So why was he doing it? Was it He turned round wordlessly and
out of a sense of duty or pity or was it it never came. dragged himself to the sofa which served
genuine concern and did he want to as his bed.
show that he cared for her? Before she was even “No, no, not there,” she protested. It’s too
aware of it a feeling of warmth welled up in her. uncomfortable. Lie down on the bed inside.”
Something she hadn’t felt for ever so long. “It’s yours,” he scribbled down. “You bought it
Naveen’s ministrations continued in the days that with your own money.”
followed, yet in a manner so detached and distant “But for both of us,” she reminded him.
that it left her mind all in a turmoil. Why was he so “If it were so you wouldn’t have ordered me out
caring and yet so detached? Expectantly she waited of it,” is what he wrote again.
for just a smile, a kind word or a loving glance from “Naveen, let’s talk about it,” she begged.
him, but it never came. Was there someone else, she “Chickenpox has made me see reason. See
wondered, and was he doing just what he would everything in a new light.”
have done for a sick dog? Her heart sank at the very “Please, will you give me a break?” he asked
thought. The fever had stopped in course of time and with annoyance. “My head is splitting.”
her brow was cool again, but Naveen’s aloofness “Then come on, take it easy,” she said and, to her
smote her painfully and scorched her whole being. surprise, he allowed himself to be led to the bed
Like a fever without a name. She wanted to know, which was hers.
why he was so near and yet so far. “It’s a beginning,” thought Dina, “a small
On the morning when the coffee was missing on beginning.”
her bedside table she was frightfully alarmed. When his condition had sufficiently improved,
Looking around frantically she saw him dressed up Dina sat by him one evening and said, “Naveen, we
and lurching out of the bedroom with bloodshot need to talk, don’t we?”
eyes. The chickenpox look was all over him. “Of course we do,” he readily agreed. “About
Moving forward quickly, your leaving. It was
she stuttered, “What... where chickenpox that held you
are you going? You... look back, you said. Now what
ill... You... need... to... rest.” prevents you from going
He pulled out a note pad away? Why are you still
and pen from his pocket but here?”
she thrust it aside and asked, “Because this is my home.
“Why not say just a word in The only home I ever want.”
reply?” “Your home? This cubby-
“Haven’t you threatened to hole that you detest? Have
jump to your death,” he wrote you forgotten your boast that
down “if ever you heard my with your salary you can
voice again? I can’t allow afford a much better place?”
that.” “I’m sorry I ever thought
“Why? You mean you care so. Now I understand that
what happens to me?” home is where love is.
Where you are wanted,
Marriage means realistically
equality tolerance and a sense of
cared for and looked after.
cohesion, bring lifetime Where you belong. I belong
happiness. here with you. Whatever I
thought in the past, I know better now,” she said
nestling up to him. The feel of her body against his
sent his senses tingling but he knew there was still
some way to go.
“Then why do you always flaunt in my face that
‘I’m-far-better-than-you’ attitude of yours? Why do
you always taunt me that you hold a higher position
and earn much more than I?”
She had always suspected that this was at the
root of the problem and now felt contrite. “I don’t
know why I was doing it. Maybe the child in me
hasn’t grown up as yet but I’m sorry for it. Really
sorry and assure you it won’t happen again.”
“D’you know that it was exactly because of those
taunts that I wanted to grind your nose in the dust
and made much of your little failings which
otherwise I would have overlooked?”
“You mean you really won’t mind my disorderly
ways, my throwing things about and being
careless?”
“They are actually too small to destroy a marriage
but when feelings are hurt it is just these little
nothings that tear us apart.”
“How true that is! I’m so relieved, Naveen, to
know that it’s only little things that came between us.
All these days when you were so aloof and
forbidding I was afraid there was someone else and
you had stopped caring for me.”
“How could you ever think that? Don’t you know
there won’t be anyone else?” he asked and the next
moment they were in each other’s arms. It happened
so suddenly that both didn’t know who had made
the first move but it surely was the only thing, the
most natural thing to do.

I
t was a long time before they freed themselves
and then Dina reminded him reflectively, “If it
were not for chickenpox I’d have moved out and
maybe things would never be right between us. Isn’t
it amazing what little it takes to set things right? We
didn’t need any counselling or advice. Chickenpox
gave us all the wisdom we needed.”
“What we really needed was to talk. For one, to
find out what was troubling the other, but pride had
sealed our lips.”
“And they were opened when we needed each
other. Chickenpox opened them for us.”
“Anyway it’s good to know that if ever our lips
are sealed again, chickenpox will be there to open
them for us.”
“No, it won’t. Don’t you know chickenpox is a
one-time disease and we’ll never get it again?”
“More’s the pity. Then we had better be careful to
keep our minds and lips open at all times,” he
laughed. She joined him and to the ring-tones of
laughter they made a new beginning. We
 A wonderful natural way towards better
childbirth. By Dr Amrinder Bajaj

YOGA AND
PREGNANCY renatal yoga is becoming

P
more and more popular for
its holistic approach. It
includes exercises for
flexibility, meditation for
relaxation and calm, and the
breathing practices of
pranayama for improved
oxygen supply. Not only
does this benefit the mother
but also the baby by increasing the
blood flow and thereby oxygen and
nutrition; by ensuring that it gets what
is optimum for maximal physical and
mental development.
Yoga techniques assist in easy
birth, the infant makes a smooth
entry into the world and grows up into
a child less inhibited by stress and
potential illness. The best part is
that yoga can be done by almost
anyone and no previous knowledge
is required if one wants to begin in
pregnancy. However, it is
important that you practise yoga
under an expert guru only after
your obstetrician gives you the
green signal.
Yoga is not just about
exercises but is a way of life.
There are five vital steps
that have to be followed to
obtain maximal benefit.
Yoga exercises:
Yoga exercises
work smoothly on
the pelvis and
reproductive
organs and

114 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

increase the chances of natural
childbirth. They reduce pregnancy
ailments like dyspepsia, heartburn,
backache, leg oedema and cramps.
They also help in the supply of blood
and nutrients to the developing
foetus.
Breathing or pranayama:
Breathing or pranayama techniques
improve oxygen supply and provide a
better life force to the mother and
child.
Mudras and bandhas: Mudras and
bandhas are gestures and locks that
internalise the energy released by
pranayama. The energy thus reaches
the end organs through various nadis
(pathways) instead of being
wastefully dissipated externally. They
have a powerful effect on the
reproductive organs and the benefits
during pregnancy are many.
Meditation: Meditation helps
remove psychological fears and
stress so that you remain mentally
peaceful. It also creates a subtle
connection between you and your
baby that is beyond explanation.
Yoga nidra /deep relaxation: It
gives deep physical and mental
relaxation.
ASANAS
If practised regularly asanas:
● Relieve backache, heartburn,
swelling of feet and leg cramps
● Help maintain body shape and
flexibility
● Prepare the body for a smooth
and natural childbirth
● Improve physical and mental
health of the foetus
● Help in maintaining adequate
weight gain
● Help return to the pre-pregnant
state faster
Some of the asanas that can be
preformed during pregnancy are:
Ardh titli (half butterfly) asana:
Sit with legs outstretched. Bend the
right leg and place the right
foot as far up on the left
thigh as possible. Place the
right hand on top of the bent
right knee. Hold the toes of
the right foot with the left hand.
While breathing in, gently move
the right knee up towards the chest.
Breathing out, gently push the knee
down and try to touch the floor. Keep
the back straight and avoid straining.
Repeat with left leg. Slowly practise
about ten up and down movements
with each leg. This asana loosens hip
and knee joints.
Poorna titli asana (full
butterfly): Sit with legs outstretched.
Bend the knees, bring the soles of
the feet together and draw them as
close to the body as possible. Clasp
the feet with both hands and gently
bounce the knees up and down.
Repeat 20-30 times, straighten legs
and relax. This asanas relieve
tension from inner thigh muscles.
Supta udarakarshanasan
(sleeping abdominal stretch pose):
Lie in the back. Interlock fingers of
both hands and place hands beneath
the head. Bend knees, keeping the
soles of your feet on the floor. While
breathing out, lower the legs towards
the right, trying to touch the knees on
the floor. At the same time move the
head towards the left, giving a
uniform twisting stretch to the entire
spine. Repeat on the other side by
bending legs towards the left and
head towards the right. This asana
improves digestion and relieves
stiffness of the spine.
Chakki chalan asana (churning
the mill pose): Sit with legs
stretched out in front of the body
about one foot apart. Interlock fingers
of both hands and hold the arms out
straight in front of the chest. Make
wide circular movements 10 times in
each direction. This asana tones up
the pelvic organs.
Kashta takshan asana
(chopping wood pose): Squat
with feet flat on the ground and
slightly apart. Interlock fingers of
both hands, straighten your arms
and keep them between the
knees. Then raise arms
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
high behind the head, stretching the
spine upwards and look up. Make a
downward stroke as if chopping
wood. Repeat five-10 times. It
loosens the pelvic girdle and tones
the pelvic muscles.
Marjari asana (cat pose): Kneel
on all fours. While inhaling raise the
head and depress the spine so that
the back becomes concave. Exhale
while lowering the head till it is
between the arms, facing the thighs
and hump the spine. Repeat five-10
times. Be careful not to strain
yourself. This asana improves
flexibility of the neck, shoulders and
spine.
Kati chakrasan (Waist rotating
pose): Stand with the feet about half
a metre apart and the arms by the
sides. Inhale while raising the arms to
shoulder level. Exhale and while
Yoga exercises work smoothly on
the pelvis and reproductive organs
and increase the chances of
natural childbirth. They reduce
pregnancy ailments like dyspepsia,
heartburn, backache, leg oedema
and cramps. They also help in the
supply of blood and nutrients to the
developing foetus.
115
 the left knee. Hold the right toes with
the left hand. Steady the right ankle
with the right hand and move the
ankle around in a large circle. Do 10
rotations in each direction. Repeat
with other ankle. This is especially
useful in pregnancy oedema and
cramping.
Shoulder rotation: Raise the
arms up and place fingers on both
shoulders. Slowly rotate both arms
together in large circles five times in
each direction. This improves
circulation and flexibility in the
shoulders and upper back relieves
neck tension and
Meditation encourages better
smoothly twisting the body
to the left, bring the right
helps restore breathing. Post-natally
this asana stimulates the
hand to left shoulder and physical and breasts to function
wrap the left arm around the mental properly.
back looking over the left
equilibrium
shoulder. Repeat in the Pranayama : Prana -
opposite direction. Do five- and induces a yama is a disciplined
10 rounds. This asana deep sense of yogic breathing practice,
tones the waist, back, hips rejuvenation in which the breathing
and relieves physical and process is consciously
mental tension. and regulated. It induces a
relaxation. feeling of well-being,
Vajrasan (thunderbolt improves emotional
pose): Kneel on the floor. Bring big stability, helps treat insomnia and
toes together and separate the heels. breathlessness, increases stamina
Lower the buttocks onto the inside and vitality and decreases the
surface of the feet with heels distress and fatigue of labour. The
touching the side of the hips. Place various methods of pranayama are
hands on knees, palms down. Keep best learnt from a yoga teacher.
back and head straight. There is an
enhancement of digestive functions Mudras and bandhas: In order to
and a decrease in hyperacidity. perform pranayama it is necessary to
know something about mudras, and
Meru akarshanasan (spine bandhas. The Sanskrit word mudra
bending pose): Lie on our right side means a seal or a lock. It denotes
with the left leg on the right leg. Bend positions which close the body
your right arm and by placing the apertures, and where the fingers are
elbow on the floor support the head held together in special gestures.
on right palm. Place your left arm on Bandha means bondage or joining
the left thigh. Raise the left leg as together whereby certain parts of the
high as possible, slide the left hand to body are gripped, contracted and
the foot and grasp the big toe if controlled.
possible. Repeat on the other side. Mudras and bandhas channelise
This relaxes the hamstring, inner the energy ( prana ) generated by
thigh and abdominal muscles while pranayama to the right places for
stretching the muscles of the sides proper utilisation and do not allow its
making them strong and flexible. external dissipation. Those that can
and should be done during
Ankle crank: Bend the right leg pregnancy will be taught by your
up and place the foot overhanging yoga guru who will also be in a
116 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
position to see if they are being
performed correctly.
Meditation: Meditation is
concentrating effortlessly at one point
without being distracted by external
stimuli. It takes a lot of time and
determination and if your attention
gets diverted do not get discouraged.
Gently bring it back to your point of
focus – be it a flower or a candle
flame. Use a mantra or chant that is
repeated silently or loudly to obtain
inner silence and peace. Meditation
helps restore physical and mental
equilibrium and induces a deep
sense of rejuvenation and relaxation.
Meditate regularly preferably at the
same time every day (early morning
is best). Begin by meditating for five
to 10 minutes initially and extend the
time gradually as per your need and
capacity.
Yoga– nidra : Yoga- nidra is a
method of inducing complete
physical, mental and emotional
relaxation. It is important to remain
awake and aware, for this is the ideal
time to make a sankalpa – resolve.
You can do this auto-suggestion –
short, positive and precise
statements about what you want to
achieve. They should be easy to
memorise and repeat. For example,
“I will have an easy delivery,” “I will
be a good mother,” etc. These
autosuggestions sink easily into the
subconscious of a relaxed mind
which in turn directs the conscious
mind to transform positive thoughts
into reality.
It is a matter of pride that yoga
originated in our country and has now
spread across the world. It soothes
the nerves, calms the mind and
improves physical health and
stamina. As pregnancy is one of the
most trying periods in a woman’s life,
yoga is a wonderfully natural way of
coping with it. There are trained
experts who conduct yoga classes for
pregnant women. It is always better
to attend classes than learning from
books or videos, etc. Ensure the
authenticity of the yoga expert and
take your obstetrician’s permission
before performing yoga asanas. We
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 M USIC IS LIKE
AGIC
on of the legendary Kathak
S
A drummer who exponent Sitara Devi, Ranjit
Barot has grown up with
creates and music ever since he saw
light. Born into a family
innovates music. steeped in Indian classical
music and dance, melody
Suman Bajpai and rhythm has always been
an integral part of his life. He
began with academics on
his mind. But somewhere along the
way, basic instinct took over. Today,
he is reflecting the rhythms of his
mother’s ghungroos with his fingers.
As a creative person, his
impulses have always been in tune
with creating and innovating music.
Ranjit started out in life thinking he
would make a future in academics.
His mother, Sitara Devi, wanted to
shield him from the struggle which
was customary for most artistes and
performers of her generation, in their
often-indigent crawl to reach the
heights. So, he first attended
Cathedral School and later
Elphinstone College but sports and
120 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
music had become major
distractions. He loved chemistry but
decided it was time to drop out of
college. That was a turning point in
the life of Ranjit Barot, India’s top
drummer. He did not look back after
that and today, he is ready to give
his best as expectations of his
admirers are high.
He is a versatile performer. He
composes music for commercials
and often even sings and acts in
them (remember the long-haired
toughie in the Eveready Give Me Red
and the Maaza commercial). He had
played with Zakir Hussian several
times. He had composed the music
for a Tamil film called VIP starring
ace dancer Prabhu Deva. He worked
for the film Oh Darling also.
Excerpts from an interview:
When did you realise that you
are a musical person?
I belong to a family which has
strong roots in music. So the genetic
spirit will always remain, but I did not
plan it as I wanted to pursue high
studies. In school, once a programme
was organised and the boy who was
supposed to play the drums was
absent and then a senior had asked
whether anybody can play the drum
and I spontaneously raised my
hands. That was a start – rather a
good start without any professional
training. That is when I discovered
that I am “rhythmically inclined.”
What was the reaction of your
mother?
When I joined college I told her
that I wanted to play drums. She
said, “Show me if you can earn while
playing drums.” I borrowed drums
and cymbals and started practising.
Contrary to expectations, from then
on, I received nothing but
encouragement from her. She never
denied me anything and her
blessings are with me.
Did you get the advantage of
being the son of such a great
artiste?
Like every mother, she helped me
in my struggle but not in terms of
profession, only as a guide. She
always reminded me that if I want to
achieve my target, I have to work
hard without depending on her.
How has this fantastic journey
of rhythm on drums advanced?
With the college festivals this
journey began, and then I started
performing professionally at 16 when
Louis Banks, master jazz pianist and
composer, was looking for a
drummer with superlative skills. Our
easy partnership continued through
many Jazz Yatras and unplanned
performances. Even today after
forming our own bands we still play
together often and enjoy the company.
You got your international
acclaim very easily. What is the
secret behind this?
Nothing comes easily. You have
to constantly work hard and practise.
Good work always pays. In the early
’80s when I was performing at the
Zurich Jazz Festival, a Swiss
company that manufactures cymbals,
offered me a contract. I played for
them for a couple of years and then
moved on to England where I
enhanced my skills and learned more
about music.
In New York, I played with
acclaimed jazz musicians and
entered into the category of bigwigs.
With your international tag
when you came back to India why
did things not turn out favourable?
On my return to Mumbai in 1985,
I realised that the electronic
revolution had struck. Keyboards and
gizmos had taken a front seat, so no
one needed a drummer any more. I
had no work. There was no point in
sitting depressed and waiting for the
right opportunity to come and I
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
moved into advertising – composing
music for commercials and often
even singing and starring in them.
Entering advertising means
curbing your natural talent and
getting into the mould of
professionalism. What kind of
difficulties did you face during the
phase of transition?
I don’t think I had any kind of
difficulty. In fact, I had a chance to
see the world in a new perspective.
Advertising is like finishing school for
a musician. It hones your skills,
teaches you how to sell a song and
bring to it better sonic treatment and
technical values. Apparently,
advertising gave me more than just
that. If you know how to work on your
terms, nothing can supersede you.
It is not easy to establish an
acceptance for bold music and
you always try to do something
different. What sort of reactions do
you receive?
Of course, when you put forward
music that is bold and different and
not designed for mass consumption,
there are pitfalls. It is difficult to make
an artistic statement today. If one is
true to one’s sensibilities, chances
are that one will never bring home
success and fame. The current “pop”
trend being promoted by recording
companies and youth television
stations discourages many intelligent
musicians.
What is the present state of music?
Essentially, art is a sense of who
we are and where we are. Music is
like magic and you have to keep
exploring all the time to get attuned
with that magic. When you start
trading, it then loses its essence.
People these days pretend so much
and think that they are promoting an
art. I feel one should be open about
oneself and give the best to save the
culture and heritage of India.
What are you currently working?
I am producing a large-scale album
of the classical singers. I have just
finished recording with the famous
guitar player John McLaughlin. We
121
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 M
ARRIED
WOMEN
SEXUALITY
& INDIAN
CINEMA
An Indian he bride in Hindi films is
T
unlike the bride in real life.
married woman, Her sexuality is completely
repressed to project a sati-
a paragon of Savitri image. The suhag
raat bed is decked up with
morality, flowers. She sits on the bed,
swathed in red chunari, sari,
jewellery, lots of bangles,
suppresses her and flowers, with the
ghunghat pulled down so low that
sexual needs one cannot even imagine what she
looks like. There is the mandatory
so as not to be glass of milk by the bedside for the
groom to come and drink to draw
seen as lustful. strength to consummate the
By Shoma A. Chatterji marriage.
What about the sexual ardour of
the bride? Is it washed and dried in
detergents and mouthwash that strips
her completely of normal physical
desire? Films that dote on the newly
married bride and the graphically-
described rituals before, during and
after marriage such as Hum Aapke
Hain Kaun, Vivaah and so on, unroll
like a moving marriage album seen
in slow motion. Even titles of
‘marriage’ films like Just Married do
not touch upon the sexuality of the
126 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
bride. Indian mainstream films like
Murder, Khwahish and Jism have
focussed on something not explored
before in mainstream cinema – the
sexuality of the married Indian
woman.
Though this has given the director
and producer ample scope for
exploring the anatomy of the woman
in a hundred different ways to lure at
the box office, the one positive spin-
off of these films is that they have
uncovered the sexual desires of the
Indian woman. The woman need not
be beautiful though it is mandatory
that she has a beautiful body. The
woman need not be single either.
SEXUALITY IN THE
BRIDE
Sexuality in married women in
Hindi films has been directly linked
to the woman as an ‘object’ of the
male gaze, both within the film and
without it. The male characters in a
film are constructed in a way that
they treat their female counterparts
as objects of their gaze, desire,
oppression, humiliation, glorification
and celebration. Since the woman is
not generally vested with a ‘voice’ of
her own, this extends to a casual
indifference to her sexuality as the
‘subject’ of desire, rather than an
‘object’ catering to the desire of other
people, mainly male.
Outside the film, the woman –
both the star as well as the
‘character’ she portrays – is the
‘object’ of the male gaze within the
physical parameters of the studio.
The costume designer, if he is male,
the cameraman, the spot boys, light
boys, make-up men, etc., are (a) by
social conditioning, (b) by male
impulse, and (c) by professional
necessity, trained to ‘look’ at the
younger female characters as if they
were sex objects to be ogled at or,
fantasised about or have wet-dreams
around.
In this, the editing studio forms an
integral part. If the editor decides to
keep the footage with close-ups of
the heroine’s face alone, the director
may ask him to include the close-up
of the heroine’s (or vamp’s for that
matter) cleavage in a dance
sequence, or, on her mouth showing
her running her tongue over her
glossy lips in a scene of suggestive
seduction. The opposite, too, could
hold true. A director not interested in
portraying female characters as sex
objects may be persuaded by the
editor to have second thoughts about
his ideology.
The financiers, distributors and
exhibitors are the real people behind
the making of a film because, without
their backing, a film will just not
happen. They can even dictate to the
producer the cast of the film, how
many songs and dances they wish to
see in it, how many close-ups of the
female body, and how many rape
scenes to show. It is business, pure
and simple.
Then comes the turn of the
audience. It seems to get a strange
kind of ‘kick’ in seeing women being
raped, beaten up or humiliated on
screen as much as they enjoy a strip-
tease act cinemato graphed in
deliberate and, sometimes,
imaginatively slow motion.
Phoolan Devi, in real life and in
Shekhar Kapoor’s film, was married
in her childhood to a man much older
than she was who raped her on the
wedding night. The subject of Bandit
Queen explores the very
objectification of a single woman,
Phoolan Devi (from birth till she lays
down her arms to the police) and
seeks to condemn and attack.
The scene showing Phoolan
forced to parade the streets in the
nude in Behmai to draw water from
the well raises an ideological
question. Isn’t it tantamount to the
director and the camera subjecting
the body of Phoolan to the same
‘rape’ she had to suffer throughout
her childhood and adult life? The top-
angle shots painfully bring across
Phoolan’s vulnerability and senseless
humiliation, true. But it is also true
that, for once, Kapoor definitely and
unambiguously designs the camera
to turn voyeur in a deliberate attempt
to attract the attention of a global
audience.
However, the same film also
acknowledges the sexual desire of
Phoolan when she falls in love with relationship with another man, she is
Vikram Mallah. When Vikram is regarded a whore.
recovering from a gunshot wound in Aparna Sen's Parama is an
the thigh, in hiding in Kanpur, example of how modernity is a
Phoolan strides atop him and makes hypocritical mask that veils the
love to him like a man, the more double standards of an urban,
aggressive partner in sex. It 'progressive' family, a fragile surface
underscores the mutations in the life that cracks under the expose of the
and style of an unlettered woman middle-aged daughter-in-law's brief
who has been subjected to repeated but torrid affair with the friend of a
rape, who has grown into a sexually nephew who is years younger. For
aggressive woman, who no longer thousands of years, adultery has
shies away from her physical needs. been considered a male monopoly
Whether this is a consequence of her just as much as monogamous sexual
acquiring the male masquerade or is desire is interpreted as being a
due to her passion for Vikram, female one.
remains ambiguous. Adultery by any woman
Did Mansi in Basu Bhattacharya's immediately marks her out as a bad
film Aastha commit adultery? This is woman, a social outcaste no one
a rather piquant question since the should communicate with. Is this a
fact of her sleeping around with men psychological security for the men
who are not her husband/s is who made all those rules about men
undercut by the fact that she is paid being more 'hot' than women? For
for the 'services' she renders. In other that matter, adultery committed by a
words, she is a prostitute who sells woman is perhaps more a question
herself for money. of seeking security and confidence
How does one try and connect the than just guts. It might be a search
question of adultery with the raw for self-assurance, which a boring
reality of prostitution? Basu's film marriage to an indifferent spouse has
throws up this question, albeit designedly destroyed.
unwittingly (unwillingly?), but fails to
offer an answer. In the rather
confusing climax, her husband says WOMAN’S BODY
he 'understands' her. In Deepa Mehta’s Fire, lesbianism
Does this suggest that she goes is presented as part of the rationale
on prostituting herself and silences
her husband with expensive gifts on
the one hand and sizzling sessions
in bed on the other? Aastha triggers
off an intriguing backtracking to Hindi
cinema and how it has treated
sexuality among its women when the
women were, on rare occasions, the
‘subjects’ of the film.
In India, chastity runs like a
constant thread in all social
relationships a woman is legitimately
involved in: dau -
ghter, sister, wife,
mother, aunt,
mother-in-law, fri -
endly relationship.
Anything beyond
this realm is
unthinkable. The
minute a married
woman is discovered
having a physical
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008 127
 In the film song sequences, her anatomy is exposed to the
extent of glamourising her sexual desires.

Aditi (Tabu) who finds a voice at

the end of the film, blasts not only
her husband who disowns her for a
single sexual encounter that was
extramarital, juxtaposed against his
THE EDITING several ‘affairs’, but also the man
who sired her only son, who felt
STUDIO FORMS AN grand in donating his entire property
INTEGRAL PART. IF to her just because she mothered his
child. He, too, like her unfeeling
THE EDITOR DECIDES husband Shrikant, did not care to
TO KEEP THE Dacoit Phoolan Devi as picturised by
Sheikher Kapoor.
consider the repercussions of his
action on her life, even after his
FOOTAGE WITH of women’s autonomy, loyalty and death.
CLOSE-UPS OF THE mutual commitment, as well as a
positive alternative to draining,
HEROINE’S FACE unrewarding and positively negative VIRTUE OF MOTHERHOOD
ALONE, THE relations with men. It is also a strong The son castigates the mother
statement on the two women’s because she is ‘immoral’ and Aditi is
DIRECTOR MAY ASK assertion and acknowledgement of left with her memories of a 27-year-
HIM TO INCLUDE their own sexuality, without either old marriage that turned out to be as
THE CLOSE-UP OF shame or pride.
The absence of lesbians and of
empty as the suitcase she carries out
with her. “Should I spread out my
THE HEROINE’S the issue of lesbianism from films is begging bowl when I have the need
CLEAVAGE IN A consistent with the absence of
lesbianism from all other forms of
for sex?” she asks her husband point
blank, disgusted with her cutting off
DANCE SEQUENCE, representation. It echoes society’s from the family she has nurtured with
OR, ON HER systematic repression of ideologies
and sub-cultures, which oppose,
love, care and commitment for so
many years.
MOUTH SHOWING challenge or undermine the In India, the burden of morality
HER RUNNING HER hegemony of racist, sexist and (chastity, virtue, purity, the pativrata
ideal, izzat , self-sacrifice,
capitalist patriarchy.
TONGUE OVER HER Astitva was directed by Mahesh motherhood, etc.) is vested in the
GLOSSY LIPS IN A Manjrekar, noted in the industry for women of the family, specially the
unleashing on the screen blood, gore wife within the nuclear family and the
SCENE OF and violence. This film is a turn-of- daughter-in-law in the extended
SUGGESTIVE the-century statement on the family. There are no clear-cut lines
sexually-deprived married woman’s between morality, immorality and
SEDUCTION. right to her sexuality, despite her madness; between ‘mad’ and ‘bad’
husband. for women in distress. We

128 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008

 QUIZ
Tear this page along the perforated line and send it to the under mentioned address. Winner will be announced in the February issue.

Q1 Is your crush a close friend?

a. I’m too popular to be seen hanging
around him.
b. I think we’re friends... I’m not quite sure.
c. I guess we’re kind of close...
d. Nope, I never hang out with him. He’s
too popular.
e. Yeah, we hang out all the time!

Q
2
Do you talk to him all the time?
a. Maybe in passing once or twice a day.

?
b. I talk to him sometimes.
c. Every chance I get!

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Q
3
Do you find yourself talking about
him all the time?
a. Sometimes.
Q
7
Do you imagine kissing him
somewhere romantic?
a. Sometimes.
b. Yeah, my friends hate it when I do that... b. Yeah...
c. I would never be seen talking about him! c. Nope.
d. Why would I waste my time doing that?

Q4 Do your friends like him too?

a. No, no one likes him. I don’t even like
him THAT much...
Q
8
Do you know his family really well?
a. Sort of.
b. I’m friends with his mom!
c. No they hate me!
b. Of course! Everyone likes him!
c. Maybe, but even if they do that
doesn’t matter.
d. Yeah, we get in fights over him
all the time.
Q
9
Has he ever rebuked you before
your friends?
a. Sometimes

Q5 How do you feel when he’s not b. No, never...

c. Yes, quite often!
with you?
a. I miss him a lot.
b. Nothing happens me.
c. At times it affects me.
Q
10
Do you ever wonder whether
you’ll know him in 10 years?
a. Maybe five, but never 10!

Q6 Do you stare at him all the time?

a. Never, that’s so creepy!
b. Sometimes.
c. Every three seconds!
b.
c.
d.
Of course, I do!
I can’t think that far into the future.
No, I can’t wait until he is out of my
life for good.

Prove that you are aware of this trivia.

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E-3, Jhandewala, New Delhi-110 055.
 QA &
given a chunk of money it might hurt
any man. You have not mentioned
how much time has passed since this
happened, sometimes it’s just a
matter of time for these things to
settle down.
But you must clearly impress upon
your husband that you would have
expected any purchase, even future
ones, to be in joint name because
that is what being a wife means –
because we did not speak at the right sharing and sharing equally.
time. Maybe you made it sound like a

Q&
demand that the house should be in
joint name AFTER he asked for
money from your parents.
As a wife it is your social and
moral right to have your name on all
joint purchases but if you make it a
condition because your parents have
I feel my parents do
I am a young 23-years-old male and not want me to get
in my very first job. I want to ask a married. They always
very basic question when I go for find fault with
interviews at what point should I everybody I like.
mention the salary I expect? Now I love a boy in
The first advice I would like to my office who has
offer is that as far as possible, do not no other problem except he has a
change your job just for an increased large family and my mother feels
salary. Every job has something to that I won’t be able to fit in. Do
teach you and very often youngsters you think it’s important?
tend to change the jobs so fast that You have not mentioned your
they hardly learn anything. age. Nor how many times you
By all means go for better job have selected a boy and left him
I earlier worked in an all-girls office
and it did not matter what we wore
or how we looked. I have recently
changed jobs and girls here dress
like they are going to a party. Must I
change?
What employees wear at work is
often dictated by norms and line of
business of that office. Yes, when
you work in an all-girls environment it
can be different to what you wear
when there are male colleagues
around.
However, unless you are in the
fashion industry, to wear party
dresses to the office is not advisable.
You have to change to fit in but not to
the extent that you change your
complete wardrobe. Try to find a mid-
path and remain on the conservative
side rather than ostentatious. After
all you cannot change your basic

A
prospects, and then either the
agency that puts you in touch with
new company or the HR department
should indicate what the expected
salary structure is. If the offer made
to you is not up to your expectations
you have to decide whether the job
offers you anything else that you are
after. At no stage should you make
the first move on expected or
demanded salary.
When my husband was short of
money, my parents gave a big
amount to buy a house but I asked
for it to be bought in our joint name.
Now my husband feels that my
parents demanded it and does not
behave well with them. How do I deal
with the situation?
Sometimes things get mixed up
because your parents showed you
a fault that you had missed.
I am confused. If you love a
boy you do not give him up
without agreeing with the fault that
your family is pointing out.
You might be right about their
desire to have you live with them
a bit longer but it is also possible
that you ‘love’ easily and ‘leave’
just as easily.
It is not important what I think
about adjustment problems from
a small family girl to a large family
– what is important is what you
think about it. If you like the family
members and your parents have
pointed this flaw out to you, the
decision is yours because you are
the one who has to live in this
new family.
style and wardrobe for every job but
you should try to fit in to an extent at
least.
I am a 20-year-old
virgin and my friends
say that instead of sex
that can get one
pregnant, anal and
oral sex is safe. Is that
true and what is this
style of sex?
Getting pregnant is not the only
problem that you face with
indiscriminate sex. Oral and anal sex
can still expose you to sexually
transmitted disease including HIV. As
for what style of sex it is, oral and
anal sex is nothing but sexual
gratification through the mouth or the
anus respectively.

Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008 131

 R. S. Prakash
WELL-KNOWN film distributor K.P.R.
who has distributed several Tamil
films has now entered into film-
making under his home-banner
Yamini Creations, Androrunaal, his
maiden venture that is being written
and directed by M. Arulmurugan,
debutante director who has appren-
ticed under many film-makers.
Mathew Rajan is the cinemato -
grapher while Indian scores the
music. Rajendran, the producer, is
also appearing in an important role.
Rajan P. Dev, Ponnambalam,
Senthil, Crane Manohar, Nellai Siva,
Sathyapriya and many others are in
the cast of this flick. The theme
packages a variety of ingredients –
suspense, horror, action, comedy,
etc.
BESIDES assuming responsibility for
the story, screenplay, dialogue, lyrics
and direction, Yuvan has also taken
up the lead role in R.M.A. films
Factory’s Sindhanai Sei which has
been produced by Gilli Sekar (stunt
100
choreographer) and Amma Sekar
(dance choreographer) S. Thaman is
the music director while Sri Pavan
Shankar is the cinematographer.
Madhusharma, Sabi, Bala, Nitish
Kumar, Seshaanth, Dharsha
Mayilasami, Shandapani and Ajay
are also in the cast. The music
release of the film was recently done
on a lavish scale.
THE producers of the superhit film
Karagatakaran which was released
earlier, have once again teamed up
to make a film titled Yellam Avan
Seiyal in which R. K. (of Vazhthukkal
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
and Thoondil fame) is the hero.
Bhama from the Malayalam filmdom
is the heroine. Nine models from
Mumbai are also appearing in vital
roles. Aashish Vidyarathi, Nasser,
Manivannan, Visu, Manoj. K. Jayan,
Thalaivasal Vijay are also in the main
cast. Vadivelu appears in the role of
an advocate in the film. Late
character actor Raghuvaran has a
part in this film. Roja and Sukanya
are also appearing in vital roles. It is
for the first time that the technique of
spot editing has been used in this
film.
MODHI Vilayaadu is Saran’s latest
offering that has been written by S.
Ramakrishnan. For the first time
Bharadwaj isn’t scoring music for a
Saran film. Hari and Lesle (Colonial
Cousins) are the scorers. Fresh from
the success of Jayam Kondan Vijay
is the film’s lead artiste while Kajal
keeps him company. Yuva is the
film’s debutante artiste. Kalabhavan
Mani, VMC Haneefa, Mayilsami,
Santhanam, Amith Dhavan and
Tatoo Ram (debut) are also in the
cast.
M CINEMA’S Solla Solla Inikkum
features Navdeep and Madhumitha
in the lead roles. Prakashraj, Mallika
Kapoor, Abinay, Suja, Aashish
Vidyarthi, Vijayakumar, Charlie,
Sathyan and many others are in the
cast. Arthur A. Wilson is the
cinematographer and Bharadwaj is
the scorer. G. Murali Abbas has
assumed responsibility for the story,
screenplay, dialogue and direction.
RAJ TV Network which has carved a
niche for itself in nearly 15 years has
now entered into film production and
has planned to produce 10 movies
every year. Ilankannan who made
Ottran with Arjun is the director. Ravi
Krishna and Savanand are the two
herores. The film has three music
directors Manisharma, Vidya Sagar
and Moorti. Vincent who is a former
deputy of P.C. Sriram is the
cinematographer. Selvan, an
understudy of Peter Hain, is the stunt
choreographer. The film is remake of
the Telugu hit Gamayam . Times
music has released this film’s audio.
Kadhatna Summa Illa is the films title.
PAISA produced by Parkar Bros
was recently launched at the AVM
Studios on a lavish scale amidst
the presence of a galaxy of film
personalities. Sachin and
Lavenya play the lead roles, both
being newcomers. Abhishek,
Aashish, Vidyarthi, Devan, Mahadahi
Shankar and Aarthi are also in the
cast. Sabesh and Murali are the
scorers.
KAMAL HAASAN’S magnum opus
Marmayogi is believed to have been
shelved, owing to budget constraints.
Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan has
decided upon a quickie, Thalaivan
Irrukkiraan, a comedy caper, to be
produced and directed by Kamal
himself. More than his action flick and
those directed by him. Kamal’s
comedy movies have always fared
well at the box office. Going by that
record, one can expect that this flick,
made on a medium budget, could
leave him with sufficient and more
surplus to go back to the production
of Marmayogi. Hema Malani, who
was expected to play a vital role in
Marmayogi, walked out of it even
before it was shelved.
COOL Productions, the banner,
which has been producing films for
the sake of making good films without
a profit motive, has come up with
another noteworthy film Mahesh
Saranya Mattrum Palar written and
directed by Ravi, a former deputy of
director Lingusamy Sakthi who made
his debut through Thottal Poo
Malrum, is the hero while Sandhya is
his pair. Two songs have been shot
at Switzerland. Saranya Mohan is
also playing an important role in
the film. Vidyasagar is the scorer
who has composed eight
songs for this flick.
VETERAN film-maker K.
Balachander’s Kavithalaya has
produced Thiruvannamalai with
action-king Arjun playing the title
role. The action-cum-spiritual flick
has been written and directed by
Perarasu whose film title usually
stands to refer to a town Thirupachi
Palani, Thirupathi, Dharmapuri, etc.
Dhanya, the heroine plays a school
teacher in the film. Karunas, the
comedian joins the league of character
actors. Srikanth Deva is the scorer.
Padmesh is the cinematographer. We
TAMIL STARS S P E A K !
SANAA KHAN – THE NEW SCREEN SIZZLER!
hile on the one side, female
W leads from south are busy
migrating to the west,
Bollywood beauties too seem to be
making a beeline here in the south to
star in south-bound flicks. Among
the breed of Bollywood beauties who
have come in recently, Sanaa Khan
stands out, having made a
sensational debut with Silambattam
opposite Simbu.
Though Sanaa has done over 30
television commercials Silambattam
marks her first official film debut.
Simbu alias Silamanbarasan is her
first screen hero, notwithstanding the
fact she has appeared with the likes
of Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay
Kumar in commercials.
Sanaa Khan is visibly thrilled
about her maiden film Silambattam.
She switches on the start made
when quizzed about how it all
started.
Simbu who had come to Mumbai
scouting for a heroine to act with him
in a film titled Kettavan had seen my
ads and got in touch with me.
Initially, I was a bit reluctant to trade
places but after a point, on his
persuasion, I agreed to be part of this
project. But Kettavan didn’t take off,
but yet Simbu roped me in for
Silambattam, a big-budget film. It was
the 25th production venture of
Lakshmi Movies Makers and they
wanted it to be a mega film.
SRIDHAR’S SOLID INNINGS!
he fact that versatile film-maker
T Sridhar is no more with us is
hard to believe. The entire film
industry at Kollywood was virtually
shocked and shaken on hearing the
104
R. Prakash
I am the only daughter of my
parents and dance has always been
my passion,” she say. I dreamt of
being an air hostess but perhaps that
was not in store for me!
“I used to take part in a lot of
dance programmes and through a
friend my portfolio was made ready
which was circulated around not
news of his death recently.
Undoubtedly, director Sridhar was
one of the pioneers of Tamil cinema,
who started his association with films
way back in the fifties. Drawing a
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
before long, opportunity for ad
commercials poured in and within
a short time, I had done a good
number of assignments.”
“I play a Brahmin girl in the film,
always teasing and tickling Simbu
who plays a temple priest in the
film. Mine is a mischievous and
tomboyish kind of character in the
film and my intro-scene definitely
warrants mention. Normally, it is
only the heroes who are given such
a introduction. For a change, I was
given such a big opportunity. Also,
normally it is usually the heroes
who ride bicycles followed by his
band of friends. But here I do that
in the film! My combination
sequences with Santhanam and
others were truly hilarious!”
Sanaa is full of praise for Simbu,
who has been a source of great
support for her during the shoot of
the sequences.
Sanaa mentions the pains-
taking efforts of Saravanan, the
cinematographer turned film-maker,
who has put his best foot forward
as this is his first directorial venture.
She has special regards for Ajith
and looks forward to co-star with him
(is somebody listening).
Like her other contemporaries
from Mumbai, Sanaa too is quite
serious about having a consolidated
innings here and is prepared to put
her best efforts to achieve that!
parallel from Bollywood, Sridhar did
to Tamil cinema what Guru Dutt had
done for Hindi cinema.
As a matter of fact, it was Sridhar
who revolutionised Tamil cinema’s
spoken words as most of the films till
his arrival had only classic Tamil as
spoken words. The lines he wrote for
his scripts were simple and
straightforward reflecting conversa-
tions in one’s day-to-day life. He also
scored high in the constructions and
mounting of scenes intercepting them
with innovating camera angles and
suggestive emotions without letting
his artistes to turn melodramatic.
Meaningful lyrics and heart –
warming music were an integral part
of all his films.
His Kalyana Parisu was a
trendsetter of sorts and indeed a
milestone as far as dealing with
triangular love stories are concerned.
The comedy track featuring
Thangavelu and Saroja in that film is
still remembered for its evergreen
freshness.
Nenjil Or Aalayam a black and
white classic made by Sridhar in less
than a month’s time is rated as one of
his best offering. Its Hindi version Dil
Ek Mandir was no less successful.
Sridhar had a reasonably successful
stint with Hindi films too. He was one
of the very few film-makers who
made films with M.G.R. and Sivaji
Ganesan, besides another big star
Gemini Ganesan. His Ilamai
Oongalaadukiradhu with Kamal and
Rajni proved his ability to blend with
the next-generation actors as well.
He could churn out hits with actors
Karthik and Mohan through his films
as Nivaivellam Nithya and Thendrala
Yennai Thodu. Sridhar’s greatness
as a talented film-maker was
reflected through his ability to
conceive strong scripts with powerful
characters ‘as a matter of fact’ kind of
dialogue and innovative directional
touches. His thinking process was so
spontaneous that it is said that he
used to write dialogue even on the
sets.
Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008
It was Sridhar who introduced
Jayalalitha through Venniraadai
which carried a ‘A’ certificate at the
time of its release in the early sixties,
which was unheard of, at that time! It
was the same Sridhar who said no to
Hema Malini and rejected her! She
then moved on to Bollywood to make
history is another story!
Sridhar made Sivantha Mann with
Sivaji Ganesan, one of the early
Tamil films to have been shot abroad.
In Nenjirukkum Varai he had made
the entire cast headed by Sivaji
Ganesan act without make-up.
Urimai Kural with M.G.R. was one of
Sridhar’s biggest hits. Sridhar’s all-
time great hit was Kadalikka
Neramillai, a runaway musical
comedy which remains unparalleled
till date. Sridhar’s exist has ended an
era and his place in the industry is
difficult to be filled. We
105
144 Crossword
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K 26 K

Across
1. That can be said to be true in the case of
somebody/something (10)
7. To catch or arrest somebody who is doing
something wrong (3)
8. A railway/railroad engine pulling a
number of coaches/cars or trucks, taking
people and goods from one place to
another (5)
9. A lump of earth or clay (4)
10. A small oval object with a thin hard shell
produced by a female bird and containing
a young bird; a similar object produced
by female fish, insect, etc. (3)
11. Preposition which is used to indicate
something in the middle of (3)
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13. A type of British cooker / stove made of
solid iron that is also used fo heating (3)
14. Used to refer to a man who is, or thinks he
is, more important than other people (4)
15. To put food in your mouth, chew it and
1. To make people have a particular
reaction (7)
2. A way of doing something that
is the usual or expected way in a
particular organisation or
situation (8)
3. Not guilty of a crime, etc., not having
done something wrong (8)
4. Abbreviation for Arithmetic and Logical
Unit in computer (3)
5. A person, thing or situation that is Please accept my entry for the
mysterious and difficult to understand (6) crossword competition. I
6. Existing in large quantities; more than
enough (8) subscribe to all the rules and
10. To remove something completely (5)
16. The testing of metals and chemicals for regulations of the competition.
quality, often to see how pure
they are (5) Name
17. Havin a strong effect on your senses;
making you feel excited and
confident (5)
Down

swallow it (3) 18. To fasten something with a lock (4)

17. Having a high temperature; producting 19. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (4)
Address
heat (3) 22. Either of the two organs on the face that
20. Chemical symbol for element iron (2) you see with (3)
21. A large area of land, usually in the 23. Type; kind (3)
country, that is owned by one person City Pin
or family (6)
24. A small disc on which sound or
information recorded (2)
25. To sing or call in the traditional Swiss
way, changing your voice frequently
between its normal level and a
very high level (5)
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26. Happening or existing a long time ago (6)

132 Woman’s Era ● December (Second) 2008