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4 May 7-20, 2012

Don’t look down upon usBy Adarsh Madhavan

It does not feel great when we learn that a member

of our own tribe is suffering. We, the scribes, who

attempt to prescribe the moral (and otherwise) tone

of the society that we live in; take up causes, fight

injustice and generally make a noise about anything

and everything are actually helpless when we have

to fight our own cause. When it comes to voicing our

own needs and when we have to fight a daily battle

upstream to present our cause, words fail us; we

become numb; dumb… Our backs bend, our hands

shiver, our tongues gets stuck and we stand there

nervous with impotent indignation as well as shame;

we stand there shaking like a leaf that is about to let

go…

I do not want to talk in riddles and really want to

highlight the full story, but unfortunately I am a

victim of my own words. I cannot say more than

this as it would not be right under the prevailing

circumstances; besides, most of the scribes are privy

to this issue of an expatriate journalist fighting a case

here. Since the verdict is due, let us not delve into

it at all; rather, let us keep mum about that. I am not

touching upon the case per se, but, I want to know

what happens to scribes who are forced to fight

such battles, especially when they are in a foreign

land. Who will protect them? Who will come to their

side and who will fight their cause? True, scribes

are flesh and blood like any, and I don’t mean any

special treatment should be accorded to them…or,

rather, I mean just that! Why can’t special treatment

be accorded to them in such situations?! If not for

them, at least to their families? Like, in this case, the

scribe’s wife and innocent children are the worst hit.

They have to go through the trauma for no fault of

their own.

Whatever the issue, whoever is right or wrong, my

simple question is: why should people who are not

editor@blackandwhiteoman.com

fully related to the issue be pulled into this vortex of

suffering? Both the warring parties may have their

reasons for going about their tasks exactly the way

they deem fit, but why should innocents suffer?

Some will say aha when it comes to your own, it

hurts, right? Yes, it hurts, right. It is the unwritten

law of the world. When your own falls, we rush to

pick him/her up. It is but natural. We have not grown

to the level where we see everyone as one; at this

stage only our very own is ours!

Anyway, forget it. Now, what happens to the scribe’s

family? And how will they all live here without any

job, without any other means? Fighting a battle is

alright if you have the necessary ammunition. But,

when you don’t have any, what do you do? Can you

just scream at the ones who are shooting at you

thinking they are going to be intimidated by that?

And for an expatriate living in Oman and fighting a

case, shouldn’t the embassy concerned be there

in the front, not only protecting the person, but also

providing the necessary help in this regard? Why

are they silent and ‘indifferent’ as reports on this

issue claims? When we are in another country, the

only place we can run to in times of trouble is our

embassy. But, when that embassy does the cold

shouldering act, whom do we run to? Where will my

brother scribe run to? He does not need sympathy;

nor does he need pity. But, his basic needs as

a scribe need to be attended to by the embassy

concerned.

I am actually concerned: Where will we all run to

when we are in a spot? What will we all do when

the people in authority (who have been appointed

to support us) whom we look up to look down upon

on us?

5Black & White

6 May 7-20, 2012

Published by: Muscat Press & Publishing House SAOC

Black & White

Postal address: P O Box 86, PC 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos

Office location: Hatat House A, II Floor, Suite No: 212

Ph: 24565697 Fax: 24565496

Website: www.blackandwhiteoman.com

Editorial: editor@blackandwhiteoman.com

Printed at Oman Printers

Xclusive

Not bad parenting

In the 1960s and 70s, Dr Bernard Remand, the father of a son with autism, who later founded the Autism

Society of America and the Autism Research Institute, helped the medical community understand that autism

is not caused by cold parents but rather is a biological disorder

Editor-in-chief Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali

Managing editor Priya Arunkumar

Work editor Adarsh Madhavan

Design & production Beneek Siraj

Advt. & marketing Shannon D'Souza

Priyanka Sampat

Conte

nts

Dream of good skin and make it happen

Men wouldn’t dream of

having skin as good as

women, but can’t they just

have good skin? Is that too

much too ask?

3452

10

23

Help shake off your daughter’s blues

Bitter batter

if you are the mother with a

depressive daughter, go ahead

and give them some much needed

advice. At the same time, remember,

there is no magic wand to do away

with your child’s blues

Something wrong with traffic

There is something wrong with traffic

in town. Something very very wrong.

Everyone is complaining. Everyone

says they are getting late to get to

wherever they have to go, even if

they start early

7Black & White

Oman's first

comprehensive

online directory

More details: oos@blackandwhiteoman.com

www.omanonlinesearch.com

Coming Soon!

I did not attend the 7th Muscat International Film Festival

(MIFF) because I was away in India at that time. At first I

heard from some people that the organisers had let down

the public by claiming to bring the Bollywood stars Saif Ali

Khan and Kareena Kapoor and then announcing that they

were not coming (B&W, issue 43). It was only later that I

learnt that the poor organisers and the fans of the stars were

let down by the stars themselves. It is such a pity that these

arrogant Indian celebrities let down the fans as well as let

down Oman. How could two individuals who are actually

feeding on the devotion by their fans let them down as

though they meant nothing to them; how could two arrogant

individuals let a country down? Why aren’t the organisers

doing anything? Why aren’t they taking these two to court?

Bal Subramanian P., Al Khuwair

I refer to the readers’ column (B&W, issue 43) where you

have mentioned about how some actors ditched the MIFF

at the last time. I wonder why so much space has to be

given to some irresponsible stars. The MIFF happened. So

many stars, especially from Hollywood came (I took photos

with them), so why are you all wasting time on about those

who did not come? This is very silly! All of you so-called

movie lovers do not like anyone from Hollywood or the Arab

world? And for your information, there were celebrities from

Bollywood too! So why waste precious time and space on

people who did not turn up?!

It is a shame!

Abdul Rahim Al Zadjali, Qurum

This is a fact! Abs doesn’t come out of the blue (Absolutely no

abs, issue 43)! You have to work for it. But, then sometimes,

even when you work at it and don’t find any development

on your abs, then you realise that there is something wrong

inherently. So, those who have problems with developing

abs, please bear all of this in mind.

Calvin Thomas, Seeb

Oman let down by ‘no show’ stars

Let’s talk about those who came

Absolutely right!

Reader's

colu

mn

8 May 7-20, 2012

Mail your views and opinions at

editor@blackandwhiteoman.com

It was interesting to learn that water and stress plays a role in the developing

of our abs. I believe I have pretty good abs, but I am sure if I look into these

aspects, I might get it better.

Sastry G, Barka

There is no way you will lose any weight by just sitting and procrastinating about

it. Especially if you are a woman. I feel that a woman, by her very nature, should

automatically lose a little weight because we tend to do a lot of household work.

But, in the modern age, women don’t really have to do that type of work like in

the earlier days. So, although she (a woman) is fully occupied, she is still not

exactly doing that kind of work that would help her lose some pounds.

Yes, when you are forty (issue 43) you may tend to gain a little more weight than

you desire and a combination of age, laziness, and a general feeling of what

for might hit a lady wherein she is not able to fully able to attempt any weight

loss activity. And we speak of women in their 40s, what about the women in the

60s? I sincerely feel that whatever the age, you need to have a very practical,

but equally disciplined, weight loss programme. If you stick with it, you are not

just going to lose weight, you are going to be fit!

Anita Ramdas, Shatti Al Qurum

Better abs

Fit at 40 or 60

9Black & White

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10 May 7-20, 2012

Dream of GOOD SKIN and make it happen

Men r

ead

11Black & White

NO SOAP ON THE FACE

But, don’t be like Adil who thinks

rubbing his face with a soap bar

was going to give him good, clean

and healthy skin. The first thing to

understand is: soap should not be

used on the face at all; try to avoid it

as much as possible. The soap is for

your body, which actually needs it. A

soap will ideally help you get rid of all

dirt and germs.

But, not on your face, buddy! For,

when it comes to your face, you

need to go gentle and that’s what a

facial cleanser does. It is specifically

designed for the skin on your face,

thus making it free of harmful

substances such as detergents,

soaps and fragrances.

FOAM AND CREAM YOUR FACE

According to experts, men need to

get good cleanser foams which helps

wash away dirt without ridding the

skin of its natural oils.

Use twice a day - before shaving

and before sleeping at night.

Cleansing your face before going to

bed is essential as the skin goes into

restoration mode in the night. There

are two types of cleansers - foaming

cleansers and cream cleansers.

Foaming cleansers are great for

removing excess oils while cream

ones get rid of only dirt and are good

for dry skin.

GO AND EXFOLIATE

If you are feeling a bit squeamish

about all this, relax. Majority of the

men you bump into are indulging

all of this, but they are not going to

reveal it and you do the same. Do it

in the confines of your home, your

bathroom and who is going to know?

After all, the effort is worth it because

you are going to get good skin in the

bargain.

Now, it is not just about getting rid

of the dirt on your face.

The skin’s surface builds-up a

superficial layer of dead skin cells

that make your skin look dull and

lifeless. With exfoliation, the dead

cells are gently removed and it helps

the skin to absorb external nutrients

that leads to healthy-looking skin.

For sensitive skin, use non-abrasive

formulas.

Do not use your body scrub on

your face and never exfoliate the

immediate area surrounding your

eye as a scrub is too harsh for the

delicate skin around the eyes. An

exfoliating scrub with fine grains used

once a week is going to give your

face a vibrant look.

GOOD TO MOSTURISE

Now, don’t shy away from lotions

and creams because they are great

moisturisers, which according to

experts, impart antioxidants to your

skin. “Rest assured that lotions are

good for normal skin, but, if you have

dry skin, then it is better that you get

more of oil-based creams,” Sarah,

a beautician, says. If you think you

are aging, that is your face looks old,

then the best option is to reach out

for a moisturiser.

One of the best advantages of

moisturising your face is preventing

the signs of aging. If you have

particularly sensitive skin, then

choose a moisturiser that is free of

fragrance and hypoallergenic.

PICK THEM UP FROM ANYWHERE

These skin-care products such

as facial cleansers, exfoliants and

moisturisers can be picked up

from any up-market department

store, spas or at a dermatologist’s.

However, each of them has several

products that are specific for certain

skin types for maximum results. So

choose carefully and combat bad

skin with the right ones. Be aware

of exactly what your skin requires

before starting any regimen. Consult

a dermatologist or any skin specialist

at any local clinics to give you an

idea about this.

Men wouldn’t dream of having skin as good as

women, but can’t they just have good skin? Is that too

much too ask?Today’s men need good

skin, make no doubts about that. But, do

they need to have their bathroom cabinets filled

with thousands of lotions, potions and gels?

Not necessarily. Skin problems are not unique to females; men are also

equally prone to them. The difference is that women

seem to automatically take care of them, while men seem to be a bit lost, or

otherwise too lazy to follow a strict regimen. Whether you are upto this task or not, here are some time-

tested ways to get that skin you were secretly

hankering for:

12 May 7-20, 2012

An

to men!

OPEN LETTER

“Men and women belong to different

species, and communication

between them is a science still in its

infancy.” – Bill Cosby

By Olivia Drake

Dear men,

Women are frustrated with you. You can’t communicate for nuts! You can’t communicate with us! Maybe I shouldn’t address all men, some are good at communicating, yet, it is impossible to deal with them anyway. But, I am restricting this to only those who simply can’t communicate. You men can’t even say a proper hi (maybe you are good at saying bye) and you can’t even make a proper phone call to say hello. Ok, you don’t like my saying it, then, fine. But, don’t tell me I did not warn you. You are garrulous when you come to your coffee buddies, but when it comes to us; the cat’s got your tongue! Unless you talk to us, tell us your feelings, listen to ours, and then tell us about your daily life, how you feel and want in life and what you want to do together with us and the like, then it becomes a communication. You should be open with us and tell us everything – yes, which is communication.When it comes to communication, you suddenly develop selective memory and you only speak about things you want to reveal. I simply cannot understand why you have to hold on to some silly things, which you feel only you should know. C’mon, we girls can take it; you don’t have to hide anything from us. We know that you are a bit scared about us and since you desperately want our approval, you hide about the things you automatically feel we don’t like.We don’t do that. In our approach to you, we are transparent, but it is not reciprocated and we feel cheated. We feel that you don’t value us as much as we do, and for you, we are the last priority. In such a climate of unfriendliness and downright distance keeping approach, why should we bridge the gap, break the barrier and come to you like as though we are men starved? Look, we don’t need you! It is the other way around – you need us and you better well know that. You have to chase us, not the other way around – you will chase and that is the way we are all programmed. And why should we waste time chasing you? We have far better things to do.Of course, sometimes we understand why you don’t communicate. You could be the shy type. The vulnerable type. The type that are afraid to risk it with a girl, but, then don’t be so prim and proper to the point of ad nauseam. We don’t like it. In short, we hope you can slowly attempt to improve your communication skills and then practice very hard until you’re better at it. It will take sometime but you will get better at it as times go by. It’s okay to be vulnerable to women. Some of them may not like it, but finally they are going to be okay with it and will not criticize you for it or bring you down. Finally, understand that women feel more appreciated when you open up to them. Communication in relationship is very important, if you are not willing to understand that, then rest assured that you are going to lose them.The choice is with you – take it or leave it!Until next time.

Men r

ead

13Black & White

By Adarsh Madhavan

O

ff th

e wallMy name is not Khan…

adarsh@blackandwhiteoman.com

My name is not Khan. Yet, I was stopped at the London

Heathrow (LHR) airport several years back. Not just

stopped – I was yanked out of the British Airways flight

just when I was getting comfy and feeling nice and

happy about being in a flight next to some fun-loving

travel companions and was about to get soaked in that

enjoyable ambience when someone suddenly rained on

my parade.

There I was enjoying being pampered and attended

to by some really pretty looking and happy-to-serve

airhostesses when suddenly there was an announcement

asking for ‘Mr A Mad a van’, or perhaps it could have

been just a ‘Mr Mad a van’. Whatever, suddenly you find

a very worried looking official asking around for me. The

man tells me that I had a problem in my passport and

I tell him whoah, my passport is with me and there is

nothing wrong with it. You must follow me Sir, the man

tells me very politely (very very politely uh oh) and the

air-conditioned flight slightly turned a bit too cold for my

comfort and I stopped sipping whatever I was sipping and

got up. Although it was not a big deal but most definitely a

consolation, I find that another member of our journalist-

travel agent group was also asked to follow yet another

official and we both trooped down the same path that we

had taken to the flight just 10 to 15 minutes back.

Unlike Sharukh, my name does not end with a Khan, but,

I always seem to encounter some problem at every airport

that I travel to. But, this took the cake. It is not a great

feeling to be pulled off a plane before it takes off. That is

almost like they were suspicious of us being some kind of

anti-social elements. At that stage, I was not just a scribe

-- I was part of an official invited tour – probably in 2002

- which the local BA had organised for us and we even

had a Muscat Intercontinental representative with us.

This tour involved us flying to both the UK and the US on

BA and we had a swell time perambulating the two sites,

especially the former. In fact, it was one of the most

enjoyable trips ever for me because we could do what

we wanted to do and we all felt like kings if not khans.

So, it was quite an unnerving feeling when the swell

trip ended being a damp squib like this. It left a pretty

bad taste in the mouth and when we got out to the

airport, we were both told that we had similar problems

in our passports. The problem was that our passports

did not show clear proof that it was renewed, they said.

We kept our cool and showed them the page where

it said that the passport needs to be renewed only

after 2010. Yes, the officer said, but where is the seal

– it needs to have a seal. And they stared at us a bit

more than was necessary. Suddenly panic hit us. This

was 2002 April alright and 9/11 (2001) was just some

months back. And we both, other than our natural born

belligerence, were also sporting a goatee and we were

both from India. A cold shiver engulfed us as we tried

to figure a way out of the situation, which was getting

worse with every minute and in that time even the flight

we were on took off abandoning us both. Stranded

at the airport! And the worst thing was that anything

could happen. If they did not clear us, we would both

be handed to the security and God alone knows when

we would get out – we both swirled nervously close

to an impending nightmare but still gritted out teeth

and did not show that we were upset. In fact, for once,

being level headed helped me, because, as the officer

whom we grilled (oh yes) after we were found to be

‘innocent’ told us, since we did not create a scene,

which was the norm in such situations, we were not

hauled off to the lam…otherwise… And it is not just

LHR; I am accustomed to some delay of sorts at the

US, Kenya, Thailand or even my hometown airport

and I tell you Sharukh this happens to me even though

my name is not Khan.

14 May 7-20, 2012

Two young twin sisters, formerly from Muscat, displayed

their musical talents at a carnatic vocal concert in

Chennai last weekend.

Twins Shruti and Sahana, daughters of Raman Kumar,

group controller, W. J. Towell Group, and his wife Gomati

Kumar, put their more than a decade long dedicated

pursuit of music under the tutelage of the popular Indian

songstress, Bombay Jayashri Ramnath, to the test.

The young singing duo performed in front of top music

stalwarts and others at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,

Mylapore, Chennai recently.

Padmabhushan Sangeetha Kala Acharya P.S.

Narayanaswami, who has taught almost every known

name in carnatic music and instrumental in producing

many present generation singers, was presiding.

The guests of honour were Nadabrahmam violin maestro

V.V.Subramaniam and padmashri sangeetha vidwan

professor S.R. Janakiraman. Shruti and Sahana grew up

in Muscat till 2007 and were students of the Indian School

Muscat (ISM). “They started learning carnatic music,

when they were just six, from Sudha Raghunathan, a

popular music teacher in Muscat. They were regular

Oman and Lithuania looks

set to join hands in the IT

and telecommunications

sectors here. Exciting

new possibilities offered

by a recent Lithuanian

delegation bodes well

for the development of

technological ties in the near future.

The Lithuanian delegation was invited by Anees bin Issa

Al Zadjali, honorary consul of Lithuania to participate in

the Comex 2012, the annual international IT exhibition.

The delegation participated in the five-day exhibition

to represent their country as well as to offer their latest

technological solutions and services to the companies

and government bodies in the Sultanate.

The delegation comprised eight members from various

leading IT and communication companies in Lithuania.

The members represented companies like Infobalt,

Etronika, Mitsoft and TeleSoftas.

Vytautas VITKAUSKAS, president of Infobalt and the

head of the Lithuanian delegation said that they were

ready to start their businesses in Oman because they

saw “big possibilities” here.

The other members included Bloeta SENKIENE, export

and investment manager Infobalt; Kestutis Gardziulis,

Ceo/co-founder, Etronika, Paulius Morkvenas, project

manager and Laima Kopylovaite, system analyst of

Etronika; Dr Arunas Stockus, systems analyst, MitSoft

and Algirdas Stonys, Ceo of TeleSoftas.

The delegation showcased the latest IT and

communication services to visitors and also met with

government and private sector representatives as well as

IT enthusiasts.

Musical twins perform at Chennai Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

participants in all the music competitions in Muscat

conducted by the Indian Social Club and its various

wings, like the Malayalam wing etc. They were consistent

prize winners till such time they were here. Notable

among those were the prizes in the annual Keralotsavam

and also prizes in the ISC competitions judged by Jatin

Pandit of Jatin Lalit duo, in the open category duet, solo

in their categories and in the open group songs category,

when they were only 10,” Kumar, their father said.

Oman and Lithuania all set to collaborate in the IT and telecommunications segments

Word

pre

ss

15Black & White

At Auto China 2012 in Beijing, Audi is presenting a themed

vehicle based on the Q3 – the RS Q3 concept. Its engine, a

2.5 TFSI with 360 hp of power, and its body – lowered about

25 mm and widened with sharp visual details – explore the

potential of the Q3 model series in a new way. The Audi RS

Q3 concept’s single-frame radiator grille is framed by brushed

and polished aluminum and the black honeycomb grille insert

creates a distinct three-dimensional effect. A silver quattro

signature is integrated into the lower area of the grille. The

headlights are slightly tinted with parts in dark chrome and

carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). The bumper was

also redesigned. The inner sections of the air intakes have

honeycomb screen inserts while their outer sections are

made of CFRP. The front spoiler is also made of CFRP.

Audi RS Q3 concept

BankMuscat has moved up again to

reinforce its ranking at 300 among

the top 500 global banking brands

compared to 331 in 2011. The 2012

Brand Finance Banking®500 report,

published in association with The

Banker magazine, retained the

Bank’s brand rating at ‘AA’, while the

brand value accounted for almost 9

per cent of its market capitalisation.

Elated on the global brand

recognition, AbdulRazak Ali Issa,

Chief Executive, said: “BankMuscat

is delighted to record sustained

growth in global brand ranking. The

Brand Finance Banking®500 report

is a benchmarking study of the

strength, risk and future potential of

the global banking brands as well as

a summary measure of their financial

strength. BankMuscat understands

the relationship between brand equity

and key value drivers in the business

model and views brand management

as a key element to enhance value

for all stakeholders.”

BankMuscat ranked 300 among top global banking brands

Travel Point LLC and Big Bus Tours LLC, UK, have

entered into a joint venture to announce the introduction

of City Tours into ‘Oman’, the Arab Tourism Capital 2012.

Tour Oman, which is the inbound division of Travel Point

and a full-fledged DMC, will handle the operations of

the Big Bus in Oman. Big Bus Tours already operates

sightseeing tours in 12 cities around the world, and this

new tour, will provide visitors with the perfect introduction

to the city of Muscat. Customers will be shown all the

finest sights of the city, from the historic Muttrah souk

to the glistening waters of the Gulf of Oman; and from

panoramic mountain views to traditional forts and

palaces.

The service is starting out with a two hour panoramic tour

of Muscat, departing at intervals throughout each day

from Muttrah souk. A dedicated tour guide will provide an

entertaining and colourful commentary, providing valuable

historical information and a real insight into the ways and

workings of the city.

Mike Lees, general manager, Big Bus Tours, Dubai, said:

“We are delighted and excited to bring our tour to the city

of Muscat. It will provide the growing numbers of tourists

in this destination with a great opportunity to discover the

city and its history, with the combination of informative

commentary and breathtaking views from atop the

buses; making this tour an essential part of the Muscat

experience.”

Sunil Prabhakar, group general manager of Travel Point

added, “We are very happy to partner with Big Bus Tours

and excited to showcase Muscat and its beauty to both

tourists and locals alike. This is a wonderful project that

will provide visitors the perfect introduction to all that

Muscat has to offer.”

Both the companies intend to expand the itinerary of the

tour as well as the route to offer a very comprehensive

view of the Omani natural beauty. All the tourist will have

to do is sit back, relax, and take it all in from the vantage

point of big red, double-decker open top bus.

Travel Point partners with Big Bus

16 May 7-20, 2012

Dawood group of companies announced the opening of

the first franchisee showroom of the brand Novel in the

AGCC and choosing Oman as its first destination.

The citizens of Muscat will have lots to look forward to in

the 1150sqm outlet which will be located at the Markaz

Al Bahja Shopping Mall.

With more than 35 years of furniture fabricating

experience, Novel has gained the highest appraisal

from its initial concept, design, material to the final

product quality.

Word

pre

ss

Oman Drydock Company (ODC)

recently organised its social

contribution programme to the

society by initiating and completing

the beach cleanup campaign in

Duqm successfully. In all, there

were 60 employees from different

departments who participated in this

event.

The campaign lasted for almost two

hours. All participants did involve with

excellent enthusiasm and abiding

cheerfulness in accomplishing this

cause without failure.

This campaign was organised by

Oman Drydock

Company organises Duqm beach cleaning campaign

HSSE department to raise the

environmental awareness among

the employees in a way that will,

eventually, result in motivating them

to conduct their daily duties in an

environmentally friendly manner.

Due to the encouraging results

of the event, other environmental

campaigns will follow in the future

as part of HSSE activities of the

organisation with the involvement of

other departments.

Further, continual effort will be

directed towards this cause in order

to maintain a good environmental

status within the shipyard as well

as in the surrounding area here

in Duqm. Moreover, the ODC will

always pay great consideration

towards the environment by

complying with all the applicable

environmental regulations of ministry

of environment and climate affairs’.

Giordano spring series collection

Giordano launched the finale of its 2012 spring

collection series, featuring new style wrinkle-free

shirts for men and on trend shoulder ball tops for

ladies. “At Giordano, we continue to spice up our

offerings with stylish clothes with an uncompromising

commitment to quality and look,” said Ishwar

Chungani, executive director of Giordano Middle

East, India and Africa. “Our customer is always our

focus and we want to make sure that every time they

visits any of Giordano’s 226 stores across the region,

they will find something that meets their needs.”

The Giordano’s final phase of spring collection is

available in all Giordano stores across the Middle

East starting May 1.

Novel design premium Malaysian furniture brand

17Black & White

North America based Ward’s AutoWorld is well known for

its annual '10 Best Engines' (also considered as the engine

Oscars) list, but the prestigious trade publication has now

added a second award category – ‘INTERIORS’. Ward’s

AutoWorld rebranded the list in 2011 by naming the

coolest car cockpits under the '10 Best Interiors' tagline.

The 2012 Chrysler 300 C is one of the winners this year

of this coveted award. This year’s winners are a relatively

diverse lot, with hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers all

making the list. Chris Edwards, general manager of Dhofar

Automotive, said: “We are delighted that the 2012 Chrysler

300C sedan has received this prestigious accolade in US

despite tough competition from brands across the globe.

From the onset, the model was designed to be the most

luxurious and fuel-efficient Chrysler flagship sedan ever.

The executive edition combines ultra-premium features

that was once limited to some of the most exotic and

expensive Italian luxury cars.”

Chrysler 300C has best interior

Jadavpur University alumni, Oman chapter, orchestrated ‘Sanskriti

2012’, as an extension of the popular university campus festival,

recently. Indian ambassador J S Mukul underlined Jadavpur University

alumni’s remarkable presence in Oman with its multifaceted social,

educational and cultural activities. ‘Sanskriti 2012’ opened with

‘Dontorongo’ a one-act play performed by alumni members who

attracted a round of applause in the auditorium. This was followed by

Karma’s unique fusion of Indian classical music and contemporary jazz,

Afro-Cuban styles and Mediterranean music. Karma’s band members

– tabla maestro, Grammy award nominated Pt Subhen Chatterjee,

Grammy award winner Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt of Mohan Veena fame,

award winning singer Raghab Chatterjee, wonder drummer Sambit

Chatterjee, young guitar virtuoso Subham Mitra and keyboard wizard

Subhas Mondal presented a musical euphoria for Muscat’s music

aficionados. The electrifying melody and power house performance of

Karma attracted enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Jadavpur University alumni's ‘Sanskriti – 2012’

The Environment Society of Oman

(ESO) was recently awarded the

Hima fund to conduct a research

project on the Egyptian vulture in

Oman. Hima Fund is a regional

fund, established to provide grants

to conserve Important Bird Areas

(IBAs) in the Middle East. Hima is a

traditional system of land designation

and customary practice and aims

for the protection of land, and the

sustainable use of natural resources

by the local communities.

Masirah Island has been designated

an IBA in 2001 and is home to

numerous bird species, both

resident and migratory. The island

is an important site for wintering

and migrating waterbirds in the

Middle East.The Egyptian Vulture or

Neophron percnopterus, is believed

to be an abundant passage migrant

and winter visitor to Oman and

the Island, and a resident over the

summer season. It is listed as an

endangered species on the IUCN

Red List (International Union for

the Conservation of Nature) and

is a priority for conservation work.

Through this project, carried for a

period of 11 months, the society will

seek to understand the status of the

existing Egyptian Vultures population

in Oman to support any conservation

action. Few challenges are expected

to be faced throughout the project

as ‘the bird is not very popular on

the Island of Masirah as its local

name, al rakhma, is often used as an

offense among the local population’

says project manager Maia Sarrouf.

ESO awarded Hima Fund Grant to research Egyptian vulture on Masirah island

18 May 7-20, 2012

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Suhail Bahwan Automobiles

(SBA), the exclusive importers and

distributors of Nissan vehicles in

Oman, unveiled the all new Nissan

Micra, the zippy and smart compact

hatchback. Coupled with its trendy

looks, characteristic agility and

distinctive lifestyle appeal, Micra

is sure to offer a highly-rewarding

driving experience to its discerning

consumers.

The glittering launch ceremony was

presided by Ahmed Suhail Bahwan,

chairman of SBA and Divyendu

Kumar, managing director of SBA

and other key dignitaries in the

presence of select customers and

the media.

Commenting on the occasion, Ahmed

Suhail Bahwan said, “In a short

period of seven years since inception,

SBA has carved out a strong niche

Nissan Micra 2012 launched in Oman

for itself in the automobile market in

the Sultanate. Driven by customer-

centric philosophy, we have been

continuously offering new products

and value-added services to our

valued customers.

The introduction of the All New

Nissan Micra, after launching Nissan

Sunny last month is a testimony to

this fact”.

Divyendu Kumar, added, “The

All New Nissan Micra 2012 is a

powerful, safe and fuel-efficient

city car possessing all the features

required to become the segment

leader in the Sultanate."

Affirming their commitment

to environmental

sustainability, OCTAL

Petrochemicals employees

planted 50 native

Frankincense trees at the

company’s 47-hectare

PET Complex in the

Salalah Free Zone in

honour of World Earth Day

2012. The trees, provided

by the Environment

Society of Oman, were

added to the company’s greenbelt which is comprised

of a variety of indigenous

flora to further support the

biodiversity of the region.

Ahmed Al Najjar, director

of government affairs at

OCTAL, explained that

the tree planting exercise

is part of the company’s

efforts to mitigate the

impact of carbon emissions

and combat desertification

while helping to restore the

diminishing population of

frankincense trees among other native trees in Oman.

OCTAL petrochemicals plants 50 frankincense trees in Salalah

Suhail Chemical Industries LLC (SCI) has

been accredited with ISO: 9001:2008 Quality

Management System certification by Velosi Quality

Management International.

Suhail Chemical Industries ISO 9000 certification

19Black & White

Pizza Hut Oman recently conducted a rigorous training

programme for its call centre agents as a part of its quality

initiative to provide excellent customer service that matches

its world-class standards. This training was conducted in

association with Khimji Training Institute, Muscat.

The programme focussed on areas like: identify the

characteristics of excellent customer service; demonstrating

professional call etiquette; improving the agents spoken

English; identifying and explaining the elements of the

call flow including special training on dealing with difficult

customers. The programme was designed to enhance

excellence in customer service. Yogesh Shah, general

manager, Pizza Hut Oman said, “As one of the most

preferred family dining restaurants in Oman, Pizza Hut has

been serving the best ingredients of pizza’s and pasta’s to its

valued customers over the last 23 years."

“It has been more than a year since I started my career with

Pizza Hut Oman. I feel confident about my knowledge and

skills attained during this period. The techniques imbibed by

our team during this interactive training session will definitely

help us to serve our customers better,” said Hanaa Abdulhadi

Nasib Al Harthi, Call Center Agent at Pizza Hut Oman.

Towell Auto Centre’s (TAC) Mazda

brand has recently emerged among

one of the strongest consumer

brands in Oman, and has been

awarded the highly coveted

‘Superbrands’ title. Having a

marketing programme that breaks

conventions, and lays emphasis on

the building of long term relationships

with customers, Mazda joins the

aspirational league of some of

the Sultanate’s top most brands,

thereby highlighting its distinctive

image and position in the Omani

automotive market. Speaking about

winning the coveted accolade, S.

Kasthurirengan, Ceo, TAC says,

“We restructured our marketing

department about six years back and

have been consistently investing in

marketing and branding initiatives

for Mazda. I am proud and happy to

learn that the hard work put in by our

marketing department has received

a global recognition. Everybody in

our team is absolutely committed

to delivering exceptional levels of

customer service and the winning

of the ‘Superbrands’ title proves

the ever increasing strength of the

Mazda brand in Oman, which is also

reflected in our huge gain in market

share figures across the country.”

Annurag Chawla, head of marketing

and communications, TAC adds,

“Known to be a celebration of many

a country’s high profile brands,

‘Superbrands’ is a highly aspirational

accolade. Winning the ‘Superbrands’

title is very special for us, as this is

probably the first time that Mazda

has been awarded ‘Superbrand’

status in the AGCC and the region,

and we are delighted that we’ve

achieved this coveted title amongst

some extremely stiff competition.”

Mazda awarded ‘Superbrands’ status in Oman

Pizza Hut call centre agents training

Second Cup Oman has introduced four ‘irresistible’

drinks that have been delicately blended to

offer a revitalising experience, as temperatures

begin to soar. This is part of the coffee house’s

ongoing commitment to delivering on the promise

of providing customers with variety. From hot to

cold beverages which feature rich flavours of, the

newly introduced options are part of Second Cup’s

product development strategy. Describing the four

new additions to the Second Cup extensive menu

Jannat Moosa, marketing director at Bin Mirza

International explained that the “Mint Lemonade

Chiller is expected to be hugely popular given its

zesty taste and cooling affect. The Chocolate Chai

Latte is available in both hot and cold variations

and is made with the finest imported cocoas, lightly

spiced with cardamom and cinnamon. Bringing

the best of both worlds, the Coffee Toffee Latte

combines velvety caramel with creamy m ocha. The

newly introduced drinks will be available until mid-

May of this year at Second Cup branches located

in Qurum, Shatti Al Qurum, Bareeq Al Shatti and at

the Omantel’s Headquarters in Mawaleh.

Second Cup summer new drinks

20 May 7-20, 2012

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Primary students

at The Sultan’s

School have raised

an additional

OMR940.400 for

the Sindbad Mobile

Library, a joint

project between Al

Roya Publishing

and Dar Al Atta’s

‘Let’s Read’ campaign. An active supporter of the

Sindbad Mobile Library, primary students from ages

3 to 11 raised close to OMR2000 earlier in the year

through a non-uniform day and coin lines during Maths

Week. Participating in community projects is part and

parcel of The Sultan’s School’s ethos.

The school recognises that not every child outside

Muscat is privileged enough to access quality books

every day. By supporting this very valuable resource

and worthy cause, students of The Sultan’s School

are able to appreciate the importance and value of

education while ensuring similar opportunities are

possible for others.

The Sultan’s School raises money in continued support of the

Sindbad mobile library

A fully packed hall witnessed rocking

performances of nearly 130 dancers

in different categories (solo, duets

and groups) at the MKP dance

festival – 2012 presented by Muscat

Kathiyawadi Parivar at Rise Vision

Hall, Darsait, recently. The event,

which was held in association with

Abu Muneer Al- Hashmi Trading

LLC, was to mark the Gujarat Day

celebration.

Colourful dances from all parts and

varied cultures from across India

were presented by MKP. In spite of

closing the participation before 15

days, 110 youngsters showed their

talents with classical, semi-classical,

Bollywood, folk and western dances.

Muscat

Kathiyawadi

Pariwar marks Gujarat Day with dance festival

“Whenever Gujarat Day is

celebrated, we see focus on garba

and dandia raas dances. Though

garba and dandia represents

the Gujarati culture, we wanted

to expand our horizon to include

dances from Kashmir, Rajasthan,

Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil

Nadu and offer a beautiful dance

festival on such an important day,”

Dipti Raval, the chief programme

director of MKP said, adding that

MKP had organised many other

quality programmes before. This

programme was sponsored by Sky

Falcon Trading, Silver Shell Trading

& Contracting, NAPCO, Al Mudhish

(Oman Foodstuff Factory), Ramniklal

B Kothary & Co, Majdi Spices (Towell

Group), Pizza Express, Shang

Thai, Rajdhani Restaurant, Tawa

Magic Restaurant, Al Azb Pure

Drinking Water, Pran Juices, Taiseer

Electronics, Modern Square Trading,

Color Impressions, Country Club

Holidays and Shah Nagardas Manji.

Win 100 free trolleys in exciting

sultan center promotionCustomers at the Sultan

Center in Qurum this

month can win their

trolley load of groceries

absolutely free!

The contents of 100 free

trolleys will be given

away over the 15 day

extravaganza during

which time the Sultan

Center will ‘Spin the Wheel’ and surprise up to seven

lucky shoppers every day. At random times during the

morning and late afternoon, the wheel of fortune will be

spun and a cashier number selected. The customer at

the selected cashier at that time will win the contents of

whatever is in their trolley absolutely free. Dana Geadah,

marketing manager, Sultan Center said, “The more you

put in your trolley and the more frequent you shop at

Sultan Center the more you can potentially win in our

newest and most exciting promotion to date. Being in

the right place at the right time is something we can

never predict so the element of surprise makes this

giveaway even more thrilling for our shoppers!”

The ‘Win 100 free trolleys’ promotion runs until April 30.

Visit www.sultan-center.com.

21Black & White

THIRD EDITION OF SUDOKU

When we started the numbers game, we were

apprehensive whether we would be able to create

enough interest with our readers as well as the public.

It is a numbers game that needs no professional

expertise. Anyone and everyone can do it and it is

said that Sudoku is a game beyond borders since it

does not require any language.

Every time I travel, I see someone or the other

diligently filling in a Sudoku puzzle featured in a

newspaper either at the airport lounges or inside the

flights. I was always fascinated by the game and I am

sure there are many out there who are good at it. Last

two years we saw over 300 to 700 participants, from

kids to ladies to people of all ages, trying hard to finish

the game ultra fast, all of which ensued in a nail biting

finish.

The first edition’s Omani champion Marwa told the

B&W team that she was only good at Sudoku and

she was waiting for someone to start a competition,

We hope to make a difference this year and we hope to help the autistic as well as create more excitement to Sudoku lovers

Mohamed Issa Al ZadjaliEditor-in-chief

In Black...

& White

In B

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Whit

e

and when it happened, it was dream come true for her.

And she was very fast. All of this gave us an impetus

to go ahead and make it an annual competition. This

year again we have entries from all over Oman. We

hope to see this competition become more regional and

international soon.

GEORGE WIDENER AGAIN

The Sudoku event is an autism awareness event and

this year we will have the world famous autistic savant

George Widener back with us to promote the cause. He

had impressed Oman two years back in 2010, when he

displayed his calendar calculation talent to the audience.

He is an artist par excellence, a simple human being, but

an intellectual giant with dates and numbers.

We hope to make a difference this year and we hope to

help the autistic as well as create more excitement to

Sudoku lovers. We want you to not only read about it,

but also to come and participate in the event. Not just the

Sudoku game, but to just be there. Your presence alone

will help this cause. So, be there on June 1 at the Oman

Auditorium of Al Bustan Palace hotel!

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23Black & White

Your daughter is not autistic

because you are a

bad mother!

“Is it because I am a bad parent that my daughter is autistic?” Sabah Al

Zadjali (*), a mother of an autistic child genuinely asks. One is pained to hear the question. Despite the work done

by so many here to promote the cause of autism, doubts like this still arise

among the parents. It is not that they don’t know. It is the sheer desperation among parents who do not know how to cope with a child who has autism.

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BIOLOGICAL DISORDER

In the 1960s and 70s, Dr Bernard Remand, the father of

a son with autism, who later founded the Autism Society

of America and the Autism Research Institute, helped the

medical community understand that autism is not caused

by cold parents but rather is a biological disorder.

So even though Sabah Al Zadjali might like to whip

herself, the underlying factor is that it is not because of

anyone’s fault.

UNWANTED GUILT

But, somehow, the guilt continues in some parents.

Alaa Ghalib Hassan, mother of Zaid Nizar, a seven plus

year old son, remembers how she felt when the latter

remained silent. All he would do was make some noises,

clap and his movements were not with much aim.

Alaa’s husband work involved travelling and so there

were many occasions when she was the only one with

her son and initially she thought that his silences were

because of that. But, luckily for Zaid, Alaa was made of

different material. She was a one-woman army against

autism and soon her persistent efforts to bring her son to

normalcy worked. Zaid is a different boy today. Her efforts

paid off and after a long haul, she began to see positive

changes in her son. “But, it has not been easy,” she

confesses. It is this hard trek that makes many parents

baulk at the long road ahead of them when they have an

autistic child.

ONE OUT OF 150

But although more people are working, not just in Oman,

for the cause of autism, even today, the exact cause

of autism is not very clear. What is clear though is that

autism affects 1 of 150 kids.

The brain contains over 100 billion nerve cells called

neurons. Each neuron may have hundreds or thousands

of connections that carry messages to other nerve cells

in the brain and body. The connections and the chemical

messengers (called neurotransmitters) let the neurons

that help you see, move, remember, and work together as

they should, but for some reason some of the cells and

connections in the brain of a kid with autism –especially

those that affect communication, emotion, and senses-

don’t develop properly or get damaged. Scientists are still

trying to understand how and why this happens.

About one in 10 persons with autism spectrum disorder

will have special skills, or, they are islands of geniuses

with special skills in music, art, math or virtual-spatial

abilities, Dr Darold A. Treffert, a world renowned savant

expert tells us.

“Also, autism is not due to faulty parenting,” Dr Treffert

stressed. “There is no evidence to suggest such a link

and my work with the many families of children with

autism have shown them to be very caring and loving

parents with no hint whatsoever that bad parenting had

anything to do with the presence of autism.

NO BIOLOGICAL TESTS

Unfortunately, there are no any biological tests that can

be done to detect if a child is suffering from autism or not,

the diagnosis of autism depends solely on observation

and also educational and psychological testing.

An autism-specific screening tool, such as the Modified

Checklist of Autism in Toddlers (MCHAT) should be

used. The MCHAT is a list of simple questions about the

child. The answers determine whether he or she should

be referred to a specialist, usually a developmental

paediatrician, a neurologist, a psychiatrist or a

psychologist, for further evaluation.

However, autism does have a genetic component, which

can be triggered by certain environmental or other factors,

Dr Treffert points out, adding however that research is

continuing in order to fully establish the exact link.

NO EMOTIONS

People with autism tend to have problems with ordinary

While all of us may still be groping in the dark to find out the real cause of autism, rest assured that it is not because of bad

parenting or cold mothers.Indeed, many years ago, Dr Leo Kanner, a psychiatrist, made

this bombshell statement that autism was caused by cold, unloving mothers. Bruno Bettelheim, a renowned professor of child development supported this misinterpretation of autism.

Their promotion of the idea that unloving mothers caused their children’s autism created a generation of parents who carried

the tremendous burden of guilt for their children’s disability

25Black & White

language or day to day communication. “They also tend

to be quite isolated and alone and have difficulty with

social skills, socialisation and just ‘fitting in’,” Dr Treffert

noted.

People with autism are unable to feel emotions or

develop personal attachments. However, with time and

effort, such barriers to feelings can be overcome so that

the autistic persons can still give and seek affection.

FUTURE IS NOT BLEAK

So, the future should not be all that bleak for those

afflicted with autism. Early intervention and treatment

benefits most children with autism and treatment can help

adults with that condition as well.

Experts in Oman note that studies have shown that

early intensive intervention is directly correlated with

positive outcomes in children with autism. In the sense,

if a child begins intensive therapy at a very early stage,

the chances that the child will lead a productive life is a

distinct possibility.

But, at the same time, without proper intervention, the

future for a child with autism is often bleak. “Seventy-

five percent of children with autism test in the mentally

retarded range prior to therapies and treatments. More

than 50 percent of children with autism who do not

receive early intensive intervention will remain non-

verbal. There was a time when these grim statistics were

lifelong probabilities, but today, with recent advances

in educational interventions, autistic children can make

astounding gains, sometimes even losing their diagnosis

of autism,” a report notes.

Dr Teffert notes that resources to provide early

intervention are now becoming available in most

countries. Research to find even more effective

treatments and to share such advances and insights

are now there with families, caregivers and treatment

personnel.

But, what is required in Oman is a much more concerted

and bigger effort because only fledgling work has been

done so far. Parents of autistic children and the latter

themselves need support. Without support, the road

ahead is not that easy.

(*) not real name

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Autistic children do not remain

children for ever, notes a top Omani

campaigner of autism.

DR YAHYA AL FARSI, assistant

dean for training and community

service at the College of Medicine

& Health Sciences, SQU noted at

a recent conference the need to

understand that autistic children

finally grow up and stressed on the

need to look at those aspects too.

He was speaking at a conference on

autism in March this year when he

made the above observation.

As part of an initiative to establish a

national centre for autism in Oman,

‘The First International Conference

on Autism: Accepting Difference’

conference was organised by the

Language Centre Social Committee,

in association with the College of

Medicine & Health Sciences at the

Sultan Qaboos University some

months ago.

The conference provided

professionals and parents of autistic

children with a clearer understanding

of the diagnostic criteria for autism.

Dr Yahya Al Farsi spoke about how

over the last two decades, the world

had been witnessing an incredible

increase in the prevalence of autism.

“Despite all efforts made to study

and support autistic children, the

fact is that the world appears to be

not ready yet to provide full range of

services that those children deserve.

People with autism are often referred

to as ‘autistic children’. We need

to realise that they do not remain

children for ever.

They grow up to adulthood and look

for successful social and professional

life, like any other person in the

society,” Dr Al Farsi pointed out.

So, what happens to autistic kids

when they grow up in Oman? Do

they get to have a family or a job?

What happens when autistic children grow up?

Does their quality of life get better,

worse, or stay the same? What kind

of support or services do middle aged

people with autism need in Oman?

What do they get? Are they happy?

Looking at efforts in this direction in

other countries can give parents real

cause for hope.

There are cases of speech impaired

children becoming pretty successful

adults, but after several years. A

significant number of disabled autistic

kids grew up to have families, jobs

and a self-described decent quality

of life. Most people got better – not

worse – with age.

On the occasion of 11th Annual Day of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), six research projects were

selected for Strategic Research Fund for the year 2011.

One of the qualified projects for 2011 was:

Autism in Oman, Epidemiology and Etiology (Principal Investigator: Dr Yahya Al Farsi, assistant professor,

department of family medicine and public health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Until 2008, little information has been known about autism in Oman. On September 2008, the newly-

formulated Autism Research Group (ARG) at SQU initiated research activities which resulted in important

findings, namely estimation of prevalence in Oman, quantification of malnutrition among autistics, and

ascertainment of a strong association between suboptimal breastfeeding and autism.

The generous funds donated by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said will be used to support long-term,

multidisciplinary strategic research projects of importance to the Sultanate. The aim of such projects

is to generate new knowledge and discoveries leading to substantial socio-economic benefits to the

Omani society in the long run. Researchers are expected to obtain major results and identify anticipated

direct benefits to prospective users. This type of research is expected to help the University build an

infrastructure for “centres of excellence” in vital areas, in addition to making a solid contribution to the

advancement of University’s academic programmes.

‘Autism in Oman’ was selected for strategic research fund in 2011

27Black & White

Black & White has managed to

successfully connect the popular

puzzle, Sudoku, with autism for the

last two years. And, in the first edition

itself an Omani girl won. Marwa Al

Wadhahi became the Sultanate’s

first-ever Sudoku champion.

Do bear in mind that although

Sudoku is a very popular puzzle

game, it was only in the realm of

newspapers and it never got beyond

it. Thanks to the cause and the way

it was connected with the puzzle,

Sudoku leapt out of the papers and

became a major hit.

Marwa, who was just 19 then, took

12 minutes to complete a very

complex puzzle created by former

Sudoku world champion, Thomas

Snyder.

She competed against other Sudoku

wizards at the final of the first-ever

Black & White ‘You Play Sudoku’

Open to All Competition – 2010,

which was held at the Oman

Auditorium of Al Bustan Palace hotel.

Kalpana D’Silva and Madhvi Kumar

were the first and second runners

up, recently. In the second edition, S.

Vishwanath, a chartered accountant,

was crowned the Sudoku champion.

He was one among the eight

contenders who went into the final of

the Sudoku event. The final session

were contested between Vishwanath

and Premlatha Muralikrishnan.

Marwa and Vishwanath -- first and second year Sudoku champs

The 3rd edition of Black & White 'Sudoku for a Cause' Preliminary Competition is scheduled at Indian School Ghubra

premises on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 7pm.The Grand Finale will be held at the Oman Auditiorium, Al Bustan Palace Hotel on Friday, June 1, 2012 at 7.30 pm

Let's under

Preliminary on May 30, 2012

7 pm at Indian School Al Ghubra

rstand Autism

Grand Finale on June 1, 2012

7.30pm at Oman Auditorium, Al Bustan Palace Hotel

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31Black & White

The life of prodigious autistic savant, George Widener, is

a story for all to learn from – even those who are remotely

related to autism.

George was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1962. He

showed clear signs of autism as well as giftedness as a

child. However a combination of growing up in a poor,

multi-racial Appalachian family and the public lack of

understanding of autism (in this case high-functioning

autism known as Asperger’s Disorder) in the 1960s

allowed him to remain undiagnosed until he was into

adulthood.

As a result, George spent years living hand to mouth,

often working ‘day labor’ jobs and staying in homeless

shelters. He also spent his time in libraries reading and

making his drawings. George has thousands of specific

historical trivia and facts in his memory, often strange and

even tragic details which he finds obsessively fascinating.

Give George Widener any date in history and he can,

within seconds, tell you what day of the week it was.

Numbers follow George wherever he goes, he finds

comfort in them, and he considers them his friends.

George says no-one ever taught him to calculate

calendars. In fact, he insists he’s not calculating at all.

George’s skill is phenomenal, but it comes at a cost. He

suffers from a form of autism, a brain disorder that leads

to awkwardness and social isolation.

As a child, school was a place of fear and dread, but

a chance encounter at his grandmother’s house when

he was seven changed his life. He met another child

who was fascinated with his grandmother’s calendar.

Today, George is perhaps the world’s greatest calendar

calculator, but he is not unique. He belongs to a select

group of people known as savants.

In 2004 he easily defeated a former NASA scientist

(“What day of the week will June 25th be in the year

47,253?”) who was using paper, pencil, and formulas

(and eventually a laptop computer) in a ‘contest’ shown

on a Japanese TV science documentary.

Despite being autistic, progress has been made in

George’s life by emphasising his strengths rather than

trying to ‘correct’ his weaknesses. All his life George has

made various drawings and had numbers in his head

and so this is what he focuses on today versus trying to

have some career with broader interests. He is a lightning

calendar calculator with a seemingly unlimited range.

He also has instant recall of thousands of historical

trivia, facts, world and US census figures (“Population of

Boston, Mass is 589,141 in last census”) that has had

some sort of interest to him. Mention the ‘Powers of Two’

to him and he might reel them off in rapid fire progression

up to 20 digits (1, 2, 4....1073741824, 2147483648....) or

so. George graduated from college when he was 37 while

in a special education programme for learning disabled

persons at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville,

eventually earning a general Liberal Arts degree, Cum

Laude.

George has drawn all his life and his early artwork was

of a more stereotyped savant style, a sort of recording

of something he was looking at or had seen in the past.

He drew landscapes and portraits. His very talented

draughtsmanship gives him a range of technical abilities.

He has had to work to overcome his literal nature and

visual memory to create original artwork. George’s

emergence as an expressive, original artist came as

he began to place his revered numbers, calculations,

calendars, facts, machine parts, and letters into works on

found paper, often napkins.

George was the first savant who literally introduced

the Sudoku for Autism event of Black & White to the

public at the inaugural edition of the charity cause cum

competition.

This year this prodigious savant and date genius with

‘outstanding computational ability’ is here once again to

promote the cause in Oman.

As he himself tells us, he was once struggling and

actually lived on the streets several times, in Dallas,

London, and Amsterdam... But, today world famous ‘rock

stars’ are known to buy his work and they invite him to

their mansions in Europe. It is important, he tells those

afflicted with autism, that they find what they are good at

– some type of work or activity -- and then attempt to find

some happiness with it.

Find happiness from something you are good at: George Widener tells the autistic

B&

W X

clu

sive

32 May 7-20, 2012

33Black & White

For Snyder, solving a Sudoku puzzle comes naturally. “My pencil goes from

one square grid to another,” he says.

While there are many reasons that people enjoy Sudoku, one of the main

reason for Snyder is the “‘rush’ of entering the last few digits of a Sudoku and

the positive feedback of getting better at solving the puzzle after you’ve played

it for awhile”.

Snyder wants to compare the last moments with a Sudoku to the last

moments with a jigsaw puzzle (the puzzle most often associated with autism).

“You can easily spend over a week trying to piece together a 1000-piece

jigsaw puzzle, where it can take awhile to place even one more piece as you

get started, but as you get very close to the end, and have just 20 pieces, then

10 pieces, then 5, then 1, then finished, there is a real sense of excitement

and accomplishment (unless of course there is a missing piece which leads to

intense frustration!).

In a Sudoku, it is easy to get stuck on a puzzle and take awhile to even place

one more digit. But as you finally break through and approach the end, there

is the same sense of excitement and accomplishment (unless you realise you

wrote the same number twice in a row or column and have a mistake!).

Getting to the exciting point of a Sudoku requires much less time than a

jigsaw puzzle, so its much easier to want to do another right away, and I

think the release of endorphins that comes with finishing a Sudoku puzzle

contributes to its addictive qualities.”

Sudoku is addictive: US champ

He took seven minutes and seven seconds to win the United State of America’s first national Sudoku

championship. But, his fastest time to solve a Sudoku puzzle was just 52 seconds.

THOMAS SNYDER, whose puzzles are being used for the Sudoku for Autism event, is a famous former Sudoku champion. Snyder has won the US (2007) and World (2007 & 2008) Sudoku championships

and a five-time US Puzzle Champion (2006 – 2010)

34 May 7-20, 2012

There is something wrong with traffic in town. Something very very wrong.

Everyone is complaining. Everyone says they are getting late to get to

wherever they have to go, even if they start early. Everyone is getting stuck in

the road and traffic seems to be moving mostly at a snail pace. When things

are going slowly, why are accidents still happening? Accidents should be

down, right? Wrong. Cars are moving slowly, but accidents are happening;

cars are damaged, people are injured and fatalities are also continuing like

no man’s business. All in all one fears getting into a car and driving on the

road these days. Either you reach late, or you don’t reach at all.

When we first met Anasudhin Azeez, he was a young journalist of an English

daily in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Today, he is an award winning

editor of a fortnightly in Britain. Azeez, a Keralite, came to Oman on a very

serious mission: a cousin of his had committed suicide here in a downtown

area and he wanted to not only get to the root of it, but also finish many

formalities. I remember him arguing with the then head of Air India on setting

a precedence of sending the human remains of Indians who have passed

away in Oman free. I am not sure if the man did allow them to send Azeez’s

cousin’s remains free, but then somewhere down the line it has happened. A

precedent was actually set then…

Today, we learn that Azeez is doing quite well in Britain with Asian Lite, a

fortnightly focusing on British Asian events and issues. In fact, he even won

the prestigious ‘How-Do’ newspaper of the year award for this year (2012).

A judging panel comprising BBC veteran Jim Hancock and Google’s Andy

Barke selected Asian Lite as the Newspaper of the Year 2012 from the short-

list of eight leading British titles, including Rupert Murdoch-owned News

Corporations’ The Times; Newsquest’s The Bolton News and Johnston

Press Group’s Lancaster Guardian. Asian Lite was the only British ethnic

media title shortlisted in the 18 award categories. The award committee said

Asian Lite, published by New Asian Media Ltd, bucked the current British

trends in declining sales and circulation in publishing and derived innovative

solutions to identify new models and revenue streams.

“In the papers five-year history, we never took a single advert of psychics,

astrologers, faith healers or premium-priced chat lines. Journalism is more

than a business and we are trying our best to serve the community in a better

way,” Azeez is quoted as saying.

Something wrong

with traffic

Journalism is

more than a

business

Nit

tern

att

er

We have been thinking of it since quite sometime now. Fi-nally, we have taken the plunge to bring home to you some offbeat stuff. Here goes, if you like it, give us the green signal for more; if not, just take it with a pinch of salt. For this fort-night, here is some nitter natter for the B&W Bitter Batter:

35Black & White

We don’t know if an official complaint has been made, but the male staff

of a medium-sized company in town have targeted a female member and

have laid out various traps to catch her red handed at a task she has been

accused of doing. Want to know what the drama is all about? Since some

weeks now the male staff have been stumbling – well, not exactly – slipping,

shall we say, not that either, well they have been confronting slightly long

black hair either on the floor, their work stations, the meeting room and yes,

even in the pantry…and the yuck factor seems to have incensed the male

members, most of them sporting thinning and receding hairlines (one must

quickly add), who although accusing one lady of the hair fall, have not fully

been able to catch her in the act of shedding, so to speak. “It is just a matter

of time,” one of the main members of this ‘no hair shedding in office allowed’

group says. But, shouldn’t they be spending time and effort on their office

task than indulge in such non hair-raising issues, one would want to ask.

Tic tic bang bang

Hair of a woman

(Note: Readers who have something bitter to chatter about can either email on editor@blackandwhiteoman.com or call 99218461)

35Black & White

Smirk, smirk. “We are doing this event and we are going to bring this famous

star and another great celebrity…” we said. She went smirk, smirk again.

Must be a facial tic, we thought and dismissed it. Of course, not in the level of

Leonard Lowe (Robert De Niro) in the 1990 movie, Awakenings, but people

can have tics and they need not be in the style portrayed by Oscar winning

actors, we told ourselves. So, let it be, we said. Let her smirk, smirk, tic tic.

But the more we spoke about the event, the more smirk smirk tic tic, she

went. Time went tick tock tick tock and she went smirk tic smirk tic toc and

suddenly we saw red. Hey lady, you gotta stop it, we growled. What, she

asked as she continued with her smirk smirking, tic ticking… Our fingers

twitched; our hands shook; our lips trembled and our tongues were

ready to lash vitriol. Our hands went violent again to the point we

thought we were going to go bang bang burst… Stop it, we rumbled

as we furiously cut air between two gnashing set of teeth. Stop it, we

told the other senior person with this lady and added that if she did not

stop her tic, we were going to toc, sorry storm out. The man quickly

cut in, telling the lady with the tic to stop smirking and behave herself

before their guests and apologised to us. We stood up to leave, but

then she immediately stopped her tic tic ticking (oh, we gotta tell Dr

Malcolm Sayer – aka Robin Williams – of Awakenings that we have a

medicine better than his L-Dopa drug, which might work for tics) and

we sat down again for the discussion.

36 May 7-20, 2012

Lakshmi Mittal – the world’s steel tycoon

By Dr CK Anchan

Dr Anchan C.K.

managing director,

World Wide Business House

Lakshmi Niwas Mittal’s life is a rag- to-riches story with

a twist, as in he literally went from rags to riches. As a

youth, he lived on bare floors and slept on a thin, rope

mattress. Today, Lakshmi Mittal owns a majority stake

in Arcelor Mittal - the world’s largest steel company.

Mittal is the richest man in India, Asia and the

Kingdom, and is presently the 21st richest individual in

the world with a personal wealth of $20.7 billion. He is

the 44th “most powerful person” of the 68 individuals

named in Forbes’s Most Powerful People list.

In 2003, he acquired the Kensington mansion, said to

be the world’s most expensive home, from Formula

One racing’s Bernie Ecclestone for 70 million ($128

million). His daughter Vanisha Mittal’s wedding was

the second most expensive in the recorded history of

the world.

Mittal was born in 1950 in Sadulpur, India, a desert

village in the state of Rajasthan. His family moved to

Calcutta in the early 1960s, where his father became a

partner in a small steel company that began to prosper.

By 1969, Mittal had earned a degree in accounting

from St. Xavier’s, a prestigious college in Calcutta (now

Kolkata), and joined the family steel business.

In 1976, he traveled to Indonesia to look into a real-

estate investment for his father, and convinced him

to purchase a rundown steel mill there instead. The

roots of Mittal’s empire were in that Indonesian mill. He

founded his own company, which he called Ispat, the

Sanskrit word for “steel,” and modernised the mill. It

was a formula he replicated around the globe over the

next decade:

Mittal acquired mills in Trinidad, Mexico, and Algeria,

and turned the enterprises into profit-making plants.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, he

recognised new opportunities for his company,

because the heavily industrialised Eastern Bloc

boasted many immense steel mills. In 1995 Mittal

made an enormous investment in one in Kazakhstan,

Mittal spent $1 billion to buy and renovate the plant,

and it became one of the showpieces of his growing

empire.

Mittal returned to the headlines in Britain in October of

2004 when his company merged with the International

Steel Group, a holding group of five major U.S. steel

mills. With the purchase, Mittal Steel became the

world’s biggest steel producer.

In 2005 Mittal acquired a stake in China’s Hunan Valin

Iron & Steel Group for $314 million, which gave him

37 percent ownership. Industry analysts were not

surprised that Mittal had ventured into China, which is

the world’s single largest exporter and importer of steel.

Mittal scored another coup in June of 2006, when he

emerged victorious in a bitter battle to acquire Arcelor

of Luxembourg, the second largest steel company in

the world and Europe’s biggest.

One business strategy that Mittal employed to reach

the greatness of business excellence was through

always desiring for new and fresh grounds of business.

It is true that had Mittal decided to remain in India, he

would not be the wealthiest man in Europe today. He

however decided to change his business worldview

to suit the international market through switching from

India to London.

Business also entails doing something novel that will

add value to the already existing business world. Mittal

invented the use of Direct Reduced Iron or scrap as

a suitable substitute for steelmaking. In today’s world,

this trend is the most used for steel manufacturers. It is

therefore, not a mistake that Mittal, as a pioneer of this

scrap business has enjoyed the biggest shipments as

well as profits in the world out of this business.

Today Lakshmi Mittal is the face of a steel empire

called Arcelor Mittal. the world’s largest steel company

which accounts for 10 per cent of all crude steel

production. As the president and Ceo of the company,

he has steel-making facilities in 16 countries across

four continents that serve his customer base spanning

150 countries.

His success can be expressed in his own views: “Hard

work certainly goes a long way. These days a lot of

people work hard, so you have to make sure you work

even harder and really dedicate yourself to what you

are doing and setting out to achieve.”

Managem

ent

talk

36 April 7-30, 2012

Announcing

On Friday June 1, 2012

On Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Grand Finale

Preliminary

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319865274

524173986

768249315

956387142

832514769

4716925382011 C

onceptis Puzzles, D

ist. by King F

eatures Syndicate, Inc.

Difficulty Level8/11

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place

the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the

same number only once.

SOLUTION:

6

4

7

43

58

9 5

1

4

2

1

3

8

7

1

5 3

51

76

4

2

8 2011

Con

cept

is P

uzzl

es, D

ist.

by K

ing

Feat

ures

Syn

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By Dave Green

Difficulty Level 8/11

Guidelines & Rules

38 April 7-30, 2012

39Black & White

40 May 7-20, 2012

Here are some trivia on what causes tsunamis and some interesting information related to these great walls of water that can

cause so much destruction

Kid

s

41Black & White

Whether the weather be fine

Or whether the weather be not,

Whether the weather be cold,

Or whether the weather be hot,

We’ll weather the weather,

Whatever the weather,

Whether we like it or not

The Japanese word tsunami literally means ‘harbor

wave’.

Tsunamis are sometimes referred to as tidal waves but

this term has fallen out of favour because tsunamis are

not related to tides.

Tsunamis are huge waves of water that are usually

caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

As a tsunami approaches the shore, water may recede

from the coast, if it is shallow enough the water may be

pulled back hundred’s of metres. If you are in the area,

observing this is a good indication that a tsunami is on

the way.

Regions in tsunami danger zones often have warning

systems in place to give people as much time to

evacuate as possible.

When tsunamis hit shallow water (often near the coast)

they slow down but increase in height.

An earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia in

December 2004 caused a tsunami that killed over

200000 people in 14 countries.

In March 2011, the Tohoku earthquake off the eastern

coast of Japan caused a tsunami that was a major

factor in the death of over 15000 people.

The tsunami waves created by the Tohoku earthquake

reached heights of over 40 metres (131 feet) in some

areas, wiping out coastal towns and causing a number

of nuclear accidents.

A tsunami is a series of sea waves caused by an

underwater earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption.

More rarely, a tsunami can be generated by a giant

meteor impact with the ocean.

A tsunami is not just one wave but a series of waves or

a “wave train.”

Many witnesses say a tsunami sounds like a freight

train.

When the ocean is deep, tsunamis may be less than a

foot high on the ocean’s surface, can travel at speeds

up to 500 mph without being noticed and cross the

entire ocean in less than a day.

Tsunami waves can be as long as 60 miles and be as

far as an hour apart. These waves can cross entire

oceans without losing much energy.

Flooding can reach land 1000 feet (300 meters) from

the coastline and the dangerous waves have enough

force to lift giant boulders, flip vehicles, and demolish

houses.

Scientists can accurately estimate the time when a

tsunami will arrive almost anywhere around the world

based on calculations using the depth of the water,

distances from one place to another, and the time that

the earthquake or other event occurred.

Hawaii is the U.S. state at greatest risk for a tsunami –

they get about one per year and a damaging one every

seven years.

The biggest tsunami that occurred Hawaii happened

on April 1, 1946, where the coast of Hilo Island was

hit with 30 foot waves coming in at 500 miles per hour.

170 people died as a result.

In 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by an

earthquake that is thought to have had the energy of

23,000 atomic bombs. Within hours of the earthquake

in 2004, killer waves radiating from the epicenter

slammed into the coastline of 11 countries, damaging

countries from east Africa to Thailand. By the end

of the day, the tsunami had already killed 150,000

people. The final death toll was 283,000.

Not counting the 2011 tsunami in Japan, there were 26

tsunamis that killed at least 200 people or more in the

last century.

Tongue twisters

42 May 7-20, 2012

Salads Galore

Fresh summer tomatoes need almost nothing added to them. Tossing ripe tomatoes into a salad brings out the best in their flavour, and also

provides the most nutrition. Here are a few easy salads that will keep your menus cool:

Cookin

g

43Black & White

TOMATO ONION SALAD

Ingredients

3/4 lb. plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

1/2 sm. red onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 2 tbsp. dried basil

leaves

2 tbsp. vinegar

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 sm. clove garlic, minced

1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Method

In medium bowl, combine salad ingredients,

mixing well. Refrigerate. Toss salad just before

serving. Makes four servings

TOMATO BREAD SALAD

Ingredients

8 cups Italian bread cubes

3 cups chopped tomatoes

1 cup minced fresh basil

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons cider or vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

Method

In a large bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes,

basil and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together

the remaining ingredients; drizzle over bread

mixture. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes before

serving.

CHERRY TOMATO CORN SALAD

Ingredients

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber

Method

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the basil,

oil, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper; shake well.

In a large bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes and

cucumber. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

Refrigerate until serving.

44 May 7-20, 2012

It is time to change tactics

at both work and play, so step

outside your comfort zone and you

will catch others off guard. It’s all

about rebooting and restarting this

week so forget the past and focus

on the future. Long distance travel

may seem out of your reach but it

could still happen.

Home is where the heart

is usually rings true for you, but

this week home and hearth seems

like a lonely place. Mid week jolts

your attention over work matters, so

attend to them first then maybe you’ll

get the respite you need when you

return to your abode.

Edgy conversations could

lead to a standoff but think long term

before making major decisions about

work or love. Calm down. No matter

how hard you work or how much

effort you put in, it seems you’re

the only one who misses out on the

rewards, and you’re getting fed up

with it.

Filter the wild off the wall

ideas out of your mind over business

matters and concentrate on the tried

and tested ones that you know will

work. If a friend needs a shoulder to

cry on this week, be there for them.

They’ve been supportive of you in the

past and got you through some hard

times.

Trust your inner voice to

give you the guidance you need over

an emotional situation this week,

even if you have to work hard. You

haven’t played fair in the past and

now need to work out how to make

amends. It is only fair, especially if

you’ve been a taker and not a giver.

Sort it out.

The impact of Mercury

your ruling planet makes you more

outspoken about money, but try to be

sensitive to those with less than you

as you can be rather brusque in your

delivery of the facts at times. Allow

your softer side to break through.

You’ll get your own way anyway.

March 21-April 20

June 22-July 23

April 21-May 20

July 24-August 23

May 21-June 21

August 24-September 23

Your ARIES

CANCER

TAURUS

LEO

GEMINI

VIRGO

Horo

scope

ALFREDO JAMES "AL" PACINO (BORN APRIL 25, 1940) is an American

film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters,

including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy and Tony Montana in

Scarface, though he has also appeared several times on the other side of

the law — as a police officer, a detective and a lawyer. His role as Frank

Slade in Scent of a Woman won him the Academy Award for Best Actor

in 1993 after receiving seven previous Oscar nominations, one of them

being in the same year. He made his feature film debut in the 1969 film

Me, Natalie in a minor supporting role, before playing the leading role

in the 1971 drama The Panic in Needle Park. Pacino made his major

breakthrough when he was given the role of Michael Corleone in The

Godfather in 1972, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for

Best Supporting Actor. Other Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor

were for Dick Tracy and Glengarry Glen Ross. Oscar nominations for Best

Actor include The Godfather Part II, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, ...And

Justice for All and Scent of a Woman. In addition to a career in film, he has

also enjoyed a successful career on stage, picking up Tony Awards for

Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel.

Pacino has received numerous lifetime achievement awards, including one

from the American Film Institute. He is a method actor, taught mainly by Lee

Strasberg and Charles Laughton at the Actors Studio in New York.

It’s not only you who have

problems and issues this week, so

stop being such a martyr and see

if there’s anyone in your circle you

can help. Embrace the unexpected

and see where it takes you over

work and love, and you might be

happier with the new direction

you’ve been pushed into.

Although you know you’ve

got commitments to meet this week

your heart’s not in it. That’s not to

say you wont do your bit, you will,

but grudgingly. You need something

major to happen in your life that will

restore your faith and optimism in

everything and everyone. Make it

happen.

Your emotional energy

needs to be controlled this week to

ensure your decisions are effective

not chaotic. Money still seems to

be an edgy issue but focus on work

and health matters before thinking

of your cash flow. It’s a weekend to

separate fact from fantasy and truth

from exaggeration.

If loved ones are feeling

vulnerable, you’ll need to be patient

with them, even if they stretch your

last nerve. You don’t seem to be

getting the results you want from

work situations, but make the best

of what’s going on. Home and

family need your full attention at the

weekend.

A growing inner

confidence in your decision making

skills puts you in the mood to

experiment, but don’t take too much

of a chance or you’ll feel out of your

depth. Focus on health matters,

so up your activity levels and get

moving.

Feeling impatient?

Restless? Impulsive? Try to get a

focal point to direct your energy as

if you scatter your focus as you’ve

been doing, nothing will get done

and you’ll have wasted time and

energy on nothing. Try to see the

best in others at the weekend.

They’re trying their best

March 21-April 20

December 23-January 20

April 21-May 20

January 21-February 19

November 23-December 22

February 20-March 20

starsLIBRA

CAPRICORN

SCORPIO

AQUARIUS

SAGITTARIUS

PISCES

AJAY ENTERPRISESPO BOX 54, PC 100. TEL : 24815485 FAX : 24815490

E-MAIL: marketing@albahja.com, Website: www.albahja.com

FREE 20,500 copies (being audited)

Circulation Enquiries: 98675976/24565697Advertisement Enquiries: 97679290/24565697

www.blackandwhiteoman.com

AVAILABLEall over Oman on 7th & 21stof every month

First Free Fortnightly magazine

47Black & White

“Oh God I hate this food! Can I get something else immediately?” “Sure,

Mwah Mwah”.

“I think I look fat and ugly in this outfit”. “Not at all, you look very nice”.

“No one loves me”. “Mwah Mwah Don’t say that, I love you so much”

The only person who can do Mwah Mwah to you when you are being a

big fat pain is the universally loved Mom.

Bollywood has its own versions of mom which pretty much reflect

mothers across the world. They are self-sacrificing who give up

everything for the children.

Moms are one thing that haven’t changed over a period of time. They

are made from such a mould, created in God’s kitchen, that doesn’t

crack, doesn’t change, loves unconditionally and is resistant to all kind of

breakages especially by children.

They don’t go deaf with our constant whining, demands and desires and

always try and fulfill them. They always draw upon their strength to take

us through our tough times. No one has yet been able to create 'Maa ke

haath ka khana' i.e. food made by mothers. I am sure the MNCs would

love to do it but have failed miserably because who can replicate her

love.

In this ever changing and ever demanding world one thing I can be sure

of is my mother’s love even if I come home in tattered clothes having lost

every battle in this world she will hug me real tight and put a smile back

on my face.

So on this day and month of Mother’s Day and every other day let’s all

give all our MWAH MWAH MWAH….to our Mums. I’m sending mine to

Heaven as my Mum’s there.

Till next time love and hugs!

Mwah Mwah Mwah…

Vandana, award winning author (‘360 Degrees Back to Life')

By Vandana Shah

It's m

y lif

e

Vandana Shah, Author 360 Degrees Back To life, editor of Ex-Files. www.vandanashah.com.

Email me what you’d like to say on 360degreesbacktolife@gmail.com

Follow me on twitter Vandy4PM

47Black & White

48 May 7-20, 2012

Shape n

sound

49Black & White

But, my words are addressed to

those who know they don’t look as

good as these cover ladies and to

those who know that they are far

from perfection. And that is fine. You

got me, that is fine! You are never

going to be as pretty or as striking as

these ladies, so let it be. Let us start

off on what you can be, if not that.

Knowing you women, you would

have huffed and puffed and ran to

look in the mirror to see if there was

some way that you could prove me

wrong; somewhere you will find some

lines, skin tone, some features that

will redeem you from the overall

flaw-ridden face that you think you

have. Ok, am I playing some mind

games here? Not really. I am in the

business of calling a spade a spade

and so, I am stating it as it is and as it

will be. There is no point in believing

that some of us, who are born as we

are, to suddenly transform ourselves

from our plain ordinariness to

something quite extraordinary.

But, there is a way out, and this is

where I come in:

BEAUTY LIES WITHIN

Yes, you heard this so many times,

ad nauseum. But, bear it within

you for this is one fact that will not

change. The true essence of you, the

real beauty within you, the woman,

is not what you look like; or what

you portray, or your makeup, or the

fashion statement that you make.

Nope. You have got to understand

that if you want to find the beautiful

you, look deep within you. It is not

your skin that matters. It is not your

colour that matters. It is not your

weight that matters. It is not your

height, your clothes, or your high

heeled pumps…there are millions out

there who could have all of this and

more and rich to boot but are very

poor within.

Why is it so tough to understand this?

And why do you want to be like them

when a treasure trove rests within

you, waiting to be discovered and

uncovered…?

MIRROR, MIRROR, ON THE

WALL…

No, I can’t ask you to stop gazing

at yourself in the mirror. But, why

gaze at only your imperfections? If

you are the type who are going to be

influenced by your own visual self,

then let it be known that the mirror,

mirror on the wall…will be the biggest

betrayal of them all.

Women are known to be consumed

by their desire to outgrow their age,

their wrinkles, age spots, sagging

skin and bodies, and so, when they

are before the mirror, these are

the areas that they automatically

check. And if they find that nothing

has happened; no miracle has

occurred and their imperfections

remain as they are, they slip into a

mode of depression. My request is

simple here: even if you are mirror

conscious, please don’t focus on

your imperfections. No two women

are alike and so celebrate your

difference. Enjoy what you are. Has

your body shape shaped the way you

are as a woman; as a daughter, as

a friend, as a wife, as a mother…?

Think!

So, why worry about your shape

and focus on the inner shape that

has led you to be what you are – a

successful woman!

your inner beautyBy Olivia Drake

Admit it. Some of us women are never going

to be as beautiful as these women who grace

the covers of various magazines. For, those

who dispute this theory, well and good. Hats off

to you ladies for looking as good as these cover

ladies, and perhaps better.

50 May 7-20, 2012

Shape n

sound

CHIVALRY is a puddle away

51Black & White

Chivalry is just a puddle away from

realising for women.

Or, is it?

If there is a puddle between you and

your lady, all you have to do is to

throw your coat on top of it and let

her daintily step over it. Sure, this

can be done, but, imagine if it is more

than just a puddle?

What if it was the roaring rapids?

It is easy for men to become

chivalrous in a small situation, but

what if it was not that simple, would

the man wilt under pressure?

Okay, let it stew for a while as we go

over the issue of whether men are

actually chivalrous as they are meant

to be or are the chivalrous ones

slowly disappearing into the sunset?

With feminism still on a roll, there are

so many areas where a man might

feel overwhelmed by the task ahead

of him – the task of being courteous

and the responsible task of being

chivalrous.

HOW WILL HE KNOW?

How would he know – in a world

riddled with feminism too among

other things -- for instance that what

he shows as courtesy or chivalry that

it is not downright condescending?

How is he going to know that by

keeping the door held long enough

for the lady behind her to enter

is not going to view it as an insult

(“Why, what makes you think you

have to hold the door open for me?

You think I cannot do it?)? That is

one extreme and if a man has been

rebuffed by a woman to whom he

extended chivalry, he is going to

think twice before opening the door

for a stranger lady for fear of getting

his foot jammed there. Women are

known to be hostile to men when

they are approached by strangers

with offers to help. It can be due

to a variety of reasons and most

are genuine, but men who have

undergone rejection are known to

think twice before crossing the line.

MANNA FROM HEAVEN

At the other end is the woman who

represents a different type of plaint:

she has had the door slammed in

her face so many times that any sign

of politeness (forget chivalry) will be

seen as manna from heaven and she

may not even be able to react to it

properly.

But, deep inside them, there is this

hidden desire in many women to be

treated like a woman and neither as

a doormat nor as something beyond

every man’s reach. Women won’t

mind it if their men put them on a

pedestal, but, if it is so high that their

men themselves find it tough to reach

them, then all of this is without any

purpose.

NOT SO INNOCENT ACTS

Yes, eager to please men do quite

often stumble on their idiot stub toe

of overzealousness and are often

chastised by their women for doing it

all wrong.

And women are also wary and weary

of those who try to disguise outright

sleaziness in a not so innocent act of

chivalry.

HELP IN INDEED

But, imagine if a woman is really

in trouble: her car breaks down in

the middle of the road (couldn’t go

beyond the commonplace example)

and she has no clue as to how to

even open her car’s bonnet and then

there comes along a young man

who knows not only that but also

even how to fix the car. He is very

courteous and good looking to boot

and the woman would be all in a

flutter.

MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER

PLACE

The truth is that the world needs a bit

of chivalry here and there. And if not

for anything downright chivalrous, at

least a bit of courteousness would

go a long way in making this world

a better place. And what is wrong in

displaying a little door holding love?

That will cost you nothing and would

mean a lot to many women.

Help shake off your DAUGHTER’S blues

Mom, is your teen daughter showing signs of depression?

This is a question to be asked to all mothers who have daughters at home. Before you tense up, this is to quickly remind you that almost all girls go through this phase, and well, you yourself have gone through this phase, although you may not remember it today.

Pysc

he

52 May 7-20, 2012

53Black & White

Earlier studies have shown that a percentage of

adolescents, between nine and 18 have suffered from

depression at some point of time, with some of them

even undergoing major depressive disorder.

But, if you are the mother with a depressive daughter,

go ahead and give them some much needed advice. At

the same time, remember, there is no magic wand to do

away with your child’s blues.

In fact, you are the key person here who can actually

set about managing your daughter’s stress, anxiety and

depression:

SHE IS UNIQUE; SHE IS SPECIAL

Most of the kids (male or female) are sometimes

suffused with negative thoughts like, “I am a failure” and

therefore, “I should give up” or “He/she hates me”.

These thoughts alone can be the root of the problem.

So, start with that. Explain to them how unique they

are and how special. Tell them how you love them and

appreciate the sheer fact that they are daughters and

how every mother feels how special a daughter is to

them. Then, detail to them the essence of being, and

how they are unique creatures of God.

Be with them, take them out, cheer them up, buy them

gifts, get them a new haircut, or ask them to polish their

nails and dress up…there, she is feeling better already!

MOOD LIFTING FOODS

Now, look at it a bit scientifically too. Every kid’s body

needs vitamins and minerals such as iron and the

B-vitamins. So, feed her plenty of fruits, vegetables and

whole grains. Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty

acids are mood lifting agents and could even help in

bringing down depression. Here is a quick list of some of

the foods that are rich in omega-3: oily fish like salmon,

mackerel and sardines; ground flaxseeds, walnuts,

and omega-3 fortified eggs. Vitamin B 12 and Folate

are also important for mood. Some scientists believe

that these vitamins create serotonin, which normalises

mood. Vitamin D also increases serotonin and can

be especially helpful with Seasonal Affective Disorder

(SAD). Milk and soy milk are full of Vitamin D as are egg

yolks and fish with bones.

EXERCISE THE BLUES AWAY

Stop their non-stop television viewing. Yes, this one

is going to be hard. But, let it be known that too much

TV and too little exercise drive you to the edge – of

depression! So, push her off the sofa, plug off the TV

set and push her out. Why not go with her? Go for a

jog, momma and daughter. Not that she needs to lose

weight, but tell her that she is going to look great (like

her mama).

So, get her (and yourself) into the great outdoors, or

buy her a tread mill and tell her to blaze on it! The thing

is, get her to do some exercise, and you will find all her

dark moods uplifted and she will be feeling light and

happy.

AJAY ENTERPRISESPO BOX 54, PC 100. TEL : 24815485 FAX : 24815490

E-MAIL: marketing@albahja.com, Website: www.albahja.com

You speak of equality, right, go make

your own tea, smirked my colleague.

It is called chivalry, make a cup for me, I

retorted.

No way, you ladies want to be stronger

and smarter, so work for it, pat came the

reply.

But what has making a cup of tea got to

do with equality and strength?

It is just a cup of ordinary tea? Anyone,

beyond genders can do it?

He turned around and said: ladies first,

make your tea first!

And then he turned around laughing: Do

you know the tradition behind ladies first?

To my utmost grief, he started narrating:

Well, long long ago, there was this young

couple, who were in love, doted to each

other, body and soul.

But in those days, love was forbidden;

society did not allow them to live together

and the young couple had no other

choice rather than to run away and

commit suicide…?

I acted as if I was not listening.

He continued his story, am sure it was to

my benefit: So there they went, one fine

morning, well determined to join in death,

if not in life.

They chose to jump to their death and lo,

the man jumped, without any doubt and

dilemma! He was committed to love.

Men are just that from time immemorial –

loyal, determined, committed, he added

his own spice to the story! Hmph!

And he jumped first, as he could not bear

to see his love jump to death.

Well, you know what the young lady, did,

she was so heartbroken and horrified

that she didn’t jump!

The lady didn’t jump!

How absolutely lady like!

He reiterated, as if I was the lady in

context!

Well, well, well, could only be true! It

is not just a story, am sure you all can

Google it, this is the real story of the

Ladies First term usage and tradition.

You can’t trust a lady to be committed;

we men need to ensure she does it!

That was his punch line. Period.

So what are you men trying to do?

Ensure ladies jump first always? I almost

responded.

It is amusing when men take up feminist

attitudes, trying to prove a point.

They are no match and do not know what

the result of a conversation could be.

I know there are speculation abounds

about the origin of this tradition.

Some believe it stemmed from soldiers

being protected during wars and walking

behind women in order not to lose

soldiers!

There are many versions to the ladies

first usage.

Some say it began during Victorian

times.

Another say in times of crisis,

earthquakes, floods women folk and

children are saved first…

If it is up to the men, women would

remain as shields ever, someone else

chipped in!

Who wants equality?

I don’t think there is one woman out there

who wants equality, all of them want a

life of self respect and it has nothing to

do with equality… at least I think so!

What started as a cup of tea, ended up in

heated arguments and discussion, hotter

than the tea!

All for just a cup of tea?

Next time someone says ladies first, am

going to ask them why!

By Priya Arunkumar

priya@blackandwhiteoman.com

Hooked

Ladies first?