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10 June, 2010 Eve’s
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Building Dreams
A Complete Guide to Designing
your own Dream Dwelling
A City of our dreams

1 |G
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

Lawlessmess?
A matter of great concern that is raising its ugly head is the magnitude of political apathy and malaise which
have almost become deep rooted in the Indian soil. India is becoming home to sex, violence, corruption of
huge magnitude and all forms of transgressions of human rights and dignity. The most worrisome aspect in
this scenario is that it is happening unabashedly among the so called protectors of the society- the army, the
police, the so called godmen and religious heads, teachers, as well as political leaders ( which was in any case
always present).

Accuse the media of hype and sensationalism, abuse the media, but the fact remains it has not only been play-
ing a major role in information dissemination far and wide across the country, but has also brought to light
several unsavoury occurrences, which would otherwise have never seen the light of the day.

I am deeply disturbed when I see more and more incidences of cops involved in rape and sexual abuse of
women coming to light. After the horrendous incident the victims’ families not only undergo trauma and
social ostracism but also have to face the worst form of violence from the police. The recent incident of yet
another victim, a lawyer from Haryana who was molested by a policeman and later disappeared is as utterly
shocking as the entanglement of the tourism minister of Goa in a suicide scandal. But what numbs you out
of your senses are incidents when helpless children snuff out their lives due to corporal punishment! And this
epidemic seems to have now touched the so-called affluent schools too! Worse still is the cauldron of restless-
ness in the army.

How safe are our citizens, especially the vulnerable sections of our society- the indigent, the disabled and
differently-abled, women and children? How is it that those entrusted with responsibilities of protecting the
honour of the country’s citizens are not only able to indulge in crimes with impudence but are also able to go
scot free or disappear at their will and pleasure? How much more ignominy can India face?

As a society finds itself stifled by the stranglehold of social vices , it is time for a major renaissance. It is time
to think of defining our national character, all that is Indian. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru have
already laid the foundation for that. We need to go back to their teachings and re-invent the true Indian char-
acter.

Lots of contents are doing the rounds in the cyber space that are highly injurious to the character of the Indians
and our country as a whole. While people from the press try to point out the need for community development
and national character, what do we get? Brickbats? Well, so be it. But our mission will continue. After all, it is
time someone took the bull by the horns. Are you ready to join the bandwagon ?

Ciao,

Swati Amar

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Eve’s Times June, 2010

Content
Contents
Building Dream
A City of our dreams 8
Dream Dwelling 10
Contemporary
Building Concepts 14
Design your
Creative Instincts… 21
A Vision … For Your Dream 24

A SMILE TO
REMEMBER
50

Take it Light 70 UNITY IS STRENGTH

Jus’ Ask Brinda 49
Beauty Speak 68
Pleasures of Pain 72
Wandering Mahila 74
Start Smart Investment 77
F| 4
 June, 2010 Eve’s Times

Contents

Summer Super
Samaiyal 69

Scorching
Campus Wear 39 HOME FREE 42
Jest 4 Laughs 44

Flying High? 78
AMI GORGEOUS
70

ENOUGH? Compassion is the

UNITY IS STRENGTH

62 highest virtue 80
The special all-girls team from
Stella Maris College, Chennai,
that helped put together this
issue
Josephine Nirupama
Stellina
Urmimala
Sylvia

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Eve’s Times June, 2010

Vol. 5 No. 161

Cover Page Credit
Pothys
Contents

Kalpana Yuvaraaj

160 month
June, 2010

F| 6
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

BUILDING Contents

DREAMS

A complete
Guide to
designing
your own
dream
dwelling
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Eve’s Times
OUR DREAMS
A CITY OF
T he faces of metros in our
country are changing.
Chennai and other southern
cities are gradually moving
towards modernity in terms of
civic amenities and residential
townships. In a city of countless
small lanes and streets and
humble colonies where millions
engage in a perpetual battle for
survival and existence, especially
for basic civic necessities
such as water, sanitation,
electricity and space, many new
townships are coming up both-
up market and those targeting
F| 8
the majority i.e., middle class.
The state government too
is now seriously looking at
housing for the slum dwellers
in their endeavour to eradicate
slums, which is a good move
for an emerging global metro.
In a tête-à-tête with Sylvia and
Josephine, Chennai Corporation
Commissioner, Rajesh Lakhoni
outlines details about the blue
print for Chennai, an emerging
global metro.
The plan for Chennai currently
underway includes construc-
tion of flyovers, bridges, proper
June, 2010
roads and railways. Water lines
and sewage lines are being reg-
ulated and developed in and
around the city. Many interna-
tional multi-storied buildings
are under construction .
Apart from developing new
structures, maintenance of
existing infrastructure is im-
portant too. Roads and street
lights are major issues that we
take seriously. We undertake
continuous relaying of roads.
Some relaying is going on even
now. However, this year our
major concern will be the road
cuts due to Metro Water’s proj-
ect of renewing pipelines. Many
areas in the city will be hit by
road cuts. Our challenge will be
after the road cuts- to relay the
roads and bring them back to
their original condition.
Work is also happening in
the major corridors that have
been planned for Chennai. We
are ‘pedestrianizing’ the cor-
ridor from Thirumangalam
to Purasawakkam i.e., mak-
June, 2010
ing the footpaths pedestrian
friendly. For this, they should
be free from obstructions. So
all obstructions like small en-
croachments, pillar boxes,
transformers, uneven ramps
etc will be removed. Footpaths
will be of uniform height and
obstruction free. Tenants in
slum areas are being relocated
and given alternate houses and
the areas are being urbanized
and modernized to give a good
standard of living to the poor
people . 22000 houses are be-
ing constructed by the Slum
Board .
Water stagnation during the
monsoons is a critical issue.
We will be tackling this prob-
lem too. We have also taken
up signboard development
scheme seriously. A lot of sign
boards and hoardings with ad-
vertisements in the city have
been removed and we have
put up standard signboards in
various places. Overhead cables
running through the light posts
have been removed and taken
Eve’s Times
underground. We have also put
up green medians .
People should wisely choose
their mode of transport .Us-
ing public transport like buses,
trains and car pools is advisable
. Parks are being constructed
or spruced up around the city
to give Chennai a green look
and provide leisure and sport-
ing activities to the citizens.
We intend giving fillip to sports
development are putting up
tennis courts, swimming pools
, skating rinks etc.
Ten years down the line it ap-
Emerging Global pears that there will be a major
Metro change in the Chennai skyline.
Given the fact that the infra-
We have a lot of plans for Chen- structure facilities and civic
nai as a whole In the near future, amenities are improving , the
the metro rail project will help likelihood of influx of more and
decongest roads in the city. more people is very high. This
When the city is developing on will lead to the transformation
all fronts , it is natural that the of individual houses to flats of
traffic condition will become at least ground plus three, if
more acute . It is important for not more. Chennai will see a lot
the public to play a major role in more in terms of development
easing traffic congestion, which and progress in the years to
will benefit everybody. come.
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Eve’s Times June, 2010

B uilders in India today

are coming up with
revolutionizing concepts
and ideas that are set to
change the face of homes,
offices and apartments.
We are going to take a
look at some of the most
promising builders of
this era who have made
their mark in many places
of India and are now in
Chennai to recreate that
magic.

Hiranandani Build-
ers are coming up with
two large scale projects;
Hiranandani Upscale
and Hiranandani Pal-
ace Gardens in Chennai.
The former is situated
in Old Mahabalipuram
Road while the latter is in
Thriveni Nagar, Chennai.
Hiranandani Developers
have already made their
mark in Bangalore from

F| 10
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

where they made a foray into

Chennai. Hiranandani Upscale
is set to change the face of
Chennai with the city’s first
integrated large scale commu-
nity at OMR. The development
is 110 acres comprising of
residential and partially com-
mercial buildings strategically
located. The amenities that they
provide are world class; a com-
munity replete with the most
sought after lifestyle facilities
that are all conveniently locat-
ed at a walking distance within
the vicinity. The amenities that and yet they maintain harmony include services like high speed
Hiranandani provides include with nature and environment. lifts, granite counter tops,
tennis courts, indoor squash, state-of-the-art kitchens etc.
badminton courts, landscaped Hiranandani Palace Gardens,
Hiranandani Palace Gardens is
gardens, fully air- conditioned Chennai , is another large scale
project that is being designed a more lavish project that can
school following ICSE curricu-
by architect Hafeez Contrac- also be called exquisite because
lum, club house with modern
amenities such as gym, yoga, tor. It has a stylish neo-classical of its facilities that are highly
meditation and aerobics center. design featuring amenities like exclusive. For example, inside
It also provides facilities like apartments with one, two or the apartment an entrance
dining and banquet halls. Thus three bedrooms while the low- lobby is flanked by a spacious
they provide to you a communi- rise buildings feature garden living room leading to a dining
ty that has all modern amenities apartments. Other amenities room. Thus, at Hiranandani

DWELLINGS 11 |G
Eve’s Times
Palace Gardens, you are pro-
vided with the best quality, style
and convenience. The township
is self- sustaining with its own
water and sanitation, telecom-
munications, electrical power,
etc.
Mantri Developers are building
Synergy and Synergy II, both
projects located in old Mahaba-
lipuram Road. These projects
comprise of apartments or
rather series of apartments that
are being built in phases. They
too provide modern amenities
for buyers such as swimming
pool, baby pool, well land-
scaped garden; children’s play
area, gym, health club, indoor
games center, a jogger’s corner,
tennis courts, super market,
multi purpose hall, badminton
courts etc. An all round secu-
rity system has been installed
with trained personnel’s pa-
trolling the entire area. Also
telephones with intercom fa-
cilities, backup generators are
provided for additional comfort
and security. Mantri Develop-
ers are striving to express the
universal elements of nature in
F| 12
their designs. . Mantri Synergy
at Chennai is designed to bring
the cradle of nature into your
home, in perfect harmony away
from the teeming crowd of the
mainstream city.
These top class projects aim
at providing standard main-
tenance of life for people.
People can enjoy the many ben-
efits they provide. Hiranandani
Builder’s project in Bangalore,
the villas at Devanahalli are one
of the marvels of modern archi-
tecture. It is the impression of
liberal living engulfed in blissful
solitude. It is a premier project
of an integrated community
with villas, cottages and apart-
ments with scenic apartments,
winding roads and state-of-the-
art amenities.
French architectural style is
known for its enduring appeal
spread across the centuries ,
by the graceful intermingling
of elegance, timeless fashion
and style. French architecture
stands out because of its ka-
leidoscope of styles reflecting
various influences and periods.
June, 2010
It is reminiscent of life long past
that people find attractive even
today. It is this characteristic
of French architecture which
captivated the Indian archi-
tects inspiring them create to
projects offering French style
Bungalow Apartments, which
are essentially apartments
which carry the characteristics
of independent bungalows.
“La Céleste is a specially pro-
portioned, awe inspiring collage
of French architecture using
Haussmann style and other el-
ements from various French
periods,” says architect Vishnu
Prasad.
The architects bring out the
French style in India by incorpo-
rating the following ideas: Each
Bungalow Apartment block is
not treated as an independent
structure, but it is made to res-
onate with the other buildings
in its block to form a unified
street scape. The colours and
textures selected for the build-
ing echoes traditional French
architecture. The street-side re-
sult was a “monumental” effect
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

that exempted buildings

from a dependence on dec-
oration. They use Fancy
French grills to bring out
the French effect. French
buildings are known for
their magnificent dormers .
Arches with large key
stones as seen in common
French style of architecture
has been incorporated. It is
difficult to imagine French
architecture without a
Boulevard. It has become
an essential component in
the architecture of these
apartments.

New age builders are

coming up with so many
innovative and exciting
amenities for the mod-
ern buyer. These builders
are changing the face of
Chennai and it would be a
smart choice investing in
these homes that provide
so much beyond the ordi-
nary.

By Urmimala with inputs

from Josephine

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Eve’s Times June, 2010

In today’s
scenario everyone
is looking for a
house that speaks
about themselves,
their dreams
,their desires, and
not just as a place
where they want

Contemporary
Building Concepts
F| 14
June, 2010
to stay. Modern
architecture, with
is innovative ideas
and concepts
brings these
dreams true.
There are a lot of architectural
ideas that are applied in today’s
residential buildings. Contem-
porary architecture is one such
style. It has been defined as the
building style of the present
day. There are also other varied
styles that have different influ-
ences on the buildings.
Contemporary architecture is
an evolution of modern archi-
tecture. Modern architecture
is the building style of the early
to mid-20th century which laid
its priorities on clean lines and
functions. That made modern
architecture to been seen as
cold and impersonal. This is
the main reason which leads to
the creation of the contempo-
rary style which is recognized
today. Contemporary archi-
tecture connects indoor and
outdoor spaces, with personal
touch and warmth throughout
the living space. Like The use
of natural light, for this reason,
large and expansive windows
are a common and easily recog-
nized feature of contemporary
homes.
Green building is a strong com-
ponent of the contemporary
style. Nowadays Architects
are placing more emphasis
on energy efficiency so they
use sustainable, natural, and
Eve’s Times
recycled materials for creat-
ing eco-friendly houses. The
connection with the nature
extends from the outdoor
landscape to the indoor envi-
ronment. Architects plant local
plants outside to decorate or
the house is designed around
a prominent natural feature.
Living roofs , in which plants
are used as a roofing material
is getting popular among the
people. Inside the house natu-
ral materials like bamboo and
granite counter parts are used.
Thus Contemporary homes are
often thoughtfully integrated
into their natural surround-
ings. Hence this method is also
known as organic architecture.
Hence , Features of a contem-
porary home may include, an
irregular or unusually shaped
frame, an open floor plan,
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Eve’s Times
oversized windows, the use of
“green” components, a lack of
ornamental details, or organic
design.
Apartment
Concepts
APARTMENTS are an ideal so-
lution to today’s land scarcity
and sky-high prices in urban
areas. Apartment designs have
witnessed a change from hav-
ing been typical contractor or
`builder’-friendly models to cli-
ent-friendly architect-designed
spaces.
There are many ways to start
a`flat’ or an apartment com-
plex project. A builder can buy
a land, build at his own cost,
probably with the help of an
architect and sell the `flats’.
A landowner can approach a
builder for a joint venture or it
could be the other way round.
In some cases, it could be a
group of people approaching
an architect for their apartment
F| 16
complex. But in most cases, ei-
ther the land or the finance is a
constraint.
To ensure that these `apart-
ment concepts’ do not result
in just another living space,
we could look at many ways to
improve the spatial aspect and
character of the building. A lit-
tle expert touch of colour, some
greenery and providing for a
few special areas could make
the difference.
Most apartments are designed,
keeping vastu in mind; so we
more often than not see a rep-
etition of room arrangements
in accordance with the site and
space requirements. To break
away from that, we could try
introducing some interesting
elements and colors, say, large
French windows or well-de-
signed flooring. Ample flooding
of daylight inside the apart-
ment does have a huge impact.
Client interaction also comes in
handy when the internal walls
June, 2010
are being built. One may want
a large living room, another
a large study room. All these
requirements can be accommo-
dated when the buyer interacts
at this stage. Even a couple of
feet of extra space could make
that space more liveable. The
toilet position and other areas
where water or sanitation lines
are to be provided are a little
difficult to modify or a slab has
to be sunk for that purpose. The
whole of the exterior, the land
and the terrace areas can be ex-
cellent recreation zones.
Greenery could be provided at
all possible places. From the
`plants box’ near the balconies
to the ground floor entry land-
scapes, every possible place
can be made rich with a touch
of greenery. We can also create
some external gathering spaces
near the entry area. Low plat-
forms or `thinais’ can be built,
which are ideal for an evening
chat, while the children play
in a landscaped area. The ter-
June, 2010
race can be used as a jogging
area; even a small gymnasium
can be built there. Terrace par-
ties too are in vogue today.
Unlike private residences,
apartments are huge buildings.
So care has to be taken while
designing the exterior as well.
Many elements like the bal-
conies and sunshades are just
stuck-on elements, which could
be eliminated by a few reces-
sions and binding of elements
with the architect’s touch.
The buyer or the owner knows
better what they want; he can
always explain his requirement
to the site engineer. But some
features like the colour choice,
material selection, tiles and floor-
ing are really an expert’s work
that cannot be done by the buy-
er. You could always be involved
in the selection and buying pro-
cess for all materials, but let the
designer compose the whole se-
lection, as he would have a better
visualisation and understanding
of materials and colours.
So, all these efforts put in by
the buyer can help to create a
special apartment suiting his
requirements, which he would
be proud to own for years.
Climate and
Culture Friendly
Apartments
Sustainable architecture is ar-
chitecture which is designed
in an environmentally friend-
ly way. The goal of sustainable
or “green” architecture is to
create structures which are
beautiful and functional, but
which also contribute to a
sustainable lifestyle and cul-
ture. Interest in sustainable
architecture grew radically in
the early 21st century in re-
sponse to growing concerns
about the environment, but in
fact people have been build-
ing sustainably for thousands
of years, because sustainable
projects are often practical in
nature.
Eve’s Times
A truly sustainable building will
have a design which addresses
a number of issues, including
heating and cooling, water us-
age, environmental quality, and
energy usage. Architects can
deal with environmental aspects
of building construction in a
variety of ways, all of which are
designed to increase efficiency
without being cumbersome or
detracting from the function of
the building.
Much of sustainable architecture
focuses on building intelligently.
For example, a building may be
oriented towards the south in
the Northern Hemisphere so
that the building will be warmed
through the day by the sun, and
a building may be insulated
with extra care to minimize heat
loss. Plumbing systems may be
designed to utilize less water
while still functioning normally,
and the building might include
smart lighting which turns off
when people are not around
to save energy.
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Eve’s Times
Installing green roofs or liv-
ing walls is another example
of sustainable architecture.
These projects increase heat-
ing and cooling efficiency, help
scrub the air, and look aestheti-
cally interesting, making them
beneficial from many points
of view. Other sustainable ar-
chitecture trends include the
use of geothermal energy for
heating, reclaimed water for
flushing toilets, and other in-
novative techniques which are
designed to reduce the environ-
mental footprint of a building.
Many architects build sustain-
ably to show people that it is
F| 18
June, 2010
environmentally friendly than
demolition and rebuilding in
most cases.
Josephine
possible, and to illustrate the
fact that being environmentally
friendly does not have to make
a building ugly. In fact, many
of the measures which increase
efficiency can make a building
more interesting and beautiful
to look at, and they can also im-
prove quality of life for users of
the building. Anything from a
private home to a towering of-
fice building can be constructed
with sustainable ideals in
mind. Sustainable architecture
principles can also be applied
to the retrofitting and remod-
eling of existing structures,
because conversion is more
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

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Eve’s Times June, 2010

T he trends in interior
designing today are
immense. Over a decade now,
interior designers have come
up with highly innovative
designs in patterns, textures
and colors. Houses and
apartments are undergoing
shift in trends and styles.
Today we see apartments
being more popular with
people and so interior
designers are focusing on
maximum utilization of space
while giving the apartments a
chic, cutting edge look.

While designing a house there

are several aspects to be con-
sidered. Let’s take a look at
those aspects from the point
of view of experts in Chen-
nai. According to Sunbeam
Designs, Chennai, contempo-
rary designs continue to hold
the sway. Minimalism, harsh
lines and a clinical ambience
are being replaced by a touch
of old class warmth. Mix and
match is the trend as aesthet-
ic independence becomes
more pronounced. This is the
time when that antique piece
of furniture can be placed
alongside your contempo-
rary straight-line sofas, and
not look incongruous. Metal
remains an extensively used
feature of design. The only
difference is that it is now
mixed with other mediums,
from wood to leather. Metal
laminates are being used
on everything from walls to
furniture in tones of bronze,
burnished copper, frosted

F| 20
June, 2010
gold, nickel and others. Apart
from metal, stainless steel is
also preferred. There is a lot of
development in this particular
aspect of interiors and it’s likely
to get more and more creative.
Next textures should be giv-
en importance too. Textures
define everything right from
walls, fabrics to furnishing.
Furnishing fabrics are domi-
nated by textures and weaves
that focus on the in- built beau-
ty of natural fibers. Color and
embellishment complement
modern lifestyles. Instead
of artificial fibers, sheers are
being used. Handwork and
detailing bring in elegance to
the earlier minimalist styles.
Glass continues its reign of
supremacy and is being used
in a lot of creative ways. Wall
finishes are another force
to reckon with, as the inte-
rior designers are predicting.
Since colors and wall furnish-
ings are in, murals cannot be
far behind. Which is to say
Exotic Interiors
Design your
Creative Instincts…
that walls are being decorated
with murals. But murals can
only be used where rooms
are big enough. So it would
be ideal in an independent
house but not appropriate
for an apartment. Lastly in
accessories, beads are being
used and they look great in
draperies. There is a whole
range of styles available in
the market and designers can
make maximum use of these
products to suit almost any
budget.
Eve’s Times
Looking at kitchen and bath-
room designs, both were
earlier on the sideline but
keeping with today’s genera-
tion where presentation and
impressions are the catch
phrases, are hugely gaining
popularity. The kitchen today
needs to have a minimalist
look. Large apartment spaces
are not always feasible and
so the kitchen should be so
designed that it holds every-
thing, utilizes space and also
manages to look chic. The
21 |G
Eve’s Times
Circle Kitchen Idea is a new
one that provides solutions
in managing space problems.
It manages to address space
problems in a highly stylish
and efficient way. The kitch-
en is fully circular, rotating
a full 180 degrees furniture
piece, which incorporates
everything from kitchen sink
and dishes to microwave and
dishwasher. 360 degrees ro-
tating shelves help to access
to pots, pans, glassware and
so on. Circle kitchen has ex-
actly the same amount of
kitchen cupboard as any
other middle sized kitchen.
Another great idea would
be renovating your existing
kitchen in a manner that in-
creases its aesthetic quality.
Quality materials should be
used right from cabinets to
other kitchen furniture. And
always remember that you
should have a good height
for your kitchen. It would be
helpful in reaching higher
parts without having to climb
up through it. These are some
F| 22
new trends that are coming
up in kitchen designs.
Aren’t you bored of the same
old cold colors of beige, off
white and cream that adorn
almost all kitchen tiles? Go
for a bold look with a splash
of bright colors and the
kitchen’s look will be instant-
ly transformed. The modern
kitchen design is not just a
place for cooking but a place
for your children to learn new
colors and enjoy the natural
color cooperation between
one and another. One could
start off by applying some
bright color to your modern
kitchen backsplash wallpa-
per, kitchen flooring, kitchen
lighting to colorful kitchen
cabinet designs and accesso-
ries. Kitchens are focusing as
much on exteriors as interior
accessories. Hardware and
fittings thus acquire much
more prominence .
Let’s take a look at some new
designs in bathroom furnish-
ing. Today the role of the
June, 2010
bathroom is much modified.
The current bathroom de-
sign “trend” is really more
of a “shift” in perceptions;
the modern bathroom is not
so much a hygienic “task
center” anymore as much
as it is a place to admire, re-
lax in, and entertain your
guests. These bathroom
features provide dual sinks
and plenty of shelf space to
accommodate two users si-
multaneously, often with
room to spare. This gives a
bathroom an added sense
of “community”. Also ac-
cessorizing your bathroom
with chic shelves can be a
huge boost. It completely
transforms the look giving
it sophistication and style.
Another trend is the usage
of non-porous countertops
such as natural travertine
surfaces. These are not only
easy to clean but keep out
harmful microorganisms
also. The fact that many of
these travertine countertops
look absolutely gorgeous is
just a bonus. This just goes
to show that interior de-
signing trends are not only
aesthetically-conscious, but
health-conscious as well.
Another way to give
your homes a fresh new look
would be to focus on product
extensions and accessories
instead of presenting real
innovations. By producing
variants of existing products
they can offer product dif-
ferentiation at a low cost. For
this very purpose many inte-
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

rior designers are constantly

renewing colors, decors and
prints, thus almost creat-
ing new product collections.
Creative Interiors as the very
name suggests, use elements
of nature as well as African
ethnic elements. Materials
with natural, earthy elements
are gaining a stronghold. .
Aboriginal, Native American
and African tribal patterns,
including bold geometrics,
will also see its emergence.
As a result of globalization
cultures and styles are being
fused together and this sym-
biosis leads to creation of new
products. Corresponding to
the furniture industry, strong
black and white contrasts are
dominating, creating strong,
graphic effects or conversely
an opulent and romantic ef-
fect. Color patterns of this
year suggest a bright, bold
look. Different shades of
green, oranges, reds, pinks
are in vogue in tones like ter-
racotta to cayenne. In homes
the trend is to remove isolat-
ed areas and boundaries and
create a place where one area The talk with these interior a way for this heritage to sur-
flows into another and there designers sure did help in find- vive with modernity. Where a
aren’t that many rigid defi- ing out what trends people are fusion of the old and the new
nitions. The bright and bold looking for. Jayaram of Intouch is taking place. And Chennai is
colors symbolize hope and Designs explained how people welcoming that. So get ready to
optimism and this optimism today prefer visualization of welcome the change! In style!
is reflected in a fresh and their homes or offices and then
By Urmimala,
lively color palette. Floral the actual execution. Model
patterns with a retro flair will modular kitchens are made to
continue to reign, as these show the customer what he ex-
happy colors take over home actly needs. In Chennai these
décor accessories. Essential- ideas are gaining popularity
ly, our lifestyle choices are because they have mass ap-
reflecting the way we think. peal. A city that deeply values
its heritage, today’s styles offer

23 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

buildings. An architect will in

A n architect is someone who
takes our dreams in his hand
and gives shape to our imagined
consultation with the client
and his specifications build up
the required project. Times
fantasies; implementing his

A tools to successfully bring about

the completion of a project.
Mr. Ashok Chakraborty is one
have now changed and so client
specifications have also come
up. Initially, say even about
five years back the architect

Vision …
such architect who believes
would have the sole discretion
in giving his heart and soul
in deciding the manner of his
toward any project assigned
building and other pivotal
for that project epitomizes
details. But now the client also

For many dreams and ambitions

for the client concerned. A talk
with Mr. Chakraborty revealed
is better educated and qualified
and so they have their own needs
which the architect must respect
some valuable insights into the

Your
and comply with it. Also today’s
work of an architect, what it
age is of competition and so
involves etcetera. According to
what is it that impresses clients
him, an architect is the leader
well enough for procuring work
of any civil project. It includes

Dream houses, hospitals, bridges,

shopping malls, parking spaces,
offices and a host of other
from them? Mr Chakraborty
feels that establishing a personal

F| 24
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

relationship with the client

helps a lot because it bridges the
initial awkwardness between the
two parties and gives assurance
to the client that his needs will
be met satisfactorily. The client
must know that the architect
understands his needs and
will work on them accordingly.
Different clients have different
needs. And requirements also
vary depending on the type of
project. An architect should
be able to render services to
his client satisfactorily and
within the economic budget
in a specific time frame. This
is tricky because it is here that
the architect’s professionalism
and ability to meet the client’s
deadline comes into focus.
He has to be able to deliver

25 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

F| 26
June, 2010
his work within these
specifications. No matter
how high or low the
budget is the architect
has got to abide by all the
rules laid down by the
municipal corporation
etc and within the
budget allotted get the
work done.
An architect is also
someone ho has a host
of other people working
with him in collaboration
like electrical engineers,
civil engineers and oth-
ers who look after the
various other aspects of
building any project. Mr
Chakraborty has expe-
rience in working with
government projects as
well as private sector
Eve’s Times
projects. His experience is thus and now patients in that sec-
varied and he tells us that in tor have much better chances
the government sector clients of uplifting themselves. Thus,
do not ask for much specifica- to conclude an architect is one
tions. It is in the private sector who helps us in building our
that client specifications take dreams; be it a man’s dream
on a larger frame. An architect home or a MNC’s multinational
is a pioneer in civil engineering project. Our dreams are thus
services and so all the build- given reality by an architect’s
ings and bridges and malls and vision and credibility.
other concrete buildings that
we see are all the results of an By Urmimala
architect’s visionary success.
On asked as to which project
Mr. Chakraborty would con-
sider his best, he tells that even
though no one project can be
so named, his construction
of two large scale hospitals in
the Medinipur district of West
Bengal can still be considered.
Because with the construction
of the hospitals medical ame-
nities were vastly improved
27 |G
Eve’s Times
W hen you are considering
the purchase of a home
, you should arm yourself with
information that will enable
you to get the best deal for your
home loan. Here are a few tips
to help you out.
Fixed and
Floating Rate of
Interest
Once you decide to go in for a
housing loan, you would have to
decide on the option of choos-
ing a fixed rate of interest or a
F| 28
Home Loan
between
floating rate of interest. Since
there are chances of increase
in the rate of interest it would
appear that the ideal choice
would be to go in for a fixed
rate plan, which your banker
may also advise.
Normally, we assume that once
you select a fixed rate plan for
yourself, the rate of interest
should remain unchanged over
the entire tenure of the repay-
ment period irrespective of
any subsequent increase in the
same. But actually this is not
the case.
June, 2010
If you study the home loan pur-
chase application form, you will
notice that all banks include
the reset clause on fixed inter-
est rate. If you had taken a loan
at 10.5 per cent for 15 years it
does not mean that the same
rate will be applicable all across
the period.
While you read your home loan
agreement papers, you can
spot statement like, ‘Provided
further that from time to time,
the bank may in its sole discre-
tion alter the rate of interest
suitably and prospectively on
account of change in the inter-
nal policies or if unforeseen or
extraordinary changes in the
money market conditions take
place during the period of the
agreement.’
This is called Force Ma-
jeure Clause that enables the
lender to undertake appropri-
ate modifications in the interest
rates on home loans they sanc-
tion to their borrowers.
The nitty-gritty
Today, due to aggressive com-
petition, taking a home loan is
not as cumbersome as it was a
 June, 2010
an-Reading
n the lines
few years earlier. The eligibil-
ity criteria are rationalized and
anyone can plan to avail a home
loan if they fulfill certain crite-
ria.
Home loan is a long term as-
sessment. Hence you have to
consider a lot of issues before
you decide to go in for a hous-
ing loan.
Eligibility Criteria
Normally a borrower’s eligi-
bility depends upon his or her
repayment capacity which is
determined by the banks on the
basis of factors such as income,
spouse’s income, age, number
of dependants qualifications ,
assets, liabilities, stability and
continuity of occupation and
savings history. Banks will also
verify your track record of re-
payment of other loans taken
by your and how you have been
managing your account.
How much?
As a thumb rule, your Equated
Monthly Installment (EMI)
on home loan should not ex-
ceed by 40 per cent of your net
monthly income. Net income is
disposable income left after all
statutory deductions like insur-
ance premium, income tax, PF
contributions, and other obliga-
tions towards mutual fund SIP
(Systematic Investment Plans)
etc. are paid.
If your monthly income is Rs
20,000 and net income comes
to Rs 15,000, your monthly
home loan installment should
not exceed Rs 6,000 (40% of
Rs 15,000). The rest is assumed
towards your routine expendi-
ture. Though 40% is a standard,
it is better to keep your loan lia-
bility below 25% of your present
net income because it is impor-
tant to have reserves to meet
foreseen situations. It may be
healthcare or financial affairs
or any unexpected expenses .
It is also important to remem-
ber that do not consider a hike
in your income for computing
future incomes and make your
decisions based upon these es-
timations. Home loan is a long
term liability, usually between
10-20 years. In this period,
your income may keep on ris-
ing but so will your liabilities
and expenses. You can rework
your EMI with your bank later
Eve’s Times
once you get a salary hike or
set it apart for your investment
portfolio.
Types of Home
Loan
You can avail of home loans for
different purposes.
❖ Home Purchase Loan for
purchasing a new house.
❖ Home Improvement Loan
for renovation or repair of
the home which is already
bought
❖ Home Extension Loan serves
the purpose when you want
to extend or expand an exist-
ing home, like adding an ex-
tra room etc.
❖ Home Conversion Loan can
be taken when you have al-
ready taken a home to fi-
nance your present home,
but you want to move to
another home. The Conver-
sion Home Loan helps you
to transfer the existing loan
to the new home which re-
quires extra funds, so the
new loan pays the previous
loan and fulfills the money
required for new home.
29 |G
Eve’s Times
❖ • Bridge Loan helps finance
your new home when you
want to sell the existing
home. This is normally a
short term loan and helps
you during the interim peri-
od when you want to sell the
old home buy a new one. It
is given till the time a buyer
is found for the old home.
❖ Home Construction Loan for
construction of a new home.
F| 30
❖ Land Purchase Loan is taken
to purchase a land for con-
struction and investment
purposes.
How to Select the Charges and
Best Home Loan ? Hidden costs
Compare home loan interest
rates of different banks and or-
ganizations before you select
a home loan. Also look at fees
and charges such as applica-
June, 2010
tion fees, processing fees, legal
charges etc while comparing
various loan offers. This can be
done online.
❖ Processing Charge is pay-
able at the time of submit-
ting the loan application to
the bank which is normally
non-refundable. The fee
ranges between 0.5 per cent
and 1 per cent of the loan
amount.
❖ Administrative Fee is
charged by banks at the
time of loan sanction; there
are a few banks that have re-
moved this fee so you must
check with all the banks.
❖ Prepayment Penalty : When
the borrower pre-pays the
loan before the loan tenure,
banks charge a penalty which
usually varies between 1 per
cent and 2 per cent of the
pre-paid amount.
❖ Legal Charges : Banks also
incur some charges from
the customer for legal and
technical verification of the
property.
❖ Delayed Payment Charges:
When there is a delay in the
payment of your EMI, banks
charge a late payment fee
from the borrower which
normally ranges from 2% to
3% of the EMI.
❖ Cheque bounce charges:
Banks charge between Rs.
250 and Rs. 500 for every
June, 2010
bounced cheque towards the
loan payment because of lack
of funds in your account.
Get the Most
Benefits
You can increase your loan eli-
gibility by the following ways
and means:
❖ Your chances of getting a
home loan are increased if
you have a good credit his-
tory which is known by
banks by checking the bor-
rower’s Cibil score. Now it is
very hard to get a loan from
another bank when you al-
ready have a bad debt with
one bank.
LIC & HDFC
Home Loans
LICHL offers home loans with
minimum interest rates and
flexible pay back periods. The
eligibility criteria applies to
both residents and non –resi-
dents of India. Construction,
remodeling, repair and reno-
vation of existing houses also
avails the loan facilities. Griha
Prakash and Griha Lakshmi are
the two home loans offered to
the residents of India in which
the reimbursement period var-
ies from 15-20 years with the
loans covering up to 85 % of the
total cost of the property.
Stamp duty and registration
charges are included in the loan
amount .The scheme ‘GRIHA
SUDAR’ provides loans up to
10lacs for remodeling and reno-
vation of residential properties.
❖ Your eligibility to take a
home loan will augment
when you club your income
with your spouse’s income,
bank in this case will calcu-
late your eligibility on the
basis of the clubbed income
of both the applicants. You
can club incomes of spouse,
children and parents staying
with you and having regular
income.
❖ Longer the loan tenure, low-
er the EMIs which further
increases the repayment ca-
pacity of the borrower and in
turn enhances the loan eligi-
bility.
❖ You can go in for a Step-up
Loan where EMIs remain
LICHL has a special scheme of
home loans for non residents
called griha shoba under which
a minimum amount of rs 5 lacs
is provided for housing or pur-
chase of land in India with a
return period of 10 – 15 years.
Another bank that offers home
loans at lower interest rates
Eve’s Times
low in the beginning and
increase gradually as and
when the borrower’s spend-
ing power increases. There-
fore lower EMIs in the initial
years enhances the borrow-
er’s ability to pay & further
increases the loan eligibility
❖ Banks and home loan insti-
tutions finance only 85 to
90% for the property and the
rest of the amount has to be
funded by the borrower. You
should try to increase the
down payment which will
mitigate your debt consider-
ably.
Lastly, Don’t forget to consider
tax benefits which you will get
on your home loans .
and easy reimbursement peri-
od is the Housing Development
Finance Corporation Bank,
HDFC. It also offer loans for
construction ,repair and reno-
vation of houses . Being the
country’s second largest private
mortgage lender, Housing De-
velopment Finance Corporation
(HDFC) Bank has come with a
special Independence Privilege
Offer’ for its home loan cus-
tomers. The offer is valid for a
limited period up to August 15,
that marks the country’ Inde-
pendence Day. Under the offer
salaried individuals can avail
special benefits on home loans
like discounts on processing
fees. As a part of its drive, the
bank is providing personalised
home loan counselling and
doorstep assistance to prospec-
tive customers.
Sylvia
31 |G
Eve’s Times
Shuba Grisha from Indian Overseas Bank
F or individuals not more
than 55 years of age
with a permanent job with
a minimum of 2 or 3 years
service or for self-employed
professionals with a minimum
period of three years of activity
in the related field Indian
Overseas Bank offers home
loans to buy, build or renovate
flat/house. The quantum of
loan is a maximum of 80% of
the cost of the house/flat or Rs.
50 lakh whichever is less. The
amount depends on your age
and repayment capacity.
The minimum margin is 20%
of the estimated cost (includ-
ing the cost of the land) for new
as well as old houses/flats. The
loan is repayable in equated
monthly installments for a
F| 32
June, 2010
maximum period of 20 years.
For fixed interest rate op-
tion, the maximum repayment
The borrower should have a
clear and marketable title over
the property and should have
period is 10 years. Prepay-
comprehensive insurance on
ment charge of 1.00% on the
outstanding or on amount re- the property for adequate val-
mitted in excess of drawing ue. Additional security in the
power, will be levied. form of NSC, LIC, Units of UTI
will also be accepted
A maximum holiday period of
18 months from the date of first The processing charge is 1.50%
disbursement or completion
of the loan amount with a max-
of construction - whichever is
earlier is available. In case the imum of Rs.30,000/-. This is
house is purchased, the holi- subject to change from time to
day period is 3 months. time without prior intimation.
For the loan raised the secu-
rity is the first mortgage on the
property to be bought, con-
structed or renovated. The land
should be in the applicant’s
name or jointly with spouse
who should be a co-obligant.
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

Indian Bank Home Loan

I ndian bank offers home
loans for purchase or
construction of a house / flat /
holiday period) for floating rate loans and 10 years (including
holiday period) for fixed rate loans. Maximum Holiday Period
of 18 months is allowed for Home Loans for the purpose of con-
renovation / repair or alteration struction of House / Flat
of an existing house / flat The
They have no pre-closure charges, if the loan is closed out of
maximum permissible age at
own funds and a 2% charge on the balance outstanding or ap-
the time of applying is 50 years
and at the end of repayment
period is 60 years. In addition
to the salaried class and self
employed professionals they
also offer home loans to
pensioners with repayment
capacity.

The quantum of loan amount

is 36 times of Gross Monthly
Income or 60 times of Net
Monthly Income whichever is
higher. The spouse’s income
can be included for calculating
eligible amount if he / she has
steady income. Take home In-
come should be more than 40%
of gross income after deduction
of EMI for the proposed loan,
apart from other deductions.

The marging for Loans upto

Rs. 20 lakhs is 20% and for
loans above Rs. 20 lakhs it is
25%.

Indian Bank charges a proces-

sion fee of 0.25 % on Loan
amount , Non refundable and
to be remitted at the time of
submission of application
and 0.32 % on Loan amount
(at the time of acceptance of
sanction).
The repayment period for pur-
chase / construction of a house
or a flat is 20 years (including
plicable Drawing Limit whichever is higher, if the loan is closed
by way of take over by another Bank / Financial Institution.
At the option of the applicant, Group Insurance Life Cover, IB
Griha Jeevan, is arranged (at present through L I C) at conces-
sional premium (to be borne by the Applicant). The Applicant
may opt for including the premium amount as part of Home
Loan Project Cost.

33 |G
Rent a Home
N ot many get to buy or construct their own house
and live in it happily ever after as the fairy tales
go. Today everybody’s got wheels on their feet and
are all around the world due to their career choice.
There are people who come down from the north
and take jobs in the south and vice versa.

Renting an apartment or an independent home is a

tedious job by itself. There are companies that have
tie-up with their own brokers, who may help you to
locate a suitable dwelling place. However, you may
have to shell out a brokerage fee, and if the company
is willing to do that, you need not worry.
You can also choose your rental
place from the innumerable
ads placed in the realty pages
of prominent newspapers. These
ads help you make a preference of
the choice of location as well as an
indication of the rental amount in
some cases.
June, 2010
Once that is done, you have
found a place to your satisfac-
tion; you must get down to
documentation to ensure that
you have a trouble free stay.
A good landlord who does not
bother you much and who does
the needful when needed is a
blessing not many have. Nei-
ther is a good tenant, who takes
care of the house properly.
As a tenant you can ensure that
you have a trouble free stay if
you are aware of certain basic
guidelines and choose to imple-
ment them. Remember, rental
laws are different from state to
state.
1. Firstly, get equipped about
the knowledge of the laws of
the state you are residing in.
Most information is avail-
able in the net.
2. Get an idea about the mar-
ket rental value of the area
you are choosing. This will
help you in negotiating the
rent. If the landlord knows
how keen you are in getting
the house, he may decide to
make a fast buck out of you.
3. Examination of the prem-
ises and documents is very
important. Ensure that the
title deeds are in the name
of the person who rents out
the apartment and that bills
such as electricity bills are in
his name. Draw out a lease
in the name of the person
in whose name the property
is. Verify the built up area
of the premises as declared
by the land lord and then
calculate the market value
of the rent. You can take an
engineer or architect with
you to do this.
4. The next and most impor-
tant step is drawing out
the rental agreement to the
satisfaction of both parties.
There are several aspects in
the lease agreement that you
need to be careful about.
❖ The most important step is
to decide on the license pe-
riod, the consistency of the
rent throughout the licence
period and clear outlining of
the details about the costs as-
sociated with the house such
as municipal taxes, society
fees, maintenance charges
etc. Normally, the owner is
expected to bear such costs.
❖ There should be a clear un-
derstanding about the initial
deposit paid prior to rent-
ing the house. The agree-
ment should clearly define
the nature of refund of such
deposits when the lease is
Eve’s Times
terminated. This should also
include any deposits towards
electricity bills, telephone
bills etc. Usually security de-
posits that are not refunded
within seven days of the ex-
piry of the lease are liable to
be refunded with interest for
each day’s delay. Care needs
to be taken to ensure the
landlord does not indiscrim-
inately retain funds from the
deposit for supposed dam-
age to the premises etc.
❖ Ensure either the owner or
a person who is the autho-
rized signatory for the owner
signs the agreement for it to
be valid.
❖ Make sure the lease agree-
ment includes all fixtures
and furnishings with an cost
estimate of the same also
specified.
❖ Plumbing is a major point
of contention in most rental
deals. There should not be
any malfunctioning or leak-
ages of the plumbing sys-
tems and maintenance costs
for the same should be in-
cluded in the entirety of the
lease deal.
35 |G
Eve’s Times
❖ The usual term of the lease
agreement is around 11
months with a notice of 2-3
months for either party to
terminate the agreement.
Notice clause is a must. The
lease can be renewed every
11 months based on mutual
consent.
❖ In your interest you may al-
so want to have a clause that
allows you to retain posses-
sion of the house till the any
dues that the landlord owes
to you including deposit re-
funds are cleared.
❖ Be clear about any clauses
that denote the breach of
contract and see you are well
protected. The tenant should
also be covered under any
circumstance where a sale,
mortgage, transfer etc. of
F| 36
June, 2010
the apartment takes place. 2. Do a quick reference check
Here the notice period can of the person requesting to
be the saving factor, to help rent the place. Place of em-
you make alternate arrange- ployment and designation
ments. are good reference points.
Also, make sure there are other 3. Be specific and clear about
amenities like car parking, gen- the time period of the lease.
eral maintenance etc.
4. State facts regarding fur-
Ensure all legalities are in place nishing upfront.
before you make the deposit
payment. Finally, brush up 5. Keep all critical documents
that refer to the credentials
your social skills to pave the
way for amiable relations with of the premises ready for
verification.
your landlord.
If you are the
Landlord
1. Estimate the rental value of
the place based on market
value with some leeway for
negotiation for the person
willing to rent the place.
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

Scorching Summer Wear

Home Free- Quiz

Exercising Teens ...

Canteen Banter

Sometimes the journey is its own reward...

Whatever your dreams...Keep Walking...
37 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

Of Philosophies, and More

O ur e-mail inbox is inundated with forwards, preaching little philosophies of life that
basically reflect the ideologies of Plato, Aristotle and other such philosophers that
lived only a couple of centuries after the stone-age. We’re hastened to believe in these
ideologies that have hardly evolved over centuries, and perhaps it is these ideologies that
have influenced man’s sense of morality.

But then, why is it that even morality and social norms differ in every country? In India, for
instance, dating is frowned upon, and meanwhile, the Singapore government is encourag-
ing dating among college students by organizing speed-dating rallies and programs, in an
effort to increase their population. The answer to this again lies in the root of before Christ
philosophies.

Selfishness in man, and the unending quest for different conceptions of justice resulted
in the quest for power. And the only way to acquire that power was to darken the line
between the bourgeois and the proletariats, and then to further break down these two
main groups into sub-groups, on the basis of ethnicity, race, colour, and other barriers.
Then, certain groups of intelligentsia from each of these sub-groups stepped forward as
representatives of their respective groups, and devised their own set of rules and codes,
which they swore to live by. Thus, religion was evolved, and people staunchly lived by the
rules of religion. Though, in essence, all religions translated into virtues of humanity and
the superior force that did not lie in our hands, there were certain conflicting principles.
Some religions denied the existence of other religions, and some accepted the existence of
others. Again, it was the insatiable hunger for power that led to distorted interpretations
of the codes and rules of life.

This resulted in further conflict, and finally, as a method of resolving conflict—a compro-
mise. And hence, in the midst of all this turmoil, morality was shaped and molded and
whittled to suit the sub-groups that we have been divided into. And even this, morality, is
as transient as the weather, and as everything in life. Circumstances have always had an
impact, and always will.

Until next month,

Namrata
Editor, Teen Mag

F| 38
June, 2010
Scorching Campus Wear
A s summer is very much in
and college going girls are
vexed with the heat and sweat
all around; confused about what
clothes to fill their wardrobe
this summer, your very own
teen magazine has come up with
fabulous looking young girls to
give you the perfect solution as
to what outfit you need to wear
and what accessories you need
to carry with you to beat the
heat in style.
Known for her classy looks we
have fashion savvy Rose Eunji
introducing some new fashion
concepts that will help you look
good during this summer.
Rose:
Name: Rose Eunji, 3rd yr BA
Literature
Studying in: Stella Maris Col-
lege, Chennai
Originally from: Korea
Hobbies: Modifying clothes,
singing and dancing
Fashion talk
with Rose
How will you describe your sense
of dressing or style?
Well mine’s pretty unique. One
day while walking in the street I
saw a girl wearing the same top
I have. I rushed back home and
modified the very top. I can’t
stand people wearing same
clothes like I do. Lol!
Where do you like to shop?
I have my own shop it’s called
Rose Style .I never go to com-
mercial streets to shop nor do I
like branded clothes much.
What kind of clothes do you like
to wear?
It depends a lot on the mood I
carry for the day and places I
go to. I prefer chic sexy looks to
classy looks!
Which brands do you prefer
usually?
Like I’ve said earlier I don’t real-
ly go for brands for clothes. But
Eve’s Times
make up; Yes. I prefer Chanel.
It’s the perfect one to complete
your looks and mostly used by
fashionistas too!
Who inspires you in terms of
fashion?
Absolutely that will be my
mom. She’s just like an elder
sister to me. She inspires me a
lot. She even gets upset when I
look bad... lol. In fact my fash-
ion sense has been developed
by her influence.
What motivates you to dress
up?
I love staring at myself in the
mirror for a long time. I like
looking good and it gives me
satisfaction too. I do feel happy
when everything from tops to
shoes and accessories goes per-
fect before I go out.
What are the elements of your
outfit?
I can’t live without my stilet-
tos; it should always go with
the dresses i wear. I believe the
perfect outfit has to be com-
plemented by a perfect shoe.
I prefer heels but even flats
should be chosen well to coor-
dinate the outfit.
What are your fashion tips for
college girls this summer?
A loose top with a pair of skinny
or parallel plane coloured pants
will do for the heat. A big bag,
39 |G
Eve’s Times
outstanding slippers and bright
coloured well polished nails
look very trendy for college. It
is simple to wear and makes
you look fab.
“A close up of rose’s outfit”
Chic top
F| 40
A loose wide necked cotton top
with a tank top underneath will
definitely be a good wear for
college as the weather becomes
warmer. Cotton is the fabric of
the season and keeps you the
coolest in this heat. This chic
top goes with almost all pants
and skirts too and definitely
Rose has presented herself in
a very chic and trendy way!
Besides the whole tank top un-
derneath your top is very much
in vogue these days.
2.Skinny pants
Skinny black pants like the one
above which Rose has worn
June, 2010
looks very stylish and trendy
.They are a rage right now.
You can make your own jeans
like this n look uber cool! Also
skinny jeans are good to wear
because they are comfortable
and gives your figure a slim
quotient.
Stilettos
This zebra printed stiletto is
one highly innovative design. A
lady’s dress is never complete
without the perfect shoes on.
Stilettos give you a confident
and smart look. It gives the opti-
cal illusion of a longer, slimmer
leg and height too. You can be
confident for the rest of the day
with these perfect stilettos on!
They make your gait smarter
and look awesome.
Rose with gladiator heels; glad-
iator heels are very popular
among college girls today. They
are funky heels with stripes on
top that are available in various
colours and shades. They go
well with skirts, shorts, dresses,
pants; in short almost every-
thing!
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

Summer Collections
A miscellany of bags and shoes and accessories that will help you in choosing your apparel the next
time you go shopping!

Product information: Silver black bag - Guess, Blue bag – Delhi market, black heels- Charles and
Keith, Cream colour block heel- DnA

Product information: flower print dress-Pantaloons, white clutch bag-Paparika ,black metal
studded flats-Charles and Keith ,earrings-Pantaloons

Product information: Circle print Dress-Biba collection,white

clutch-Paparika,yellow gladiator flats-Venus Steps, earrings-Pan-
taloons

Product information: brown cargo-Delhi market,jean-GUESS, sil-

ver flats-inc.5,blue kolhapuri-Delhi market, red shades-Ray Ban

By
Stellina Aimol

41 |G
Eve’s Times
HOME FREE
1. Public housing is a form of
housing tenure in which the
property is owned by
a) a government authority
b) public authority
c) private authority
d) civil authority
2. Gemeindebau which means
“municipality building is a
a) English word
b) German word
c) French word
d) Spanish word
3. Which country had the first
public housing
a) Ireland b) China
c) Japan d) Finland
4. Which of these features can
help you determine a home’s
architectural style?
a) Exterior paint color
b) Style of hinges, knobs,
and other hardware
c) Roof shape and pitch
d) Age and style of
plumbing fixtures
5. Palladian window:
a) Resembles the tall
windows found on French
palaces
b) Expresses the design
ideas of Frank Lloyd
Wright
F| 42
c) Reflects classical ideas
found in Renaissance
villas
d) Usually faces east
6. When we discuss a Victorian
home, the word “Victorian”
refers to:
a) The height of the ceiling
b) The architectural style
c) The ornamental details
d) The historic period
17. A home described as
“International Style” is
likely to have which of these
characteristics?
a) Glass walls
b) Roman arches
c) Exotic colors
d) Italianate details
8. The builders of a new
housing development
specialize in “green design.”
This means that their houses
are probably what?
a) Designed by talented
young interns
b) Elaborately landscaped
c) Energy efficient
d) Moss colored
9. What’s the first step buyers
often take during the home-
buying process?
a) Search online for
properties for sale
b) Talk to a real estate agent
c) Visit open houses
d) Contact a bank or
mortgage lender
June, 2010
10. What environmentally
friendly features do buyers
most often say is “very
important” when looking for
a home?
a) Energy conservation
landscaping
b) Energy-efficient
appliances
c) Heating and cooling costs
d) Energy-efficient lighting
11. What is the most frequently
reported reason for selling a
home?
a) To purchase something
larger
b) To downsize
c) Job relocation
d) Change in family
situation
12. What age range represents
the largest segment of home
buyers?
a) 25 to 34 b) 35 to 44
c) 45 to 54 d) 55 to 64
13. Five real estate investment
“tools” that can lead you to
wealth are:
a) Cash flow, amortization,
leverage, appreciation,
and the tax advantages of
real estate investing
b) Market knowledge, return
on investment, nice
tenants, cyclical markets,
and negotiating skill
c) Life, liberty, comedy,
tragedy, and the pursuit of
happiness
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

The
Simplified
Chinese
Language
Kum Hia - Approach me(come here) Lin Ching - An
illegal execution (lynching) Moon Lan Ding - A great
achievement of the American space program (moon
landing) Ne Ahn - A lighting fixture used in adver-
tising signs (neon-an elment) Shai Gai - A bashful
person (shy guy) Tai Ne Bae Be - A premature in-
fant (tiny baby ) Tai Ne Po Ne - A small horse (tiny pony)

T he Simplified Chinese
Language... For most of
us, Chinese is a very difficult
BY SYLVIA AND URMIMALA

language to learn or understand.

Hopefully, these simplifications
will help you understand the
Chinese language just a bit
better!

Dum Gai
- A stupid per-
son (dumb guy)
Gun Pao Der
- An ancient
Chinese inven-
tion (gunpowder) Hu Flung
Dung - Which one of you fertil-
ized the field?(who flung dung)
Hu Yu Hai Ding - We have rea-
son to believe you are harboring
a fugitive(who you hiding)

43 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

Jest 4 Laughs
Once upon a time, there was a river. The
Nile River, to be exact. On one side of the
river lived the rabbit, and on the other side
lived the bear.

One fine day, the bear was sitting on a

stump, enjoying his breakfast of berries.
Then he heard someone yelling at him. It
was the rabbit.

“Hey! Hey, Teddy, get your butt over here. I’ve got something to show you!”
“Not now! I’m eating.”
“Oh come on!” said the rabbit. “It’s really important.”
“No way.”
“Please. It’s urgent.”
So the bear decided to go all the way over the wide river. It took him all day and all night to get over
to the other side. He nearly drowned. And when he finally got there he was groaning and panting,
and wheezing for air.
“Well, rabbit,” he panted. “What did you want to tell me?”
“Hey, Teddy,” the rabbit began, “look how many berries are on the other side of the river.”

A little girl walks into a

Guest: “Why does your dog sit
there and watch me eat?”
Hotel Host: “I can’t imagine,
unless it’s because you have the
plate he usually eats from.”
pet shop and asks in the
sweetest little lisp: “Excuthe
me, mithter, do you keep wittle
wabbits?”
And the shopkeeper gets down
on his knees, so that he’s on her
level, and asks: “Do you want a
wittle white wabby or a soft and
fuwwy bwack wabby or maybe
one like that cute wittle bwown
wabby over there?”

The little girl puts her hands on

her knees, leans forward and
says in a quiet voice: “I don’t fink
my pyfon really giveths a thit.”
Contributed by Sylvia
F| 44
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

Cross Word
Across
1. Bank employee, who can say (6)
4. Balance found in muesli bran (5)
9. Crumbling old places fell down (9)
10. Not as old as that confused Reno guy (7)
11. Plenty of land in tarmac resort (5)
12. Opposed to poetry (6)
14. Purloins duck between beginning and
end of shifts (6)
17. Last letter in some game (5)
19. Tolerates some token duress (7)
21. Alter code when moved (9)
23. One of the Earps, sounds interrogative
at first (5)
24. Shuffle a paper then come into view (6)

Down
Graffiti
If you can’t drink
1. Sum up tall youth, essentially (5)
and drive, why
2. Let cure become a lesson (7)
do you need a
3. Find a fish in a wee lake (3)
driver’s license to
5. Begins tantrum in a moment (7)
buy liquor, and
6. Palindrome instrument (5)
why do bars have
7. Found in large scale drama crowd (5)
parking lots?
8. Hesitates to use spa turbulence (6)
12. Committee on a ship (6) Do you need a si-
13. Evidence of injury, allow for redness (7) lencer if you are
15. Shorten a river crossing (7) going to shoot a
16. Serenity, sounds like part of something mime?
greater (5)
18. Nobleman with ponytail is before his time (5) Why is it that when you transport some-
20. Grasp earnest weapon, essentially (5) thing by car, it’s called a shipment, but
22. High point found in octopus (3) when you transport something by ship, it’s
called cargo?
Home Free Why does your nose run and your feet
ANSWERS smell?
1. a 2. b 3. d 4. c 5. c 6. d 7. a If pro is the opposite of con, is progress the
8. a 9 .a 10. c 11. c 12 a 13. a opposite of congress?

45 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

6 7 8
Yeah Write
3 8 4
T wo men, one American and an Indian were
sitting in a bar drinking shot after shot. The
Indian man said to the American, ‘You know my
2 8 6
parents are forcing me to get married to this so
5 7 3 called homely girl from a village whom I haven’t
even met once.’ We call this arranged marriage.
1 4 9 I don’t want to marry a woman whom I don’t
love... I told them that openly and now have a
6 2 3 hell lot of family problems.’

7 6 9 The American said, talking about love marriag-

es... I’ll tell you my story. ‘I married a widow
4 whom I deeply loved and dated for 3 years. Af-
ter a couple of years, my father fell in love with
Teasing and tickling your gray cells is said to improve yur my step-daughter and married her, so my fa-
brain power. Go ahead and play with the numbers and check ther became my son-in-law and I became my
for yourself if you have it in you to vanquish number puzzles father’s father-in-law. Legally now my daugh-
with ease! Happy Sudokuing! Answers on Pg.48 ter is my mother and my wife my grandmother.
More problems occurred when I had a son.
My son is my father’s brother and so he is my
Cross Word Answer
uncle. Situations turned worse when my father
had a son. Now my father’s son, my brother is
my grandson. Ultimately, I have become my
own grand father and I am my own grandson.
And you say you have family problems.’

TALE PIECE >>>>>>>

F| 46
June, 2010
Teen Fitness
Exercising Teens ...
T ime to sound the alarm
bells for the sleeping
souls of parents! A research
by top scientists of the world
has brought out that kids in
developed and developing
countries are in worse physical
shape when compared to kids
20 years back. The appalling
fact is that such overweight
kids grow up to adults with
diseases like diabetes, arthritis
etc coupled with chances of
twice the mortality rate when
compared to teens of 70’s.
The metabolic rate decreases
when children glue themselves
in front of the TV set and com-
puter and do nothing at all
except splurge over high fat
snacks! Studies show that teens
Eve’s Times
TAKE IT
light!
spend 30hrs a week viewing
TV programmes. With both
parents busy embroiled in their
hectic schedules it is time to
make the move and defend your
children from all those dreaded
diseases out there. A healthy
lifestyle is always accompa-
nied with a consistent diet and
a regular exercise. Greens, nu-
tritious vegetables, fresh fruits,
wholesome wheat, cereals and
a minimal amount of meat (fat-
less) constitute a healthy diet.
But the junk food culture pro-
vides no room for a nourishing
diet. Gorging on burgers, hot-
dogs and unlimited, saturated
chocolates and ice creams has
become the fashion and pas-
sion of today’s youngsters.
It is time to take the bull by
the horns. The foremost step
toward this direction is to im-
plement austere cost cutting
measures and restrictions on
children’s pocket-money. Dis-
cipline must be brought about
in their food habits .Combined
with a nourishing diet and ex-
ercise, it is not difficult to turn
around the dismal health pre-
47 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

your next inter school culturals , a so-

lution to close a fight with your friend
………

6. Exercise makes you feel rejuvenated

dictions. Teens can
take up exciting phys-
ical activities. Aerobics
is a perfect option for
teens who do not want to
strain themselves. Also one
can go in for sports like swim-
ming, basket ball, volley ball,
shuttle, etc. Any sport played
with proper assistance would
definitely prove good to one’s
body and mind. Here are some
health tips to keep teenagers
going on forever.
1. Walking for about 30 min-
utes daily works wonders .
The pace should be fast and
the timings recommended
are early mornings and late
evenings.
2. Jogging is the next best
choice to go in for .
not only throughout the day but also
throughout your lifetime. It condi-
tions your body and makes it more
flexible.
7. Exercises just do not deal with body
alone but has fascinating effects on
the mind too .You feel good men-
tally and apparently not all would
have the discipline, determination
and power to set goals and achieve
them!.
8. Aerobic exercises gets you out of
depression and frustration by re-
leasing powerful hormones called
endorphins that works wonders
for your self esteem.
Knowing all these alone is not going to prove its worth but
start working on it to see the difference. So get ready, jet …set…..
go… sprint toward your sporty future.
By Sylvia
8 9 6 1 2 7 4 3 5
5 4 1 6 9 3 2 7 8

3. Aerobics increases the rate 3 2 7 8 4 5 1 6 9

of pumping of heart mak-
ing it more efficient and 9 7 2 3 5 4 8 1 6
protects your heart from all
heart diseases. 6 8 5 9 7 1 3 2 4
4. Chatting and walking makes 1 3 4 2 8 6 9 5 7
you exercise longer and you
also have fun time with your 4 1 8 5 6 2 7 9 3
friends!
7 6 3 4 1 9 5 8 2
5. Spend some time alone. You
may end up giving vent to 2 5 9 7 3 8 6 4 1
your creative thoughts for

F| 48
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

Our
Jus’ Ask Brinda Counsel

My first high school crush might have moved with your

has finally asked me out.
But I have a boyfriend now
whom I love very much.
What should I do? Should I
go back to my crush or tell
my boyfriend about it?
You are in a plight where a ma-
jor decision has to be made.
You are in a dilemma because
you probably associate ro-
mance and day dreaming with
your crush, as the first experi-
ence must have been a thrilling
one. Our choices in life are
made according to the sense
of our own worth. Make an as-
sessment as to who deserves
you better. Before doing that,
you’ll have to see who you
know better-the crush or your
lover!! I presume that you
Eve’s Times is happy to an-
nounce that family therapist
and Parent-Teacher Educa-
tor Brinda Jayaraman will
answer any query you want to
ask relating to interpersonal
interactions. Send in your
questions to askbrinda@
evestimesonline.com or to
editorevestimes@gmail.com
boyfriend for a longer period
of time than with your crush.
You haven’t given me an idea
about your age. If you are still
studying, you have a long way
to go to decide about life part-
ner. (Are you that serious?)
You can have a litmus test for
both of them by putting this on
hold and the worthy one will
emerge! This would help you
concentrate on your studies
better! I would like to remind
you that in the long run, we
shape our lives. The process
never ends until we die; and
the choices we make are ulti-
mately our own responsibility.
If you want to have fun now,
be ready to face the conse-
quences.

Soul’s Core
Ever since the order of banning smoking in public has come into effect, pubs and bars that were
places where you could smoke with abandon, have become unfairly biased against those who smoke.
They are forced to go out if they need to have a smoke and are faced with a lot of inconvenience.
There should be separate smoking rooms made mandatory in public spaces so that the rights of
those who choose to smoke are not stepped on.

Deepak Kumar Lakhwani

The auto rickshaws in Chennai are a nightmare for anyone who needs to use them. Not only are the
drivers rude but they also have no qualms about charging high fare, irrespective of the distance. The
government needs to make the auto system more accessible and appealing to all the people in the
city, since the non locals are at a disadvantage. Also, the autos that run in the city are very old, they
take forever to reach a destination. The rules with respect to all these issues need to be enforced.

Juvin George

49 |G
Eve’s Times
A SMILE TO REMEMBER
D ental caries , as we know
is caused by fermentable
carbohydrates such as the
sugars, microorganisms, host
( tooth surface and saliva) and
time. Microorganisms in the
oral cavity in the presence of
fermentable carbohydrates will
produce acid which will change
the PH of the saliva causing
leaching out of calcium and
F| 50
Health & Fitness Clinic
potassium ions from the tooth
surface. When this happens, a
cavity is formed in the tooth,
which in turn acts as a reservoir
for food accumulation and
hence abets the progress of
caries.
Long term consequences of not
treating carious teeth result in
the loss of oral health. Poor oral
health will continue into adult-
June, 2010
hood and affects the child’s
general health resulting in in-
sufficient physical development
especially height and weight. It
also results in increased treat-
ment time and escalated costs
for parents and hampers the
quality of life of the child.
Other rare conditions include
sub-orbital cellulites, brain ab-
scess, Ludwig’s angina causing
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

difficulty in breathing, acute
ear infections and unexplained
recurrent fevers
Prevention is better
than cure : Instructions
to parents
1. See a paediatric dentist in
the 3rd trimester of preg-
nancy so that he/shewill
explain the importance
of the pregnant mother’s
oral health. “ A pregnant
mother’s poor oral health
has been related to prema-
ture pregnancies”. A child
when born doesn’t have any
microorganisms in his/her
mouth. They are eventually
transmitted into the child’s
mouth by the parents and
the caretakers by the act of
kissing them.
2. See the paediatric dentist
as soon as the first tooth
erupts
aged to reduce activities that
increase the risk of bacterial
transmission such as shar-
ing cups, utensils, tasting
child’s food and cleaning
pacifiers with their own
mouths.
10. Pacifiers should not be
dipped in honey, jellu or
sugary
11. Use flouridated tooth paste
and not more than a pea-
sized amount to brush the
child’s teeth.
PERINATAL ORAL
HEALTH CARE: 3rd
trimester
1. Poor dental health during
the perinatal period will
have direct implications on
the pregnant mother and
the unborn child..
2. Periodontal disease in preg-
nant mother will result in
preterm delivery, low birth
weight and pre-eclempsia
(increased hypertension in
the pregnant mother.
3. Dental caries in the mother
will cause dental caries in
the child.
4. Instructions to pregnant
mother include
i. Importance of oral health
education
ii. Importance of tooth brush-
ing twice with a flouridated
tooth paste
iii. Importance of flossing
iv. Pregnant mother in the
last trimester suffers from
nausea andvomiting, which
actually regurgitates acids

3. The infant’s teeth should be

cleaned twice daily before
breakfast and before Bed-
time.

4. Breast feeding should be

encouraged

5. Weaning at the age of 1year

6. Prevent bottle feeding ad-

libitum

7. Reduce intake of sugar out-

side regular mealtimes

8. Parents should maintain

good oral hygiene as par-
ents are the best teachers to
children

9. Parents should be encour-

51 |G
Eve’s Times
from the stomach, these
acids can cause erosion of
teeth and render them sen-
sitive to air, heat and cold
drinks. Immediately after
the bout of vomiting the
mother should rinse with
a cup of water containing
1 tea spoon of baking soda,
this will reduce the dental
erosion.
v. Use of xylitol chewing gums
(4 pellets a day) will reduce
the bacterial count in the
mouth
F| 52
June, 2010
vi. Visit the dentist for profes- 49, KB Dasan Road,
sional tooth cleaning that Teynampet, Chennai 18.
can prevent gum disease
and dental caries
vii. A balanced diet is a must.
Dr. Prashanth Kumar
Dhanpal,
MDS (Paed Dent)., AdvDipDS
(Paed Dent).,
MRACDS (Paed Dent)., MPae-
dRCSEd.
Dentistree International
Dental Hospital,
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

Exotic
Destinations

The
Nilgiri Trail

53 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

HIKE ON THE H
O nce the outdoor bug began to bite, then
there was nothing stopping me to get away
from the maddening crowd.After a brief stint
with nature and wildlife, I decided to explore
the hills and go on a hike.There’s a saying that
if you are aiming at the Himalayas, then start
with the Western Ghats.That’s exactly what I
did, pulled up my socks and shoes and began
my expedition to the hills.

The Western Ghats stretch about 1400kms from

north of Mumbai, across Maharashtra, Goa,
Karnataka and Kerala to the southernmost tip
of Tamil-nadu.The hills with an elevation of
1000mts and above are covered with tropical,
evergreen forests and source to major rivers
of south India including Kaveri and Krishna.
Though it’s impossible, at least to me, to ex-
plore the entire mountaineous stretch, I just
settle for the Nilgiri Hills which form an inte-
gral part of the Western ghats.

The 4 important hillstations I shall be cover-

ing in this range are Conoor, Kotagiri, Ooty (all
three on the Nilgiri hills) and Kodaikanal (on
the nearby Palani Hills).

The ideal base to set off to all these places is ei-

ther Coimbatore or Madurai.Both these towns
are well connected by road, rail and air from
the rest of the country.

F| 54
 June, 2010
HILLS (The Nilgiri Trail)
Conoor:- At an elevation of
1800mts this is the first of the
Nilgiri hillstations.You can
take a private vehicle or bus
from your base to reach here
or board the Nilgiri toy train
at Mettupalayam(28kms from
Conoor) to reach the station.
The main attraction here is the
Sim’s Park which is a botani-
cal abode of some of the rarest
plants existing on this planet
today.Apart from this, you
can also stop by for a a brief or
long yoga course conducted by
a natural therapist for a com-
plete rejuvenation.You can
either stop by for a spiritual
quest or begin your trek right
up to Ooty(8kms) or continue
the toy train ride through the
Nilgiri or Eucalyptus trees.
Next in line with Ooty is Ko-
tagiri, a forgotten village,
surrounded mostly by tea
estates and tribal Kota settle-
ments.From here you can visit
a couple of falls like Catherine
and Elk.There are no good
places to rest your bones in
Kotagiri and suggest we pro-
ceed to Ooty.
Ooty or Udhagamandalam was
the famous summer getaway
for the British in Madras.But
much before that it was home
to the Toda tribes whose num-
ber is rapidly depleting today.
At an altitude of around
2250mts, Ooty is spread
across rolling hills and valleys.
You can spot some of the old
British style cottages spread
out which gives you the feel-
ing of a fairy tale land.Though
the place is gradually losing
it’s old charm due to drastic
commercialisation, there’s
lots awaiting an enthusiastic
tourist.Apart from the regular
boating, one can hire a bicycle
and go biking up and down the
pristine roads.
For the adventurous and out-
door kinds there is trekking and
paragliding (under guidance).
Long distance group hikes have
to be booked well in advance
through the places where you
stay.The Madumalai National
Park in the foothills of Nilgiris
which is home to some won-
derful species like the spotted
deer, tiger, panther, bear and a
huge population of elephants is
worth the visit.However you’ll
have to book the jungle and el-
ephant rides well in advance.
Eve’s Times
I’ve still not had enough of
hiking though the stretch from
Kotagiri to Ooty was quite a
tedious one.Hoping to explore
a bit more on that, I head for
my next destination Kodaika-
nal, petnamed Kodai.Situated
on the Palani hills at an alti-
tude of 2100 mts, I learn that
this is the only hillstation in
the whole of India, set by the
Americans.Well, that’s some
news and I also hear that that
the famous Kurunji flower,
which blossoms once in 12yrs
and is unique to Western
Ghats is found in Kodai.
The hillstation is more or less
like Ooty but a bit more clean-
er perhaps. The same boating,
horse riding, cyclying but hik-
ing was much more exhilarating
considering the steepness of the
hills around. It does give you a
high when you scale the heights
and once you are at the sum-
mit it’s like being at the top of
the world. However watch out
for unprecedented fogs which
can engulf one suddenly as they
come like monsters from all
sides .If you are driving, then
just halt for sometime, get out
and live the moment.
55 |G
Eve’s Times
That was quite an experience
and as I walked back to my
hotel, enroute ,bought a sec-
ond sweater from a Tibetan
shop. It did come handy for,
❖ The adventure trails can be
despite the two sweaters and a
Kambli(blanket usually worn
by local tribals),and a muf-
fler, I was still shivering while
circling round the bon-fire all
night long.
Travel Tips
❖ Best base stations Coim-
batore and Madurai are
❖ Weather is chilly round the
well connected by road, rail
and air from all parts of the
country.
❖ From here there are regular
❖ Carry enough warm cloth-
buses plying to all the hill
stations on the Nilgiri trail.
One can also hire a private
F| 56
cab.Infact most hotels where
you are put up can organize
for one.
organized by your respec-
tive hotels or you can book
well in advance.Check out
http/:www.vacationsindia.
com/tamilnadu/adventure,
www.wildertrails.com, Ma-
dras Hang-Gliders Associa-
tion, aavishkaarindia.com,
for more details on the sub-
ject.
year 15—25 in summers and
0—18 in winters.
ings and appropriate medi-
cines for travel sickness.
Wear appropriate shoes for
hikes.
June, 2010
❖ Don’t disturb the tribals and
make fun of their lifestyles.
❖ Carry a dump bag wherever
you go to push in the litter
and keep the environment
clean. It’s ideal to hire a bi-
cycle to move around the
place.
❖ Visit a tea processing fac-
tory if you haven’t seen one
and pack a few boxes of
fresh hilly tea.You can even
request to engage yourself
in the tea leaf plucking pro-
cess if interested. Indulge in
some of the fresh grown hill
fruits and buy some home
made squashes.
❖ And finally, don’t remain in-
doors watching T.V in your
hotel room but get out and
fill your lungs with some
healthy oxygen.
57 |G
THE LOND
Eve’s Times June, 2010

I still recollect singing the

rhyme ’London bridge is
falling down,falling down,
giving views across London.
Since opening in March 2000,
London Eye has become an
falling down, London bridge is iconic landmark and a symbol of
falling down, my fair lady. modern Britain. It’s UK’s most
popular paid for visitor attrac-
But upon arrival, to my relief tion, visited by over 3.5 million
I found the tower Bridge still people a year. A breathtaking
there, as majestic feat of design and engineering,
as ever along passengers in the London Eye’s
with his good capsules can see up to 40 kilo-
old friend metres in all directions
the Big Ben,
but there’s You climb onto it and you get to
one more dear see the entire city from a height
friend who has of several metres.However
joined the two beautiful it might seem to be
and that’s the but London is not the London
mammoth gi- we read about in those heavy
ant wheel—the literature books.So much has
London Eye—a changed and so many diversi-
large ferris fications have taken place.It’s
wheel on the become a second home to
banks of river all Asians and believe
Thames
me our Curry and Chutney have
not only made their way into
English dictionary, they are
now available almost at every
restaurant available in town.As
I walk down some of the Indi-
anised streets not only do I spot
Gagras and Salwars displayed
over the mannequins, I tend to
spot the twinkling Chamkis and
Tiklis hanging from every nook
and corner.I get out of here as
quickly as possible and board
a Hop-on-hop-off bus to go
sightseeing the English side of
the city.Afterall I haven’t trav-
eled hundreds of miles to see
another India here!
The bus takes me down one
of the world’s greatest cities
which has inspired artists as di-
verse as Shakespeare, Dickens,
Turner, Mozart, Ian Fleming

F| 58
DON EYE
June, 2010
and the Beatles.The open bus
ride with it’s digitally recorded
commentary brings London’s
history into colourful, dramatic
life.I kept hopping on and off
the bus as I visited the destina-
tions one by one.
Tower of London;- It’s the best
preserved medieval fortress in
Britain.Home to the ravens and
the world famous crown jewels
since the beginning of the 14th
century and the scene of many
a dark and bloody deeds during
more than 900 years of royal
history.
Crossing the Tower bridge, on
the other side I’m at the West-
minister Abbey.On the way
I pass by the Shakespeare’s
globe and just take a peek into
it.Will come back for a detailed
tour and exhibition. I instead
got into the London Dungeon
to get the fright of my life.The
costume characters, tableaux
and special effects bring history
back to life here.Right from the
stories of Jack the ripper and
the great fire of London to the
suspense as you finf out what
your fate has in store for you at
your very own judgement day
trial…it is one
hell of a thrill-
ing journey
The third
stop was at
Buckingham
Eve’s Times
palace:- Situated at the west-
ern end of the St.James/ Green
Park, the palace, evolved from
a town house owned by the
Dukes of Buckingham since the
18th century and today is the
official residence of the Queen.
When the Queen is in resi-
dence, there are four sentries
at the front of the building and
when she is away there are only
two.Tourists come here to wit-
ness the changing of guard or
Guard mounting as it is called
which involves a new guard ex-
59 |G
Eve’s Times
changing duty with the old one.
It takes place at about 11am and
have to be there at the latest by
11.15 to see the best.The state
rooms of the palace are open to
the tourists during the annual
summer opening in August
and September.The rooms are
lavishly furnished with some
of the greatest treasures from
the royal collection which in-
cludes paintings, sculptures,
furnitures, etc.Admission to the
palace is by timed ticket and if
come late than the specified
time you won’t be let in.
F| 60
June, 2010
I next hop by to St.Paul’s Ca-
thedral, the famous Trafalgar
square and another palace—
Another changing of guard
takes place at the other side of
the St.James Park to Whitehall
where it’s actually less crowd-
ed and thus more enjoyable.
It’s a very nice little walk to
wander across the park much
of it by the lake to Westmin-
ster or Whitehall.Here you
come across the London Eye
, Big Ben again, and 10, Dow-
ing street, the home of the
prime-minister of the United
Kingdom.One can also give a
peek into the British Museum
if there is time to spare.
June, 2010
Kensington which is home to
members of the royal family
to this day.Many period apart-
ments and rooms are open to
viewers from the time of King
William the third to Queen Vic-
toria.
My final stop is at Madam Tus-
sads and I have to be there
before 5.30pm when the mu-
seum closes.It’s an abode of
around 400 stunningly life like
figures which includes some of
our Bollywood actors too.I had
many a fovourites to picture
myself next to and before I was
done I was pushed into a time
travel ride and a chillingly eerie
chamber of horrors.
I come out my head in a spin
and decide to take a breather
and stretch a bit to a cup of hot
English tea and scones—a-la-
Sherlock Holmes style.And then
probably I’ll go on a ride down
the Thames and later on in the
evening for a quick shopping at
Harrods.But for the time being
let me just look up the London
sky and enjoy the English air.
Travel tips:
❖ Weather is wet all through
the year with unpredictable
drizzles.Better to carry an
umbrella or wear a hooded
jerkin.
❖ The cheapest and best means
of sightseeing is to take the
London tour bus
❖ Check out www.bigbustours.
com You can hop on and hop
off whenever and wherever
you like.Better to buy a day’s
travel card which can be
used any no. of times.
❖ You can start your tour with
Tower of London and end
with Madam Tussads or the
other way round.Remember
the Tower closes at 5 pm(4pm
in winters) and Maddam
Tussads at 5.30pm.So, plan
the trip accordingly.
❖ If you love to go walking
around to take the beauty of
the place at slow pitch then
check out the paddington
walking tours.Even the big
bus tickets come with free
walking and river side tours.
❖ Don’t forget to take your pic
infront of the Big Ben which
is the largest four sided clock
in the world.For more than
an century, it’s westminister
chime has been ringing ev-
ery hour without fail.
❖ Don’t miss out on a Shake-
speare’s globe theatre tour
and exhibition.Check out
Eve’s Times
www.shakespears-globe.org
for more details.
❖ Harrods is a classical must
see though may not be a must
buy, however, check out the
Portobello Market(Saturday
only) for anything under the
sun at fairly decent prices.
It’s a road market with the
1960’s feel to it.A bric-a-
brac place selling anything
from antiques to vegetables
to accessories to eaties, it’s
a hep-happening place.Can
spend a couple of hours ex-
ploring and then have lunch.
Very crowded in the eve-
nings and preferably to go in
the morns.
❖ Buy a classical English um-
brella or walking stick-a-la-
Sherlock holmes style.They
may not come cheap but
then are a collectors item.
❖ Take a ride down the river
Thames to get a closer view
of the English cottages.It’s
classically beautiful .
61 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

AM I
GORGEOUS
ENOUGH?
THE
NEUROSIS
OF BEING
PERFECT

F| 62
June, 2010
A bout a year ago, I got
a mysterious parcel in
the mail. With no thought
of mail bombs and possible
repercussions, I opened it with
some excitement (who, after all,
does not like a surprise gift?). I
was taken aback to see that it
was an unsolicited packet from
a cosmetic company, of an anti-
ageing cream (I had turned 41
about a month before that).
Clearly, the Big Brother (or
Sister) in cyberspace had got
wind of me hitting the big “f”
decade and had informed the
cosmetic company. They, in
turn, probably felt that I should
start worrying about those
wrinkles that were in imminent
danger of appearing!
Beauty is such an obsession. Am
I young, thin and fair enough?
Am I the “right height”, not too
tall, not too short? Are my eyes
placed “proportionately” in my
face? Do I have crooked teeth
that need to be straightened?
Do I have scars or an “unsatis-
factory” nose or lips that need
to be surgically corrected? And
how, oh how, can I stop the
gravitational pull of my breasts?
The questions are endless, and
hysteria is imminent.
Sometimes, before the woman
even starts thinking about these
things, the process has already
kicked in. Advice from well-
meaning friends and family,
the media and the ad industry
feed the neuroses and cosmetic
companies wait hopefully in the
wings.
Over the years, worldwide,
there has been an attempt at
“homogenising” notions of
beauty. A global standard of
age, height, weight and colour
seems to have been drawn up,
not connected in any way to
race or natural laws of body type
differences. For a while, it was
mainly those who were a part of
the beauty industry who were
the “victims” of the malaise to
conform to these “global” stan-
dards. We’d see actors (women
and men) and models who had
had, say, a chin tucked in, or hair
“grown back”. And we’d chuck-
le about their vanity and forget
about it. But today is different,
much more serious somehow.
We don’t laugh at the breast en-
hancements, the liposuctions to
reduce body fat, the Botox pout
and the “new” aquiline noses in
the market. We’d instead rather
try and trace the cosmetic sur-
geons who did such good jobs
and find out if they’d “repair”
our flaws too!
What has happened to diversity
and difference? Why is it dif-
ficult to see the beauty of deep
chocolate brown and the glow
of dark brown, as much as the
charm of a lighter skin hue?
The wrinkles on a person’s face
show their decades of living,
why don’t we see that as history
(or “herstory”), rather than as
Eve’s Times
CANDOUR
By Nandini Rao
“imperfections” of that person?
When did “fat” become an in-
sult, rather than an adjective?
We have to admit that it’s dif-
ficult to accept unusual (or
“hatke”) in the face of an
alarming growth in ad reve-
nues. So we have it all around
us, an increasing number of
ads -- on giant-size hoard-
ings, innumerable print ads
and TV commercials -- extol-
ling the virtues of fair, young
and skinny. The early 1990’s
started the boom, of course,
with newly-discovered “beau-
tiful” Indian women ruling the
universe; since then, there has
been no looking back for the
cosmetic industry. And no let
up for the rest of humankind.
When nature has let us down,
we will thwart it by putting
together something more in
tune with our own fantasies.
Assembly-line production is ac-
ceptable, as long as it makes me
look like my particular flavour
of the month. No amount of ex-
posés on a gluteoplasty (buttock
surgery) gone horribly wrong
resulting in the recent death of
an ex-beauty queen, on lifestyle
diseases like bulimia and an-
orexia among young people or
of Botox implants resulting in
negative side effects, will make
a change in the way we look at
ourselves. When Botox prom-
ises to eliminate unwanted
lines and creases from my face,
why would I want to read the
fine print about it being a toxin
63 |G
Eve’s Times
that blocks nerve impulses that
could result in possible muscle
weakness all over the body,
blurred vision and loss of blad-
der control? Humans are vain
at the best of times and self- de-
lusional at the worst; it’s easy to
block out what we don’t want to
see.
But really, what is it that we
need to do to feel good? Some
physical activity or exercise, a
better handle on what we eat
and drink, the ability to drink
lots of water that helps naturally
flush out many of the toxins in
our body and a bunch of home
remedies to help our skin and
F| 64
June, 2010
we are sometimes self-critical,
but there is a need to learn to
be self-loving too.
We need to send out this mes-
sage loud and clear to the
beauty industry. And maybe,
the next time a cosmetic com-
pany executive will think twice
before sending out a mailer or a
gift to an unsuspecting woman
fast approaching middle age.
Maybe – just maybe – she feels
that wrinkles add character to
her face, rather than make her
look unattractive!
bodies? This is not to say that
we should avoid using cosmet-
ics. Of course, we should when
we want to; at the same time, we
need to make sure that not us-
ing them does not turn us into
obsessing about being ugly and
imperfect. Self- esteem shines
in one’s face and a self-confi-
dent walk and posture adds to
one’s attractiveness. Beauty be-
ing skin-deep is not just a trite
saying, but is an axiom for us
to remember and reflect on. At
the end of the day, beauty IS
in the eye of the beholder, the
“beholder” , who is in this case
should be ourselves. Of course,
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

Salt & Pepper Korner TAKE IT

light!
M ake your kitchen experience exciting using Mallika Badrinath’s wise counsel. Mallika has recipes for
everyone; even bachelors and children can turn out a delectable meal using her guidance. So go ahead with
your kitchen queries and prepare healthy, tasty meals with the help of the Cuisine Queen of south India.

Whenever I try to make bisebelabath, it turns out different each time. I have not been able to get the
true flavour. How is bisebelabath made?
Neelam Gandhi, Chennai

You can make bisebelebath accord- Now dry roast the grated coconut
ing to the following recipe separately and add to the above.
Together grind them all to make a
Ingredients powder.
Raw rice -1cup Now take the required amount of
Thoor dal -1/2cup oil in a kadai and heat it. Then add
Tamarind -1 lemon sized the onions (either cut or whole)
Small onions - 100 gm and fry. To these fried onions add
Peas - 100gm the pressure cooked peas, potatoes,
Potatoes - 1or 2 the strained tamarind water and salt
Carrot -1 or 2 (optional) and allow it to boil for sometime. To
the boiling mixture add the pow-
For the powder
dered spices. Now these contents
Cinnamon - 1 small piece are moved into another kadai , add-
Cloves - 2or 3 pieces ing the rice and dal. Boil until you
Red chillies - 6 get the right consistency. Garnish
Daniya -1 table spoon with cashewnuts fried in ghee and
Bengal gram -1table spoon serve hot .
Fenugreek - less than ¼ th table
The Best Query of the month will
spoon
win a masala hamper from Mallika
Grated coconut – 1 ½ table spoon
Home Product Pvt. Ltd. Cooking has
For garnishing never been a Spicier Experience!

Cashewnuts - 8 or 10 pieces Eve’s Times readers have exciting

news! Watch out for competitions
Procedure on cookery tips and recipes. Dig
out exotic recipes and innova-
Pressure cook thoor dal and rice
tive tips and win prizes! Send your
till you get about 4 whistles. In the
recipes/tips with your colour pix to
same cooker place the vegetables,
Eve’s Times #18/1 Second Cross St
potato and peas in another container
Dr.Radhakrishnan Nagar, Tiruvan-
over the rice and dal for easy cook-
miyur, Chennai 600 041 or by e-mail
ing. Along side ,soak the tamarind in
to editor@evestimesonline.com
1 1/2 cup of water for later use.

Heat the oil in a khadai and add

cinnamon, cloves, red chillies,
daniya and Bengal gram and finally
fenugreek and switch off the stove
immediately after adding fenugreek.

65 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

Simmering
Jus’ AskSensations
Brinda TAKE
Our IT
Counsel
light!
Cook ‘n’ Smile Easy Recipes
T he art of turning out lip-
smacking goodies has
evolved over the years to suit
our fast pace of life. Instead of
sweating it out in the kitchen,
perk up and dive into the warm
confines of the kitchen. Emerge
out with a sunshine smile and
a tray full of exquisite sweet
dishes, low in fat. The good
news is that these need very
little preparation time and can
be cooked in a few minutes.
Moreover, since they don’t need
great expertise, just anyone can
try these out. So those of you
endowed with a lil’ adventurous
streak, here we go:

Coconut Sweet Method:

Preparation time 2 minutes Mix all the ingredients in a bowl
and Micro Hi for 7-9 minutes.
Cooking time 7-9 mins
Cool and turn out into a greased
tray. Cut into pieces.
Ingredients
Milkmaid 1can
Milk Powder 1 cup
Corn Flour ¼ cup
Desiccated Coconut ¼ cup
Yogurt/Curd 1 tbsp.
Ghee 2 tbsp.
Lemon juice 2 tbsp.
Cardamom As desired
Pista and other nuts As desired

F| 66
June, 2010
Falafel Sandwich
Preparation Time 10 min |
Cooking Time 6 min | 4 serv-
ings
Ingredients
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped green
onions
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 can chick-
peas, rinsed and drained 1 large
egg 1 garlic clove, chopped Dash
of ground red pepper
1/4 cup shredded seeded peeled
cucumber
1/4 cup plain 2% low-fat Greek
yogurt 1 teaspoon fresh lemon
juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 sandwich sized whole wheat
bread cut into triangles
4 lettuce leaves 8 (1/4-inch-
thick) tomato slices
Method
Combine first 10 ingredients
in a mixer or food process and
run the machine until ingredi-
ents are finely chopped. Divide
mixture into 4 equal portions;
shape each portion into a 1/2-
inch-thick patty. Heat a large
nonstick skillet over medium-
high heat. Coat pan with one or
Eve’s Times
two drops of oil using a napkin
or an onion, using it to spread
the oil around the skillet. Add
patties to pan; cook 3 minutes
on each side or until lightly
browned.
Combine cucumber, yogurt,
juice, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in
a small bowl. Line each bread
triangle half with 1 lettuce leaf
and 2 tomato slices. Place 1
patty on the triangle. Top each
patty with about 1 tablespoon
cucumber mixture. Cover with
the other triangle.
This will make a good evening
snack, breakfast or even din-
ner.
67 |G
Eve’s Times
TAKE
Y Dab a little shadow onto
ou have decided to look
your best. You have also
decided to enhance your
looks by choosing appropriate
cosmetics and going for a
make over in your looks,
lifestyle and attitude. Now let
us look at how to enhance the
beauty of our face. We can
begin with the eyes first.
You start by examining your
face in the mirror. Focus on
your eyes. Are they beautiful,
expressive and full of life and
happiness? Are they clear and
bright? Or do they look dull
and lifeless? Here are a few
tips to make your eyes look
radiant and eye-catching.
❖ Use Eye Shadow. It can
transform ordinary eyes
into outstanding eyes. Soft,
muted shades in brown,
gray, plum, violet or blue
tend to be more flattering
than neon-bright frosted
shades, because too much
iridescence tends to collect
in creases. To avoid crease
collection, use a founda-
tion or an eye shadow base
which is a combination of
talc, beeswax and other
ingredients to provide an
invisible protective shield
that prevents your eye
shadow from mixing with
skin oils.
F| 68
June, 2010
IT light!
❖
the centre of each lid, us-
ing a sponge applicator or
soft pencil. Then brush up
and out toward your brow
and in toward your nose
with an eye shadow brush.
For extraordinary eyes,
apply an intense shade of
colour in the crease of your
lid and a lighter shade of
the same colour on the
brow bone as a highlight-
er. Blend all these colours
with your fingers.
❖ Try eye liner. Just as a
frame can set off a fine
painting, eyeliners can de-
fine the eye. Use a pencil
eyeliner. Make sure the
pencil point is slightly
blunt and wipe it with a
tissue to remove wood
particles. Then holding
the pencil parallel to the
eye, draw a line from the
inner corner of your upper
eyelid to the mid point,
then from the outer cor-
ner to the centre. Smudge
the line with your fingers.
Do the same thing on the
bottom lid, keeping in
mind that , for safety’s
sake, the liner should be
applied outside the lashes,
that is , above the upper
lashes and below the bot-
tom ones. For crinkling
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

MAKING EYES
lids or unsteady hands, ap-
ply a series of closely spaced
dots along the lash line, then
smudge them, working from
corner to corner, with a
sponge-tipped applicator.

69 |G
 Eve’s Times June, 2010

<<< UNITY IS STRENGTH >>>

A proverb of school years, oft repeated as the bottom line of diary
pages, seen as the title of moral stories, placards hold these words
high above heads. Yes high, so high that it seems to go beyond human
capacity of absorption and practice. Our eyes open wide always,
only in the eleventh hour, whether it is September eleventh or
twenty six eleven. Eyes open wide sadly not in realization but
fear. The reaction is to eradicate terrorism but the definition for
terrorism is self defined! To some it is Pakistan, to others it is a
religion or a fanatic cult. It even could be something that is often
repeated in press or heard a lot at home and around. Communication
whether visual or verbal has undergone a vigorous training and can
easily influence brains when in a vulnerable state like the Mumbai
incident. The most fearful thing is fear itself.
For when in fear we know not what we do
and reasoning becomes a coward.

Tomorrow as you head to the gym or set

out to begin your workout, think about the
world around and become aware of the
integral part played by you. As you warm
up your hands and legs be thankful that you
still have them and put them to good use. As
you rotate your shoulders and swing your hips remem-
ber how important the joints are for any movement to
take place. We need to connect in good alignment – we need
to communicate straight without any prejudice. Distortion in
joint or thought leads to disaster.

Warming up before your work outs is very important to avoid injuries.

Never jump on to the treadmill and start sprinting right away like the
way we jump to conclusions at times without analyzing or reasoning!
After warm up we can begin our cardio, strength or flexibility train-
ing etc. See that your exercises are done under proper guidance and
knowledge and are specific to your capacity. The need of weight re-
duction, weight gain, or strengthening or lengthening the muscles
might be varied but the one common goal should definitely be
good health. Whether it is your own mental and physical health
or the society’s unless there is unity in work, achievement will
only be a sigh of impossibility. Might is not right if the goal is
not healthy.

Think…and think in unison. This is the only way to tackle

terrorism. Remember, those who strike do so out of fear and
insecurity. Terrorists are those who live in terror. It is those
who fail and give up in life who commit suicide. To live we
need to be balanced in mind and strong in body. Gather

F| 70
June, 2010
Vijaya Chamundeswari
Fitness Consultant -
Certified by
The American Council on Ex-
ercise (ACE), Reebok, Integral
Yoga Institute (IYI), Pilates
Institute of America (PIA).
Eve’s Times
strength and get stronger through unity,
acceptance and understanding,
along with exercising. We
need to understand our
own body, accept what
we cannot change and
work towards chang-
ing what we can. The
body works only in
unison. Addressing a
particular part to shape
up or tone is not possible
without the help of the rest
of the body. The six pack is
possible only if you put your
mind to it and control your taste
buds. For the abdominal crunch to
take place the legs need to be stable
and the neck should not be doing
the job of the torso. An obser-
vation of the body itself is a
lesson on unity.
The strength
that we women
achieve should
be channeled
to go beyond
a mere ramp
walk. How
many of our
hour glass fig-
ures are actually
prepared to soil
their hands or toil
for their own fami-
lies let alone society.
Let us all work towards
achieving a bomb of a
body packed with positive
energy ready to be released
at the hour of need and not
blast innocence with hydrogen
bombs out of uncultured cow-
ardice. ……………..!
CHEERS! TO ALL YOU BOMB
SHELLS
71 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

‘ Pain’, according to the Oxford

dictionary is defined as, ‘an
unpleasant feeling caused by
injury or disease or mental
suffering’. But how does one
know or feel pain? By knowing
what is pleasure. While
pleasure is not exactly a word
synonymous with pain, it can
neither be called an antonym
of it.

Let me elucidate. You have had

a nasty fall and have twisted
your ankle first thing in the
morning. But you have to be
up and about as your daugh-
ter has to be sent to school and
your husband to work. So in
spite of your pain, you hobble
about fixing their lunch boxes,
giving them breakfast and see-
ing them off. Now if you had
someone, like say, your mother
or sister come for a visit at the
time of the mishap, you would
have been simply popped into
bed, handed a pain killer and
your poor ankle would have
been given a hot water fermen-
tation making you cry in relief.
Then you’d have been made
to lie down with a book with a
steady supply of tea, breakfast,
snacks, lunch etc coming your
way. Sigh! What pleasure you
have derived from that pain!

In another instance, you are a

working woman. From the time

PLEASURES you woke up you have been

having that dull ache starting
from your lower back to your
abdomen owing to your month-

OF PAIN ly problem. Just lying down

in bed for a while, would have
brought you considerable re-
lief. Instead, you have to finish
Kanchana. Rao
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June, 2010 Eve’s Times

cooking and get ready in 20 minutes to leave the house and your such as, makes you desire for
ever beckoning bed, if you don’t want to be late for work. The dull a bout of that cold, doesn’t it?
pain continues to be a pain. Now, if you were to be able to lie down But wait, before you rush into
on your cozy bed and that too on your tummy and that too with a making that wish, ensure that
hot water bag, that, my dears would indeed be a pleasure of pain. you are at your mother’s place
or that will be one major pain
Suppose you have had a barrage of guests. You’ve been on your minus all the pleasures.
feet all day, cooking, cleaning and serving. Then you have the onus
of taking them out shopping from one shop to another. Once you So albeit experiencing pain can
return, it is back to the whirlwind of cooking and serving. Finally be inevitable owing to circum-
when you retire for the night, and just want to lose yourself in the stances, it is a consolation to be
bliss of sleep, your aching feet keep you awake. And then suppose, able to turn it into a possibility
the cousin comes down is a good masseuse and she offers to give of deriving pleasure. In other
your legs a massage. She first oh, so delicately but firmly presses words, pleasure is a silver lin-
your feet, starting from the toes and fingers, then rubbing your ing of the cloud of pain. On that
feet and then slowly exerting pressure on your calf muscles in a note, before giving you more
kneading motion and then starting all over again. You almost cry pain than pleasure with my
in joy and then fall into a blissful sleep. You awake to another day ponderings of such possibili-
of the same hectic activity but now you don’t mind as the prom- ties, I will sign off.
ise of another massage makes it all worthwhile. Another glorious
pleasure of pain!

How many of you will agree with me that catching a cold

when you are at your mother’s place for the holidays, is a
pleasure of pain? If this were to be a tete-a-tete, I’m confi-
dent that I would have seen dozens of hands shoot up in
agreement. There you are, at your mother’s and wham!
a cold hits you. You get all the works, a sore throat, a
running nose, a heavy head and the inevitable cough.
But do you suffer? Heck no, for you are tucked into
bed by your loving mother, the drapes are closed;
your children are told in no uncertain terms that
you are not to be disturbed. You are made to in-
dulge in a good many servings of warm liquids. Ah the
bliss! And when you feel a bit better, you are
provided DVDs to watch in bed. You
can watch all those flicks that you
missed out on, in the luxury
of your bed and without
the constant inter-
ruptions of the
door bell and
phone, to
say nothing
of the inces-
sant demands
of your kids. Being
reminded of the pleasures

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Eve’s Times June, 2010

Wandering Mahila

Wedding Scenes
I t was the summer of ’97 and
my daughter and I were
travelling around in Europe.
Every place we went to we
saw brides and grooms in the
customary white dress and
morning coat with the carnation
in the lapel. We saw them in
the Vatican , in the Colosseum
in Rome (unbelievable right!),
in the beautiful parks in
Madrid and oddly enough in
the courtyard of the Military
Museum located inside an 18th
century Barcelona fortress that
exhibits an impressive collection
of weapons dating from the
15th century to present day.
We saw them near the beach,
in front of the Eiffel Tower,
on the steps of the Rembrandt
museum in Amsterdam and
in the St Marks Square in
Venice and a few floating in
their finery in a gondola too!

F| 74
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

The wedding couples were of temple and Tirupathi are popu- ment. So the chances of the
all nationalities—Japanese lar places near Chennai just as bride or groom being late are
predominant among them. In the Vadapalani temple in the minimal. In the Brahmin wed-
fact on the night train between city for wedding venues. There dings, the bride changes into a
Venice and Paris our fellow used to be a time when in the nine yard sari in between the
passengers in the couchette villages the whole street would ceremony and the priests do
were a Nigerian diplomat and have a pandal constructed to tend to hassle and create ten-
his daughter who was on her host the wedding of somebody sion the ladies to bring back the
way to get married in the city of living on the street. All the bride to the sacred fire to finish
love. houses and the thinnais accom- the rituals.
modated visiting people and
This scene repeated itself last every wedding was a commu- In Delhi and Mumbai, if you
year when we stayed in Hitchin, nity affair. With the advent of are invited to a wedding at 6.30
a small town between Cam- marriage chatrams and choul- PM (as weddings tend to be
bridge and London. We stayed tries weddings migrated out of performed late in the evening)
in a coaching inn and that night homes to public places. Today guests do not arrive until 8.30
there was a wedding and a par- weddings are held in special or so as they know for sure that
ty to celebrate it. The inn was mandapams or hotels that cater the bride and groom will appear
full of guests staying overnight. to every need of weddings. only around that time.
This I hear is common in the UK
In the West it was always con- This custom is slowly creeping
now as very few couple get mar-
sidered fashionable for the into south Indian functions as
ried in churches. They prefer
bride to be late. In India, the well. Especially before the re-
out of metro towns and arrange
auspicious time dictates that ception hosted in the evening,
the wedding and the party in a
the wedding—whether it be the bridal couple disappear
package deal of about €2000.
the seven steps around the fire, to beauty parlours to get their
Guests are served dinner and
the tying of the sacred thread make-up and dressing done
a drink and the rest, including
around the brides neck, ex- professionally perfect. They
stay in the inns/hotels are taken
changing rings or giving your dawdle and casually walk in
care of by the guests who come
‘kubul’ to the Qazi—should be at least an hour late. In India
for the night or weekend, enjoy
performed at a particular mo- punctuality is not an impor-
a huge complimentary break-
fast, relax and then drive back
home. The photos of the couple
who got married were however
shot in front of the church to
give it the authentic look. The
contrast to the dull grey church
walls and creeping ivy to the
black and white suit worn by the
groom and the flyaway white
satin and net concoction worn
by the bride was pure gothic.

At any given time, barring the

months of Margazhi and Adi, in
temples all over the south, you
can catch a wedding or two in
most temples. The Thirutani

75 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

late entrance and then can get

mobbed by the guests who are
waiting to greet them!!” The
queues in front of a dais on
which couples stand to greet
friends and relatives are getting
longer and more crowded.

The bevy of photographers,

video people and sundry char-
acters standing in front, just
below the stage and blocking
the happenings can also be
quite dampening. That is why
some smart hosts arrange huge
TV screens to show the couple.
Somebody did remark, “To see
the wedding on a screen, I might
as well have stayed at home or
watched the live streaming on
the Internet”.

Are we forgetting the simple

rules of hospitality?

Padmini Natarajan

tant thing. However courtesy

demands that the main char-
acters of the event be in their
places when invited guests
walk in. Most often, the guests
are sitting around or standing
uncomfortably clutching on
to presents and flowers with a
blank expression on their faces
“What am I doing here?”.

My husband remarked at the

last wedding reception that we
went to saying, “No show of
groom and bride. The people
who invited us are also not to
be seen. Maybe they are wait-
ing for a crowd to build up so
that like film stars they make a

F| 76
June, 2010
Start Smart Investment
G ot a new job? Or a
promotion? Or you have
started seriously considering
putting by some money for the
rainy season? Remember the
ant and the cricket fable? It is
time to don the mantle of the
ant and seriously ponder over
how to begin saving and start
smart investments . You may
be young and be living for the
moment, but it is important to
secure your financial future.
This need not be at the cost of
your comfortable lifestyle. Both
are possible.
The first step for starting your
piggy bank is to equip yourself
Piggy Bank
with a financial plan. It will
not only chalk out your goals,
taking into consideration your
needs and income, but it will
help infuse financial discipline
in you. To draw up a financial
plan, you don’t have to rush to
a chartered accountant. All you
have to do is to brush up on
your high school math.
Your financial plan will give you
an idea about your investments
and liabilities, your net worth
and cash flow . Now you may
decide on a goal as well as a plan
to achieve the goals. For e.g. If
your goal is to buy a house or
save for your children’s higher
education, accordingly you can
Eve’s Times
custom make your financial
portfolio by drawing up a plan
that will help you meet these
goals. Those who would like to
work out a retirement plan will
have a different strategy as much
as the senior citizen whose in-
tent and purpose of investment
will be vastly different.
The financial jargon in use
among financial consultants
these days is the SIP or Sys-
tematic Investment Plan. This
is nothing but a plan to ensure
steady returns. You can do a SIP
in some reputed equity funds.
Continued on page 82
77 |G
Eve’s Times
Movie Review
Flying High?
“ Kites”, the much talked about
cross-over movie starring
Hrithik Roshan, Kangana
Ranaut and Mexican beauty
Barbara Mori released recently
amidst much excitement
and hype. The reception it
received was overwhelming
but Indian viewers were a
little disappointed due to
comparatively lesser Hindi
dialogues. The story is about Jai
played by Hrithik Roshan as a
dance teacher in Las Vegas who
marries immigrant women as a
side job to make money. With
the police and the mafia behind
him, he pretends to be in love
with Gina played by Kangana
Ranaut who is the daughter of
a powerful casino owner i.e.
Kabir Bedi. However the twist
in the tale happens when Jai
falls in love with Natasha that is
Barbara Mori who is supposed
F| 78
June, 2010
to be wedded to Kangana’s brother Tony.
He is smitten by her and Mori too returns
his affections. But they are set to marry
the brother sister duo of Gina and Tony.
However their love prevails and they run
away to save themselves from the siblings
who are determined on avenging their
dishonor. The story takes a huge turn when
Hrithik and Barbara find themselves with
nothing trying to work out things while
playing the game of dodging Tony and
his mafia men. The movie uses flashbacks
quite a bit and finally it ends on a tragic
note but as the lovers had once said “live
together, die together”; it is indeed a story
of two lovers caught in a maze of high-
packed adventure and skullduggery.
The storyline of Kites is not very original.
But Hrithik as the suave, smart Jai is im-
pressive to look at. Hrithik Roshan proves
himself to be a versatile actor with his
changed style in looks and dance forms.
Barbara Mori gels well in her chemistry
with Hrithik but still falls short of our
June, 2010 Eve’s Times

desi-turned-international hero. How-

ever their love story is endearing with
Barbara and Hrithik struggling to com-
municate; yet their love is sincere. The
first half of the movie aims at creating a
romance aimed at their get-rich-quick
plans through togetherness in the pala-
tial house of their respective betrothed
pair. Hrithik has entered into foreign
territory and managed to make it work.
The movie has an international feel
but lacks the aesthetics of a cross- over
movie. The movie’s cinematography
is good and it successfully captures
the glossy canvas especially the rain
drenched sequence. The overall mu-
sic provided by Salim- Suleiman too is
pretty good and has a couple of melodi-
ous numbers. The movie’s storyline is
not unique and it often falls flat in its
sequence. But the lead actors have done
an overall good job and given meaning
to the flawed storyline. The expectations
from Anurag Basu were higher; how-
ever despite endings Kites soars high.
It’s a movie that despite its odds has
an international feel and combines the
magic of our very own Hrithik Roshan
with Mexican twist Barbara Mori. All in
the entire movie take you on an adven-
turous ride into the hills of Nevada and
the craziness beyond but definitely not
in a bad way.

By Urmimala

79 |G
Eve’s Times June, 2010

Sadhguru

F| 80
June, 2010
Compassion
is the highest
virtue
T he basic virtue for any
human being, whether it is
a man or a woman, is to be true
to oneself. When somebody
is really true to himself, then
functioning in the world is
just a question of adjustment;
adjusting to the situations that
we have chosen to live with.
What is virtue? Only when you
are truly empty, you are virtuous,
otherwise, if you are mind, you
are never virtuous. Your idea
of virtue is if you do this, it is
virtue, if you do not do that, it
is something else – this is not
life virtue, this is social virtue.
Society’s virtues are different,
they serve society; life virtues
serve life. I am somebody who
serves life, not society, so my
virtues are of life.
Virtue means that which takes
you beyond in a certain way.
You can go beyond only if you
are no more a limited being. If
you are a vast emptiness with-
in you, every thought that you
get, every emotion that you get,
every feeling that you have, if
you are not really associated
with it, that is virtue. If you are
identified with your sensations,
thoughts, opinions or emotions,
then you cannot be virtuous be-
cause you will be biased with
life. If you are truly virtuous,
you must be beyond all bias.
When you are identified with
something, either body or mind
or emotions, there cannot be
any virtue. Do you know in
Tamil Nadu one of the greatest
titles that used to be conferred
to great heroes is “One who has
slayed thousand elephants”,
like Paramvirchakra. The late
forest brigand Veerappan had
slayed almost 500 - 600 el-
ephants - so was he close to
becoming the greatest Tamil-
ian ever? No. Our values and
virtues have changed. Today, if
you kill thousand elephants you
are a criminal who has to be put
to death, but a thousand years
ago, if you killed thousand el-
ephants, you were the hero of
the highest order. So society’s
virtues are biased against life.
When you are not identified
with anything, you will be ab-
solutely virtuous, only then you
are truly capable of compassion.
When you are compassionate,
you are always virtuous. People
being sympathetic to certain
causes, with certain people, is
Eve’s Times
not compassion. When you are
passionate about everything,
when your passion has become
all encompassing, then you are
compassionate. It is not about
having a little pity or sympathy
for something. Compassion is
always the highest virtue and
compassion is not possible if
you are identified with this or
that. Only when you are able
to just look at life as life, only
then you can be compassionate
and to be compassionate is the
highest virtue.
Sadhguru is a Realised Master,
Yogi and profound Mystic of our
times. A visionary, Sadhguru as-
serts that peace and happiness
are not the ultimate goal of life,
but the most basic needs in ev-
ery human being. He developed
Isha Yoga as a powerful method
for individual transformation
leading to human emancipa-
tion. A glimpse of his life and
work can be found in the books
of Encounter the Enlightened
and Mystic’s Musings.
For more details
www.ishafoundation.org and
chennai@ishafoundation.org
81 |G
Eve’s Times
Continued from page 77
Another jargon doing the
rounds is called asset allo-
cation and diversification of
investments. If you are looking
at your own investment portfo-
lio, without the assistance of a
financial consultant, you must
try to match your investment
vehicles with your investment
goals. This is basically asset
allocation. Ensure that your
investment choices are based
on your age, financial stand-
ing, risk tolerance ( whether
you are a risk taker or someone
who is cautious), your fam-
ily ambience, your financial
commitments, your saving ca-
pacity, and your needs. Ideally,
it makes great financial sense
not to put all your eggs in one
basket. Just like you choose a
balanced diet picking up from
one each of the food catego-
ry, you can also spread your
money across multiple asset
categories such as real estate,
stocks, bonds, commodities
including gold etc. Diversifica-
tion is the key to an intelligent
investment portfolio.
All mandatory investments
such as the ones for tax savings
etc which will go to PPF and
other fixed income investments
should be made at the beginning
of the financial year so that you
don’t lose out on the interest in-
come. It will also compel you to
tie-up your money or else you
may end up in dire state during
the end of the financial year, if
you have not invested in fixed
income investments.
You plan should definitely in-
clude the safety net along with
F| 82
June, 2010
all the associated value added When the prices are low you
fringe benefits offered by the get more units and vice versa.
insurance companies. You can Remember to select only qual-
look at life cover, children’s ity stock when you adopt this
education cover, health cover technique.
or building up a retirement
corpus. Hence it is important A final suggestion- It is wise to
to select the right insurance stay invested for the long term
policies. Investing in insur- instead of getting flustered ev-
ance policies will also fetch ery time the market plummets.
you tax exemptions and help Remember, no one will ever
reduce tax burden. This ex- get to save a lump sum amount
ercise should be done in the before he can start investing.
beginning of the financial year You have to wisely try to carve
so that your tax planning can out your savings from your in-
be taken care of. come on a regular basis and
go slow and steady with your
You can seriously consider in- investment. If you start small
vesting in real estate such as a now, you will emerge a winner.
house of a flat if you are young Good luck!
or in your thirties or forties. A
house offers many advantages
i. You save on the rent and
if you are not living in the
home, it will fetch rent. (
Tax implications will be
different in the latter case)
ii. Your interest payments are
tax deductible
iii. It usually appreciates in
value
iv. In times of need it serves as
great collateral
v. Mental comfort and many
other intangible benefits
If you are looking at stocks,
then you must understand the
impact of rupee cost averag-
ing, which if you adopt will
give you optimum returns. In
this technique, you fix a cer-
tain amount of money for a
stock and buy at regular in-
tervals regardless of the price.
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