Fwd life March 2014

LIFESTYLE TRAVEL LEISURE ENTERTAINMENT LOUNGE

Women Entrepreneurs: Read to know how they changed lives

FWD Style police is back for a style check... film fashion

www.fwdlife.in ISSUE 4 VOL 03 MAR 2014

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Grooming tips everyone must adhere to Oscar highlights not to be missed!

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We were doubtful if we would see the next daylight 2014 MARCH

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LIFESTYLE TRAVEL LEISURE ENTERTAINMENT LOUNGE

Chief Mentor Padma Shri Mammootty Corporate Office Forward Media Director Sony Joy 9th Floor Director & CEO Arun Balachandran* Bhageeratha Square Editor Abraham Tharakan Banerji Road, Cochin- 682 018 Sameer Hamsa

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Adv. Aginov Mathappan

Legal Advisor Editorial Manager

Lekshmy Vijayan

Features Writer

Thabitha Marion Anoop Sankar

Contributing Copy Editor

Pramod Chandra

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Anju Manoj

Contributors

V Create Media

Chief Photographer

Jinson Abraham

Photographers Vinayak Raj

Asmeena. A

Jaisankar

Circulation Babu.G Circulation assistant Manager Marketing Manager Client Relation Manager H.R & Finance Office Assistant

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editor’s note MY PICK

share our experiences

Empowering Women

w

omen all over the world are challenged by a number of obstacles that restrict their ability to play significant role in their communities and the broader society.

For a long time they have lagged far behind men in key socio-economic indicators that place them at a huge disadvantage.

According to the United Nations’ World’s Women 2010: Trends and Statistics, two thirds of the 774 million adult illiterates worldwide are women. Women are less likely to have access to land, credit and decent jobs even though a growing body of research shows that the achievement of gender equality has enormous socio-economic ramifications. Occupational segregation and gender wage gaps continue to persist in all parts of the world. With another Women’s Day at hand hope there would be some fundamental structural changes happening for real empowerment of women.

Editor Abraham Tharakan

I would love to know what you think of the magazine.

E-mail me at abraham@fwdmedia.in 6

MARCH 2014

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CONTENTS

March/2014

exclusive

Behind the Scene

Photographer Shani Saki Model Asif Ali, Sunny Wayne

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The boy next door we love Despite the changing dynamics of the industry, he has survived the showbiz unlike many of his contemporaries. In a candid chat with FWD Life Asif talks about his romance with success and failures...

16 Comfort Corner Give a classic twist to your decor with these chic decor pieces.

18 Reboot your style

Ga Ga over 20 Go Graphic Prints

Guys, its time to revamp your wardrobe with some stylish brogues and backpacks.

Graphic prints are bold and quirky and its time to embrace them wholeheartedly.

FWD LifeTakes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs or material. All photographs, unless otherwise indicated areused for illustrative purposes only. Views and opinions expressed in the articles are of the authors subjects and do not necesserally reflect those of the editors or publishers. While the editors do there utmost to verify information published, they do not accept responcibility for its absolute accuracy. In matters which may be sub judice, femina takes no legal stand. FWD Life can not be held responsible for products, product information, pictures, illustrations, etc Any information received by us through responses by users / subscribers to the short messaging services (SMS) key codes or such other subscription service of ours will be used in whole or part, in our publications (other than contact information), for our research, individual marketing, strategic client analysis and for other internal purposes and all copyrights in such information will vest with us. Your contact information shall not be sold traded, rented or in any way divulged to any third party unless we are legally bound to do the same.

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chat The Fashion 36 Alchemist

He is the man of the moment in Indian fashion; all of a sudden Bollywood beauties to top divas are celebrating his creations. Meet Nikhil Thampi, the most celebrated designer behind the quirky elegance of fashionistas...

46 ACakewalk Anna is a normal woman like you and me but the lady has got a remarkable talent that defines her; with an artful attitude, the custom made sculptured cakes from her cake boutique ‘Cake Canvas’ are hard to resist. a Niche 48 Crafting

At ‘Papertrail’, Empowerment and Entrepreneurship go hand in hand; focused, dedicated and determined, these women have defined success in their own terms and rules.

interview Saddle up & gallop

26 interview

party

your heart’s 50 to content

Food 54 The Chronicle

life 72 fwd cover launch

Find out more about

Ramu Butler, Corporate F&B Manager and Chef, Ramada Cochin, who believes that food contributes to a life so endlessly delicious.

The February issue cover launch of FWD Life magazine was held at Dream Hotel Cochin.

Gallop Cochin, the first horse riding academy in Kerala.

108 wtzup Trivandrum Wtzup Tvm launch party was held on 14th February 2014 friday at 6.00 pm at Ball room, Taj Vivanta, Vazhuthakkad, Trivandrum.

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film fashion

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feature Satyamev Jayate is back with a bang

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Movie Bytes Powered by

Mammootty roped in for Ranjith Sankar’s next venture Passenger fame Ranjith Sankar has signed Megastar Mammootty for his upcoming untitled venture. Though not much has been revealed about this exciting movie, it is reported that the director may retain his best companions’ music director Bijibal and cinematographer Sujith Vasudev for this movie also. According to the director the shoot will start soon in Palakkad and Thrissur. Like Ranjith Sankar’s earlier movies this too would be a mass entertainer. The makers have not yet divulged the star cast.

Gangster shoot wraps up The much hyped project of director Aashiq Abu, ‘Gangster’ will hit theatres soon. The crew has completed the shoots in Mangalore, Ajmer, and Goa. The action-packed movie will have Megastar Mammootty in five different looks. During a recent poll ‘Gangster’ was voted as the most eagerly awaited movie of 2014. It received 45% of votes. The female lead is played by Nyla Usha.

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tit bits

Dileep’s Saddam Sivan renamed ‘Avatharam’ Janapriyanayakan Dileep’s upcoming film, Saddam Sivan has been renamed ‘Avatharam’. Directed by Joshiy, Avatharam is expected to be a family entertainer. Vyasan Edavanakkad is the script writer of ‘Avatharam’. Lakshmi Menon plays Dileep’s lady love. Both are sharing screen space for the first time.

Kalabhavan Shajon, Joy Mathew, Shammi Thilakan, Sreejaya, and Tesni Khan also do prominent roles. The movie is produced by Udaykrishna-Siby K Thomas team along with Vyasan and Dileep Kunnath under the banner of Four B. Deepak Dev composes music.

Dileep to do a Boban Samuel movie next Romans- fame Boban Samuel will direct Dileep in his next venture. The movie is touted to be a mass-entertainer, though rest of the cast are not decided the movie will be shot across North India.

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tit bits Nivin’s ‘Bangalore Days’ completes shoot Director Anjali Menon’s multi-starrer movie ‘Bangalore Days’ has completed its shoot in Bangalore. The story is about the three cousins who are in Bangalore for various reasons.

The three get together at a point in time. The cast includes Nivin Pauly, Dulquer Salman, Fahadh Faasil, Nithya Menon, Isha Talwar and Parvathy. Bangalore Days is produced by Anwar Rasheed Entertainments and Weekend Blockbusters. Sameer Thahir is the cinematographer. Lyrics are by Rafeeq Ahmad and Santhosh Varma. Gopi Sunder has scored music for Bangalore Days. Stills are by Vishnu Thandassery.

Nivin’s ‘1983’ to have a Tamil remake Debutant director Abrid Shine’s cricket-based movie ‘1983’ released last month was a blockbuster in Mollywood.

The movie will be soon remade in Tamil. The information was shared by the lead actor of 1983 Nivin Pauly himself. The movie narrates the impact of India’s two Cricket World Cup wins over a group of youngstersin a village. Though it has a cricket backdrop, the movie is predominantly a family drama told in a light –humorous way. The story was written by Bipin Chandran along with the directo Abrid Shine.

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Powered By

Dulquer and Nazriya to recreate reel chemistry in VMP After Salala Mobiles, actor Dulquer Salman and the bubbly actress Nazriya is all set to recreate their onscreen chemistry in Kollywood film Vaayai Moodi Pesavum (VMP) directed by Balaji Mohan of ‘Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu fame. While Nazriya plays a reserved Doctor, Dulquer dons a chatterbox in his debut Tamil flick. The movie is titled Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram in Mollywood. The romantic entertainer is produced by Sashikanth of YNot Studios jointly with Radiance Media. The shooting of the bilingual made in Tamil and Malayalam has been wrapped and the post production work is happening.

Fahad to be paired with Nyla Usha for ‘Vambathi’ Actor Fahad Fazil is on a signing spree with almost 10 projects lined up this year.

One of the movies Fahad has committed is ‘Vambathi’ directed by debutant director Remya Raj, who was an assistant to director Sibi Malayil. Remya has also penned the script and says the story is inspired by a real life incident. Vambathi is produced

by S George under the banner Sinsil Celluloid. Shiju Khalid will wield the camera and Bijibal will compose music. Shajith Koiyeri who has done Bollywood movies, Omkara, Kaminey and Burfi will do

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Powered By

Aashiq Abu to direct Rima in ‘Oppana’ Director Aashiq Abu’s next movie outing is inspired by a song. However, the highlight of the film would be his wife Rima Kallingal who is making a comeback after her marriage. Revealing more about the project titled ‘Oppana’, Aashiq says a rap song made by a group of girls from Kasaragod motivated him to do the movie. Oppana also falls in the same genre as that of ‘No 22 Female Kottayam’, which was a female centric movie. Venugopal Ramachandran Nair who is doing the script for Oppana says that there couldn’t be a better choice than Rima for the role of the protagonist as she was a trained dancer and mature enough to handle a difficult role. The movie will be shot across North Kerala.

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Notes From Allover news A glance through the major happenings in February.

gossips Know the latest from the showbiz industry in case you missed it!

launch New ventures and products are being featured for your info.

Cognicor Technologies bags Nasscom award Cognicor Technologies, Infopark based company that provides automated complaint resolution service for large enterprises has recently won the best emerging IT start up award from Nasscom. Cognicor is incubated in India under NRI-TBI incubation.

The technology minimizes the need for human intervention in resolving complaints for service sector companies.

Maison showcases International furniture brands Leading retailer of luxury furniture & furnishings held an impressive exhibition showing some of the finest international furniture pieces in vogue. The display held at the Taj Gateway Hotel, Marine Drive, Ernakulam in Kochi from the 28th of February till the 2nd of March 2014, saw an amazing number of footfall. The well-known furniture houses that include Fendi Casa, The Visionnaire Collection by Ipe Cavalli, Armani Casa, Theodore Alexander, Althorp Living History, Jonathan Charles, Maitland Smith etc.

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Chennai Silks introduces international brand CO-FIT leggings For the first time in India, Chennai Silks is introducing CO-FIT leggings in 200 varieties of colours. These leggings are made-up of 100% combed yarn with Lycra material with superior quality and superb fittings for ultra-modern girls. The CO-FIT leggings are available only at the Chennai silks.

MASALA

SEAFOOD MANIA from March 14 - 23, 2014

STAY TEMPTED. FANATICAL. Everytime you don’t have to resist your temptations!

At Masala explore the tempting world of seafood from the Indian, Pan Asian, Far East, American and Continental regions along with one pint beer and un-limited mocktails.

Dinner starts from March 14- March 23, 2014.

Offer starts from Rs.1200+Taxes.

Visit www.holidayinn.com Call 0484 4199000 to get started. *TERMS & CONDITIONS APPLY.

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STAY YOU.TM 19 holidayinn.com

tit bits Jarvis, an intelligent OS inspired by Iron Man Two young Indian technologists have developed an operating system inspired from the character iron man. For instance, they can ask their computer to do stuff for them like Tony Stark. To make things easy, their intelligent assistant is also called Jarvis after Stark’s virtual butler. Jarvis Corp is working on an entire operating system that is fully automated and learns as it goes. Of course, it will interact with the user with the help of voice and gestures along with traditional input methods.

Simbu, Hansika no longer a couple “I hereby declare that I am single now,” Tamil actor Silambarasan said in a statement. Ever since the duo started shooting for yet-to-release Tamil films ‘Vaalu’ and ‘Vettai Mannan’, it was reported that they had developed fondness for each other.In July last year, Hansika confirmed on social networking site Twitter that she was in a relationship with Simbu. But in the last few months things soured between them. While Simbu is awaiting the release of yet-untitled film with filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon, Hansika is busy shooting for multiple southern projects.

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‘Om Shanti Oshaana’ stubs out on-screen smoking Malayalam film ‘Om Shanti Oshaana’, starring Nivin Pauly and Nazriya Nazim, supports anti-smoking efforts. Recently released ‘Om Shanti Oshaana’, a romantic movie directed by Jude Antony Joseph, subtly drives home tobacco harms and makes a public commitment against onscreen smoking. The actor tries to brush the warning message aside and proceeds to light the cigarette again only to see the warning once more. He is not able to ignore the health warning and ends up crumbling and discarding the cigarette. Following an exchange between the actor and his co-artist, the film announces that there will be no instance of onscreen smoking in it.

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luxury

Interior

Coaster Mitchell 3-in-1 Game Table in Cherry This three-in-one game table will make a great addition to your home.

The finished table top allows to enjoy a casual meal. Flip the top around and there is a 42 inch dark green felt lined card table with cup holders and chip trays. Overall dimensions: 30H x 47.25W x 47.25D inches.

Price: ` 44,618 appx.

Comfort Corner

These elegant lines of products can transform any living space to chic and sophisticated, leaving a lasting impression.

Marte, Vivarini Glass Collection The glass vases in the Vivarini Glass Collection are hand made by the master glass blowers of Formia Italia in their furnaces in Murano. Each piece is signed and marked with the Murano glass guarantee.

Price: ` 87,493 appx.

Guitar Bar The guitar bar is produced in the shape of a contrabass. The upper part has an ebony surface with an edging in rosewood. The cherry wood central portion is raised with brass “strings” and the end section is speckled with mother-of-pearl.

Price: ` 6,24,950 appx.

Woorock Hammock swing After an exhausting day of work if you wish to curl up and relax, consider taking home Woorock Hammock swing that is extremely light and easy to carry around.

Price on request.

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Ozero Chandelier by Janos Heder This exotic piece of breathtakingly beautiful chandelier is created by Janos Heder and Judit Zoltai from a series of tiny crystal pieces suspended by nickel plated rings.

Price on request.

Cocoon Beach Want to enjoy a beautiful day by the sea side without fretting about getting tanned? The Cocoon Beach developed by CocoonTree ensures maximum privacy for a sunbathing session.

Price: ` 4,99,760 appx.

Tea Pods by Igloopla

y Tea Pods are sculptural and moveable furniture for children and adults. When kids flip the pieces into different positions, the pods and tray can become a stool, side table, bench or an ottoman. They’re all foam and have no interior wooden frame.

Price: ` 69,681 appx.

Disclaimer: Price and features are subject to change.

Buyers are advised to act on data after cross-checking

Vitra Alcove Two-Seater Sofa This innovative love seat was designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec guarantees privacy for hours. Stretch out in your own relaxation space and forget about everything else.

Price: ` 4,54,713 appx.

Nightfly Nightstand This elegant nightstand, crafted of wood with a highgloss lacquer finish and completely free of obtrusive hardware, is the perfect addition to your minimalist modern bedroom.

Price: ` 75,838 appx.

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Men’s fashion shoes & bags

Barbara I Gongini’s black leather fur bag Price: ` 16, 0257 appx.

A lot of men are very wary when it comes to wearing colourful footwear, but you can smartly pair your coloured sneakers by wearing white or grey pieces. The plainness of the shirt balances out the boldness of the shoe, and lets your kicks get the most attention. Stay away from the big, loud prints!

Church’s Ink calf leather fringed brogue Price: ` 62,425 appx.

Reboot your style There are numerous styles of shoes and bags out there, but what’s great about being a man is how perfectly he pairs them with his suits

Saint Laurent’s platinum leather classic court trainer Price: ` 34,367 appx.

Paul Smith’s tan leather Knight Brogue Price: ` 24,592 appx.

Brogues are a must have accessory for fashion conscious gents. Semi or quarter brogues are a much better option for formal dress as the more simplified style stops the outfit from becoming too casual. If the wearer is to opt for a full brogue then it is important that the shoe is leather and is single toned.

The versatile nature of brogues makes them to be paired with a soft casual outfit like cotton chinos and checked shirts. Slimmer fitting trousers that show a small bit of ankle also work well, as they show off the decorative nature of the shoe.

Marc Jacobs Contrast Leather-Trimmed Backpack Price: ` 13,337 appx.

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DSQUARED2’s red leather classic loafer Price: ` 31,814 appx.

Maison Martin Margiela’s oversized leather backpack with detachable front pocket Price: ` 96,191 appx.

Versace Hi Top Multi Colored lace-up sneakers Price: ` 55,592 appx.

Herschel Supply Co.’s washed army green ‘Little America’ backpack Price: ` 13, 975 appx.

Alexander McQueen’s mustard leather two-tone rucksack Price: ` 79,196 appx.

Choosing the right backpack is often confusing and tricky. Practicality, functionality and masculinity are the contributing factors in selecting the perfect bag. Bag packs with a quirky colour is the flavor of the season.

TOD’S beige soft calf leather brogue Price: ` 26,274 appx.

Gucci Techno Canvas Backpack Price: ` 92, 954 appx.

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Fashion Graphic Prints

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IRO Jeisa Blouse Price: ` 24,668 appx.

Go Ga Ga over Graphic Prints

Graphic prints are bold and quirky and they have been all over the runaways, but donning graphic prints is not a cakewalk.

MCQ Alexander Mcqueen Printed Leggings Price: ` 18,000 appx.

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How to wear Graphic Prints If you’re going to wear graphic prints, keep them in proportion to your frame and the size of the garment - curvier girls can wear bigger prints, but should keep small prints to skirts or scarves. The opposite is true for slimmer or petite frames.

And if you’re wearing a bold dress in terms of shape or print, keep your hair and make-up clean and simple, so there aren’t too many statements going on. Team prints with neutral separates, such as a crisp white shirt and jeans with simple accessories.

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FENDI graphic print scarf Price on request

Paul smith graphic print shirt Price: ` 13,138 appx.

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Graphic Print Bodycon Dress Price: ` 1,653 appx.

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07 Punk Graphic Print Studded Shoulder Bag Price: ` 4,753 appx.

06 Spartina Enamel Bangles Price: ` 2,789 each

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Miu Miu Printed leather pumps Price: ` 45,466 appx.

Karen Millen Graphic Tribal Neon Print Square Clutch Price: ` 9,816 appx.

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women’s fashion Jewelry

A Golden Tribute for Women’s Day Shrishti CollectionZ’s ‘Talking Pieces’ are a homage to every woman in the society on this Women’s Day

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eknowned jewellers Shrishti CollectionZ, who have always been sensitive to social issues, like many NGO’s or social movements, wanted people to be aware about women centric issues like female foeticide, molestation and ‘Shiksha’ (Education). And they thought of conveying the same by working on with women’s most precious possession ‘gold jewellery’ this Woman’s Day and so launched the very

few talking pieces of jewellery that could spread the word for the nations.

While speaking to FWD, Mr. Naraen M Tejwani, Managing Director, Pranda Jewellery, said, “Each piece highlights the struggle faced by women, while emphasizing the role and importance women play in today’s society. These designs from Shrishti CollectionZ truly pay homage to every woman and aim to bring to the front, the need for women empowerment.” If you

closely watch the designs of the collections, you’ll understand that each collection speaks a message.

The first collection on female foeticide has two babies curled up on the sides of the mother, who is placed right at the centre of the necklace. Biologically if you look at the pattern, it resembles the positioning of the reproductive system of a woman.

Moving on to the second assortment, the centre piece of the jewellery has the facial figurine of a boy and a girl with a book at the centre. This represents the importance of education, especially of a girl child.

The third jewellery set has the image of a girl, dragged by two hands indicating the torture and physical harassment a girl or a woman of today has to undergo right from the time she is born till she reaches the autumn of her life.

“All the pieces are made of 18k Yellow gold with Swarovski Cubic Zirconia and baby designs seen on the jewellery are rhodium plated so as to distinguish itself from yellow gold. The pieces are exclusively made as per order and its prices are strictly on request,” he adds.

‘Shiksha’ (Education)

Female Foeticide

Women Molestation

Shrishti CollectionZ is a brand from Pranda Jewelry Pvt. Ltd, a forty year old member of the globally renowned, Thai based Pranda Group.

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Bras | Panties | Camisoles www.strawberrylenceria.com

Indraprastha, 35/894, North Janatha Road, Palarivattom Cochin, Kerala. T: 0484 3192977, M: +91 9496 600 007 E: sebinmaliyeckel@gmail.com

Exclusive Distributor for Kerala:

Everyday just got better...

review

ccl 2014

a

ll the excitement and euphoria surrounding the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) finally came to an end on 23rd February at the Lal Bahadur Shasthri Stadium, Hyderabad. The match started off amid loud cheers for both the teams. Rajeev Pillai, the Kerala Striker’s captain won the toss and elected to field first. Though Karnataka Bulldozers had an initial shock by loosing valuable opener Pradeep and Rahul’s wicket, the second wicket partnership of Dhruv Sharma and Rajeev gave a big relief for the team. The duo scored 168 runs from 83 balls with 18 boundaries and 7 sixes. Both the sides have had a good history throughout the tournament. Karnataka Bulldozers were able to successfully defend their title against the Kerala Strikers. The Karnataka Bulldozers managed to score 211 runs for the loss of 2 wickets from 20 over’s.

The mammoth score put up by Karnataka Bulldozers seemed nearly impossible for the Kerala Strikers. In what seemed to be a one sided match initially, the Kerala Strikers pulled up their socks and managed a decent 175 on the scoreboard. Though the Strikers put an amazing fight it was Karnataka Bulldozers who definitely had an upper hand throughout the game.

Kerala Striker’s road to the finals showcased dominance. After their match against Chennai Rhinos in their home ground of

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CCL 2014Catch the action CCL is all about Criketentainment, FWD tracks every action on and off fields...

Text Thabitha Marion Photos Jinson Abraham, Asmeena. A

Kochi, they went on to face Bengal Tigers at Heavy Engineering Corporation International Cricket Stadium Complex, Ranchi.

The match took place on 16th resulted in Kerala Striker’s victory. The victory sealed their semi finals clash against the Bhojpuri Dabanggs. The semi final match was held on 22nd Gandhi International cricket stadium Hyderabad. Bhojpuri Dabanggs won the toss and elected to bat and managed to put up 128 runs from 20 over’s for the loss of 9 wickets. Kerala Strikers achieved the target for the loss of 2 wickets from 18.3 over’s. The man of the match award was given to A. Nandakumar for scoring 48 runs from 44 balls. The match also saw Rajeev pillai passing the 500 runs mark in the whole CCL tournament.

Quickies While the Man of the Match award went to Karnataka Bulldozers’ Rajeev for his quick 112, Dhruv Sharma, who scored 56 runs and claimed 3 wickets, took home the Parle 20-20 Power Player of the Match award.

Other winners of the night included Karnataka Bulldozers’ Dhruv Sharma (Man of the Series), Mumbai Heroes’ Bobby Deol (Best Bowler of the Series) and Karnataka Bulldozers’ Pradeep (Best Batsman of the Series).

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Interview

Asif Ali

The boy next door

we love

Despite the changing dynamics of the industry, he has survived the showbiz unlike many of his contemporaries. In a candid chat with FWD Life Asif talks about his romance with success and failures...

Text Thabitha Marion Photos Jeo Jomey

A

sif is one among the few who doesn’t enjoy the trappings of stardom. He doesn’t try to look like a hero, even though that’s impossible with his fan’s following. And he certainly doesn’t behave like one, maybe because he detests the larger-than-life image that comes with it. Asif Ali shares with FWD the near to death experience during a movie shoot...

How is this New Year for Asif Ali, the actor?

Fairly smooth going. As an actor I have made up set rules for my career this year.

I have decided to reduce the number of projects I am to undertake. Say may be two or three commercial films which are appealing to me.

‘Pakida’ didn’t seem to have made a great impact. As an actor, why do you think the movie missed to climb the ladder...

Every film has its pace. Not all movies can have thrilling elements. Some films make you observe the social changes, some make you laugh, cry and a movie like Pakida will make its audience go back home with a socially relevant message. I chose to be a part of it for this sole reason. But

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when I look at the other side of it I also got reviews from people saying that it was lagging. I’m not denying it but again as I said, each script has its nature of rendering.

How different will be your character in the upcoming movie ‘Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal’ tell us more about it...

It’s a fantasy movie that revolves around a bunch of people who are self-absorbed to their lives. I play the role of ‘Alex’ a spoilt boy who is born as the youngest in a family of fourteen. He is a moody person who is quite known for a minor offence he has committed. Circumstances make him or he creates situations to set off to a land unknown to him. And that’s Lakshadweep.

The movie has Sunny Wayne (Akbar Ali) playing the role of a boy who hails from a poor family.

Both our characters are given equal importance in the film. It also has the bubbly Swathi Reddy playing a Muslim girl from Lakshadweep and Janani Iyer sharing screen space with us.

Could you tell what the title ‘Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal’ means?

‘Mosa’ in Lakshadweep lingo means big waves while ‘Kuthirameenukal’ means swordfish. Swordfish are known for their selfish traits, just like the characters we portray in this film. Initially when I heard the locals pronounce the title, I was bemused. It sounded like Malayalam, but not exactly. Later I figured out that they speak

in some unknown lingo that sounds similar to the Kasaragod slang.

Challenges you faced while shooting adventure sequences for the film….

Don’t ask me… I still get jitters when I think of it! We had the major portions of our shoot in Andaman on an abandoned island, the exact location where Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel gets stuck in the film ‘KNPH’. Mind you though the location is exotic, there’re no regular boat services to this place.

Every day to reach this island for the shoots, we had arranged for a boat. Sailing for 3 hours we used to reach the destination. Due to safety issues, locals had warned us to pack up the shoot at the most by 3 in the afternoon. One day, don’t know whether we took it lightly or work made it late, we forgot that time flies. We looked at our watch and it was 7.30 pm. The boat was waiting for us and the high tides too. We started sailing and in no time the tides engulfed our boat on and off, water got inside the boat and gradually began to affect the steadiness of the vessel.

The boat began to sway so badly that we thought that was our end. But an iota of confidence in our sailor kept us going. But when he said, “I think I’m helpless. I have lost the direction’ we all broke down. Some became sea sick, some couldn’t control their tears. That castaway feel, I can’t tell you. Sailing from somewhere to nowhere we finally reached after seven hours. How

we got saved, I’m clueless.

For Swati Reddy, Asif Ali is a noisy prankster…..

Yes I’m fun loving and very jovial. Look who is saying that. Swathi is double a chatterbox than me. She is so bubbly that when we get together after shoots, the entire crew has a gala time hearing us chat.

Lately one of the budding celeb was asked, ‘who is the most hyped actor’, she said Asif Ali. There are quite a few who gets bugged with your films, your attitude. What do you have to say to that?

Most of the time I am misunderstood for what I’m, some think that I’m arrogant. I know that I can get irresponsible at times.

Especially when it comes to attending calls that are most important and that has created issues in the past. I accept it and saying that I’m not a ‘phone person’ is truly not an excuse.

Honey Bee was a commercial success but for psychiatrists and a few commoners, the film was responsible in corrupting young minds with the use of narcotic substances. As an actor of the film, how do you approach this?

I would say that movies must be purely looked at as an entertainer and not as your ‘Life Guide’. Watch it, laugh at the jokes, cry for the drama and if it has a sensible message, take it up for good.

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Interview

Asif Ali

Quickies Any regrets in life…..

Till date…..no.

For a change we’ve our eyes wide open to watch your new look. So far what hindered you from having a makeover?

I don’t hail from a filmy family. I also never knew methods to become a star. So maybe I can say it’s just now that I realized how a makeover can actually help boost the career of an actor.….more to learn.

(He laughs) Because of the entire hullabaloo, are you in two minds whether to go in for Honeybee 2 or not?

Never, why should I. The movie has tried to portray the after effects of consuming drugs, the deep mess one gets into after getting addicted to narcotic substances. Look at the bright side of the film.

A highly technical scientific thriller you’ve signed in ‘Apothecary’ starring Suresh Gopi, Jayasurya. What is the issue the movie is addressing?

The movie is about medical trials conducted on humans; its complications and troubles following it. The first schedule of the shoot is over. It’s mostly shot in a hospital at Palakkad.

I’m not supposed to reveal anything more.

Upcoming projects….

Apart from ‘Apothecary’, a movie directed by Jean Paul titled ‘Hai I’m Tony’, an Anil Radhakrishnan movie. Nasriya was supposed to play the lead in Jean Paul’s next, but now the possibilities of having her in the film seems to be a bit hazy.

A habit you changed after marriage…..

I have stopped abusing people on roads. Before when I used to see someone overtaking the car from the wrong side, I used to chase them and blow of my top with sour words. But now after Zama made me promise not to use such words, I bite my tongue.

How did this law abiding citizen then follow the minister’s vehicle a couple of months back?

I didn’t break any rules. Is it said anywhere in the rules that a person is not supposed to follow the escort vehicle of a minister? I just did that.

An onscreen image of yours which your wife makes fun of?

In the movie ‘916’, there is a song ‘Chenthaamara Poovu…

She makes fun of me and the costume I’m in.

Your most expensive buy….

My BMW

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film fashion

Photography : Jeo Jomey

Automotive Partner

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film fashion maKEOVER 38

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Breeze of Love

Solitude

maKEOVER

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Drift Away 40

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Interview Nikhil Thampi

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e always makes the bold statements, plays with colours that never cross his eyes and brings punk elements in his silhouettes, the designer who's got the fist of metal, he's Nikhil Thampi. The Mumbai-based designer’s punk infused velveteen outfits with metallic embellishments was the flavour of LFW. Speaking exclusively to FWD, the designer who draws inspiration from the traditional folk wear of Kerala, shares his strong creative sensibility and what it feels like to be the toast of the runaways.

It wasn’t a degree from fashion school that got you here…..

Well it’s true. I am not a result of a degree but a result of emotional blackmailing, passion, blessing and hard work. Or else how would you justify this given situation where I studied psychology, then got trained in aviation and ultimately landed up in fashion.

How did it happen….designing the first outfit?

Now that’s a long story. I was emotionally blackmailed by my family and friends to give fashion a try and voila here I am! I have always been inclined to arts and fashion somehow since my childhood. I am a trained contemporary dancer and it was Shiamak Davar’s school of performing arts (SDIPA) which got me inclined to arts in a special way. It was with them that I had the freedom to experiment and innovate. I clearly remember the first outfit I designed…it was a dance costume and ever since I was very proudly given the task to design for them.

From red carpet events to fashion magazine editorials and ad-campaign, how easy was it for a psychology graduate to enter the world of fashion?

Honestly, it still feels like a dream. This journey has been surreal and I can’t thank enough of those who have been a part of this expedition so far. Magazines, stylists,

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The Fashion Alchemist He is the man of the moment in Indian fashion; all of a sudden Bollywood beauties to top divas are celebrating his creations. Meet Nikhil Thampi, the most celebrated designer behind the quirky elegance of fashionistas...

Text Thabitha Marion Photos Various Sources

Fashion tips Sacred writ of fashion, fashionistas must follow in summer 2014…..

Look fashionable with outfits that make one comfortable, yet sexy and rebellious.

Fitted clothes are a big no this summer. Stay away from warm fabric as it’s a wrong choice for the climate. Try to fit into more of free flowing silhouettes and smart jumpsuits this season.

In an outfit a modern Indian women look for…..

A modern Indian woman definitely gives comfort a top priority. But when they decide to dress up they want heads to turn, jaws to drop and look like a million buck. That’s where we come in the picture.

Simply because we cater to a niche clientele, we aren’t easily accessible and not everyone can don our looks.

On getting short saris back in vogue…..

In remote areas of Kerala even today we get to see traditional women wearing tube draped saris, short in length. And this folk style has been aside thinking that it’s outdated. But what I have tried to do is to stylize this age old wear with a tint of ‘Punkishness’. To be crisp it’s a modern trend to blend folk fashion and art with ultra modern trends of the present.

editors, journalists, fans, family, and friends everyone has just made this travel so worthwhile.

Now talking about fabrics, they vary from season to season. Summer fabrics don’t work in winters or the other way round.

How long did it take for you to launch ‘NT’?

Frankly speaking, it took me one phone call. I had applied to LFW under the gennext category just out of pure, ‘let’s try my luck’, state of mind. Out of 800 odd applications, only 8 were selected. One afternoon I get a call, ‘you’re selected. I almost had a nervous breakdown. That’s when I decided to pull my socks and the inception of the label came along.

What is your creative process like before a collection is fashioned?

Travelling and getting inspiration from different places, people, culture and traditions.

Your classic collections showcase a punk theme, graciously designed with Kathakali faces as motifs. I am curious to know the extent to which Kerala has helped in chiseling your flair….

I am a South Indian, my paternal family is from Kerala and my family means the world to me. I wanted to dedicate this collection to them, in a way to tell them how much they mean to me. The South Indian influence found on ‘NT’ silhouettes is an inspiration that ramped into me from my grandmother’s closet. Her short saris, her traditional tube saris, her favourite colors, metallic’s have all dominated my collection.

Tell us a bit about your colour scheme and the fabrics you use…..

Can I share a secret? I am colour-blind. I don’t understand colours, so I stick to my favourite palate of earthy and dark tones.

For punk inspired collections, I chose to keep black and metallic shades at the forefront and I chose fabrics like linen, silk, cotton and net, simply because India as a country doesn’t face a lot of adverse cold.

You design for men too. What do you have to say about men’s fashion in India?

I design for both the sexes but I predominantly design for men who are experimental and dare to look different in a crowd.

Men’s fashion is evolving. Today they are ready to experiment. I can say…. the awareness is growing.

Which design in your latest collection are you most happy with?

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Interview Nikhil Thampi It is much like asking a mother to pick her favourite child. I love them all. Yet if I got to say, I love the back cut out long kurta with the gold skirt and the half Kathkali faced men’s waist coat with kurta and palazzo pants.

Can you point out some fashion flaws that Keralites tag along?

The 78 litres of hair oil they put all year long. It’s an eye sore and then mogras, kohl eyes with pretty frocks and the boring Kanchipuram saris they wear on every momentous occasion. I would love them to try something fun and daring.

Most exciting moment you got to spend with a celebrity designing a costume?

Parineeti Chopra is so much fun to work with. Kalki is a darling too. She can tune into anything you give her. Madhuri Dixit… I wasn’t star struck at all, but OMG I had a sweat burst out and an absolute fan moment with her.

Have you designed attires for any Bollywood movies?

I was one of the many designers who have made garments for Bombay Velvet, a periodical movie starring Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor. It’s soon to be released in 2014.

Any new or upcoming project(s) you are working on that you’d like to share with us….

As of now I am working on my summer collection and about to shoot the 6th episode with Style and the City. I am also in the process of signing up with big banner Bollywood Production houses and some interesting collaborations.

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Quickies Fashion in India needs more of …….

Young talents to change the phase of fashion Who inspires you the most in fashion?

Anamika Khanna, Sabyasachi, Lanvin A woman who stands out for her sense of grooming….

Sonam Kapoor! Hands down closely to her would be Kangana Ranaut.

Your favourite high street stores Zara & Topshop Outside fashion, what are you looking for?

Travel, loyalty, happiness Do you pay attention to what other designers are doing?

No not at all. I don’t get time to cut my nails or to go for a haircut. Then where would I have the time to watch what others are up to.

How different was it designing outfits for yesteryear divas; Madhuri and Kajol?

It was the easiest as compared to new age divas.

Your own personal rules for dressing….

Ink Blue denims, white or black shirt or t-shirt. But then all the 365 days…awfully lackluster.

FOR ENQUIRIES AND RESERVATIONS

8086881681, 9349528057 2014 MARCH

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feature

Satyamev Jayate

Satyamev Jayate is back with a bang Aamir Khan is not just a perfectionist but also a staunch supporter of social causes, probably a reason why the actor is back with Satyamev Jayate season 2 Text Jaishankar Photos Asmeena. A

t

he first edition of Satyamev Jayate had received an overwhelming response from public this has prompted the makers to rope in some big names from the South to promote the program that will hit the television screens from 2nd March at 11.00 am on Star Plus, STAR Pravah, STAR Vijay, Asianet, STAR Utsav, DD and a differed telecast at 1.00 pm on ETV. The show stirred the consciousness of the nation as a whole while bringing forward key social issues that concerns the society.

Aamir Khan, who was recently in Kochi for the promotion of his show Satyameva Jayate, has not divulged too many details, keeping the surprise elements intact.

The new addition to the show this

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season is superstar Mohanlal who is the brand ambassador for the show in the South. Being one of the biggest superstars in the south, the show is expected to get leverage through his presence. Though the megastar will not be co-hosting the show, he will appear in the show’s promos.

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan who was at a loss of words to describe Mohanlal was overwhelmed by his gesture and has now presented the actor with a painting from his personal collection to thank him for the effort.

As Mohanlal is an ardent art lover it’s reported that Aamir Khan gave him a beautiful painting by Lalita Lajmi, who is Guru Dutt’s sister.

South superstar Suriya has also been roped in by makers of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ to promote actor-host Aamir Khan’s issue-based TV show.

The show’s first episode will be dedicated to Dashrath Manjhi, the man, who single-handedly carved a 360-foot-long road out of a mountain in Bihar after he lost his wife, who could not be taken to the hospital in time due to lack of proper roads.

The tagline for the show is “Jinhe desh ki fikr hai” (those who care for the country) and it aims to educate, engage and empower audiences to participate in an action-oriented change. It will be seen running through the year with an innovative programming approach.

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McDowell Signature Indian Derby 2014 The McDowell Signature Indian Derby held on 1st and 2nd February at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai was an elegant mix of game, glitz and glamour.

From the best of horse breeds to the best jockeys, the event saw a lot of excitement as well as heavy dose of glamour.

McDowell Signature Indian Derby offers the highest stake money for any race in the country.

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McDowell Signature Indian Derby 2014 2014

derby 2014

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McDowell Signature Indian Derby 2014 McDowell Signature Indian Derby 2014

feature

Anna Mathew

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nna calls “Art her Passion” and thanks her parents for recognizing this and directing her energies into the world of art. A gold medallist in Fine Arts, Anna has dabbled in various forms of art – from Charcoal and pencil sketches to Water color and Oil on canvas, from embroidery to dancing but that was until baking and designing cakes happened. Anna Mathew’s first cake conquest was Veda’s farm, and since then she’s having and eating her cake!

Her business ‘Cake Canvas’ positions itself on customization. It starts with a theme of the occasion and the central color preferred by each client. The rest unfurls with her relentless creativity. Going beyond the beauty of cake, she looks into complimenting it with fine taste, her favourites include Bavarian chocolate.

Anna says, “Cake Canvas excels to surpass the expectations of each customer and considers their satisfied smiles and their pleasantly surprised faces as the best bonus for almost a week of effort at making each sculpture as perfect as possible.´ She

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A Cakewalk Anna is a normal woman like you and me but the lady has got a remarkable talent that defines her; with an artful attitude, the custom made sculptured cakes from her cake boutique ‘Cake Canvas’ are hard to resist.

Text Atheena Wilson Photos Cake Canvas

makes the cakes stand out with an oomph when she does the 3D sculpting of real life caricatures and here’s the icing of the story, she never repeats her design, making your cake always memorable.

Having a spot on eye for the consumers’ taste, Anna iced her creativity with business. “Customers in Kerala have a taste for art and their good taste is reflected in the fabulously arty themes they want to incorporate as part of a celebration. Gone or going are the days of cutting a fresh crème pastry cake for a birthday, now a designer cake has to warm the hearts of the connoisseurs too, “she quotes. Keeping up in demand of all the clients, she still balances her life at both home and work. To avoid the tediousness, she preps one design a week. Her motto is sensible balance and she believes in setting one’s own pace.

There do come the sleepless nights, since her crafting requires a lot of patience.

Her biggest challenge so far was the Kadakali cake. It was tough task to place the tall Kathakali with the low centre of gravity on its two legs. In the world of sugar, spice and everything nice, Cake Canvas goes beyond a celebration. If cakes could not be any more sensational, we know these cakes leave you with the wonderment of its Belgian chocolate ganache, and you indulge at last with the sounds of smacking lips. Care for some cake now?

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feature

Diwia Thomas

Crafting a Niche At ‘Papertrail’, Empowerment and Entrepreneurship go hand in hand; focused, dedicated and determined, these women have defined success in their own terms and rules.

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s

he started ‘Papertrail’ as a means to help women from all strata of society to earn a livelihood.

What started with just 5 women today has 35- 50 women at any given point of time. Diwia Thomas began this social entrepreneurship venture when she saw some of her friends struggling financially during the global economic meltdown in 2009. “We began making bags from donated newspaper and then diversified into making handmade paper bags, paper lanterns, gift tags, gift boxes and various gift wrapping products. The newspaper bags line still remains a completely non-profit vertical at Papertrail”, says Diwia Thomas. At the moment they also specialise in customised wrapping, take home gifts, party bags, gift tags, note cards and more.

She is a thriving entrepreneur who believes that woman empowerment must always begin with her financial independence. And so to translate that into reality, she devised the initiative of training women to create bags at home and dropping them off at a common collection point. It worked wonders and currently she engages all kinds of women- single, divorced, handicapped, abused, abandoned, old.... operating from five different locations across Kerala in making paper bags.

The foremost thought for her to start something like this was the perk of working from home along with the objective of providing a secondary income to the ladies she employs. “But very often I find this as the primary income; the one that keeps the home fire burning” says Diwia.

“The income they’ve earned has enabled some of them to procure their own medical insurance, and now some have even saved up to buy smart phones, to get onto Whats App. It facilitates a speedy & efficient methos in clarifying designs, specifications, colors,etc” she adds.

The philosophy that’s at the heart of everything she does is that ‘If God is the wind in your sails, your boat will go

far’. “Very often when I was at crossroads to find sources for material, there was always a divine intervention in the form of a lead, telephone number or a contact.

And this has been the raison d’être behind Papertrail’s smooth sail for the last 4 years and for its expansion,” says Diwia. They are setting up their own retail space and central warehouse. So far so short, their bags have sailed the seas- London, America and now to Belgium and Germany. Their local clientele comprises of some big brands as well as small enterprises.

Ask her about the mantra of Papertrail she says, “We never turn anyone away. I always tell our customers ‘You bring to us your packaging problem; we’ll find you a fix’. We may not be manufacturing such a product but we’ll find a way to make it, sometimes by sourcing material all the way from North India and China. Our USP is that we can do small numbers too since they are handmade and we take pride in customising our products.”

In the future Papertrail would definitely serve as an umbrella for various types of struggling artisans and indigenous craft, not restricted to paper but extending to natural fibre, fabric, pottery etc. India is a rich storehouse of culture, tradition, craft and creativity but at the grassroot level art and artisans are struggling to make ends meet and reaching out to them would be the next move.

Diwia Thomas began this social entrepreneurship venture when she saw some of her friends struggling financially during the global economic meltdown in 2009.

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interview Salu George

Saddle up & gallop to your heart’s content Gallop Cochin, the first horse riding academy in Kerala gives a great opportunity to learn not just about riding but also on stabling, saddling and grooming horses.

Text Thabitha Marion Photos Jinson Abraham, Vinayak Raj

h

orse riding for Malayalis in Kerala had been limited to their few hours of scheduled gallop at the Madras Race Course or at the one in Bangalore until 2012. Today many of the equine lovers in Kerala satiate their predilection for it at the ‘Gallop Cochin’, a unique academy ideally positioned at a 2 acre fenced property located at Thuthiyoor in Kakkanad. Ahead of holding back the reins for a ride, let me catch up with Salu George, the prominent Malayalam film art director cum galloping aficionado; the man behind “Gallop”, Cochin’s First Horse Riding Academy.

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Your fascination for galloping began….

Almost two decades back, I was in Chennai spending most of my time assisting film directors. After shoots, whenever possible I used to hang-out with friends. And John, a jockey was one of them. All the while I heard him talk on horse riding and watched him riding at races. And as infectious as it can get, I got interested. One day as John was pampering his favourite English bred horse, I asked if he could help me in riding a horse. Willingly he took me. Though my hands went cold for a minute, having John beside me was comforting. That was my first ride. From then on I visited John more often, rode horses and began to think of owning one.

About carving up of thoughts for the dawning of Gallop Cochin...

I have contacts who are either jockeys or equine lovers from whom I learnt the nitty-gritty of horse riding. And once I was sure about my passion and had fairly gained knowledge more about horses, I went to Ooty and got ‘Karna’ my first pet horse. That was 7 years back. Gradually with the realization of making it bigger, I slated for ‘Gallop Cochin’.

Initially how tough was it to domesticate a horse in your backyard?

I got Karna from Ooty seven years back.

His majestic appearance in ‘Pazhashiraja’ moved me to own him. As I didn’t have a spacious stable then, I got him home and managed to cramp his up-bringing in a small plot next to my house. Probably he understood my limitations, so having him home was never a concern. At home he had absolute liberty to rove around. Often we had eyes peeping over our house-walls watching Karna being fed at home.

Horses you have at your stable now….

There are 12 of them. Karna was followed

by Alexander and David from Mysore, Arjun and Bheeman from Jaipur, Tyson, Jack….. and the last ones are Pooja, a pony and her foal Immanuel.

The class of crowd who visits Gallop….

Celebs, businessmen, IT professionals How well has the action been catching up over the last two years?

All is well except during monsoons. So far we have had 19 students in all who left Gallop Cochin as trained riders apart from our regular visitors. As enquiries kept coming in, we introduced training packages.

Could you pass on information about joining the academy?

We’ve a 3 months course that offers 30 classes for Rs.35, 000. And for those who wish to learn it in a short span; a 10 day vacation course with daily classes from 6.30 to 9.30 am and 4.00 to 7.30 pm for Rs.10, 000 and a five day course with food and accommodation providing 2 riding hours in the morning and evening for a package of Rs.15,000.

Are women equally drawn to it?

Yes, they are. We have a couple of North Indian women who comes to ride. Foreigners do come here once in a while as part of their ‘God’s own country’ visit. Undeniably it’s sad that women of Kerala haven’t yet found a fancy for riding.

Apart from being cast in movies, what are the other engagements of the inmates?

For North Indian weddings, we are approached for baarat horses or horses for drawing wedding carriages.

Is anyone in your stable an upcoming celebrity?

Recently three of them had been to Vagamon for a Kannada film shoot.

What about their feeding and health care?

We feed them daily with horse gram, barley, barley grass which we get in bundles from Tamil Nadu and with carrots and jaggery once a week. Daily we brush them (malish), give them an hour’s massage, ride each one of them for an hour and bathe them once a week. At night they are made

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interview Gallop Cochin

Quickies Your first fall….

It was in Ooty. Me and my friend, we were on a race. My horse skid and I fell off to a distance. Fortunately I had no bandages.

to rest on fodder beds. That serves them as food at night and also protects them from getting bruised.

Are they bred here?

We are not into breeding yet. But I cannot say that starting a breeding farm is not there on my mind. Eventually I intend to.

It’s a promising business.

Does that mean Gallop is not a profit making initiative?

Yes….there is no profit and I don’t expect it from here. The cost of maintaining horses for riding can only make a hole in your pocket.

Choosing a horse….

It’s their dimples that are closely watched.

More dimples, the better. Horses with dimples on their forehead, lower abdomen and chest are considered to be hale and hearty horses. A horse’s hooves are also given utmost importance while choosing one.

Many love to ride a horse but trepidation stops them from hopping onto one. How

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can they overcome riding jitters?

Try mounting onto it. Take 2 rounds along with the horse trainer, for the third round you will ride it pretty decently, without seeking the help of a trainer. Just in case you feel it’s turning dangerous, dismount by holding the reins in your left hand up along the neck of the horse and with the left rein slightly shorter. Take your right foot out of the stirrup. While holding the horse’s wither, swing your right leg over the horse’s rump, keeping it from pumping the horse’s rump. Remove left foot and spring down. Make sure you bend your knees and then stand up again. Trust me if you have a zeal for horse riding, you’ll love it.

All the while as we were talking I have been noticing a dog following us. Is he a part of Gallop?

He is Gabbar, an Indian Sight hound, the watchdog at the stable. He is very friendly but at times too naughty to chase the horses around the grazing fields. Soon you can watch him and his mother Koothara in action for the film ‘Koothara’ starring Mohanlal

As an art director, how are things going at your end?

Mohanlal starrer ‘Koothara’, Suresh Gopi’s ‘Dolphin Bar’ and a Johnny Anthony movie are my upcoming projects. For ‘Dolphin Bar’ I have done an extensive work on the bar sets that came close to Rs.1 crore.

A memorable experience at the Gallop Cochin….

Last year’s Christmas cake cutting at the Gallop with a few celebrities, my family along with my pets- Persian cats, pug, parrot, dachshund and 12 horses.

Celebs who ride at Gallop…..

Mythili, Chackochen, Prithviraj, Indrajith, Major Ravi, Kailash.

We’ve dog breeders business thriving in Kerala. Can it be the same with horse breeding?

Why not? At the nearest, there is a horse breeding farm at Pollachi.

They’re doing really well.

Do Keralites see galloping as a luxury or as a fun activity?

They perceive it as a luxury and also follow it as a fitness regime. For robustness there is nothing that can beat an hour-long horse riding.

Movies, horses and…..

Vintage car collection that has Morris-51 model, Austin 35, Willys…..

top taste fwd

The culinary world of Kochi is going through an interesting phase; the chefs are ready to experiment and reinvent food, making each dish a masterpiece. FWDÂ enjoys an hour of interaction with Chef Ramu Butler from Ramada Resort Cochin, who has taken time out from the world of food to chat with our readers.

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Interview Chef Ramu Butler

The Food Chronicle Text Atheena Wilson Photos Vinayak Raj

Julia Child once said, “The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” In conversation with Ramu Butler, Corporate F&B Manager and Chef, Ramada Resort Cochin, who believes that food contributes to a life so endlessly delicious.

You have quite an interesting surname, Butler?

I guess cooking runs in my blood. Food isn’t a basic necessity of life; it’s a part of life from its taste, appeal, aroma and the senses that get satisfied. I learned this from my father’s passion for food. I certainly don’t see cooking as a profession.

The experience that defined you as Chef...

I started with Taj and then Oberoi before moving to the Hilton New York. It was extremely tough as I was under the guidance of French and German chefs, who did not know anything except cooking and dedicated their lives to it. That made completely turned around my view on cooking.

Tell us about your signature dish?

The signature meal, Chicken Rollan Steak is not concerned with the diet, yet it can be prepared with either the poached or grilled manner. The chicken has herbs stuffed in and it is complimented with a spinach and potato mash, accompanied by classy red wine.

This meal is perfect for a late candle light dinner. It’s a meal for two.

A style that’s in sync with you?

Cooking is an art, it goes beyond measurements and solely based on instincts I love fusion cooking. If there’s an alternative why can it not be approached? I constantly love to try something new, I once combined Fish Polichu and Chicken Tikka, and it was an instant success.

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Quickies

The reflection of your personality on cooking...

Innovative! When you enjoy a meal, there’s an element of me, but I always strive and improve in simple words innovate.

What inspires you to innovate?

Lifestyle channels have made people more aware. Customers request for a particular steak by the color, texture. This makes me think to the extreme. Because of this, I constantly learn from the guest. Recently, I used to learn from the Tharavadu. Seeing is not the point, its instinct and taste. Every recipe only comes to life when you give your soul.

Also the mall culture started approximately six years ago, and Kochi lunched a lot of restaurants. Unfortunately, many of restaurants do not consistently run. The positive side is that people are exposed to different types of food.

A few good things you can’t resist experimenting with?

I do not want to discriminate, yet I’ll stick

to non- veg.

On the other hand, a technique that baffled you?

Molecular Gastronomy. Dealing with chemicals and liquid nitrogen, cooking always has a little bit of chemistry. In 2012 I was awarded the Smart Chef by the Indian Federation of Culinary Association at Banglore Taj Vivanta.

You mentioned cooling has a little bit of chemistry, what’s the Ramu Butler element in your cooking?

Ideal Presentation and Quality, It’s like presenting a girl; she should certainly be eye appealing. The aroma has to get to your senses and then draw you to the meal.

In terms of quality, I make sure the meat I cook is always right. The finest meat is imported from New Zealand.

Meals to look out for at Ramada...

Mexican Enchiladas For desserts, tiramisu Raro Gosh - a meal made of mutton

If your kitchen was on fire which ingredient will you save?

Wine

What’s the one dish you’re grateful the world discovered?

Cheese

Your laziest and easiest breakfast...

Corn Flakes

Who cooks the most at home?

My wife

If you could uncover the recipe of a famous meal, it would be?

A pirate’s cuisine

Who would you serve your signature dish to?

Chef Hanskark

The timeless dish you have to serve anytime, anywhere?

Kacha Ghosta Biryani

A country apart from India that amazes you with its cuisine...

Jamaica and France

A twist to a famous Indian dish...

Garlic and Onion A word to describe your food...

Passion

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in store Satya Paul Trouser Saree Suspender Saree in Lipstick print. Polarizer lipstick printed lycra net blouse with palazzo pants attached to pallu at neon suspender Saree.

Telephone Booth print Saree Monochrome telephone booth Saree in satin with a silver blouse.

Autumn/Winter Collection 2014 Ink spread dress Dripping ink maxi in knit.

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IIFA Award Collection Saree IIFA Award collection Saree in satin silk with a corset designer blouse.

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in store satyapaul Abstract print kaftan knit

IIFA Award Collection Saree IIFA Award Collection Saree in satin silk in combination of green and yellow with a designer blouse.

Lipstick print saree Lipstick Print Saree in georgette.

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Ash telephone booth Saree in satin

Pink Saree in black and white checks Checks pallu with contrast pink combination.

2014 MARCH

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review

Delhi Auto Expo

Auto Expo: Cars that

stole the show

The world’s second largest motor show the “Auto Expo” was held at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi from 6th to 9th February, The weeklong show witnessed 70 unveilings, of which 26 were global models. The expo experienced a foot fall of 5.61 lakh.

Toyota GT86 sports car The sleek and powerful Toyota GT 86 sports car packs in a 2.0 liter Boxer engine which produces 197HP of power and 205Nm of peak torque. It has transmission options of both manual and automatic gearboxes and offers a top speed of 226 km per hour for the speed lovers to adore.

Audi RS7 Sportback Powered by a 4.0 litre, twin-turbo, V8 producing 560 PS of peak power and 700NM of peak torque, Audi RS7 sportback’s power is delivered by Audi’s trademark Quattro all-wheel-drive system through an 8-speed automatic gearbox.

Hyundai HND-9 Venace The luxury sports car has hexagonal front grille, butterfly doors, 22-inch alloy wheels and aggressive taillight as its highlights. Its 3.3-litre gasoline engine that churns out a maximum power output of 360bhp.

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Jaguar F-Type R Coupe The range-topping F-TYPE R Coupé is powered by Jaguar’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine in 550PS/680Nm tune, delivering acceleration to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds.

Jaguar C-X17 The model features a bespoke ultra-luxury interior incorporating new high-quality design elements and innovative premium infotainment technology. The five seater luxury crossover is powered by Jaguar’s newly developed four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines and has Rear Exit Detection as a new added feature.

Chevrolet Camaro Sportscar The supercar is built with 6.2L V8 engine which lays down incredible 426 hp of power and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. The two door car is given a total length of 190.4 in and width of 75.5 in which makes it wide yet attractively compact. The car is pretty low lined with a height of 54.2 in.

Renault’s Adventure a new variant of Duster SUV Renault unveiled a new variant of the popular Renault Duster SUV. The new variant, the Adventure features blacked out headlamps, bumper addons with inbuilt driving lamps and additional plastic cladding bits on the side giving the Duster a tougher appeal. The new Renault Duster will also feature a set of gunmetal grey wheels that match the plastic cladding giving the Duster a distinctively sporty look.

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Luxury Yacht

Arianna

A beautiful dream called

Arianna

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ike her name, Arianna is the holiest of them all; she is a dream that came real for her anonymous owner who wanted his newborn daughter to grow up experiencing the world through the ocean.

Arianna became the most voluminous, full displacement, all fibreglass yacht of her length overall.

With the large tank volumes and extended range needed for long passages, this yacht will travel the world’s oceans safely, with fortitude and grace. A voluminous interior with a beam of nearly 34 feet provides ample space to bring to life a luxurious Polynesian paradise. The natural and comfortable style of the South

Arianna exemplifies luxury; it is a home away from home for its owner who wanted to experience the warmth of home when he is on a cruise SPECifications Length

164 ft

Crew

12

Beam

147 ft 7 in

Generators

2x CAT C6.6

Draft

9 ft 7 in

125 kW

Displacement

822 ITC

Engines

2x CAT 3512B,

Max Speed

16 knots

1,650 BHp @

Cruise Speed

14.5 knots

1,600rpm

Fuel Capacity

21,900 US g

Cable

237,508 ft

Fresh Water Capacity

3,000 US g

Teak

13,200 ft

Pacific islands are adorned with organic and textural fabrics and warm open grain woods in the Khaya and Bubinga families.

Designed and engineered by the in-house Delta Design Group, the yacht boasts of over 7,500 square feet of living area, and is more than 750 gross tons. Her unique arrangement with the master on the upper deck allows for a spacious gym and office on the main deck.

Arianna uses a hull form that the delta has employed in its previous mega yachts.

The Arianna taunts an internal capacity of 822 tons which is 41 tons more heavier than the previous hull displacement which weighed 781 tons.

Arianna’s interior was designed by Delta Design Group in Seattle, Washington.

Her interior is adorned with rare tropical hardwoods including Makassar Ebony, Wenge, and Koa, an antique Doettling safe, colourful blown glass lighting, as well as a Balinese inspired solid slab dining table.

The owner’s suite is uniquely arranged in the aft, which allows room for a spacious fitness room, sauna, spa bathtub, bathroom and a private deck. The yacht also includes a full galley, indoor and al fresco dining options, a jetted Jacuzzi, and a large island

bar.

Delta’s team also created the ambiance of a retreat or a casual escape. Under the guidance of the project’s lead designer Christian Oliver, Arianna’s interior décor is almost whimsical in her details, with an overall Polynesian influence.

Arianna is capable of accommodating 12 guests in 6 luxurious cabins including a master suite, 1 VIP stateroom, 3 double cabins and 1 twin cabin. With a cruising speed of 14.5 knots and a maximum speed of 16 knots and a range of 5000nm from her 82900litre fuel tanks, she is the perfect combination of performance, luxury and beauty.

Talking about luxury, Arianna comes packed with elevator, swimming platform, air conditioning, gym, Jacuzzi (on deck), sauna and tender garage.

Arianna’s construction began in July 2009 and was launched in April 2012.

The mega yacht made its debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show on October 25, 2012.

According to reports on January 2014, Arianna being a finalist in the 2013 World Super Yacht Awards is asking for a price of $45.9 million (286 crores apprx.)

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Men’s Grooming

How To Dress Up Smart And Sharp For An Evening An appropriate wardrobe and a sense of dress etiquette is essential for any person to get noticed; FWD gives you tips to dress sensibly for an evening out.

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Shirt Put on long sleeved buttoned down shirt/sport slim fit shirts with bold patterns in fine paisley or bright coloured pin stripes or jacquard prints.

Avoid windowpane patterns.

Check the weather before you overdo your grooming. Scarves are trendy but never try them during summers, unless you’re suffering from a sore throat.

Uncouth to see torn or soiled collars and dangling shirt buttons.

Your wrist is there for a reason. Let not your hand swim in the fabric.

Belt If you intend to tuck your shirt, then belt is a must.

Wear a belt if your pants are not staying up.

Match your belt to your shoes.

Cracks can kill the overall appearance

Blazer /Jackets For a two button jacket or blazer, button the top one leaving the bottom one open.

Never ever button the bottom button.

Jacket sleeves should not go past your wrists when standing with your arms by your side.

Jacket sleeves ideally should fall half-inch above the wrist.

Jacket must fit your shoulders.

Shoes Step into polished leather shoes, black or brown and not into athletic sneakers.

Sandals and flip flops are for the beach.

Before heading out check a second time to see if shoes smell of leather or of your feet.

Try never to get caught in rubber soled shoes.

Trousers Wear light weight flat front casual trousers without pleats.

No pleated pants please.

Dread to see those ‘pants tent’ when you sit.

Mind the length of the trousers and the waistline.

Make sure the belt falls in place especially the buckle at the front.

Socks Your socks must either match your shoes, shirt or trousers.

Opt for solid colours with mild patterns.

Neutral colours like black/ brown/gray/navy blue are must-haves.

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Fashion hair

Amusing Hairdo Don’t get us wrong, not all runaway trends can make fashion statements. Our style gurus find this hairdo an extension of a bad hair day…What do you think? ometimes a trend comes along that instills a tremor of fear in your heart. Personally, micro minis bring me out in cold sweat. In the same way, one beauty trend that can be bad is a terrifying slick hair that dominated the runways last year.

It’s not just a question of shampoo dodging. Apparently, it takes a lot of effort and time to look this dirty, but you can have this sleazy style at your own place.

And now comes the big ‘no’. As we say, make a daring fashion move, just don’t jump off with ‘Parachute’. In a blessed state like Kerala were coconuts are in plenty, keep aside ‘nariyals’ for cooking chutneys or burfis unlike Lola kutty with the combed

s

slick back hair.

Two weeks without shampoo- how hard can it be? Try giving your hair a final wash and relish the swishy, high-end feel of smooth and silky tress. By the third day you will notice that without a wash, the roots and scalp have become so filthy as though you have spend long hours dancing in the sun. Let go six days of the week, by the weekend you will accept that your hair is too unruly to ever resemble the artfully undressed grunge styles of those Prada runway models.

Now, if you would love to try it on by mastering the international standards of carrying this greasy look, the professional experts have their way to make you look like a goddess emerging out of water.

Rough and loose ponytail Wet your hair and gel them, followed by tying a loose pony tail. Do not tighten the hair or else waves will form, if you have straight hair.

Hair band Make use of matching hair bands to accessorize the wet sleek hairstyle.

Doing the Waves You can create a wavy hairstyle by wrapping your hair into a bun. After leaving it for an hour, open it and brush the unwrapped tress using a wide-tooth comb and use a serum to define the waves and to make your hair look soft.

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Use a volume spray on damp hair and roughly blow-dry it. To get the wet look on top, slick back the front section of the hair with a super strong gel and blow-dry the hair just behind the ears. This sleek hairstyle helps to highlight your forehead and face completely.

And it also happens to be the apt time to flaunt your natural or neutral makeup.

Ideally, do not try to apply loud makeup, but maybe darkening your eyes by opting for a smoky eye could do the trick.

You can also set this wet hair just like Jennifer Lawrence who walked the red carpet at the BAFTA Awards last year. Kindly do not attempt this on the bush spring hair as you might end up looking like a trampled sea weeds of the ocean.

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2014 MARCH

75

Dileep From black addidas jacket to washed blue denims, everything about his look is blah!

Bhama Beauty in blue made temperature rise to a ‘100 degree Celsius’, but was the ‘Kardashian fit’ suffocating her by any chance...?

Prithviraj He wears only the best. Be it casuals or formals, Aiyaa has a kickass sense of style and looks dapper in whatever he wears...

Lakshmi Rai Sharam Nahin Aati Kya Aapko... Though there are ants in your wardrobe, control.it’s a public event.

Kavya Madhavan Ms Kavya you have put in a great effort to look pretty, we appreciate that but a little more care to do your hair and remove those nail colours would have really made you look amazing.

Nazriya Looks as though she was just out of sick bed. ‘Om Shanti...’ for fast recovery from the ‘Salala’ effects...

Some Sparkle, police Some Burns Style

FWD Style police is on a patrol again and this time too we have managed to catch some Mollywood celebs who looked fabulous for a recent award night and yet some others with serious fashion faux pas...

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satire

Modern Women vs Women in Westeros

World of Women: Reel vs Real

The author explores depiction of females in two popular television series ’Girls’ and Game of Thrones’ on HBO Text Ronnie Kuriakose

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had been hesitant to get on the bandwagon that tweeted and blogged their way to virtual stardom by criticizing George R. R. Martin on his representation of a heavily

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misogynistic world populated by powerful men and women trapped in their machinations in ‘Game of Thrones’. And I thank those seven demons I worship for that. For all the plethora of words tossed out there about the gender politics within Game of

Thrones, this article is about something else entirely. I am here talking about the divergence of gender representation in fantasy versus “real world” television for today. For an example of modern “realistic” television, I am looking at HBO’s new NYC

comedy, ‘Girls’.

‘Girls’ is marketed as the love child of Sex and the City and “everyone comes to New York to live their dream” story for the lost millennial. It chronicles the fumbling adventures of four typical women trying to make their way in the hipster-infested world of New York.

Let us forget for a second that for satire, the show is decidedly not funny.

After a disturbingly bland first episode, I was struck by the unbearable ennui and apathy of the main characters. The women are hopeless stereotypes of First World problems given form, racially bland, and focused on their own self-importance.

And as a representation of women, Girls rings of a kind of terrifyingly banal view of women that is boggling. In just the first episode, the female characters dance the modern dance of frighteningly empty sex, drug use, and how to beg your family for financial support when you’re a hopelessly unmotivated creative in NYC. Now, I watched the first episode purely after hearing another friend complaining about it. And while I watched, mouth gaped wide in horror, one thought crossed my mind – if this is stereotype offered of today’s modern woman, then I’ll rather find my girlfriend from Westeros.

The juxtaposition of Game of Thrones versus Girls might not entirely fair. When the limpingly unfunny portrayal of women in Girls is meant to be satirical, Game of Thrones is not. Yet both are supposed to be heavily character-driven shows and have the common feature of portraying beautiful, mostly upper-class, mostly white

women. Sitting through the first episode of Girls, however, I was stuck by the notion that I’m inclined to root for women who are oppressed by their circumstance as opposed to themselves. Where the world of Westeros is hopelessly misogynistic, it represents a contextual gender inequality that still inspires more powerful women character with whom to empathize, rather than these modern Girls in a post-feminist American comfort.

The handling of sexuality and female sexual power, for example, comes off as utterly graceless in Girls as opposed to Game of Thrones (GoT), which is startling to me considering GoT is the one that goes out of its way to show the debasement of women. In season one of GoT, Daenerys Targaryan is basically sold to Khal Drogo for an army by her own brother and made to have sex with him.

Yet that questionably consensual scene had none of the eye-covering, squirm-inducing awkwardness of the sex scene in the first episode of Girls, where Hannah basically lets herself get used.

Hannah is not a slave, yet she tosses away dignity that characters like Daenerys or incest-prone Cersei Lannister carry with every instant on screen. And yet people question Martin’s work as misogynistic while Girls, is touted as “fresh.” Everyone is okay with this?

If the white-washed, hopelessly vapid women of shows like Girls are meant to be recognizable as representative of modern issues, then the work cut for those planning to make International Women’s Day a success is huge, if not impossible.

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81

Travel

Cabo San Lucas

Relax, revive and repeat at

Cabo San Lucas

A spectacular blend of desert, mountains and beaches, that’s Cabo San Luas, one of the top tourist destinations in Mexico.

o

nce just a placid fishing village, Cabo San Lucas at the Mexican state of Baja California Sur., is the most sought after celeb getaways in the world today. No wonder this year A-list twosome Charlize Theron and Sean Penn extended their extremely low-key Valentine’s Day celebrations here.

Grand scenery and a warm siesta beside the shores, Cabo is a varied destination that captures the essence of Baja Peninsula in its many resorts, championship golf courses, world-class dining and amazing outdoor activities.

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The Cabo area is now considered the second fastest growing resort destination in all of Mexico.

Getting There Cabo San Lucas & San José del Cabo is served by Los Cabos International Airport.

It is situated outside of San Jose del Cabo and will take approximately 30-45 minutes to travel to Cabo San Lucas.

be a more cost-effective option. However, you should rent a car only if you are experienced in Mexican driving or fluent in Spanish. There are no set rates in Cabo San Lucas.The public bus is very cheap and runs all day along the main highway from Cabo San Lucas to San Jose and back from about 5:00am to about 9:00pm.The fare is 16 pesos (about $1.40) to go from San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas or vice-versa

Getting around

Stay

There are many car rental agencies in Los Cabos. If you are staying in a villa or plan on many day-trips, then a rental will likely

Capella Pedragal (5 Star) Spectacular view of the sea of Cortez,

fantastic fresh Mexican food, a feeling of seclusion at the heart of Cabo for a price of $825.

General Inquiries: +52 624 163 4300 | Local Reservations: +52 624 163 4350 | Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa With clean and modern rooms and staffs just to serve your needs with a price range of $384.

Estancia Real Los Cabos (Budget Hotel) Lovely pool and extremely friendly staff, air-conditioned guestrooms and satellite television for entertainment $48 per night.

Things to do Night Life & activities Those who want to enjoy nightlife, Cabo San Lucas offers a variety of clubs including the top rated Cabo Wabo Cantina, the Baja Brewing Company, Pink Kitty Night club, El Squid Roe and many more. The tourists can also have the pleasure of horse riding through the desert and parasail on the beach.

Spas Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo area boast of many spas, with luxurious open-air and indoor facilities, special programs, and spa treatments for both women and men.

Casa Dorada Resort and Spa Phone: (624) 163-5757 Capella Pedregal Resort and Spa Phone: (212) 284-9938 Website: http://www.capellacabo.com/ Playa Grande Thalasso Spa Phone: (624) 145-7575 Website: http://playagranderesort.com/ Adventure activities Cabos is a place brimming with a host

of activities, one can go snorkelling with turtles, master the art of stand-up paddle boarding, have fun with a motorized sea scooter.

Underwater tour with Dolphins A swim with Dolphins is one of the most unique experiences in Cabo San Lucas, offering you a thrilling day that you’ll cherish for the rest of your life. The program offers

the rare opportunity to swim and play with beautiful Pacific Bottlenose dolphins. Price $ 189.

Mini sub adventure One can discover the marine life of Cabo San Lucas on this 4-hour mini –SUB tour.

This truly unique experience gives a close look of Cabo’s colourful tropical fish and coral. Price $ 89

Interesting Facts Famously known as the Stripped Marlin capital of the world, Cabo hosts the biggest fishing tournaments. Bisbee’s black & Blue marlin fishing tournament with a 4 million dollar prize.

Most vendors use a 10 peso to 1 dollar exchange rate which is higher than the actual exchange rate- 12 pesos to 1 dollar.

The water can be rough for swimming at some Los Cabos beaches. The Pacific Ocean has strong under flow that has caused many accidents and deaths. Safe swimming areas include Medano Beach, Chileno Beach, Santa Maria Bay and Playa Palmilla.

Mexican nationals consider it rude to throw your change card on the table instead of handling it directly to the person.

Whale watching runs from mid November end to the end of March. It is best in January- March when the grey whales make their 6000 mile migration from Alaska to the warm waters of Baja California Sur.

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Oscar 2014 The Hollywood stars turned full force for the 86th Annual Academy Awards hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. Though the night witnessed all the glitz and glam of the industry it was the pizza delivery boy Edgar Martirosyan who stole the show.

Sandra Bullock Nominee for Best Actress

Bradley Cooper Best supporting actor nominee

Angelina Jolie

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Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Jennifer Lawrence Best Supporting Actress Nominee

Brad pitt

Leonardo Di Caprio Nominee for Best Actor

Cate Blanchett The Best Actress for the Film Blue Jasmine

Lupita Nyong’o’

Charlize Theron

Olivia Wilde

Emma Watson 2014 MARCH

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TA 2014

relationship Bedroom wishlist

Bedroom wish list a man craves for

Like women, men too desire for some carnal satisfaction which they shy away from asking. FWD reveals five types of pleasures he longs for...

t

here are certain things men won’t ask their counterparts, but necessary to be satisfied. Though every guy has different needs, there are some universal sex moves and attitudes that most men want but don’t know how to request. It’s not just sexual satisfaction that men look for, but their emotional and psychological factors needs to be satisfied.

Self turn on It is a biological or psychological fact that man turns himself on much faster than a woman does. Male genetic mechanism turns on when it comes to sexuality but female sexual drives need a bit of time and efforts from the male counterpart to

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activate. To have a really fulfilling sexual experience though, you have to put some effort into getting yourself into a sexual state of mind. It is a fact that a large group of men like women who takes the initiative and turn on themselves.

The fun element Lovemaking is no more just the activity of procreation for men. They look for more fun, maximum possible pleasure and satisfaction in the activity. Certain positions, certain practices etc., are wished by every man while having sex. Men like exploring in the love making process. The only solution to find the funniest and satisfying ways is to talk on sexual interests and desires.

Women fantasize much but men want to

actualize the fantasies.

Expressive Nature Suppressing the sexual wishes is not the manly way of sexuality. They want it to be talked out. Psychologists reveal the fact that men always love to be guided in lovemaking. If the female counterpart can guide him through the action, expressing the pleasing ways to her, men achieve the highest peaks.

Many couple becomes failure on bed as they hesitate to express themselves or talk the sexual passions, being afraid of the reaction of the partner. Talking, discussing, and expressing the loved positions, desired practices and wished ways help men to fulfil his sexual needs in the most satisfac-

tory way.

Mix it up Men always look for variety in sexuality.

The routine lovemaking with the same emotion, same position and same mood will make him ruin the spirit of the action.

When you feel that your sexual life is growing dry, try to discuss each other and bring variety in the act. The mindset of men is much different from that of women.

A typical woman may satisfy herself with the action and possibilities men suggests.

But men can get bored soon with the same type sex every day. Try to spice up the feeling by trying new positions and different foreplays.

Let him be the alpha Most men do not tolerate women dominating over them, at least, in sexuality.

Though, he likes guidance and the counterpart expressing their desires, he wants to be the boss of the action always. Sexuality is a realm where men seek fulfilment of his fantasies, ambitions and passions in the way he likes it. Though many men compromise on this part considering the partner’s desires, if surrendered to his domination, he will enjoy sexuality more fruitfully.

Many couple becomes a failure on bed as they hesitate to express themselves or talk the sexual passions, being afraid of the reaction of the partner. Talking, discussing, and expressing the loved positions, desired practices and wished ways help men to fulfil his sexual needs in the most satisfactory way.

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relationship

quiz

Is it Love or Lust...

Are you in love, or is it crush? Sorting out feelings can be hard. Take the FWD quiz to find the answer.

d

etermining whether or not your relationship is built on love or lust might have challenged every couple at least once. If this is an issue in your relationship, take this love quiz to find out where the two of you stand.

How do you feel when your partner hugs you in front of others?

I often feel proud that she/he is in my life I often feel embarrassed and hope no one is looking I often get all hot and sexually aroused How do you feel when you look at your partner?

I’m very lucky to have him/her I’m invisible having wild, passionate sex How would you react if your partner wanted to try something new sexually?

I would probably try it because I trust

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them I would not do it because I would be too uncomfortable I would try it because I couldn’t resist their sexuality Your partner loves you for?

Your soul Not sure Your body How would your partner react when you are upset?

Gives me a hug, holds me close, and tells me everything’s going to be alright Tells me to be quiet and stop complaining so much Tells me that I look sexy when I’m upset and tries to kiss me How would your partner react when you talk about your feelings?

Listens and ensures that they understand what I’m saying Wants to leave the room Gazes into my eyes and tells me how

sexy I look when I’m being serious

Scoring system You both share a beautiful relationship and are bonded by love. You understand, accept and desire each other. It looks as if the two of you may have long-term possibilities.

It appears from the way you have answered that you have a loser for a partner and are in a dead-end probably isn’t much of a relationship at all.

Your feelings are fuelled by hormones inducing lustiness.

There’s little sign of emotional intimacy or long-term commitment in your relationship.

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2014 MARCH

89

Festival

Holi

The customs related to the festival is diversified as the country, but the spirit runs the same in everyone’s heart.

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he most fun-filled and boisterous Indian festival Holi is round the corner.

The festival is unique in every sense because of the joy and zest of this festival is visible throughout the country. It is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which falls in the month of March.

North India Holi at Mathura and Vrindavan is celebrated with great gusto for many days. The celebration here spans over a week. Each major temple, housing the idols of Krishna and Radha, celebrates Holi on a different day. People throng the temples to get drenched with colored water.

Barsana, 42 km from Mathura is a village where Holi is of particular interest. Radha belonged to Barsana while Krishna hailed from Nandagaon. On Holi, men from Nandagaon come to Barsana to celebrate Holi with the women here, who are ready to beat them with sticks instead of playing

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with gulal.

Haryana Usually women get an upper hand on the day of Holi here. Bhabi (brother’s wife) can beat their husband’s brother and make them pay the price of all the pranks they played on them. All this is done in good humour and in the evening the brother in law brings sweetmeats for her.

votional songs, as men spray coloured water and powder called “Abeer”. Nowadays, people play with coloured waters, powders in the morning. And later set out processions on the streets with bands and with their bodies drenched with Holi colours.

The Nobel laureate Indian poet Rabin-

Western India In Maharashtra and Gujarat, a grand procession of men soaked in colour walks through the streets with a mock alert call, asking to take care of pots of butter and milk as Krishna comes in. There is also a tradition of hanging a pot of buttermilk high up in the street.

Men form a human staircase & try to break this pot. Whoever succeeds is crowned the Holi king of the locality for that year.

Eastern India

dranath Tagore introduced Basanta Utsav to relive the ancient tradition of Shantiniketan, the seat of learning he founded.

The Basanta Utsav means Springfest. There the boys and girls would greet the spring at

In Bengal, Holi is called Dol Yatra, or the swing festival. Traditionally the festival is celebrated with idols of Krishna and Radha, placed on swings and devotees take turns to swing them. Women dance and sing de-

this time of the year. Not only with colors, but with recital of songs,dance and hymns in a serene environment.

Orissa portrays traditions similar to those of Bengal. They place the idol of Ja-

gannath in place of Krishna and Radha. This is because the famous Jagannath Temple of Puri is situated in Orissa. “Jagannath” or ‘the Lord of the Universe’ is another name of Krishna.

North East In Manipur, Holi is a sixday festival, commencing on the full moon day of Phalguna. The traditional and centuries-old Yaosang festival of Manipur amalgamated with Holi in the 18th century post introduction of Vaishnavism. In earlier times, folk dances were performed under the moonlight with music from an indigenous drum.

Presently, these have been replaced by modern bands and fluorescent lamps.

A thatched hut of hay, twigs and sticks is built and then set ablaze. The next day, boys play gulal with the girls. And in return for playing with them, the girls extract money from the boys. Devotees too play gulal and dance in front of the temple of Krishna dressed in the traditional white and yellow turbans, and sing devotional songs. On the last day of the festival, hundreds of devotees take out processions towards the main Krishna temple, 3 km west of the state capital, Imphal..

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Photography : Toonus Model : Amalda Liz Designer and stylist :Divya George Make up: Renju Renjimar Image manipulation: Jemini Ghosh

White Gold Pure white cotton night wear 2014 MARCH

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Desired White printed hot pants paired with a green brown knitted full sleeve summer top 94

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Pure Bliss Pink sleeveless A-line casual dress accessorized with a feminine sunglow yellow pleated belt.

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Flaming Beauty 2014 MARCH

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Wedding

Fun Indian customs

The Funny Wedding Customs of India Wedding marks the beginning of a new relationship not just between two individuals but also between two families and Indian wedding customs are not just sacred and fascinating but also fun

Text Dhanya Menon Photos Various Sources

i

ndian weddings are an occasion rich with traditions, bringing happy tidings to the family. The eclectic and some fun-filled rituals associated with it make for real memories.

These rituals actually serve an essential social purpose of bonding between the two families and a sort of ice breaking between the couples.

With the wedding season upon us, let’s take a walk through some truly amusing Indian wedding traditions.

Shoe Hiding Game An amusing tradition of several Hindu weddings and Parsi wedding is the stealing and hiding of groom’s shoes by the girls of the

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bride’s family. The girls after making wacky plans hide the shoe of the groom and the groom’s family tries to protect it. Usually the bridesmaids successfully steal the shoes, as it is a matter of their pride and honour. When the groom needs his shoes back, he and his family will have to pay off the girls to gets it back.

The Attacking Bride The traditional toran bandana ritual of Rajasthan is a display of feminine strength.

In olden days, the Rajput bride attacks the groom with a sword and if he is unable to duck it or gets an injury, he is considered unfit for her. Today it’s a mock play where the bride symbolically pokes a sword to his chest or at some places it is an all-out

attack by the bride and her female relatives on the groom’s entourage with garlands of sweets.

Painful Pricks A Gujarati groom will be subject to a painful ice breaking by the ladies of the bride’s family by getting his nose pinched! Earlier this was the privilege of the mother-in-law, but today all girls have free access to the noses of the groom and his friends! And in turn, the groom can retaliate by grabbing the pallu of their sarees and certain “compensation” needs to be paid and haggling for it.

Kaashi Yaatra This is a fun- filled ceremony in Iyyengar,

Telugu and Konkani weddings. The groom pretends to go on a Kaashi Yaatra (to celebrate bachelorhood) unshaven and holding an umbrella, bamboo fan and wearing slippers. The bride’s brothers and cousins stop him and request him to take the responsibility of a house hold which is accompanied with many fun filled moments

Pith ball test Bengali couples play a pith ball game to test the strength of their bonding. Two pith balls- one representing the bride and another, the groom will be floated into a bucket of water. The water will be stirred fast then. On seeing the movement of the floating balls in the stirred water, they predict who will be leading and who will be following, or if they are destined to separate; but all in good humour.

The eclectic and some fun-filled rituals associated with it make for real memories. These rituals actually serve an essential social purpose of bonding between the two families and a sort of ice breaking between the couples.

Ring Finding In Telugu weddings, two rings will be hidden deep inside a basket of uncooked rice and the couple is expected to find it out. The trick is that the bride must be able to identify the groom’s ring by touch (and vice-versa) before fitting it into her finger. If they are successful in doing so, the marriage is believed to last. In some places, instead of rice, rings are immersed in a vessel full of coloured milk.

Foot Fight Another amusing game the one in Sindhi weddings, as the groom goes to pick up the bride. It’s a funny moment as the bride and the groom competes to have their right foot above the others. The funniest part is that it is believed that the one whose foot comes on top will be the dominant character. But usually the chivalric men give way.

Pot Balancing A curious post-wedding ritual in Bihar is that, the bride on entering the groom’s house will be invited with grappling of a huge earthen pot set on her head by the mother-in-law. No sooner more pots will be added upon her as she to bows

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Wedding

Fun Indian customs

down and touch the feet of elders. As this dramatic happens, all people gather to see how many pots the new bride balanced, which is an indication of her skills at striking a balance in the family.

Chantham Charthal This funny ceremony happens on the pre-wedding eve of Knanaya Weddings. A local hair dresser and his son, dressed in half dhoti, white tees and with a gold cap and waist belt, reaches the groom’s house, where he will be seated in a stage. The barber asks permission to the crowd three times, in the name of their protective rights over seventeen castes (a traditional belief) to shave and beautify the guy with an oil bath.

Sithanis In Punjabi weddings, soon after the main function, the male members from families hug one another while the girls recite verses called sithanis. These songs are replete with sexual innuendoes, poking fun at the groom’s family. But nobody minds and the jokes and will take it in a light spirit.

There are many other amusing customs similar like this observed in different parts of India each having a great legacy behind making it unforgettable event.

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As per IRS Q4 2012 AIR DATA (unduplicated readership of TNIE + Dinamani + Kannada Prabha)

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architecture

Curtailing noise pollution

Noise pollution is definitely annoying and sometimes we learn to live with it but architect Jayadevan has found a design solution to cut the unwanted noise for this beautiful home at Munambam.

Text Dhanya Menon Photos Architect Jayadevan

a

n enfolding tranquillity is the first feel any visitor would get, when he enters this house.

Despite the paradox of being positioned around a clattered location, it’s a world away from the drama surrounding it. There is a noisy school on the southern side. The couple who spend most of the day at home also wanted to muffle this noise entering the house,” says architect Jayadevan about the real challenge that he had to face while planning the design.

Considering these two aspects, the house could have very little openings on those sides, yet they wanted to create a spatial ambience and to make their day bright and airy. The design solution he gave was to arrange all the spaces used much during the day away from the school side. Spaciousness was created by defining each space by just enough separations and at the same time, ensuring that the whole space is coherent as a single volume. “There was also a challenge in ensuring the core living area that was completely day lit and naturally ventilated despite being surrounded by the other rooms”, he continues.

aunch party

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Interiors Interiors of the house are designed with a clear minimalistic theme and a modern accent. Subtle touches of art works and variations in lighting define different spaces and an overall spaciousness compliments all these.

Entrance and Connected Spaces The house opens up to a long corridor keeping a little surprise for the visitor on what’s inside. This also prevents the house from interacting with the future commercial development facing it. The formal living and dining spaces are on the two opposites of this corridor, maintaining privacy through half walls, while at the same time, retains the connectivity. Going straight, it slowly leads to the family living space, other rooms and a private deck.

The kitchen of the house, which is a traditional type, is positioned close to the dining space, which has an outlet for a private open area.

All these spaces being active during the day, a flat roof accentuated by a large skylight lights up the entire space and would provide drama on the walls, through a play of light and shadows. This planned concept together with the internal courtyards lends vibrancy to the spaces. The core living space is also naturally cool and comfortable.

Bedrooms All bedrooms stick to the common theme of minimalism. Bedrooms are designed as cool spaces by keeping it away from the south and western sun, by lining up the toilets on the south side and a shaded deck on the southwest corner. The kids’ bedroom additionally has a cabinet placed on the western wall which would reduce the direct heating up of the room during afternoon.

Others Facts The skylight space has been detailed to allow the hot stale air inside to escape freely

Quickies A modern, minimalistic and inward looking home which is silent from the inside and unassuming from the outside.

Type  Individual House Total Area 2720 sq ft Owned by Mr. Joby Location Munambam, Kochi Designed by Architect Jayadev, Kochi.

Tel: 9846420000

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architecture

Curtailing noise pollution

through the slits provided along the edges.

This helps in passive natural ventilation in the core living space, which otherwise will be aided only by the large opening near dining and a door / window opening to the deck on the south - west corner. Air movement occurs through these windows and through the east facing window of the formal living room.

Other notable feature is the use of solar control glass with 75% heat reduction capacity, as part of a double glazed unit for the skylight. There is virtually no heat inside the spaces; the UV rays and glare is also cut off by this, letting inside, only the desirable lighting during day time and plenty of moonlight at night! With absolutely no artificial lighting required during the day, the electricity consumption is considerably less.

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Fabindia Chikankari

Chikankari Collection From Fabindia i

ntricate detailing, elegant patterns, gossamer feel…

Recreating the royal splendor of chikankari in contemporary styles, Fabindia presents a new collection of garments for women, men and kids in serene whites and soothing pastels.

A unique amalgam of craft and trend, this collection offers you an exciting, summer-fresh range of Indian and western wear extending from tunics, tops, dresses, short kurtas to skirt,s dupattas, stoles and kurtas with flattering silhouettes and interesting details such as bell sleeves, gathers, kimono necklines, cross over empire lines, short yokes, multi paneled patterns, anarkali cuts, mukaish work and more.

The craft of ‘Chikankari’, one of the most popular traditional embroidery tech-

A special promotion of garments and accessories for women, men and kids from 7th March onwards

niques in India is beautifully highlighted in this collection along with other crafts such as appliqué, kalamkari, and schifley.

Explore the sprinkled floral motifs, jaals to diagonal patterns and layouts in different chikankari stitches such as tepchi, murri, jaal, phanda and zanzeera.

Besides these, make a style statement with cotton saris, dupattas and stoles highlighting fine chikankari jaals and placement motifs combined with jamdanis from West Bengal, chanderi stoles in batik and classic summer florals in kota.

Offering choices for the whole family, besides the extensive range for women, the collection has long, short and super short kurtas with classic chikankari patterns in vibrant colours for men while for kids it has long kurtas, dhoti sets, dresses, short kurtas, churidar sets and frocks.

With 175 stores across 73 cities in India and six international stores, Fabindia Overseas Private Limited is India’s largest retail platform for a wide range of products produced by artisans living largely in rural areas. Our endeavour is to blend indigenous craft techniques with contemporary designs in order to present aesthetic and affordable hand crafted products to today’s consumers using natural materials and fibres.

The product range extends from a large variety of garments for men, women, teens and children to home furnishing, floor covering, furniture, gift-ware, jewellery, organic food and personal care products.

Fabindia also provides online B2C shopping facilities to support customers across 33 countries, including India.

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feature

C’Sons

Dishing out the best Boasting of international standard and quality, the C’Sons café attracts both foreign and domestic customers. The café offers a peaceful retreat for businessmen, film-makers and couples.

c

’Sons in Thrissur has the much needed warmth and openness. It offers a relaxed ambience making it a chilled

hangout place.

Flipping through the pages and navigating through the menu we zeroed up on a main course dish and a dessert to end our meal.

HOT TANDOOR PLATTER- to set your tongue on fire!!!

Different varieties of kababs marinated in the authentic Punjabi masala and cooked in a tandoor clay oven and served in a sizzler or platter accompanied with salad and mint chutney, the real combination.

SMOKING BROWNIE- the taste never melts…

Brownie spread on a hot sizzler, topped with scoops of vanilla and chocolate ice-cream, added with cashews, choco chips and choco strands. Finally a mug of hot chocolate syrup is poured into the sizzler to make you smoke the aroma.

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FWD Finds

Skin problems due to lack of sleep

Is Your Skin as Tired as You Are?

We live in a fast world that requires us to be on our toes 24/7, often we fail to notice the toll our erratic lifestyle takes on our appearance. FWD speaks to experts on how sleep related beauty issues can be tackled.

Text Thabitha Marion Photos Various Sources

a

s Benjamin Franklin rightly points “We get old too soon and wise too late.”

We all know that ageing is an inevitable process, but then what on earth will be the excuse for a 30 year old who has his/her skin look like a day and a half old porridge. This month, FWD Finds looks at how sleep deprivation, stress and weather conditions affect body and mind, making one look ‘+6 years’ than their actual age.

‘Beauty’ sleep is not just an old wives’ tale. “Sleep is indispensable as the 8-hour rest for your body is vital for cell regenera-

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tion. This biological process has the secret of keeping skin fresh with new skin cells, replacing the old dead skin formed all through the day,” says Dr. Sachith, Dermatologist, Cosmoderma Care, Benguluru.

This fundamental need of the human body is habitually under threat particularly amid employees who work in night shifts.

Work-induced broken nights and hassle of the technological age that comes along with attractive salary packages often drains the glow and peaceful mental state of mind which is an individual’s foremost priority.

“Prolonged sleep deprivation moreover results in other problems like tetchiness,

Signs that says you are sleep deprived • Need an alarm clock in order to wake up on time?

• Feel sluggish in the afternoon?

• Get sleepy during meetings or lectures?

• Get drowsy after heavy meals or when driving?

• Fall asleep while watching TV? • Feel the need to sleep in on weekends?

• Fall asleep within five minutes of going to bed?

exhaustion, poor concentration, dejection and reduced performances. Some mishaps, be it on the roads, industrial or engineering disasters can be allied with the consequences of poor sleep. Total sleep loss demonstrates a progressive deterioration in cognitive function, mood and behaviour”, says Dr. Elsie Oommen, Consultant Psychiatrist, Medical Trust Hospital, Cochin.

One of the troubles that nearly every techie faces is the miserable ‘panda eyes’, those blackish-blue circles around the eyes. Chemical peels and skin lightening treatments are ways of curing it. “A careful glycolic peel might help to reduce it substantially. However, maintenance is required. Apart from external care, for better results, popping low iron or vitamin B12 supplements after consulting a specialist is advisable,” Dr. Sachith adds.

Quite often when we friends chart up something for the weekend, we often listen to a lame excuse, ‘I haven’t slept properly for the last three days. During weekend I wish to make it up for that’. We asked Dr. Elsie Oommen whether a week’s sleep

could be compensated with long hours of sleep during weekends. And she says, “Sleep cannot be compensated as the timing of sleep is regulated by a biological “clock” called circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus of the brain. This rhythm is close to 24 hrs in human adults. The sleep – wake rhythm has to synchronise with the 24 hr day-night rhythm.” “Sleeplessness can also result in emotional dysregulations, that can be an early sign of psychiatric illness,” reminds the expert.

Research shows that humans secrete more restorative growth hormones during the wee hours. So an 8 hour sleep will be of no use if you hit the bed by 2 in the morning. Also strive to impose a technology sunset, i.e. cut off watching TV or using laptop after 10 pm. Let your eyes get an hour’s break before bedtime. Consuming oily fish and avocado can help to increase your intake of skin-supporting EFAs. Dearth of sleep is just one of the factors for skin’s wear and tear.

The combination of juggling family life,

Sleepless Style Icons

Sonam Kapoor Looks like the L’Oreal ambassador car smashed all the concealer crème.

rani Mukerjee Is anyone making the Tamil remake of ‘Ayya’, titled ‘Ayyo’.

Nayantara It seems she doesn’t get the ABCD of sleep....What a ‘Vismayam’?

Kareena Kapoor Khan No longer in the ‘saif’ zone....huh.

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FWD Finds

Skin problems due to lack of sleep

Lately I have noticed early signs of crow’s feet on my face. I don’t believe in hiding it with makeup, instead I wish to permanently get rid of it. Can you suggest some facial exercises for the betterment of my face?

(Tresa Mathai, 32 yrs, Kochi) In addition to toning face muscles, facial exercises also help to improve the blood flow, relieve tension and improve the overall appearance of the face. For youngsters I would recommend Isometric training that gently tones the facial muscles. Place your thumbs at each side of your eye (thumbs pointing down so that the palms of your hands are pointing upwards to the ceiling and fingers resting gently on your head).Now squeeze your eyes shut and slide your thumb out towards your ears (over your crow’s feet) on the count of five.

However, you should not do facial exercises more than three times a week These days, people even in their 30’s begin to use anti-wrinkle cream, uplifting cream and cosmetics. What are the things to keep in mind before choosing an appropriate rejuvenating cream?

(Parvathy Menon, 35 years, Thrissur)

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“Most of the anti-wrinkle creams available over the counter have ingredients like retinol (vitamin A compound), vitamin C, hydroxy acids, coenzyme Q10, tea extracts, grape seed extracts and niacinamide. They have excellent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. These compounds can help in slight to moderate improvement in fine wrinkles. Anti-wrinkle creams which contain peptides can stimulate collagen synthesis and thereby improve skin elasticity and suppleness.

This results in excellent wrinkle reduction. However these creams should be used on the prescription of a Dermatologist.

I have a stout neck and to get things worse I have double chin as well.

What can I do about it?

(Reema Ravi, 28 years, Kochi) You can start doing double chin toning exercises. Tilt your head up and look at the ceiling, now place your tongue on the roof of your mouth and count to ten, then release your tongue and relax. Repeat it ten times. Gradually you can observe the change.

Expert Advice Courtesy Dr. Remadevi TJ Dermatologist, KIMS Hospital, TVM

high pressure jobs undoubtedly affects the ageing process. And we do crossways with people in their thirties who look older than they should. And that is just because of the stress they are undergoing. Stress is no less damaging than lack of sleep. It causes premature ageing and advanced symptoms of sensitive skin, crow feet to chronic skin dryness. Stress also reduces the production of hyaluronic acid that can make the skin look less plump and radiant. Recent studies shows that response to mild stress can have an impact that you might feel alright today, but a pain saved for tomorrow. “Both lack of sleep and stress prompt our bodies to produce a hormone, cortisol which can cause rise in blood sugar levels. This can lead to weight gain, heart problems and has varying effects on the skin. Cortisol caused blood sugar elevation can accelerate the ageing process by compromising the collagen in our skin and can lead to wrinkles,” says Dr. Remadevi T J, Consultant Dermatologist and Cosmetologist.

Climatic variations can also be an aspect in making your skin look tired.

Summer brings its own skin problems,

Stress also reduces the production of hyaluronic acid that can make the skin look less plump and radiant. Recent studies show that response to mild stress can have an impact that you might feel alright today, but a pain saved for tomorrow.

particularly for those who have fair or sensitive skin. Skin loses moisture during hot and dry summer months which in turn can lead to dry wrinkled skin. Though we have vitamins and retinoids for our rescue, it loses potency after exposure to sunlight, rendering them less effective. As a solution to this predicament, applying an anti-ageing cream before hitting the bed can be useful as the anti-aging ingredients present in cosmetic creams works better and stay active only at night. If the night’s work is done efficiently, the skin will be able to protect itself better the next day.

Courtesy: Dr. Sachith Cosmoderma Care, Benguluru.

Dr. Remadevi Dermatologist, KIMS Hospital, Trivandrum Dr. Elsie Oommen Consultant Psychiatrist, Medical Trust, Cochin.

Refrigerating Creams In summers creams may change its chemical composition due to the heat .So refrigerating under eye serum and moisturisers helps to stabilise its temperature.

Choosing a Skin Lightening Cream “Cosmetics containing bleaches like hydroquinone and creams containing steroids gives instant results but in the long run can be harmful. Instead of opting those, go for natural treatments like glycolic peels and microdermabrasion, dermarolling techniques or hydrapeels,” says Dr. Sacith, Dermatologist, Cosmoderma Care, Bangalore.

FWD’s 5 Anti-ageing essentials for men • Use an eye cream twice daily for minimising the appearance of fine lines.

• Exfoliants with alpha- or beta-hydroxyl acids must be used twice a month for exfoliation.

• A moisturiser with antioxidants that hydrates and nourishes the upper layers of epidermal cells, helps skin retain its youthful elasticity.

• Use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 18-20 • For the busy lives you’ve, popping a multivitamin can be beneficial.

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wt

Technology

Emerging trends

Tech Buzz The wonderful world of technology keeps advancing and changing. It’s important to keep up with technology in order to get the most out of it. FWD helps readers to stay connected to the latest in technology

Compiled by Arun Stephen Paul CEO & Co-Founder Catacomb Tech Catacomb Technologies, is an innovative product driven-solutions Company with a focus on building tomorrow’s enterprise.

Catacombers strive to provide enterprises with strategic insights on what lies ahead.

LOTUS C-01: The TRON Motorcycle It’s not a superbike, but a “hyper bike” at least that’s what the makers Lotus Motorcycles claim about their new lightweight C-01, a collaboration of motorsport veterans led by Dr Colin Kolles of Kodewa, with support from the Holzer Group, all under license from Group Lotus plc. The bodywork has been crafted by Daniel Simon while the bike’s geometry and construction is the work of Holzer, a company that has had a hand in designing several Moto One and Moto Two world championship motorcycles, not to mention F1 and LMP2 cars. The 180 kg Lotus C-01 is powered by a 200 hp, 75 degree v-twin Rotax motor similar to that used in the KTM RC8R superbike.

New Volvo Tech – deliveries to parked cars Yes, you read it right, soon your online purchases could be delivered to your car, all thanks to Volvo’s latest app that lets drivers use their parked cars as mobile delivery points. The automaker’s experiaunch party mental “roam delivery” service is built around the existing ‘Volvo On Call telematics App’, that lets users do things like remotely activating the heating or air conditioning in their parked vehicle. In this case, however, they provide the company making the delivery with a one-time-use digital key to their car. When the delivery person reaches the vehicle, they use that key – via their mobile device – to unlock its doors. They then put the package inside, close the doors and lock them. The key ceases to exist after that, and the driver receives a notification of the times at which the vehicle was unlocked and locked.

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Philips – LED lighting to find products in a supermarket Ever wished for an App that could be your shopping companion to the local supermarket? Philips has developed an app that may be able to guide you to it. The system incorporates LED bulbs that are installed in the existing overhead fixtures. Depending on the specific fixture in which it’s placed, each of those bulbs will flicker at a different distinct rate. Although that flickering is too rapid to be detected by the human eye, it can be detected by the camera of a phone running the app. When a shopper wants to find a product, the app starts by ascertaining the person’s location within the store, based on the flickering “signature” of the fixture immediately overhead.

It then accesses a map of the store, and proceeds to guide the user from their current location to that of the item.

Glamping for Glampers Glamping has turned more glamorous. A Seoul-based archiworkshop has created a series of camping units combining the principles of ecology, comfort and modern design. The five star luxury accommodation modules are somewhat of a hybrid between a tent and a cabin. Designed in two different formations – the circular Stacking Doughnut unit and the long and expandable Modular Flow unit – both have been built with wooden flooring and steel frames which are covered with a strong double layered membrane. This covering has been specifically created to be UV, water and fire resistant. Inside, guests can enjoy polished wooden flooring, comfortable real beds, a large living zone with modern furniture, small kitchenette and bathroom facilities.

DP2 Quattro At first glance you can see the Sigma dp2 Quattro is not a typical compact camera.

It has a long thin body, with a protruding fixed lens and an unusual kinked grip. But its design isn’t the only thing that makes this camera different – it also features the latest iteration of Sigma’s Foveon X3 direct image sensor, which uses vertical color separation technology. The dp2 Quattro will be the first in Sigma’s new line of fixed focal length cameras which prioritize image quality above all else. Following on from the DP Merrill range, a trio of dp Quattro compacts will feature either a wide-angle, standard, or medium telephoto lens. The dp2 will be the first to be released and is the standard focal length offering, with its 30-mm lens giving a 35-mm-format equivalent of 45-mm. All the dp Quattro cameras will also feature a new TRUE III image processing engine, which is designed to get the most out of the sensor and produce rich, detailed images.

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Gadgets

Cool Gadgets

top shelf fwd

Elmo BOXi-T350 Portable HD video projector designed for viewing TV, movies, photos or even gaming.

Price: ` 43,000 Rating: 3/5

Braun BNC-15-RC Classic design alarm clock, made with excellent aesthetics by Braun - the company whose designs have inspired many.

Price: ` 6,000 Rating: 3/5

Chillblast Fusion Brix Don’t be fooled by its tiny size. The smallest of the mini-PCs packs a lot of punch in it. Includes HDMI, ethernet and USB ports with a 1.9 GHz Dual Core and 120 GB SSD. Price: ` 55,500 Rating: 5/5

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Western Digital Black2 Portable hard disk that has both an SSD disk and a regular hard disk.

120 GB SDD + 1 TB HDD. Price: ` 18,500 Rating: 4/5

Sony HAP-S1 Audio Player 500 GB Hard Disk based audio player that playes Hi-Res audio.

Sleek design and a good usable interface are the biggest pluses.

Price: ` 60,000 Rating: 3/5 Disclaimer: Price and features are subject to change.

Buyers are advised to act on data after cross-checking

2014 MARCH

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melodies On Air

93.5 red fm

RJ PRIYA (Yuva) RJ Priya is vivacious and owns a voice that is very versatile. No wonder the lady took little time to strike a chord with her audience. RJ Priya, the host of RED FM’s youth show Yuva is trendy, confident and humorous and once you listen to her she simply becomes a part of your life. Though the RJ is the latest addition in the RED FM team she hosts the show across stations in Kerala including Cochin, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram.

Each show of Yuva is interactive and entertaining as RJ Priya keeps audience busy with games based on Hindi translation. The show becomes even livelier when youngsters or young celebrities guests grace the show. On Valentine’s week, RJ Priya hosted an entire week on love. RED FM, thus undoubtedly, is a team of energetic RJs who are completely different from each other but are so bound together making it a great team and definitely the best.

This time RED FM tells it through Kadhaprasangam!

We all might have seen at least one Kathaprasangam in our life, where the orator tells stories from epics or modern literature with the accompaniment of some orchestra.

Giving a modern twist to this performing art, RED FM in the month of February has taken up some socially relevant issues that are told to the audience through Kathaprasangam. With just a simple Harmonium, Tabla and Mic, the program started off with a special session with Kochi’s newly appointed Collector M.G. Rajamanickam, the next day the Kaadhikans (story tellers) took up the burning issue of “Pepper Spray in Parliament” and on the following days more home town issues

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like the Flex Boards filling the city, the fight between “With and without Tea” and even the acquiring of Whatsapp by giant Facebook were addressed sprinkled with a pinch of humour.

The one minute long Kathaprasangam performed by a three-member team known as Cochin Brothers kept audience hooked on to every show and tickled their funny bones.

The Kadhaprasangam is performed 14 times a day in 93.5 RED FM. And this would make sure the audience never miss it any day and in case if you have missed the episodes, you can always log on to www. facebook.com/redfmcochin and keep updated on all that’s making noise at RED FM.

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RNI Reg. No. KERENG /2012 /42759

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MARCH 2014