Salaam Bahrain January 2018

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January 2018 - VOLUME 11, ISSUE 2

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REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL: INDIAN WOMEN WIN THE NUMBER GAME

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Honouring the unity in diversity, the rich cultural heritage and the enduring legacy.

We wish India, a Happy Republic Day!

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CELEBRATING CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT OF INDIA

CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT OF INDIA HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY THE REPUBLIC SPIRITDAYOF INDIA HAPPY HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY

Call +973 39936618 or log on to www.licinternational.com

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A company incorporated in the Kingdom of Bahrain (C.R. No. - 21606) and licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain as a Life Insurance Company with paid-up capital of BD 20,000,000.

A company incorporated in the Kingdom of Bahrain

(C.R. No. - 21606) and licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain as a Life Insurance Company with paid-up capital of BD 20,000,000.

Note from the Chairman

This winter has been extraordinary – no bone-chilling late nights or early mornings, not that many windy days and as yet, below average rainfall. Regretfully we have all been eyeing our shawls and winter clothes since there is hardly occasion to wear them. Yet, the weather is pleasant and enjoyable.

I was commenting on this to a friend when he pointed out that this underutilised winter whispered about the threat of global warming, if only we heard sharply and consciously. His words were echoed by people working closest to Nature when I motored to the Farmers’ Market. There amidst the stalls full of produce grown in Bahrain farms, the farmers spoke glumly about the lack of rain and the unseasonal warmth of this winter. It reminded me that every person has a different perspective.

What is temperate and enjoyable weather for me, is the Kiss of Death for the Bahraini farmer’s cherry tomatoes. And in the larger scheme of things, most of us live for the moment and think nothing about dire topics such as global warming.

We small island-dwellers are at greatest risk of that giant ice-cube melting in the North Pole. Of ocean levels rising. Because the world we live in can be erased in a matter of weeks if we don’t take care of it. If we did something as simple as keeping our car tyres properly inflated, did you know that we could save millions of gallons of gas each year? I personally found that the simple act of changing all the lightbulbs in my home to energy-saving bulbs saved our family hundreds of dinars in a year – and that means we are less of a burden on our national electricity grid.

The goal is simple. Carbon dioxide is the climate’s worst enemy. It’s released when oil, coal, and other fossil fuels are burned for energy—the energy we use to power our homes, cars, and smartphones. By using less of it, we can curb our own contribution to climate change while also saving money. Are we ready for the challenge?

Capt. Mahmood Al Mahmood

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Highlights January 2018

REPUBLIC DAY FOCUS As India celebrates its 69th Republic Day, Salaam Bahrain takes pride in bringing you two aspects of the festival of democracy.

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15 women who helped to write the Indian Constitution The re-discovery of these politicallyminded idealists in the annals of India’s parliamentary archives has sent a thrill of pride through every Indian’s heart.

64 CUISINE

A Tale of Two Sindhs Sindhi is the ancient name of the people who lived on the banks of the Indus river – we explore the very different cuisines of the Sindhi people in India and Pakistan.

30 COVER STORY

Women win the number game

26 Parade Most Magnificent The Indian R-Day parade down the broad avenue of Rajpath in New Delhi is a spectacular coming together of India’s social diversity, unifying might and display of military prowess. We explore what the 2018 parade will showcase.

52FASHION

India’s winter heritage

The range of weaves, patterns and embellishments on Indian shawls have made them historically among the best in the world. As craftsmen of this warm winter heritage fade into oblivion, new designers are reinventing the shawl.

FUNTIMES 74 Bahrain’s Boulevard Circus Bahrain now has a circus of its own. How did owner-founder Fawaz Baqer realize his dream and build the multi-national acts? Read on to find out

An increasing number of Indian women are taking their place across boardrooms and top management offices in financial institutions and other companies. Six leading bankers and women accountants in Bahrain talk about their successes and challenges.

SPORTS 44 A sixer for Bahrain The Cricket Bahrain Association has taken its responsibility to energise the game in Bahrain with improved infrastructure.

The first start was with the U-16 team P, SHU GUP D OO LYW BOL S IX U ..PL NE P SCE Y T PAR

COLUMNS

• 38 Ayaz Memon • 48 Shobhaa De

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Republic Day Greetings to all Indians from

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GOPIO brings world to Bahrain It was a grand coming together of people of Indian origin from around the world – the first GOPIO Convention to be held in the Middle East saw some fascinating personalities join as delegates. People who have made their mark as Ivy League professors, surgeons, engineers, entrepreneurs who have started their own multi-million dollar businesses. What was striking was that many of them have channelled their talent, energy and money into projects to serve India. They have built schools, hospitals and colleges in their states and

shared their good fortune with their motherland.

Dr. Thomas Abraham from USA was elected Chairman and Bahrain-based publisher Sunny Kulathakal was unanimously elected GOPIO President for 2018-2020. South Africa’s Ishwar Ramlutchman is the new Vice-President.

Dubai-based journalist Issac John will take on the mantle of GOPIO Global Ambassador.

The convention was attended by several Bahraini dignitaries – Shaikh Khalifa bin Daij Al Khalifa, President of

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H.R.H. the Crown Prince’s Court; EWA Minister Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, the CEO of Banagas, Dr. Shaikh Mohammed Al Khalifa and BTEA CEO Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa.

Maharashtra cabinet minister Raj Purohit and former BJP MP Dr. Chandan Mitra also attended the global gathering.

The most-talked about highlight of the programme was the visit of Indian National Congress President and leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, to the convention. He was accompanied by Dr. Sam Pitroda, Chairman of the Overseas

At a special dinner hosted in his honour by business tycoon and convention Organising Committee Chairman Dr. Varghese Kurian, Rahul Gandhi also met with the Deputy Premier Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and some of the leading businessmen of Bahrain including Khaled Zayani, Khalid Almoayed and others.

Day 1 of the convention saw some exciting ideas on India-Vision 2030 by Dr. Tharoor and Dr. Sam Pitroda 13 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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Congress and MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor.

During his brief visit, Gandhi met with H.R.H. the Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. He attended a luncheon hosted for him by Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

What surprised most people was Gandhi’s accessibility. Whether it was getting into the audience in a packed hall to personally shake hands with three former servicemen of the Army, Navy and IAF or patiently shaking hands

with over 300 Congress volunteers or talking to ordinary Indians during a visit to a mall, he reached out to meet as many people as possible.

The GOPIO committee also collaborated with New Delhi-based NRI Achievers magazine to award 13 ladies for their service to their communities and path-breaking professional achievements. The formidable list included political powerhouse Dr. Aarti Krishna, the Deputy Chairman of the NRI Forum, Karnataka; dancer Geeta

The event also saw the launch of a scholarly book on management written by veteran oil industry CEO Dr. Shaikh Mohammed Al Khalifa who heads Banagas. The book was launched by EWA Minister Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza.

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Chandran; publishing honcho Milee Ashwarya and – a moment of pride for Bahrain – Kaneka Dewan who is that rare achiever, a woman in the man’s world of construction and infrastructure. Kaneka is President of Bahrain-based natural resources conglomerate Bramco Group; Chairperson and Founder of New York-based Ka Design Atelier.

Other achievers received the BW Businessworld magazine and GOPIO Global Business Awards. They were

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Bahrain’s Mohammed Dadabhai, Dr. K. Kishore Mathur, Babu Rajan and Razak Muzhikkal.

It was a maiden event for veteran media man Soman Baby’s new venture, PR Veritas and a fine start to its work on the regional and global stage.

The students and teachers of NMS-DPS School got to meet keynote speaker Dr. Tharoor in person - this one for the photo album!

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THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED (Licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain as a branch of a Foreign Insurance and Reinsurance Company)

Wishes the Indians on the occasion of 69th Indian Republic Day’

Dr Rajendra Prasad taking oath as the first President of Indian on January 26, 1950

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Jawaharlal Nehru signing the Indian Constitution in 1950

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Shop Bahrain beckons for family fun

Such is the appeal of retail therapy that the annual SHOP BAHRAIN festival has already seen fans thronging to the various participating malls and the different attractions that have been set up as part of the festive spirit of the event.

Inaugurated at the Festival City in Bahrain Bay by Minister of Industry, Commerce & Tourism, Zayed Al Zayani, the fourth edition of the event has many value-additions such as raffle points for purchases in participating outlets, the food and fun inspired Festival City and the VIVA Winter Wonderland in Seef Mall.

“We are delighted to launch the new edition of ‘Shop Bahrain’ that aims to showcase the Kingdom’s three main sectors: tourism, retail, and food.

Furthermore, the Festival also aims to promote the Kingdom as an accessible family destination, offering fun-filled activities and promotions that suit the entire family regionally,” said Al Zayani.

The CEO of BTEA Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa also added: “Hosting this event comes inline with BTEA’s long term strategy ‘Ours.Yours’

that contributes to the Kingdom’s Economic Vision 2030. This largest family event in the Kingdom comes as part of BTEA’s on-going efforts towards strengthening the tourism sector, supporting the Kingdom’s sustainable development plans, as well as uplifting its position among the neighboring countries.”

The Festival City is considered one of the main events of ‘Shop Bahrain’ and will continue for two weeks until tomorrow. The Festival City will open its doors to the public from 4:00pm until 10:00pm on the weekdays and from 4:00pm until 11:00pm on the weekends. In its first week alone 21,000 visitors came to enjoy the games, food and fun here.

For those who have not found time to visit, catch the cool at the VIVA Winter Wonderland. The largest outdoor ice skating rink in the region and one of the Festival’s main attractions, will run until February 17.

The attraction will be located at Al A’ali Shopping Complex and will be surrounded by a market that provides the opportunity to local businesses 18 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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where they can showcase their products to a larger audience in a family friendly environment.

‘Shop Bahrain’ will feature the return of the ‘Taste Tour’ that will include more than 40 participating restaurants.

Participants will be able to sample dishes, and they will also have the opportunity to win a Nissan Patrol as part of the ‘Taste Tour’ raffle draw.

During the month-long partnership, VIVA Bahrain customers will receive six points for every BD1 spent at all participating malls and outlets which in return will increase their chances of winning valuable prizes.

Shop Bahrain’s fun-filled schedule includes entertaining activities at the participating shopping malls and hotels. Shoppers will be enrolled in the Festival’s loyalty system when purchasing directly from any participating outlet and partner allowing them to win a wide range of prizes including one of the 20 cars and over 80,000 instant valuable prizes.

The fourth edition of the Festival is organized by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) in cooperation with partners from the public and private sectors such as Tamkeen, VIVA Bahrain, YK Al Moayyed and Gulf Air. To know more visit www. shopbahrain.com or @shopbahrain on the social networking channels Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The Festival organizers have also launched a dedicated Whatsapp channel on +33480480 973.

Republic Day Focus India reaches for the stars

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Republic Day message from the Ambassador of India On the occasion of the 69th Republic Day of India, I extend my warm greetings and best wishes to members of the Indian Community in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

2.

As we celebrate the 69th Republic Day, democracy, demography and dynamism are creating development and shaping India’s destiny. India means business and presents an exciting opportunity for global businesses. Historic decisions on moving towards a digital-first economy and a unified system of tax in the form of Goods & Services Tax [GST] have been taken in less than a year’s time. Due to bold FDI policy reforms there has been a sharp increase in FDI in the past three years from 36 billion US Dollars in 2013-14 to 60 billion US Dollars in 2016-17.

3.

India has jumped thirty ranks in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business rankings in 2018, the highest jump for any country in a year. Starting a new business in India is now easier than ever before. India is also rapidly progressing on the Global Innovation Index, Global Logistics Index and Global Competitiveness Index. The recent IMF World Economic Outlook report has revised India’s GDP growth rate to 7.4% in 2017, gaining pace to 7.8% in 2019 and has projected India to achieve highest GDP growth rate among major economies for the next three years.

4.

India and Bahrain enjoy excellent relations which can be traced back to our old civilizations of Indus Valley and Dilmun. The two countries continue to witness expanding relations in all spheres, under the dynamic leaderships of the two countries. Trade and investment ties between the two countries continue to remain on a positive trajectory with bilateral trade exceeding US$1.2 billion in 2017, a 20% increase compared with 2016 and reflecting the confidence of the businesses of the two countries for greater trade and investment ties.

5.

I would also like to avail of this opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the Government and the people of India to further strengthen the deep and historic bonds of friendship, understanding and cooperation between our two countries.

January 25, 2018 (Alok K Sinha)

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Women at the Midnight Hour 2018 This rare photograph is of 11 out of the 15 women members of the Constituent Assembly. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to identity two of them.

Back row: L to R - 2nd from L. Sucheta Kripalani, 3rd from L. Durgabai Deshmukh, 4th from L. Begum Aizaz Rasul, 6th from L. Dakshayani Velayudhan.

Front row: L to R - Renuka Ray, Hansa Mehta, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Annie Mascarene, Ammu Swaminathan.

Acknowledgements: We are deeply grateful to Meera Velayudhan, Manjari Mehta and Nayantara Sahgal for generously sharing precious family photographs and helping us with the writing of captions.

Cover image and photos 1 to 6: Meera Velayudhan, Photos 7,8,10,11 and 12; Manjari Mehta, Photo 9: Nayantara Sahgal.

Curator: Malavika Karlekar Design: Sundaresh and Malavika Karlekar.

Introductory Foreword: Aparna Basu

15 women who helped to create the Republic of India One of the coolest things that the world is learning this year is about a group of indomitable women who were part of the Constituent Assembly of India, immediately after the country won independence in 1947. While the photographic records usually focus on the men in the Constituent Assembly under the leadership of Dr. Ambedkar, the knowledge that Indian women too contributed to the shaping of modern India is indeed an empowering idea to assimilate!

While many countries wrestle with the idea of women’s voting rights and with investing in the belief of women’s equal intellect, India was, from the beginning committed to walking this talk. The foundation of India’s Constitution is equality for all without bias of gender, religion, caste or creed. The 15 women were part of the 299-member Constituent Assembly of India which first met on December 31, 1947. They represented every strata of Indian society – in the heady days of fighting 22 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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With inputs by MEERA RAVI

for India’s freedom and subsequent election to government office, many women contested and won seats.

Rediscovering This year, the Centre for Women’s Development Studies’ 2018 calendar is dedicated to creating awareness and pride about these ‘Women at the Midnight Hour’.

When I first heard of the 15 women, I excitedly turned to the internet for photographs. Imagine my dismay when

Parliament House, New Delhi

all I found were a handful of sepia-tinted pictures of very low and faded quality for most of them and for one – Purnima Banerji – not even that!

Who were these 15 women? Durgabai Deshmukh, Dakshayini Velayudhan, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Begum Aizaz Rasul, Renuka Ray, Purnima Banerji, Ammu Swaminathan, Hansa Mehta, Sucheta Kriplani, Annie Mascarene, Kamla Chaudhri, Leela Roy and Malati Choudhury represented the independence of political women in the early independent days. Along with them, Sarojini Naidu served briefly until her death when Vijayalakshmi Pandit stepped in for a short while to fill her place before she went on to represent India diplomatically.

Very little is known about these 15 women. They were freedom fighters, lawyers, reformists, suffragettes and politicians. Many of them belonged to women’s organizations and had taken part in feminist movements since 1917.

They had been to jail during the Dandi March, and the protests against the Simon Commission. In the assembly, they raised their voices for minority rights, against reservation, and for an independent judiciary.

The Selected Speeches of Women Members of the Constituent Assembly of India put together by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat a few years ago only has substantive information about ten women. But the speeches recorded are full of fire and vigour. These were not mere token representatives of Indian women but powerful thinkers whose political thought had matured from years of association with the leaders of the freedom movement and being a part of the movement itself. It is one of the more enduring aspect of the times during which the constituent assembly was written that very few of the women representatives thought it necessary to have reservations for women.

In making these little-known builders of India’s Constitution the focus of their research and releasing the 2018 calendar based on archival photos of two of them: Dakshayini Velayudhan and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit – the Centre for Women's Development Studies has done yeoman service towards rewriting Indian women’s history.

Malavika Karlekar, under whom the organisation has been producing calendars for over a decade, says the CWDS calendar grew organically out of 23 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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an exhibition which was aimed at recording the history of women over a century and a half through photographs.

These images in the ‘Representing Indian Women 1875-1947: A Visual Documentary’ exhibition eventually became a part of the organisation’s calendars.

For the 2018 calendar, the photographs were contributed by Meera Velayudhan – the daughter of Dakshayani – and Manjari Mehta, whose grandmother Vijaya Lakshmi was “What’s really of significance about these women is that individually they had such diverse trajectories. And together they contributed towards a very rich history,” said Meera, who along with Mehta launched the CWDS calendar at an event attended by members of several women’s organisations and those part of the academic community.

Curated by Malavika Karlekar with a moving and scholarly foreword by Aparna Basu and a crisp design by Sundaresh and Malavika, this calendar is every Indian's treasure.

The project aims to look at the lives of these women. It’s an attempt to create a conversation about this extraordinary moment in our republic.You can order your copies (its just Rs. 250 plus postage) with the CWDS directly.

r-day focus

Dakshayani as a student at Maharaja's College, Enakulam. She graduated with a B.Sc. degree in Chemistry and was the only woman science student in her class and in the college. c. 1930s Courtesy: Meera Velayudhan

Marriage of Dakshayani and R. Velayudhan held on 6th September, 1940 at Gandhi Ashram, Wardha, in the presence of Kasturba and Gandhiji. A leper who was treated at the Ashram, officiated as the priest. The wedding was held during an afternoon break of the meeting of the Working Committee of the Indian National Congress that Gandhiji was attending at Wardha.

Courtesy: Meera Velayudhan

Members of the Constituent Assembly, with B.R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Vallabhbhai Patel, Govind Ballabh Pant, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and others seated in the front row.

Dakshayani is standing in the third row with Durgabhai Deshmukh, Ammu Swaminathan and Begum Aizaz Rasul.

1947 Courtesy: Meera Velayudhan

Dakshayani at a function with C. Rajagopalachari, Governer General of India, to her left. Next to him is N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, a senior member of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution.

1949 Courtesy: Meera Velayudhan

Dakshayani with her close friend and colleague, Durgabhai Deshmukh at a function at Teen Murti House, New Delhi.

1953 Courtesy: Meera Velayudhan 24 SALAAM BAHRAIN

Dakshayani and R. Velayudhan outside Parliament House. They were the first and only Dalit parliament couple in the Provisional Parliament. Dakshayani was with the Indian National Congress, which crossed over to the Praja Socialist Party headed by Ram Manohar Lohia.

1953 Courtesy: Meera Velayudhan JANUARY 2018

A scholarly foreword by Aparna Basu sets the Calendar›s tone

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With his husband Ranjit Sitaram Pandit (18891944). After her marriage in 1921, in keeping with a popular - though patriarchal - tradition - Sarup's name was changed to Vijaya Lakshmi. Pandit was a successful barrister from Kathiawad as well as a classical scholar, well-versed in Sanskrit. He was actively involved in the freedom movement and fell mortally ill in Bareilly Jail, where he received no treatment. When he was finally released it was too late and he died at Lucknow in 1944.

Vijaya Lakshmi and Ranjit Pandit had three daughters, Chandralekha (Mehta), Nayantara (Sahgal) and Rita (Dar). c, mid to late 1920s Courtesy: Nayantara Sahgal

In this formal family portrait Sarup (later Vijaya Lakshmi), the older daughter of eminent lawyer Motilal Nehru, stands close to her brother - Jawaharlal, her much -loved Bhai. He was eleven years older than Sarup. Younger sister Krishna is in her mother's Swarup Rani's lap.

1908 Courtesy: Manjari Mehta

With Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. A cropped version of this iconic photograph showing only the two leaders became very popular shortly after Independence.

1946 Courtesy: Manjari Mehta

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Between 1946 and 1968, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit headed the Indian delegation to the United Nations. In 1953, she became the first woman President of the United Nationas General Assembly. Here she is addressing the General Assembly c. late 1960s Courtesy: Manjari Mehta JANUARY 2018

Republic Day Greetings FROM THE MANAGEMENT, FACULTY & STUDENTS OF

NEW MILLENNIUM SCHOOL -DPS Kingdom of Bahrain

LET'S TOGETHER SALUTE AND CELEBRATE OUR GLORIOUS NATION!

“Education is the basic tool for the development of consciousness and the reconstitution of society”

- Mahatma Gandhi

NEW MILLENNIUM SCHOOL -DPS ‘Where young minds n � ourish’

BUILDING 399, ROAD 3009, BLOCK,330, BUGHAZAL, MANAMA, KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN TEL: 17272700 FAX: 17275151, E-MAIL: nmsedu@nmsedu.bh, WEBSITE: www.nms.edu.bh

r-day focus

Many things you didn’t know about the Republic Day parade As parades go, it would be hard to beat the sheer magnificence, the bravura and the colour of the Indian Republic Day parade. Designed to showcase the vibrant country’s military might and social diversity, this is perhaps the most spectacular regular parade in the world, watched by thousands of citizens and tourists lining the Rajpath in New Delhi. Let’s see what the 2018 parade has in store for spectators.

Chief Guest(s) One of the intriguing aspects of the event, besides it being a salute to the military, civil and cultural might of India, is the selection of the chief guest. In recent years India has had US president Barack Obama, UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President François Hollande of France.

This year, for the first time, there will be 10 Chief Guests – the Heads of State of the 10 ASEAN Countries The ten are: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan Of Brunei, Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte Of Philippines, Joko Widodo, the President Of Indonesia Najib Razak, Prime Minister Of Malaysia, Nguyen Xuân Phúc, Prime Minister Of Vietnam, President Halima Yacob of Singapore, President Htin Kyaw of Myanmar, Prime

Rehearsal before the main show

India’s first Republic Day - 1950

Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha of Thailand and Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos.

The 10 ASEAN leaders will be joined on a giant 100-feet stage by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All in all, India playing host to these ten countries can only signal a better relationship with the East, something that has been hovering in the background since the 1980s. The fact that all ten have agreed to be present is indicative of the seriousness with which they acknowledge India as a major player.

Giant Stage What’s so special about this year’s

arrangements is the gigantic 100-feetwide stage encased in bullet-proof glass.

After it rained on the parade during Barack Obama’s visit, the VVIP stage usually has a motorised glass roof which is moved back during the aerial displays.

Magnificent This year, the Republic Day 2018 parade will comprise of over 25 marching and mounted contingents, various military vehicles, 20 military bands, 30 cultural tableaux and 30 aircraft in addition to cultural performers and 1200 schoolchildren taking part.

Every part of the country is represented in the parade, which makes the Republic Day parade very popular. As usual, a full

Rudra, the indigenously-developed weapon system integrated helicopter 28 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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Women Daredevils this year

Men performing biking stunts at Republic Day functions is history. The BSF has now trained 113 women bikers who will be riding on 26 350 CC Royal Enfield motorcycles to perform acrobatics and daredevil stunts at this Republic Day parade.

The bikers, in the age group 20 to 31 are led by Sub-Inspector Stanzin Noryang, 28, from Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh region. They would be the first a first all-women contingent from any force to perform biking stunts at the annual event that displays a mix of India's military might and cultural prowess.

Interestingly, Noryang didn't know how to ride a bike when she volunteered to be included in the Border Security Force's “women daredevil team”. That was in October 2016. But today she is confident she can not only ride but perform daredevil stunts with 10 other riders on single motorcycle.

“I never thought of riding a bike because of fear. Now, I am confident of doing any stunt on a Royal Enfield Bullet — a very heavy two-wheeler. I dress rehearsal Parade was also organised on 23 January to take stock of the preparedness.

It will be a sight that the 10 ASEAN leaders, who are the Chief Guests, will not forget easily.

am proud of my seniors who trained and chose me to lead the team and perform stunts at the Republic Day event,” she said.

In fact, most of the women in the “Seema Bhawani” contingent, named after a Hindu deity, didn't know bike riding but still volunteered to learn it. The idea was the brainchild of BSF Director General K.K. Sharma who wanted to replace men daredevils with women bikers, Deputy Inspector General Pushpendra Rathore said. Rathore is in charge of the team that has been camping in Delhi since December.

As many as 15 of the 113 daredevil women team members are married and some of them are mothers of one or two children. But their courage to volunteer for their selection in the team was admirable. They knew it was a very difficult mission.

Deputy Commandant Ramesh Chandra is the chief coach and SubInspector K.M. Kalyana is the coach of the team trained by a special team of BSF instructors at the Central School of Motor Transport at Tekanpur in Gwalior.

Chandra noted that a unique part of the team was that its members come from almost “every state across the country”.

The largest group of 20 are from Punjab, followed by 15 from West Bengal. Ten are from Madhya Pradesh, nine from Maharashtra, eight from Uttar Pradesh, seven each from Assam and

Bihar, six from Odisha, five each from Rajasthan, Manipur and Gujarat, three each from Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh, two each from Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Kerala, one each from Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh.

Their selection was done on a mission mode project, keeping in view India’s 'unity in diversity'.

Explaining why it “was really tough” to train the women, Chandra said: “Only three or four of them knew bike riding — but our attempts, their enthusiasm and will power really worked in our joint endeavour to create history.”

Coach Kalyana, who has nearly three decades of experience in training bike riders, said they took some days to “overcome the bike riding fear” but “became experts soon with their intensive training in stunt-riding”.

The women followed a rigorous training regime every day. They would start their bikes at 8 am and keep riding and learning stunts till 1 pm.

They would reassemble again at 3.30 pm and continue till 5.30 pm every day under the guidance of “special instructors”, Kalyana said. As per the tradition, the BSF and the Army's bikeborne daredevils alternate every year in the parade, riding their roaring motorcycles.

This time it was the BSF's turn and they have sent in their women contingents to showcase “Pyramid”, “Fish Riding”, “Shaktiman”, “Bull Fighting”, “Seema Prahari” and other stunts.

Student appeal

of a school here will perform during the parade, marking the Indo-ASEAN ties.

They will be among the 770 students who will take part in the grand celebration at Rajpath on January 26.

In a visual treat, Kathak and folk dances of Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries will be seen together this Republic Day, as a group of students 29 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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Saare Jahan Se Achcha, the National Song at the end.

Security The authorities are leaving no stone unturned in the security arrangements.The dignitaries will be staying at Taj Palace, Taj Mansingh, Maurya Sheraton, the Leela Palace and the Oberoi.

Due to the bandobast, flight operations at Delhi airport will be suspended for nearly two hours (from 10:35 am to 12:15 pm IST) for rehearsals till January 26.

Air Power The highlight of the Republic Day parade will be the amazing flypast by the Indian Air Force. The flypast by the Indian Air Force on the Republic Day parade will involve 38 aircraft, including 21 fighters, 12 helicopters and five transporters.

The Ensign formation of the flypast will include a Mi-17 V5 helicopter carrying the ASEAN flag to commemorate the summit meeting of India and the block of South East Asian countries to be held from January 19 to 30. Other formations will involve C-130 J, AEW&C aircraft escorted by two Sukhoi-30 MKI, Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, Jaguar, MiG 29 Upgrade aircraft. Indigenously-developed weapon system integrated helicopter Rudra will make its maiden appearance in the Republic Day parade

Camel parade at Rajpath

Rajasthani tableau

Rehearsal of Republic Day parade in Delhi

Music to our ears The function is presided over by the President of India who arrives escorted by his cavalry unit, the PBG. When the President arrives, the PBG commander asks the unit to give the National Salute, which is followed by playing of the Indian National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana. A special ceremony has been developed for this occasion and the Army has developed the ceremony of display by the massed bands in which Military Bands, Pipe and Drum Bands, Buglers and Trumpeters from various Army Regiments besides bands from the Navy and Air Force take part. Other songs played include popular tunes like Abide With Me, Mahatma Gandhi's favourite hymn, and 30 SALAAM BAHRAIN

Beating Retreat Ceremony Vijay Chowk JANUARY 2018

r-day focus

Sweet farewell for naval bandmaster

After leading the Navy troupe for the 20th time in a row, he will take his final march on Rajpath.

Honorary Sub-Lieutenant Ramesh Chand Katoch, 55, will be in the forefront, leading the Navy band for the 20th time in a row – his last.

“It is very important to maintain physical fitness all round the year. I wake up at 4 a.m. and start practice. It is important to maintain the routine and train as a team. I feel proud marching on Rajpath,” he told reporters.

This is his 30th time on Rajpath and also the last as he will retire in April as he completes 37 years of service. Katoch used to play the clarinet before he became the Band Major. He has already trained two master chiefs from the Navy

IAF Musicians The IAF march past contingent will include 75 musicians and three band majors led by junior warrant officer Ashok Kumar Nagar. The IAF band will also mesmerise the audience at “Beating the Retreat” ceremony following the

to replace him. “I try to motivate the personnel,” Katoch, who is a music instructor, said.

Asked if he had suggestions to improve the band’s performance, he said, “There should not be more than two base drums per band. Otherwise, the music would not be heard. The drums would dominate.”

In his fond recollections spanning three decades, he recalled that when A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was President, they were called to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for tea. “He [Kalam] said that in Beating Retreat, musicians marched and played music; it required a lot of intellect,” Katoch recalled.

Practice for the parade starts a month and a half in advance. The Navy band consists of a Band Major and 80 personnel. The same band participates in Beating Retreat. Today the parade marches 11 km. Earlier it was 18 km.

Among his various recollections is one of India’s worst earthquakes which struck Bhuj on the morning of Republic Day 2001.

“Just before the parade started, there was a tremor [on Rajpath].

Later we got to know of the earthquake in Gujarat,” Katoch recalled.

Republic Day, by its compositions and use of African drums.

A special tribute will be paid to the Marshal of Indian Air Force Arjan Singh who passed away in September last year with a tune “Great Marshal” employing African drums, Nagar said.

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Mallakhambh - traditional gymnastics

Moving Finale Not many know that the Republic Day ceremony lasts for three days and ends only on January 29 with the moving ceremony called The Beating Retreat ceremony. It is conducted on the evening of 29 January, the third day after the Republic Day. It is performed by the bands of the three wings of the military, the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. The venue is Raisina Hills and an adjacent square, Vijay Chowk, flanked by the north and south block of the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's Palace) towards the end of Rajpath.

cover story

Women win the number game As a Republic Day special, we profile six women winners in Bahrain’s world of banking, accounting and finance.

It was while covering a conference on women in banking and listening to one of India’s most powerful bankers, Chanda Kochhar, the managing director and CEO of the ICICI Bank, that it struck some of us in the audience. Here was a lady who represented India at the Davos WEF, who is widely recognised for her role in shaping the retail banking sector in India. And what were the questions

she and the other powerful bankers like her were being asked? Not about how women entrepreneurs’ access to loans had been impacted by the rise of women CEOs and banking professionals or what made women more responsible customers to lend money to, as many studies have shown.

Instead Chanda Kochhar and her peers were time and again asked by the women professionals in the 32 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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By MEERA RAVI & HINA ASAR audience, how they managed their work-life balance, how they made time for motherhood and – quite literally – who prepared breakfast. The gender bias was thick enough to cut. Have you heard of any male CEO of a leading international bank being asked whether he helps his kids with the homework?

The experience made us look around and more recently, at the annual conference of the BCICAI (chartered

have made it to the pinnacle of their careers in finance.

Prabha Singh is CEO of the State Bank of India in Bahrain.

She and Geetika Sharma, the CEO of Canara Bank’s Bahrain Wholesale Banking branch, are the two senior-most Indian lady bankers in the Kingdom. Deepa Chandrasekhar, who is Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer & MLRO (Money Laundering Reporting Officer) at the United Gulf Bank represents the professional excellence of Indian women in international banking. Sindhu Balasubramanian is Head of Compliance and MLRO at the Bahrain Financing Company (BFC), the leading Money Transfer and Currency Exchange Company in the Kingdom of Bahrain, sending millions of dinars across the world daily. CA Shobha Ravishankar is the Manager, Finance, of the Ruyan and CA Shubhashree Sundaram , a Manager in a private company is best-known for her active role in the Bahrain Chapter of the Chartered Accountants of India, where she pushes professional programmes for women members and is supported in her work to get women chartered accountants more actively involved in continuing learning programmes and building a professional network to mentor new entrants.

Coming to a different country to take up one’s career at a higher level is a choice many men make more easily than women do. Faced with the opportunity, both Geetika Sharma and Prabha Singh say there were different challenges before them.

Changing times

accountants), we noticed that there were many qualified women accountants in key posts in Bahrain companies as managers and financial controllers. In fact, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India even marked the Lady Sivabhogam Day in November in memory of the very first woman chartered accountant of India, R. Sivabhogam (July 23, 1907-June 14, 1966).

Pro pinnacle Bahrain, as a global financial hub is very open to women bankers in many roles – while Bahraini women are prominent in senior management posts, we also have capable expatriate women helming foreign banks and in roles of responsibility in international institutions and in companies. And so we thought we should showcase these women in careers that are not usually considered 'feminine strengths' and celebrate the achievements of some of the Bahrain-based women professionals who 33 SALAAM BAHRAIN

“The deeply ingrained idea that men are the movers and shakers in the business world might have been true 50 years ago, but now an interesting trend is being seen.

Women are taking greater strides and the ratio of men to women is beginning to even out and the senior posts are opening up for us.” Prabha said.

She continues, “When I decided to move to Bahrain, I wondered how I would be able to adjust to a completely new country. There were challenges in winding up everything in India. There were cultural differences, challenges of getting acquainted with regulatory requirements and labour laws,” Prabha says, “Having worked in India before being appointed to the position of CEO in the Bahrain branch of SBI, there is quite a lot of difference in the nature of work I am called upon to do. In Bahrain, I am in the thick of operations, hiring people, managing technical teams, setting up ATMs, managing assets and liabilities etc. The work here is definitely more challenging – it is almost like running an independent bank.”

Geetika says that while she had no hesitation in taking up the position of CEO in an overseas branch, there were reservations first expressed by some of her colleagues, JANUARY 2018

especially because her family would stay back in India.

“However, I was very confident and had no hesitation in accepting the assignment,” Geetika says, “I am so glad that I have been a path-breaker because now I get calls from other ladies in the bank who have also come forward to put their names for overseas senior posts and want to discuss the challenges.”

Generational shift The belief that women don’t have a head for numbers or technology faded long ago. Geetika says, “In the banking industry, we don’t find any difficulties in women being accepted as equal to men in the workplace. In the higher

Geetika Sharma In the higher corridors of power and responsibility, women and men get the same voice, space and decision-making power.

What about women and their ability to stay abreast of that other presumed-male bastion: technology? Deepa Chandrasekhar says it is crucial for any professional, man or woman, to stay abreast of the changing demands of their workplace. With fintech being the current buzzword, she says she has seen major changes that had literally required her to retrain and refocus.

Deepa Chandrasekhar Mentoring is an important learning tool too - during my interactions with youngsters entering the profession with updated knowledge and skills, I started studying for international qualifications to stay on-trend. corridors of power and responsibility, women and men get the same voice, space and decision-making power.”

She says her generation probably enjoyed the benefits of the hard work put in by earlier women bankers who showed how they were as good as their male colleagues and were taken seriously over time – so the present visibility of women bankers does represent a shift in attitude. What has brought about this change in the mind-set? “Cultural and educational shifts are responsible for this” says Deepa Chandrasekhar, “Each generation is more educated and exposed to the world than the previous one.”

Adds Geetika, “Today, many of the banks in India have women in the lead roles. My role models were my seniors in my bank, who were really excellent bankers and who encouraged and guided me and other newcomers.”

Learning curve “My first job was with Citibank Mumbai which was the first to introduce the ATM machine in India – an innovative concept at that time. I was astonished to see a busload of rural tourists pose for a photo in front of the ATM which they had termed as ‘Money Machine’! Things have come a long way since then. Many years later, during my interactions with youngsters entering the profession with updated knowledge and skills, I realized that resting on the laurels of an MBA acquired 15 years ago was not enough. I started studying for international qualifications. Needless to say, I wrote my examinations mainly over the summer when my boys had their vacation. They were most amused to see their mother studying while they were off school!”

The same technology has also enabled more women to raise the bar where career growth is concerned. Sindhu Balasubramanian notes that flexible organisational structures allowing women to work from home, keep flexible hours, enabling technologies and the emergence of support systems have all paved the way for this sea-change. As women climb

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cover story the career ladder, they are also re-shaping the management style of their companies, she says. “Women are more emphatic and encouraging and more likely to be nurturing in their management style with an ability to appreciate different perspectives. This naturally leads to them taking more gender-friendly and female empowering decisions which in turn encourages other women to aim for higher career goals.”

She also says that in her line of work, technological knowledge is very important and says she attends online

to be a Post Master by the time she retired. That taught me the value of hard work and how determination could get you to the top,” Shubhashree says.

Equality battles While big corporations like banks had set regulations about pay scales and gender equality, women in management posts often had to fight for their rights in smaller private

Shobha Ravishankar Prabha Singh In Bahrain, I am in the thick of operations, hiring people, managing technical teams, setting up ATMs, managing assets and liabilities etc. The work here is definitely more challenging – it is almost like running an independent bank. seminars and is an active member in a few professional associations which provide her a platform to connect with her industry peers.

Women in the generation of our six achievers have also benefitted greatly through the support network of senior colleagues and family. Most of them had strong mentors – Prabha Singh still remembers Bharati Rao, a Deputy GM at her bank for her encouragement and Deepa says her husband, also a banker, was a great support. Both Shobha and Shubhashree mention that their mothers were strong role-models while Sindhu was encouraged to aim high by her father.

“My mother was not even a graduate and working women in those days were not very common. Yet she joined the Indian Postal Service as a clerk in a post office and rose up 35 SALAAM BAHRAIN

Women should develop an interest and understanding of the overall functioning of all the departments and not be like a frog in the well. companies.

Shobha recollects her first job interview for a construction company where the Managing Director was quite impressed with her qualifications. But at the end of the interview, he told her that the job required site visits so they preferred not to take a woman. When she was employed with the Pension Fund department of a GCC government operation, her junior accountant who was male, earned twice her salary. “I asked my boss for a salary increase to match my junior’s pay and was turned down. In fact, I was told I could resign if I didn’t like the difference in salary scale – and I did so! But thankfully, such things have stopped happening in the last decade or so. Visa rules have also been eased and expatriate women are given avenues to succeed if companies feel they are loyal and hard-working.”

Shubhashree feels that the old stereotype of an ambitious and vocal woman being labeled difficult to work with remains.

“A vocal woman is perceived as aggressive while the same attitude by a man can be perceived as assertive” she JANUARY 2018

But are they still perceived as the primary educators for their own children or do the husbands share the tasks?

Deepa happily notes, “I have observed some of my male colleagues taking leave during exam time, so I guess times are changing! In my own house, both my husband and I have a ‘hands-on’ approach.” Geetika’s children are grown up now and do seek her advise on managing career aspirations.

Sindhu says she does not resent what many see as ‘sexist’ inquiries and admits that she enjoys these questions as it makes her realize that she is handling her responsibilities well. Shubhashree also used to help her son during the initial school days but slowly started training him to do things on his own. As for Shobha, she has never helped her children with the home-work but is always available when they have any doubts.

Prabha reveals that many firms have introduced ‘womenfriendly’ programmes such as flexible hours, parental leave and mentorship schemes to enable women to manage their familial responsibilities alongside their office work – because juggling personal and professional life is still largely the duty of women, even though husbands are taking on more duties on the home and parenting front these days.

Sindhu Balasubramanian Financial freedom enables us to make conscious decisions and live our dreams, Money may not buy happiness, but it can buy you the freedom to make your choices independently. says. Prabha also accepts that women tend to be viewed as less rational, excessively sensitive and it is often assumed that they have difficulty reconciling work with motherhood.

Geetika is quick to point out that while motherhood does change a working woman’s priorities, efficiency and skill makes it easy to get back on track.

“When I started my career I was very ambitious, but when I had kids my priorities in life took a U-turn,” she says, “I don’t see it as a hurdle but a different priority. So definitely I took a conscious decision of letting go of some opportunities when my children needed me more. But I would say my entire family has encouraged me to be where I am.”

Like it or not, the smooth functioning of the home is still considered to be the domain of the women. Add to that the inevitable career break during motherhood. Women, professionals display immense strength of character when they take all these changes in their stride and bounce back.

Shubhashree recounts how fifteen months after taking a career break for motherhood, she realized that something was missing in her life and it was time to get back to work routine. “I just could not stay away from the numbers after all! Little did I realize that any break from career means starting from scratch. But I recalled what I read many years ago - what the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls it a butterfly. I decided to be a butterfly and resume my professional journey.”

‘Womanagement’ Shobha feels that women tend to be too narrowly focused on their own work and don’t pay attention to the overall office working. This holds back their climb in career terms,

Shubashree Sundaram My mother taught me the value of hard work and how determination could get you to the top

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cover story

The number of women Chartered Accountants have increased over the years. In the Bahrain Chapter of ICAI there are more than 40 women enrolled as members.

They participate in the programs of BCICAI and hold responsible posts in companies across the Kingdom.

she says. “Women should develop an interest and understanding of the overall functioning of all the departments and not be like a frog in the well. Companies need a group of functions to work in a synchronized fashion to get the system rolling. If you do not stay abreast of what goes on around you, you are not evolving.”

One point on which all women agree is the necessity of financial freedom in order to fuel women empowerment.

Sindhu emphasizes, “Financial freedom enables us to make conscious decisions and live our dreams. I encourage my friends to engage their entrepreneurial skills, even if in a small way, to achieve financial independence and live life by their own rules. Money may not buy happiness, but it can buy you the freedom to make your choices independently.”

Geetika says, “Financial freedom is very much important for women to have the confidence and courage and capability of living life on their own terms. And I have always motivated not only my colleagues in this direction but also scores of women customers.”

Prabha feels that work offers women the chance to be financially independent and ensures access to a comfortable lifestyle and security. On the other hand, Shobha asserts, “Even if you are not working, money saved is money

earned. My mother was a commerce graduate, but never entered the work-force. She made a conscious choice of being a full time mother and yet was financially independent.

She made judicious choices on what she would spend money on and kept an eye on savings”.

Her views are echoed by Deepa who, though in favor of financial independence, exercises a word of caution.

“Freedom doesn’t mean misuse or irresponsible behavior.

Taking a loan and going on holiday is not the same as taking a loan and buying property. The first is reckless expenditure while the second is forced saving. At the end of the day, women can be proud of acquiring an asset with their efforts.”

Another mark of their ability to engage with the world outside their work, is their varied interests. Shobha is wellknown for her passion for cars, fitness and gourmet cookery; Shubhashree and Geetika admit to being avid readers. These high flying women have big goals which they are putting all their efforts to achieve. Be it a desire to become a restaurateur, an education consultant, an expert on virtual currencies or just making steady progress to better one’s position in life – their main goal is to live life to the fullest.

They are the women of today – and racing towards tomorrow.

Thank You Salaam Bahrain would like to thank the Intercontinental Regency Hotel for generously being the location for this inspiring cover story photo-shoot and for supporting it.

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financial advice

Planning for Insurance The presence of Indian insurance giant LIC can work to our advantage Life insurance has been a traditional investment favorite in India and most Indians are likely to hold at least one, if not more, life insurance policies. If you are a Non Resident Indian (NRI), you may have bought a policy while you were a Resident Indian or you may be considering buying one.

An NRI and locals have various options to choose from when structuring their financial plan. There is no one-size-fits-all investment strategy that can be prescribed as such and an ideal financial plan should have an optimum mix of various asset classes. However, the role of insurance as an asset class in meeting you or your family’s financial goals is undeniable. Life insurance products can help address an array of financial needs and goals as they can be customized for specific purposes.

The presence of Indian life insurance giant LIC International in the GCC means that everyone in the region has ready and easy access to all the different life insurance tools that they would need.

Whether life insurance plan, health plan, retirement planning or plans for children and family welfare, LIC International has an excellent plan for all types of insurance. The plans combine flexibility and value and the best thing is that they are well suited to the expat lifestyle. If your work takes you back to India, some of LIC International’s plans can be transferred accordingly – you can continue your payment in India and receive the payment there too.

Planning ahead Though insurance plans usually give a slightly lesser return as compared to

other asset classes but these inculcate a saving discipline that is so essential for building long-term wealth in addition to providing protection against financial consequences of untimely death of life assured. Policyholders diligently pay the premium for the selected term which may range from 5 years to 25 years to keep their policies in force and reap a huge corpus on maturity or they can choose to pay a lump sum at the beginning and at maturity receive their benefits.

It's no surprise then that insurance policies have helped people build property, provide for their children's education, marriage and live comfortably in retirement.

As an Indian living abroad, it definitely makes good financial sense to make wise investments while you work here.

At some point you may wish to settle back in India post retirement, if you have ageing parents living on their own in India who are dependent on you for financial support, or you may simply look to invest your money in an 38 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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asset that will help protect you and your family. It is always prudent to take calibrated financial decisions, especially at a time when uncertain economic conditions are prevailing in the more developed countries. It is also imperative to provide for long term security and achieve financial goals for you and your dependents.

Money matters Are premiums higher for NRIs as compared to local residents? Are there any limits on the sum assured?

According to a spokesman of LIC International, this is not the case. “The premiums are the same for residents and non residents. However, if policy holder is prone to higher risk, premiums will be higher. And as for the limit on sum assured, there is no limit to both NRIs and local residents.”

Is taking an insurance a good idea?

Yes, because it will provide you a combination of protection and saving.

You may select your plan as per your needs and select the premium as per your paying capacity.

Does it matter where you invest your money? Absolutely, it matters a lot because firstly the future is uncertain and secondly most of us work hard to earn money. Unless you make safe reliable investment that is guaranteed you risk your future by making risky investments that might not work out.

Therefor investing in life insurance is the ideal choice, since you can get reasonable return and ensure that you and you family’s life is covered.

Because money matters you might ask how much insurance should I buy?

Very simple, you can calculate how much you earn monthly and multiply

by 12 and then multiply it again by the numbers of years you think you want to secure flow of money for you or your dependents, and of course if you think your earnings will increase you can calculate that as well; and that amount should ideally be how much you should insure.

What are the rules regarding death and maturity proceeds? The insurance policy purchased will cover death that occurs anywhere in the world.

In India, benefits from a life insurance policy, including bonuses, whether on death or maturity are treated as taxfree subject to certain rules and

conditions. However, since an NRI will have to pay tax on his global income in his country of residence and the taxability of this global income would be on the basis of the tax laws prevailing in the country of his residence, he must look closely at tax provisions in his country of residence.

Therefore investing in life insurance is a smart choice, it gives you freedom from financial worries of uncertain future. It gives you confidence and satisfaction that you care for your family and you have taken action to provide for that case.

Wishing all Indians

a Happy Republic Day from Bahrain Chapter of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India( BCICAI).

(Affiliated to Bahrain Accountants Association)

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

‘EXCELLENCE DECODED’

P.O. Box 10924, Kingdom of Bahrain icai bahrain

icaibahrain@gmail.com

39 SALAAM BAHRAIN

JANUARY 2018

BCICAI

www.bahrain-icai.org

LuLu Exchange: Committed to deliver more As India celebrates its 69th Republic Day, the country can take pride of its immense growth over the years. India is the world’s seventh-largest economy and is growing faster than any other country in the world. By 2050, India’s economy is projected to be the world’s second-largest, behind only China. Even in terms of remittances, India has maintained top spot for several years in a row.

Remittances are an integral part of the burgeoning economy and is a major source of income for many families.

India currently ranks the highest not only because of the sheer volume of the migrant labour force from the country, but also because of the ultimate desire of many to eventually return home to a better life.

Lulu Exchange, an ISO 9001: 2015 certified organization, has played a significant role in assisting remittances

salaam society

to the sub-continent. Over the years the company has grown to become the leading financial services brand trusted by expats to send money to their loved ones. With products like ‘Lulu Now’, which allows immediate credit to designated bank accounts instantly, Lulu Exchange remains at the forefront of technological innovation in this sector.

The exchange house has strategic banking arrangements with leading banks and is The opening of Lulu exchange in Tubli - one each in Tubli, Juffair, Zinj, Umm Al constantly working towards providing Hassam, Salmaniya, Gudaibiya, Hidd, smoother, faster, and more reliable Manama, Muharraq, Sheikh Isa Al modes of transaction.

Besides Kabeer Avenue and two in the Riffa remittances, customers can also region. Lulu Exchange salutes India on exchange foreign currency at its 69th Republic Day and wishes the competitive rates. people of the great nation a very happy The exchange house currently has 12 Republic Day. branches across the Kingdom of Bahrain 40 SALAAM BAHRAIN

JANUARY 2018

We wish all our Indian patrons a Happy Republic Day 2018

(Serving Bahrain for 68 years)

Join us for the Republic Day Shaam-e-Ghazal celebration, A Tribute to the Legend, Jagjit Singh.

Entry BD 5/- including food and beverage from 9 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.

Enjoy authentic Kerala Sadhya from God's Own Country Experience the traditional Kerala meal on banana leaf with full complement of curries and sweets at Cafe Sayah

Kids below age 8 @ BD 1.900 Non veg option available

PER PERSON

3

BD

ONLY

Tel.:+973 17224000, E-mail: delmonbn@batelco.com.bh, Websites: www.delmonhotel.com, www.caravanhotels.com

salaam society

Bharathi Pongal recreates Tamil mood The Bharathi Association's Pongal is traditionally the first to welcome the famous Tamil harvest festival and this year was no different. Chief guest at the festive celebrations was Indian Ambassador Alok Kumar Sinha. With traditional games, colourful dances and the cooking of the newly harvested rice, the members and guests made sure a great time was had by all.

Double treat of music and Holi fun from Brandbox

She's the ​​grandma of Indipop and her powerful voice and playful on-stage presence have not yet dulled the enthusiasm of her hundreds of fans.

Yes, Usha Uthup is all set to delight music lovers in Bahrain at a BrandBox concert on February 23. ​ ​The concert in Bahrain's Indian School grounds ​​will come as a double treat​​ticket holders will have free access to the Brandbox Holi celebrations on March 9 at Adhari Park. Tickets are just BD 5 per person. What better way to warm up in Bahrain's cool February weather than let it go at an Usha Uthup concert?

Usha entered the Indian Western pop scene in the late 'sixties when she used to sing in the popular Kolkata nightclub Trinca's - it is even today known as the place where this much-loved icon launched her career. Several discs and all-time Hindi popular hits later, she is a famous voice across many Indian languages as well as Western languages such as English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Swahili, Russian, Arabic and Spanish and so on. She has also acted in powerful character roles in Southern movies.

For ticket enquiries contact 35007866/ 36776265 42 SALAAM BAHRAIN

JANUARY 2018

sports

A sixer for Bahrain Catch ‘em young is the motto of the CBA which seeks to create a cricket talent pool.

This New Year, junior cricket in Bahrain took a leap forward when the U-16 National Cricket team set out to the UAE to participate in the Asian Cricket Council Western Region tournament in the UAE. The 11 boys represented the rigorous focus of the Cricket Bahrain Association(CBA) in opening up new channels of enthusiasm for the game. The CBA works under the patronage of the Bahrain Olympic Committee and its President, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

According to Saleem Eliyas, the president of the CBA, the opportunity to participate in regional and international tournaments will further enhance the development of cricket on the island and boost the game among potential young cricketers.

Building potential The process started way back in June 2017 when the CBA announced open trials for all budding cricketers under 16 years of age for selection.

Once the trials were undertaken, a list of potential cricketers were selected for gruelling practice after July. The team composition was hand-picked from promising players in the interschool tournaments as well as the boys’ performance during the camp.

Although the Bahrain U-16 team got off to a shaky start at the regional tournament and were knocked out quite early, there was still plenty to be hopeful about. As one of the UAE team managers pointed out, UAE, Kuwait and Oman have been promoting cricket talent for much longer than Bahrain has, especially at entry level and Bahrain has a lot of

By ANIL D.D.

The players with main sponsors Dadabhai Travel

catching up to do in terms of investment in cricket infrastructure and training of players.

The CBA has drawn up ambitious plans to energise cricket in Bahrain.

According to informal estimates, every weekend sees at least 350 leaguelevel players play fixtures in Bahrain.

There are informal coaching classes for promising cricketers but no prepared cricket pitch, which is so important for good-quality training. The U-16 team that represented Bahrain in UAE, for example, practiced in the lush green

With sponsors, Royal Bahrain Hospital, 44 SALAAM BAHRAIN

JANUARY 2018

turf at the Alba Club cricket academy where the CBA had put up two practice nets so the youngsters could hone their batting and bowling skills.

For fielding practice, the cricketers were taken to the open football grounds adjacent to the nets.

The job of training the team was entrusted to national coach Mirza Azeem Ul Haque and assisted by old timers in the coaching arena, Rexie and Ajith.

Along with them, physiotherapist Awad Khan and their manager Omran Ghani added value to

the overall preparedness of the boys.

Team promise

Fighting spirit

The team was captained by Jagan Vijaykumar, wicket keeper and top order batsman aged 16 years, and one who recently represented the Bahrain U-19 team to Malaysia. Along with him ws twelve year old Rishabh Ramesh(top order batsman and medium pacer) who was also part of the U-19 Bahrain national team. Few other notable players to watch out for in the future are Umar Khalid and Novead Arif(both all-rounders) while Thiruman Varnan is another exciting batsmen and back-up wicket keeper in the team. The final team list as given by the CBA comprise of Jagan Vijaykumar (Capt), Safvan Rafiq, Govind Bingly, Thirumal Varnan, Tushar Kamal, Rishab Ramesh, Mohammed Ahmed, Gautam Chhabra, Syed Azzam Ahmed, Umair Khalid Mahmood, Novead Arif, Umar Hameed Khan, Ali Hameed Khan, Sachiru Surasingha, Hamza Noor Khan, Emon Islam, Abhay U Shetty and Anuj Venkat Ram.

The actual tournament was held from Jan 7 to 12 and comprised seven national teams from the region. Split in two groups in a 35 over format (Pool A), the top two teams in each group qualified for the semis on January 11. The matches were held at the Sharjah cricket stadium, Eden Gardens(EG) Ajman, as well as Al Dhaid Cricket village. The Bahrain U-16 team faced Kuwait and S. Arabia and lost both matches.

Getting it right - at the Alba Club grounds

“Although our Bahrain team performed well, they were up against teams who were clearly far more seasoned and much more experienced especially of playing in required turf conditions. However, the Bahrain boys showed excellent fighting spirit and technique and we plan to encourage

them and train them for the future,” said Manager Omran Ghani.

In the future, the CBA has exciting plans to make the game more popular among Bahrainis as well and invest in required infrastructure to promote the game.

Special kudos went to the two major

sponsors, Dadabhai Travel and Royal Bahrain hospital for their support. “Supporting an engagement with sports is great for youth development and we see this as an opportunity to provide a platform for Bahrain’s cricketers to perform at an international level, raising Bahrain’s flag abroad,” said Dadabhai Travels Managing Director, Aziz Gilitwala, ““It was great to meet these young guys, who are the future of Bahrain cricket and as part of our ongoing support for Bahrain’s sporting youth, we are delighted to have been the main sponsor of their next steps on the international cricket stage.”

ADMISSION NOTICE BPP (FOR NON+2) BCom BA BTS BCA BSW BEd MCom MTTM MA(Eng, PA) MBA MEd Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) New Delhi - India www.ignou.ac.in

MBA - 2 YEARS FROM JAN 2018 ONWARDS

BPP - Bridge course to join for Bachelor degree for those NOT HAVING a school certificate

INDIAN ACADEMY P.O. Box 10584 Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

For more details contact: Tel: +973 17822 103, Mob: +973 3988 8092, 3304 0521, Email: elam63@gmail.com 45 SALAAM BAHRAIN

JANUARY 2018

networking

BCICAI - A network for accounting and finance professionals The BCICAI - Bahrain Chapter of the powerful Institute of Chartered Accountants of India - is a respected professional group and has been in the forefront of promoting professional networking among its members and keeping them abreast of trends in the financial and accounting work space.

The chapter was awarded Best Overseas Chapter for 2016 by the ICAI for its innovative work and continues to fly the flag high under the 2017-'18 team led

by Chairperson Uday Shanbag. We caught up with him for a quick Q&A about the chapter How would you say the profession of Chartered Accountancy has changed in the past decade?

The pace of change in the business will also drive the changes in all the professions of the world. Finance and accountancy, being directly related to the world business, changes with the business needs and requirements. From being a mere number cruncher, the Chartered Accountants have moved now, to play a greater role in the operations of the business itself with more number of Chartered Accountants are now holding not only CFO positions, but also COO, CEO and board member positions in many organisations.

What is it that spurs young people to choose a career in Chartered Accountancy?

Just like any other profession, the career of CA too requires a lot of hard word and dedication. The new genX are more aware of the opportunities that lie ahead of them. The knowledge and the skill sets they develop with a CA course would surely assist them in their future to compete nationally and internationally. This is the most financially

BCICAI Executive Committee 18-2017 Standing (L to R): B Venkata Ramana (Joint Secretary), Ankur Lalaji (Excom Member), Sthanumurthy Viswanathan (Excom Member), Mayank Tharad (Excom Member), Venkateswarlu Bathini (Excom Member), Palanisamy P (Joint Treasurer) Sitting (L To R): Shubhashree S (Excom Member), Sridhar (Vice-Chairperson), Uday Shanbhag (Chairperson), Santhosh TV (Secretary), Maheshkumar Narayan (Treasurer)

secure and at the same time most rewarding in terms of position, authority and money

guidance they require. The contact details are available on our website – www.bahrain-icai.org

Can a commerce student in Bahrain plan to study and do an article-ship in the Kingdom and qualify as a Chartered Accountant?

We do have Indian Chartered Accountants here in Bahrain, who hold a Certificate of Practice and are eligible to train students who can take up article-ship here in Bahrain. but only criteria is that the students should complete their degree in B.Com or similar one.

Tell us about your Chapter's CPE programmes. How frequently are they held and what is their value?

BCICIA endeavours to conduct CPE (Continuing Professional Education) programmes on a regular basis. These programmes endeavour to enhance the knowledge and skill set of the CAs. Generally we have one such program every month with one major International conference spread over 2 days wherein we invite speakers who have expertise in different domains. The highly volatile world economy, renders us to learn and re-learn many aspects of business. The aim is always to ensure that our members benefit from the technical expertise presented to them and develop their own technical, professional and personal skill sets.

How can the BCICAI advise and support such youngsters who have chosen Chartered Accountancy as a career?

BCICIA has a strong base of 450 members and is a closely knit community here in Bahrain. Anyone who is interested can reach out to us for any 46 SALAAM BAHRAIN

JANUARY 2018

shobhaa de

we speak your language

the editorial team P.O. Box 50650, Arad, Kingdom of Bahrain Licensed by the Ministry of Information Publication Licence no : GASB 740

Chairman and Managing Editor Mahmood Al Mahmood Managing Director P.K. Ravi Editor Meera Ravi Contributor • Maharaja Features Pvt. Ltd. Designer • Sumesh. C. Unni Photography • Hussain - Salmaniya Studio • Jomon • Lakshmi Padmanabhan Marketing P.R.M. Marketing Consultancy w.l.l Advertising Sales Contact: +973 3668 4011 advts.sb@gmail.com Published by Al Ayam Publishing Promoted by Ajyal Consultations w.l.l Advertising / Editorial / Circulation Enquiries +973 3668 4011 +973 1772 0797 e-mail: salaam.bahrain@gmail.com advts.sb@gmail.com

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All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publisher and Editor. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher & editor cannot accept legal responsibility for any error, content or omissions.

48 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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salaam society

Harish family's Pongal treat Friends of Harish and Mythreyi were treated to a classic Pongal festival and feast. The enterprising couple had even arranged a jallikattu (bull run) without animals to the cheering of excited guests. The glowing colours of the festive wear added jewel-bright tones to the day.

The Passi family’s Southern experience with the Harish family

Mythreyi and friends

Even youngsters join the Pongal spirit

Pongal Party people

The lovely ladies in checked silks

Men get set for the Dhoti Dance

Jallikattu in Manama!

The Raja family with the hosts

The colours of Pongal

Veerachinnu strikes a classic pose Never too early to get the dhoti right 49 SALAAM BAHRAIN

Sree Meera in karagattam mode JANUARY 2018

fashion

India’s winter looms – A vanishing heritage comes alive India’s grand heritage of winter shawls is getting a modern makeover by top designers

By SINDHUJA PHILIP Maharaja Features

Modi in Assamese shawl. The Northeast has a varied heritage of silk and woollen shawls

The sun may have started its Northern journey with Makara Sankranti on January 15th and Spring is caressing our bodies with zephyrs of warmth. Still, there is enough of a nip in the air for us to warily keep a shawl or sweater draped within reach. Sadly, most of these are mill-made woolen garments or even a combination of wool and acrylic, whether it be a shawl, sweater, blanket or a quilt.

But take heart! Shawls are presently having their Fashion Moment as women as well as men opt for their flowing grace and layering style, especially with national dress. Of course, there is a distinct approach between how both sexes use the loose unstitched warmer – men tend to restrict the use of shawls to accessorise their sherwani or kurta-pyjama. Women, on the other hand, have made the shawl a fashion statement instead of just an accessory and the shawl has proven its versatility by pairing beautifully with all dresses, whether Indian or Western.

Ancient records Although ancient sculptures, paintings and narratives mention the shawl or chaddar as a male item of clothing, several miniature paintings show women wearing shawls too – such as the early 1800 miniature of a Kangra lady wearing a red shawl and warming herself 50 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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kutchi shawl

Pic 01 - A early 1800 miniature of a Kangra lady wearing a red shawl and warming herself before a brazier

Pic 02 - This painting of a Deccani ruler is titled ‘Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II Holding Castanets’ and is part of the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Note the flowing shawl worn by the ruler with its intricate design and matching cummerbund around the waist.

the climate, thick cotton or wool and everything in between. India has opulent Banarasi shawls, monchromatic Uttarkhand weaves, distinctive weaves and patterns like in Nagaland and Kutch.

Pattern and motifs such as paisleys and even jewel-bright Kashmiri papier mache-style designs, Kantha embroidery and of late, paste gems, often appear on shawls.

Nachiket Barve's stylish Japanese inspired shawls from his 2016 collection

before a brazier. Kashmir shawls are mentioned and much valued in Akbar’s time and also seen in later Mughal paintings – often with a fur stole – as seen in the portrait here. The shawl as a male fashion garment was widely depicted in 18th and 19th century portraits that routinely depicted men in jamawars.

Though the wool shawls are famed, there are probably as many shawl types in India as there are regions. Shawls can be anything from simple wraps to enveloping chaddars and depending on 51 SALAAM BAHRAIN

In his brocade robes, priceless jamawar shawls, ropes of pearls and jewels flashing from his chest and turban, he was a fine figure of a man and commanded respect wherever he went.

-Description of Dwarkanath Tagore in Jorasanko, Aruna Chakravarti.

Reinvention Earlier this month, Vogue India and Tata CLiQ Luxury commissioned 10 top Indian designers to reveal their take on this multi-tasking accessory – and the results were stunning. Called The Shawl Project, the initiative was supported by The Woolmark Company, which backs the use JANUARY 2018

fashion of top-class Merino wool in fashion garments.

It is dedicated to putting the spotlight on the country’s handicrafts by reviving the shawl through the imagination of designers Manish Arora, Rahul Mishra, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Abraham & Thakore, Aneeth Arora, Amit Aggarwal, Pankaj & Nidhi, Nachiket Barve, Raghavendra Rathore and Zubair Kirmani.

What’s new then? Expect to find unique renditions of the drape-from kimono shawls in jacquard weaves to one inspired by light and airy baroque Venetian lace. Nachiket Barve’s designs, for example, fuse modern concepts with traditional techniques. Even in his 2015-16 collection, Barve gave the shawl a contemporary look with geometric Aztec inspired stoles, soaring Japanese cranes, floating ginkgo leaves and rose leitmotifs, textured throws as well as exquisitely embroidered or woven floral Kani shawls.

In addition, he transformed the free-flowing unstitched nature of the material into a threedimensional item of clothing - be it with buttons, zips, hooks or seams. Shawls and stoles were joined together with beads and cut outs and decorated with embroidery, applique, fringes and tassels so that they can be worn to style an assortment of outfits for various occasions.

So take a long look at the shawls in your winter wardrobe. We have just four weeks more to indulge.

Before you pack them up for the year, perhaps you can rev up the style quotient by adding lace or borders or even redefining a favourite shawl as a poncho – the options are endless.

Zubair Kirmani-Shalimar Bagh inspiration

A multicolour jamawar shawl with needle embroidery

A kantha silk scarf

52 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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Southside story In South India, where the winter is temperate at most, shawls are decorative gifts and not utilitarian winter wear. In most functions, the dignitaries have a shawl ceremoniously draped over their shoulders – a practice that finds favour even in club functions in Bahrain.

I recall how, when a group of us visited A.K. Antony, then Kerala’s Chief Minister, we were told not to bring shawls but opt for the thin cotton towel called ‘thundu’ instead since the politician distributed them to the needy.

Multi-purpose But where do these shawls go after they are gifted? While most of them remain in the dignitaries’ house for months together before they are either distributed or sold in bulk, some take the form of shirts or become creative utilities for the home. So vast is the number of shawls dignitaries get that some persons make innovative use of them. Many personalities say that the woollen ones are given to old age homes or for a social purpose, while some of the beautiful and expensive ones find even greater use.

Violinist Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan has often been heard saying in public forums that he designs kurtas out of shawls. Actor and scriptwriter Crazy Mohan says he started distributing them to his troupe members and the surplus ones were given to the underprivileged. His daughter-inlaw made creative use of them by designing pillow covers, cell

Even in Bahrain, the practice of honouring the guests with a ceremonial shawl is quite common. Seen here is S.Inayadullah, Managing Director of Crown Electro-Mechanical Services, being honored at Bahrain Tamils Pongal Festival

phone pouches, and table cloth.

“Sometimes all the little ones in home get themselves a shirt or skirt stitched perfect enough to fit them,” he laughs.

Charity Vocalist Sudha Raghunathan, on the other hand, is planning to hold an auction where the proceeds collected will go for the Samudhaaya Foundation, which is in its 10th year. She even plans to convert them into cloth hand bags and the amount collected used for a social purpose.

Many of the regular invitees to events feel that shawls find little use but cannot be refused when given with affection. MLA S. Ve. Shekar, for instance, thinks turkey towels would find better use in Chennai’s weather.

A government official said that there is a government order 53 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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stating that in all official functions books instead of shawls should be presented. DMK leader M. Karunanidhi had suggested that books are ideal gifts. However, the tradition of honouring guests with shawls is a fashion statement that doesn’t seem to change.

These range from Rs. 250 to Rs.1,000, and some say there are stores who recycle them to resell the same.

During the music season, sabhas (performing arts clubs) allot a portion of the budget to buy ponnadai. Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, for instance, spends, on an average, Rs. 20,000 for the season alone and another amount of Rs. 60,000 for the events it conducts round the year. “We believe in giving a good quality, sometimes even an embroidered shawl which will be cherished,” said a spokesman for the Sabha.

fashion

Nagaland's warm heritage this identification is not possible as Naga elders do not force their younger generations to adhere to the tradition.

Leitmotif One of the common features of Naga shawl is that three pieces are woven separately and stitched together. In fact, the central stripe is more decorated than the other two, which generally have more or less the same pattern.

Each tribe has its own patterns with simple, clean lines, stripes, squares and bands being the most traditional design motifs. Before wool was imported in the Naga villages, the material for the shawls were the threads taken from the barks

Rengma Naga man wearing his tribal shawl

In the textile history of India, the warrior shawls of Nagaland have an unique place – there are 16 major tribes in Nagaland and the designs of these shawls were the identity of the people, just like the tartans of Scotland.

Each tribe of Nagaland has different types of shawls of their own designs - within the same tribe not everyone is allowed to wear any type of shawls of their choice, as they signifie the social standing own by the person. In other words, the right to wear a particular shawl has to be earned.

In the past, it was possible to identify a Naga citizen, by simply looking at the shawl of the wearer: to know the tribe he belonged to and occasionally even the group of villages he came from, his social status and the number of ritual feasts he had performed. But nowadays 54 SALAAM BAHRAIN

The Chi Pi KhwĂź/Shawl is the most distinctive shawl of the Chakhesang Nagas, both in appearance and in symbolism. The ultimate symbol of honor and privilege, this shawl was not to be worn by just anybody in the olden days and is still revered as a symbol of distinguished achievement.

JANUARY 2018

of plants that come up during the monsoon season. These were pried apart and then dried, boiled with ash, stretched, dyed and rolled on spindles before the actual weaving. Wealthy Naga wore shawls with animal motifs according to their tribe totems.

Now due to powerlooms in Naga shawls manufacture, a plethora of new patterns and motifs has been introduced too, to reflect the younger generation’s sartorial sense and status.

Sometime back, a women’s cooperative weaving society based in Kohima village set the trend with its avant-garde designs in shawls made for commercial purposes In fact, there is such a demand from tourists for the Naga shawls that the Indian Chamber of Commerce has filed an application seeking registration of traditional Naga shawls made in Nagaland with the Geographical Registry of India for Geographical Indication. Unfortunately,

so far none of the designs have been certified and retained as an exclusive possession of the tribe as their collective intellectual property. Failure to do so has resulted in imitation Naga shawls being produced by the thousands on power-looms in Delhi, Chennai, Patna or wherever and being sold at a little over Rs 200, when an original shawl of the same design should fetch nothing less than Rs 2,000-2,500 in the Nagaland handicrafts emporium.

Recently the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi (IGNCA) sent its representatives to the North-east states and with great difficulty procured authentic representative Naga shawls for its collection.

The privilege of wearing this shawl had to be earned and most people earned the honor of wearing it after they were past middle age. So if you were in a Chakhesang Village and find yourself surrounded by men or women wearing this shawl, you can be sure you are in the company of distinguished gentlemen and ladies.

A wealthy Naga man's or warrior's shawl 55 SALAAM BAHRAIN

JANUARY 2018

fashion Black Kani shawl with woven flowers and Kalamkari work

Nachiket little black shawl

Fall/ Winter creation by Tarun Tahilini dhoti pant with a woollen scarf

Belted shawl 56 SALAAM BAHRAIN

A Pashmina shawl with modern geometric pattern JANUARY 2018

happenings

Capital Club unveils exciting 2018 roster

Pankaj Kathuria

Capital Club Bahrain has revealed many exciting plans for 2018. The Club will host an International Speaker Series and the speakers include Idriss Al Rifai, CEO of Fetchr, Ambareen Musa, CEO and founder of Souqalmal.com, and Pankaj Kathuria, Area Business Head of Mastercard’s newly formed Northern Gulf Cluster in the coming weeks.

The club has also launched the Signature Grill Menu by Head Chef Miklos Hübler of Hungary, to the media

Idriss Al Rifai

Ambareen Musa

recently.

Michelin star Chef Jonathan Berntsen’ s presence at Capital Club Bahrain is a part of Celebrity Chef Series, an initiative that began in mid-2016. Jonathan is the owner and head chef of Clou, a Gourmet restaurant in Copenhagen, where he mostly uses techniques of French, Italian and Spanish origin, though the restaurant also takes great pride in using the best of Nordic produce in its cooking.

Lions show community spirit Lions Club of Riffa in coordinated two community service projects 'Relieving the Hunger' campaign and Beach Clean-up at Buisateen. More than 100 joined in Beach Clean-up mainly students, to promote environmental consciousness in Bahrain. At 'Relieving the Hunger' campaign, 250 meals along

with soft drinks, fruit and sweets were distributed to worker on various sites in Seef area. This activity was undertaken to spread the message of “We Serve' and small way of saying thank you to the workers who are away from their families and appreciating their hard work.

57 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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salaam society Chef Jonathan Berntsen

youngistan

NMS- DPS showcases student creativity New Millennium School - DPS showcased the creativity of hundreds of their students in their grand Annual Day ceremony at which dances, songs and skits were performed. Awards were presented to the best students as well as long serving teachers and staff. The event saw the presence of Ambassador of India, Alok Kumar Sinha as the chief guest as well as the undersecretary of the Prime Minister's Court Ebrahim Al Dossary and other distinguished guests. Chairman Dr. Ravi Pillai and Managing Director Geetha Pillai were present to preside over the function.

58 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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salaam society

Pongal with the Bahrain Tamils Bahrain Tamil Community organized a grant Pongal festival. The traditional cultural show, the fun and games and the food was much appreciated by the guests.

youngistan

ISB celebrates Tamil Day The Indian School Bahrain(ISB) celebrated Tamil Day at its campus in Isa Town. The programme was organized by the school’s Tamil Department. The Tamil Day celebration was attended by Guests of Honour Bharathi Tamil Sagam Founder Mohammed Hussain Malim, Bharathi Tamil Sangam Former President Abdul Qaiyum,ISB EC Member Premalatha N.S,Principal VR Palaniswamy,Staff Representative Johnson K Devassy,Vice Principals,Head Teachers and students.

400 students were involved in the different competitions and on the stage show, 250 students performed in front of the audience of 600 students.

59 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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salaam society

Lohri 2018 in the desert The Punjabi harvest festival of Lohri coincides with the solar journey Northward. It was marked with typical Punjabi gusto by over 400 members and guests of Punjabis United in Bahrain (PUB) at a desert camp in Sakhir. The Lohri Mela 2018 saw the traditional bonfire and plenty of festive food. There was dancing and merriment by members. Chief Guest was Mohammed CC of the Southern Governorate office.

Event sponsors were 360 Realtors, Bhutani Infra, Malabar Gold, KIMS & Modern Exchange.

Did You Know?

Many Lohri songs sing about Muslim hero Dulla Bhatti who rescued girls from being sold into slavery. The songs especially sing about the dramatic rescue of two maidens Sundri & Mundri. Children go from house to house singing these songs and get snacks and money as gifts – just like Halloween!

Poorna brings Tamil TV stars for Jai Ho Republic Day Poorna Corp in association with Tamil Community is organizing a gala entertainment event on February 2 at the Indian Club, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. The programme, titled Jai Ho – Ponmalai Pozhudhu, will include a wide range of entertainment for the Tamil community.

A number of cultural performances will be staged and special appearances will be made by four dynamic artistes VIJAY TV fame, flown in especially for the occasion from India. They are Dhanasekaran Kuppusamy known by his stage name Mullai; Kothandan aka S R Kothandan and Naveen, all of whom have become famous on the

Naveen

Kothandam

Mullai

Kalakka Povathu Yaaru? TV show. The group also includes Maria Juliana aka Julie is a Big Boss 2017 Contestant, an Anchor in Kalaingar TV and nurse by profession and TV anchor and stage performer 60 SALAAM BAHRAIN

JANUARY 2018

Niharika

Julie

Pinky whose stage name is Niharika.

The programme chairman – Sivaramakrishnan said that the Tamil Community, expect to see around 2,000 + audience who will enjoy the show.

A PAACT with 2018 Palakkad Arts & Cultural theatre(PAACT) celebrated New Year Eve with a power-packed and colourful in all its glitz and glamour at Baan Saang Thai Hotel, Adliya. The entertaining programs were conceived, directed and executed by PAACT ‘s new gen members “Young Turks”. For the first time in PAACT’s history, programmes were fused completely with technologically supported visuals. There were Early Bird prizes, raffle draw prizes such as gold coins and valuable household items.

The highlight of the evening was the revealing of PAACT’s Dream Project - Membership Directory. The much awaited release was done by Dr Ranjit M.K., CEO of Fame Techonology & Solutions, Jyothykumar Menon(PAACT President) & Shivdas Nair(PAACT GS) in the presence of around 300 PAACT families. Dr Ranjit was honoured with a Ponnada by PAACT excom.

dining out

Kerala Sadhya at Delmon Hotel The traditional banana leaf Kerala Sadhya with its many items is well known in Bahrain, thanks to the Onam celebrations every year. However, now you don't have to wait for Onam, instead you can enjoy a tasty Kerala Sadhya every Friday at the Delmon International Hotel, Manama. Priced at just BD. 3 per person, it is served on a banana leaf with all the accompaniments and four sweet dishes, with the additional attraction of a non-vegetarian item option being available for those who eat meat or fish. The menu is rotational so every week there are different kinds of Kerala delicacies. The Kerala Sadhya is served at Cafe Saya in Delmon International Hotel and price for kids below the age of 8 is BD 1.900.

For bookings call 17224000

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Indu Bhatia and his family sit down for a lavish traditional teatime repast. Daughter in-law Pallavi says baking is preferred to deep frying these days.

A tale of two Sindhs There are more than two Sindhi cuisines actually – Muslim, Hindu and Bhatia! Surprised? Read on and get delicious facts.

The river Indus (a.k.a. Sindhu) is one of the mighty historic waterways of the Indian subcontinent.

Aptly, the communities living on the banks of the river were called Sindhi and have a rich cultural identity of their own. Their language and food were the most distinctive identifiers of their culture and they carried this everywhere.

Not many are aware that the Bhatia community, which is so respected and such an integral part of Bahrain is part of the global Sindhi diaspora. Although originally from Rajasthan, the Thattai Bhatia sub-sect settled in the Thatta region, now in Pakistan. From here, the Bhatia travelled all over the world from Karachi port, especially to Bahrain, then the pearling capital of the world. They were very strict about their food – as followers of the Bhakti sect, they were strict vegetarians who eschewed even onions and garlic.

When Bhatia men first came to

By MEERA RAVI & HINA ASAR

Bahrain and the Gulf, they would not even share the water and tea in Arab homes because of their vegetarianism and even cooked their meals themselves.

I once overheard a Bhatia businessman revealing that even though he has regular meals in five star hotels with his business associates, he never feels truly satisfied till he has had some tidbit of home food.

Once, when asked how Bhatia ladies were uniformly such good cooks, community elder Baboo Kewalram laughingly replied, “You see, by the time our men brought their womenfolk and families here, they were expert cooks themselves and the women had to keep up those standards!”

Meat matters But there are Sindhi Hindus and 62 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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Bhee or lotus stem is a rare Sindhi exotica that is prepared in many ways

cuisine Muslims who eat meat too. Their cuisine is influenced by Central Asian, South Asian and Middle Eastern food habits since armies and conquerors often passed through Sindh to reach India.

The arrival of Islam within South Asia brought Halal traditions and a ban on pork and alcohol. Muslim Sindhi foods are built around beef, lamb, chicken, fish, vegetables and traditional fruit and dairy. Hindu Sindhi cuisine is almost identical with the difference that beef is omitted.

Aruna Kailash Batra, a Pakistani Sindhi Hindu, explained, “Our cooking styles vary somewhat from Sindhi Muslims as we prefer vegetarian dishes and use a very limited amount of onion and garlic.

Pappad is a must-have with all our meals. A dish which is unique to Sindhis, so much that you can only find it in the villages and not even in towns in Sindh, is ‘Swanjaro’. It is made of small green colored flowers which are plucked before they flower. After cleaning and removing the stems, they are boiled till they become soft and the water is strained off.

In a separate vessel, tomatoes and onions ate sautéed and the boiled flowers are added along with spices and salt to taste”.

Pakistani Sindhi Muslim Fayaz Ahmed noted that breakfast dishes of the region are almost always heavy, especially in winter. “Busree, also called Lola by Hindus, is a sweet flat bread made with flour and jaggery. In winters, these are eaten piping hot with a blob of butter placed on the bread which melts on the surface imparting a delicate aroma”.

Meat dishes are cooked in ghee and served with various forms of bread like Naan, Rotis and Parathas. Dishes like the Sindhi Meat Nehari, Mutton Korma, Seekh Kabab and the famous Sindhi Biryani are relished by both Sindhis and non-Sindhis alike. Fayaz asserts, “The only two types of Biryanis which are famous world-wide for their authenticity are Sindhi and Hyderabadi biryani.

While Hyderabadi Biryani has colorful rice, our Sindhi Biryani uses a base of

Sudha Waghnani's

Sindhi Sai Bhaji Ingredients • 1 kg spinach • 2 tsp red chilly powder • 100 gms methi (fenugreek) leaves • 4 pieces onion, chopped • 250 gms chana dal • 1/2 kg tomato • 6 cloves of garlic • 2 tbsp cooking oil • 2 inches ginger piece • 5-6 pieces green chilly For seasoning • salt to taste • 1 tbsp cooking oil • 2 tsp turmeric powder • 1/2 tsps jeera • 4 tsp coriander powder • 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida • 1/4 tsp garam masala powder Preparation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Wash and chop the the spinach and methi leaves finely.

Soak the channa dal plenty of water for 20 minutes. Drain them before using.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pressure cooker.

Add the chopped garlic and green chilli to the oil.

Add the onions and stir-fry it until pinkish in colour.

Add chopped ginger and tomatoes to the mixture.

Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt, stir it well.

Add the soaked channa dal with the mixture.

Now add the spinach and methi leaves and mix it well on medium heat.

Add half cup of water to the mixture and close the cooker.

On medium heat, let the cooker whistle for 4-5 times.

Once done, open the cooker and mash it slightly.

For the tadka, in a separate pan add one tbsp oil and add half teaspoon jeera and 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida. Once crackled, add it to the sabzi and mix well.

Preferably serve with brown onion pulao or teri (sweet rice) and bughal bhee (lotus root sabzi)

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tomatoes and onions and the rice is uniformly white in color.

Another delicacy native to Sindh is Palli, which is made from the leaves of the chick-pea plant.

When cooked with fish indigenous to the Indus River like the hilsa, it is called “Machhli Palli”.

Simplicity The vegetarian Thattai Bhatia were strict about their culinary rules but practical too. Since Thatta is a semidesert region, hot and humid, they devised cooking processes that meant short periods in hot kitchens. The use of fresh vegetables and lentils using minimum spices and cooked delicately kept the flavour of the food intact. The Bhatia also omitted the use of pungent onion and garlic and other strong spices or smells in their food since the food was first offered to the gods (‘Bhog Dharanu’) and needed to be pleasing to the senses – smell, eyes and taste. The food offered is then taken away by snapping the fingers twice to tell God that it is being distributed to the family members as sacred offering.

According to old-timers, when Bhatia people first came to the Gulf, fresh vegetables and lentils were scarce. They used dried vegetables and developed stronger flavouring with more spices to offset the lack of freshness.

Bhatia food is very tasty and delicately balanced on the scales of just a couple

Indus river fish is a star of non-vegetarian Sindhi menus

Aloo Tuk

of spices. A pinch of asafoetida (hing) is added in the tempering to impart a unique flavor and to aid in digestion.

Royal repast A typical Bhatia breakfast is rich and fit for a king – calorie-wise!

Dishes such as Koki, besani, methi puri etc. which use oil and ghee liberally. A typical heavy breakfast favourite is the evergreen ‘Puri Batata’ (deep fried Indian bread with fried potatoes sprinkled with salt and red chilli powder). Other breakfast regulars are Koki (roasted flat bread liberally endowed with ghee) and Daal Pakwan (spicy lentils with crisply fried bread) are favorites of young and old.

Other accompaniments include brinjals, green chilles and papads – yes, all of them deep fried. With the awareness of healthy diets, the modern generation of Bhatia ladies endeavors to keep the oils to the minimum while not compromising on the taste.

Pallavi Bhatia, one of the new gen ladies explains, “There is no doubt that we have a wide variety of traditional food from breakfast to desserts – some of which do use fats and oils to prepare.

However, in today’s lifestyle we have to incorporate healthier options within our traditional diet. Puri Batata is relished in our house by all age groups, from my father-in-law aged 80, to my youngest daughter aged 11. To meet everyone’s health requ-irements, instead of deep frying, we try to bake wherever possible. The traditional methi puri and besani, which used to be fried earlier, is now baked in many 64 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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households. Traditions do carry on, but with alterations to incorporate the health aspect without sacrificing the taste component”.

Comparatively, lunch is a light meal, comprising of rice, rotis, a lentil curry and a vegetable, topped by curd or buttermilk in the summers. Vegetables are prepared in an iron vessel (kadhai) to impart color, flavor and iron to the food.

In spite of being mainly vegetarians, all the required nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, calcium and iron are provided in this composite meal.

Sudha Waghnani reveals, “A popular and healthy meal which is prepared for lunch is Sai Bhaji Chawal ( white steamed rice served with spinach tempered with tomatoes, onion and garlic). Spinach is loaded with tons of nutrients. It is rich in Vitamin A, C and K and an excellent source of iron, folic acid and Omega 3 fatty acids. Channa Daal is high in fibre and helps to lower cholesterol. It is a rich source of protein, zinc and calcium.

It can be teamed with either plain rice or

Sole Distributors:

V.M & Bros. Co. W.L.L.

Building 2367, Road 1532, Block 115, Bahrain Investment Wharf, HIDD Industrial Area, Kingdom of Bahrain. www.vmbros.com

Jyoti A. Asar's

Sindhi Curry (Kadhi) Ingredients • 1 pinch asafoetida • 1 tsp mustard seeds • 1 -2 tsp cumin 1 • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds • 3-4 pieces of dried red chilies • 5 sprigs curry leaves, • 6 pieces kokam flowers • 2 tsp jaggery • 2 tsp whole moong • 12 pieces dried white chickpeas • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder • Salt to taste

• 2 tsp oil • 2 litres of water or as required • 4 tsp chickpea flour (besan) • 5 pieces of cut drumstick • 10 pieces of cluster beans • 8 pieces of cut okra • 8 pieces of chopped potatoes • 4 pieces chopped yam (suran) • 6 pieces of cut raw banana • 2 tsp ginger • 6-8 pieces green chilies • 4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Preparation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Soak the chickpeas overnight.

Mix chickpea flour (besan) with half liter water for batter.

For Tarka: Take a deep pan heat the oil, add fenugreek seeds, cumin, mustard seeds and let them splutter.

Add dried Red chilies and Curry leaves along with asafetida. Cook for two minutes.

Add the Cluster beans, soaked chick peas and yam and cook for another two minutes.

Now pour the batter in the cooked Tarka.

Add rest of the water along with kokam and bring to boil on high flame.

Then add salt, turmeric, jaggery, whole moong, drumstick, potatoes, green chilies, and ginger. Let it boil for 30 minutes.

9 Finally add banana and let it boil for 5 minutes. Garnish the curry with coriander leaves.

10 Served best with tuvar dal topping on rice.

Tairi (sweeted rice, richly garnished with saffron)”.

Catering classics No article on Bhatia cuisine can be complete without the mention of the traditional curry (kadhi). According to ‘Panja Khada’ (translated as ‘Our Cuisine’), the first and only book showcasing Bhatia meals, not just preparing but consuming the curry is also an art in itself and may require some expert guidance as some

ingredients are put to add flavor and should not be eaten.

Another interesting fact about curry preparation is that the spicier the tempering (vagaar), and the more one sneezes, it is considered that the curry will turn out yummy! Curry consists of a spicy gravy made from chickpea flour along with vegetables like potatoes, ladyfinger, yam, banana and even the banana peel which is then removed before serving.

It is a shame that there are no restaurants catering to this cuisine except Asha’s 66 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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Koki, a lentil flatbread

cuisine Restaurant, which offers Sindhi kadhi on their menu on weekends. One expert is home-maker Jyoti Asar, whose Sindhi Kadhi is famous for its delicious flavour.

These days, lucky gourmets can explore Sindhi classics through an enterprising Bahraini catering operation called Swalty Candy. Run by a popular trio of mother, daughter-in-law and daughter, the team of Mala Bhatia, Amrita and Shweta, does a great job in popularizing the traditional dishes.

Amrita Bhatia says, “We work as a team and jobs are divided so each person plays their role, be it procurement of raw material, preparation of the items and marketing them.

Orders are prepared freshly and customized according to the taste of the client. The

men of the house are also very motivating and give us lots of ideas!”

Well, they would, considering they get to eat lots of yummy dishes every day!

Swalty Candy best-sellers are the soft melt-in-your-mouth Dahi Vadas topped with sweet curd and spicy tamarind chutney in the summers and piping hot Aloo Kachoris with spicy mint-garnished potato stuffing in the winters. Amrita adds, “Personally I prefer my food with a hint of onion and garlic but traditionally that is not practiced. I have learnt the art of cooking from mom and adapted all her teachings in my cooking style.”

Value chain Indian Sindhi families impart their own touch to the culinary style they share with their counterparts across the

border. Indian Sindhis prefer their food to be hot and spicy and hence dishes like Begharay Baingan ( spicy brinjal puree) and Taley Huye Mirch (stuffed fried chillies) are relished.

No waste There is a lot more to Sindhi cuisine and food connoisseurs would do well to explore the incredible variety of items that can be made. Sindhis being a displaced community learnt to value what was available to them and never let anything go waste. Sindhi chef Vicky Ratnani sums it up very aptly, when he says that the lotus plant, grown in northern Sind (called Bhee) is an example of the maximum use of resources which is practiced by the community. Every part of the plant, be it the flower, the

Swalty Candy's

Malpua Malpua is a sweet, succulently soft pancake drenched in sugar syrup or dusted with powdered sugar. It is a Sindhi​ community favourite for the Cheti Chand festival which marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year for the Sindhi Hindus. Although not on Swalty Candy's list of delicacies, these enterprising ladies can surely whip up a special batch for you Ingredients • ​• ​• ​• ​• ​• ​• •

1 cup wholewheat flour 1/2 cup S​ ugar 2 tbsp g​hee ( for dough) + 4 tbsp (for shallow frying) 2 to 3 peppercorns (coarsely ground) 4 tbsp powdered sugar (for garnish) 2-3 blanched, sliced ​al​monds, sliced p​istachio (for garnish) 1/2 tsp p​oppy seeds – ½ tsp. (optional) Water / Milk - for the dough

Tip : Malpua can be eaten plain or with roasted papad.

Preparation 1 In a separate bowl mix whole wheat flour ,sugar,ghee,ground peppercorns ,and poppy seeds.

2 Add water to the mixture to make a thick batter.

3 Heat a ​wok on a medium flame. Spread the batter evenly .

Place ghee on the edges of the Malpua and shallow fry on both sides till it is golden brown in colour.

4 When done, remove and immediately sprinkle powdered sugar evenly on the Malpua.

5 Garnish with chopped pistachio and almonds. Serve piping hot.

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cuisine stem, the bud, the pods and even the seeds within them are used in various dishes.

The Bhatias use it extensively – in vegetables, in curry, in homemade pickles, fresh chopped and fried, and

sun dried and fried as a snack – the possibilities are endless. This attitude of ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ is probably the reason behind the success of these communities in attaining success in the face of overwhelming adversities.

Since there are no real catering options for Sindhi food, we’ve got some recipes from experts for you to try. Have a taste of the Two Sindhs and relish the delicious and delicate tast of this adventurous community.

Fayaz Ahmed Awan's

Sindhi Biriyani Ingredients • 1/2 kg chicken or mutton cut ups • 4 cups, long grained basmati rice • 1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter) or sunflower oil • 4 medium potatoes, peeled,cut in half • 2 large onions, sliced • 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste • 3 medium sized tomatoes, diced • 12 to 14 prunes (dry plums/aloo Bukhara) • Salt to taste

• 3 to 4 tsp teaspoons red chilli powder • 1 teaspoon turmeric • 6-7 cloves • Seeds from 8-10 green cardamoms • 3 black cardamoms • 8-10 peppercorns • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds • 2-3 cinnamon sticks • 2-3 bay leaves

• • • • •

1 cup sour yogurt 1/4 cup lemon juice 3-4 cup fresh mint leaves 6 to 8 green chilies, chopped Saffron or Orange food colour (a pinch) • 2 tsp kewra essence (available in Indian or Pakistani stores)

Preparation 1 Heat 1/4 cup oil in a deep pan. Add onions and fry till golden and crisp. Scoop out half of the onions and set aside for garnishing.

2 Add meat (chicken/mutton) to the fried onions in the pan. Add ginger garlic paste, 1 teaspoon salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, cloves, half of green cardamom seeds, 1 black cardamom, 1 stick cinnamon, cumin seeds, 1 bay leaf and yogurt. Sauté for 5 minutes on medium high heat.

3 Reduce heat, add tomatoes and 1 cup water for mutton, 1/2 cup for chicken. Cover the pan and let it cook till the meat is half done. Add prunes and potatoes, add a little more water if required. Keep cooking covered on low heat till the meat and potatoes are done. Add lemon juice and cook another 5 minutes or till the liquids are completely dried out.

4 Meanwhile, boil rice in salted boiling water with remaining green cardamom seeds, 2 black cardamoms , 2 bay leaves and 2 sticks of cinnamon. Cook the rice till they are 3/4 percent done since the rice will cook completely in the dum phase. Drain the rice and set aside.

5 For layering the biryani, always use a big pot with flat bottom and wide mouth for even heat distribution, proper layering and easy mixing.

6 In a big wide pot, add the remaining oil/desi ghee. Layer the pot with rice, topping with a layer of biryani meat, potatoes and masala, adding a second layer of rice and masala, end with a third layer of rice on top.

7 Garnish the pot with caramelised onions, half of mint, green chillies, saffron or yellow food colour. Wrap the lid of the pan in a clean cotton kitchen towel. Tightly shut the lid. Put the pot on medium high heat for 5 minutes then reduce the heat to lowest possible for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave to rest for another 10 minutes.

8 Mix with a flat stirring spoon or saucer to avoid breaking the rice. Serve hot garnished with more fresh mint leaves. Tastes great with simple cumin yogurt raita and fresh salad.

Sole Distributors:

V.M & Bros. Co. W.L.L.

Building 2367, Road 1532, Block 115, Bahrain Investment Wharf, HIDD Industrial Area, Kingdom of Bahrain. www.vmbros.com

youngistan

N-Day ‘heartbeat’ at NIS The students of New Indian School formed a giant heart to express their love for Bahrain on National Day. With patriotic songs, the unfurling of the Bahrain flag and special assemblies, the mood was festive. Present were Chairman T.T. Thomas, Director Dr. V. Gopalan, Principal Mr. Gopinanth Menon and Vice Principal Dr. George Mathew as well as faculty and staff of the school. The students were guided on love and service as a duty towards the Kingdom by speeches and activities in the special assemblies.

ISB Class of 2018 bids farewell

Like Prom Night and Graduation in the West, bidding farewell to the outgoing Class of XII is an emotional tradition in Indian schools. At the end of 2017, the​ students,staff and management of the Indian School Bahrain (ISB) bid farewell to the outgoing students of class XII yesterday. The farewell was organized by class XI students, who gave their best wishes to their seniors.

The fantasy backdrop of the swooping falcon and the white and black streamers were a perfect foil to the colourful

outfits of the students.​​It was an occasion for the outgoing students to look back at the time that they spent in the campus and the quality education that they acquired during the period.

ISB Chairman Prince S Natarajan said, “I am proud of your many achievements over the years, your various accomplishments in almost all curriculum and extra curriculum activities. Your brilliant achievements in academic discourse and in sports are indeed acknowledged,”.

Principal VR Palaniswamy said that this was one of the best batches of class XII in recent times and wished them all success in their higher studies. ‘I hope the outgoing students will bring laurels to the school after the results’, VR Palaniswamy said.

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CBSC celebrations at Al Noor The CBSE Section of Al Noor International School celebrated its 24th Annual Day on with great zest and enthusiasm were students of all age groups showcased their talents through various entertainments. Ambassador of India Alok Kumar Sinha was the Chief Guest. The School Chairman Ali Hasan, School Director Dr. Muhammad Mashood, Principal Amin Mohammed Hulaiwah, Head Teachers of the various sections, officials from the Ministry of Education, Parents and prominent members of the Bahrain community were among those present.

Al Noor’s N-Day joy Al Noor International School celebrated Bahrain’s 46th National Day just before the winter break with students, faculty and management joining in the red-and-white mood. More than 5000 students from all the Sections participated in the celebration Various national dance performances, songs and lively displays, aimed at stimulating students’ love, admiration and patriotism towards Bahrain were performed. Present on the occasion were the school Chairman Ali Hasan, Director Muhammad Mashood, Principal Amin Mohammaed Ahmed Hulaiwah, the Head Teachers of the different sections of the school, coordinators, teachers and students.

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enterprise

Bahrain’s own Boulevard Circus hits the high-wire Owning a circus is every boy and girl’s dream – and Bahrain’s Fawaz Baqer shows the way

Look! Up there above your head.. is it a congregation of superheroes?

Well, in a way it is..after all, these performers of Bahrain’s very own Boulevard Circus have extraordinary acrobatic skills, they are dazzling knife-throwers, quick-change artists who can change from a black tuxedo three-piece to a cherry-red suit and trousers in five seconds flat and clowns who can light up kids’ faces with a grin.

And not a single animal in sight.

Following in the footsteps of some of the great people-only performing acts like Le Cirque Du Soleil, Bahraini Fawaz Baqer has put together a stellar cast of 25 performers from Russia, Ukraine, China, and Egypt to realize his dream of a circus for Bahrain.

children in the audience,” says the founder-curator of the Boulevard Circus, Fawaz Baqer, “Not only are we awed by the skills and magical talent of the performers, we are also humbled by their amazing acts of daring. I believe that a circus offers excellent family entertainment and will be a great

Thrills & grins “A visit to the circus pampers the child inside us all and thrills the 72 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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By KASHMEERA S. boost for Bahrain’s ambitious tourism plans.”

Baqer first thought of the idea of a home-grown circus brand for Bahrain during his college days in New York City, circa 2002. “I was astounded by the many talented people who performed in the streets of New York. I realized that every person has an inborn talent, but many don’t get access to opportunities where they can showcase their skills or a platform and mentor to encourage them. I started thinking about setting up a circus and started gathering information on how to set up a circus for Bahrain.”

One thing that Baqer was clear about was that his circus would not support animal acts. “Animals also have emotions like us but not the power and logic to govern them.

Even if they get training, one never knows when an animal can change its behavior and attack people

around it,” he explained.

Besides, the whole concept of tigers leaping through hoops of fire, elephants balancing on balls and dancing dogs is…so 1930s!

Contemperory Circus What Baqer has tried to do is create a contemporary circus that pays homage to the incredible talent of his human performers.

Take the knife-throwing act by Egyptian Hassan–with panache, he throws his knives at his partner, the fair Titania who is the target on a giant dart board. As if this weren’t thrilling enough, he repeats the act

blindfolded! To show you that the success lies in his aim, he even invites members of the audience to be his target! We were also intrigued by the costume-changing duo, Arkadii and Alona , who changed elaborate costumes in less than 10 seconds within a cloth hoop.

Boulevard Circus is the result of 2 years of hard work by Baqer, who visited circuses in Egypt, Russia and England before teaming up with veteran entertainment impresario Ahmed Emam. Formally launched under the patronage of the Capital Governor Shaikh Hisham bin Abdul Rahman Al Khalifa, this Bahrainborn circus has created such a stir, that even His Highness Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa has expressed his desire to see the circus succeed and continue next year too.

Persuasive “One of the big challenges that I faced in assembling my performing team was not which acts I should choose but that nobody knew about Bahrain. To convince anyone about anything is an art, and this comes only to those who have profound knowledge of what they want. I had to tell them about Bahrain and its positive features and persuade them.”

Baqer said the tourism authorities

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PLEASE DO VISIT: The Boulevard Circus will run till April 28 and tickets are priced at BD4 per person for regular tickets, and BD8 per person for VIP tickets.

Two daily shows will be available to the public, starting at 4:30pm and 6:30pm each weekday, and at 5pm and 7pm on weekends. The Big Top of the circus is unmistakably located in the Al Fateh Corniche.

The acts change every three weeks so you can visit again and again to renew the magic!

led by BTEA CEO Sheikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa had raised the bar for Bahrain tourism awareness and this helped him to go ahead with his plan to start the circus through his company, Hano Events.

The performers who had no idea about Bahrain, today feel jubilant to be performing in this part of the world. Future plans include a tour that takes the circus to likely spread to Oman, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Let’s high-five the high-wire at the Boulevard Circus, Bahrain’s own Big Top.

celeb chakker

Was 2017 the Year of the Untrolled?

Parvathi

2017 ended on a high note of self-esteem for women in cinema despite some ugly turns . In fact, actresses proved their courage by facing up to the misogyny and sexual threats of not just actors but also their hoards of fans! Take the case of awardwinning Malayalam actress Parvathy – she was trolled and threatened with rape by fans for terming as “misogynistic” some dialogues in a film starring top actor Mammootty.

Mammukka fans even ran a campaign to boycott her next film with Prithviraj.

Not one to be cowed down, Parvathy complained to police with screen grabs of the threats and two men were arrested by the end of December.

Similarly, journalist Dhanya Rajendran was trolled and threatened for a tweet in which she said she had walked out of Vijay movie Sura. She took to social media and raised a hue and cry till actor Vijay himself

Dhanya

Chinmayee

publicly appealed to his fans to stop the trolling.

Interestingly, the male actors do not come out in support of their female colleagues until they are forced by public opinion to do so! It is this disgusting attitude that allows actors like Dileep to get involved in allegedly planning the sexual assault of an actress.

In March this year, popular South Indian singer Chinmayee was in news for speaking up against online trolls and rape threats. She started an online petition urging Twitter to “clean up its act” and show “zero tolerance” to rape threats on its platform by shutting down abusive accounts en masse.

In 48 hours, her petition hosted on Change.org, garnered 40,000 signatures.

Chinmayee, known for her songs in South Indian and Bollywood films like Guru, Chennai Express and Two States, has herself been a victim of abuses on Twitter.

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“It has been four years since I faced rape threats on Twitter, but the situation today is the same, if not more vicious for women.

I continue to get rape threats, if people disagree with my views,” she said, “I am deeply disturbed by the unrelenting use of terms such as rape or gang rape or acid attack on Twitter, to intimidate women for holding a contrarian view.”

In this context, a new show called Troll Police is all set to address the issue of cyber-bullying and makes trolls accountable for their online behaviour by bringing the celebrity ‘victim’ and the troll face to face.

The first episode will see Taapsee Pannu taking on Ashish, a student from Lucknow who’s been trolling her on social media.

When the actress had posted pictures of herself in a floral bikini before the release of Judwaa 2, Ashish had not only commented on her attire but also compared her to a porn star!

Bad Taste Blooper

Taapsee Vidya Balan as Madhavikutty

“I think with the power that social media has given us, it is so easy to mock someone nowadays.

What people don’t understand is that it can genuinely crush someone’s confidence. Just because a female does not abide by the conventional rules, people like to call her names which is highly upsetting. I want to convey the message through the show to youngsters out there — do not use internet anonymity to shed the veneer of decency,” says Taapsee.

When she met Ashish, she said, “It’s humiliating! After achieving so much for yourself as an independent woman, this is how you get appreciated by the men of our society. After reading all these comments, sometimes I feel that I have opted for the wrong profession.

Going forward, if you see any of your friend or relative trolling someone, then please share this experience with them.”

Filmmaker Kamal who is making a biopic Aami based on the life of the magnificent poet Kamala Das, first chose Vidya Balan for the role and later opted for Manju Warrier – both very talented actresses. But he put his foot in his mouth when he took a sly dig at Vidya’s superhit movie Dirty Picture, saying that if the Bollywood actress had been the lead of his film, it would have been high on sexual content.

Quite rightly, Malayalam fans of Kamala Das, Manju Warrier and Vidya Balan were offended and took to social media to take down the director.

Wow! It takes rare talent to offend so many people in one go!

Manju Warrier as the poetess 75 SALAAM BAHRAIN

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celeb chakker

Asha reveals big love affair

What a difference between the two yesteryear glamour girls and today’s besties Waheeda Rehman and Asha Parekh! While Waheeda remains mum about her alleged affair with Guru Dutt, claiming they were just director and actress who shared a unique on-screen rapport, Asha Parekh has no such reservations.

During the publicity drive for her memoir, Asha Parekh was asked about her romance with director Nasir Hussain. “I’m human too. I did fall in love,” she said, softly adding, “Yes, Nasir saab was the only man I ever loved.”

Take a look!

Don’t you think Manisha Koirala has NAILED the Nargis Dutt look? The actress will be acting as Nargis in the biopic Sunju about Sanjay Dutt.

Ranbir Kapoor has taken a lot of effort to get Sanjay Dutt’s body language and the hulking presence right – now it seems Manisha too has succeeded.

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She continued, “I was enamoured by him. I loved him. But it was not meant to be. I didn’t want the tag of a ‘home-breaker’ so I never considered marriage with him.”

In fact, so dignified was her position in the married filmmaker’s life, that his daughter Nuzhat and son and actor Imran Khan even attended Asha’s book launch.

“Love in those days was hidden.

There was a pardah. Sachai thi, depth thi. But today there’s no therav. Today we have become so practical, that we have lost out on emotion,” she reflects.

Today the actress is at peace with herself. She is very close to her peers Waheeda Rehman and Helen and misses the other top heroine Nanda tremendously since her sudden death in 2014. Her passion for growing orchids and interior décor is also well-known.

Quote of the Month “Do hi jan reh gae the yaar, kitna ladenge (We were just the two of us, how much can we fight)? Even at the party, we were very cool and I was chatting with her brother. Aunty (Shilpa’s mother) was very nice to me. It’s all cool, it just a game.

What is important is what we learnt and earned from the experience.”

- Hina Khan

Hina Khan

Hina Khan, the first runner-up in the hotly fought Bigg Boss reality show, lost the top prize to Shilpa Shinde and the fallout of their bitter quarrels are still trending. But the TV star won hearts when her realistic perspective

contrasted so sharply with winner Shilpa’s. While Shilpa said she would never want to meet Hina again, the latter’s post-BB quote was forgiving and the epitome of cool.

Hina’s played Mrs. Perfect for nearly eight years, as Akshara in the daily soap Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. So, it got a little tough for fans of her ‘good girl image’ to accept a cunning and a manipulative Hina which otherwise was a part of her game plan like many other celebrities who have been on the controversial reality TV show. But the lass has bounced back with her closing quote!

Shilpa Shinde

Shruti's love-pad Shruti Haasan is known for her funky sense of style and her Mumbai apartment that had a pink piano was the talk of the celebrity social circles. Now, in her fancy London love-pad that she shares with Brit actor boyfriend Michael Corsale, we hear from her close pal, she has some really fancy artefacts, including a spike-studded mirror and a gothic statement piece.

Meanwhile, photos are popping up online of Shruti and Michael with her parents Sarika in Mumbai and Kamal Haasan in Chennai. Hmm, do we hear wedding bells?

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meera ravi

editor's view

It was a pre-dawn ride from the airport and the pearly skies over Muharraq and Manama showed the newly-transformed skyline of the Kingdom. I always get sentimental about how much Bahrain changes each year and the progress every skyscraper represents and this morning was no different.

The taxi-driver was in a talkative mood despite the hour and got quite excited when we told him our destination. He knew the area like the back of his hand, he said. It had been his home since childhood – in fact, he still lived round the corner from our home.

But the locality had changed for his children and grandchildren, he said. By then we had reached the outskirts of what we considered ‘our’ neighbourhood.

He waved his hand at the slowly emerging buildings and office blocks, saying regretfully that these grounds used to be date palm plantations where he and his friends ran free and even helped to harvest the dates during the season.

That corner there used to be a summer palace of the royal family but it now housed a private office building and further down the road was a small pool fed by an underwater spring where they used to cool off in the summer.

All gone, he sighed. Now we have nice black roads winding through the memories, the date plantations have been reduced to an ornamental stand of trees and the sea that used to be within walking distance of his village is now a dusty drive away.

Well, you can imagine how we felt. Our pride in our upscale district was quite dented and we felt like cruel usurpers of a way of life. We had been given a glimpse of the past and its loveliness had left its mark on us. As we got out of the taxi, we looked around and could almost feel the bygone tranquillity that he had spoken about.

It’s the same when we go back home, you know. Except that at home, we are the tellers of tales past, pointing out to blank-eyed houses where we met friends and complaining about the traffic in our once-quiet streets.

But then, when such moments threaten to overwhelm us, sensibility steps in with its partner, practicality. After all, even if there was a chance of continuing to live in a traditional house, would we enjoy a Bahrain summer sans air-conditioning and tap water? Progress is a cruel mistress, she exacts a price for every step forward.

The world is spinning faster than before, hypothetically speaking. We need to consciously pause, revel in the memories of better times but let’s not slip into ‘anec-dotage’ and get unnecessarily sentimental about the past. Bricks and stones may build our homes but quality of life depends on so much more – our freedom, the respect we get, the opportunity to contribute to the world. And of that we get so much in Bahrain.

Come to think of it, ours is as charmed a life as my taxi-driver’s, isn’t it?

78 SALAAM BAHRAIN

JANUARY 2018