NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
M A Y
2 0 1 3
News From
SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL Of MADURAI
Soroptimist International is a worldwide service organization for women. We are committed to a world where women and girls together achieve their individual and collective potential, realize aspirations and have an equal voice in creating strong, peaceful communities worldwide. Soroptimists inspire action and create opportunities to transform the lives of women and girls through a global network of nearly 90,000 members in over 3,000 Clubs, in 126 countries. SI Madurai is affiliated to Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI). It was chartered in 2009 and has been actively conducting various campaigns and projects to improve the life of women and girls as per the needs of the local community.
www.sigbi.org
Madurai
www.simadurai.com
Projects & Events from November 2012 to June 2013 Life After 40 Workshop
Launch of New Website
Musical Evening in March
Diwali Cheer Project
Culinary Demonstration
Eye Camp at Hospice Centre
Music Therapy Workshop
Better Skills, Brighter Future
Playtime Pals
Membership Drive
Fun & Fellowship Dinner
Happy Holidays Kalikappen!
Life Saving Skills
Medical Camp for Girls
1
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Hello, It has been one year since I was appointed president of SI Madurai. While the time has almost come for me to step down and welcome the new team, I would like to place on record via this newsletter - all the work, time and ideas that each member has bought to the team during the period of November 2012 to June 2013. The purpose of this newsletter however, is not only to shine a little light on each members effort, it is also to share ideas with SI clubs and raise awareness about what is being done and what more can be done to progress towards our common goal of supporting women and girls and creating better communities. Recently, I came across a TEDx video by an American writer Ronna Detrick, who passionately spoke about the connection between faith and its influence on women‟s empowerment. It was an interesting perspective that made me think: in the Indian context, where a large part of the population is influenced by a religion where the wisdom, beauty and power of the Goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga are praised in prayer, song, dance, film and theatre, why are women overshadowed? Of course not all of the societal oppression of women can be related to this perspective, but seeing media reports of the incidences of violence against women and discrimination in not only weaker sections of society, but also sections of society that are educated and wealthy can be depressing. It is even more upsetting to know there are hundreds more of such incidents occurring in every part of the country which go unreported. The stories of these innocent women and girls remain unheard. However as Soroptimists, I feel it is our duty to rise up against emotions and statistics and focus on the opportunities we have to help women in need. Most importantly we must make efforts to change the mindsets of people. Urge them to do it for the sake of the women in their own lives – the daughters, the mothers…the sisters…the friblings (friends like siblings)…the wives..the girlfriends...the aunts…the nieces…the grand-somethings… The journey of SI Madurai this year, has been exciting and fulfilling but not without obstacles. While many projects blossomed with good results, there are also some that never took off, some that took off but crash landed and some that are still work in progress. However, I am happy to report that this year we successfully conducted a life saving skills workshop, a self defense demonstration, a skill-share program, two free medical camps, a music therapy workshop, an art workshop for girls, a donation drive benefitting the Thiyagam trust and a public rally to discourage honking. This year was special for SI Madurai as it also saw the opening of the Cosmo Green Park in the city. Scholarships were given to 14 girls to complete their higher education under the newly established program: „SI Madurai Fund for Empowerment through Education.‟. I cannot emphasize enough on the contributions made by each member in spite of their busy professional schedules. Many of our projects were collaborations and thanks to the smooth coordination that our members exhibited, the results were very satisfying. It was encouraging to see members taking initiative to bring new project ideas, sponsor gifts, donate towards a cause and even just provide support by showing up to meetings and projects in full force! 1. I‟d like to thank SI Madurai for this wonderful opportunity and wish the incoming officers all the best. I have full confidence that the new team will continue to support the organization in its effort to have a meaningful impact in all its key program areas: Economic Empowerment, Environmental Sustainability, Food Security and Healthcare, Learning Opportunities, Violence and Conflict Resolution. Signing off with a salute to fellow Soroptimists around the world for inspiring us with the wonderful work they do, Divya Gupta President SI Madurai (2012-2013) Spreading smiles at Kalikappen Village School
2
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Life After 40 Unless you are one of those (very few) women has gotten lucky in the genetic lottery, staying fit takes effort. We called in the experts to show us what exactly we need to do to add years to our life and life to our years. At the „Life after 40‟ event organized by SI Madurai, our Member Dr. Sudha Dheep conducted a presentation and short seminar that underlined the fact that fitness after 40 doesn‟t have to be so daunting. She talked about health issues for women over 40, preventive measures, exercise, dealing with stress, lifestyle management etc. Thanks to her crisp, clear and to-the-point style, she was rewarded with a flurry of questions from our audience of 15-20 very attentive ladies. The size of group helped make a real difference to each and every attendee – apart from having more time to address each ones questions, a good comfort level was maintained as the session got more interactive. Following the presentation and the Q+A round, a talk on the benefits of yoga for women over 40 was given by Mr. Yashpal from the Sivananda Yoga Center Madurai, along with our member Gaurie Gupta, who demonstrated the hatha yoga postures. The central theme of Sivananda Yoga was discussed, i.e. Proper Exercise, Proper Breathing, Proper Relaxation, Proper Diet, Positive Thinking & Meditation. Talk & demos aside, the key point of the workshop was also motivating women to start a healthier lifestyle from this moment onwards. You know how they say – whether you‟re a fresh college grad or a loveable grandma, the moment to launch your lifetime fitness plan is NOW!
Travels
Divya Gupta & Gaurie Gupta attended the NASI AGM in Mumbai
Anitha Rajarajan, Rukmini Palanivel Rajan, Divya Gupta & Gaurie Gupta Attended SI Chennai member Naina Shah‟s daughter‟s wedding in Chennai 3
Anitha Rajarajan attended a meeting of the SI Brisbane Water in Australia
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Diwali Cheer Project From an article in The Telegraph, about charity, giving and good karma: According to Dr David Hamilton, (author of Why Kindness is Good for You) when you do something for someone else, your brain produces a hormone called „Dopamine‟ which makes you feel happy, and gives you (in addition to the „warm glow‟), the feeling that what you are doing is right. While you are still deciding whether that‟s a powerful new theory or just pop psychology, here‟s what we did to spread that warm fuzzy feeling during the Diwali Season in November 2012. SI Members Divya Gupta, Sabina Ali, Dr. Sudha Dheep, Dr. Manju & Gaurie Gupta shuttled around the city in a car full of goodies – biscuits, cakes, juice packets, candy, pencil boxes, coloring pencils, erasers etc. – one of each packed neatly in little paper bags. Our first stop was the school at our adopted village of Kalikappen. We had also invited with us Ms. Shobana (storyteller), to tell the children the story of Diwali – the festival of lights. “We celebrate Diwali to mark the return of Lord Rama and His wife Sita to Rama's kingdom after fourteen years of exile…” she started and the little members of our audience were completely enthralled. SI Members spent some more time with the kids singing songs and playing games and also teaching them about various parts of our country. The children who are now familiar with the members were overjoyed to see us again and have a small celebration with us before the beginning of their festive holiday. Following this, there was a repeat performance of the activity at 3 more places - a crèche run by one of our members – Ms. Valli Annamalai, at Anbagam school for the disabled and at Balwadi (an Indian Preschool run in rural areas). The children happily dug into their paper bags and let out squeals of delight as they discovered each item. The enthusiastic smiles, waves and “thank yous” of 500 children definitely got our Dopamine flowing, making us giddy with delight! All gifts were sponsored by SI Members Ms. Jeyanthi Annamalai, Ms. Divya Gupta & Dr. Sudha Dheep
Orange Creamsicles Ingredients:
Method:
1 cup orange juice (fresh or tetra pack) 1 cup heavy cream (or melted vanilla ice cream) 3 TBSP. honey 1/4 TSP. orange extract 1/2 TSP. vanilla extract
Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl Pour mixture into popsicle/ kulfi molds. Let set for 30-60 minutes, then add popsicle/ ice cream sticks. Freeze for another 4-6 hours or until frozen. When you're ready to serve, run some warm water along the mold to loosen & serve immediately.
Prep time: 5 mins / Cook time: 6 hours 4
As the temperature around you soars, cool off with this easy breezy, sunny recipe!
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Membership Drive On the 28th of November a meeting was hosted by SI Sisters Dr. Uma Kannan & Dr. Rohini Shridhar. The bright and sunny day was apt for a discussion about Vitamin D – the sunshine vitamin. In a talk given by Dr. Rohini, she enlightened us about the importance of Vitamin D for the absorption of Calcium in our body. She mentioned that sunlight was the best natural source of Vitamin D. Following the talk, she also offered to help SI members test their Vitamin D levels. The event was held at the beautiful lawns at Dr. Uma‟s residence. The guests of honor were Ms Marion Bolam and Mr. Alan Cope who were visiting us from the UK. They especially enjoyed the traditional welcome with flower garlands and the vegetarian dinner! This meeting also served as a membership drive for SI Madurai. The members brought along with them their guests/ prospective members who keenly watched the presentation on past and present SI projects (presented by Dr. Manju). Overall, it was yet another a fun and fruitful evening to add to SI Madurai‟s growing list of memorable events!
Launch of New SI Madurai Website We are excited to announce the Launch of our newly redesigned website, residing at the same domain: www.simadurai.com. We have completely redesigned our layout with simplicity, ease of use, and a strong focus on content delivery in mind. A few of our goals with the new website were to make it faster, easier to navigate for users, and easier for us to manage/update. Most of all, we wanted to help people – internally -members within Soroptimist International as well externally potential donors, press, general public, prospective members etc. -- to get to know our organization better. The site‟s homepage welcomes visitors with bold colors, a clean uncluttered design and branches into simple pages describing SI Madurai, our projects, a photo showcase and details on how to get in touch with us. The website was re-designed by Gaurie Gupta, Special Thanks to Dr. Uma Kannan for sponsoring the web pace and Sabina Ali for coordinating the content. Browse and take a look at our new features: www.simadurai.com
SI Madurai Woman of the Year 2013 Every year, SI Madurai honors a woman from Madurai who exemplifies the values of selflessness, generosity and leadership. Do you know of a woman who‟s changing lives on her street, in her community, or across the city or even worldwide? She may work towards a social cause in a low-profile way, or she may be associated with a global organization. She may be doing simple things that set wonderful examples to other young women. She may be a colleague, friend or an acquaintance; she may even be your mom. Want the world to know about her? Here is your chance to nominate her for the SI Woman of the Year Award. Find out more/ Nominate online: http://www.tinyurl.com/simwoty 5
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Music Therapy Workshop Have you noticed how nature sounds like the crashing of waves, rustling of autumn leaves, silence of snow, music of rain, trickling of a brook can magically calm you down? If you've paid much attention to how you respond to a variety of music, you may have noticed that some music seems to energize you, some music can move you to tears or spark a special memory of a time, place, food, or perhaps a certain person. Some music seems to make you joyful and some music fills you with deep spiritual attunement. The miraculous power of sound, tapped to bring about healing and inner harmony has been known for centuries. Pythagoras used 'musical medicine' creating combinations of sound to eliminate inner dissonance. Hippocrates - widely considered the father of modern medicine - used music as part of the treatments he offered patients. He often took his patients to the Temple of Asclepius, to make them listen to healing music - the ringing of bells. Music was used as a key healing method by the ancient Hindus, Chinese, Persians, Egyptians, Native Americans and Greeks. Music Therapy is a modern day application of healing via sound. It is a powerful tool for personal growth, spiritual transformation, enhancing listening skills, stress relief, relieving muscular tension, stabilizing moods etc. At a Music Therapy workshop organized by SI Madurai, our therapist Ms. Ayala Gerber Snapir from Israel, took the 30 women participants through a transformative experience. The session began with five varieties of beautiful music being played and participants were asked to concentrate on each and be aware of their feelings about each piece. Each participant was then asked to pick their favorite melody and they were divded into groups based on their choice. Once in the groups they were asked to gather around and put down their interpretation of that melody on paper, either in the form of words or drawings. The next 30 minutes were spent writing/painting/coloring our blues away in between sips of freshly brewed green tea. This was followed by a discussion of each of our artwork/ writing, in our groups, where we realized the piece of music that had appealed to us, in its own way, did have a relieving, therapeutic and refreshing effect on us. Participants who arrived at the session, stressed from work felt calm after listening to the soothing piece of music and participants who came in feeling lethargic and tired felt more energetic after listening to the upbeat song. The last part of the therapy session
included dancing and singing, thereby providing a vent to any residual stress and negative emotions, both of which had by now, almost exited our bodies in a hurry. As the happy and glowing participants said their goodbyes, some of the SI members stuck around to chat with Ayala who talked about how she along with her group, the Masanashi (meaning „flying women‟ in Hebrew) travel around the world helping women – victims of domestic violence, natural disasters etc. -- through Music Therapy. She mentioned how music and dance are art forms that provide an outlet to otherwise suppressed emotions and how they help in building strong character. Through Ayala‟s workshop, it dawned upon us that even though our world maybe in chaos, we have the ability to choose our own soundtrack to our lives and help ourselves by being surrounded by music that is positive, energetic happy, soothing, uplifting and joyful. To get you started, Tibetan Buddhist chants, Zen Shakuhachi music, Ancient Native American Flute, Renaissance choral music, English and Irish Celtic folk songs, Chinese Healing Music, Beethovan, Mozart, Brahms, Vivaldi, Classical Sufi Music etc. are just a few suggestions in the galaxy of music that helps heal and takes one towards spiritual enrichment
6
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Culinary Demonstration If you thought the skillfully twisted potato stuffed papad rolls and wonderfully fluffy date pancakes were strictly fancy restaurant foods, our guest chef suggested we think again. On January 12th 2013, A cookery demonstration was held after an SI meeting, at our member Valli Annamalai‟s residence. The event was co-hosted by Ms. Jayanthi Raja. After the meeting, the talented chef showed us what went on behind the scenes of Hotel Germanus‟ popular restaurant and how to conjure up our favorite snacks and deserts at home. Once the first two dishes were sampled, the demo featured the traditional south Indian hot favorite-the Chilli Vadai. The chef also offered useful tips and advice that we could employ in our general cooking skill set. It had been only 12 days into the New Year and for those of us who had resolved to eat better, we had already been presented with our first challenge with tempting plates of fabulous food that flew around the room. However, everyone will agree that the lunch was worth every last calorie! We laughed, learned and ate scrumptious food all in one afternoon and of course as a bonus we came away the great hopes of making culinary magic in our kitchen.
SI Madurai fund for empowement through education In line with our theme of “Educate to Lead”, during the month of August 2012, the SI Madurai Fund for Empowerment through Education (SIMFEE) was established. In the month of January 2013, three female students of the Fathima College Madurai were awarded scholarships - totally worth Rs. 26,375/- to complete their higher education. The amount was sponsored by Mrs. Lakshmi Murugesan. SI Madurai would like to thank Mrs. Murugesan for her generous donation. From August to December 2012, 11 scholarships (amounting to Rs.75,000/-) were been awarded to students to complete their full 3 year education at college level. This is an on-going project, open to female students of all colleges in Madurai. The scholarship is based on merit and awarded to deserving students from economically weaker sections of society. For More information, or to give a girl the precious gift of education, please visit: www.tinyurl.com/simaduraifund
7
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Better Skills, Brighter Future Better Skills, Brighter Future was a week-long skill share program organized by SI Madurai at one of the local women‟s colleges in the City. From the 21st to the 29th of January 2013, each day, a member from the SI Madurai Team met 30-35 students at the Meenakshi Govt. Arts College and held a short seminar where they shared their skills with the girls. The goal of the program was to impart knowledge about a specific topic that would be useful to the girls in their everyday lives at home and at work. While the girls learnt technical skills at their institute, our member Sabina Ali had identified a gap in teaching when it came to soft skills like teamwork, communication etc. She bought the idea of a skill share program to an SI meeting and it was very well received by our members who belonged to varied professional fields like Medicine, Education, IT, Arts etc. On day one of the program, Sabina Ali conducted a seminar focused on effective communication, body language, importance of listening and clarity of communication. The second session was taken by Ms. Sharmila Siraj who talked about techniques to overcome stress, manage stress and the effect is could have on us physically and mentally. Session three was conducted by Dr. Sudha Dheep who apart from a talk also conducted a quiz around the topics of healthcare, personal hygiene, maintenance of a healthy mind in a healthy body. The fourth session took place on the 24th of January – The National day of The Girl Child in India. Dr. Hema Sathish addressed the gathering about „feeling good and looking good‟. She busted some skin care myths and gave tips and advice for maintaining a healthy skincare routine. Ms. Selvi Santhosham held an interactive session number five, where she explained the importance of time management and self management. Last but not the least the program ended with a sixth session (attended by 300 students) conducted by Ms. Sabina Ali and Dr. Sudha Dheep surrounding the topic of leadership qualities and team work. The importance of soft skills was demonstrated via various examples and team building games. Our SI sisters, who shared their skills and time were happy to see that the response to this six-day long soft skills program was enthusiastic and instilled confidence in the students who were ready for more of these programs in the future.
8
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Fun & Fellowship Dinner SI Madurai checked off the February event in our calendar, in style. Our Member Mrs. Lakshmi Murugesan hosted a dinner where she aimed for 100% attendance. The SI members arrived smiling and cheerful… who wouldn‟t be delighted to be surrounded by crackling ideas, delicious food and fun friends! The event was co hosted by Mrs. Selvi Santhosham and Mrs. Subathra. A fruitful brainstorming session was held where many ideas surfaced for future projects. The progress of the clubs past projects was also discussed and members volunteered to take up tasks for new projects as well as maintenance of past projects.
Musical Evening in March It was one of the year‟s most exciting meetings that took place at the TVS Guesthouse. Our SI Member. Ms. Mridula Ramesh, along with Dr. Haripriya and Dr. Manju hosted an SI meeting that was followed by a live performance by a local band. Members were treated to a feast of fabulous music and thoroughly enjoyed the popular Tamil tunes. The weather was perfect and as per SI Madurai tradition of cutting a birthday cake for each month, the SI sisters with a March birthday too cut the cake which was served along with high tea. If that didn‟t make the evening special enough, there was also a self defense demonstration. A Tae-kwan- do style of martial art demo was given by a group of trained school children- boys and girls, along with their instructor. TaeKwon-Do is said to have originated in Korea and it is an art that combines combat, self defense, sport and exercise. The young children were enthusiastic, fierce and exhibited their skills powerfully. They were happy to share their skills with us. SI Members were pleased to see local schools taking interest in co-curricular activities like Tae-kwan-do and teaching young men and women this very important skill of self defense at an early age.
Videos: Click to watch Celebrating Working Women:
Self Defense Demo ( March Meeting of SI Madurai) Click to watch
Click to watch
Dove‟s Real Beauty Sketches Ad: Click to watch
9
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Life Saving Skills First aid training comes in handy for a variety of different situations in life. Although many people receive this training strictly due to a job requirement, it is actually something that can benefit anyone's life. One of the most valuable skills to have, first aid training prepares us to help anyone in their time of need. Members of SI Madurai took a first step and made a commitment to learn basic first aid skills. The training session was organized by SI Madurai for members, female staff and students of Thiagarajar arts College and the NCC unit of Meenakshi Govt. College for Women. On the 27th of February. Dr. Hema Sathish arranged for the session to take place at Devadoss Hospitals in Madurai. Mr. Siluvaimani, - of the St. Johns Ambulance Service, Madurai Center conducted the course. He took the attentive audience through the steps and skills required to preserve life, prevent worsening and promote recovery. The proper methods of administrating first aid in situations like choking, burns, fractures, bites, cuts, fainting etc. were demonstrated and explained. The trainer made the session highly interactive with the use of dummies, audio visual aids and volunteer demonstrations. Everybody should have some level of first aid ability, because accidents and medical emergencies can happen anywhere at any time.. First aid classes are widely available and are a worthwhile investment. SI Madurai urges you to find your nearest first aid training course and get certified. When you know what to do in emergency situations, you can become a valuable asset anywhere you go. Once you have learned first aid it is also important to keep taking refresher courses every couple years so you can easily administer these skills when needed.
10
Happy Holidays Kalikappen In Early 2012, SI Madurai had adopted Kalikappen Village and ever since then, the local school there has been a hub for many of our SI projects. So it wouldnâ€&#x;t do, of course, to close a successful SI term without saying goodbye to the kids who always waited for us eagerly. In April 2013, as the children were just finishing their last exam, SI Members Ms. Sudha Dheep, Ms. Latha Abiruben, Ms. Divya Gupta and Ms. Sabina Ali showed up drawing notebooks and felt pens which the children were thrilled to receive. As part of an initiative to make them revise during holidays, A math tables book was also distributed. The items were sponsored by the SI Members themselves. Mrs. Latha Abiruben highlighted the importance of planting trees and suggested that the children named each sapling that they planted. As always members interacted effortlessly with the children and helped them wind up their academic year on a positive note.
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Playtime Pals Before various summer camps popped up around the city during the school holidays, most children spent their summer holidays at home doing nothing or watching TV. While children hope for a month of respite from anything that resembles studying or responsibility, parents are faced with the task of keeping their kids occupies, away from negative influences and out of trouble. SI Madurai organized an educational, fun filled weekend for children between ages 6-12 at Sabina Ali‟s Activity Center in Madurai. What made the even more effective was the fact that this activity camp was run by older children (ages 15-17) for the younger children (guided by SI Members Sabina Ali, Divya Gupta & Gaurie Gupta). The ideology was similar to that of the various „big sister‟, Peer and mentor programs that take place in schools. This model was successfully followed at the „Playtime Pals‟ activity weekend. Over the 2 days, the program was attended by 55 children from various schools. The activity started with an ice breaker game and was followed by creative writing where the given topic was „My Dream Tour‟. There was also a short lesson on storytelling (which included voice modulation; improving spoken English, body language etc.). During their „creativity‟ time, the children made a card for their mothers after a short talk that helped them identify and reflect on the various roles played by a mother their lives. The second day‟s session included speech exercises and jaw exercises. The children were made to play word games and spelling games which they thoroughly enjoyed. They also spent time doodling ideas on how they would ideally like to spend their summer vacation. While half the class agreed that playing computer games would be the best way, the rest of them believed it would be nice to swim, cycle and play cricket. It was interesting to note how far we have not come from the age old debate! The young mentors, perhaps speaking from experience, advised the class to balance indoor and outdoor activities. The highlight of the second day however was the little skit enacted and performed by the children. Apart from the activities, during the sessions the children learn how to share things, interact with each other, forgive each other, how to manage stress and how to spend their free time effectively. It was also a great lesson for the older children on how to take on responsibility. Prizes and activity material were sponsored by Sabina Ali and refreshments were sponsored by Divya Gupta.
11
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Eye Camp at Hospice Center Could you imagine a world of complete darkness? We use our eyes for almost all our daily functions, and a world without vision is a grim prospect. Unfortunately, India is one of the countyâ€&#x;s that shoulders the largest burden of global blindness. In Madurai, the world renowned, Aravind Eye Hospital addresses the problem of blindness holistically by conducting various eye camps for people of all ages and backgrounds. The hospital operates on a sophisticated social entrepreneurship system and provides high quality healthcare. In April 2013, our members Dr. Haripriya and Dr. Manju, along with a tem of doctors form Aravind Eye Hospital, helped SI Madurai conduct a free eye-check up camp for 55 inmates of the Kodai Road Hospice Centre. The patients who were physically or emotionally unwell were tested and given free eye drops. New spectacles were provided for 15 patients and 11 of them were taken to Aravind Eye Hospital for eye operations. SI also spent time inspecting the center for any other needs, interacting and comforting patients and listening to their personal stories.
Health Camp for Girls In every nation, the welfare of the entire community depends on the health and welfare of the child. The physical and mental health of the nation is also determined by the manner in which the life of the child is shaped in the early stages. While there are various schemes and policies to ensure child welfare, in many parts of India, the girl child still faces discrimination and is denied food, security, healthcare, employment etc. As this alarming trend signals the onset of a demographic imbalance, the government is rapidly working towards changing rural mindsets. With this is mind, members of SI Madurai too organized a health camp for nearly 300 girls. The project was headed by SI Member Mrs. Valli Annamalai (who is also a key member of the Indian Council for Child Welfare – ICCW). The medical procedures and check-up were organized by our SI Member Dr. Rohini Shridhar of Apollo Hospitals Madurai. In May 2013, members Mrs. Valli Annamalai and Mrs. Divya Gupta were present as the health screening took place at the Usilampatti Vocational College run by the ICCW. The general health check up also including blood grouping. Mrs. Valli Annamalai also mentioned that free education was being given to these girls from class 3 to college, following which all help was given to them to obtain a vocational diploma and placements were guaranteed.
12
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
A spring in her step and steel in her soul…Movies that inspire Sure, there are movies now that have girls with briefcases, girls with gun, girls with laser beams, high heels, magic powers etc. If what is popular is a barometer of how accepting our society is, this is a good thing, right? Might not be. Take a minute to think – are women being celebrated or objectified and what influence is it having on viewers across different ages and backgrounds? It‟s an age old debate (which we can save for another time). For now, you can‟t be what you can‟t see - just one of the reasons to have a movie marathon. Here are some exceptional movies that will make you think and/or leave you inspired & proud to be a lady. The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler | During the WWII, the 2007 Nobel Prize nominee, Irena smuggled 2500 children out of Poland- in wheelbarrows covered with bricks, hollow compartments in trucks, false bottoms in ambulance tool boxes and burlap sacks. She was arrested, tortured, but miraculously escaped and tried to unite the children she had saved with their families after the war. ( Anna Paquin. Latvia, 2009. War/ Biogrpahy) Mulan | Mulan is one of the few strong Disney heroines who impersonates a soldier in a time when women were forbidden to even speak in public. Thanks to her cunning and inventiveness she manages to defeat the entire Hun army. (Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy. USA, 1998. Animation/ Adventure/ Family) Erin Brockovich | The sassy, Ms. Brockovich is a single mother supporting three kids. When finally manages to secure a filing job at a law firm, she stumbles into a world of malpractice and dirty deeds that has lead to deaths. Story of how she almost single handedly brings down a large California power company. (Julia Roberts, David Brisbin. USA, 2000. Biography/ Drama) Elizabeth | When a young monarch refuses to bow to the wishes of her male counselors, she faces intrigue, conspiracy and assassination attempts. The Story of Elizabeth II, who transforms from a naive, young girl to ruthless, political icon while struggling to secure her throne in the turbulent early years of her reign. (Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush. USA, 1998. Biography/ Drama) Mona Lisa Smile | Set in the 1950‟s, A free-thinking art professor who‟s modern views are incompatible with the culture of the prestigious Wellesey College, forms a strong bond with her conservative students and teaches them to question their traditional societal roles. (Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst. USA, 2003. Drama) The Help | Southern society belle returns from college, determined to become a writer in the 1960‟s and turns a Mississippi town upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. (Viola Davis, Emma Stone. USA, 2011. Drama) Fast Girls | A street smart runner develops a rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete. Fast paced, feel good movie that seeks to inspire and empower. Showcases the trials and tribulations of running for the British Womens Track Team. (Lenora Crichlow, Lily James. UK, 2012. Sport/ Comedy/ Romance) Bring out the
popcorn!
Bend it Like Beckham | Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi, when you can bend the ball like Beckham?! The struggle of an Indian girl to play football challenging all traditions and breaking all rules and stereotypes. (Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley. USA & UK, 2002. Sport/ Comedy/ Romance) G.I. Jane | Demi Moore joins the elite Navy Seals. While dodging bullets, chauvinism, and selfdoubt finds the inner strength to save13her fellow soldiers and herself. Demi gets bonus points for looking good being bald and selling those one-armed push-ups.
NEWS FROM SI MADURAI
MAY 2013
Divya Gupta President 2012-13 dguptamadurai@gmail.com Lakshmi Murugesan Vice President 2012-13 paramountlakshmi@gmail.com
Sabina Ali Secretary 2012-13 sbnali.mw@gmail.com Jayanthi Raja Treasurer 2012-13 ramakrishnarajaandco@gmail.com Anitha Rajarajan PAC 2012-13 anitha61@yahoo.com
more about Sally than about Susie.
Remember, What Sally says about Susie, says
Words to live by:
Newsletter feedback & contributions: Gaurie Gupta | gauriegupta@gmail.com
About Madurai
About
We are writing to you from Madurai. Situated on the banks of river Madurai Madurai Vaigai,Madurai, is the second largest city in Tamil Nadu, India. The name „Madurai‟, comes from the Tamil word „mathuram‟ – meaning sweetness. This „antique city‟ is endowed with a rich cultural heritage. The history of Madurai dates back to the 6th century B.C. Madurai was the muchacclaimed capital of the Pandya kings. Back then, it functioned as an important commercial center of South India. Madurai is famous for its temples, monuments and ancient cultural wonders. It is even called „The Temple city‟ and „The Athens of the East‟. Today the vibrant city of Madurai bustles with activity from dawn to dusk. Madurai‟s Meenakshi Temple is one of the greatest architectural marvels of India and it attracts thousands of pilgrims every year from all over the world. http://www.maduraitourism.info 14