Today is International Literacy Day!
We quote one of our biggest inspirations, the youngest Nobel laureate, Malala Yousafzai who is all set to make a difference to this world in terms of making sure every child is education. She says “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.” And how true that is. Here’s to many more like the young laureate.
Tollywood actor Prakash Raj recently met with Minister of IT, Telangana K T Rama Rao. The actor expressed his views on wanting to adopt the Kondareddipalle village in Mahabubnagar District.
Minister who lauded the idea, introduced Prakash Raj to District Collector Sridevi and local MLA Anjaiah to take things forward!
Fashion being the ever evolving industry teaches us a lot of lessons. It teaches us how to wear a fishtail braid, how to carry off ugg boots or stilettos or what to match with a turquoise suede bag. It also teaches us how to wear pleated skirts and to show you how, here are some looks from different designers to teach you how.
1 – Christian Dior:
2. Etro
3. Guy Laroche
4. Loewe
5. Marco de Vincense
6. Salvatore Ferragamo
The difference between death and survival in a natural calamity often hinges on miracles. In these tragic times, rescue teams represent nothing short of the hand of God. Bang in the middle of such noble work has been an IPS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre. On deputation with the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi since 2012, Sandeep Rai Rathore, the Inspector General of Police of the National Disaster Response Force & Civil Defence (NDRF) has been working with missionary zeal. Whether it was at Kedarnath post the Uttarakhand flash floods or the cyclones that ravaged Odisha and later Vishakapatnam or the Mugalivakkam building collapse in Chennai or the Nepal earthquake,Sandeep could been seen on ground zero monitoring rescue operations as his teams raced against time to reach “the most inaccessible terrain, hunting for survivors on foot or using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and even winching them into helicopters”. Thousands of pilgrims and other survivors from a spate of tragedies owe their lives to this 1992 batch IPS officer who recently earned the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service.
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Having spent his early years in Kuwait where his late father was posted during his stint with Engineering Projects India Ltd, Sandeep would visit India only during summer vacations where he witnessed the contrast between urban developing societies and the rural world. “The idea of Rural India was very close to my heart” A few relatives who were also in government service were an additional influence and strengthened his passion for a career in public service. “My parents were keen that I study Engineering. Although I took Science in Class 12, I deliberately under performed in my exams. I still got admission for Engineering Courses in two US Universities. But I joined Kirori Mal College in Delhi.” Sandeep got into the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) but preferred the Indian Police Service (IPS) instead.
Sandeep has had a fair share of district and city postings – as Superintendent of Police in Dindigul, Tuticorin & CB CID in Chennai, Deputy Commissioner of Police in Coimbatore, Deputy Commissioner of Police – Crime & Traffic in North Chennai, Joint Commissioner of Police, Central Chennai & Headquarters, Deputy Inspector General of Police in Salem and so on. Not only has he gained experience in all three wings – Law & Order, Crime & Traffic, Sandeep has also served as Commandant in Tihar Jail, did a one year stint with the United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in Bosnia and has been the Deputy Inspector General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in charge of Airport security in North India & the Delhi Metro Rail before his current posting with the NDRF.
Ask him about his big professional milestones and Coimbatore tops the list. “When the Coimbatore serial blasts took place in 1998, I was the Deputy Commissioner of Police. I led a team straight to the hideouts of the culprits and managed to catch three of them alive. That’s how the case was cracked.” In 2004, when he was posted as SP Tuticorin, Sandeep ensured that it became the country’s first ISO Certified district. “I worked towards transforming the police into a public service provider of security. We digitised records, went to the doorsteps of the public and made our officers set their own targets. We got our certification in one and a half months.” But the most recent achievements have been not in khakhi but in his NDRF blue uniform. “The force was formed only in 2009. I joined three years later. It was quite a shift from being a law enforcer to a rescuer. In almost all our operations, we had to be air dropped.” In this three year stint, “the focus has also been on Vulnerability Profiling of India, from earthquake prone zones to cyclones, floods, sea erosion and fire accidents.”
Men of action are expected to fall in love! Sandeep has been no exception, having married his college sweetheart Shilpam, a former airhostess with Cathay Pacific and now an expert in art. “The Tanjore Paintings that adorn our walls at home are all the handiwork of my gorgeous and charming better half. She is trained in Indian Art and also knows Italian and French. Wherever I am posted, she makes it a point to pursue her passion.” The Rathores have a sixteen year old daughter Enya who is a National level
Rifle Shooting champion and a twelve year old son Arnav, a soccer fan “who wants to play for Barcelona!” Sandeep is an ace badminton player and has run three half marathons in Delhi. “My aim is to complete a full marathon before I turn fifty.” That may probably happen a little earlier and in Chennai as he is due to complete his deputation next year and return to the Tamil Nadu cadre. And he has his friend and senior Jayant Murali for inspiration. For now, post dinner conversations with Shilpam are rounded off with a game of scrabble. What’s the word that best describes this officer? My guess is ‘braveheart’.
(Sanjay Pinto is a Lawyer, Columnist, Author, Public Speaking Mentor & Former Resident Editor of NDTV 24×7)
When the ideologies of a steadfast realist meet the idiosyncrasies of a homemaker, the end result can either be disastrous or beautiful. And in the case of Manjula Narsa’s house, the result is spectacular!
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Located in the midst of the busy streets of Banjara Hills is Manjula Narsa’s three storied house ‘Eshaniya’. Unaffected by traffic or the hustle and bustle of its surroundings, her house, like she says is “so close yet so far” from the streets below. A drive up the spiral ramp and we reach the entrance of the house. To the right is the car park where a slick silver Beamer sits and the spot beside it is belongs to her beautiful Rolls Royce. To the left is the entry way to the house where she receives us with a warm welcome.
While showing us around we ask her about the design of the house and she tells us that Sudheer Associates were the architects who designed the house while the décor and interiors were entirely done by her. “I was hands on during the entire construction, right from the Bhumi Puja to the finishing touches.” Even though her husband Narsaiah Maddey is into construction and a firm believer in Vaastu as is her sister, Manjula likes to keep it at an elementary level. “I understand the need to harness good energies and allow their flow and live in relative harmony, but when it comes to Vaastu, I wouldn’t care to take it to a ridiculous level of engagement,” she says.
On the ground floor is the living room, an open kitchen and one bedroom. It also has one small puja room that divides the front room into two parts. On one side is a small single seater lounge chair and a centre table made from pots with a glass top. It also has a light installation in the middle of the room made from wire and resembles the branches of a tree. The other side has two plush chairs and a fire place; behind it is a wall done up with ply with hieroglyphics imprinted on it.
The first floor has two bedrooms, a balcony and a family room. “We used to have a garden in the balcony but due to leakage problems we had to have it removed,” Manjula informs us. The family room has minimalistic décor but the roof is done up in colonial style. Teak wood beams hold up the roof in this room and is a pattern used throughout this floor. The second floor has the terrace on one side and a media room on the other. Again, the interiors are minimalistic allowing the 15-feet wide home theatre screen to be the star of the show. “When the family is together, we end up watching television here, which only makes us not want to use the TVs in our rooms because we are spoilt by this elaborate theatre-like set up,” she tells us.
The beauty of the ground floor lies in the French windows that show off Manjula’s wonderful garden that’s neatly maintained and the flowers are in full bloom. “The garden is my favourite part of the house. I enjoy sitting there a lot. Right from the moment I come down in the morning to any spare time I have, I spend it amongst my plants. It is said that fragrances can transport you to another time and that’s exactly what I experience in my garden. My childhood memories are refreshed, the warm scented breeze and the chirping of birds all create an atmosphere of such gratitude and joy. It is priceless,” she says.
Inspired by Raseel Gujral’s juxtaposing the classic with the trendy and mixing white light with yellow, Manjula shares with us what she’s done with the house. “I loved the idea of bringing in elements of nature into play, and luckily, my architect was in concurrence with bringing the outdoors inside from every window around the house”. For this homemaker who firmly believes in humanity as a religion and spirituality as a way of life, it is only understandable why her style of decorating the house is done in minimalistic ways and why she loves open spaces.
For all you fanatics of accessories out there! Actor Taapsee Pannu’s sister, Shagun has announced ‘The Junkyard Online Garage Sale’ wherein some old, some new accessories which stood the test of time and are ready for a new owner now have been put on sale. These accessories are fun and very quirky and each of them is only piece. Taapsee is spreading the word by promoting it through her social networking platform. You can check out the link below to explore more:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-junkyard-online-garage-sale/745885912207130
Wedding and Diwali 2015 collections : at Chamak Patti, Episode, Ishatvam and Ratan Jaipur. They have some new products , here is a sneak peak :
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For businessman Sreesh Rao and his architect wife Shama, their home in Coimbatore’s Bharathi Park Road, built on a trapezium shaped plot of land is like a dream come true. One among many of the plush residences that dot this textile rich town, the Rao home is modern, edgy with a contemporary twist and yet traditional all at once. RITZ explores the interiors of this 7,000 square feet large mansion.
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AA Krishna Rao established Ideal Stores in Coimbatore during the year 1948 and today his son Sreesh and his architect wife Shama manage the enterprise. The couple decided to build a new home for themselves on a trapezium shaped twenty cent site on Bharathi Park Road, which happens to be located on the northern side of the wooded Forest College. Shama took it upon herself to design and build the 7,000 square feet house within a span of one year and put the plan with a critical path by using the techniques she had picked up while pursuing architecture at Manipal.
A large tree on the road adds a green canopy to the residence – the beautiful vertical garden with about 4,000 plants adds to the aesthetics of the house. “The garden is a labour of love and our entire family and household help take care of it. It is the first vertical garden in Coimbatore and it just consumes a little over 20 litres of water everyday,” says an enthusiastic Sreesh.
The living room is dressed in luxurious leather sofas and embellished with high quality marble. Shama has used her ingenuity by adorning the walls with attractive three dimensional butterflies made from rubber. A small wall-mount showcases birds made of different materials, picked by the couple when they went to the US for the graduation of their daughter Shreeya, who has just completed her academic programme at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
The open kitchen is the largest ‘room’ in this house. It has the latest kitchen equipment including a state-of-the-art coffee machine. There is another smaller kitchen, plus utility, which can be locked away when the family is out on work for it has access from outside. Shama adds, “All of us are in the kitchen all the time and we eat here everyday. Our guests like it too and therefore we have got it air conditioned. We have put up the best equipment here for we have to ‘walk the talk’ having spent nearly 70 years in business of selling kitchen articles!”
The first landing on the stairs shows off a bit of family history through a collage of photographs covering over hundred years of history, that was dug out from the family archives. The first floor has a bar, a gym and a well stocked library which houses books, particularly read by Shreeya’s younger brother Sharan who is right now at the Rishi Valley School. The home theatre room is a nice piece of work and has comfortable leather seats facing a large screen. The little open terrace is also used for performing ‘havans’ at home.
The entire house looks rectangular in spite of the site being in the shape of a trapezium for Shama has intelligently placed the dogs’ kennels, services and quarters for the household help in the offset. The colours are pastels, brown and a little bit of red to add spice on the walls which also feature eclectic art collected by the family over the years.
“We used wooden flooring and it is really easy to maintain. Our family loves nature and therefore we used fly ash bricks and metal windows in order to conserve wood. LED lights are in place to help us save energy. We have put up an efficient rain water harvesting system too,” adds a gleaming Sreesh.
On going through the house in a relaxed manner coupled with the thoughtful insights offered by Sreesh and Shama one can realise that the very American looking home has a true Indian tradition within. This family has really added to the architectural diversity of Cosmopolis Coimbatore.
The Artist Project is an initiative to promote talented creationists, who’s work would stand to exemplify handmade craftsmanship. This space would prove to be as much about celebrating as it would be about showcasing the works of potters, jewellers, painters, khadi and alternative artists. Follow them on Facebook and find out more !
Yesteryear comedy king, Goundamani, will be seen making his comeback through 49-O, in which film he plays the lead role too. Audio launch of the film happened recently. Siva Karthikeyan and Sathyaraj presided over the audio launch event. The film is being directed by P. Arokiyadoss and music is by K. The film is of political comedy genre.
They bake call kinds of themed cakes and cupcakes according to what you want. Their designes are amazing and the cakes taste even better. If you are looking for a delicious amazing looking cake for an occasion we think you should give this company a shot ! To order call 9884446363.
If you’re an avid book reader, then you will empathize with us. Because the minute we saw these wingbacks and armchairs, all we could think of was a cozy little setup near a fire place or a window over looking a pretty garden, a pile of books by the side and us, lounging on those chairs. Sigh!
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Cholamandal Artists’ Village, established in 1966, is the largest artists’ commune in India. Their work with different artists has been showcased across the world . If you are looking for some original art as well as unique art this is the place to visit .
For those who love wheels… there’s a new car in town and it’s ready to be taken for a drive!
Volvo just launched their new XC 90 car in Hyderabad and we’ve got some pictures for you from the launch! Take a look!
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GV Prakash’s upcoming film ‘Trisha Illana Nayanthara’ has shared a new making video, and this time its that of the making of the song video ‘Yennachu Yedachu’. G.V.Prakash Kumar’s upcoming release (his second release) ‘Trisha Il
lana Nayanthara’ will hit the silver screen on September 17. The film traces the life of a man from school to the mid-twenties. The film has been directed by Adhik Ravichandran. Music has been composed by GV Prakash himself. Anandhi and Manisha Yadav co-star in the film. Simran and VTV Ganesh play significant roles. Arya, Priya Anand and Yugi Sethu make special appearances in the film.
Check out the link here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DY4rzXXbDQ
Founded in 2014, and based out of Chennai, BoomBox Inc. is a live entertainment and artist management company. They don’t just organize events but they say ” We create experiences and moments in time.” Besides live entertainment, we also manage artists and having been bring down some very interesting acts since they began and we love the change and progress in the Chennai music scene thanks to them !
