Vista: When talent meets opportunity at Rajagiri School

School children have a heavy load of books, assignments, assessments to go through from day one of every academic year- no matter whether it's dark clouds, rain, lightning or thunderstorm. No doubt their career fortunes are impacted by the number of A+, A’s in their report cards.

Globalisation has brought a new challenge to our school and college education. New job opportunities are now more in private sector than in government and more people may need to start new ventures rather than seek jobs as technically qualified and skilled people.



Children who finish school need to have multiple skills (sports, games, art, culture) apart from good academics to emerge successful in their career. Traditional school festivals that only assess singing, dancing or music skills may not suffice in such a scenario.

It is against this backdrop, that some institutions have come up with novel cultural festivals that bring out the best talent in children to fore front  and give them the much needed confidence regarding their capabilities. One such cultural event is Vista organized by Rajagiri Public School, Kalamassery.  Individual talent does matter but more importantly team building, leadership, sports man spirit will decide the true winners.Here's a peep at what is going to happen at Vista 2016:

Dance, Drama, music….puzzles, quizzes and more…

-How about enacting a character from Vaikam Mohammed Basheer’s literary works or a sing a folk song with harvest, festivals and Kerala tradition as the theme and test your knowledge of the state’s rich art, culture and films through MUTHUCHIPPI. These are not for the big boys though. Only Classses I & II are welcome.

-For slightly older students (Class III-V)- WORDSMITH gives the opportunity to test their competency in words, spellings, anagrams…authors, and if you are kid is fond of grammar rules, this is for you.

-Get the fear of mathematics out from your kids with PROBLEME DE MATHEMATICA- it’s filled with puzzles, riddles, quizzes and you need not be a tiny Ramanujam to take part in this though. Again only for Classes III to V).

-Heard of decathlon, marathon, biathlon … . if cycling, running and swmming is your forte, TRIATHLON would be ideal . All that you need bring is shorts, tees, canvas shoe, swimming and plenty of energy and enthusiasm. The bicycles are parked here.

- Chefs and needle masters have the FRILLS and THRILLS to prepare a tasty falooda with the ingredients provided and give that extra punch with the surprise ingredient provided.

- ALCHE MYSTERY- if reading the biographies of scientists are your passion, this game is for you.  And a good working model for making our surroundings greener would clinch you the prize.

For the big boys/girls:Classes IX to XII

-Do you mean business? Do millionaires, billioinaires excite and motivate you. You must be adept at marketing as well. What is your Profit Quotient is for the budding entrepreneurs and business leaders of tomorrow.
-Then for the artistic there are the street play –Theruvarangu and  La Symphonie D’Emotion for the rhythm, melody and harmony conscious.
-Save the Earth---that’s the only one we have. Use hip hop, contemporary dance to depict the challenges facing our planet in Bhumikkoru Kuda.

When and Where
With hardly a two weeks to go, kids should gear up fast-call 0484-2911202, 2911230 or www.rajagiri.ac.in for registration. Venue: Rajagiri Public School-Kalamassery. Organised by Rajagiri Public School, Parent Teacher Association.
 

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Bharatanatyam for art, fitness and appealing to menfolk as well

 By Sreekumar Raghavan

What comes to your mind when you hear Bharatanatyam- classical, traditional, artistic? It may be true that not many know the fitness and wellness dimensions of this ancient dance form.

Bharatanatyam originated more than 2000 years ago in Tamil Nadu and was originally performed by dasis (maid servants) in temples and  it was known as Dasiyattam. It was in the 1930’s the legendary Balasaraswati, a Devadasi was invited to perform on stage before an elite educated class. Rukmani Devi became the first of the educated elite to learn Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Balasaraswati.



Anupama Thampy, Accomplished dancer, trainer at Beats 'n' Steps
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The Art of Bharatanatyam
There could be no other versatile dance form as Bharatanatyam. Bha denotes Bhava (emotion), ra denotes raga or music and ta means tala or rhythm and natyam means dance. Apart from bringing out the artist in you, Bharatanatyam is also capable of helping you maintain your body shape, health and vitality, says Anupama Thampy, accomplished stage performer and dance guru at Beats ‘n’ Steps, a dance fitness studio based in South Kalamassery, Kochi.

According to renowned dancer Anjali Nandan, learning Bharatanatyam and classical dance forms are very important to understand the essence of dance.

Bharatanatyam: The Fitness, wellness dimension
Bharatanatyam is capable of improving your fitness, concentration, memory power, weight maintenance, beauty and overall wellness.

It helps achieve overall balance, boosts memory power through remembering of steps, mudras, hastas and Karnas. Regular practice of Bharatanatyam will have the combined effect of doing aerobics, floor and stretching excercises and yoga. It’s good for a healthy heart as the feel good factor boosts blood circulation and keeps your skin toned and young.



Anupama Thampy, performing Bharatatatyam at Changampuzha Park in Kochi in 2014_________________________________________________________

Dances are proven to be useful for right-left brain co-ordination and hence helpful for children to do better in studies and improve their intelligence.

Bharatanatyam for menfolk
If you thought Bharatanatyam and Indian classical dances are a woman’s domain, you are mistaken. At the recent  Monsoon Festival of Dance on July 16-17 at New Delhi, four male artistes of Bharatanatyam proved how they too can make a mark.

"It is a misconception that classical dance is meant only for women and is effeminate. Indian classical dance is suitable not only for the female body, but for everyone," says S Vijay Kumar, an exponent of the classical tradition from Tamil Nadu.

And the best time to start learning Bharatanatyam no doubt is at a young age, preferably 7-8. So get your kids to put on the anklets and learn the first steps towards mastering this classical wonder.

Beats 'n' Steps, dance-fitness studio launched in Kochi

KOCHI, INDIA: Burning calories, attaining fitness and remaining healthy are all goals most people have. Until now the options were going out for a walk, jogging, workout in the gym or at home. All these fitness routines are good enough but has a lot of limitations.

Key drawbacks:

1)Progress in walking and jogging activities may take a longer time to show results
2)Solo activities may be uninteresting and lead to boredom and abandonment
3)Rain or inclement weather can spoil the outdoor activity and hence impact daily excercise routine

It is here that dance based fitness routines score over conventional ones, according to Aswathy Visweswaran, ZIN (Zumba Instructor Network-www.zumba.com) and Prasanth S, Zin, co-founders of Beats 'n' Steps a dance-fitness studio in South Kalamassery in the commercial city of Kochi.

"We decided to launch this venture based on dance-based routines because people from all age groups especially late 30's and 40's genuinely feel a need to have some fun, entertainment and tangible results when it comes to burning calories and attaining wellness,"  Aswathy and Prasanth said.

Beats 'n' Steps provides training in Zumba Fitness, Aerobics, Bollywood dance, Hip Hop, and traditional yoga and Bharatanatyam. Zumba is capable of burning upto 800 calories an hour. Many people are initially shy or reluctant to join Zumba as they feel they require to be good at dancing. " Many of the students whom I studied with had no background in dancing but only a desire to be healthy and shed flab," Aswathy Visweswaran said in chat with CommodityJourno.blogspot.in. Presence of personal trainer and contemporary dancer, Ritin is a boost for Beats 'n' Steps, the promoters said.

Seema Subodh, is a Reebok certified Aerobics trainer now available at Beats 'n' Steps. She believes that dance based fitness sessions bring out the best in each individual raising their confidence level and outlook towards life. However, those having heart ailments or chest problems need to first consult a doctor and also need to inform the trainer about their ailments.

Anupama, bollywood and bharatanatyam trainer is an accomplished dancer who has done several shows in India and abroad. She believes Beats 'n' Steps has the right mix of offerings for anyone interested in the aesthetics of keeping fit and healthy in life.

Mehbooba, the yoga teacher said that awareness about the benefits of yoga is now spreading across the world. The mere fact that June 21 is observed as International Yoga day is ample proof this. It can work miracles on our body, mind, breath control meditation and body flexibility.

In due course, Beats 'n' Steps is planning several innovative programs on personality development and machine based workouts, promoters said. There are separate classes for ladies and kids.

For details: contact Aswathy Visweswaran 9744954607, Prasanth-9895611537
Beats'n' Steps is located at CUSAT Signal Jn, South Kalamassery, Kochi-682023

Zumba: The zest for health, beauty and happiness!

Haven't you heard the popular quote: If wealth is lost nothing is lost, if health is lost something is lost, if character is lost everything is lost. All round the world you find people running after wealth ignoring the the other two vital things and end up in a miserable state by middle age-- a rotund figure,bulging stomachs, weak muscles and skin texture. To compound it all you have several negative things popping up on your vital medical tests- cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, heart rate, triglycerides and it is the begining of all traumas that are going to affect them for the rest of their life.

Then people start trying out several things- dieting, exercise, hitting the gym, doing aerobics, or simply taking push-ups and dumb bells at home. These no doubt burn calories but may not be adding to your fitness. Unscientific dieting techniques can create several health and nutrition problems, add to stress and ultimately lead to more fat in your body.

Here comes Zumba!
Zumba, zumba, zumba, zumba,zumba, zumba, zumba ye, zumba aaaa....if this fast number you can see in YouTube makes you hit the floor and swing, then zumba is really for you. It combines aerobics, free style dance, rhythmic body movements, and no pressure to conform to any set basic rules. Dance, apart from being an artform is also useful for right-brain left brain co-ordination and attaining symmetry. Aerobics has already been proven to be best way to burn out calories and combine that with rigorous physical exertion, music and fun-- an enchanting cocktail.

I was not very enthusiastic when my wife Aswathy was keen to join for Zumba at The Floor September 2013. Our daughter Diyah was already there for ballet classes under Maria Roy.

No appreciable change was seen in the first few months but towards the sixth month people started noticing the change in her- our son Darshan's class teacher said your mom looks like your elder sister. Her photos on Facebook attracted hundreds of 'wovs' and the latest one 'High on Happiness with Zumba' was posted in The Floor FB page thanks to her Zumba mentor Arunima Gupta with more comments and likes pouring in. Not to be left out, Maria Roy,Arunima and Aswathy have been urging me to take to the Floor!

Seeing the new look Aswathy several skeptics of Zumba have now become zumba fans with several more likely to follow. One is our former neighbour, Jayasree, a bank manager who rushes from her busy office schedule to be at The Floor by 7.30 pm three days a week for the one-hour workout. Chubby Nitin, a student of catering at Wayanad has also hit the floor recently and is amazed by the change it brings. He says one hour at The Floor is equivalent to six to seven hours work out at the Gym. Jayasree who was quite scary of her poor dancing skills found that no body had the time to look into her faults, you just fall in line seeing what others do.

From early morning itself The Floor at Panampilly Nagar comes live with mentors Arunima, Govind, Poornima all creating a passion for men and women of all ages to be young, healthy, beautiful which all rubs on their character and outlook. In the mean time, just saw an FB post : Beauty catches the attention, but character catches the heart.

For all those interested in Zumba: The Floor, Canal Road, Panampilly Nagar is waiting for you. Contact info: Arunima Gupta 9747640575 or on Facebook: The Floor. Additionally, Aswathy Visweswaran, ZIN has now co-founded Beats 'n' Steps to promote Zumba fitness. You may contact her on aswathydiyah@gmail.com or Mob-9744954607