Panangad: The pictorial delight of the Kochi backwaters

Kerala offers the best getaways to beat the heat, but our day out in the backwaters of Panangad in Kochi was so enchanting except for the scorching heat that only lessened after heavy rains a few days later. Coconut trees are quite universal in Kerala but you find it in lesser numbers in this place. Surrounded by lakes, and minimal human habitation, this place gets its food from submerged pokkali rice and fish catch- chemmeen, the premium fish variety.

We may burn out but not the enthusiasm of kids and this time our little Dash Zoe was also around to enjoy in the grass and sun.  (With Diyah, caretaker of Zoe)

Fishing provides food and livelihood for the people here. With a little bit of luck and a good net, you can have a sumptous lunch and dinner. But these days fish catch is falling.

Kakka meat (Clam)  is one of the favourite dishes here and cooking is done using fire wood or offshoots of coconut tree- leaves or kodumbu

People usually wear lungis, dhotis which can be either folded into half above the knee or worn down to the ankle. They wrap around a towel in the head and they hold beedis or match box for convenience.

Tiled and thatched roofs were common earlier but they have been replaced by concrete roofs even in this area.

The water you get here is salty and you need rain water harvesting to get quality drinking water or get them from across the shores in sintex tanks transported on vanchis (country boats).

(We are grateful to Rajo Devi and family for facilitating this tour in their family location in Panangad covering around 75 acres)

Easter thoughts: Faith and how vital it is in business too

The week that went by was marked by festivities- we had the Holy Friday that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and Easter that celebrates the resurrection of Christ.The millions of people who thronged to churches on these days no doubt believed in The Bible and the role Jesus did to redeem the sins of mankind.

Religions may differ,people do not worship the same God but what unites the Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or any other community is their Faith in the lord.

I was thinking about this even as sometimes religion is being blamed for some of the divisions that have formed in the society and consequent turmoil. The other day my son Darshan who is quite adept at making coffee was talking about making a new business out of coffee. His basic question was- after spending lakhs of rupees,  if the business flops.!

This kind of thinking is not unusual for many who do not ultimately enter business. Here again faith in one's own ability and support systems are important for any business idea to succeed. There are people with any number of ideas which may or may not be tested in the market before it is launched. Ultimately, the success of any new venture depends on the faith the promoter has in his idea, how he does the ground work, how he does the market survey and ultimately pool the resources in terms of money, human resources and regulatory approvals to get the business going.

Karl Marx said religion is the opium of the masses. The Left and the ideology based parties believe in the doctrines of their founders and hope such beliefs can be translated into action and hence benefit mankind. They persuade the party workers to think on those lines. Without faith in the founding principles, no worker could meaningfully co-operate with the activities of a party.

In a corporate organisation, workers or employees not aligned to organisational goals tend to be ousted as they don't add value to their services.

People like Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela who took up public causes had an unwavering faith in what they stood for despite the many hurdles they may have initially faced before they became international movements. It is said faith can move mountains, such is its power.

Now, perhaps, amidst geo-political tensions in Yemen, the fear over Iran's nuclear bomb and the deal and corruption and atrocities everywhere, a firm belief or faith in change alone can bring a transformation in society.

I am happy to share an insight from Dr Deepak Chopra, the alternative medicine advocate. He feels Wall Street executives need to have two hours meditation to get the required rest and tackle high stress. This is in turn should help them become more productive. Even just 15 minutes of meditation provides more rest than deep sleep. Among those who follow his work is hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones, who has his entire staff meditate daily.


(The author is a renowned business journalist/market analyst. He is now providing content development for websites, social media (FB Twitter, LinkedIn), and blogging  services. Please contact : sreekumsree@gmail.com for your requirements)

Zumba's first ever mega event in Kerala on Valentine's Day

KOCHI: This Valentine's Day, why not have a romance with Zumba? Jazz it up with music, dance and some enjoyable rhythymic body movements leading to a celebration called the 'Party for Love of Fitness'

Arunima Gupta, Co-Founder of The Floor which is organising this mega event at Le Meridien on February 14th says this is a not-to-be missed opportunity to be led by ZES Sucheta Pal, the international master trainer of Zumba. This is the first mega Zumba event featuring the much sough after trainer Sucheta Pal.

Zumba is a great way to remain young, vibrant, healthy, burn of calories faster than any other fitness programs, says a confident Arunima. 

Event Venue - Le Meridian Amphitheatre, Cochin

Time - Feb 14th, 5 to 7 pm

Arunima has only this to say to fitness enthusiasts: Don't miss this exciting evening full of Dance, Fitness, Fun and Food. "In the morning, we also have a zumba session for kids called the KidsZumba. It is not just fun dancing session but more so, helps children develop confidence,  team spirit and leadership skills in creative way."The Zumba fever is really catching up in the country with international master trainer Beto Perez to perform in Mumbai on February 1," Arunima said.

"Happiness is the second name of Zumba Fitness.  It's a great therapy in these times of stressful living. So now, what are u waiting for? Let your hair down and bring in on this Valentine's Day with Zumba Fitness, she adds.

Zumba classes are held in 180 countries, 15 million people are attending a Zumba class around the world and tried out in 2 lakh centres.

Zumba sessions are typically an hour long and are taught by instructors licensed by an organisation called Zumba Academy. The excercises include music, fast and slow rhythms as well as resistance training. Unlike other aerobics or fitness programs, Zumba helps you to choose your pace and style and helps you shed weight and age in a few months time. It targets the abs, thighs, arms and other muscles throughout out the body. 

Toning is adding sculpting of body and cardio. Aqua Zumba is Zumba in a swimming pool. The instructor leads the class from poolside while participants follow the shallow water workout. Moves have been specially adapted to combine the same dance movements used in a Zumba Fitness class with those used in aqua fitness classes creating a fun and effective total body workout.  

Precisely what's Zumba: Workout + dance + music + rhythym+ fitness and joy. Keeping young is not boring any more... Plus there is no age barrier for Zumba-- whether you are in your teens, mid-30 or 40 or early 50's Zumba is right for you. Be young, fit and acti

For more details or to schedule interviews with Sucheta, Arunima: : Arunima Gupta (arunimagup@gmail.com) Mob: 9747640575, 9562036699 or Govind 9745736931 or to grab your entry passes.

-- ___________________________________________

To Lead a Life of Abundance: KrishnaMani shows the way

'E manohara theerathu tharumo ini oru janmam koodi, enikku iniyoru janmam koodi'- (Will I be born again in this beautiful land?) goes a popoular Malayalam song. When poets sing about the beauty of life and all the wonders around, many curse their existence and think about all the bad things that have happened in their lives- miserable childhood, distressing school, uninteresting job, a troubled marriage,  unhelpful relatives and friends, a chaotic society...the list is endless. They look to the media to hear more of such things being reported and it becomes their favourite discussion point.

For the past ten years, KrishnaMani and her team have been telling this is not the way. Replace each negative thought with a positive thought, replace each negative feeling with a positive affirmation, visualise all the good things you want to see in your life and see the magic happening. At Hotel Dunes in Kochi on December 20 and 21, it was again a two full-day session for KrishnaMani which began with the need to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. You are sitting in a chair- who cut the wood, who designed it into a chair, who sold it and how are you able to sit on it, you reached here on time, you may have come in your own car, be grateful you have the car and could drive, today morning you woke up and had a cup of tea or water, how did it reach you. Who all made it happen. You must be thankful to all of them. It could be a planter in a far away tea plantation or a engineer working overtime to ensure drinking water supply to your home.

Power of Positive Thoughts
You hear people complaining about corrupt government officials, bad roads, heavy traffic, inefficient officials, you talk about your child who doesn't study well, lacks discipline, you hear your children discussing how poorly their teacher teaches lessons. First erase all such negative feelings or thoughts and replace it will positive thoughts. Write in a piece of paper every day, my teachers are efficient, they come to class regularly, I respect my father, mother, gurus, all the sages and saints who gave me the wisdom and the strength to face alladversities in life. An affirmation note book written regularly can make miracles in our life. Geetha, a school teacher said her children now write five affirmations every day: I am the best student, I can learn, understand and achieve, I respect my teachers and my friends. Thoughts are like seeds- positive thoughts creative positive results. Thoughts are also like boomerang- it is capable of rebounding as fast as we release it.

Anjulakshmi talked about how this wisdom enabled her to find her perfect match Nishad and with their only son Keshav, continue to be part of KrishnaMani's inner circle and spread the message of oneness and prosperity. Her husband Nishad has spoken earlier about how visualising through a 'mind movie' helped him achieve his dream of owning a brand new SUV.

Life of abundance
Life is abounding- the nature is rich with greenery, with all the fruits and flowers, energy, matter that can continue to grow to meet the needs of more and more people. How many visualise the world that way? Aren't we more prone to talk about scarcity and lack of things in our life, in our country and society. This is where cultivating abundance consciousness becomes important.  If you are not grateful for all the good that has come into your life, how can you continue to experience abundance. How can you feel the abundance when all that we talk about is scarcity and dearth. Be grateful for the wages that you are receiving now, be grateful to your employers and wish for their prosperity, more wealth will flow. Be grateful for the house that you live in whether rented or own, be grateful to your vehicle, to your family and friends who help you, soon more abundance will start flowing. KrishnaMani wouldn't say it's her wisdom, it has come from the Universe, the eternal source, from the sages and saints.

Life is all about balance
For a fruitful life, the panchabhutas- Fire (symbolised by your thumb), Air (index finger), ether (middle finger), earth (ring finger) and water (small finger) should be balanced. Now you understand the importance of folding your hands and saying namaste. So are the seven chakras- the crown, third eye, throat, solar plexus, root...which corresponds to your spiritual thinking, emotions, higher thought, expression, communication, money, wealth, relationshiops, digestion, health and there are several day-to-day actions that can restore the balance- including jogging, walking, clapping hands, simple stretching excercises.

Money Freedom
We have not been born into this world to lead a life of misery and poverty. It is our thoughts that lead to such an existence. What is the harm in saying- ' I love money, let it come in plenty.' You can use it for yourself,well being of your family, you could use it for religious activities, charity,you use it to pay taxes- development of civilisation and society... money is not the root of all evil.

KrishnaJyothi Group
The KrishnaJyothi group is evolving and spreading across the state and country. The number of people who have gained from the wisdom of the sages channelised through KrishnaMani continues to grow. Why wait, join the abundance culture and make way to greater prosperity. Thanks to Vinay, Liju Sunil, Kishore Lal, Shaji PM, Reshma Shaji and all those who make the group happen.

Whatsapp: How it destroys F2Fc

Last week, as we ( my wife Aswathy, kids Darshan and Diyah) spent an evening with our long time family friend Darsana and Pradeep- the topic of Whatsapp came up. All of us were ofcourse ocassionaly, looking at our mobiles for updates.It was actually Pradeep's remarks that ignited my interest in writing this  It is not surprising to see people sitting for dinner at a restaurant and hardly talking to each other but moving their fingers through the touch screen and texting on Whatsapp or FB Messenger or the several other new ones like Hike or Hangouts that have come up.

Now people are no longer interested in your landline number or cell number.Hey are you on Whatsapp? You see its easy to share photos, videos, text with the convenience of not seeing face to face.  A couple broke up only because the wife didn't respond to the husband's message but his screen showed 'blue tick '. So what was she doing all the time? Wait a minute: From where did I get this news? From FB ofcourse!

Then there are couples who pry on each other's Whatsapp messages creating a hell in their relationships. I heard a guy lament, 'all my wife's friends on whatsapp are guys.'

Whatsapp groups
I am in a few Whatsapp groups and if you haven't muted those, it keeps beeping constantly. Some people start of with a 'Good morning' and can be seen through out the day passing comments, sharing pictures and even putting offensive jokes until midnight. Some time back I went a doctor's clinic and lot of people were waiting in the lobby for their turn. Some magazines and newspapers were kept there. Except for an elderly gentleman, none of them were reading but busy texting on their phones and smiling.

And then I heard a guy say in frustration, " I am going to stop this whatsapp. Seriously, It's taking lot of time in useless talk." But he's still there hooked to it.

How Whatsapp destroys language
I fear if I hang on to Whatsapp and FB I may lose  my language skills. This may be the shortest blog I have written and that too very informally-- that's all you need to.

-In Whatsapp  you don't need to write a full sentence: smileys will help up complete a broken sentence- whether its LOL, cryingm a frown or an anguish and there is always the clap and the thumbs up -frequently overused.

- Earlier, they said:  Let's meet over a cup of tea- but now : " Let's meet on Whatsapp"

-Losing perspective: In face to face or oral communication through phone-- as you make a sentence you have the option to clarify it further. But in Whatsapp-- sometimes, that perspective may be lost. You may type something and send, before you blink your eye the other person could reach a conclusion and that could sap a relationship.

Opportunity cost
What would be the opportunity cost of spending time on Whatsapp? All the good things that you can do: Planting a tree, reading a book, spending quality time with your children, spending f2f (face-to-face) time and or even genuinely helping others.

Whatsapp may be a great  (or Gr8) technological revolution but at what social costs? Still lazy to comment on this- pls Whatsapp me!

The Authentic Lil' America

Hey, All ya' hot dog fans, have ya' all heard 'bout lil' America? Well, it's this fast food restaurant right in the middle o' Panampilly Nagar, the fast growing commercial area in Cochin. Anyone who loves hot dogs is gonna love this place!

Well, I went there with great expectation, and to my surprise, it was way more than what I expected. With the cool music in their Jukebox, the baseball glove and the rugby ball on display, the place gives you that kind of feeling you get in a café in the Americas. The graffiti on the main wall featuring major American marks including Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty is quite something (I found myself staring at it for a couple of minutes).

this held my gaze for like, 10 minutes.

So, as you can see, I was pretty impressed by the looks and the vibe, and my next step was to evaluate the food. I bought a couple of hot dogs, some waffles and a slushy. As I took my first bite of the hot dog, I thought: “This place is one of a kind!”

Another impressive feature is their charity programme. Any customer can donate a hot dog, and they'll pin a tab on to the S.O.W, or ‘Some On the Wall’ board (quirky, eh?). When they've got a lot of tabs, they invite children from a selected orphanage, and serve twice as many hot dogs as donated by the customers. Quite noble and quite interesting, I should say.                                                                                                      

Rupam and Arunima Gupta, the brains behind Lil" America

I appreciate the efforts of Rupam and Arunima Gupta, the couple behind this venture. I’m very much looking forward to my next visit to Lil’ America. A nice little restaurant, neatly tucked away at the 5th Cross Road of Panampilly Nagar. This place is a must-visit for all those who are looking for a new taste. Make sure ya’ get the name right…. Lil’ America. Let me spell it out for ya'.                                                                             

L-I-L   A-M-E-R-I-C-A. There you go!

Choli Ke Peechey Kya Hai: It keeps a man guessing!

What's behind a woman's blouse? The Bollywood hit song from Khalnayak of early 1990's jokingly says it's the heart!

Unlike other mammals, human female breasts are now considered more of a sexual organ than a mammary gland that springs into life following child birth.

Desmond Morris, best selling author of Body Watching, Human Watching, Naked Ape...series of books that look at humans from a zoological perspective have already traced the evolution of breast from a mammary gland to a sexually attractive organ in female.

According to Carol Jahne, a writer in The Guardian, UK, the plump bosom in the human ape is an anomoly. No other mammals have a permanent breast. The writer points out that the sex appeal of rounded female buttocks and plump breasts is both universal and unique to the human primate.

The evolutionary process has also wired into female psyche the need to have large breasts and cancer patients and specialists who attended a recent talk show on TV felt they felt most awkward when breasts had to be removed to prevent spread of malignant tumour. This in turn has led to a growing industry for silicone breast implants.

The evolution of the breast as a sex organ has also paved the way for a multi-billion dollar lingerie industry with its market size seen at 1.6 bn to 2 bn pieces worldwide. And the best part is that women and designers are now more keen to come up with dresses that don't fully reveal the bosom but still ensure that men keep guessing and feel attracted!