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Issue No 746
Established 1996
Abdusalam H Omer,
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TimesKuwait
TimesKuwait
www.timeskuwait.com
07 - 13 June, 2015
250 Fils
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia
OIC still relevant despite all the challenges
By Reaven D’Souza
T
Managing Editor
here is some level of crises in
the Muslim world,” revealed H.E.
Abdusalam H Omer, Minister
of Foreign Affairs and Investment
Promotion of Somalia in an exclusive
interview with The Times during his
recent visit to Kuwait to attend the
Organisation of Islamic Conference
summit.
Speaking
candidly
on
the
challenges the minister said, “there is
a crises in motion and we are losing
our young children who have been
radicalised and it is very damaging to
Islam and to the people of the Muslim
faith,” he pointed out.
The minister noted that it was clear
that this was no longer a local problem
or a regional one but a global problem
that had to be collectively addressed
to be resolved.
Minister Abdusalam Omer has had
a distinguished career spanning over
30 years having worked in the World
Bank, UNDP and Governor of Somalia
Central Bank and Finance minister. He
has a Ph.D. in public administration
from the University of Tennessee.
In his first visit to Kuwait, he
appreciated the warm and friendly
ties between the two nations and
thanked the Kuwait government for
their hospitality.
Minister Abdusalam urged Muslim
nations to learn from the Somali
experience where they suffered for
more than two decades as people
watched the country disintegrate with
radicals as they practiced a policy of
containment.
Somalia fought this menace of terror
for several years and is now turning
the corner as they have managed
to reverse the situation with their
resilience, resources and support from
their neighbours. “We are very grateful
to our brothers in the Arab and Islamic
world and East African neighbours
without whose support we would not
have been able to fight these terror
organisations,” the minister revealed.
Offering to share their experiences
the minister said, “We call our fight
against these organisations as a low
cost, high impact one as there was no
billions of dollars spent, no fighter jets
or tens of thousands of troops in the
battle. Even though we may have won
the battle against these extremists." He
remarked that they need a collective
effort to win the war. The minister
questioned the extremism that is
affecting the entire region by asking
“how do you deal with young men
and women who blow themselves up,
they are also our children but they are
misguided.”
“The Muslim community is losing
that war and we need to regain the
confidence of our children, we need
to give them a meaningful life and
education and take care of them.” The
minister pointed out that there was a
big need to change the strategy which
cannot be localised anymore and a
major shift in the minds of the people
was required.
“The danger is around us, it is the
enemy within and not outside,” he
pointed out. A common understanding
Continued on Page 6
LOCAL
2
The Times Kuwait 07-13 June, 2015 www.timeskuwait.com
Albanian Cultural Day held at Kuwait University
T
he Albanian embassy in
Kuwait in cooperation with
the Social Sciences College of
Kuwait University organized an
Albanian Cultural Day last week at
the facilities of Kuwait University.
The event was attended by
many students, professors of the
University’s Faculty and members
of Albanian community living in
Kuwait as well.
The audience showed interest
in a video presentation ‘Albania to
be discovered and loved’ as well
last year and the main priorities
of the Albanian government
remain tourism and agriculture.
The removal of visa to Albania
for the Kuwaiti citizens starting
from February of this year,
mentioned the Albanian diplomat,
will encourage more visitors to
Albania.
The event continued with
the showcasing of Albanian
traditional costumes and
the presentation of Albanian
traditional cooking.
as the free discussions with the
Albanian Ambassador to Kuwait
H.E. Kujtim Morina and Dean
of this faculty, Dr. Abdul Redha
Assiri.
Then, a Q&A session took
place where many questions
related to the culture and
traditions in Albania were
addressed; the political system,
travel routes and recent
developments etc.. Ambassador
Morina said it was documented
that 3.7 tourists visiting Albania
I
Remittances helping
Nepal recovery efforts
n a show of solidarity to the people of Nepal
who have suffered through the devastating
April 25 earthquake, Lulu Group International
managing director Yusuff Ali M.A. had
handed over 20 million Nepalese Rupees
to the Nepal Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief
Fund last month. In support of the Nepali
diaspora in Kuwait, LuLu Exchange Company
W.L.L, one of the leading remittance and
exchange houses in Kuwait, was one of the
first responders to the disaster, waving off
remittance fees in all of their branches.
“The earthquake has affected the lives of
millions in Nepal, and we were touched by
the gravity of the disaster. It was our duty to
do our bit to help the people of Nepal and
we are humbled to have been one of the
first organizations to waive our remittance
fees,” said Adeeb Ahamed, Director-LuLu
Exchange W.L.L, Kuwait.
Over two million Nepalese are working
overseas, most of them in GCC countries.
On an average Nepal receives about $500
million per month in remittance. The amount
has increased substantially in the wake of the
earthquake.
“There has been a substantial hike in
remittances. Compared to last month,
we’ve seen a good increase in the number
of transactions to Nepal. The waiver of
remittance fee was one of the primary
facilitators of this increase, and I sincerely
hope that the money sent home will help the
people of Nepal in getting back on their feet,”
said Mr. Ahamed.
The Nepalese economy is highly
T
dependent on remittance which totaled $5.9
billion in 2014. It also accounts for nearly 30
percent of the GDP, and is set to increase
significantly, because tourism, which is their
next big contributor, has also taken a hit due
to the earthquake.
For Nepali expats like Ariyal, who are
much more relaxed now, the support from all
corners of the world has been overwhelming.
“I am thankful to the various organizations
and countries that have assisted my people
during this time of need. I am also grateful to
the remittance houses for waving their fees. I
think it is a noble gesture and sincerely wish
them our heartfelt thanks and gratitude.”
The Embassy of Serbia
announces move to Bayan
he Embassy of the Republic of Serbia
has the honor to inform the public that
its chancery has been moved from Surra to
Bayan, Block 13, Street 1., Villa 18, with effect
from 5 June , 2015. The Embassy is opened
Sunday to Thurs day, from 8 am to 2 pm and
consular section from 9 am to 11 am. The
Embassy is in the process of installing a new
telephone and fax line, the numbers which
will be announced to the public later.
LOCAL
4
Italian Ambassador hosts reception on National Day
T
he Ambassador of Italy to Kuwait
H.E. Fabrizio Nicoletti hosted
a ceremony to commemorate
the National Day of Italy on 2 June at
the Symphony Style Hotel, Salmiya.
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled
AI- Jarallah was the Chief Guest of the
function that included members of the
diplomatic corps, dignitaries, special
invitees and the media.
On the sidelines of the ceremony,
Foreign Ministry Undersecretary AIJarallah said Kuwait’s relations with Italy
are “historic and exceptional” and are
based on mutual respect.
He proceeded to say that Italy’s
stance in support of Kuwait, particularly
during the Iraqi invasion, are very much
appreciated. “This support has extended
after the 1990 invasion to international
podiums and this has boosted relations
further,” he added. Italy also has “an
effective and appreciated role by the
Gulf Cooperation Council and Kuwait”
within the international coalition which
is combatting militant group ISIL
across Iraq and Syria, said the minister.
Kuwaiti tourists flock to Italy in large
numbers each year, he mentioned,
and referred to Kuwait’s large EXPO
Milan pavilion this year.
sale of a Mondrian oil painting in the
New York auction for $50.6million.
BSK is confident that the school’s
“future Mondrians” will have the same
impact one day.
Many of the pieces were
collaborative and made splendid
eye-catching displays. The thoughtful
BSK Reception children, having
learned about the difficulties in Nepal
following the recent earthquakes,
decided to offer the paintings for sale
to the highest bidders and donate the
money raised to Nepal.
BSK young artists make a Splash
T
BNS Somudro Joy (Victory of Sea)
Naval Ship of Bangladesh visited Kuwait
B
NS Somudro Joy, the largest
platform of Bangladesh Navy
conducted a ‘Good Will Visit’ to
Kuwait between 23-27 May 2015.
During the visit, the members of
Kuwait Navy, Defence Attaches
and their families, School Children
of Gulf English School and Indian
Community School, expatriates from
different countries and citizen of
Kuwait visited the ship.
The members of the ship also
visited the Kuwait Navy base and ship.
The Commanding Officer organized
an official reception where senior
officer of Kuwait Armed Forces, civil
and military diplomats, members of
international community, respectable
Kuwaitis and other well-known people
were present. The senior officer of the
ship also called on military and civil
dignitaries and exchanged views on
enhancing mutual cooperation and
friendship.
It is to be noted that BNS
Somudro Joy is the first Naval Ship to
visit Kuwait to foster friendly relations
between the two brotherly countries.
he British School of Kuwait
hosted the annual Reception Art
Exhibition last week. The exhibition,
aptly named ‘Splash’, was opened
by Ms. Victoria Hankinson, wife of
Brigadier Hankinson, the Director of
the British Military Mission.
The guests were treated to an
amazing array of colour, shape and
form. The exhibition, held in the
Euston Gallery on the BSK campus,
showcased the creative talents of
the Early Years (age 5/6) children
as they worked in the style of wellknown artists such as Andy Warhol,
Jackson Pollock and Piet Mondrian.
Aligned with the principles of child
initiated learning, students were
introduced to the different styles,
and then set free to request materials
and use them according to their own
interpretations. Staff and children
provided guests with a practical
workshop showcasing the skills BSK
students have employed in Reception
this year. All of this coincided with the
S
Soorya’s ‘Dheergha Chathuram’
is another masterpiece
oorya
Kuwait
Chapter,
in
association with UAE Exchange
organized ‘Soorya India Festival 2015’
on the evening of Friday, 29 May at
the Indian Community School (Sr.),
Salmiya, Kuwait. The Indian Embassy
Second Secretary, Hon’ble A.K.
Srivastava inaugurated the festival
which aims to promote international
integration through culture, along with
Renjith Pillai, Business Development
Manager, UAE Exchange, Vijay Karayil,
President and B.S. Pillai, General
Secretary.
The Second Secretary
appreciated Soorya Kuwait Chapter
for its excellent efforts in promoting the
Publisher & Editor-In-Chief
Tareq Yousuf Al-Shumaimry
tareq@timeskuwait.com
rich Indian culture.
Unlike previous programs, Soorya
this time brought a dramatic art
‘Deergha Chathuram’ (The Rectangle),
written and directed by Soorya
Krishnamurthy, the founder of Soorya
Managing Editor
Reaven D’Souza
reaven@timeskuwait.com
Stage and Film Society, the largest
cultural organization of the world.
‘Deergha Chathuram’ (the Rectangle)
is a real time, 90-minute multi-media
drama, presented in the backdrop of
a reality show setting in a television
studio. It portrayed the rise and fall of
playback singer, who finally realizes
some great truths in his career. Trained
professional artistes Devan Nellimoodu
(Playback
Singer),
Mahalekshmi
(Ammu – TV talk show presenter) along
with other Cast and Crew - Shaji Nizar,
Arun Nath, Sujith, Pradeep Soorya,
Hylakumar, Sarveswaran, explored the
true potential dramatic art.
P O Box 5141, Safat 13052, Kuwait
Tel : 24814404, 24810109
Fax : 24834815
Email : info@timeskuwait.com
Printed in: Arwa Universal Printing Press
DIMENSIONS
The Times Kuwait 07 - 13 June, 2015 www.timeskuwait.com
5
DR. SAAD AL-KANDARI
Knowing the matter of the heart and the heart of the matter
By Ghazal Praveen
“I
Staff Writer
had major interest in the heart, to deal with,
as an organ. This was after completing
my under-graduation training. I was really
thinking between two aspects of cardiology – to go
for cardiac surgery; do open-heart surgery, or to
go for cardiology and do intervention,” said Dr. AlKandari in an exclusive interview with The Times.
After an exposure in the field of cardiac
surgery, in the early years of his training career,
he chose interventional cardiology. “I liked the
interventional more than the open-heart, although
it was an interest in the beginning, but once I got
exposed to open-heart I preferred the catheterbased surgeries,” he revealed.
“However, what initiated me more into
cardiology was my experience in medical school.
Cardiology is the specialty that depends majorly
on patients’ symptoms rather than on tests. Right
from the beginning of a conversation with a patient,
cardiology gives you this privilege to know what
disease a patient has,” speaking of his fondness
for cardiology, with a smile.
Especially, referring to the early years of his
career, he said, “As students, we were very
excited of the fact that when you see a patient, you
diagnose angina, you diagnose heart failure, just
from the beginning. So, that is one of the reasons
that made me think more and more of cardiology.
Besides, I had a very interesting professor for
cardiology, when I was in Ireland, in medical
school; maybe he was the one who pushed me
into cardiology. If I was to go years back, I would
still choose the same.”
The Royal College of Surgeon, Ireland, is a
private college dealing with the Gulf region and
to get into the college is a major challenge, in
itself. “In a class, then, out of 60, a minimum of 15
students would be Arabic, another 15 from Asian
countries and the rest were Irish. We had a good
number of Arabs there,” disclosed Dr. Al-Kandari.
“The first year was the toughest, although it
was not medicine; you have to study secondary
school, which means you have to go the national
board and be examined as an Irish student and
then compete with them,” he pointed out.
As an 18-year old traveling for the first time to
Europe, for his studies, Dr. Al-Kandari thought of
quitting in the very first week: “I called my parents
to basically support me and tell me to stay there.
But when I called them, my mother started crying
and said, ‘Just come back. We do not want you
to stay there. Just come back.’ I was ready to get
my tickets and go back home the next day. But for
some reason, the next day, I woke up with totally
different kind of emotions and I went up to the
college.”
For the heart patients, the heart issues are not
isolated from the rest of the body’s issues; they are
very much connected to the lungs, the kidneys
and other organs. Of the cardiac healthcare, at
Dar Al Shifa, he said, “Within heart care, we have a
general cardiology where we prescribe medicine,
treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, counsel
about smoking and life style, and weight loss. We
get more advanced when we do patient diagnosis
through tests, do angiograms, ballooning and
stenting. In some cases, where angioplasty is not
possible due to lots of blockages in the vessels,
bypass surgery comes in, done by our colleagues.“
After completing his education, he returned to
Kuwait to join the Farwaniya hospital and of the
stark increase in the number of heart patients
since then, he said, “One hospital was enough to
accommodate the heart patients in the country
then, but since five years to now, there is almost 30
percent increase in the number of cases.”
Making a note on how Kuwait’s Healthcare
system fares, especially in the field of cardiology
and cardiac surgeons, he commented, “North
America and Europe are more advanced in terms
of their approach to systems. All of my colleagues
here are well trained and professional in dealing
with any case but the problem is in coordination
between all the specialties,” pointing towards the
shortcomings of the administrative competencies
of Kuwait.
He added in the same context, “There should be
25 percent administrative resource for 75 percent
professionals but in Kuwait, it is the reverse. Also,
absence of a real job description is another issue.
As a result, professionals get the jobs they should
not get. This becomes a burden and compromises
the patient-care. The system in Kuwait is quiet
complicated; the Ministry of Health is not isolated,
it is connected to other ministries. This connection,
itself, to take a decision, delays the process.”
Since working for a long time in the country,
we asked him of the kind of patients he receives,
in terms of their gender and age and if he finds
a gender- and age-specific relation between
the patients and their kinds of diseases. The
doctor said, “When we were in North America we
thought that we tended to a lot diseases but when
we came here, we were astonished at the scale
and penetration of various diseases found in the
patients.”
On subject of the often found presentation of
heart attacks being, primarily, associated with
men, the doctor said, “Coronary heart disease or
heart diseases, in women, itself is like textbook.
Physiologically, women, before reaching the age of
menopause, are at a lower risk of heart diseases,
than their male counterparts. This is because of
the hormones; the estrogen has a major protective
effect on the vessels than in the absence of the
hormone. Once they reach the ages of postmenopausal —around 50—they become equally
susceptible, as their male counterparts, to the risk
of heart attacks and heart disease percentages.”
He explained that atypical symptom
presentation, of females, is one factor of such
association: “Usually textbooks and patients
describe heaviness and burning sensation in
the chest. But women can present in a totally
different way; they come in with a bit of pinching
here and there, bit of numbness here and there,
feeling uncomfortable, maybe abdominal pain or
totally different presentation compared to males.
That is why the disease or the symptoms get
underestimated.”
He added, “If we compare 60-year old males
and females with heart diseases, the female heart
diseases are usually more aggressive and more
deeply penetrated because they are diagnosed late.”
Quoting statistics, he explained, “If we look at
the studies done in Europe and North America,
the average age of patients having heart attacks,
for male, is 55–60 years and for females, about
If we compare 60-year old
males and females, with
heart diseases, the female
heart diseases are, usually,
more
aggressive
and
more deeply penetrated,
mostly, because they are
diagnosed late.
65–70 years. While the studies in the Gulf region
indicate the average age as 45–50 years. So, we
are dealing with much younger patients having
heart attacks.”
He agrees with various researches considering
diabetes as the major risk factor for this shift
adding, “Again, if you look at 100 European heartpatients, typically, 20 percent of them are diabetic
whereas locally [in GCC], 80 percent of the female
heart-patients are diabetic and 60 percent male
heart-patients are diabetics. Diabetes is a major
burden, in our society, with a negative impact.”
Dr. Al-Kandari also spoke of the direct relation
between smoking and risks of heart diseases,
“Around 50 percent of Gulf heart patients are
smokers. Earlier, we were surprised to receive 50
year-old heart patients but now people are coming
in, at the age of, as early as, 30.”
He noted, “We also face much more
complicated diseases; it is not just one vessel
or one spot that can be treated. Usually, three or
more vessels are under stress and their disease
seems to be affecting the coronary and the hearts
in a larger magnitude.” Over the span of his
career, he noticed an increase in the number of
cardiac patients, their diseases and their diversity
with elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure,
diabetes, obesity and lack of physical activity.
The various growth and hormonal medicines,
taken by youngsters for a better physique, are also
responsible for the increase in cardiac problems
He also considers red meat and eggs as the
major contributors for cholesterol; and warns of the
‘dumping syndrome’; habits such as having larger
meals and eating late at night, adding to heart risk.
Dr. Al-Kandari recommends 20-30 minutes
of exercise, light dinners before 8pm, watching
weight twice monthly, and believes that positive
emotions and perceptions matter when it comes to
having a healthy heart.
DR. SAAD AL-KANDARI is Cardiology
Consultant, Canadian Fellowship and American
Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular
Medicine, Interventional, sub-specialty cardiology Having graduated from the Royal College of
Surgeons, in Ireland, in 1996, getting through the
internal medicine program in Canada and having
obtained the Royal College of Canada degree as
well as the American College of Internal Medicine,
Dr. Saad Al-Kandari, specializes in interventional
cardiology. Since 2005, he has been practicing
general cardiology, interventional coronary
procedures and stenting and for the past three
years he has been with the Dar Al Shifa hospital.
LOCAL
6
T
he Embassy of Bangladesh in
association with the National
Council for Culture, Arts &
Letters (NCCAL), Kuwait organized
a Bangladesh cultural evening
on 5 June at the Salmiya Theater.
The
Bangladesh
Ambassador
to Kuwait H.E. Major General
Mohammad Ashab Uddin, ndc,
psc was present along with other
noteworthy dignitaries and a large
crowd comprised of Kuwaitis and
expats. The function featured
talented performers in dazzling
costumes treating the audience to
a song, music and dance routine
that emphasized the richness of
Bangladeshi culture.
Bangladesh Embassy and NCCAL organize
Bangladeshi cultural evening
Bhavan bags Balakalamela
Overall Championship
B
alakalamela 2015 was held on 1 May in the
premises of United Indian School, Jleeb
Al Shouaikh. More than 400 contestants from
various Indian schools participated in the mega
interschool contest. Contests were held under 17
categories at various venues and were judged
by eminent educators and professionals.
Indian Educational School (Bhavans Kuwait) was
crowned as the overall champion of Balakalamela
2015 with 63 points. The Benji Benson Ever Rolling
Trophy was presented to Indian Educational School
amidst joy over the triumph by the chief guest of the
day M.A. Baby. (The former minister for education,
Kerala State, India)
Balakalamela – an interschool competition
organized annually by Kala Kuwait for the
students of Indian schools in Kuwait is one of the
biggest platforms made available for the young
expatriate students to display their dazzling
gifts in an array of interschool competitions
ranging from a essay writing competition to
performing arts.
BEC opens its 5th branch in Mahboula
B
ahrain Exchange
Company W.L.L.
(BEC), one of Kuwait’s
leading worldwide money
transfer and foreign
exchange companies,
announced on 1 June the
launch of its latest branch
in Mahboula, its 5th retail
outlet in the area.
Located near the Al
Baraka complex and in
an area with many labour
camps, the Mahboula
5 branch will cater to
expatriate workers wishing
to send money home to
their loved ones back
in their home countries.
The branch which will be
open from 9am to 9pm
everyday will offer the full
suite of BEC’s products
and services including,
cash pick-up and credit to
account services through
EzRemit and MoneyGram,
as well as foreign currency
exchange at competitive
rates. To celebrate the
opening of the branch
BEC gave away 50 gold
coins to the first 50
customers that made a
foreign currency or money
transfer transaction at the
branch.
Commenting on the
opening of the branch,
Mathews Varughese
General Manager of BEC
said, “We are delighted
to be opening another
branch in the Mahboula
district which will provide
services to the many
expatriates working and
residing in the area.”
OIC still relevant despite all the challenges
Continued from Page 1
of the problem is essential as the magnitude
of the current conflict has made it imperative that
everyone comes together for a common action.
Regarding the solutions, the minister agreed
that there were differences as it was not possible
to deal with them in an isolated manner, rather
to start thinking collectively on the solution was
a good beginning as is now taking place. The
minister was categorical in that military solution
would never work, as this is a socio-economic
and alienation issue.
One of the most important steps to deal with
these issues the minister stated was to share
intelligence so as to understand the problems
better and be able to jointly act on solutions.
Expressing his regret over the damage and harm
being done to Islam he said, “most damaging
other than human life and property loss was the
damage to Islam in the eyes of others.”
Despite all the issues facing the Muslim world
the minister reiterated that the OIC had to be
relevant, the organisation has the potential to
do what needs to be done, but we have to be
realistic in our expectations he noted.
“If one looks at the big picture of the Muslim
world the problem is still manageable,” the
minister argued that the OIC required a new
strategy, new funding and economic strategy as
they already shared a common bond of Islam
that is very strong, a brotherly thing in the heart
and mind, he noted.
In the past many issues from poor governance
to economic exclusion, social alienation allowed
groups to take advantage and misguide the
youth, these issues need to be addressed and
dealt with to avoid future repercussions.
On the situation in Somalia, the minister
was upbeat that the recovery which has many
elements was on course and there was a unity
in purpose to ensure that it succeeds. “There
have been no clan wars for the past 15 years and
every one of the groups have come together to
work for peace,”
Though there are still many issues to be
resolved the Somali people are now talking about
governance and economic prosperity which is a
positive sign.
Traditional aid may not help anymore, he
pointed out adding that today the buzzword is
investment and though it is not progressing
as fast as they wish there is still considerable
investments coming in.
LOCAL
7
Art exhibition showcases talented Indian artists
T
Staff Report
he
IARTCO,
a
non-profit
organization, opened an art gallery
at the Gulf Rose Hotel building,
Mirgab in Kuwait City on 4 June with A.K.
Srivastava Second Secretary (Press,
Info & Culture) of the Indian Embassy
inaugurated the event. The art exhibit,
‘Mind n’ Moods’ displayed around
40 original artworks of 15 eminent
artists from India, who communicated
through various artistic techniques. The
exhibition ‘Mind n Moods’ will be open to
the public until 8 June.
Aside from revealing some aspects
of India, the paintings showcased
the various ideas of the country’s
talented artists belonging to different
backgrounds. According to M.V. John,
CEO of IARTCO, the art gallery was
opened to increase the awareness of
Indian art and culture in Kuwait. It also
serves as a platform for artists by offering
a professional art gallery at a reasonable
price to present their work, thereby
giving them an opportunity to further
their creative endeavors. Mr. John, a
connoisseur of art and a philanthropist,
is part of the movement to connect
artists and their work to art lovers around
the world.
Some of the noteworthy artists names
featured had received many awards and
were recognized, particularly Mahendra
Kadiam who had exhibited his artwork
Mothers honoured in Bhavans
all over India, and Kuntal De, a native of
West Bengal, who has done several solo
and group exhibitions. Few of the artists
featured had captured the heart of India’s
traditions, culture and architecture in a
thought-proving manner thought their
creative depictions of simple objects
from the clay ovens, which was used to
cook, to the forts and heritage sites, and
the more emblematic classic Indian train
and the wedding party.
Another prominent artist was Chaula
Doshi, who has been showcased in
national and international platforms in
various art galleries. Her artwork distinctly
conveyed her interest in the range of
emotions bought on by relationships and
how it shaped her view of different faces.
The art exhibition provided some deep
insight into India’s art scene and the
visitors left proud of having their culture
receive the representation it deserved.
Kalyan Jewellers launches
new collection with
discerning purchase benefits
K
C
BSEi Section of Indian Educational
School (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan),
Kuwait had a day on 28 May 2105 to
honor the mothers of their children in
the primary school. Many mothers
received the honors from their little
beloved ones. Two grandmothers viz.
Maheswari Gunashekharan and Usha
Radhakrishnan were the chief guests
of the occasion. Anita Sadananda ,
Vice Principal Senior Wing and Lalitha
Premkumar, Vice Principal, the KG and
the Primary Wings were the special
invitees.
CBSEi section of the primary school
had Family as the theme of studies for
the month of May. Therefore, the school
invited all the mothers of their children
for a special assembly wherein all of
them were greeted by their own kids
giving them a warm hug and a thank you
card. The grandmothers were befittingly
honoured with ponnada (golden shawl)
by Lalitha Premkuar.
The short get together of the
teachers, the mothers and their kids
was a culmination of a great vision of
ensuring the holistic growth of the child’s
personality. Children welcomed the
fact that their mothers are also a part
of their schooling. The great tradition
of India which always respected elders
in general, and mothers in special was
talked about by all the speakers on the
occasion.
Lalitha Premkumar lauded the
mothers who have been blessed with
wonderful children. Najida Abdullah
who spoke on behalf of all the mothers
expressed her elation over the initiative
taken by the school in bringing the
families of children closer to their
educational institution.
The variety of entertainments like
invocation dance, group songs, skit etc.
staged by the children for their parents
talked vociferously about the talents
groomed in the school. The Heritage
club was inaugurated and Master Geo
Varghese Mathew was declared as the
President and Master Vinayak Anilkumar
as the secretary.
In the short meeting held after
the event with the mothers, Suresh V.
Balakrishan, the Vice Principal of the
CBSEi expressed his gratitude to the
mothers. He also wanted to strengthen
the bond between the parents and the
school in which their kids are studying.
alyan Jewellers, one of the most
trusted jewellery brands has
launched its latest collection
for the Kuwaiti market coupled with
purchase benefits including up to 50
percent reduction on making charges
on gold jewelry. The offer spans
across an array of collections such as
Turkish, Finja, Antique and Omega.
Also included are the traditional
Indian and Singaporean ranges.
Kalyanaraman, Executive Director,
Kalyan Jewellers says; “We have
always endeavored to offer the best
and the same applies to Kuwait.
Launching our three showrooms in
Kuwait came within a year of our
international operations and I am
happy to acknowledge the loyalty
and patronage showered by our
customers. Kuwait is a sophisticated
market and we believe that Kalyan
Jewellers has the ideal mix of right
product merchandise and showroom
locations to cater to the growing
demands of the customers. With our
emphatic launch of three stores last
year, we continue to set benchmarks
in the jewelry retail experience for the
people of Kuwait.”
Kalyan
Jewellers
opened
three showrooms in Kuwait last
year in December 2014 and has
nine showrooms in the UAE. The
showrooms, curated in close
partnership with designers and
stylists offer an exquisite and
extensive collection of jewellery, with
stunning designs.
8
FOOD
D I N I N G
I N
For a complete list of featured restaurants, visit
http://www.timeskuwait.com/News_Dining In Kuwait
K U W A I T
The Dilmah t-Lounge story spans thousands
of hectares and millions of lives in Ceylon’s
famous tea country, known as the home of the
world’s finest tea.
D
ilmah’s founder, Merrill J. Fernando, was joined
by his two sons, Dilhan and Malik (after whom
he named his Dilmah Tea) who share his passion.
The Fernando family built their business around
their love for tea –with its own tea gardens, which
are infinite in variety, changing subtlety with the
natural alchemy of sunshine, soils, wind, rain and
temperature– besides teas from some of the most
yielding tea estates around the world. Since, its
debut in Kuwait, with the local franchiser Mohamed
N. Al-Hajery Co., at The Avenues Mall in 2013, Sri
Lanka’s very own chain of designer tea-makers,
soon, launched their second chain in the country,
at The Gate Mall, besides having a prominence is
several other countries.
Must try: Chamomile tea in a
unique concoction with pineapple |
Spinach omelet with sides of crispy
potatoes patties | Traditional Arabic
ice-cream seated in a cookie-bowl
and covered under a cookie-hat |
Konafa (with cream-cheese)
white tea, which consists of buds
collected in a specific way in Ceylon
tea plantations.
Cuisine
T
he Tea connoisseurs, at the
lounge, offer a variety of cocktails,
mocktails as well as tea-inspired
gourmet snacks, cakes and desserts.
Enjoy croissants and tea in the
morning, salads drizzled with teainspired dressings for a light brunch
or tea-smoked duck or tenderloin with
a Ceylon Souchong tea marinade in
the afternoon. Each recipe is carefully
crafted and specially curated for the
time of day and thoughtfully paired
with an accompanying tea or cocktail.
This café’s 400 kinds of tea
represent rare teas from around
the world coupled with its 60 plus
delicious dishes. Choose from teas
that are spiced and have fruit flavors,
or from an assortment of flavors of
green tea, black tea and herbal tea,
in addition to the rare and expensive
What’s new Its recently revamped
menu, to an eclectic ‘Tea-tery’,
includes designer gourmet teas in
a combination of unique recipes
and concoctions, new tea-inspired
gourmet snacks, cakes and desserts,
extensive
varieties
of
Arabic
international breakfast, including
Arabic and Kuwaiti breakfast, and
a delicious selection for lunch and
dinner, as well as mouthwatering
desserts.
Ambience: The t-Lounge offers
a quiet and relaxing environment,
with a tea-bar and an extensive
display of a huge variety of its teas.
So does it’s menu, which serves as
a perfect guide to find the kind of
taste one looks for.
Service and value for money: The
understanding of tea gastronomy
and the value of tea-making craft
is evident in the recommendations
of the waiters and waitresses. For
what it serves, its unique recipes
and authentic expertise, it, surely,
delivers the value for money.
Every week, our Dining in Kuwait’ section features selected
restaurants in the country that provide sumptuous cuisines from
around the world. Want to feature your restaurant in our ‘Dining
in Kuwait’ section and reach out to our wide reader base?
Email us at editor@timeskuwait.com with a brief about your
restaurant along with images in high resolution.
The Avenues Mall, Grand Avenues - Phase 3, 5th ring road | The Gate Mall - ground floor, Egaila
22200722, 96621770 | Instagram @ Dilmah_KW
tea biscuits, shortbread cookies, or nothing at
all. When you add too many flavors, your cup of
tea gets lost.
ON BUYING TEA: Get flavors that you know
you will love. Once you know that you enjoy
loose leaf tea and feel comfortable preparing
it, explore other teas, flavors, and blends.
Invest in quality brewing extras (french press,
strainers and disposable tea bags) to make
your life easier, and drink up.
TEA ADVICE
In love with the daily ritual of a cup
of tea, but less enamored of the
traditional flavors? You think you could
pull off a nice, a more flavorful cup of
tea by adding a spice here or a fruit
there but it is more of an art to set
the combinations well, rather than just
blending flavors in.
Here is a list of advices on buying and tasting tea
— great for a tea newbie and an enthusiast alike:
ON SWEETENING YOUR TEA: Teas are
best unadorned but if you like to sweeten your
tea, just add honey. Find a local honey brand,
of at least a decent quality, which comes from
beekeepers who do it right and offer delicious
honey that could sweetens your teas right.
ON ACCOMPANIMENTS TO TEA: Anything
that allows the tea to shine, is fair game. Scones,
ON FLAVORS: Start with one additional
flavor to a tea you already enjoy. Do you like
English Breakfast tea? Add dried cranberries
for a different twist, or add fresh mint to your
favorite green tea for a refreshing twist. You can
later add additional ingredients but one at a
time so your tongue does not explode in taste
overload.
ON THROWING A TEA PARTY: Find a
way to have a tea party that would incorporate
chocolates from brands which infuse teas in some
of the bonbons. Menus could also include savory
scones, varieties
of finger sandwiches, and fresh fruits. Set the
table with a modern spread or real chinaware,
with a few vintage flairs, add fresh flowers and
wait for friends to arrive.
INTERVIEW
9
Dawat Restaurant
Enjoy exceptional tastes with warm hospitality
The Al-Sabah and Kohli Group’s Dawat Restaurants promises
a casual dining experience in a family like atmosphere where
diners can relish a variety of flavoursome dishes. Since its
inception, it has amassed a large customer base of Kuwaitis
and expats, who frequent the restaurant for the traditional
dishes whose flavor, has remained consistently scrumptious.
ikita Kohli, the Operations
Director for F&B and the
daughter of the Group’s
founder Ravi Kohli, spoke with The
we have a variety of complementary
dishes. Our menu is very diverse with
traditional curries, biryanis, kebabs
and sizzlers. We have Indianized
Chinese food, and lamb, chicken and
meat-based dishes. We also have a
good vegetarian section as well.”
Times Kuwait about the establishment
of Dawat as the destination of many
culinary delights.
According to Ms. Kohli, she would
describe Dawat as the quintessential
family restaurant with all the trappings
of a neighborhood eatery where
everyone is family. The laid-back
atmosphere coupled with good
service makes the restaurant the
place to go to for a casual family meal.
Talking about their carefully
thought-of menu, she said, “We have
Chinese and Indian cuisine, and
aside from these two main cuisines,
She spoke on the special dishes
created on occasions for patrons,
“We have special promotions where
we offer new dishes. Presently, we are
holding a mango festival for patrons,
and we have a separate dessert menu
based on mangoes.”
The dishes at Dawat have received
positive comments, and Ms. Kohli
shares exactly which are very popular
with patrons. “Our Murg Biryani is one
of the bestselling items, along with our
butter chicken. We have heard from
clients about how much they have
enjoyed the food.”
Christina Pinto
N
Staff Writer
Dawat distinguishes itself from other
restaurant in a number of ways, Ms.
Kohli said, “We use fresh ingredients
in our dishes that are cooked in the
least possible amount of oil. Indian
food is not considered healthy, but
we try to keep our ingredients as
healthy as possible.” “Dawat has
been in the market since 1992, since
we had our first unit in Bneid Al Ghar,
we had people who are dining with
their kids presently, and they used
to come with their own parents as
young children,” She explained how
Dawat’s loyal customer base view
the restaurant as a part of
their lives and traditions, “It
feels like home. I would
describe the restaurant
in five words: homey,
comfortable, friendly and
great service.”
Touching
on
the
catering services that Dawat offers,
she said, “We do a lot of caterings
with customized menus and special
additions to compliment any event. We
even do live cooking stations where
you have a choice of Indian, Chinese
and even Arabic as well as Chaat
counters and live cooking counters. In
addition to the normal catering.”
The restaurant outlets are doing well,
according to Ms. Kohli, “At the Bneid Al
Ghar restaurant, we get Kuwaitis and
business
people during the
week because of all the offices in
the area. And at the Abu Halifa branch,
visitors are diverse with proper Kuwaiti
families and American expats. Each of
our units have a completely different
market. We chose these locations that
are spread out very well to get our
foot firmly planted in the market
and reach new customers
as well as be accessible to
existing customers.”
Glad for the company’s
many achievements, she
shared her optimism about the
future of Dawat, saying, “We
have set our footprint in Kuwait
and have created a brand known
to everyone. We aim to expand
throughout the GCC.”
10
LOCAL
Kuwait
This
Week
Cybercrime bill
backed in first vote
cting Director General of the Public
Authority for Manpower Ahmad Al- Mussa
has affirmed issuance of a decision to grant
a grace period of 60 days—from 1 June to 1
August—to expatriate workers registered in
companies found to have violated the Labor
Law and put under code 71 to rectify their
K
uwait’s Ministry of Information has
canceled the licenses of three television
channels operated by a media group
which also owns a newspaper known for
speaking out against the government, state
news agency KUNA said. The decision to
take the Al Watan, Al Watan Plus and Al
Watan Ghanawi channels off the air was a
result of an earlier trade ministry’s decision
to cancel the business license of operator
Kuwait Media Group, which also owns Al
Watan newspaper.
status. The affected expatriate workers will be
given a chance to transfer to other sponsors or
return to their countries within the grace period
meanwhile the erring companies will not be
exonerated. Over 33,000 workers, registered
under 6,770 erring companies, will benefit from
the decision.
T
10,000+ readers
who liked us on
The Times Kuwait
Facebook page.
w
.
t
i
m
e
s
irector of Women and Children Affairs
at Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor
Nasser Al- Ammar announced the closure
of 62 nurseries at various locations across
the country. Three of the nurseries were
closed down due to serious violations
while 59 others were closed down due
to lack of dedication by the operators.
Some of the closed nurseries were being
used for conducting extra moral classes
or as evening institutes while some
accepted children below the eligible age
for registering in nurseries. Inspections
carried out by the allotted team revealed
that some nurseries operate inside
unauthorized apartments, which is in
violation of Law 22/2014. There are a total
of 339 nurseries scattered across various
parts of the country while over 50 others
are in the process of opening shortly.
Indian Embassy clarifies Amnesty
news from Kuwait Government
Employers should
transfer salaries to
bank accounts
E
mbassy has been receiving numerous
queries/distress calls from Indian
community seeking confirmation regarding
announcement of General Amnesty by the
Kuwait Government for illegal residents in
the country, allowing them to regularize their
stay or leave the country without payment of
fines.
It is hereby informed that there is no such
grant of General Amnesty by the Kuwaiti
Government for these residents staying
5000
10000
w
D
ndersecretary of Ministry of Awqaf
and Islamic Affairs Adel Al-Falah
announced that 10 expatriate or Bedoun
pilgrims can be included in each Hajj
caravan this year. The maximum number
of pilgrims from Kuwait is still only
6,400 because of the expansion works
ongoing in Makkah. There are usually 74
Hajj caravans from Kuwait but this year,
some had merged, reducing the number
of caravans to only 50 due to certain
circumstances.
he Council of Ministers has amended
Article 57 of the Private Sector Labor
Law number 6/2010. The new amendment
mandates the Public Authority for
Manpower to request for copies of the lists
of salaries paid to Kuwaiti and expatriate
employees through the banks. This
indicates that the law requires employers
to transfer salaries and other entitlements
of Kuwaiti and expatriate employees to
their respective personal bank accounts.
w
62 Nurseries shut down
for violations
U
for liking us on Facebook
We thank the
he Director-General of the Public
Authority for Civil Information Musaid
Al Asousi expressed his pride on winning
the Kuwait e-Content Award in the field of
e-governance, announced by the Kuwait
Foundation for Advancement of Science,
for the e-Envelope system; considered as
one of the most sophisticated programs
in Customer Services and a great
breakthrough in shortening procedure
time. Applicants can now renew their
transactions and attach the required
documents electronically. The system
includes an SMS feature to follow-up
on transactions. The program currently
includes complete newborn registration,
first time registration of maids and Kuwaiti
and non-Kuwaiti renewals services.
10 Expats or bedoun
pilgrims can be
included for hajj
Kuwait takes three
channels off air
K
T
uwait’s Parliament backed legislation
stipulating 10-year jail terms and
fines of up to $165,000 for online crimes,
especially those related to terrorism.
Twenty-eight members, including cabinet
ministers, supported the law in a first
vote, while eight were against and two
abstained. A second and final vote is due
after two weeks to fill a legal vacuum and
regulate the use of online services such as
Twitter. But several MPs warned the law is
aimed at curbing freedoms of expression
and speech, and will send many Kuwaitis
to jail.
It stipulates a 10-year jail term for
creating a website for a “terrorist” group
or publishing news about the group on the
Internet that aims to raise funds. The same
penalty applies to money laundering and
publishing how to manufacture explosives
or other tools that can be used in attacks.
Sixty days grace period
For code 71 workers
A
Civil information wins
kuwait e-content award
k
u
w
a
i
t
.
c
illegally in the country.
However, there is a grace period of 60
days effective 1 June, 2015 for workers
who are working with the companies whose
licenses has been suspended so that these
workers can regularize their stay. All affected
expatriate workers of these suspended
companies will be given a chance to transfer
to other sponsors or return to back to their
own countries within the grace period from 1
June – 1 August, 2015.
+
o
m
LOCAL
U
UAE Exchange Kuwait launches
Customer Loyalty Month
AE Exchange, the leading
money transfer and foreign
exchange brand launched its
Customer Loyalty Month on 1 June,
2015 in Kuwait. During this month
long celebrations, various customer
engagement activities and contests
will be conducted. Customers
transacting and participating can
avail special offers and prizes. The
event was launched by the Indian
Ambassador to Kuwait H.E. Sunil
Jain, in the presence of top officials
of UAE Exchange Kuwait.
Vivek P Nair, General Manager –
UAE Exchange Kuwait said during
the launch, “Customer’s trust has
been the reason for the longevity
and success of UAE Exchange,
and hence we create opportunities
to express our gratitude to them.
During the Customer Loyalty Month,
several promotional and recreational
activities are organised, that make
the customers feel celebrated and
special. At this juncture, we would
like to thank our customers for their
loyalty in UAE Exchange, and we
look forward to continue to be their
preferred services provider.”
UAE Exchange is well-known
for its excellent customer service
and widest network among
remittance brands with over 22
branches in Kuwait serving a large
customer base.
CBSE Grade 10 Results:
Bhavanites shine brilliantly
I
t has been rightly said that
‘At Bhavan, winning is not a
happenstance but an attitude.’ The
most formidable Bhavanites have
proved their pre-eminence time and
again in a wide range of scholastic,
co-scholastic and non-scholastic
domains. The Indian Educational
School premises exploded with
excitement and exuberance when
the CBSE grade 10 results were
published by the Central Board of
Secondary Education, New Delhi,
India. The atmosphere was buzzing
with euphoria of striking success
as all the 83 candidates who had
appeared for the Class 10 CBSE
examinations 2015 cleared the first
hurdle of their success towards their
cherished career goals.
The 17 students of the sixth batch
of class 10 recorded a splendid score
of perfect GPA (10/10) with A1 grades
in all the five subjects. 28 students
of the batch secured GPA 9 (9/10).
“It must be noted that 54 percent
students of the 2015 batch came out
in flying colours by scoring GPA 9 and
above in the grade 10 examination
conducted in March 2015,” said an
excited and a jubilant T. Premkumar,
Principal, Indian Educational School
upon asked about the performance
of the school in the grade 10 CBSE
examinations.
Highlight of the Result:
• 41 percent of the students who
appeared for the examination have
secured A1 grade in English.
• 55 percent of the students have
secured A1 grade in Sanskrit.
• 44 percent of the total candidates
secured A1 grade in French.
secured A1 grade in Hindi.
secured A1 grade in Mathematics.
secured A1 grade in Science.
• 36 percent of the total students
obtained A1 grade in Social Science.
The school toppers attributed
their success to their loving and
caring teachers. All the teachers at
Bhavan are trained and experienced.
“The time-tested study pattern of IES,
along with the students’ ardent desire
to excel in the board examination
helped them attain this landmark
feat,” said Anita Sadananda, Vice
Principal, and Senior Wing when
asked about the remarkable success
of IES students in the CBSE Grade 10
Examination.
11
Students’ Council investiture at ILOA
I
ndian Learners Own Academy (ILOA)
held their 5th Investiture Ceremony on
21 May, 2015 with great enthusiasm
and gusto. The Investiture Ceremony
marked a significant beginning of the
new academic session. The Principal
Asha Sharma of LOA along with the
Chief Guest Dr. V. Binumon inducted the
newly elected members of the school
with badges and sashes. Shamil Zubair
of Class XII was appointed as the School
Head Boy and Nadira Anjum of Class XII
was appointed as the School Head Girl.
An oath was administered by the
Principal where the students promised
to honour their titles by fulfilling their
responsibilities and giving their best
to the school. Besides, students were
awarded with certificates for having
meticulously carried out their duties
for the post bestowed to them for
the academic year 2014-15. On this
occasion, the students of the various
sections of the school participated in
the Inter- House Rangoli Competition.
Captain D. N. Pushkarna judged the
competition saying that it was a very
colorful and beautiful presentation.
A spectacular classical dance
was performed by the students that
left the spectators spell bound and a
mesmerizing musical orchestra filled the
air with joy.
LOCAL
12
10 JUNE
Kuwait
Out & About
If you love dancing and you want to
express, explore, learn new dance
moves and more things, then this is the
dance program for you. There will be
a groove class, only for ladies, every
Wednesday.
Things To Do This Week
ONGOING
ART EXHIBITION
Marina Hotel | 6pm
E-mail: halrahi@gmail.com or direct
message on Instagram
@haloosh_zumba.
The
IARTCO,
to
bring
the
contemporary Indian art and the
artists to the worldwide customers,
is up with an Indian art exhibition
– bringing the best of the Indian
diversity, in painting, to Kuwait, along
with a grand opening of Kuwait Art
Foundation Gallery, by an Indian
for Indian artists. The gallery, which
will be a place where people, of all
cups of tea, stroll around, runs a
five-day exhibition, Mind ‘n’ Moods,
in the presence of H.E. Sunil Jain,
Ambassador of India to Kuwait.
Till 8 June
Burj Al Thoban, Gulf Rose Hotel
Building, 6 Floor, Mirgab Roundabout,
Kuwait City | 11am–9pm | 22250181,
90942249, 97488017
www.iartco.com/
iartcokuwait@gmail.com
Facebook: iartco.com
10, 12 JUNE
TAPONDO-AIKIDO
A Filipino martial art, which is nonaggressive, self-defensive and easy
to learn, and applicable to teens,
men and women in all walks of life,
encourages everyone to join its
regular training.
Kaifan Karate Club
8–10pm every Wednesday
2–4pm Fridays
Call Herms on 69309150 / John on
99478443 / Elli on 94000471
IEI, SUMMER
EXAMINATION 2015
The Institution of Engineers (India),
Kuwait Chapter announces the
Summer 2015 AMIE Examination,
conducted at IGNOU, Kuwait. All
those students members who are
already registered for Summer-2015
examination are advised to check the
IEI website.
SCRABBLE SESSIONS
Bknelled, Euphuize, Waqf, Zooeae are
some lovely words and there are 200,000
more you can learn with the scrabble
sessions but the fun part is playing this
wonderful game competitively. Scrabble
sessions are back for all to learn and
play, on Friday afternoons. Kids aged 8
years and above can join Rohaina for a
competitive play. Classes are held every
Saturday from 12–1:30pm.
Better Books, Salmiyah, Building 19,
opposite the Ministry of Private Education
2:30–5:30pm | 66634224.
FREE FITNESS CLASSES
Join in for free fitness classes for zumba,
masala bhangra workout, aerobics,
toning and much more.
B.FIT Studio, Salmiya | 65077062
Till 12 June
IGNOU, Esa Al Qatami St., Building
25, St. 1, Block 10, Salmiya
Exam timings: 7:30am–10:30am, 12pm–
3pm | Contact Martin on 99567867 or
Engr Somasundaram on 66739482
www.ieindia.org
EVERTON SOCCER
SUMMER CAMP
The P.S.A. Everton Summer Camp
is running soccer coaching sessions,
led by fully qualified UK coaches, on
Tuesday and Wednesday evenings
until Ramadan, for boys and girls
aged from three years to 16 years.
FAMILY EXPO
Till 17 June
Bayan | 5:30pm
Call Baker on 66918666
Visit www.psa-kuwait.com
IEI, SUMMER
EXAMINATION 2015
At this time of the year, Lothan Youth Achievement Center
(LOYAC) comes up with its most interesting program – “The
Summer Program”– to inspire and train, on professional attitude
and communication skills. It is conducting two sessions per
day, for people holding the qualifications of a certified coach
(life coach, business coach or similar fields), who have
delivered a minimum of 15 (40 hours) successful workshops
or mentoring sessions, and are passionate about volunteering.
Till 11 June
10am–3pm, 4pm–8:30pm
To participate, direct emails to alaa.loyac.org
ONGOING
Till 12 June
IGNOU, Esa Al Qatami St., Building
25, St. 1, Block 10, Salmiya Exam
timings: 7:30am–10:30am, 12pm–
3pm
Contact Martin on 99567867 or Engr
Somasundaram
on 66739482 | www.ieindia.org
LOYAC’S “THE SUMMER PROGRAM”
ONGOING
ONGOING
The Institution of Engineers (India),
Kuwait Chapter announces the
Summer 2015 AMIE Examination,
conducted at IGNOU, Kuwait. All
those students members who are
already registered for Summer-2015
examination are advised to check
the IEI website.
Engage children in Fatema Al
Qadfan’s 3-week creative workshop,
‘CREATIVE DRAMA FOR KIDS’, that
enhances communication skills,
builds confidence, brings better
social skills through imaginative role
play, drama therapy techniques,
problem solving and expressing
feelings. The workshop, for ages 7
to 12, delivered in English, is open to
everyone, regardless of disability.
Till 11 June
To register, call on 97239420 or direct
mail to lapa@loyac.org
ONGOING
12, 13 JUNE
ONGOING
INDIAN EXPATS HISTORY
Sam Pianunummoodu, noted social activist of
Kuwait, is currently authoring a book on the
more than 75-year history of Indian expatriates
and their migration to Kuwait. More than merely
a record of history, he intends to introduce
through his book, the older generation who
left Kuwait earlier and their contribution and
sacrifices for the community in Kuwait.
Sam plans to release his work this year and has
requested people to share any information,
which would help him to do maximum justice
and bring transparency to the venture. Those
who possess any sharable, non-controversial
information regarding “Significance of the
name of country-Kuwait,” the ruling dynasty,
details of important rulers, modern Kuwait,
Iraqi invasion, migration of Indians to Kuwait
for work, Indian arts circle, Indian community
school, cultural and political organizations,
presence of Christian Diocese, India-Kuwait
bilateral relationship and cultural exchange,
Indian investors and their initiatives in
Kuwait, bilateral visits of prominent leaders
of both countries, current developments
in Kuwait, English publications of Kuwait
or, possessing any other information, may
contact Sam at 66656642 or e-mail him at
sampynummoodu@gmail.com
ONGOING
WORKSHOP
The Family Expo, an annual trade
event, showcases quality suppliers
of gift, household and kitchenware,
products and services: furniture,
home accessories, gifts, kitchenware,
outdoor
home
accessories,
electronics, lighting accessories,
prints, pictures and frames, by
retailers as well as wholesalers.
Till 13 June
Hall 5, Kuwait International
Fairgrounds (KIF), Mishref
Sami Mohammad: A Retrospective,
the first in-depth survey of over fifty
years of work by the pioneering
Kuwaiti sculptor, brings the largest
ever presentation of his work. Curator,
Abed Al Kadiri, presents more than
120 pieces —
many of which
have
never
been exhibited
before
—
including
sculptures,
paintings,
drawings, prints
and documents
from the artist’s archive. This
retrospective, held in the country of
the artist’s birth, pays homage to his
long and influential artistic journey.
Till 14 June
Contemporary
Art
Platform
Exhibition Space, 2nd floor, Life
Center (same building as Eureka and
Midas), Shuwaikh Industrial Area,
Block 2, St. 28 | 24925636
LOCAL
letters from a Blog
FROM CAMELS TO
THE CADILLACS
Shireen Passi Chopra
“So, do you have to cover up from head to toe every time you go
out of the house?” I am asked this question, at least seven out of
ten times, when I tell people that I live in Kuwait. Others usually are,
“Can you drive there?” or “Can you go out of the house without your
husband?”, “Isn’t it difficult living in a desert?” and the most absurd
one yet, “….so do you still have people going from one place to
another on camels?”
A
deep “NOOooooo…” and
sometimes an almost
annoying “NO” is my
answer as I begin telling them
about the Kuwait that I live in
and the Kuwait they have not the
faintest idea of.
Aboard a morning flight bound
for Kuwait, flying over the rugged
mountainous terrain, miles and
miles of that barren and desolate
desert and the endless expanse of
the serene blue-green sea, there
at a distance, as you are inching
towards it, you are met with a
land mass, all of 17,820 square
kilometers – just a little smaller
than the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The land – punctuated with
tall tinted-glass buildings, like
the famous Hamra Tower soaring
through the skies, iconic towers
such as the ‘Kuwait Towers’ and
‘Communication Tower’ reaching
up to you as if to say, “Welcome
to Kuwait”, the snake-like, zigzag
lines of the highways running all
across the island, beautifully and
abundantly landscaped with trees,
flowers and stretches of darkgreen grass –makes for a truly
breathtaking picture, indeed.
The picture of today, so
different from that of four hundred
years ago, when all that Kuwait
was, was stretches and stretches
of desert, as far as the eyes
could see, and devoid of a spec
of shrubbery or greenery. Look
at Kuwait today and it is hard to
believe that it was only a gateway
through which caravans of camels
and tribesmen passed.
Modern, contemporary, chic
and stylish are the adjectives
that make up the Kuwait of
today. Modernity, which is ever
reflective in everything –the tall,
modern, futuristic-looking skyscrapers, the modern-styled
homes and sprawling mansions,
the entertainment centers like the
malls, eating hang-outs, cinemas
and the parks. The Louis Vuittons’,
Diors’, Rolexs’, Swarovskis’ and the
IKEAs’ – the biggest brands, the
biggest names which have made a
home here.
The swankiest of cars and
motorbikes one can find on the
planet congregate, every day
and night, on the brightly lit,
long-winding highways of Kuwait.
Zoom…..zoom…..vroom – a sea of
those Mercedes Benzs’, BMWs’,
Audis’, the Rolls Royces’, Bentleys’,
Porsches’, Lamborghinis’, Jaguars’
and Corvettes’ as far as the eyes
can see, zipping through the roads
as the young Kuwaiti men and
women, sitting behind the wheel,
maneuver their ‘beasts’ all over
town.
And most importantly,
modernity, which manifests itself
in the people of Kuwait –men and
women– who look at life and live
it with a contemporary, open, free
and forward-thinking approach.
Kuwait – a country liberal
and progressive in its outlook,
makes sure that it progresses
ahead, hand-in-hand with its
women-folk. Women in Kuwait
study in universities, at home
and abroad, they work, hold high
positions, they own companies
and are shareholders, they vote
and they hold key portfolios in
the parliament – in short, Kuwaiti
women contribute equally, if
not more, to the growth and
development of their beloved
country as do Kuwaiti men.
Having said that, Kuwait and
its people are still rooted to their
history and culture. They value
traditions, they follow customs
and they treasure their distant
past, paved painstakingly by their
hard-working ancestors, which is
a foundation for their prosperous
present.
From the camels to the
Cadillacs, the people of Kuwait
have indeed come a long way.
13
TAKREEM Jury Board
to announce award winners
H
aven’t we all dreamt that by the
age of 29 we would be running
our own company? Do you
think that even with a disability, it is still
possible to achieve ambitious goals?
How many women campaign for
human rights in their society and
experience pressures, torture and
persecution?
Shaikha Paula Al Sabah
Can you put a name to those
great researchers and doctors that
are revolutionizing the sciences and
medical fields?
TAKREEM’s mission is to spot
those stories, find ways to feature
them and celebrate the success of
those behind.
TAKREEM Jury Board has recently
convened in London and deliberated
on the 2015 laureates in the
following fields: Young Entrepreneur,
Humanitarian and Civic Services,
Environmental
Development
and Sustainability, Scientific and
Technological
Achievement,
Innovation in Education, Cultural
Excellence,
Outstanding
Arab
Woman, Corporate Leadership and
International Contribution to Arab
Society.
The names of the laureates will be
disclosed during TAKREEM annual
Awards Ceremony to be held on
November in Dubai.
The Jury Board this year included
H.M. Queen Noor Al Hussein, H.E.
Dr. Lakhdar Brahimi, H.R.H. Princess
Banderi AlFaisal, H.R.H. Prince
Mansour Bin Nasser, Mr. Issa Abu-
Issa, Sheikh Saleh Alturki, Mr. Carlos
Ghosn, Mr. Raja Sidawi, H.E. Shaikha
Mai Al Khalifa, Dr. Farida Allaghi, H.E.
Shaikha Paula Al Sabah, Mrs. Nora
Joumblatt, Lady Hayat Palumbo,
Mrs. Asma Seddiq Al Mutawa, Mr.
Thomas Abraham, Mr. Samir Assaf,
Mr. Samir Brikho, Dr. Ahmed Heikal
and Mr. Marc Levy. The Jury Board
meeting was followed by a dinner at
the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
TAKREEM was granted the support
of Audemars Piguet, Amec Foster
Wheeler, Renault-Nissan Alliance,
Salam
International
Investment,
TOTAL, NESMA Holding, King
Abdullah Economic City, CCC and
Barclays.
National Integration by providing
a platform to all religions, castes,
creeds, languages and regions of
India. He, however, asked WFK to
think about the maids problem in
Kuwait and write about the possible
solution(s).
President Umesh Sharma, Vice
President Dr. Wassim Siddiqi , General
Secretary Mrs. Tajwer Sultana, Joint
Secretary Sunil Sonsi , Syed Qamar
Minto (Executive Member) and
Naseem Zahed Ahmed (Executive
Member) attended the visit.
Writers Forum meets Ambassador
N
ew
Executive
Committee
members (2015 -2017) of the
Writers Forum, Kuwait (WFK) paid a
courtesy visit to the Ambassador of
India, H.E. Sunil Jain on May 26, 2015.
At the outset, President of the Writers
Forum, Umesh Sharma congratulated
Mr. Jain for the anthology titled ‘The
Crenellated Expletive’ written by his
daughter, Malavika Jain and released
by Ambassador of USA H.E. Douglas
A. Silliman. General Secretary of
the Writers Forum, Tajwer Sultana
apprised the ambassador of the
major activities planned for the tenure
of the new Executive Committee. Mrs.
Tajwer highlighted that special efforts
would be made to include the younger
generation at the student level and
to motivate them to take interest in
literary activities.
His Excellency lauded the
contribution of the WFK toward
14
YOGA
Indian Embassy holds pre-launch Yoga event
T
he Indian Embassy in Kuwait
organized a launch event titled
‘Yoga for Harmony & Peace’ on
1 June at the Embassy auditorium
to announce the schedule for the
International Day of Yoga on 21 June.
The United Nations has declared
21 June as the International Yoga Day
(IDY) with the overwhelming support
of 177 countries including Kuwait and
India.
At the launch event, the Indian
Ambassador to Kuwait H.E. Sunil Jain
announced that the Indian Embassy
has planned the first International
Yoga Day celebration in Kuwait to be
held on the embassy premises on
Sunday, 21 June 2015. The Minister
of Amiri Diwan H.E. Sheikh Nasser
Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah will be
the chief guest, and his wife, Sheikha
Hussah Sabah al Salem al Sabah,
Director General and Co-Founder
of Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah and an
enthusiastic supporter of Yoga, will
also attend the event.
The ‘Art of Living’, ‘Harmony House’
and ‘Isha Foundation’ in association
with the Indian embassy will organize
mass public yoga sessions on the
open space in front of the embassy
building from 6 am to 8 am. Members
from the three organizations gave
a small demonstration of basic
yoga techniques during the launch
ceremony.
On 21 June, basic yoga techniques
will be taught to visitors, who will also
benefit from a meditation session that
calms the mind.
The schedule follows the Common
Yogic Protocol prepared by the
Government of India.
Due to the lack of any changing
room facilities, participants are
advised to wear light cotton clothes
in white for the event. Also, as there is
limited parking available, carpooling
is recommended.
The yoga session is not suitable for
Children below 5 years and pregnant
women. To receive more information,
to register or access updates, kindly
visit the official website: http://www.
indembkwt.org/IYD/.
Program Information for Yoga Day
workshop on 21 June
Time : 06:00 pm – 08:00 pm
Where : Embassy of India Campus,
Diplomatic Enclave, Arabian Gulf
Street, Daiya
Contact :
Shri A.K. Srivasatava,
SS(PIC) : sspic@indembkwt.org
Phone : 00965-22531716
This event is organized by
Embassy of India in collaboration
with the ‘Art of Living’, ‘Harmony
House’ and the ‘Isha foundation’,
based in Kuwait. The Yoga session
is of 45-50 minutes, consisting
of Asana, Pranayam followed by
meditation.
Take yoga home
The Indian Embassy would like
to encourage the participants to
continue doing Yoga on regular basis
even after the event. Yoga DVDs,
books and other material related to
Indian Yoga will be available at the
Registration/Reception desk at the
venue. Yoga t-shirts and caps will be
given to participants at the venue.
All participants are advised not to
eat anything 8 hours before the yoga
session. Light refreshments and
packed food will be distributed to
the participants after the event.
Health and happiness
through yoga
W
ith the increasing pressure to
achieve, stress is now considered
a normal part of the work place –
regardless of status or income. The
degree to which an individual can
handle such mental, physical, and
emotional stress has an influence
not only on job performance but on
co-workers, family members, and
the community. Unless the quality of
life is improved, disappointment and
frustration will continue to interfere with
creativity, productivity, harmonious
interaction and will ultimately affect
both business and personal life.
Everyone looks for a way not only
to increase energy and overcome
stress, but to experience calmness
and inner clarity in the midst of any
challenge or crisis. Yoga has been
practiced for more than 5000 years to
improve the harmony between body,
mind and spirit and achieve the much
required calmness and inner clarity
through Asanas, Pranayama (breathing
exercises) and Meditation.
The Art of Living’s faculty of medical
researcher explains that, “The breath
is where the mind, body, and emotions
are connected. By learning a special
pattern or rhythm of breathing, one
can get rid of the accumulated stress
and toxins from the system, as well
as release negative emotions and
rejuvenate the body.”
The effectiveness of the Yoga and
breathing techniques can be further
understood in part by recognizing
the link between the emotions and
the breath. Every emotion creates a
specific rhythm or pattern in the breath.
With fear comes a fast and shallow
breath, depression is associated with
heavy breathing, and so forth. Rather
than allowing the breath to cause
physiological changes that may prove
unhealthy, one can skillfully use the
breath to transform one’s emotional
state.
In light of the First International
Yoga Day on 21 June, Art of Living is
organizing free workshops to spread
the awareness on Yoga techniques and
their benefits on the body, mind and
spirit.
Workshop features and details
(Time: 1h 30 min)
Easily
learned
tension-releasing
physical stretches and exercises
Breathing techniques to relax the mind
Understand the various levels of our
existence
Meditation and relaxation techniques
Questions and answer sessions
Benefits of Yoga and Meditation:
Relief from stress and tension
Improved Flexibility and strength of
muscles
Increased calm and wellbeing
Improved concentration and focus
Relief
from
depression
and
normalization of sleep
Significant reductions in anxiety levels
Prevention and cure from many
ailments
Anyone can contact the following
numbers to participate in a free Art
of Living Health and Happiness Yoga
workshop on any day between 1 June
to 30 June. Tel: 97154717 / 66603655 /
99620925
Physical benefits of Yoga
Y
ou have probably heard that yoga is good for you.
Maybe you have even tried it and discovered that
it makes you feel better. A regular practice can offers
all kinds of mental and physical health benefits. Some,
like improved flexibility, are clearly evident. Others,
including mental clarity and stress reduction, may be
more subtle but are just as powerful. When put together,
all the benefits below contribute to an increased feeling
of well-being, which helps explain why so many people
find yoga so addictive.
Flexibility: Moving and stretching in new ways will
help you become more flexible, bringing greater range of
motion to tight areas. Over time, you can expect to gain
flexibility in your hamstrings, back, shoulders, and hips. As
we age, flexibility naturally decreases, which leads to pain
and immobility. Yoga can help you overcome this process.
Strength: Many yoga poses require you to support the
weight of your own body in new ways, including balancing
on one leg (such as in Tree Pose) or supporting yourself
with your arms (such as in Downward Facing Dog). Holding
poses over the course of several breaths also builds
strength.
Muscle tone: As a by-product of getting stronger, you
can expect to see increased muscle tone. Yoga helps
shape long, lean muscles.
Balance: Improved balance is one of the most important
benefits of yoga as you get older. Poses where you stand
on one leg and, for more advanced students, inversions,
are great ways to build core strength.
Joint Health: People with arthritis often see marked
improvement in their pain and mobility with regular gentle
yoga practices. And specific types of yoga exercises can
benefit those people with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Pain Prevention: Increased flexibility and strength can
help prevent the causes of some types of back pain. Many
people who have back pain spend a lot of time sitting at a
computer or driving a car. That can cause tightness and
spinal compression, which you can begin to address with
yoga. Yoga also improves your alignment, both in and out
of class, which helps prevent many other types of pain.
Better Breathing: Most of us take shallow breaths
and don’t give much thought to how we breathe. Yoga
breathing exercises, called pranayama, focus the attention
on the breath and teach us how to take deeper breaths,
which benefits the entire body. Certain types of breath can
also help clear the nasal passages, helpful for people with
allergies, and even calm the central nervous system, which
has both physical and mental benefits.
HEALTH
15
New study reveals even more ways your
Smartphone is stressing you out
You might have a case of mobile
madness: Being unable to answer
your phone—even when it’s right
in front of you—can spike stress
and anxiety, finds new research in
the Journal of Computer-Mediated
Communication.
I
n the study, iPhone users were working on
a mentally demanding word-search puzzle
when they heard their phones begin to
ring just a few feet away. But the participants
weren’t allowed to get up from their seats, so
they couldn’t answer their devices. As a result,
their heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety
levels spiked.
People’s performance on the puzzle also
plummeted compared to when they completed
the task with their phones safely in reach.
“Smartphones put us in an ever-increasing
state of hyper-vigilance, where we’re always
feeling compelled to check our calls, texts,
social media alerts, email, and more,” says
David Greenfield, Ph.D., founder of the Center
for Internet and Technology Addiction. “This
keeps the adrenals constantly activated and
cortisol levels elevated.”
And that spike in cortisol—known as the
stress hormone—helps explain your increase
in blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety, as
well a dip in mental performance.
This, of course, doesn’t mean you should
keep your phone attached to your hip and
never let a text go unanswered, Greenfield
says. “We only have a limited amount of
time each day, and heavy use of technology
eats away at it,” he says. In fact, once you’re
distracted by an alert or a ring on your phone,
it can take nearly a half hour to get back to
your original task, the researchers report.
You might hate to hear it, but Greenfield
suggests blocking off some phone-free time
so you can actually get stuff done. That
means turning your phone completely off—
the buzzing of a vibrating phone can have the
same effect as a ringing one.
Start with times when you don’t actually
need your phone for productivity purposes,
such as when you’re eating meals, spending
time with your family or friends, and especially
while you’re sleeping. (In fact, stash it in
another room for shut eye.)
“At first you may feel some anxiety, but the
more you do this, the more that will lessen,”
Greenfield says.
Once you feel less uneasy during these
times, you’re ready to move up: Turn off your
phone for several hours at a time during your
workday when you need to focus on a specific
task, like cranking out that quarterly report.
Finally, schedule certain times of day when
you’ll tend to alerts. “If you don’t do this, you
could end up checking your phone several
hundred times per day,” Greenfield says.
For example, you could plan to view social
media during your 10 am coffee break, check
your email every 3 to 4 hours, and respond
to texts once or twice per day. You will be
shocked at how much “extra” time you have.
Why missing
a night of sleep can
damage
Obesity
in adolescence linked to bowel
cancer risk, says study
Being
overweight
in
adolescence is linked to a
greater risk of bowel cancer
later in life, a study suggests.
Researchers followed nearly
240,000 Swedish men for
35 years.
T
he analysis, published in the
journal Gut, showed overweight
teenagers went on to have twice
the risk of bowel cancer. The
figures were even higher in obese
teens. The World Cancer Research
Fund said the link between obesity
and cancer was “strong”.
Bowel cancer is the third most
common cancer in the world, with
nearly 1.4 million new cases each
year. Processed red meat and
abdominal fat have been linked to
the disease.
The participants in the study
were aged between 16 and 20
at the start. The overwhelming
majority were a normal weight, but
6.5 percent were overweight and
one percent was obese.
There were 855 cases of
colorectal cancer in the study.
However, the results showed not all
weights were affected equally.
Those who were obese were
2.38 times more likely to have
developed a bowel tumour. The
study, led by Orebro University
Hospital in Sweden and Harvard
University, said: “Late adolescence
marks the transition from childhood
to adulthood and is a period of
accelerated growth, especially
among men, thus this period may
represent a critical window.”
“It is important that we
understand the role of exposures in
childhood and adolescence in the
development of colorectal cancer.
“In fact, the strong association
observed between adolescent
obesity
and
early-to-mid-life
colorectal cancer, coupled with
the increasing prevalence of
adolescent obesity, may shed
light on the increase in colorectal
cancer incidence among young
adults,” he added.
Rachel Thompson, from the
World Cancer Research Fund,
said the evidence suggested that
obesity was a risk factor for bowel
cancer.
“This finding is interesting
because it gives an indication that
bowel cancer risk might be affected
by our lifestyle habits throughout
the life course,” she said.
“In some ways, research into
the relationship between factors
like obesity and cancer risk is still
in its infancy.
“It will be interesting to see if
further research emerges in the
future to back up the apparent
relationship between body fatness
in youth and later-life cancer risk.”
From Napoleon Bonaparte and Margaret
Thatcher to Twitter founder and Square, Inc.
CEO Jack Dorsey and Yahoo! CEO Marissa
Mayer, many successful leaders have claimed
they only need 4-5 hours of precious sleep a
night. They seem wired differently and shame
the rest of us for craving eight hours of shut
eye every night.
B
ut for the majority of us - including many top
CEOs and world leaders - this is certainly not the
case, according to Dr. Tara Swart, an international
neuroscientist and CEO of The Unlimited Mind. Missing
a night of sleep can have quite a “devastating” effect on
our performance, Swart says.
“One to two percent of the population can survive on
four hours of sleep a night,” said Swart, “but 7-8 hours is
optimal for most of us,” she claims.
Could the secret to success in your professional
lives be linked to how well you sleep?
“There’s a very strong correlation between restfulness
and leadership,” according to Jessica Payne, associate
professor and director of the Sleep Stress and Memory
Lab at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. “The
majority of people need seven to nine hours of sleep
and the majority of people don’t get that much,” cites
Payne. It’s as important as diet and exercise, she added.
While many of us skimp on sleep for years, thinking
we can either make up for it at the weekend or another
time, these long-term habits can add up to big trouble.
The problems really strike after many years of doing this,
said Payne. Memory problems, issues with decisionmaking, lack of creativity and regulating personal
emotions are some of the first areas to be diminished by
lack of sleep, according to Payne.
Social ability and emotional stability are linked to
sleep, and a sleep deficit can be a “huge problem for
leadership,” says Payne. A lack of it makes us irritable,
she said, and many of us don’t understand how key
sleep is in regulating your emotions and interacting with
others both in the workplace and at home.
Swart, who trained as a doctor and specialised in
your IQ
psychiatry, then followed her passion for neuroscience
and after working as a psychiatrist for seven years, is
now a coach for leading executives and financiers. What
she didn’t expect when she started her research into
sleep were the “shocking” health consequences many
of her clients suffered by abusing the need for sleep.
“So many of my clients have had heart attacks and
nervous breakdowns,” she says, even those in their
forties. While much of it is due to information overload
and uncertainty in today’s world, a great deal of illnesses
are due to higher levels of cortisol from stress, which in
turns leads to difficulty sleeping, she said.
On top of the obvious health risks, when you have
any sleep disturbance, your IQ drops by 5-8 IQ points,
explained Swart. While we can usually carry on, albeit
a bit more groggy, studies show that when we miss a
night of sleep, our IQ drops by 1 standard deviation,
meaning you’ll be “operating as if you’ve got a learning
disability,” she said.
What do experts recommend to overcome sleep
challenges for leaders?
We have all heard the term “power nap”, but what
few realize is the literal truth to those words. Both Swart
and Payne stressed the importance of naps as one of
the most significant steps in becoming a successful
individual and leader.
“I dream of one day having a cubicle where everyone
can have a nap,” said Payne. “We are a long way from
that, but it’s absolutely right for everyone who wants to
enhance their performance. It has a huge effect.”
Even if you don’t go to sleep, incorporating a
“mindfulness period” or “restful wakefulness”, will help
relieve stress and rejuvenate the brain, in turn making
leaders more effective and better at their jobs, claims
Payne.
The most famous example of a company embracing
this advice is Google, well-known for their nap parties
and pods where employees can go in and curl up.
Swart said though she advises a 90-minute nap
to get the most creative benefits, most of the leaders
she’s coaching don’t have time to do it. So a focus on
other mindfulness techniques and rest periods is often
encouraged too.
ITALY
TRAVEL
16
Ask an Italian where in the world they would most like to live, and the odds are
that they will say “right here”. Indeed, most people –not just Italians– have raved
about Italy since tourism began, the country really does have it all: one of the
most diverse and beautiful landscapes in Europe; the world’s greatest hoard of
art treasures; a climate that is on the whole benign; and, most important of all for
many, a delicious and authentic national cuisine.
ROME
L
AMALFI COAST
F
ind artistic inspiration or just while away
the day with a glass of limoncello in hand.
Driving here is not for the timid. The road that
runs south from Naples and down the Amalfi Coast
is famously steep and narrow and kinked with
hairpin turns. It winds up cliffs and down into deep
gorges. On Italy’s most scenic stretch of coastline,
the colors thrill, a living kaleidoscope that swirls
and changes with every turn: pastel-hued villages
terraced into the hillside, deep green gardens
blanketed with brilliant blooms, the sunny yellow of
the local lemons, and the turquoise waters of the
Mediterranean (your near constant companion).
Peppered with towns somewhat small and that
much smaller, the Amalfi Coast’s most famous
spots include the namesake Amalfi, Positano, and
Ravello.
SIP LIMONCELLO
The Amalfi Coast’s
rocky landscape is not
kind to most crops.
But
here,
against
the backdrop of the
Mediterranean
Sea,
lemon trees often scent
the air. The fruit turns up
in many local dishes, but
it is the limoncello you
will crave after a day of
touring. With both lemons
and pottery in abundance in the area, cold glasses
of limoncello—made of lemon peels, water, sugar,
and grain alcohol—are often served up after
dinner. It is a way to help settle the system after a
meal and as you will see, to make the experience
last that much longer.
CULINARY ARTS
Even people who are usually of the “I’ll-havewhatevever” philosophy, when dining at home, will
find their culinary center on the Amalfi Coast. A
week of cooking classes in and around Positano is,
quite possibly, one of the fastest routes to making
the area your own.
Settle into a B&B, where a gift bag waits on your
fridge, and celebrate your arrival with a glass of
prosecco. Then, for the next week, there will be
visits to fish shops; tastes of ruta, a herbal grappa,
after a lunch of smoked provolone grilled on lemon
leaves: chopping and cooking to turn simple
ingredients into simply spectacular final dishes;
trips into the hills to make cheese and pizza; and
much more.
ucian, the second-century Greek rhetorician,
described Rome as “a bit of Paradise.”
Fifteenth-century Tuscan scholar Gian Francesco
Poggio Bracciolini praised the city as the “most
beautiful and magnificent of all those that either
have been or shall be.” These opinions about the
Eternal City survive, and why not? Almost 3,000
years of history, layer upon layer of it, testify not
only to the genius, perseverance, and adaptability
of the peoples who founded Rome and developed
it through the ages, but also to that of those who
followed. The city’s vast number of archaeological
sites, ancient monuments, and early structures
still exist today, attesting to the glory that was
Rome and lending to its everlasting allure.
LA DOLCE VITA
Few cities make it easier to wallow in la dolce
vita than Rome. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory
Peck did it in the 1953 movie ‘Roman Holiday’;
thousands do it every day.
DAY TRIP TO CAPRI
Here, on Capri, a ferry ride away from Positano,
the roads make those on the coastline look like
superhighways. Take a chairlift to the top of Monte
Solaro and take in the dramatic views of cliffs
and seas. Stop at Villa San Michele, home of the
Swedish physician who wrote the 1929 best seller
The Story of San Michele.
Fountain of Four Rivers—sits atop
Roman racetrack built in A.D. 86.
artists, and lots of cafes make this
outdoor living room an excellent spot
watching.
The place to start is the mostly pedestrian
Centro Storico, where streets spill onto sun-filled
plazas. Cafes and trattoria tables beckon beside
the 2,000-year-old Pantheon, just a short trek over
from the Roman Forum and Colosseum.
Located near the Spanish Steps, the historic
Antico Caffe Greco—the former stomping
grounds of writers like Stendhal, Geothe, and
Byron—still captivates with its romantic charm.
FOLLOW
THE FLORENTINES
TUSCANY
T
ake a grand tour of the Italian
Renaissance. Florence, Tuscany’s
regional capital, offers the most lavish of
articles feats, but away from the great set
pieces of the Uffizi Gallery or the genius
of Michelangelo or Botticelli, smaller,
jewel-like paintings, such as Benozzo
Gozzoli’s fresco cycle in the Palazzo
Medici Riccardi, bear more humble—but
no less eloquent—witness to the glory
of the Renaissance. Art conspires with
architecture, as well landscape, history,
and religion , in Tuscany’s ancient
monasteries, timeless custodians of
tradition dotted throughout the region’s
peerless countryside. Architecture and
tradition also inform Tuscany’s finest
medieval townscape, Siena’s Piazza del
Campo, or main square, scene of the
historic Palio horse race.
Up the way, at the end of luxury boutiqueflanked Via Condotti, it is time for another gelato
before climbing the palm-fringed Spanish Steps to
graceful Trinita dei Monti, the iconic, twin-towered
church built in 1502.
Sneak over to the 18th-century Trevi Fountain
at night, after the crowds have thinned, and
watch how the monumental fountain morphs
into a sensuous backdrop of shared community
celebrating Roman life. Another dolce vita hot
spot, Piazza Navona—with its three graceful
fountains, including Bernini’s exuberant baroque
Though Florence’s top tourist sites are
popular for a reason, take a local’s
advice to escape the crowds—and
to see things everybody else usually
misses. Florentines visit the peaceful
chapel of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi
to revel in the ideal vision of the
Renaissance. At the chapel, Benozzo
Gozzoli’s “Journey of the Magi,” a threefresco cycle painted in 1460 is tucked
away in the depths of a palace that
belonged to the Medici, the Powerful
banking dynasty that dominated
Florence for almost four centuries. The
cycle ostensibly depicts the journey of
the wise men to Bethlehem; in truth,
Gozzoli depicts Florentine nobles
riding through a glorious Tuscan
landscape still recognizable today. But
these are not any Florentine nobles.
Gozzoli’s wise men are portraits of his
Medici patrons.
STEAL AWAY TO A MONASTIC
Some monasteries remain places of
an ancient
Musicians,
pedestrian
for people-
RELIGIUOS ROME
No visit to Rome would be complete without
visiting a few of its many churches and basilicas: the
Basilica of St. John Lateran, the medieval Basilica
of San Clemente, vast Santa Maria Maggiore, and
of course, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican—all
repositories of relics and magnificent art.
For a touch of mystery, explore the ancient Christian
burial sites tunneled under the Old Appian Way. The
murky catacombs of St. Callistus hold some 170,000
graves, the crypt of St. Cecilia, and paintings from the
second and third centuries A.D.
devotion, such as the ninth-century
Sant’Antimo south of Montalcino, where
the Gregorian chants of monks still
echo around the honey-colored stones
of Tuscany’s loveliest Romanesque
building.
Napoleon dissolved the Badia in
1810, but it has prospered since, and
today it offers a medley of Tuscan
seductions: the fine architecture of its
almost-thousand-year-old buildings;
the beauty of its pastoral setting high
in the Chianti hills; the superb food in
its stylish restaurant; and the lure of
faultless hospitality—the oldest parts
of the abbey have been converted into
a series of charming small apartments
where you can retreat, however briefly,
from the travails of the wider world.
GATHER WITH THE COMMUNITY
It is Europe’s most dramatic
pageant. The spectacle of the Palio, a
twice yearly, three-lap bareback horse
race around the main square in Siena,
has been played out for hundreds
of years as a powerful symbol of
continuity and, for all its intense rivalry,
of community and civic pride.
Nurse a cappuccino long enough at
one of the many cafes on the campo,
or piazza, in which it takes place—
Manganelli at number 53-54 and II
Palio at 46-49 are less expensive than
some—and you feel that the city’s entire
population has passed before you.
WOMEN
17
‘Wife bonus’
is just an allowance
A woman sitting on rocks
in Colca Valley, Peru
Housework and child care are real
work and deserve real money, so
many women are 100 percent behind
any initiative that fairly pays women
for their time and labour. But after
decades of feminist advocacy for fair
wages and material acknowledgement
of domestic work, what women have
got is the “wife bonus”.
A
“wife bonus” is a standby on Manhattan’s
Upper East Side, where rich husbands
reward their stay-at-home wives with a
hefty end-of-the-year cheque to thank them
for all their hard work. One such woman, Polly
Phillips, wrote in a much-reviled piece in the
New York Post about the designer bags and
shoes she buys after her bonus, which she calls
“the nod from a happy boss for a job well done.”
The prospect of paying women wages for
domestic labour is hardly a new idea: Feminist
activist Selma James started the Wages for
Housework campaign in the 1970s.
Women absolutely should be recognised
for their contributions at home , and while ‘wife
bonuses’ are apparently limited to ultra-rich,
despite the fact that most women who stay at
home are lower-income, studies show that male
executives’ ‘stay-at-home’
wives do make it possible
for their husbands to
put in the long hours
Photographer shows beauty is everywhere
often required to succeed in high-powered
careers.
But why a bonus and not a salary? As
Washington Post writer Alyssa Rosenberg
pointed out: “It’s not getting paid for work that is
necessarily condescending or sexist. It is doling
that money out like a year-end treat, rather than
delivering it regularly like the wage that it is,” she
writes. And why is it that a woman’s husband is
her “boss” instead of her partner?
And how is a “wife bonus” different from an
allowance in any way beyond the name? If men’s
preferred careers require that someone else take
care of their children and do their laundry — and
support their work outside the home in all sorts
of other, non-tangible ways — it seems only fair
that the money they make belongs equally to
their marriage partners as well as to them.
Women are not children who deserve
allowances, but adults who should have
equal access to the family finances without
reservation or guilt. And considering the serious
risk women take on when they tie their financial
futures to husbands that may leave them or that
they may one day want to leave, it is more
than appropriate to ensure some level of
security.
A “wife bonus” may be objectionable
— husbands are not bosses and
wives are not their employees
— but paying women for the
difficult and important work they
do is not. It is just unfortunate
and unsurprising that the first
women finally remunerated for
the labour they do in their own
homes are the women who,
financially, need it the least.
Mihaela Noroc of Romania traveled the world and created an Atlas of Beauty to show how
beauty looks around the world. Her photo series shows a wide variety of beautiful women in
their environment and clothing of choice. The result is more impressive and beautiful than any
Miss Universe pageant. Her photos will be featured in the coming issues.
Women beat out
men in investing
According to a recent study by SigFig,
a portfolio platform, women are more
likely to make money when investing
than men.
I
n this study, SigFig looked at 750,000 portfolios
and analyzed the anonymized data by gender.
In 2014, female investors had 12 percent better
returns than male investors. This means that, with
$100,000 to invest over a period of 30 years, a
woman would earn $58,000 more than a man.
One reason for the difference in returns
between women and men is that male investors
tend to be more confident than female investors.
Being overconfident leads men to be more active
investors than women. In fact, men have a portfolio
turnover rate of 45 percent more than women.
But there is a downside to this overconfidence:
the more you trade, the more likely you are to
lose. Also, because investors have to pay a fee
every time they buy or sell a stock, men pay
more transaction fees than women, which can
significantly lower their portfolio returns.
Behavioral economists have also studied
how, since women are less confident investors
than men, they are more likely to seek the opinion
of a professional in order to make investment
decisions. According to a study by Prudential,
44 percent of women rely on the advice of a
professional advisor. Even with professional
advice, women tend to conduct more thorough
research and take more time to make decisions
than men. This added research time means that
women’s portfolios are usually low risk;
women’s portfolios are generally more
diversified than men’s portfolios and
women tend to hold on to more secure
stocks for longer periods of time.
Finally, women save more of their income
than men: 8.3 percent for women versus 7.9
percent for men, according to a Fidelity study.
This may not seem like a large difference, but
if the average household salary in the United
States is $50,000 a year, this means that women
save on average $200 more per year than men.
If men and women invest their money in exactly
the same way, female investors will still come out
ahead just because they have more money to
invest and, thus, get returns on.
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TimesKuwait
18
BEAUTY
Reasons to love Brown
Eyeshadow
I
f you would like to tell
people to tell that you are
committed to a brown
eyeshadow, you might as well
coat the entire lid. Use a cream
metallic shade if you are a
newbie to blending—you can
even use two different shades
to get a dual-toned effect.
After using a cream primer,
use your finger to apply a
brown eyeshadow and then
marvel at the effect. Here are
some reasons to adore brown
eyeshadow.
Ways
to wear a
Midi Skirt
The “midi” is a three quarter length skirt, falling halfway between your knee
and ankle. It can take a variety of shapes - pencil, A-line, or circular, etc. The
key point is the length. Thanks to its recent upgrades, the playing on shapes
and colours, the midi has become the go-to for trendy girls. Here are some
ways to style a midi skirt right.
Cinch your waist: Take your
cue from celebrities who
have led the midi resurgence.
Choose a calf-grazing circular
skirt in bright colour and nip the
waist with a dark belt, keeping
the focus on the slimmest
part of your body. You can
team printed numbers with a
gold belt, which can then be
matched with your shoes like
gold wedges or heels.
The all-important factor here is
a little something to distract the
eye. Whether it is using black
to anchor a multi-coloured
pattern or touching on certain
tones with accessories, visual
relief should offset a busy
print. Remember, print midi
skirts mean more fabric, which
means more surface area to
look at. High/low is the way to go: If
you don’t want to look like an
extra from an old movie or you
don’t want to look about five
years old, then you need to
get this high/low thing nailed.
That is official fashion speak
for pairing a sleek midi skirt
with a relaxed top, but it is also
about the contrast between
polished and rough-andready. So pair your lovely new
midi with a favourite T-shirt,
a worn-in leather biker or a
laidback sweatshirt.
Go for an A-line: The top
choice for a mode look is a
wrap midi skirt with a small
slit. An A-line cut is universally
flattering and one with a
particular centre slit intersects
the full coverage with a dose
of sexiness. With the slit, you
can go with a voluminous
top or jacket – and it offers a
peek-a-boo glimpse at kneehigh boots, all the fashionable
aspects of modern wear.
An A-line midi skirt is also at
its chicest when styled back
with a shirt. Veer away from
any traces of an unimaginative
look with modern prints and
unexpected
accessories.
Think a mix of sweet and sour.
Observe
the
power
of
panels and pleats Midis are
often charged with being
unflattering, but that is as
much to do with the fabric and
the shape of the skirt, rather
than its length. For a more
figure-flattering midi, look for
midis with pleats that offer a
less stiff, unforgiving shape.
Transparent
panels
also
worked to break up the look
(read: slim and streamline).
Pencil in: If flare-from-the-hip
makes you feel queasy, there’s
an alternative: the pencil. This
looks great with a bomber, or a
casual knit. For the girl around
town, pair a pretty laser cut
pencil skirt with relaxed
cardigans. Remember, it is
about looking as though you
haven’t tried even though you
have.
Walk the line: Heels are an
instant way to un-frump a
midi, or you can be modern by
going for a block heel sandal
if spikes are not your thing.
Shoes with minimal detail on
the front will ensure your legs
look longer. Also, the best
way to create a long leg line
is to wear flesh colored shoes.
Whether they are sandals,
pumps, wedges, or flats, this
creates a longer line of your
leg. So when wearing a midi
skirt and you want the extra
leg length illusion, go for a
nude colored shoe.
Cross your bag and hope to
die: The right accessories will
nail the look but you should
avoid crossover bags at all
costs, they are massively
unflattering when it comes to
midis – something about the
way they cut across the body.
You want a proper handbag,
or better still, a new-wave
clutch: it is a bunched-up,
grab and go clutch that’s more
everyday than its princessy
counterpart.
Fifty Shades:
A single
colour from head to heels can
work wonders for a midi skirt.
You will need to rely on texture
and small accents (black belt,
handbag and sunglasses) to
balance out the solid colour.
If you do go for a one-colourfits-all, opt for a neutral colour
such as black, white, grey and
brown work best.
Alluring eyes: Brown gives
a softer approach than the
dark raccoon-eyes brushed
on with black eyeshadow, but
it is definitely not lacking in
drama. Coat your lid with a
matte brown shadow, using
that color and lightly lining
your bottom lash line as well.
Brown and red work well
together, so take a red eyeliner
or a red eyeshadow with a
very thin eyeliner brush and
trace the upper and lower lash
lines, blending the two colors
together.
Try on plum lipstick: At the
barrier of the lightest shade
of brown lives darker tints of
cream and gold metallics—
both of which look amazing
with a plum lip. After lightly
brushing on a cream shadow
as a base (that will also help
your liner stick throughout
the day) use a metallic gold
shadow or liner to line your
bottom lash line. Apply the
same product to your top
lash line but blend it into the
shadow a bit. When it comes
to the lipstick, you have room
to really go for the vampy hues
of violet.
Adds to your blush:
A
light brown shadow with
an opalescent finish looks
gorgeous with a deep rosy
cheek. Leave the lashes bare
and skip the liner for a super
natural, low-maintenance vibe.
Ombre effect: Use two or
three
shadow
colors—a
brown, a gold, and something
with a brick red tint—to create
an ombred effect across your
eyelid. Keep the gold color on
the inner half and corner of the
lid for a little glow and to really
draw attention to your eyes.
A classic sultry look: Brown
eyeshadow, a nude lip, a little
highlighter, and smudged
black eyeliner. Try using a kajal
pencil instead of liquid liner so
you can blend the liner and
the shadow seamlessly and
without a lot of mess.
Smokey eye: A smokey eye à la
brown metallic liner is a favorite
on the red carpet and off.
Because the shadow colors are
a little less attention-grabbing,
it is a perfect option for day or
night. Of course, you can dress
it up with a ton of mascara or
falsies for a smear-less look.
Enhances
your
vibrant
red lipstick: Oranges and
browns give red lipstick an
extra oomph because they are
complimentary. Use a taupelike shade of brown to cover
your lid. Go minimal with the
mascara and skip your liner
routine, finishing off your look
with a swipe of cherry red
lipstick.
Pull off the
metallic lip
trend
Metallics are slowly becoming trendy
again, and making quite a splash on
the beauty front. If you are thinking
that metallics aren’t exactly your
thing, or feel like it is something
that can only be saved for your nail
polish, think again.
A
swipe of gold eyeliner or silver nail
polish is neither overpowering nor over
the top. But full-on metallic lips? That
is one of those hard-to-pull-off fashion show
trends that is only easy to do if you know how.
Start by choosing a high shimmer or
frosted lipstick or lip gloss. You will still get
a metallic vibe, without looking like you have
just arrived from the future.
To find the right metallic for you, use
your jewellery as your guide. Do you look
better in gold? Go for a gilded gloss in gold,
alone or layered over another color. If silver
accessories make your skin tone pop, try an
icy colour with a metallic edge. Balance is
key. The more metallic your lip color, the less
flashy the rest of your makeup should be.
Here are a few tips on how to create your
own metallic lips that are soft, subtle and ohso-pretty if you can’t get the gloss or lipstick
for your skin type.
Step 1: Make sure to apply a lip
conditioner beforehand. Then, choose a
natural liner and lightly fill in the lip to add a
base color.
Step 2: Create your own metallic lip color
by mixing a metallic pigment (bought easily
from a beauty store) with vaseline in a small
clear container. The metallic can be however
intense as you desire, but pigments are
strong so add in a little at a time.
Step 3: Brush on the metallic color on
your lips with smooth, careful strokes.
Step 4: For the upper lip, start from the
outer corner and work your way in. You now
have an amazing pout.
EDUCATION
What Does
A School
Counselor Do?
awareness programs, One-on-one parent conferencing,
and Interpretation of assessment results.
SCHOOL COUNSELORS TODAY
G
one are the days of school counselors sitting
in their office simply handing out college
applications, making schedule changes for
students who want to drop a class or meeting with the
troublemakers in the school. Today’s school counselors
help students in the areas of academic achievement;
personal/social and career development, ensuring
students become the productive, well-adjusted adults
of tomorrow.
Teachers, for, Classroom guidance activities,
Academic support, including learning style assessment
and education to help students succeed academically,
Classroom speakers, and At-risk student identification
and implementation of interventions to enhance success.
Appropriate/inappropriate school counseling
program activities
School counselors spend most of their time in direct
service to and contact with students, focusing on
overall delivery of total program through guidance
curriculum, individual student planning and responsive
services. Schools should eliminate or reassign certain
inappropriate program tasks –such as developing
indirect services called system support– so that
counselors can focus on the prevention needs of their
programs.
Why elementary school counselors?
Today’s young people are living in an exciting time, with
an increasingly diverse society, new technologies and
expanding opportunities. They face unique and diverse
challenges, both personally and developmentally, that
have an impact on academic achievement.
Elementary school students’ developmental needs
The elementary years are a time when students
begin to develop their academic self-concept,
competence, confidence as learners, decision-making,
communication and life skills, character values, as well
as acquire attitudes toward school, self, peers, social
groups and family.
Comprehensive developmental school counseling
programs provide education, prevention and
intervention services, which are integrated into all
aspects of children’s lives.
Early identification and intervention of children’s
academic and personal/social needs is essential
in removing barriers to learning and in promoting
academic achievement.
Meeting the challenge
Elementary school counselors are professional
educators with a mental health perspective, who
understand and respond to the challenges presented
by today’s diverse student population. They do not
work in isolation; rather they are integral to the total
educational program.
Administrators, for,School climate, Behavioral
management plans, School-wide needs assessments,
Student data and results, and Student assistance team
building.
Elementary school counselors collaborate with:
parents, for, Parent education, Communication/
networking, Academic planning, College/career
Students, for, Peer education and support, Academic
support, School climate, Leadership development, and
Community and career planning.
Y
ou might have probably heard
some of the hype about the
benefits of makerspaces in the
educational community. If you were
interested in creating one for your
community but unsure where to start,
use this guide to learn the basics
about makerspaces.
What Is A Makerspace?
Broadly, a makerspace is an area in the
educational community that relies on
the philosophy that constructionismthe application of learning principles
through
a
hands-on
learning
environment, is the way to go.
They can be anything from space
in a community environment—a
library, community center, private
organization, or campus. Expert
advisors may be available some of
the time, but often novices get help
from other users.
Primarily,
makerspaces
are
designated
for
engineering,
computer science, and graphic
design and are ground zero for
technological
experimentation.
Makerspaces, then, are great ways
for schools and communities to
provide students with tools to get
into and flourish in STEM subjects.
Deciding
which
makerspace
activities to select: The decision
of choosing activities – based on
what you are already working with,
or, if you are starting with a complete
clean slate, can use feedback from
your school community to decide–
for a makerspace, dictate where
your space will go and what tools
and equipment you will have to
invest in.
Some good ideas for a range of
activities available for creative work
in makerspaces are :
Cardboard construction
Prototyping, Wood working, Electronics, Robotics, Digital fabrication,
Building bicycles and kinetic machines and Textiles and sewing.
Where to install a makerspace?
Most communities find school
libraries to work as the best place
for makerspaces because they,
typically, have ample room to host
19
MAKERSPACE
IN SCHOOL
COMMUNITY
the new space. You can, certainly,
design a makerspace for your
classroom, but if space is limited,
you can scale the grandeur of your
makerspace back a bit.
A makerspace can be a small
area of the classroom or even just
projects that are integrated into the
curriculum. You can learn by doing
and enjoy the opportunity to share
what you make with others. Who
knows what career interests might
be discovered?
How to get supplies?
Resources near you: Since
Makerspaces
thrive
on
the
involvement of the community, let
the community know your group’s
intentions to develop a makerspace
and do not be afraid to ask for help
getting resources.
Let the PTA, the faculty, and other
community members know about
your efforts and ask for any kind of
contribution to the space through
a concise and reasonable list of
needed items.
Crowdfunding is another way to
ask the much larger educational
community to help out. You can
always use sites like Kickstarter and
GoFundMe to let others know your
clearly defined goals and need for
contributions.
Renting and secondhand tools:
Look into used equipment and
check out discount offerings for
expensive tools like laser cutter and
3D printers.
Few spaces can afford to buy all
the equipment they want, especially
at retail price. Used equipment and
tool donations can be a big help.
Some equipment makers will offer
discounts to educational and nonprofit groups. Tool rental or leasing is
also an option for larger equipment.
When all is said and done, create
a blog: When your makerspace
is up and running, creating a
blog, to detail the cool things your
community has accomplished within
the spaces. Doing this is a great way
to document the success of it all and
showcase your collective progress.

ONLINE - The Times Kuwait

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