black & white mag issue 35

Vol.

2 Iss

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August

21-S

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20,

2011

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Klara's box appeal p50

Yoga so good p8

Drums of Ramadan Drums of Ramadan p28

4 August 21-September 20, 2011

Published by: Muscat Press & Publishing House SAOC

Black & White

Postal address: P O Box 86, PC 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos

Office location: Hatat Complex A, Office no: 212, II Floor

Ph: 24565697 Fax: 24565496

Website: www.blackandwhiteoman.com

Editorial: [email protected]

Printed at Mazoon, Muscat, Oman

Xclusive

Drums of Ramadan

Traditionally, Al-Mesaharati

would walk through streets and

alleys beating a small drum to a

simple rhythm, calling on people

to wake up in time for some last

minute eating

Editor-in-chief Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali

Managing editor Priya Arunkumar

Work editor Adarsh Madhavan

Design & production Beneek Siraj

Photographer Najib Al Balushi

Advt. & marketing Shannon D'Souza

Swithun Fernandes

Priyanka Sampat

Conte

nts

Bitter Batter

Weekend rates still

raging on

Despite the warnings

by the authorities

concerned, some

supermarkets are still

indulging in varied

rates for same items

during the weekends12

40

28

Men deserve hard labour

Charity is not accidental

She gave away her pocket money

for a Panda when she was only five.

That must have been Klara Zakis’,

first ever act of charity. But, that

certainly was not her last.

Men have this secret fetish about

doing real hard labour. In fact, many

take great pride in being able to

actually do it. It is a fact that this is

something that men can show off to

their weaker sex counterparts.

50

5Black & White

Are we living up to our roles?

By Adarsh Madhavan

An internationally known scribe, who lives in a

neighbouring country, recently asked me if I was

doing well professionally and I replied so so. “Not

too good?” he probed and I said well, I could do

better. “But, are you doing justice to your role as

a journalist?” he asked and I was for a moment

speechless. What can I do? What do you mean?

“Well, can you actually look into corruption; write

about injustice and expose the truth and the like,

all those things most journalists do?” I haven’t

done anything like that, but then other scribes

have done that recently, I said, alluding to the

recent protests in the country where many scribes

spoke and wrote about many such issues.

“You sound stagnant. Try to get out and explore

what you can do and then come back to me,”

he said, adding that it was always necessary to

reassess one’s journalistic skills in line with the

country of posting and then either try to educate

oneself in the arena, or quit it and start something

new. How can I quit? I asked reading it wrongly,

once a scribe… “That is not what I said – don’t get

too emotional. I am saying why don’t you explore

what you can do in your line and then ask yourself

whether you are doing it and if not, find out why

you are not doing it. When you are in a Gulf

country, you have to follow the rules of the land

and there will be restrictions to confront, so find

out whether it has softened you as a scribe or are

you still raring to go?”

Although I did not fully understand the exercise, I

went through it: I asked myself strongly whether

I was doing anything journalistically inclined

now since I was part of a breed that came out

with facts and er, fiction every fortnightly. I am

not a daily scribe and therefore, the excitement

of breaking news was no longer there, but then

there was a sense of exploring a different side of

[email protected]

the nation I was residing in and also letting others

imbue the essence of a country known for its cultural

and traditional presence in a modern world. Often

we explored authentic Oman and managed to come

out with nuggets of information that struck a chord

amongst our readers.

But, do we explore the seamier side of journalism?

Do we go indepth into the morals of society or look

into justice and injustice, which is part and parcel of

everyday life? No, we don’t because that is not the

outlook or the editorial makeup of our magazine.

But, it was an interesting question he had raised and

so I toyed with the query. It raised too many other

related queries and I want to ask all of them in time

to come. I want to ask these questions in this space

and I hope they will be seen in the positive light it

deserves. Meantime, I ask the first question once

again: what can we do as journalists?

Are we doing enough as scribes or are we not doing

anything at all? If injustice is being meted out to

people, we must expose that; if people are escaping

with corruption, we must report that; if someone is

plotting evil designs against society, we must bare it

to the open, but most importantly, we must also do

our best to raise the consciousness of the people;

and not just make people raise their eyebrows, but

make them open their eyes to many of societal evils

and problems, which they are unaware of or are too

lazy to act upon. Our job is to not just play upon their

conscience, but to actually get them moving.

Our job is not to provoke dissent, but to provoke the

right thoughts and to make positive change in the

community, the society and the country. Otherwise,

what is our role here? Are we businessmen and

women? Are we entertainers? No, not really. We

have an unusually responsible role, but how many of

us are living up to our potential; rising up to the need

of the hour? How many of us? Not me, of course.


Congratulations to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said

and the citizens of Oman for successfully completing 41

years of Renaissance. When we talk about Renaissance,

we talk about a new era (one that brings about a change

– a positive change in the society).

When asked, if it was in their hands, what is that one thing

that they would like to change in Oman, most of them

thought and talked about a better education system. I

believe that education is necessary for development of

the country and its people. But education imparted in

such a way that it teaches you to change the society is

different from a standard education system. I was highly

impressed with the views of Bilquis Jawad Al Khabori,

former director of the Language Centre, Sultan Qaboos

University. She talked about human excellence. And to

me, it is the exact way of providing education. To me,

education is not only about going to a school or university

and taking knowledge from books. It’s also about extra

curricular activities, debates, discussions – which

naturally teach you how to face the world and bring about

a change (a perfect education system).

Oman should introduce more of such activities – sports

events, exhibitions (of projects done by students),

discussions, debates, workshops (for both students and

teachers), functions and extra curricular activities. Once

you judge the talent in your country, you can be globally

attached to other countries through the themes. (Global

advance is a big change!) Also, I would want English

to be a second language instead of a foreign language

in Oman. Small steps would lead to bigger dreams and

achievements! Renaissance time!

Charu Pant, Khasab

Take small steps to big achievements


Mail your views and opinions at

[email protected]

It was great to read about Oman’s grand achievement of completing 41 years

of Renaissance. I am so happy and proud for Oman and its people for this

achievement. May God bless Oman and all Omanis!

Anton D’Souza, Wadi Kabir

Why do these women want to squeeze their poor, innocent feet into horribly

tight and scary stilleto’s (issue 33)? I never understood why. Pain bumps, sore

feet, heel pain, ankle sprains, chronic pains…why do women want to commit

shoe-icide? You certainly are not going to look hot, with lot of bandages on

your feet, will you? So many women are out there desperately trying on these

stilettos, thinking they are going to become instant stars while wearing one?

Is there any reason for torturing your own poor feet just to get some height?

George Sebastian, Ruwi

Men are not indestructible (issue 33). This is a point that has to be driven home

in the minds of all men, even if they are not egoistical. For even the mildest

one among them are prone to suddenly wake up thinking they are some super

human beings and do entirely the opposite thing they have been doing so far.

Men, despite being endowed with sufficient amount of knowledge, intelligence

and the like, still fail when it comes to really taking care of themselves because

they think nothing will happen to them. This is so far removed from the truth,

but try telling that to them.

Praveena G. S, Al Khuwair 33

Congrats Oman

Why torture your feet?

Open your eyes men

7Black & White


WE ARE BACK WITH some

essential yoga for men. Yoga, as

you are aware, is not just for ladies.

The truth is that by taking yoga

classes, or more precisely, one yoga

class per week, or doing a couple

of pre-workout poses can increase

endurance, build strength, prevent

injuries and may even stave off heart

disease.

It is known that men often suffer

from tightness particularly in the hips,

hamstrings, and shoulders that can

lead to injury or weakness.

Over-training in any one sport can

cause repetitive stress and other

more serious injuries. Yoga is a

full-body workout that creates both

strength and flexibility. You need to

have both. One without the other is a

recipe for disaster, write many yoga

experts.

TRY FORWARD FOLD -- a great

move to use as part of a warm-up for

any workout.

Stretches hamstrings, calves, and

hips; strengthens legs and knees

Stand with feet hip-width apart,

gently hinge forward at the hips and

lower the torso toward the floor. Bend

your knees generously to take any

pressure out of the low back and

hamstrings. Grasp opposite elbows

with opposite hands. Breathe deeply

and let gravity take the body toward

the earth. Relax your head, neck,

shoulders and torso. Slowly sway

your torso or gently shake your head.

Hold for one minute and roll back up

to standing.

We often have a hard time knowing

when we are holding excess tension

in our head, neck and shoulders,

and that buildup of tension can

so goodYOGAcreate headaches, insomnia, poor

circulation and decreased lung

capacity. If you practice slow, steady

breathing along with this pose, it can

lower your blood pressure over time.

TRY DOWNWARD-FACING DOG

Stretches feet, shoulders,

hamstrings, and calves;

strengthens arms, legs, and core

Start on your hands and knees with

your feet and knees hip-width apart.

Position your hands about shoulder-

width apart, and spread your fingers

wide. Pressing firmly through your

hands, lift your knees off the floor

and straighten your legs. (If you have

tight hamstrings, a gentle bend in

the knees is fine). Walk your hands

forward a few inches, and walk your

feet back a few inches to lengthen

the pose.

Squeeze your thighs as you press

them toward the back wall. Press

your heels back and down toward the

floor (though they might not reach the

floor). Relax your head and neck and

let your shoulder blades slide down

your back toward your feet. Set your

gaze between your feet. Suck your

stomach in and engage your core

muscles. Breathe deeply. Hold for

three minutes, rest, and repeat one

more time.

We often experience back pain due

to chronic tightness in the hamstrings

and hips. It’s also common for us to

have very tight shoulders. Down Dog

releases those areas, while building

upper body strength. If you can

do only one pose a day, start with

Downward Dog.

TRY THE CHAIR POSE

Stretches shoulders and chest;

strengthens thighs, calves, spine,

and ankles

Stand up tall with your big toes

touching. Inhale and raise your arms

straight up to the ceiling alongside

your head and neck with palms facing

each other. Drop your shoulders

down your back as you lengthen up

through the neck.

As you exhale, bend your knees, sit

down and back as if you were sitting

in a chair (like doing a squat with

your feet together).

Do not let your knees extend past

your toes. With each inhale lengthen

the spine. With each exhale sit a little

deeper in the chair. Eventually your

thighs will be parallel to the floor.

Drop your tailbone down toward the

floor to take any stress out of your

lower back.

Keep your core muscles engaged

and keep your knees and thighs

pressed tightly together. Hold for 30

seconds.

No gym necessary! Chair pose

torches abdominal fat while

strengthening the thighs and legs.Men h

ealt

h

Your Heart is Safe in Apollo’s Hand

P. O. Box 1097, Al Hamriya, PC 131 - Sultanate of Oman. Tel: 24787766, 24788263, 24788265

Yoga is a full-body workout that creates both strength and flexibility. You need to have both. One without the other is a recipe for disaster


ManoVERY FEW SAY IT OR ADMIT to

it. It is like saying men get breast

cancer. This is a fact and yet men

are in complete denial of the same.

Similarly, a startling and troubling fact

is revealed in a worldwide statistic:

one out of six cases of eating

disorders is a man. Yes, men. And

you can say that again.

We have been used to hearing

women with eating disorders and

in fact the celebrity world is littered

with the same: Princess Diana,

Nadia Comaneci, Kate Beckinsale,

Victoria Beckham, Jane Fonda,

Audrey Hepburn, Janet Jackson,

Kate Winslet, Oprah Winfrey...and

more, little knowing that Elton John,

Franz Kafka, Dennis Quaid, Billy

Bob Thornton were also suffering,

but again that is not a lot. But, even

though they don’t have too many

celebrity male names to give the

eating disorder tag, male eating

disorder is a fact of life today.

Long regarded as a women’s

problem, the trio of serious eating

disorders -- the self-starvation of

anorexia, the gorging and purging

that characterise bulimia and the

uncontrolled consumption of large

amounts of food that is binge eating

-- are increasingly affecting males.

It has been found out that eating

disorders are not just a problem

associated with just girls or women.

Boys and men are also found to be

affected. Although less number of

men suffer from eating disorders,

earlier studies have found out that

this so-called small number is much

higher than previously believed.

And the worst part is that, like in

the case of breast cancer, men are

the last ones on the list to queue up

before a doctor. The treatment needs

of men are similar to women, but

the former do not seek help, further

aggravating the problem. Despite the

media’s focus on anorexia, bulimia

and other eating disorders, most men

still are hung up on the attitude that

this is not something that will happen


Men h

ealt

h

11Black & White

orexiato them. In fact, even when we say it,

the fact remains that most of us think

that such an eating disorder is a ‘girl

disease’.

Which guy is going to come out of

his shell and declare that he has got

a ‘girl disease’? The other stumbling

block is the fact that how will they go

to a hospital and declare that they

have got a girl disease and then be

seated next to all women who are

suffering from the said disease.

This unfortunate feeling of being

uncomfortable is one deterring factor

for men trying to genuinely seek

treatment.

While the debate goes on as to how

men should approach this disease,

the other fact is that the number of

men suffering from eating disorders

are rising (worldwide) primarily

because these are the men who are

training to look like real models. This

unfortunate pressure is drawing more

and more men to develop dangerous-

eating disorders.

Medical experts blame the surge

on obsession with looking good by

having bulging biceps and a six-pack

stomach. They note that the rise

could be attributed to the struggle

to attain a perfect body shape.

“Sufferers can become obsessed

with their weight or they can obsess

over exercise and with how many

calories they are eating.”

Exercise is a major factor with

eating disorders in men in particular.

They become obsessed with

exercising every single day, if not

more, and it can take over their life

without them realising there may be a

more deep-seated reason behind it.

That is when it becomes an eating

disorder. The pressure these days

on guys to have the perfect figure

is very similar to that which has and

continues to affect women.”

It’s all about losing body fat and

getting a six pack, and it comes from

the way the male shape is portrayed.

That perfect figure can be a healthy

body image for a man to aspire to;

but when it gets taken to an extreme

that is problematic.

11Black & White


Men w

ork

Men deserve

HARD LABOURBy Stuart Wilkinson

Well, I mean, not literally. Not in that sense. I mean

the more the hard work men do, the less mischief they

get into. While it may sound appropriate that men get to doing proper hard work, it

need not always be physical.


13Black & White

LABOUR CAN COME IN many

forms. It may be physical, as in

construction, landscaping, or heavy

housework. It may be mental, such

as planning a budget or analysing

market trends. Or it could be spiritual,

something artistic like painting or

writing.

When your mind is intently focussed

on what you are doing, and you

spend so long at it that your body

actually hurts from being in a chair so

long, or your muscles ache from over

use, yet despite all that you still never

realised the passage of time because

you were so engaged – that is hard

labour, says an article extolling the

virtues of hard labour.

If you ask me, men have this secret

fetish about doing real hard labour.

In fact, many take great pride in

being able to actually do it. It is a fact

that this is something that men can

show off to their weaker sex

counterparts.

But again, let us try to get beyond

that. I write here about the great need

for men to get themselves involved

in some good, old fashioned hard

labour. Why? One simple reason:

Hard work alone makes you feel

energised, invigorated, satisfied and

filled with more passion to wake and

work again the next day.

In fact, since hard work is

rewarding, that is something where

you get a sense of accomplishment

and fulfillment. That is when you

realise that life has a purpose. Truly!

There is this laziness bug that

most of us (men) are known to get

infected. Unfortunately, even the

most hardworking lot amongst us are

known to silently slip into lazyland

without even knowing it.

This is mostly because of our own

slipshod, half hearted attempts at

work. Imagine if we put all our efforts

into one task – everything. We put in

every sinew, bone, flesh and nerve

and thought on one task and work at

it diligently, we will be rewarded with

great results.

This alone will serve as an

incentive. “Hard work can go a long

ways towards maintaining a positive

we tend to find the ability to complain.

Hard labour does quite the opposite,

focusing our attention on the positive

aspects of our jobs and allowing us to

examine all of the possibilities it holds

for us. It gives us a much needed

change in attitude,” says the report

on the rewards of hard labour.

attitude, about your job and about life

in general.

Boredom and complacency breed

negativity, both of which can be

easily and quickly erased with a little

hard work. When we are not working,

Make it a labour of love

Yes, pour your heart and soul

into the work you are doing.

But, for that, make sure it is

something you love. When you

are doing something you love,

it no longer is work. It becomes

transformed into something

fulfilling, something that brings

you great joy and satisfaction.

Keep your perspective

It is easy to get carried away

when you are working hard at

something that makes you feel

good. It is perfectly acceptable

to get swept away in the moment

and completely lose yourself in

a project every so often. Do not

allow it to become the norm,

though. Do not cast aside the

other responsibilities in your life

in favor of one endeavour.

Reserve time for others

and yourself

Please balance all the hard work

that you are doing with other

social, leisure and pleasure

aspects too. Don’t let hard work

become too addictive. Get into

other things that are important

too. Spend time with your family,

play with your kids, go to the

gym, and socialise with your

friends. Remember, there will

be more work waiting for you

tomorrow! Ha!

Points to ponder:

13Black & White


IFTAR in town

AlFardan

properties

Badr Al Samaa

Indian School Al Ghubra

OMRAN

VISA

Oman Air

Fast

bre

ak


By Adarsh Madhavan

O

ff th

e wallFacing the biggest fear

[email protected]

Woke up with that same feeling I

used to have earlier. That what-

the-heck-am-I-doing-with-my-life

and why-the-heck-am-I-not-getting-

anywhere?

Frankly, I don’t have any answers

to these queries. And, honestly, I

don’t think many of you would either.

For, I am sure that I am not the only

one waking up with such feelings.

Many of you out there, like me,

am sure, are rowing up the creek,

without a paddle.

And, don’t you all get that feeling

too; that semi- narcissistic feel that

you deserve much more than this

and that you are special and you are

actually larger than life, that you are

not what these people around you

are telling you that you are… you

know deep within you that you are

the special one, yet, the unfortunate

part is that no one seems to

recognise that and it is being made

all the worse because you can’t

seem to do anything about it, either.

At least if you were able to prove

that you are indeed special and that

you have within you more worth than

you are able to display, you would

have been considered as special

by your fellow beings too, but that,

sadly, does not seem to happen,

right? Same here.

I try telling myself that I deserve

better and that I am something

special and beyond my own

comprehension. But, why am I

special? Why are you special? What

Off

the w

all

is so special about us?

Ok, this much is fine. We all agree

that we deserve more than what is

on our plate; we all agree that we

need more than a large chunk of that

pie called life. But, what have we

done about it? What have we done to

fill our plate and what have we done

to get the pie?

At some point of time, we would

all need to appraise ourselves of

the situation that we are in. Truly,

we cannot come this far and ignore

the fact that we haven’t done what

we have to do or that we haven’t

acted out in reality as we have in our

fantasies, somewhere, we have not

bridged the gap and we are in that

situation where we are neither here,

nor there.

So many of us are out there, but

our minds are all restless because

we are unable to stretch them to the

deserved limits. And then, the dark

shadow of realisation hovers above

us, telling us of a life that is passing

by – passing so fast that we don’t

even have time to reflect on it.

No, no, we tell ourselves, this

should not be happening to us,

we are special, we can’t have this

happening to us, we say chafing at

the knots that tie us to our mundane

existence and the sheer dreariness

of ordinary life.

A life that has not matched the

vision we had set for ourselves at

the start and have proven to be a

complete tangent from what we have

planned and dreamt of…

How do we shake off this

angst and drown the ugly head

of disappointment that sinks us

further into despondency? How do

we ‘unstifle’ the hands that choke

us off our visions? Step away,

says the gurus of the world. Step

away and take a good hard look at

yourselves…

Well, what if we do and we find a

hole that cannot be plugged? What if

we find we are too down the ladder

and despite the years, we have not

even begun our journey? Or worse,

instead of progressing we have

regressed?

Will we ever recover from that

shock of discovering that we

have dug our own grave before a

mountain of limitations that silently

grew and grew as we fell back in

time? Drop everything, just forget

about what has happened, and move

away from your failure and accept

the given situation, everyone would

say. I would agree, but then again,

even acceptance seems like another

round of impotent failure.

Deep inside, despite knowing that

we don’t really have a choice and

there is this silent urge to run away,

explode into nothingness, most of us

really don’t do it and instead, we dare

to confront the biggest fear the likes

of us would have --no, not of death,

but of facing an unlived life.

17Black & White

In Oman on October 26, 2011For more details: 24565697/98675976, [email protected]


Zawawi Trading Company (ZTC) -

the authorised general distributor for

Mercedes-Benz in Oman – launched

the luxury German automotive

company’s glamorous new C-Class

Coupé, and third generation of its

most successful sports car ever - the

SLK Roadster.

The Oman launch of the innovative

and sporty new Mercedes-Benz

models will draw gasps from the

Sultanates fashionable automotive

elite with their stunning looks and

youthful, aspirational characters.

Speaking on the launch, a delighted

Craig Hardie, Ceo – Automotive,

Zawawi Trading Company, enthused:

“2011 is a momentous year for

Zawawi Mercedes–Benz. 125 years

since the invention of the automobile

by founding fathers Karl Benz

and Gottlieb Daimler, Mercedes

is still creating cutting edge luxury

vehicles with ground-breaking

designs, with ZTC delivering them

to our customers in Oman for

over five decades. But this year is

different. With the new C-Coupé and

SLK models, this is the year that

Mercedes-Benz stops being the car

your Dad drove, and becomes the

car that you drive.”

New C-Class Coupé

and SLK Roadster in Oman

The Box Appeal - a charity campaign

that aims to help those less privileged

– is launched for the first time in

Oman. The campaign asks people to

give back to those who need it most

by filling a small box with a list of

items such as toothpaste, toothbrush,

comb, towel, body soap etc. To take

part, all the participants have to do

is pick up a box from the Radisson

Blu or Park Inn Hotels or from the

appeal’s partners, City Centre

Muscat or Qurum City Centre, fill the

box with a list of 13 everyday items

and return to the distribution point.

The Radisson Blu and Park Inn

hotels in Oman have partnered with

local charity Dar Al Atta who will help

distribute the boxes at the end of the

Box Appeal in Oman

campaign to families and individuals

most in need. Other partners are

Mazoon Printing, Publishing and

Advertising who have supplied the

boxes and collaterals to promote the

campaign. Creative Communications

Advertising and Marketing will help

raise awareness of the campaign

in the media. The boxes will be

prominently displayed at Muscat

City Centre and Qurum City Centre

and FM Merge 104.8 will promote

the campaign on air. The logistics

and the delivery of the boxes during

and at the end of the campaign will

be handled by DHL Express. The

appeal was originally launched by the

Radisson Blu Dubai Media City.

Nawras has launched another store in Salalah, taking the total number of

stores across the Sultanate to 25.

The official opening ceremony this week was attended by Sheikh Salim

bin Aufait Al Shanfari, chairman of Dhofar Municipality and head of the

organising committee of Khareef Salalah 2011, together with special guests

from Lulu, Nelson Phillip, country operations manager and Unni Krishnan,

mall manager Salalah and senior managers of Nawras.

Nawras Store opens in Lulu Hypermarket in Salalah

19Black & White

With ongoing Iftar gatherings and the

launch of ‘Tadhamun’ initiative aimed

at benefiting Al Noor Association

for the Blind, the Ramadan

activities have gained momentum at

BankMuscat headquarters.

The Bank has lined up month-long

celebrations under the theme ‘Layali

Al Khair’ (Ramadan Evenings) in

BankMuscat for all to join hands and

support needy sections of society. As

in the previous years, the Ramadan

initiative is aimed at positioning

BankMuscat as a role model in

charity initiatives.

The highlights of the Ramadan

activities in BankMuscat include live

television programmes broadcast

daily from the bank premises by

Oman’s popular channels – Oman

TV and Majan TV.

The interactive cultural and

informative TV programmes offer an

opportunity for participants to win

attractive prizes.

The Ramadan attractions at

BankMuscat include a family

tent, kids zone, Quran recitation

competition and Omani food

competition.

As part of the bank’s ongoing

staff engagement programme,

various cultural, literary and sports

activities will also be organised.

The programmes cover women’s

fitness and wellbeing, Ramadan

charity photo gallery, open forum

with Sheikh Khalfan El Esry, public

speaking sessions by toast masters,

trekking for charity, tournaments

for basketball, volley ball and table

tennis.

“Over the years, BankMuscat has

organised successful Ramadan

charity initiatives as part of its

commitment to make a difference in

the lives of needy sections of society.

The Ramadan campaign is an

opportunity for citizens and residents

to join hands and support those in

need,” a bank official said.

BankMuscat Ramadan activities

Damas announced that it has signed Lebanese singer

Nancy Ajram to again be the brand ambassador for its

popular jewellery brand Farfasha. The singer will represent

the brand on a Pan Arab level, in what is expected to be

the biggest launch in the history of the Farfasha brand.

Speaking during a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon,

Anan Fakhreddin, the Ceo of Damas International Limited,

said: “We are extremely pleased to announce the return of

Nancy Ajram as the face of Farfasha.

Nancy is someone that consumers connect to very well, as

she embodies the core attributes of this fast-growing brand

– youthfulness, vibrancy and success. Her popular face

will further energise Farfasha and position it as an iconic

brand internationally.” Nancy Ajram is a multi-platinum

Lebanese singer and Goodwill Ambassador for Unicef,

and has been described as one of the most influential

celebrities in the Middle East.

Damas signs Nancy Ajram


Word

pre

ss

The annual promotion at Al Araimi

Complex kicked off on July 25,

drawing many shoppers to try

their luck at winning a host of

attractive prizes that the complex

is giving away. The three-month

long promotion will have two draws

on August 27, September 26 and

a mega draw on October 26, the

winner of which will be a proud owner

of an all new Dodge Challenger. In

addition, three Dune Buggies will be

given away from Polaris, Fairtrade

Auto, one in each of the three draws.

Other attractive prizes include JVC

LCD TVs, Bose Dock systems,

i-Pads, Touch i-Pods, Osim foot

massagers, Al Araimi gift vouchers

and many more.

“Throughout the year, we

endeavour to offer something new

to our customers – be it in terms

of promotions, exhibitions, events,

decor, prizes... the objective is to

offer more than the customer’s

expectations.

We have received a lot of positive

feedback for our annual promotion

for which I would like to thank our

diverse retail outlets and support

from our partners who sponsor the

attractive gifts,” explains Uttam

Kotian, manager advertising.

During Ramadan, Al Araimi Complex

will be open from 10am to 1pm and

7pm to midnight from Saturday to

Thursday and 7pm to midnight on

Fridays.

Al Araimi Complex winning deals

Danube Building Materials opened

its first building materials showroom

in Salalah, Oman. The B2B retail

unit, which is the leading company’s

31st showroom in the region and its

third in Oman, was inaugurated by

Sheikh Abdullah Salim Al Rawas,

chairman, Salalah Chamber of

Commerce and Industry (SCCI),

in the presence of Danube senior

officials led by Rizwan Sajan,

founder and chairman, Danube;

Anis Sajan, managing director;

Adel Sajan, director and other key

officials and representatives from

Danube’s partner companies. The

opening is part of Danube’s move

to create a stronger presence in

Oman and involves the opening of

more showrooms and warehousing

facilities in the country, thereby

adding to the two showrooms

Danube new showroom in Salalah

currently located in Muscat, Oman.

The company is also looking to

recruit more Omani nationals in

support of the government’s initiative

to provide more employment

opportunities for locals.

Edible Arrangements®, the

pioneer in hand-sculpted,

fresh-fruit arrangements,

announced plans to open its

first outlet in Muscat, Oman.

The newest addition to the

region’s existing 13 stores,

Edible Arrangements®

Oman is slated to open its doors to the public in August,

2011 in Muscat City Centre, with a grand opening

celebration planned for October, 2011. The Muscat outlet

is one of seven new Edible Arrangements® franchises

to open across the AGCC before the end of 2011, and is

a strong symbol of the company’s success in the region

since the first franchise opened in Dubai in 2007.

AlShaima Ali AlRaisi, owner and managing director of

Edible Arrangements® Muscat, said: “As the owner and

operator of Oman’s first Edible Arrangements franchise,

I am delighted to play a part in bringing such a well

recognised brand to Muscat.

The Omani population is known for its hospitality and

generosity, and I believe our concept and philosophy

will be incredibly successful in this market. The Edible

Arrangements® mission is to deliver high quality,

beautiful and fresh products to our customers, products I

look forward to sharing with the Muscat community.”

Edible Arrangements® new Muscat Outlet

21Black & White

The Embassy of India, Muscat in

association with the Gujarati Wing of

Indian Social Club, Muscat organised

a cultural evening which included

colourful folkdances of Gujarat

by the cultural troupe 'Kankan'

sponsored by the Indian Council for

cultural relations (an autonomous

body under the aegis of the ministry

of external affairs, government

of India, New Delhi) at the Indian

embassy auditorium recently. The

troupe 'Kankan' is one of the leading

folkdance groups from India which

was led by multi-award winning

choreographer Sonal Sagathia.

ICCR-sponsored cultural evening at the Indian Embassy

HSBC has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Islamic

Development Bank’s International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC)

to implement its Shariah-compliant trade financing and provide help on

various treasury activities such as joint trade financing and investment of

liquidity. This MoU, the first of its kind in the industry, means ITFC customers

can enjoy a simpler and cost-effective way to trade in a Shariah-compliant

manner. ITFC customers benefit as HSBC will facilitate the issuance of Letters

of Credit on behalf of ITFC for customers who import or export goods. Backed

by two premium, global financial institutions, these customers will experience

a smoother and cost-effective way of trading.

HSBC selected as key partner for ITFC’s trade operations

Omran along with the ministry of agriculture and fisheries and The

Agriculture Association for Al Batinah Region Farmers launched

an income generating programme called ‘Intajee’.

The programme is a tool to support the growth of existing micro-

businesses and aims to empower families residing in Al Batinah

to improve their livelihoods through selling locally grown products

such as honey, dates, eggs, fruits and vegetables, all of which will

be made available to the public at Lulu Hypermarket in Bousher.

In Arabic, Intajee means ‘my product’, which helps farmers

effectively harvest, package and label their goods thereby

strengthening their presence in the market. All families enrolled

in the programme will receive 100 per cent of the profit their

products generate.

Dr Fuad bin Jaffer Al Sajwani, minister of agriculture and fisheries

stated: “The tailored programme developed by Omran is a

prime example of the public-private partnership we are seeking.

This model identifies opportunities for agricultural development

and leverages on the strength of the community outreach

programmes at Omran.”

Omran launches 'intajee'


Two researchers from Mazda Motor

Corporation have received the

2011 ‘Japan Business Federation

Chairman’s Award for Invention’

from the Japan Institute of Invention

and Innovation (JIII). The award

recognises outstanding inventions

that make a significant contribution

to the advancement of science and

technology and the development of

industry.

Awarded for: Invention of new

paint technology for the Three-Layer

Wet Paint System (Patent number:

3831266)

Recipients: Takakazu Yamane,

Technical Research Center, Mazda

Motor Corporation

Tsutomu Shigenaga, technical

research center, Mazda Motor

Corporation. “Following its utilisation

for mass production at Mazda, the

coating method has spread through

the automobile industry.

More recently, Mazda has

successfully developed the Aqua-

tech paint system, a new version

of this technology that uses water-

based paint, further reducing paint

shop VOC emissions.

Currently, Mazda is progressively

rolling out the Aqua-tech Paint

System to its production facilities,”

informs Annurag Chawla, head of

marketing and communications,

Towell Auto Centre.

The MEDC has issued advisory

notice to its customers to ensure

that electricity bills are paid

on time. This comes in light of

some cases where customers

delay payment resulting in

the accumulating overdue of

payments that can become a

burdensome amount to many

people. The MEDC is keen that

disconnection of service is only

resorted to when all other options

are exhausted, including repeated

reminders printed on bills to make

payment. It also provides round

the clock help to its customers

through its call center providing its

customers with toll free number

(80070008).

MEDC urges customers to pay

Orbit Showtime Network - OSN

has recently started two new

Kiosks in Salalah and Sohar at very

convenient locations. Sohar Kiosks

is at Safeer mall and Salalah Kiosks

is at Lulu hypermarket. The opening

of the two Kiosks was necessitated

because of high demands from

customers for OSN bouquets both

in the Sohar and Salalah region.

Mustafa Sultan Enterprises is

pioneer in Pay TV business for more

than 20 years and presently Pay TV

office is located in the new renovated

MSE showroom at Al Khuwair. OSN

also runs four exclusive counters

under Mustafa Sultan Enterprises at

Muscat City Centre and Qurum City

Centre, Safeer Mall, Sohar and Lulu

hypermarket, salalah.

OSN opens two new kiosks’ at Salalah and Sohar

Mazda receives 2011 JIII award

Porsche Centre Oman, SATA LLC, is ushering the festive spirit of the

holy month with a specially branded Ramadan tent at the InterContinental

Hotel’s luscious Palm Gardens that promises to engross patrons in a

unique ambience in signature Porsche style. Residents of Muscat can

cherish the company of friends and family over delectable tailor-made

gourmet menus and the ultimate social pastime, shisha while enjoying

musical renditions by a live Oud artist and behind-the-scenes footage of

the power, precision, exceptional dynamics and high safety features of

the Porsche family in moving pictures. The model range is also on display

for visitors to get up-close and personal with the Boxster, Cayman, 911,

Panamera and Cayenne. “Ramadan is a special time for bonding with

family and friends,” said Mohamed Qassim, brand manager of Porsche

Centre Oman, SATA LLC. “We wanted to provide aficionados with a

memorable Porsche experience that exudes the thrills, the history and the

technology of the world’s leading sports car manufacturer in a dynamic

space while savouring first-class cuisine and entertainment.”

Porsche Centre Oman Ramadan experience

23Black & White

Tariq Hilal Al-Barwani has personally

donated various educational

materials to colleges and universities

for setting an example of giving

and donating as a natural part of

everyday life. Tariq has created

educational DVDs on IT and

business related subjects that have

been distributed already to University

of Nizwa, German University of

Technology and Middle East College

of Information Technology.

“Knowledge in any discipline is

wealth and it personally brings me

great pleasure to donate all that

I’ve learnt throughout the years to

students and faculty members of

both the private and public schools

and universities. My goal is to ensure

knowledge is free and everyone has

ease of access for attaining it. By

supporting youth in their knowledge

quest, a nation is supported,” Tariq

said. “The donation shall not only

give our students information but

also enhance their knowledge about

digital marketing. More over it also

portraits the way presentations

should be made and the confidence

of the presenter,” said Dr Kaneez

Fatima, assistant lecturer at Nizwa

University.

The donated educational material

share what the industry needs today

in terms of knowledge, skill sets and

experience that are necessary for

students to succeed in the market.

The NSF International, a global public health organisation

that certifies products and writes standards for food,

water and consumer goods, announced that Oman

Oasis Balanced Drinking Water and Oman Oasis Oxiplus

Drinking Water--bottled by the Oasis Water Company of

Oman--have earned NSF Bottled Water Certification.

To achieve NSF Certification, the plant located in the

Muscat-Rusayl area of Oman underwent a rigorous

audit to verify that the bottling facility met all certification

requirements, including Good Manufacturing Practices

(GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point

(HACCP), which are nationally recognised standards

for food safety. The NSF also tested samples of Oasis

products against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) Code of Federal Regulations for Bottled Water

for more than 160 chemicals, inorganic, radiological and

microbiological contaminants.

Sadolin Paints Oman Ltd launched

Planet Supra recently. The launch

was attended by Zaeem Haq,

executive director – International

Business Development, Akihiko

Suda, chief scientist - R&D

department, Sci paint japan, MM

Khan, general manager, Sadolin

Paints (Oman) Ltd, Inc, and senior

officials. A thermal barrier coating,

‘Planet Supra’ is the first carbon

offset product in the Japanese Paints

industry and is brought to Oman

under a technical collaboration

between Sci paint japan, Inc

and Sadolin Paints (Oman) Ltd.

Extremely versatile and easy-to-

apply, it can be used on any surface

(i.e. concrete, bricks, metal, wood,

or canvas) by using a roller, brush

or spray gun. ‘Planet Supra’ can

be used to paint homes, buildings,

containers, factories, stores,

warehouses, industrial equipment

and vehicles. If applied on a steel

surface, Planet Supra can also

significantly reduce sound!

Planet Supra launched in Oman

Tariq Al-Barwani donates educational material to colleges and universities

Oasis Water Company Certification

www.blackandwhiteoman.com

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25Black & White

Using Facebook or

Twitter for workBy Nasser Al Azry

When some people hear the word Facebook,

or Twitter, they automatically think of wasting

time. After all, how can you have time for

work when you’re telling people what you had

for lunch, or spreading the gossip from your 2

pm staff meeting?

It’s true that Facebook/Twitter can be a

distraction. But it can also be an important

resource for both personal and organisational

growth. And knowing how to use Twitter

effectively, and the common mistakes to

avoid, is vital to getting the best from the

service.

In this article, I am reviewing how to use

Facebook/Twitter to grow your career and

benefit your organisation. We’ll also look at

the basics of Facebook/Twitter.

WHAT IS FACEBOOK/TWITTER?

Facebook/Twitter is a social networking site

that allows users to connect with each other

and send short messages, or “tweets,” about

what they’re doing or thinking as it is in the

Facebook.

Your “followers” see your tweets in a rolling

feed, called a timeline, when they log into the

service.

Tweets can be trivial - we’ve all heard the

“what someone ate for breakfast” example

- or they can be significant and valuable, for

example, when they highlight key news, or

articles written by thought-leaders in your

industry. It’s up to you who you follow!

TWITTER DEFINITIONS

Here are some useful definitions for new

Twitter users:

Tweet - a post on Twitter.

Timeline - your “feed” on Twitter, where

tweets made by people you follow are

published.

Hashtag - The hashtag symbol (#) can

help people track different topics to find

information easily. Simply put the # symbol

in front of your tweet’s most relevant word,

or use it to “tag” a tweet under a certain

category. For example, #leadership.

You can search for other tweets tagged with

a particular hashtag by clicking in the hashtag

when you see it in your Twitter timeline.

Followers - These are your friends or

connections - the people who are following

your tweets. Your tweets will appear on their

timelines. (All tweets are technically “public”

and searchable unless you decide to make

your account private. Be careful what you

say!)

@ Replies - If you want to tweet to someone

else, use @ right before that person’s

username. For example, tweet “@Bob45 I

saw your tweet. Interesting!” - and Bob45 will

get the message in his timeline (if he follows

you) or in his “@mentions” column (if he

doesn’t follow you).

If you put the person’s name at the very start

of the tweet, as in the example above, only

you, him, and people who follow both of you

will see the Tweet in their timelines.

If you put his name elsewhere in the

message, everyone who follows you will see

the tweet. For example, this would happen if

you tweeted “Me and @Bob45 are working

on a new marketing proposal.”

Profile - Potential followers may read your

profile, as well as your latest tweets, to decide

if they want to follow you back. There’s also

space on your profile for a web address, and

you can customise the colours and images.

Moti

vati

on b

asi

cs

25Black & White


IF THERE IS something I find

progressively offensive about this

whole Anna Hazare campaign is

bleeding Mohandas Gandhi into the

equation. There is an arrogance in

sitting or stretching in that feline ‘cat

has had the cream’ expression in

front of a huge portrait of the man

who fought for freedom and is known

as the father of the nation even if that

title is of marginal interest to the new

generation.

In contrast, all Mr Hazare has done

is turn the word ‘corruption’ into a

football and kick it up-field into a

country that is ready to run with the

ball even if it isn’t quite sure where

the goalposts are.

Just dashing about is good exercise

but it is finally exhausting and gets

you nowhere.

Rather than just bandy the word

around and dribble with it Anna

and his cohorts would have been

more believable as saviours if they

had placed an intelligible series of

actions on a timeline and used that

as the blueprint for a soul cleansing

exercise of this magnitude.

Let me share with you a perfect if

unlikely but simplistic possibility.

Since corruption, like coffee,

percolates from the top to the bottom

let the Indian cabinet members all

declare their assets as they are now

and compare them to their assets

before they took office. Why not, after

all, they are servants of the people.

By the same token let all the 552

Members of the Lok Sabha follow

suit. That is a start. Then take the

same measure and compel all MLAs

in all states to do the same.

If there are glaring discrepancies and

they cannot explain their ill-gotten

wealth, let them be vulnerable to

legal actions. It is a start and we can

then traipse up to all the civil services

and see how many can explain

their bank accounts, the contents of

their lockers, the property and land

in benami or whatever and we will

see that if it is done seriously and

with a sense of purpose there will

be a snowball effect right down to

the sniveling little clerk who leave

his desk drawer open for the payoff

in a hundred thousand government

offices in India.

Yes, Anna has touched a raw

nerve. It is very popular to combat

corruption. Who can be for it? The

young Indian is impatient with it, the

older Indian is exhausted by it, the

rich use it as lubricant to frogleap

the queue which is formed by the

poor and the middle class is too busy

surviving to really care or have faith

in a system that chokes them every

waking hour.

No, Anna has not been part of the

solution, so he must be part of the

problem.

I was amused to get a Youtube site

which slags off Hazare as a charlatan

and a crook. The core theme is

that none of his old supporters who

started off with him years ago have

stayed. And these guys have come

up on the camera to explain why they

were disillusioned.

One of the ex-buddies says it is all

about Anna. Hold that thought. Is

there a grain of truth in it? Only Anna

is on fast, why not the other high

profile believers who are wailing for

change then trotting off for dinner.

If they had all gone on fast would it

have diluted his uniqueness? Do we

have a sliver of narcissism here?

Another ex-supporter says Anna gets

fed glucose and electrolyte powders

secretly when he is on hunger strike.

That is perhaps a cheap shot but

worth monitoring over the next ten

days.

Whatever the man is, good, bad and

ugly, he is a rebel with a cause and

should now allow others to carry the

burden. It is the singularity that is

annoying. That and the increasingly

choreographed publicity like the one

where he is feeding a Muslim child

iftar food…oh please, spare people

that sort of plastic piety. When did

Anna last do that as a normal action,

let alone plan it as a photo-shoot for

the media? Using religion like that is

a corruption of the mind.

And even as he tills the estate he

is enjoying this late in life celebrity

status so much that he being

blindsided to the fallout of an

impractical populist ‘we have no clue

what to do’ vigilantism that almost

threatens to turn into a lynch mob.

This will all go away eventually

because the novelty trumps the

content and when there is only

grandstanding left that option is

always ready to rust the initial

grandeur.

Someone said that he was only a

Lance Corporal in the army, driving

supply convoys. That is rude. There

is nothing demeaning about being a

Lance Corporal. Hitler was a corporal

in the German army and he shook

the world. Frighteningly, the point is

Hitler sought a Utopian race, Hazare

seeks a Utopian nation. Same

difference. Neither exists.

The Corporal and corruptionBy Bikram Vohra Bikram Vohra, internationally-

known Gulf based scribe

Sunny s

ide u

p


27Black & White

TRADITION MAKETH SOCIETY

They say if you want to understand today, you have

to search yesterday; and how do we understand

yesterday? What will we pass on to the new

generation?

Every society has its own traditional lifestyle.

Traditions come from our ethnic background, our

culture, or our national heritage.

We know that all families have traditions of one kind

or another. Some of them have been passed down to

us from our parents and grandparents; some of them

have been intentionally started by us. Festivals and

celebrations are pure excuses to keep communities

together and so are traditions. Families are

strengthened by sharing uplifting family traditions.

The best traditions, I believe, will enrich our lives for

the better and be something that we want to pass

down to our children and grandchildren. For this

reason, families grow stronger and more unified

when they share uplifting traditions.

Oman is a country rich in traditions of its own, some

shared and some followed regionally. As a child, I

found many traditions intriguing and educating. It

would be unfair not to pass it on to the future.

The wakeup call by the Mesaharati is part of the Arab culture and Oman has its share of Mesaharatis too in the early 70s and before

Mohamed Issa Al ZadjaliEditor-in-chief

In Black...

& White

In B

lack &

Whit

e

TRADITIONAL MESAHARATI

The wakeup call by the Mesaharati is part of the Arab

culture and Oman has its share of Mesaharatis too in the

early 70s and before. It is sort of a ritual that made sense

before the advancement of technology, but it also brought

the community together.

NO ONE PRACTICING THE TRADITION TODAY

The B&W team went in search of a traditional Mesaharati,

to find out what made them wake up for the sake of their

community. Sadly, they could not find anyone carrying out

the tradition. Most of them have accepted the fact that it is

a practice that is irrelevant today. The old generation had

a few of them who were still passionately happy to share

their experience! They still believe it should be carried on;

otherwise the community will be disconnected in the years

to come!

What are your views on it? Does tradition hold the

community together or are traditions just the need of the

day?

B&

W X

clu

sive


The drums of Ramadan


29Black & White 29Black & White

B&

W X

clu

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In the near inky blackness of a dawn that was

just some hours away from breaking, a young

Omani man prepared himself quietly. A large

drum was in his left hand, and in his right,

a short, solid stick. With a small prayer, he

raised his right arm and slammed the stick on

the drum scaring silence out of its wits. The

right hand followed in rapid fashion and soon

the calm stillness of that early morning hour

was shattered with an incessant drumbeat,

followed by the Omani man’s clear wake

up call: “Suhour, suhour, suhour, wake up

everyone, it is time for suhour! Suhour,

suhour, suhour…”

DRUM ROLL…"SUHOUR,

SUHOUR, SUHOUR…WAKE UP…"

DRUM ROLL!

The call would pierce the early

morning hour and into the homes of

the slumbering residents in Muscat.

For some, this was sweet music,

for others, it was pure noise. Some

would wake up with a prayer of

thanks, others would not be in the

same frame of mind, having small

children and ailing folks at home. But,

the majority did not disapprove of the

Mesaharati waking people up for their

suhour meal during the Holy Month

of Ramadan.

One of the oldest and most deep-

rooted traditions of Ramadan is the

Mesaharati (night-caller to wake

Muslims shortly before dawn for

their last meal -- suhour -- before

the beginning of the fast). The

Mesaharati is one of the most

important features in the Holy Month

as he completes the traditional

scene of the month. Traditionally,

Al-Mesaharati would walk through

streets and alleys beating a small

drum to a simple rhythm, calling

on people to wake up in time for

some last minute eating. He would

walk to nearly every house in the

neighborhood, and stop in front of

each house, calling its occupants by

name to wake up for suhour.

RAMADANIAN DUTY OF YORE

Sulayem bin Saif Al Maskari, 75,

busily worked on his fishing tent,

in the serene sands of the Qantab

beach, one recent Ramadan

morning as he took us back to

the days of yore, when this rich

Ramadan tradition was in vogue. “I

was a teenager then and I was one

amongst other Omani elders who

practiced this Ramadan ritual of

waking up the faithful for the suhour

pre-dawn meal during Ramadan,” he

said, his eyes crinkling in a youthful

smile.

Sulayem seemed to relish his pre-

dawn Ramadan duty of the past. His

eyes lit up as he detailed to us his

early morning suhour adventures: “I

was an active Mesaharati until the

70’s. I used to do the wake up call

in Muscat; it is only later that I came

to Qantab,” he recalls. Beside him

sits Saleh Mohammed Suleiman, a

young fisherman of the village who

does not recall seeing or hearing

the Mesaharati. “Of course, I know

what a Mesaharati is thanks to the

Ramadan television relays, but I did

not have the luck of being woken up

by a Mesaharati during Ramadan.”

31Black & White

MESAHARATI AN ISLAMIC

TRADITION

The Mesaharati tradition runs back

to the early days of Islam. Bilal Ibn

Maktoom was the first mesaharati

in Islam and he used to call people

from the top of the mosque to stop

eating. The tradition began in Egypt

in 238 AH (Hijri) with Antaba bin

Ishq, the ruler of Egypt, himself

walking from Fustat City to Amr Ibn

Al-Aas Mosque singing “e’bad Allah

tasaharo” (worshippers of Allah,

eat suhour). In time, the drum was

introduced as an instrument to assist

the Mesaharati.

TECHNOLOGY AFFECTS

TRADITION

With the advent of the

Renaissance, where Oman

progressed with technology and

various facilities, the Mesaharatis

began to dwindle. After the 1970s,

Oman’s Mesaharati, who had

always shouldered the burden of

waking people up, often by name,

so they can have a late night meal

in preparation for the next day’s

fast, began to disappear. In their

place came alarm clocks and mobile

phones, and although one would like

to see someone take the crucial role

of the Mesaharati, the digital age,

seems to have no place for them.

GLORIOUS ERA OF

MESAHARATIS

Omanis who have experienced

the same hark back to the glorious

era when the Mesaharatis reigned.

They hope to bring alive this unique

Ramadan tradition. Even Sulayem

looks back at the old days, a trifle

wistfully: “I miss those days,” he

says, holding the net in his hand

and looking out at a modern fishing

boat scudding on the waves before

the Qantab beach. “We never slept

during the nights of Ramadan. All the

elders got together and discussed,

prayed and spend the night together.

And a few of us had the responsibility

of going around the alleys and

waking up the households for suhour.

Today, it has become very rare

to hear a real Mesaharati, who

traditionally wakes people up before

sunrise during Ramadan in order to

eat before fasting starts. Indeed, the

Mesaharati has become something

of a dying profession, even though

it has been practised since the early

days of Islam,” Sulayem said.

TRADITIONS BROUGHT PEOPLE

TOGETHER

“In the early 70s our societies

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32 August 21-September 20, 201132 August 21-September 20, 2011

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had age old traditions practiced on a regular

scale. Everyone who had a childhood during

the 70s would be familiar with the drum beats

or the trumpets with the suhour wake up calls…

I can still hear the drumbeats,” motivational

expert and speaker, Sheikh Khalfan El Esry tells

Black & White. “I have experienced this and

the Mesaharati, as they are called, are mostly

volunteers who do it out of their own will and

interest. They don’t consider it as an obligation;

they do it as their social responsibility.

The rest of the society trusts that there is

someone out there who will ensure that they will

wake up at the right time – that was a different

era and different lifestyle. The society and

community were more inter linked and dependent

on each other more than today. Technology

was not advanced and people were more

dependent on themselves and each other. The

responsibilities were shared by individuals, family

members, tribes and that bound the community

together. I personally believe that this wakeup

call would not have been just an Omani tradition;

I think it was famous in Egypt. It is a tradition that

has been prevalent in most of the Gulf countries.”

BLOWING THE TRUMPET

Sheikh Khalfan recalled the Mesaharati in

his village as “a young boy”. “I remember, he

had a trumpet not a drum. He was treated with

respect by the villagers. He was considered very

responsible and treated like a celebrity.

He was very punctual, very tolerant and

according to me was a social tradition keeper.

It is these responsible people who took care of

our society, its culture and its values. He used to

blow the trumpet from a small hill in our village,

and then walk down the alleys, knocking at the

doors waking up the elders of the family who

woke up the other family members.”

OLD TRADITION

In the early days, there was a restriction on

night travel, unless accompanied by a lantern,

Sulayem added. “So all of us had lanterns with

us during the wake up calls. I used to carry a

drum or even a large plate and hit on it to make

noise to wake up the people. We used to shout,

‘Suhour, suhour, wake up, time for suhour…’

"I used to have two or three of my friends with

me, I was not alone. I stopped after the 70s. But

my friend, Said bin Salem Al Hassani, continued

with this Ramadan tradition, until the last five

years, before he passed away. He believed that it

was a social responsibility and there were many

in the society who believed in this tradition and it

was his duty to do so.

NEW TAKETH OVER OLD

“Before the 70s, there was no electricity and we

did not need anything; even a tin can would be

enough to do the rounds. It was a volunteer effort

and I felt happy doing it. I did it in the Muscat

area, not at Qantab village. Here at the Qantab

village, we have one mosque and the population

was quite minimal, we all slept close to the

mosque and the mikes at the mosque woke us all

up. With mobile phones and alarm clocks no one

is bothered to do the suhour calls now. It is sad to

see an old tradition vanish, but I guess that is life.

The new take over the old.”

NO LONGER A TREND

Sulayem said how complete they felt, doing

these things the traditional way. “When we made

the calls, we felt more united and responsible

towards each other. With modernity setting in, the

trends have changed. People today might view

the suhour calls and knocking on the doors as a

nuisance. It is not welcome any more.

The younger generation may never know of

all these traditions, until we elders pass it on.

These traditions kept the community bound with

togetherness, trusting their community to take

care of them. They knew they could sleep in

peace because someone out there is watching

over them and will wake them up much before

the prayer timings. It was a matter of trust and

punctuality.

"I personally did it out of social responsibility.

I loved doing it. I was respected for it and I felt

happy I could contribute in some way to the

society I lived in. I used to be blessed by my

friends and neighbours and that is all I wanted,”

Sulayem said, taking us to a clearing where he

demonstrated his early suhour call routine to a

happy young audience. This could perhaps be

the only time these kids could be part of such a

vanishing tradition.

35Black & White

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37Black & White

Vanishing traditionsModern generations have a pertinent question to mull over…is the current

generation aware of the fact that many traditions, especially during the Holy

Month of Ramadan are now longer relevant? Do they realise that such lovely

traditions like the early morning suhour calls are now sadly replaced by

technology? We put this question to Sheikh Khalfan El Esry, a motivational

expert and speaker. And this is what he had to say:

A PAINFUL TRANSITION OF

EVOLUTION

“While we all appreciate and

glow in the advancement of the

technology that gives us the freedom

to live our life to the fullest, we

also have to acknowledge how we

alienate ourselves from our society

because of modern amenities. Look

around and you will see the young

generation all by themselves living

in their own world, far away from the

traditional societies that grew their

tribes.

They don’t require someone to

wake them up, their mobiles or alarm

clocks will do that for them. They

may not even get an experience of

these traditions, because lifestyles

have changed so much that it would

be impossible for them to even

attempt. This is not unique to our

society; this is the same in all parts

of the world. Probably this is what is

called evolution.

It still becomes our responsibility to

pass on the tradition to the younger

generation and let them know what

we lived through. It would help their

development and their understanding

of the society. As humans, we will all

be interdependent all our lives and

no technology can take that away. It

sometimes makes sense to hold on

to that tradition and values to keep

the society intact and healthy. These

traditions taught us certain values, it

taught us what responsibility is and

we are social beings.

Every tradition came out of a

necessity and reason, and it passed

on values to the next generation.

The Holy Month of Ramadan is very

pure and pious; it also brings families

and societies together. I wish the

traditions are upheld by the elders of

the family. I feel sad that the age old

traditions are slowly vanishing.”

VANISHING MAJLIS

Sheikh Khalfan pointed to another

tradition, which he said was in the

danger of being obsolete: “The

Majlis was a part of every Omanis

life. Families still have family get-

togethers, but tribes and community

are slowly moving away from these

traditions. The Majlis used to be

the place where everything in the

society was discussed, it was like

a news channel, a social outlet, a

place where economics to geography

was discussed, where everyone

knew every other person, their

family happenings, growth, talents,

problems, solutions everything was

churned out in these daily Majlis

meetings. But now, they are slowly

vanishing…”

KARANKASHOO

The 15th day of Ramadan is

celebrated as Karankashoo. It is

considered a celebration for the kids,

but most importantly it is a full moon

day and hence people feel it is a

bright night of celebration. Earlier it

was a practice in the villages for the

elders to sit throughout the full moon

nights and discuss things and even

celebrate. Probably karankashoo

evolved out of that practice. Elders

give gifts and money for the children

to get ready for the Eid celebrations,

Sheikh Khalfan said, noting how even

this tradition was slowly evolving.

RAMADAN THIS YEAR

“There are many positive and

encouraging trends in the youth

today. This year’s Holy Month saw

many of the youth indulging in charity

programmes much more than the

previous years. The social media

has played a role too. They have

highlighted many social issues that

need attention and brought good and

positive participation from the youth.

I feel this is a healthy trend. The

youth is the future of every nation

and when they take a step to social

participation and volunteering work,

it is a positive sign of growth and

evolution.

SA = ?

“Technology is advancing so

fast that I now see even traditional

greetings limited to two letters ‘SA’

meaning Salamalaikum…. It is not

funny; it takes away the depth of

life, its very essence. It is just that

we need to make that right choice to

decide what should and should not

be abbreviated!

“My sincere wish and hope is that

our rich tradition and cultures should

never be shelved like an unread

book! Let them always live amongst

us to take our community forward!”


Text: Adarsh Madhavan & Priya Arunkumar Photos: Najib Al Balushi

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When did the first El Mesaharati go around to the door

of Muslims to wake them up for eating before fasting

during Ramadan? The idea appeared in 238 ah by

the governor Otabs ibn Ishaq, who used to roam from

the ‘city of military’ till the mosque of Amr ibn el-Aas in

Fosta. The governor used to call out in a very beautiful

voice (O’ Servants of Allah, eat before dawn as it would

benefit you). It was developed in the Abbasid era,

specifically in Baghdad, at the time of caliph ‘Al-Nasser’

as he had assigned a person called Abu-Noqata with the

task of waking people for suhour, eating before dawn,

and awaken the caliph personally. He used to sing ‘O’

Sleeping Arise for Suhour’!

El Mesaharati in various countries:

IN MECCA:

El Mesaharati is called Zamzami. He used to carry with

him a lamb so that those who do not hear the voice can

see the light and start suhour.

IN THE LEVANT:

El Mesaharati used to carry sticks and whistles that

made pretty sounds to make people know that it was the

time for suhour.

IN YEMEN:

Here, the man from the village would call out loudly

(arise to eat).

IN SUDAN:

A person would walk around with a child in his hand; he

would also have book which would have a list with the

names of the families whom he had to wake up.

Despite the presence of different kinds of reminders

and alarms, the Mesaharati has not disappeared. El

Mesaharati is still a part of the Ramadan scene. He does

not receive a fixed salary but receives tips at the end of

the month. He embodies a living tradition, and brings us

a glimpse of the past. His reassuring presence, signaled

by loud drumbeats, reminds us that Ramadan is about

compassion and sharing.

The first Mesaharati


39Black & White

Facing a Problem? Think “SMART”By Dr CK Anchan

Dr Anchan C.K.

managing director,

World Wide Business House

What do we do when we are faced

with a problem, our instinct is to

attempt to solve the problem straight

away isn’t it ?

In dealing with problems, we need to

make decisions. When faced with a

situation that warrants a response,

we put on our thinking cap. We

depend on our thinking skills.

If you think smart you are likely to

adopt a different approach. You will

ask few questions to yourself first

before addressing the problem.

Should I really solve the problem?

Should I get involved? Should I

spare my energy and time?

The most important benefit of this

type of thinking is you are able to

maximise the use of your resources.

Competent people approach a

problem by ‘questioning the purpose

of solving it’. This strategy enhances

the effectiveness of managing the

problems.

Our employees should “Think

Smart”. It is about encouraging

them; we need to let our employees

understand the importance of

defining the purposes of working on a

problem. The emphasis is to find out

what we are trying to accomplish with

the problem situation.

Each problem is a unique problem

– understand the uniqueness of

the problems and the situational

needs, the context of the problem.

Minimise waste of resources: plan

the resources be it money, materials,

machinery, methods and manpower

to resolve the problem and try having

control on the same.

View the larger picture of the

situation: what is going on here and

what is wrong, learn to ask what we

are attempting to achieve out of this

situation.

Ask: “What else…?” To keep going

for more and more solutions, we

should learn to ask: “What else…?”

this will help us to develop as many

solutions as possible.

Address the problem with a long-term

or a short term perspective: Need to

understand the perspective and need

to take a call whether the problem

needs a long term strategy or a short

term.

Address the problem from a systems

approach – the realisation that each

problem we face is part of larger

problem enables us to anticipate

the problem(s) we may face when

implementing the solutions.

New and innovative solutions:

The intuitive element should be

challenged and creative mind should

be put on task.

Work with minimal information –

Many of us are trained to seek

out a full set of information that is

complete and comprehensive when

managing problems and work related

challenges. Having too much of

information in hand may prevent us

in solving the problem.

Involve the people in developing

solutions: Their participation and

involvement are critical for the overall

success of the proposed solution.

Keep the solutions broad and flexible:

so that those who will be managing

the solution will have some degree

of flexibility. A Standard Operating

Procedure type of solutions should

be avoided.

Incorporate timeline: Specific time

line has to be defined without which

the problems cannot be addressed.

Incorporate right sequence: Each

purpose developed to manage the

problems should be in the right

sequence.

Consistent and coordinated

approach: It is only through a

consistent and coordinated approach

that we will be able to make the

breakthrough thinking as part of our

decision making process.

Problem(s) should be seen as

situations that require some changes.

The best way to bring out the change

is by asking: What are we trying

to accomplish here. That is about

bringing effective and meaningful

change to our life.

Managem

ent

talk

39Black & White


Despite the warnings by the authorities concerned, some supermarkets are

still indulging in varied rates for same items during the weekends. We have

spoken of how some supermarkets make it a point to feature unusual weekend

rates, pasting on different jacked up prices for items that were far less just

before the start of the weekend. Despite the warnings of strict action and

despite this being the Holy Month, some supermarkets still feature weekend

hiked rates, note disgruntled buyers. “Go to these supermarkets and you will

find the price stickers removed and either new ones stuck on them, or most

of them will go without the same,” they tell us. Okay, next weekend, we are

going to take a dekho.

Some women seem to still treat supermarkets as beach areas and walk

around in badly covered clothes. Buyers at a well know hypermarket in

Qurum averted their eyes when confronted by a high-heeled, low-skirted

skimpily dressed woman walking around the mart with not a care in the

world. Of course, she has every right to not have any care, but then she

should respect the country she is and also respect the people that are

in it; she should respect their rights. This is not about being prude or a

harangue against morality, but just a simple note to point out that hey,

we are in the month of Ramadan and shouldn’t people like her respect

this month and the rules, the laws and sanctity governing it? Such badly

dressed women are the unwanted blemish in an otherwise serene setting

of Ramadan.

Seems like we hung out in too many shopping malls last week as all we got

is supermarket stuff for you this issue. Sorry, let us move on to an airline,

which usually does not indulge in much games, but this time, probably

because of the overload perhaps…Mommas, grandmommas coming

from Salalah with their tiny tots (three to four year olds) complained that

the airline concerned refused to provide their kids with seats, even though

they were all holding tickets. “I had to put my grandson on my seat as we

did not get a seat for him,” one grandma said, adding that though she

asked a flight purser to provide her daughter’s tot a seat, the lady went on

as though she was on deaf ears. It happens. Especially when the flights

are full…

Weekend rates

still raging on

Sorry, no seat

for toddlers

(even if they

have tickets)

Nit

tern

att

er

We have been thinking of it since quite sometime now. Fi-nally, we have taken the plunge to bring home to you some offbeat stuff. Here goes, if you like it, give us the green signal for more; if not, just take it with a pinch of salt. For this fort-night, here is some nitter natter for the B&W Bitter Batter:

(Note: Readers who have something bitter to chatter about can either email on [email protected] or call 99218461)

Unwanted

blemish

Give someone an inch, and they will take a mile, says the adage. But, this gets

stretched too far by some accountants here who are known to terrorise clients for

late payment, without even a thought as to why the client was paying late. Was it

due to market conditions, was it due to genuine reasons or was the client actually

trying to pull wool over the eyes of the company? These issues were irrelevant,

save for the last. “The accountants have an inborn mistrust against everyone

and everybody. They are not willing to listen to anything but on the dot payment,

without realising that this is not possible for everyone,” a tired owner of a company

who had some repayment issues with a company tells us. If you owe them, you

have to pay them, we tried telling him, but, he was not keen to listen. “We have

been hounded and hounded by this particular accountant, a very junior staff of this

company, and although our payment is almost regular, he still hounds us and is

rude with everyone, staff and even myself, the owner. He is impatient, rude and

downright dirty! Why are accountants like this?” the man lamented. Look, don’t

paint all accountants as bad, just because of some bad uns, we hastened to add.

Give an

accountant an

inch

AJAY ENTERPRISESPO BOX 54, PC 100. TEL : 24815485 FAX : 24815490

E-MAIL: [email protected] website: www.albahja.com

Air Fresheners


Kid

stuff


43Black & White

Tongue twistersI thought a thought

But the thought I thoughtWas not the thoughtI thought I thought.

Brain is the central organ of the human body. It is extremely complex and

sophisticated. The functions of the brain were found by the ancient Egyptians and

Greeks in 400 BC. It was Hippocrates who first discovered that brain played an

important role in sensation and intelligence

Here are a few facts on the human brain

• The average number of thoughts that humans are believed

to experience each day is 70,000.

• There are no pain receptors in the brain, so the brain can

feel no pain.

• The human brain is the fattest organ in the body and may

consists of at least 60 per cent fat.

• The left side of your brain (left hemisphere) controls the

right side of your body; and, the right side of your brain (right

hemisphere) controls the left side of your body.

• Children who learn two languages before the age of five

alters the brain structure and adults have a much denser gray

matter.

• While awake, your brain generates between 10 and 23

watts of power–or enough energy to power a light bulb.

• Every time you recall a memory or have a new thought, you

are creating a new connection in your brain.

• Each time we blink, our brain kicks in and keeps things

illuminated so the whole world doesn’t go dark each time we

blink (about 20,000 times a day).

• Laughing at a joke is no simple task as it requires activity in

five different areas of the brain.

• A living brain is so soft you could cut it with a table knife.

• There are about 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain.

• The brain can live for 4 to 6 minutes without oxygen, and

then it begins to die. No oxygen for 5 to 10 minutes will result

in permanent brain damage.

Interesting facts about the

HUMAN BRAIN


Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given

numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that

each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

SOLUTION:By Thomas Snyder

Avoid haste and focus at

your goal. Good gains from meetings.

It is promising week for flow of

income. If you are dealing abroad or

with distant places indicates success

financially. This is also promising

time for investing money or have a

little bit of speculation.

It is positive time for

seeking growth at job. This is

favourable period to search for new

opportunities or reap the benefit for

the hard efforts done earlier. Flow

of money will be promising. And if

you are clever enough to seize the

opportunity then it is the better time

to invest money in speculation.

Balance your energy

between work and domestic

responsibilities simultaneously. If it

is unbalanced then both major areas

of life will suffer. At job it is possible

to rise or you may hear good news.

Work load will increase and this will

help you to pave the way for proving

your skill and gain appreciation.

To be successful it is

necessary to focus on personality

and inner side more reflective. Thus,

at job, you require clarity – in your

work as well as from others. You

will be extra sensitive and it will be

difficult to know the reason for it.

Existing relationship will grow and

become much better.

Avoid haste in taking any

important decision or at meeting.

You will receive the profit against

your work. It is good time to harvest

the effort of your hard work.

However, it is not positive time to

invest money or take any sort of

risk in money matters. Relationship

need some time to balance it.

It is possible for you to

easily jump to conclusions. There

could be a lot of frivolous talk- that

can make your impression down.

Relationships will expand this

week and it is promising time for

singles. Get together, party time or

visit to any social gathering is also

possible.

March 21-April 20

June 22-July 23

April 21-May 20

July 24-August 23

May 21-June 21

August 24-September 23

Your starsARIES

CANCER

TAURUS

LEO

GEMINI

VIRGO

Horo

scope

Work in group will be

favourable – just avoid stressing

your own ideas. It is good time to

harvest the effort done before. Plan

the work distribution efficiently. It is

promising week for flow of income. It

will be better than before. However,

managing the funds is required

particularly if it is coming from more

than one source.

Positive vibes makes it

easy for you to manage the difficult

task. Support from others is there.

It is expected to receive good flow

particularly if it is from various sources.

So it is good time to invest some of

it to grow your funds. Investing in

various schemes will be profitable.

It is time to put off your

financial worries and plan about

the investing money to secure

your future. Therefore, investing

money in real estate’s will be more

promising than any other scheme

right now. Avoid haste in taking

decision. Committed ones may find

it difficult for maintaining tranquility

at home.

Financially it will be little

bit unstable and it requires some

managing of funds particularly if

any big expense is in order. It is

promising time for singles to find their

love at place of work. Don’t wait other

to approach. It is for you to go ahead

and express your feelings.

Minor flaws may lead

to major mistakes. Meetings will

be beneficial. It is promising time

for flow of money followed by high

expenses.

Avoid emotional shopping or

spending money on things which

you don’t require. It is suggested

to spend money wisely and this

applies in investing too.

It is time to implement

your plans at work as this is positive

time for growth in business. It is

challenging time for finances. You

may feel it hard to yield the gains

and many times your effort may go

in vain. Relationships undergo with

some highs and lows.

September 24-October 22

December 23-January 20

October 23-November 22

January 21-February 19

November 23-December 22

February 20-March 20

LIBRA

CAPRICORN

SCORPIO

AQUARIUS

SAGITTARIUS

PISCES

SIR THOMAS SEAN CONNERY (BORN 25 AUGUST 1930) is a Scottish

actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards

(one of them being a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award) and three Golden

Globes. Connery is best-known for portraying the character James Bond,

starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. In 1989, he was

proclaimed "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine, and in 1999, at age 69,

he was voted "Sexiest Man of the Century".

AJAY ENTERPRISESPO BOX 54, PC 100. TEL : 24815485 FAX : 24815490

E-MAIL: [email protected] website: www.albahja.com


WADI KABIRBait al Zubair Bait al BarandaMarina Bander Al Bustan Palace HotelOman Dive club Shangri-La- Barr Al JissahSri Lankan School NHIPencil Building (Stationery shop)Al Maha bunk –Wadi Kabir Ajay Enterprises (Khimji) – (Next to Jingles nursery) Hotel Golden OasisSana FashionsAl Maya markets – (Old Rawasco) Scientific pharmacy – Opp to al Maya market ( Arab Udipi Rest)

CBD AREA TO DARSAITAl Amana Building materials – Opposite Jawad SultanAl Omaniya Financial Services office Oman oil bunk Khimji mart shopping mall – (Old shopping & saving)Khimjis Bait al Ahlam- CBD areaPizza Muscat (Opposite ministry of manpower)Pizza Hut/TFC – CBD areaCentre point-SplashMuscat Securities market Times of OmanShell petrol Bunk (Next to Sheraton)OCCI Library – Oman Chamber of commerce (OPP MSM)KFC – Ruwi Oman International Bank – RuwiPalayok Restaurant – Filipino restaurant Ever ready supermarket New India Assurance OfficeAl Fair – Ruwi high street Lakhoos Money Exchange, Ruwi High streetDamas Jewellery/office – Ruwi Oman UAE Exchange – OCC CentreAir Arabia Office- Shanfari TravelsRuwi HotelGulf air building – Gulf air officeSaravanabhavan Restaurant Sarco – Samsung showroom Khimji Megastore – Swarovski showroomOTEMoosa Abdul Showroom – next to al JadeedToshiba Showroom Al Jadeed shoppingBadr Al Samaa Samara video (next to Talentz, old bait al ahlam) after 5pmMinistry of Education – Opp Wearhouse – Ruwi Future management consultants -(opp Toshiba showroom)Haffa House HotelAl Falaj Hotel Muscat Bakery- Near church Pakistan School (after temple & church Darsait)Naranjee Hirjee office (before Hotel Golden Oryx)Hotel Golden Oryx Bank Muscat corporate office (Opposite Hotel Golden Oryx)Kamat Restaurant Uptown Restaurant Turtles Book shopAl Rima Clinic Lama Polyclinic

Oman Air – CBD NBO- CBD areaBank MuscatBank SoharHSBCStandard CharteredOman Arab BankHarmony Music Centre – Next to OAB Bahwan Travel Agencies – CBD banks areaOTTB – Oman Travels BureauAir India office – CBD next to Costas CostasPapa John Supa Save – CBDWoodlandsBank DhofarHorizon Restaurant – (Next to Moon travels)Oman post office Lulu DarsaitKhimji Ramdas Head office, Muttrah (Kanaksi Khimji & pankaj Khimji) Majan College – Darsait junction (canteen)Indian Social ClubMelody Music Centre – Next to ISMGerman Embassy – Hamriya roundaboutApollo Medical CentreComputer Xpress – Hamriya Roundabout Atlas Travels (Wadi Adai Roundabout (next to polyglot)Hatat HousePassage to IndiaBest carsHyundai/Subaru/GM showroomAl Asfoor FurnishingAhli BankShell marketing officeSEAT car showroom- Wattayah DHL office- Wattayah Honda ShowroomSabco Head office wattayahNTT travels WattayahToyota Bahwan Advertising – Ist floor – Toyota showroomLexusFord showroomShanfari AutomotiveWattayah Motors- VW showroomKhoula HospitalInstitute of Health sciences – opposite KhoulaKia showroom- wattayah

QURUM AREA TOWARDS AL KHUWAIRAl Harthy Complex- Pizza Muscat – next to Sultan Center in al Harthy complexSultan Center Nissan showroomBMW showroom Muscat Private School Qurum city centrePizza Hut – Qurum Capital StoreAl Asfoor PlazaKFCHardeesFono showroom next to Sabco centreShah NagardasSabco Centre- Barista coffee shop onlyAl AraimiPanasonic ShowroomNBO QurumAl Khamis PlazaAl Wadi commercial centre – Coffee shopMercedes showroom

CCC- StandCCC Al FairBollywood chatPizza Hut – Qurum Second CupNandos McDonaldsSalman StoresJawahir OmanHamptonsBusiness Services & Travel Amex office Ernst & Young buildg (OUA Travels) StarbucksHawthorne institute- ELS Fahud Street, opp Qurum parkMumtaz Mahal Left bankOman Association for the disabled Ministry of education (20 +20=20)Muscat Intercon Jawaharat Al Shatti complex- standOasis by the sea - crepe café standLNG OfficeAl Qurum resortBareek Al Shatti ComplexAl Qandeel head office -, Entrance of Bareek al Shatti Al Shatti Cinema - Dunkin DonutsAl Sahwa Schools– principal’s office next to Ramada hotelHotel RamadaAl Muriya Offices- next to Al sahwa schoolsGrand Hyatt MuscatAl Masa MallRadio ShackAl Sarooj ComplexShell Petrol Bunk- Al Sarooj Al FairRamee GuestlineRock BottomClassic Institute of Arts- next to Asas OmanAsas Oman ApartmentsCrowne PlazaCoral hotelQurum Pvt schoolPDORas Al Hamraa ClubOmanoil head office

AL KHUWAIR/MSQ TOWARDS AZAIBAELS – Al khuwair service roadBritish School Muscat – MSQBritish Council Oman oil- Madinat Qaboos Pizza HutKhimjis mart – MSQ Kargeen Café Al fairFamily Book shop- MSQ Tavola – Al Noor Hall buildgStarbucks Hana slimming centre – Ist FloorFotomagicAl Noor Hall Al JadeedEqarat office Above Welcare Clinic – al KhuwairDomino Pizza Oman mobileSafeer Hypermarket Mustafa SultanSouk TechniaOmantelOman international Bank – Al khuwair main officeIbis Hotel

Park inn HotelFriendi OfficeMuscat Bakery Tropical Ice creams SubwayPizza Hut service road Ice Skating RinkNational Training InstituteGolden spoon RestaurantShell Select- Al KhuwairMcdonaldsMct holiday Inn HotelOman Bowling Center HalliburtonCafé VergnanoKhimji Mart – Next to Verganano Safeer suitesAxa insurance (opp assarain Al khuwair)Zakher shopping MallPAN Furnishing Harley DavidsonThriftyAl Amal Medical Centre – Dr BashirHotel RadissonPizza Hut Al KhuwairOzone Video Shop(Next to Pizza Hut)American British School Omar Khayyam Restaurant, next to V kool Grill House (next door)V KoolTAISM Centre for British Teachers – CFBT Baushar Complex CaféAviation Club Restaurant

AZAIBA TOWARDS SEEBLulu Hyper market – BausharOman Medical collegeCollege for Business & financial Studies opp Oman medical, bausharAzzan Bin Qais school - BausharMuscat private HospitalDolphin Village – BausherRoyal hospital Ghala industrial area – NTINational mineral water – Tanuf ( next to Al Madina Holiday Inn)Oman oil AzaibaSpicy Village – Rusayl Pizza Hut – GhalaOman oil – GhalaTowell head office – Enhance & Ist floorMazda showroom Mcdonalds – Azaiba Select shell AzaibaOman Tribune – Al Watan officeNew India assurance Azaiba office Safeer HypermartNawras head office Zubair showroom and Yamaha corporate office(two places)- Yamaha Showroom – close to Zubair showroom – 1st floor Polyglot InstituteGU Tech – Beach road AzaibaChedi Muscat The wave Muscat corporate officeNACA – national cancer Awareness AssnMCC – Crepe CaféAl Bahja– Mood Café & food CourtAl Maya Super market Oman air Seeb office (Below Flyover, before Golden Tulip)Oman Tourisn College Golden Tulip HotelAir portSelect Shell – SeebPizza Hut airportKFC

PICK-UP POINTSPICK-UP POINTS

MUSCAT

Cir

cula

tion

47Black & White 47Black && White

SHOPPING MALLSLulu shopping centerAl- Istaqarar shopping center (Salalah)Dhofar shopping centerBab Al- Salam marketAl- Mashoor (Salalah)Al- Mashoor (Saada)Al-KhareefK.M TradingAl-Isteqarar (Saada)Al-Hoq super marketHamdan commercial marketFresh super market (Al-Sarat)Union Salalah MarketFamily bookshop

HOTELSCrown PlazaHilton Salalah Hamdan plazaDhofar HotelSalalah hotelHaffa HouseRedan HotelAl- Hanaa HotelBAMSIR hotelAl- Jabel hotelAl- Nile suite (Saada)Salalah Mariott

MINISTRIESMinistry agriculture & fisheries Ministry of educationMinistry of defenseMinistry of housing & electricityMinistry of waterMinistry of tourism Diwan of Royal court (Salalah)Ministry of primary court and justiceMinistry of Commerce & industryDhofar municipality (Baladia)Ministry of man power

PETROL STATIONS, BANKSShanfari filling Stationshell select, al saadaOman oilShell SalalahBank MuscatOmantelOman Arab BankPizza hutDhofar UniversityAl Maha souk

OIB, NizwaOIB, FirqBankMuscat, NizwaBM main branch, NizwaBankMuscat, FirqNBO, NizwaNBO, FirqBank AbudhabiToyotaOTEOmantelNawrasKhimji, NizwaKhimji, IzkiMuscat Bakery, NizwaPizza HutDiscount centreFamily shoppingAl Diyar HotelSafari hotelAl-Nif shopping, IzkiHungery Bunny, NizwaCollege of ScienceCollege of TechnicNizwa Medical CollegeBusmath ClinicThalal ClinicOmanoil, IzkiOmanoil, FirqOmanoil, NizwaOmanoil, MarfaShell, IzkiShell, FirqShell, NizwaAl-Maha, FirqNizwa university -Dept of foreign langAl-Maha, Marfa

Lulu hyper marketSafeer CentreAl Nahda resortAl Maha SoukOman Oil RumaisOman College of managementOIBNBOBank MuscatShellOTESARCONissan showroomOmantel

MUSCAT continued...

MUSCAT, SALALAH, SUR, SOHAR, NIZWA, BARKA, KASAB

SALALAH NIZWA

BARKA

SOHAR

SURAl-HasharLNGLNG, Club SurSur Beach HotelSur UniversityOTE, SurMitsibushiRawaya coffee shopToyotaNissanSur Plaza HotelMazdaKhimjiOmantelPrivate Hospital, SurBankMuscatSur HotelNBO, SurBank Dhofar, SurELS, Sur

Muscat golf hills, SEEBKOMSQU – SQUH hospital , SQUH 2- canteen, 3- Diplomatic Club, 4 – College of Commerce, 5 – Students banking area)Pizza Hut – al Khoud Sultan School al hail service road – principals’ officeCaledonian college – principal’s officeOman Foot ball association

RUSAYL AREARusayl Industrial EstateOman CablesSadolin PaintsJotun PaintsAl waqia shoesMehdi FoodsAreej veg oils

MINISTRIES AREA – AL KHUWAIRMinistry of tourism(Ghala, next to ISG)Ministry of social Development(next to Regional municipalities, Bank Mct)Ministry of foreign affairs

Spicy Village RestaurantLulu HypermarketJumeirah Shopping CentreKhimji’s MartAl Salem shoppingCentrepointMoosa Abdul Rahman – GMCToyotaNissanMitsubishiLG showroomSohar BakerySohar UniversityBank MuscatHabib BankBank SoharOman International BankAl Raffah HospitalBadr Al SamaaOman Arab BankBank DhofarHSBCTravel CityNational Travels and ToursUniversal Travels and TourismDHLDhofar InsuranceAl Ahlia InsuranceTaeeger Finance CoOmantelAl Jazeera GroupNarenjee Hirjee (International)

Circulation enquiries: 98675976/24565697

FREE FORTNIGHTLY MAGAZINEAVAILABLE ALL OVER OMAN ON 7TH & 21ST

20, 500 COPIES (BEING AUDITED)

No meal is complete without a dessert! There’s nothing better than being able to

enjoy something sweet and tasty: cake, cookies, pie, pudding, or anything else-

as long as it has sugar in it.

Here are a few recipes to make your meal worthwhile…

DESSERT?

Cookin

g

What’s for


Ingredients:

2 lb marble cake (cut into slices)

1 oz instant chocolate pudding mix

2 cup skim milk

2 cup frozen pitted cherries

2 drops red food coloring

2 cup whipped cream

It is also known as black forest trifle which is prepared mainly with chocolate pudding and cherries.

The pie can give more delicious flavour if it is kept in fridge for overnight so that it stets properly and

easily cut into pieces.

Prepared in three layers; crust, walnut coconut filling and cream cheese topping hence become rich and

tempting dessert for any party.

Ingredients

1 pie crust

8 oz cream cheese (softened)

1-2 oz instant vanilla pudding

3 oz instant banana cream pudding

½ ltr milk

1 cup cool whip

Bananas (sliced for layering)

Crushed crunch for topping

For Crust:

½ lb butter

½ cup sugar

2 cup flour

½ cup cornstarch

For Filling:

4 eggs

1 pkg brown sugar

½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla

1 lb walnuts

1 cup coconut

4 tbsp flour

For Frosting:

1 cube butter

1 pkg powdered sugar

Method:

Prepare pudding for the trifle for that you need to mix pudding mix in milk

and chill in fridge to set for at least 30 min. Add red food colour to cherries

and mix well. Now take a serving bowl and make layer of marble cake

slices, cover the cake with cherries and then spread prepared chocolate

pudding mixture. Repeat this pattern of layer again and in the end top with

whipped cream and few cherries. Keep the bowl in fridge to chill.

Method

Bake pie crust according to the instruction mentioned on the package and

then cool to room temperature. To prepare pie filling beat cream cheese

to make it smooth and soft. Gradually add milk and make smooth batter.

Add both pudding mixes and beat at slow speed so that no lumps would

be there. Now fold the batter with the whipping cream and set aside. Make

layer of the bananas at the side of the pie crust and pour half of the batter

on the crust, now make layer of sliced bananas onto the batter and then

pour rest of the batter. In the end top with some remaining sliced bananas

and crunch and chill for at least an hour.

8 oz pkg cream cheese (softened)

1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

To prepare the crust, cream butter and sugar together; sift together

flour and cornstarch and then add it to the cutter mixture. When smooth

soft dough like texture is formed then press it at the base of a greased

square baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 15 min at 300 degrees

F. Meanwhile prepare filling by beating egg and brown sugar together.

Then add flour, baking powder and vanilla and then fold with walnuts

and coconut. Pour it over the prepared crust and bake again for 25 min.

After that increase the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for further

5 minutes; make frosting by cream together ingredients mentioned for

frosting. When walnuts pie is baked properly then cool it on wire rack and

then cut into squares. Serve the walnut bars with topping of prepared

cream cheese frosting.

CHOCOLATE TRIFLE

BANANA PIES

WALNUT BARS

49Black & White

Eve's d

rop


51Black & White

is not accidental

She gave away her pocket money for a Panda

when she was only five. That must have been

Klara Zakis’, first ever act of charity. But, that

certainly was not her last.

“In fact, I remember another incident where I

earned a couple of hundred pounds for sponsored

silence,” Klara, manager PR and communications,

Rezidor Hotel Group, recalled, as she spoke to

the Black & White at the recent launch of the Box

Appeal, a charity campaign aimed at labourers in

some parts of the Gulf, including Oman.

As any girl child, Klara must have been

unstoppable when she opened her mouth. So

it would have been a real challenge to stop

speaking for extended number of hours. But,

she was willing to make the effort, make those

sacrifices because it was all for a cause. “It was

really tough to not be able to speak for 24 hours,

but I managed and I gave the money raised for a

TV campaign,” Klara tells B&W.


CHARITY THEREFORE COMES easy for her

and she seemed to be the right person to run

the current charity cause in the UAE. Klara is

known to have a proven track record when it

comes to organising campaigns and events

both here in the Middle East and in the UK. In

fact, she was responsible for AED 10 million

worth of PR coverage for the charity Laureus

when it came to Abu Dhabi last year. She also

ran the Oil Barons Ball Charity campaign last

year for the beneficiary of the ball- Friends of

Cancer patients.

The charity received more coverage that year

than in the previous eight years the ball had

been established. Klara spearheaded a charity

campaign to reduce obesity in UAE based

children in 2008. Major news publications got

behind this campaign, alongside real estate

developers (who pledged to include play areas

in new developments) and a host of medical

experts.

B&W quizzed her on the Box Appeal 2011:

What is the main appeal of the Box Appeal?

Four years back, in 2007, the Radisson Blu

Hotel Dubai, Media City launched the Box

Appeal charity campaign. It was then called

as the Shoe Box appeal and was aimed at

helping those less privileged, especially the

labour class. The campaign is entering Oman

for the first time and it is because of its growing

success in Dubai, a decision was made to take

the campaign on a region wide basis.

The appeal has been given a new branding

by the UAE based design agency North55.

The creative agency designed a new logo that

captures the essence of the appeal, giving it a

unique identity.

After the launch in 2007, in the following years

Radisson Blu and Park Inn Hotels in Abu Dhabi

Yas Island also joined in. Over the four years

the appeal has run, more than 20,000 boxes

have been donated, the equivalent of 2 million

AED!

There are so many charity campaigns

during the Holy Month, how different is this

one?

The Box Appeal is a simple charity campaign.

Anyone can participate and give back to the

community. People need to pick up the boxes

from the Radisson Blu or Park Inn Hotels or

from the appeal’s partners, City Centre Muscat

or Qurum City Centre, fill the box with a list of

everyday items such as toothpaste, toothbrush,

comb, towel, body soap etc. and return to the

distribution point. This year the campaign is a

regional one. The hotels in Oman will be joined

by other Radisson Blu and Park Inn hotels in

the UAE, Cairo and Bahrain. Overall 13 hotels

will take part, aiming to collect over 10,000

boxes as they hope to reach out to more people

than ever before.

The Box Appeal will run between August 15

and September 15 in the UAE, Bahrain, Cairo

and Oman.

Where will the boxes be distributed and to

whom?

The Radisson Blu and Park Inn hotels in

Oman have partnered with local charity Dar

Al Atta who will help distribute the boxes

at the end of the campaign to families and

individuals most in need. In addition, many

local companies have pledged their support to

the campaign.

What is your take on charity – what does

it mean to you and should more and more

people give?

The success of any campaign rests with the

response from the public. We are hoping that

this campaign will be successful in Oman too.

There is just one reason why charity is so

important – our responsibility to our world.

Charity is something everyone should indulge

in. We are living in a society and it makes good

and responsible sense to give back to the

community.

I believe the younger generation is much more

pro- charity and there is a lot of awareness

today because of various media. Charity is not

accidental; it is a conscious effort, choice. Once

you start doing it, you will continue the path.

Personally, I believe in charity. As a young girl

of five I sponsored a Panda. I gave away my

pocket money for the Panda. Even today I have

sponsored two pandas.

Your attitude towards charity and empathising

towards your fellow brings starts at your home;

I remember an incident in my childhood where

I earned a couple of hundred pounds for

sponsored silence… it was tough not speaking

a word for24 hours! I gave it away towards a

TV campaign.

Charity gives you an inner satisfaction. If you

have the ability, then why not help someone

in need. There are many needy people in this

world struggling for the basic necessities of life.

Not everyone has what you have.

Eve's d

rop

53Black & White

Michael Jacobi, general manager

of Radisson Blu Muscat

The Box Appeal is a unique

campaign. We hope the simplicity of

this campaign will draw the attention

of the public. Anyone can do this

– it is so easy to get involved and

contribute. The 13 items to fill in the

box is basic, essential daily items

and non perishable. We are very

optimistic that we will be able to

collect 1000 boxes from Oman!

Dar Al Attaa has been given the onus of distributing

the boxes that will be collected by this initiative.

Shatha A Abbas, board member, Dar Al Attaa

explained to the Black & White that charity boxes

will be distributed to men and boys aged 14 and

above.

“We, Dar Al Attaa, are happy to have been trusted

to distribute the boxes that will be collected through

this initiative.

We will be distributing them to the families – 90

families -- that are currently sponsored by our

charity. The boxes contain items that are catered to

men so they will be given to those families that have

boys over the age of 14. The rest of the boxes will

be distributed to the boys’ dormitories at some of

the local colleges, the older boys at the orphanage

and Al Amal School,” she said, adding that all of this

was subject to the number of boxes they receive.

Dar Al Attaa to distribute the charity boxes

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AVAILABLEall over Oman on 7th & 21stof every month

First Free Fortnightly magazine

55Black & White

Ting a ling ting a ling ting a ling… the earliest sounds that we hear

are what we hear of music and it enchants us. It is what attracts

most babies even though they know that it is different from just the

sounds that people make and they seem to enjoy them.

In fact research suggests that babies respond well to music and in

that also there is a difference. They respond to soft and soothing

music better than hard rock and acid. Surprsingly even plants

respond the same way. As a baby I did the same, so my mum told

me.

So isn’t it understandable that music is used to unite the world and

create a borderless one.

I recently went for a Bob Dylan show and then you understood

why music is a big unifying influence, children as young as five and

adults as old as 80 – infact there was one woman who was wearing

tubes around her nose and also another one in the wheelchair.

The images said more than what any words could and this was on

a weekend when a freeway had shut down so most of the areas

around were shut but still the show was sold out. Need I say more.

Music has for long been used for peace, and also for raising funds

for awareness of all causes ranging from Aids to cancer and the

famines in Ethiopia. Musicians can easily be deified and many a

times they are eager to help though they can’t help their turbulent

lives.

Music will always remain and continue to inspire changes in our

lives and always bring a smile to our lips and pure unadulterated

joy in our hearts.

Viva La Music!

Ting a lingVandana, award winning author (‘360 Degrees Back to Life')

By Vandana Shah

It's m

y lif

e

Vandana Shah, Author 360 Degrees Back To life, editor of Ex-Files. www.vandanashah.com.

Email me what you’d like to say on [email protected]

Follow me on twitter Vandy4PM

55Black & White


shape n

sound

This is in defense of high heels. Yes, they are bad for posture; they hurt our feet, our legs, our spines and what not. But, wear them on a special occasion and see how they elevate us; how they put us on top

of the world. The fact of the matter is that high heels are virtual mood lifters. Can

anyone deny this? Is there any woman out there who will say against the way high heels elongates our body, stretches our

legs to infinity and gives us that supremely confident walk?

DON’T GIVE IT A MISS

Any voice of dissent? Even if there are, let it be,

because it is going to be drowned in the roar of

affirmation from the majority who swear on high. High

heels give women an entirely different look. It is not

about the height alone, it is the image of a woman who

means business; a woman who seems to be confident,

assured, in place and also blessed with a kind of

elevation – why should any woman give this a miss?

It is not just about the position of the body changing

and giving it an entirely different look or a high-end

grace – it is far more than that. It is a kind of a strong,

positive attitude that comes along with the package.

While at one end, petite, and diminutive women

get a chance to be eyeball to eyeball with their

taller counterparts and their own partners,

it is the feeling that they are special

that comes through more than

anything.


57Black & White

How does that happen? How does

a woman who was feeling all down

and out and low suddenly elevate

herself with a special glow and air

of confidence, just because she

launched herself upon five-inch

heels?

MEANS A LOT

“Yes, it maybe considered a trip to a

certain world of madness when we

clamber on five-inch heels, but then,

it makes us feel oh so very special.

I feel like a diva,” asserts Daniella, a

pert five- foot something, who

swears on high heels.

“I am not saying that

wearing high heels don’t

hurt; I am not glossing over

any of its faults, but, it stands to

reason that some of us get a real

high when we get on a Prada – and

that is something. It means a lot to

women like me.”

HEED THIS ADVICE

But, don’t get on top of it always, is

Daniella’s advice.

“The problem with some women is

that they overdo the stiletto bit. Like

in everything, moderation is the key

and therefore, it would be ideal if

heel lovers make a vow not to push

it always. Give the heel a break and

get on it during occasions. Use it

sparingly and you will not be twisting

your ankles miserably or affecting

your spines and there will not be any

long term deleterious effect on your

feet or legs.”

The heel naysayers should also open

their eyes to the positive ‘heeling’

experience of walking on high heels:

High heels are hugely

complementary to several types

of dresses and they are great for

lounging around during grand

occasions, it definitely brings along a

feel-good factor.

AN AURA INDUCER

“High heel shoes can

transform the drabbest

of outfits into something

personable. There is an aura

about high heels and no

amount of gloomy prophesies

of a doomed health will take

that away from them,” voices

another high heel lover.

FEEL-GOOD FACTOR

High heels have a purpose to

serve and while serving them,

it also helps many women

feel good about themselves.

Let us not deny that!

57Black & White


Psy

che

59Black & White

WE ARE NOT HERE TO JUDGE, but is your husband a video game geek? Is

he the type who spends long hours playing video games? Is he the type that

rushes to buy the latest games and accessories in the market?

There is a resounding sound of affirmation from a section of the ladies out

there. Yes! It is a fact that like the bachelors, or kids, more and more married

men are resorting to such gaming entertainment. While at the outset it does

not seem to be a matter of concern, it is found that married men seem to

find enriching entertainment in video games, but then this question would

automatically pop into existence: why? Are married men bored by their wives?

Is that the reason why such married men are now resorting to games to

relieve themselves of the boredom?

Now, we don’t want to wreak havoc in normal households but we still need to

know whether you like this video game fixation of your husband? As you are

aware, video games are everywhere and people of all ages and colours are

into gaming. So, you see, they are not just for kids anymore. Now, the prime

question is whether it bothers you when your husband plays? Is it causing a

problem in your marriage?

Then you have reasons for concern. Is your hubby unnecessarily wasting his

time and money on games and accessories? Have they called up at work or

have they sent warning notes from his office that this gaming obsession is

affecting his work?

Has he seemed to have forgotten that you and the little one exist? Does he

neglect his responsibilities at home to play? In short, this means that his

gaming is affecting your marriage.

If so, we have a problem in hands and you need to address this quickly.

What you have got to do is to immediately get into a serious discussion on

this gaming subject, because, as anyone would rightly tell you, no source of

entertainment, no hobby should come between you and your spouse. What

marriage is at that you have to be subjected to total neglect by a gaming

hubby and then left on your own?

But, if your husband is giving you enough time and he is ably juggling his

gaming interest along with his responsibilities, then you are on a good wicket.

On that count, let us declare here that gaming as a hobby is a great stress

reliever. So that is one of the fringe benefits that can help you have a happier

husband and a happier married life.

There is another major aspect to such a husband. What if your husband’s

interest lay in football or cricket or let us say golf or even fishing? Such a

husband would be away for long period of time and as you know, after such

games, they would still want to hang out with their guys in the evening, which

means, you would not see your husband for days to end. This way, you have

the best of both worlds, a husband who stays at home and a happy one at

that. Now, if you can take one more step, it would be great to find a game

which you can join in too; something which you and your husband can do

together…now, that would be a game made in heaven, right

59Black & White


IN THE MOVIE, A COOL DRY PLACE, Vince

Vaughn plays Russell, a lawyer in a small

town in Kansas who has been raising his five-

year-old son Calvin (Bobby Moat) on his own

since his wife Kate (Monica Potter) left him

without notice. In reel and real life, there are

men who can be real good parents.

But, on a general scale, the tide is mostly

tipped in favour of mothers, who are

universally considered to be better parents.

Most people automatically agree that women

generally have better parenting skills than

men. Women seem to have the natural instinct

to look after and nurture a child, while men,

largely lag behind in this respect. My boy

comes to me when he is hurt or upset; when

they are sick, they want mama, not daddy – I

would say that in most homes this holds true,”

notes Samantha, a mother of a seven-year old

boy.

CHILDREN KNOW WHOM TO APPROACH

“I agree, I am the one they come to when

they want to go to sleep, are tired or in pain or

when they are sick. But, Gerald, my husband,

is the one my son goes to when he wants

to have some fun. If he wants to wrestle or

generally have fun, Andy heads to Gerald.

They wrestle together and have lot of fun.

But, my son knows instinctively whom to

approach when he needs something, food and

water for instance, and when he is not unwell.

Then, he will shrug off the advances made by

my husband and just run to me.”

WOMEN HAVE NATURAL INSTINCT

“Since they don’t get the natural instinct that

women get, the fathers often find it hard for

them,” pitched in Rebecca, a mother of a three

month old baby."

There are many mothers who make terrible

parents, though, points out Aaron. “I know a

woman who has a two year old child that she

simply does not take care of. Things reached

to such a bad stage that the child is now with

her in laws.

SOMETHING ABOUT MOTHERS

Mustafa points out to other cases, especially

single dads who seemed to have scored well

in taking care of their child/children. “But, then,

there is something about mothers that children

often automatically lean to. Moms are always

voted as the better parent because they are

generally considered to be more patient and

understanding than their male counterparts.”

Others also note that generalisations apart,

the fact is that there are far more women

raising children than men. Therefore, it

makes sense that there are a higher number

of excellent female parents than male. It

is not that men are bad parents, but the

circumstances that they go through tend to put

them in the back seat when it comes to looking

after their children. There are many men who

are excellent parents, but a bigger number

who are not. But, in general, women are

more nurturing than men. “Women, by nature,

have feminine qualities for nurturing children.

Thus, they are found to be better parents

than men. But, let us not undermine the role

of men in child rearing. Men are necessary

if children have to be fully aware of the roles

of both genders. Women have, by and large,

proven themselves to be superior parents

thanks to their feminine qualities, soft skills,

less aggressive nature and they are generally

known to have better communication skills,”

various other sources add.

WOMEN BETTER

Women are usually given the ‘better’ parent

chit over men for one major reason though:

Most women are willing to sacrifice much

more than men to make sure that their children

would be fine. Of course, one should not push

men out of the topic though. One fact that

cannot be discounted is the crucial role men

play in bringing up a family. Like someone

strongly said, “a stable family is one which

has in it a responsible father and a loving and

caring mother!”

Yes, but moms still win the overall vote…

Women make BETTER PARENTS…?


Let her be, don’t reply, my dad would say.

Let her say it all, who else is there for her?

Sometimes it would sting as a slap, shocking me back to the reality that

I am probably not exhibiting my best behaviour; and of course the much

harder fact that my worst can be tolerated only by my own, my parents.

But in the heat of the moment, I see only red.

Believe me, when I say I can be the nastiest of all, I mean it.

Frustrated? Am I? No way…!

Maybe a little? Na!

But yes, I lose it when I see mud on the carpet; but is it only mud that I

see? Of course I see the mud, but again I see a whole lot of things too…

the disarranged book shelf; mom’s choice of menu, brother’s non reply to

my call, maid’s sandals in the way, doggies’ empty water bowl, last week’s

incomplete argument, last month’s cancelled movie programme, last

year’s… well, and a whole lot of pending jobs list and my helplessness to

grab a hold of myself.

Maybe my dad is right, he always is, I take out my frustrations on my

parents mostly.

Not that I need a punching bag always!

16 years after leaving home, I am still the same.

Sigh! Old habits die hard?

No, old habits don’t die, no matter, how hard you try.

Easier to blame it on the genes, though.

But, I am learning that I cannot change them all on my own.

I guess for a female, it is her parents’ home that she can be her own worst

self. She has to be on her best self with everyone else, even her kids. She

has to be responsible everywhere else.

In my case, they tolerate me more than anyone else. The truth does hurt,

when I have to accept it; but then I pinch myself in a saner mood and

commit, I am never going to lecture my parents, I am not going to throw a

tantrum. I am going to better myself, change my habits! Ahem!

I made a list; an A4 page was not enough.

It makes sentimental sense to say I like myself the way I am?

Not anymore!

I hate myself when I walk in to my home grumpy because the guy next

door didn’t park right.

I hate myself for banging the door because the shoe rack was half open.

I hate myself when I try to make believe that I am a perfectionist.

I know it is not right to fling toys on to the garbage bin, or bang the door.

Not an everyday affair, though.

But it is time I changed for good.

Good of the ones dear to me.

By Priya Arunkumar

[email protected]

Old habits die hard?

black & white mag issue 35

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