Women, love yourselves

Women must bring in the prism of love and wellness into their life as a 
matter of choice

Juggling between household chores, profession and family, women today hardly find time to lead a healthy lifestyle, let alone take care of their health. They are too busy managing the home and caring for their loved ones that they are totally stressed by the end of the day and it takes a toll on their health. It is important to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle to prevent common ailments and worries too. 

Unhealthy habits leads to a lot of lifestyle diseases, which needs immediate attention. There are dangers involved in sedentary lifestyle and eating disorders, leading to obesity trends. “Being over-weight is due to the fact that women have no time to take care of their body. Obesity further leads to gestational diabetes, infertility problems and hyper tension. Irregular food habits are one of the causes of weight problems,” says Dr Parasuram Gopinath, Infertility Specialist, CIMAR. “Eating right portions at the right time, regular health check-ups like mammogram, blood and cholesterol tests and exercising well is important,” he added.

Women are often very critical of their bodies. Rajashree Chowdhary, one of the world’s most well- known yoga masters, suggests that women practice yoga every day for it helps resolve emotions. “Yoga teaches you what is your strength, and your weekness. If you practice yoga, meditation, you will not lose balance. In India women tend to give it up totally for the family. They often forget to take time out for themselves. Whereas, in the West, women are more determined to take care of themselves,” says Chowdhary.

Apart from these fitness mantras, it is essential to look good in order to feel good. One must find time to indulge in their favourite hobbies or simply pamper themselves. “I call it the ‘me-time’, which is very important in order to keep your sanity intact,” says Harsha Thachery, a homemaker and mother of toddler, who unwinds with a walk in the park and by attending zumba dance classes twice a week. “It is a welcome break as well as rejuvenating,” adds Thachery. 

Similarly, it is good to take time off to pamper you. Treat yourself to a luxurious spa therapy and look radiant like never before.  A spa therapy typically refreshes and rejuvenates one thoroughly. It de-stresses and relaxes the senses, leaving a feeling of well-being. 

“Happiness is something nobody can give, there is no formula to be happy. Also, being unhappy sometimes is not bad, it can teach you many things. To fulfill your desires, a certain independence is necessary. But, it is essential to find your balance too,” concludes Choudhary.

-Sherene Joseph

 

 

Saluting Women

8 March, celebrated the world over as International Women’s Day, is a true celebration of womanhood. And this year, we choose to salute the indomitable spirit of a few women who have overcome the difficulties of life to carve a niche for themselves in their area of passion. The theme this year being ‘Inspiring change’, these wonderful women draw inspiration from within, follow their passion and continue to inspire others. 

WOW Women!

All for art’s sake

N N Rimzon, principal, College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram, speaks on the significance of a formal education in Fine Arts

Fine Arts is an inter-disciplinary subject dealing with humanities, science, history and technology, touching every aspect of human life. It is a creative medium of articulating life experiences of people around and therefore as important as any other subject. A formal education in Fine Arts is important to excel in this field. A basic training helps understand the nuances and intricate details of art.

After completing plus two, students can apply for a 4 year BFA, followed by MFA courses. The subject basically offers three types of specialisation in painting, sculpture and applied art. In the first year, a foundation course is given, and subjects like the history of art, modern art, world art, contemporary art are taught. Practical includes a model study, object study, calligraphy, nature study and so on. 

Fine arts students are required to have a great imagination and creativity. An aptitude for the nuances of art and a talent for drawing and painting is also important. Art deals with a lot of ideas, so students are required to generate ideas and thoughts as well. 

Most students prefer to specialise in applied art, which offers tremendous scope today. One can even work as graphic designers or art directors in advertising agencies, in the visual media industry. Fine Arts offers scope for design as well, like automobile design, textiles, furniture and landscape. However, technology has played a big role today and equal opportunities are available in painting and sculpture too. One can choose from various career options in areas like animation, architecture, like designing a movie set, textile industry, and so on.

            A lot of hard work and dedication goes into it and there is no guarantee for success in the fine arts field. But it provides a sort of creative satisfaction that no other industry can provide.

As told to Sherene Joseph

 

Global Ayurveda Fest- 2014

With the focal theme on Ayurveda in Public Health, Kerala is hosting the second edition of Global Ayurveda Festival at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi

Global Ayurveda Festival – Kerala (GAF) is a biennial get together of the Ayurveda fraternity in the state of Kerala, where Ayurveda has retained its traditional sanctity. The virgin form of Ayurveda in Kerala has been augmented with immense regional innovations and improvements to take the shape and form that we see today, popular as Kerala Ayurveda.

The GAF has established itself as a vibrant platform with a mandate to galvanize the Ayurveda sector to aspire, plan and achieve greater heights, both nationally and internationally. It is not conceived merely as another conference or expo but a popular resurgence to venerate the glory and splendour of a living heritage that every Ayurveda exponent and fan will feel proud to embrace.

The second edition of Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF) 2014, was inaugurated by Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister. His Excellency Rajkeswar Purryag, President, Republic of Mauritius, was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony. Organised by the Centre for Innovation in Science & Social Action (CISSA), in association with the Government of Kerala and the Ayurveda fraternity, over 4,000 delegates from different parts of the globe are participating in the event. 

“Each country has different guidelines for medical delivery and FDA acceptance is critical for worldwide acceptance. To make such large-scale standardization possible in Ayurveda, multi-disciplinary scientists need to work together. And that is the relevance of forums like GAF,” says V N Rajasekharan Pillai, Executive Vice President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE).