MUMBAI CITY SPICE
Monday, July 19, 2010
Make the time for
your older child
Finding it hard to under-
stand your child’s tantrums?
Clinical psychologist, Seema
Hingorrany, decodes child-
hood behaviour for you.
My 12-year-old son is
naughty and talkative. His
school teachers and tu-
ition teacher constantly
complain of this. Further,
he is absent minded and
does not concentrate on
his studies. He is also slug-
gish in his daily routines
and feigns sleepiness
while studying. I want him
to be responsible and take
his studies seriously, but
all my efforts are in vain.
What do we do?
I understand your con-
cerns. Being talkative and
naughty is just a process of
developing. Children like to
express themselves, so
don’t stop that. You can
keep some things in mind
while your child is studying
to help him concentrate bet-
ter. See to it that he has all
that he needs while study-
ing before he starts to keep
him from getting distract-
ed. Set a target to achieve
something within a partic-
ular timeframe. Even if he
is not succeeding, keep
telling him that you have
faith in his abilities
I have a three-
month old
daughter and a
four-year-old
son. Ever since
the new born
has come
home, my son
has become a
problematic Kids
child. He was ex-
tremely active child be- he doesn’t appreciate is al-
fore, but now he hardly ways an overwhelming ex-
talks. He has also started perience. Give him a sub-
throwing tantrums for the stitute for, eg, milk, custard,
smallest things and cries homemade ice cream, por-
a lot. He doesn’t show any ridge, cheese, paneer, curd,
excitement nor attempts cereals, which have nutri-
to play with the baby. I am ents. You can also try fruit
worried for him. juices. Also, remember to
Sibling rivalry usually
starts right after, (or even
before) the arrival of the sec-
ond child. The older child of-
ten becomes aggressive,
‘acts out’ or even regresses.
Regression means acting
more like a baby. Set aside
special time for your older
child. Jealousy or frustra-
tion over a new baby is not
the end of the world. How-
ever, it can seem like the
worst situation ever to a
PritishNandy
Want to hear the
stupidest idea of all
time? Mumbai zoo wants
to replace real animals musafir84
with stuffed ones by My aunt was telling her
taxidermists! BMC at work. friend about BBM for
RajeshMenon70 BlackBerry. “Arre! BBM
baba... B for Bombay, B
Will it be long before we
get potholes on Bandra-
for Bombay, M for
Mumbai...” LOL! :-)
Seema Hingorrany
Clinical psychologist
THINKSHRINK
child who feels replaced, left
out or less loved. As a result
of this frustration, behav-
iour can change, not always
for the better. Each parent
should spend some one-on-
one time with the older child
every day. It’s amazing how
much even just 10 minutes
of uninterrupted time can
mean to your child. Let your
child choose the activity, and
you follow their lead. You
need to reassure your child
that you don’t love him any
less now that your second
one has arrived.
I have a 10-year-old son
who just doesn’t eat fruit.
Whenever I try, he just
twitches his nose, makes
a face and comes up with
a zillion excuses. I give
him fruits in his lunch box,
but he just brings them
home uneaten. He is oth-
erwise an ac-
tive child, but
of late, he has
been falling
sick often. I
think this is
because his
immunity level
is going down.
A child faced
with a food item
make the food as attractive
as possible. A variety of
colourful food on the plate
is more likely to stimulate
their taste buds. Sandwich-
es cut in shapes are always
welcome. Try to use your
culinary skills. It’s vital
that you get your child ha-
bituated to breakfast.
Have any issues you’d
like addressed in future
columns? Email us at
cityspice@dnaindia.net
Worli sealink in
Mumbai? Eway is by
IRB Infra, sealink
by HCC
People who turn college
festivals into reality
In addition to setting the groundwork, getting sponsors is the hardest part, say organisers
Namita Handa
It’s that time of year again
when most city collegians
gear up for intercollegiate
youth festivals, which , this
year, will kick-start in August.
Also, each college has its own
popular annual festival – St
Xavier’s has Malhar, Narsee
Monjee (NM) has Umang, and
Sophia has Kaleidoscope.
The festivals, an annual af-
fair, require a lot more prepa-
ration than just rehearsing
for acts. Students involved in
the preparation start ground-
work in the summer break to
make the festivals a success.
“The preparations for Umang
started back in April when
the respective heads of de-
partments were selected and
a core team was formed,” said
Umang’s public relations
head Kruti Shah.
Establishing a core team
for the festival is an impor-
tant aspect of the preparation
stage as each team is allocat-
ed work they are needed to do
for the festival. “Event con-
ceptualisation and marketing
is one of the first processes
that have to be in place to
kick-start the festival,”
said Sagar Pandit, mar-
keting organiser,
Malhar.
From deciding
CITY
the theme, to prepar- SPIN
ing brochures, market-
ing strategies, and getting
sponsorships, everything is
done by the student teams.
According to Pandit, college
festivals have a simple mar-
keting formula: Sell to any-
one who you buy from. “It’s
for this reason we see telecom
giants, FMCGs, cafes, and ed-
ucational institutes partner-
ing with college festivals in a
big way,” added Pandit.
This is precisely the reason;
a major telecom operator was
associated with a college fes-
tival last year. “For the com-
Madness Mandali, a creative mash-up
Group to publish
book featuring
poems and art
Joanna Lobo
What do you call a group of
amateur artists, photogra-
phers, poets, actors and mu-
sicians? Madness Mandali
(MM) prefers calling them-
selves ‘a mash-up of creative
minds’. Recently started, this
group is aiming to draw out
people’s hidden talent. Their
medium: a self published
book featuring poems and
art work.
From amateur photogra-
phers exhibiting their works
on an abandoned house in the
Blow-Up, to budding artists
making their presence felt at
The Wall Project (TWP); art is
taking to the streets (literal-
ly). One thing stands out,
these public art works bene-
fit society as well as the
artists involved. “It’s the best
open portfolio gallery. People
who see it sometimes call for
those artists to do bigger cam-
paigns,” says Parag Gandhi,
member of the team behind
The Wall Project.
MM is also geared up to go
Students setting the
groundwork for festivals at
their respective colleges
pany, it’s not just about the
brand gaining recognition,
but also the way in which the
product has been integrated
in the college festival,” said a
spokesperson from the tele-
com network company.
The demands of sponsors
are always understood by the
young team at the festival.
“It’s never easy to convince
anyone to give their money.
We need to give them their
Budding artists take to the streets and do their art work
on walls in the city as part of The Wall Project
public with art exhibitions,
impromptu music sessions
and street plays. “We want to
spread the word and get more
people to express their pas-
sion, out in public”, says
Paras Sharma, 22, a student,
member of the core team.
Most of these groups are
made up by youngsters, all
with day jobs, who also dou-
ble up as artists, sound engi-
neers, actors, photographers,
etc. However, there are also a
few celebrated artists, for
City Cinderellas get shoes that fit
Veruschka, at Grant Road, creates custom-made shoes for those with a shoe fetish
Humaira Ansari
After an exasperating search
through a dozen glitzy sandal
stores dotting the city, is the ab-
sence of those perfect heels
killing your pictured dressed-
to-the-nine-look for that cock-
tail party or that much-await-
ed wedding function? Perhaps
a visit to Payal Kothari’s small
store, Veruschka, at Grant
Road, may be of some help.
One can walk into the store
anytime and opt for a pair of
customised heels by choosing
from an assorted variety of
shoe stones, shoe accessories
and fabrics available in a va-
riety of colours at the store.
After deliberation on the de-
sign and the look of the heels
with the designer, the finished
product will be delivered to
the customers. “On display are
the material and style cata-
logues to help the customers de-
sign their own shoes creative-
ly,” says Kothari, who has been
College festivals have a simple marketing formula: Sell to
anyone who you buy from. That’s why we see telecom giants,
FMCGs, cafes, etc, as sponsors.” —Sagar Pandit, Malhar
money’s worth, and at college
festivals this is what the mar-
keting department aims to
do,” said Pandit. Many feel
it’s a give-and-take relation-
ship. Juhie Kothari, public re-
lations coordinator, Kaleido-
scope, said, “Attaining spon-
sorship is difficult, but also a
lot of companies are taking
interest in college festivals,
which draw a lot of crowd
and attention.” Shah, who
We want to
spread the
word and get more
people to express
their passion, out
in public.”
Paras Sharma
whom public art is a medium
to enhance their creativity.
“Exhibiting in public
spaces is challenging as you
have to be careful about what
you are trying to communi-
cate,” says artist Pradeep
Mishra, 33. Earlier this year,
Mishra had participated in
(en) counters, a public arts
project. He worked within the
animal section of Crawford
Market, making a roofless
cage for the ‘individual be-
ings’, putting up paintings
in the shoe making business
since 2002. A student of acces-
sory design from the Fashion
Institute of Technology, New
York, Kothari also supplies
shoes to select city stores and
doles out customised shoes for
her clients on a regular basis.
While the dress and jew-
ellery demand most attention
for any big ticket occasion,
shoes are deemed as second-
ary contributors to the over-all
look. However, Kothari feels
that this attitude is changing
steadily, with more people now
wearing shoes “not for the
sake of it” but rather “for com-
fort and style.”
Many of Kothari’s clients
seek her expertise for need-
based problems as well.
“Women with big feet go
through hell to find their shoe
size. They often have to com-
promise on the style and look
of the footwear,” says Kothari,
who counts women with big
feet among her loyal clientele.
Mumbai,
seconds Kothari, feels the
youth festivals are a platform
for big companies to interact
with students.
However, all unanimously
disagree when asked if col-
lege festivals now are money
driven. “Umang is not at all
money driven. We can have a
successful festival with mini-
mum amount of money,” said
Shah. According to Kothari,
during Kaleidoscope, the en-
It's the best
open portfolio
gallery. People who
see it sometimes call
for those artists to do
bigger campaigns.”
Parag Gandhi
Member, The Wall Project
Member of the core team
and urging people to give
them their space.
Mishra, who has had solo
shows in the country, believes
that the balance of gallery and
public shows is essential for
any artist. Uday Shanbhag, 38,
a painter who has had sever-
al shows in Amsterdam and
India, would agree. His first
public project involved a live
feed from a village in Raigad
where visitors could interact
with policymakers in the field
of SEZ development. “Art is-
With a shoe size 13, for some
like Carmen, an expat living in
the city, Kothari is where her
shoe hunting woes end. So,
while Kothari comes to the res-
cue of big-feet women, quite
literally, by customising the
size of their heels to strike the
right balance for a brisk walk,
the flat-footed women are tak-
www.dnaindia.com
epaper.dnaindia.com
FEST LIST
ST XAVIER’S
COLLEGE
Malhar 2010
from August
19-21
N M COLLEGE
Umang 2010
scheduled after
August 20
SOPHIA
COLLEGE
Kaleidoscope
2010, scheduled
for September
IIT BOMBAY
Mood Indigo to
be held in
December
ergy that you feel in the col-
lege is a proof of how some
things are beyond money.
Pandit said that rating a
festival based on its sponsor-
ship would be a big mistake.
“After all, it’s the outcome
that matters and no amount
of money can guarantee that.
It’s the passion that makes
Malhar what it is today, not
money,” said Pandit.
n’t only about making money.
Through this effort, we not
only got to hear the villagers’
voices but made sure they
were heard by those who mat-
tered,” says Shanbhag.
Shanbhag’s latest work
was a T-shirt that had the let-
ters iammumbai on it. The
idea was picked up by ArtO2,
an organisation that repre-
sents contemporary art prac-
tices, resulting in a collabo-
rative art project. The project
had photographs of common
people put up on posters with
their names, professions and
origins. These were then put
up in different parts of the
city. “Art in unconventional
settings allows artists to ex-
perience new ideas and con-
stantly push themselves,”
says Claudio Maffioletti, 35,
co-founder of ArtO2.
In most public art projects,
it’s the audience that decides
its success: especially since
they are so diverse and their
opinions cannot be gauged
easily. “Your audience is dif-
ferent here, so you get raw
feedback. People ask you ba-
sic questions,” says Mishra.
For MM, the book is the
first step towards getting ‘fu-
sion artists to collaborate on
a common project’.
Payal Kothari (left) and
some of her creations
en care of by padding in extra
cushioning in their footwear.
For Neha Chadha, a regular
client of Kothari, the accom-
modating nature of the de-
signer is what impresses her
the most. Having found her
dress for a cocktail party,
Chadha was hunting for a pair
of matching sandals, when she
8
YOUR CITY
YOUR DAY
❏ Vineye Photo School has
organised a monsoon
photography workshop at
Malshej Ghat from July 23
to 25. Call 24226801 /
9820147993 for details
Books
❏ Variety Book Sales has
organised an English, Hindi
and Marathi book fair
When: July 29
Where: Prabodhankar
Thakaray hall, Borivali (W)
Contact: 9820763302
zzz
Workshops
❏ Learn ‘the principles of
effective English writing’
includes Letter Layouts,
drafting memos; emails; job
applications; presentations
and social correspondence
When: July 21
Where: Fort
Contact: 23514793/9833850660
❏ A specail guidance
programme is being arranged
for students who are willing
to go abroad for education
When: July 19 and 22
Where: Chembur
Contact: 25287474
❏ Come, watch and Explore
your acting skills with PraYaas
TheaTre. An evening of
monologues in Hindustani.
When: July 24, 4pm-6pm
Where: Goregaon (E)
Contact:
9869570496/9987007642.
❏ A lucrative business plan
for freelancers to gain
financial freedom.
Where: Work from home
When: July 19 to 25
Contact: 9820569405
❏ Attend public lecture on
The Problem of Ethics
When: July 18, 6.15pm
Where: Theosophy Hall, new
Marine Lines, Churchgate (E)
❏ Adrian Rosario, HR
Consultant and Trainer, is
conducting a workshop on
Effective Leadership Practices
When: July 24, 9am to 5:30pm
Where: Salvation Seva
Kendra, Dadar West
Contact: 9765736249
❏ Darpan Theatre group's
two-month play-oriented
creative workshop
When: July-August
Contact: 9821658645
❏ AIMS is conducting a
workshop on 'Effective
English Writing Skills' -
Business and Social
When: From July 21
Where: Fort
Contact: 9833850660 /
23521049
zzz
Art
❏ Grandeur of nature, an
exhibition of paintings by
Shashikant Patade
When: July 16 to 31, 11am to
9pm
Where: Kohinoor Continental
Art Gallery, JB Nagar, Andheri
(East)
Contact: 9819777647
❏ Transcendence, an art
exhibition by Ghayathri Desai,
is on display
When: Till July 18
Where: DD Neroy Gallery,
Sandhurst Bridge, Chowpatty
Contact: 23611124
zzz
Health
❏ Positive Thinking
Workshop. Get rid of tensions,
worries, fears, inferiority
complex and lack of
confidence.
When: Till July 30
Contact: 9820477279
❏ Siemens Company is
conducting a free hearing
checkup camp and providing
hearing aid on concessional
rate
When: Till July 30
Where: D/1 Vrindavan B
Building, near Borivli Jail,
Contact: 9920857271
❏ Learn all degrees of reiki
Where: Kalina
Contact: 9867165545
Send the details of your event to
dnalistings@gmail.com.
You can also fax them at 3980 1000/4 or
call 3988 8888
chanced upon Kothari’s de-
signs through a friend. “I had
this pair of heels which were
in cloth material, but I wanted
something similar in suede,
which I wasn’t getting any-
where,” says Chadha.
The price range for the per-
sonalised shoes starts from
Rs3,500 and can go up depend-
ing upon the need and extent of
customisation. Home-maker
Wafa Memon, a Bandra resi-
dent, is another loyal client,
who often recommends friends
and family to visit the store. So,
when Memon had to attend a
family wedding last month, she
just turned to Kothari to take
care of her footwear needs. “I
am slightly over-weight and
have a small daughter who I
need to carry most of the time,”
says Memon, who was able to
stand for long hours at the wed-
ding “because her heels were
extremely comfortable.”
For lastest designs, check
out www.veruschka.in