Volume 1, Issue 1 April 2008

Sangamam Times

Invest in Old Friends - Vidya Tadanki

Contributors: “One of the greatest titles we can have is "old friend". We never appreciate how
important old friends are until we are older. The problem is we need to start our old
• Vidya Tadanki friendships when we are young. We then have to nurture and grow those friendships
• Yamini Chandar Roy over our middle age when a busy life and changing geographies can cause us to ne-
glect those friends. Today is the day to invest in those people we hope will call us
• Saritha Dasari
'old friend" in the years to come.”
• Sridhar Babu Grant Fairley
• Jyothir Mai
“Old Friend,” yes, aren’t we all of one another? Our friendships started way back
• Hari T. in 1971 and continued till 1983, the year we passed out of High school. Some of these still
• Sri Lakshmi Sarath continue to this day, standing the tests of time while, some have taken a back seat, in the
• Madhu Yetukuri
hustle and bustle of our busy lives,

To refresh our memories, Nirmala High School was first started on 17th June
1963.Then it had 196 students from Kindergarten to 3rd class. It all started in a cattle shed at
Patamata center donated by a local benefactor Mr. Katragadda Raghuramaiah. The cattle
shed was then replaced by a rented house and the school started its operations on 8th July
of 1963. In 1964 the rented house was given up and the school moved to its present prem-
ises. The land on which the present school stands was bought from the Bishop.

The buildings in which we attended our classes were designed by the Italian Br.
Giani David. In 1964 the construction was completed and the present day school took its
Inside this issue: shape and started designing the destinies of its students. The first Headmistress was Sr.
Lorenza. Then the strength of the school was increased to 500. In 1965 the school was rec-
Joy of Giving 2 ognized by the Dept Of Education. In 1969 Sr. Angelica Fernandez took over as the Second
Head Mistress. She was a great Head Mistress who did the afternoon rounds with minimum
Health Watch 3 of four scales and with her vision and dedication took the school to greater heights. The
School had won an Award for the Best School in 1973 &1974 and Sr. Nancy took over
Travelogue 4 and she remained our Head Mistress until we passed out. Twenty five years have passed
since then.
Pictures 5
Come July It will be time to meet again –at our Silver Jubilee Reunion. Reunion-
We all know what it implies. But why do we need to have a reunion? Twenty five years
Travelogue 6
have passed without us thinking of any of our classmates. We have forgotten the names, the
faces and sadly, even forgotten some of them completely. Then why rekindle those forgot-
Beauty Spot 7
ten memories? We surely need to reawaken these memories, those times we spent for twelve
long years in one building built not only with walls but with also our toothless grins.
Ugadi 7
Contd. on p.8
 Sangamam Times
Joy of Giving - Yamini Chandar Roy
When Vidya wanted me to
write as a Business Analyst for
Sangamam Times, I was won-
dering as to the content that
could really appeal to Nir-
malites of 1983 batch… Well,
I was contemplating on the
following topics:
Why one should invest in
Gold even when an ounce costs
over a grand?
I am sure we can bring Why is the US economy spin-
ning into a recession – Is this a
a smile to their faces
temporary phenomenon or a
and that, in my permanent one?
opinion, is the real joy How should IT companies in
India cope with the slow-down
of giving in the US economy?
Why are crude oil prices so
high?
I thought of giving a simplified
version as to what the possible
answers could be to the above
questions but then, are they not
available on millions of web-
sites? Nevertheless, please let
me know if any of you want a
simplified version of anything
in the financial markets like
ROI, bottom line, cost benefit
ratios, portfolio management,
net asset values, depreciation,
etc. You can send me a private
message and be rest assured
about your anonymity. My col-
umn in Sangamam Times will
have answers to all your ques-
tions.
Please remember our motto
‘Truth, Joy & Service”. I al-
ways believed in the cliché’ the
true joy is in serving the needy.
It is a myth that, “Unless we are
rich enough we cannot serve
Sai Vrindavan—The old age
the needy”. I firmly believe
home that in India there is no dearth
for donors to give money for
the right cause and especially if
the people behind the cause are
Page 2
credible. Having stated this, something to the needy, I
I will cite few examples to suggest the following. Please
support my statement. go to the nearest hospital,
preferably a low cost one and
In a remote village in Rajast- check with any patient need-
han, an elderly lady (aged 90) ing blood of your group. Do
who belongs to Marwari volunteer to donate and wit-
community heard about a ness the happiness on the
Ghoshala in Pilani. She went faces of the beneficiary’s
to the nearest post office and relatives. I personally felt
sent a donation of Rs.10,000 very happy when I first do-
through a money order ad- nated blood way back in
dressed to ‘Ghoshala, Pilani’. 1991. Thus I first experi-
We had a group leader by the enced the joy of giving. Ever
name of Dr.Subrata Ghoshal since, nothing has stopped
and that money landed right me in giving or to put it in a
on his table. He inquired into more selfish way, there is no
the whole incident and per- stopping me in enjoying the
sonally went to the ghoshala bliss of giving. Start giv-
and handed over the money ing…,start enjoying.
to the right person.
Watch this space next
In another incident, a couple week….
of years back, we thought of
building an old age home Mee
(Sai Vrindavan) for a group
of elderly orphans (average Yamini
age would be above 75). We
yycroy@gmail.com
had no idea as how and
where the money would
come from. We talked about
the project with a few friends
and as of today the project is
completed at a cost of more
than INR 35lakhs. To be hon-
est, we never did sweat to
collect such a big amount.
So folks, I am sure you will
agree with me that money is
not a problem for the right
cause. The biggest problem is
however, time. If each of us
can spend quality time with
orphans, mentally challenged,
or old age citizens, I am sure
we can bring a smile to their
faces and that, in my opinion,
is the real joy of giving.
For those of you who haven’t
had the opportunity to give
 Volume 1, Issue 1
Health Watch—Saritha Dasari
TIME TO WAKE UP
I have been a silent participant
of all our reunion activities till
i was pulled out by Vidya. She
asked me if i could contribute
something in the interest of all
our friends - something that
was important for all of us -
Our Health.
As a nephrologist with experi-
ence in both the developing
and developed worlds, I feel
there is a need for a lot of
awareness to be brought about
on kidney diseases, especially
in our country. kidneys today
are in the news for all the
wrong reasons. They are the
stuff of transplant rackets. On
the occasion of World Kidney
day on March 13, i also did an
awareness programme in our
hospital at Chennai.
It is important to learn more
about our kidneys. Kidney
diseases are common and their
incidence is on the rise. 1 out
of every 10 people has a kid-
ney disease. It is a silent con-
dition because unlike the heart,
there are no specific com-
plaints, like pain in the kidney.
Kidney diseases can affect
anyone at any age.
People with diabetes, hyper-
tension, joint pains, repeated
urinary infections are more
likely to have a kidney dis-
ease. Patients with kidney dis-
ease are 10 times more at risk
for heart and stroke problems.
While there are multiple stages
of kidney disease, dialysis is
the last stage. If diagnosed in
the early stages, dialysis stage
can be prevented or delayed
for several years. If diagnosed
late,dialysis or transplant has
Page 3
to be considered to give any due to a kidney problem?
meaningful life. A proper
dialysis schedule and quality Early diagnosis is easy. It
of dialysis, will give a near
requires a blood and urine
normal life.
test that costs Rs. 300. Con-
Dialysis in India costs Rs. trol the known risk factors
20000 per month and so not as BP-120-130/75-85 is the
many can afford it. A legal only number acceptable at
transplant costs Rs 3-4 lakhs any age. Anything above is
for surgery and Rs. 20,000+ not good. check sugar lev-
per month for six months els HbA1C every three
followed by Rs. 10,000+ months, should be <7%.
month for the rest of the life Avoid using pain killers on a
of the patient. There is also regular basis.
the risk of rejection and im-
mune-suppression. In India,
If you are having urinary
not many can afford it and
infections repeatedly, insist
so not only the patient but
on knowing your kidney
the entire family pays, emo-
function. Blood urea and
tionally, financially and
creatinine are the tests done,
Do not forget to
to calculate the kidney func-
Control the known risk tion. Creatinine above 1mg/dl question the doctor –
factors as BP-120- in an Indian female and
Remember to ask
130/75-85 is the only 1.5mg/dl in a muscular male, “ARE MY KIDNEYS
OK???”
number acceptable at any is abnormal. Any protein and
blood in the urine is abnor-
age. Anything above is
mal.
not good. Check sugar
levels HbA1C every three
months. It should be As we are celebrating our
25th anniversary of school
<7%.
graduation, we are also enter-
Avoid using pain killers ing into our 40's.
on a regular basis. Can i request you to take care
of yourself and your kid-
physically. neys by going for a physi-
Hence, prevention is the cal checkup every year???
best method we have. Eve- Do not forget to question
the doctor – Remember to
ryone should get a health
checkup done atleast once in ask “ARE MY KIDNEYS
a year - for BP, sugar and OK???”
kidney function tests. If BP
is high, question the doctor
about whether your BP is
 Sangamam Times

Travelogue —Muscat

Al Hoota Caves

“According to local
folklore, Sindbad came
from Sohar, a port Wadi Picnic
town in Oman that is Spot
about 200 kms from
Muscat”

Wahiba Sands

Page 4
 Volume 1, Issue 1

Muscat - Entertaining City—Sridhar Babu K

Muscat, the capital of in a 90 degree angle. swords
the Sultanate of Oman, The driver brings down they are
is a beautiful city. It is the vehicle in the same very peace-
the largest and the oldest angle and it is truly ex- ful and
city and still retains the citing! Boys can’t resist friendly
charm of an Arabian drives, can we? people.
town with all the mod- They are
ern amenities. When we Al Hoota caves were very toler-
see this place, one can formed millions of years ant of other
recall the story of ago and photography is cultures
“Sindbad The Sailor” prohibited inside the and relig-
from our school books. caves. It is a must see ions. One
According to local folk- can find
lore, Sindbad came from Churches, temples and Gurudwaras along with
Sohar, a port town in This city looks like a Mosques. There are two temples, one of Lord Siva
Oman that is about 200 perfect blend between and the other of Lord Krishna. Telugu MahaSabha,
Kms from Muscat. Middle Age Arabia Marathi Mithra Mandali, Indian Social Wing and
and Ultra modern Malayali Association are some of the cultural asso-
Many buildings in Mus- Arabia ciations that celebrate Indian festivals.
cat are of Arabian archi-
tecture which blends The Omani women wear Hijabs(veil) and abayas.
naturally with the sur- for all the tourists. The Aabya is similar to a night gown. Only some
roundings. Some inter- lush green grass and Women cover their faces and hands. College go-
esting places in Oman small lakes are favorite ing ladies wear jeans and wear a veil over the body.
are Wahiba Sands, Al picnic spots for the lo- We can find Omani women along with other na-
Hoota caves, numerous cals. Tourists from dif- tionalities working in super markets, offices, hotels,
small lakes (locally ferent countries enjoy and also as air hostesses. In an Omani household
called as Wadis) and these destinations . only men greet the male guests while women gener-
Turtle Beach. In the ally avoid them.
middle Of Wahiba This city looks like a
Sands dessert one can perfect blend between There are several Indian Schools and they follow
spend the night under Middle age Arabia and the same central syllabus as in India. Our Residen-
the tents watching the ultra modern Arabia. tial building is owned by our company. It consists
stars of the desert.One Culturally, Omanis are of Indians from different states. The best part about
unique thing every tour- active during the Tourist the work culture here is that it enables us to have
ist must experience is a Promotion Festivals. leisurely afternoon naps for 3 hours. Thursday is a
‘ drive in the desert”.A They have their own na- half day and Fridays are holidays. Indians comprise
drive in a four wheel tional dance called the the largest expat population here. The lifestyle of
vehicle is called “Sand “Razah” and perform those Indians in managerial positions in the Middle
Bashing”.It is an excit- this dance form with East is enviable with luxury apartments, villas and
ing and exhilarating ex- swords, shields and one month annual paid vacation. Isn’t it cool?
perience where one guns. Even though Overall Muscat is a great place to visit, work and
drives on the sand dunes Omanis dance with live.
Page 5
 Sangamam Times

Hearty Stuff from Hari T

Sharing in Madhu Yetukuri’s Happiness:

Madhu’s Son Varun got his Blackbelt in
Taekwondo at the World Championship on
March 24, 2008. Hearty Congratulations and we
wish him the very best to achieve many more
such accomplishments

Page 6
 Volume 1, Issue 1

Beauty at Forty - Jyotirmai Guduru Ugadi—By Sri Lakshmi Sarath

creams
I have realized the impor- ο Dry skin----- any oil even
tance of taking care of our- baby oil or cooking oil
selves only after entering into
this beauty profession. Mar-
ο Sensitive skin–Fruit pulps
will work wonders .
riage, children and work can
Friendly skin-regular creams .
make us neglect our beauty
needs. Most of us think that
The procedure to follow is to
with the onset of FORTIES
massage for 10 to 20 minutes
we have aged and nobody
and then scrub for 4to 5 minutes
would give us a second
to remove the dead skin. Then
glance. This is totally untrue!
finally put on a facial mask for
15 minutes. This entire process
All of us have crossed into
is ideal if done once a week and
our thirties, hence this is the
if not possible, do it at least
time when we really need to
once in a month.
take care of ourselves. When
we were young we were all
gifted with natural beauty.
But as we age, our skin
shows some changes like Click on link for
wrinkles. We can’t stop aging
but we can age gracefully. web story:
18 foods that make
So, let’s see how we can age
gracefully? your skin glow

• Regular facials to pre-

vent wrinkles, body massages
for relaxation which will
drive away stress and regu-
lar exercise will keeps us fit.
• Manicures and Pedicures
will keep ones hands and feet
tidy and smooth.
• Massage is the key for
anything for facials, hands or
feet.
ο To massage on face we
need to do upwards and in
circular strokes.
ο For hands and feet in
circular motions.
ο There are multiple prod-
ucts, to use for massages
based on the skin type like
massaging creams, oils or
fruit pulp like papaya etc.
ο Oily skin----oil control
All these treatments are not to
impress our loved one’s or oth-
ers around us. They are for our
own self grooming .We all de-
serve it after all we work so
hard and need a little pamper-
ing. The fresh and active we are,
the younger we look.
These remedies are for my male
classmates too!
Please feel free to question me
on the subject of Grooming!
Keep Active Be Fresh. Enclosed
a document on tips for healthy
skin

Page 7
 Sangamam Times

Science was an experiment, share the excitement of meeting

Social Studies was politically ac- one another. Sangamam Times is
cepted and Math remained a puz- our Newsletter and is penned by,
zle while the languages were rela- of and for the 12th batch students
tively easy. Education was a gift of Nirmala.
but so were the Values, Social
Skills, and Friendships we ac- In this first fortnightly
quired. We spent twelve years to- newsletter we have articles penned
Contd. From p. 1. gether and witnessed changes in exclusively by our batch mates.
each other - growth in height and We worked very hard to bring out
It all started in Nursery
weight and changes that come this first issue. We included topics
School, way back in 1971. We
entered the school with baby steps which will hopefully excite you
in size 2 shoes, girls with little and make you attend the reunion.
frocks and boys with their puppy We want everyone to be part of
fat thighs showing through their this event. We urge you all to in-
shorts. We learnt our first letter vest in your old friends once again
and coined our first word on the with your thoughts and actions.
black slate. We learnt rhymes Lets make this newsletter a plat-
which didn’t make sense and took form to rekindle our forgotten
forced naps when we weren’t memories and make our ‘old
with age and maturity. friendships’ everlasting.
sleepy. Sometimes the mats were
wet and quietly rolled up while
Those were the years when MII Andariki Sarvadari
other mats replaced them and it
we were nurtured by our teachers Ugadi Subhakankshalu.
was the first we learnt of the art of
each of whom were special in
secrecy. Who wetted in the course
their own way. Mrs. Kasturi for Post your views and pose
of these afternoon naps remains a
her tall stature, Mrs. Rukmini for your questions to Dr. Saritha (our
mystery. Two years of Nursery
her knowledge of Telugu, Sr. inhouse doctor) and Jyotirmai
were truly a period of adjustment,
Cyril for her impeccable Hindi, Sr. (our in house beauty consultant)
of leaving the comfort of the home
Ancy for being so strict while she respectively at Sangamam Times.
and seeking the comfort of the
taught Science, Sr. Lancy for be-
new teacher. The transition truly
ing kind and gentle; Mrs. Jose- I remain,
began!
phine for her perfect understand- Your friendly reporter
ing of politics and geography and Vidya
The tall buildings wel-
Mrs. Goretti for her dreams of our
comed us into class one and every
school winning the medals in vari-
other class thereafter. Faces be-
ous meets. Needless to say, each
came familiar and so did the
one of them left an everlasting im-
smells of the lunch boxes. Our “Come July its our
pression. Years rolled by and it
friendships began and lunches Silver Jubilee
was our turn to say farewell.
were shared. Water bottles were
Reunion”
emptied in a hurry and heavy
Farewell, we did say 25
school bags were lugged back.
years ago but now it is time to say
Some of us became our teachers
hello again? Come July, lets meet
pets while some of us invited their
and see the changes, listen to the
wrath.
success stories and sympathize
with the sad happenings. Let’s all