women first -...

January-February 2018

WomenGlobal Economic Summit

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Business & Economic Diplomacy

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Editor’sFrom the

Desk

Meenakshi Sharma

The Republic Day Parade every year is a magnificent spectacle that fascinates the world while it makes every Indian proud of the collective might of the nation. This year was different – not in terms of grandiosity and precision because that was maintained and surpassed but because it was made doubly special with the presence of the awesome power of women.

No one would dispute that the spontaneous and unanimous applause reserved for the gutsy and strong women brigade called Seema Bhawani was not just well deserved but ample proof that ‘Women First’ is an apt theme for this very first issue of Business & Economic Diplomacy 2018!

That age old adage, “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world,” gains fresh perspective in modern times as it is now linked to the ability of the modern women to multi task work and home whilst storming traditional male bastions with flair and panache.

Our focus story on GES (Global Economic Summit) 2017 found an echo in this issue as it all began with the visit of US Advisor, Ivanka Trump who led the delegation for the Summit aptly titled ‘Women First – Prosperity for All’ . This has been underlined in our interaction with the US Deputy Ambassador, Mary Kay Carlson.

Women achievers echo the common theme of self belief as is evident in the Amway entrepreneur journey or the highs of Police duty as underlined by Renuka Mishra, IPS who pours out her inspiring journey exclusively for B &ED.

Author and artist Nelofar Currimbhoy is the torch bearer of her mother Shahnaz Hussains beautiful legacy with her book ‘Flame’ as is Shivani Pasrich who as model, actor, dancer and yoga exponent keeps the artistic passion alive. Dr Manu Bhatnagar shoulders the responsibility of the CRPF Welfare Association with characteristic maturity while young Aprajita Pandey focuses on civic leadership by initiatives that encourage women voter turnout in assembly elections.

Our travel column takes us to Disneyland in Florida and the Jaipur Literature Festival 2018 coverage transports book lovers and artists into a magical world.

We wish our valued readers a bright and prosperous 2018 that brings peace and happiness as much as adventure and excitement!

Consulting Editor Meenakshi Sharma

Senior CorrespondentAnam Hamid

Business Development HeadRuchi Kohli

[email protected]

Administration & AccountsKuldeep Mishra

[email protected]

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1. Global Economic Summit

2. Women & Entrepreneurship

4. An Officer and a Lady

3. Women Motorcycle riders on Republic Day

5. Caring & Sharing the CWA Way

6. Giving the extra push with Haiyya

7. Artistic Brilliance

8. A legacy of Beauty

9. United Way Board

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Content

An interview with US Deputy Ambassador Mary Kay Carlson

The Amway Story

Story by Renuka Mishra, IPS.

Seema Bhawani enthrals audiences at Republic Day 2018

An interaction with Dr. Manu Bhatnagar

An interview with Aprajita Pandey

Shivani Wazir Pasrich

An interview with Nelofar Currimbhoy

A networking Dinner organised by His Excellency Nadir Patel

11. The Disney Magic

12. All things Bright & Beautiful

10. CRPF Mela

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Magic and Fantasy are reality...

ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival 2018

Celebrated with pomp and ceremony


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Prosperity for allWomen First,

The 8th annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit was organized by the Government of the United States of America in partnership with the Indian Government. This summit has traveled across the world from Washington D.C. to Istanbul, Dubai, Marrakech, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, Silicon Valley, and now finally Hyderabad! Not only was this the first time that the GES was hosted in South Asia, but it was also memorable as the event highlighted India’s enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. The US delegation was led by Ms. Ivanka Trump, Advisor to President Trump while the summit was

addressed by The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi.

MaryKay Loss Carlson is the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. A member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor, she

was Principal Deputy Executive Secretary in the Department of State’s Executive Secretariat in

Washington, D.C., prior to assuming this role at the U.S. Mission in India in August, 2016. From 2013 to 2014 she served as office director of the

Executive Secretariat Staff.

B & ED: How did this year’s theme “Women First, Prosperity for All” of the GES 2017 empower innovators, particularly women, to take their ideas to the next level?

This eighth GES focused on four sectors: energy and infrastructure, healthcare and life sciences, financial technology and digital economy, and media and entertainment. Women made up 52 percent of the participants.

Right from the opening plenary, women were the focus. The session entitled “Be the Change: Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership” brought together CISCO’s

U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission MaryKay Carlson shares her thoughts on the recently concluded Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017

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John Chambers, Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman of SEB, Minister of Defense Nirmala Sitharaman, Ivanka Trump, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States of America, and Sibongile Sambo, Managing Director, SRS Aviation. The speakers discussed how they are opening doors for women entrepreneurs in their countries and communities, and highlighted entrepreneurs whose businesses provide women with opportunities to grow and lead, and who are outstanding mentors to women and women-led organizations.

The Plenary session “We Can Do It! Innovations in Workforce Development and Skills Training” focused on boosting women’s participation in the workforce to accelerating economic growth. Women’s lives, the communities they represent, and their countries’ economic potential can be improved through

increased access to skills training, education, and career counseling. Cherie Blair, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Chanda Kochhar, ICICI Bank Managing Director & CEO, Ivanka Trump, and Karen Quintos, Chief Customer Officer of Dell EMC, discussed what works and what more can be done to open doors for women in the workplace.

There were also master classes such as “Innovations that Bridge the Digital Divide,” with discussions focused on online platforms that allow greater participation for women who have been held back by financial, cultural, and time constraints. The panel addressed how new generations of women are further revolutionizing the field by creating innovative products and inspiring a wave of women who make a difference through coding.

The master class “AgriTech Matters:

Feed Billions by Harvesting Technology,” highlighted women at the forefront of agriculture. Panelists discussed ways in which technologies are helping communities to farm strategically and improve yields while using fewer resources. From financial technology to grassroots growth to supply chain and creative entrepreneurship, nearly every session featured women speakers and addressed opportunities and challenges that all entrepreneurs face, as well as specific challenges and opportunities for women. GES also served to match capital from investors with entrepreneurs.

B & ED: What are the barriers and challenges faced by women in building businesses?

Most entrepreneurs, men and women, face challenges such as fear of failure, access to funding, suitable mentors, protecting intellectual property, and issues on the ease of doing business. Women entrepreneurs find additional barriers – unrealistically high social expectations, lack of fair access to funding, problems competing in male-dominated areas, inadequate numbers of women role models, and inadequate business-related training and guidance. All entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs, can succeed if we facilitate and support access to education and research, mentoring, and Guidance.


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B & ED: How did the summit celebrate new collaborations and entrepreneurial spirit in all its diversity?

Let’s look first at the attendees: Women represented 52.5 percent of the 1500 entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem supporters at GES 2017. This was the first time that women have been the majority of participants at a GES. Women from 127 countries participated and 10-plus countries were represented by an all-female delegation, including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. Overall, participants hailed from 150 countries and territories across the world. Indian entrepreneurs from the length and breadth of the country joined GES and connected with entrepreneurs and investors from around the world. Over 31 percent of entrepreneurs at GES were 30 years old or younger. The youngest entrepreneur was 13 and the oldest entrepreneur was 84. When you put such diversity and entrepreneurial zeal in one place, you create the opportunity for magic to happen. People were able to connect with fellow entrepreneurs, with financiers, with mentors, with customers, and much more.

B & ED: Please elaborate on the message of Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President, who led the U.S.

delegation to elevate women’s entrepreneurship globally.

Her entrepreneurship message was directed at women and men: “Only when women are empowered to thrive will our families, our economies, and our societies reach their fullest potential.” She acknowledged a truth that women already know – that in male-dominated areas, women must work harder to prove themselves while also often shouldering the care of their families. Ms. Trump talked about initiatives that are helping entrepreneurs in general and women entrepreneurs in particular, in the United States and across the world. For example, the United States was a founding member of the World Bank’s Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, or WeFi, which provides access to capital, networks, and mentorship for women in developing countries. She also talked about several domestic initiatives, including one which expanded apprenticeship programs and prioritized STEM education to ensure that both women and men had greater opportunities to master the skills that drive progress in the 21st century. Through the plenary sessions and panel discussions, Ms. Trump shared her own experiences as a woman entrepreneur.

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CreatingEntrepreneurs

The Amway Way


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Women have made significant contributions to the development of the society, the economy as well as in the political landscape. Women’s role in the economic development of a country is evident from the fact that world’s most progressive nations like China and US have more than 65% and 56% women working respectively. According to the McKinsey Global Institute report 2016, improved gender diversity can add $12 trillion to the world GDP by 2025. The study further states that India’s GDP could increase anywhere between 16% to 60% by 2025 if more women participated in the workforce and contributed to economic growth.

There is immense potential in women. Today’s women are independent, persistent, open to exploring the untrodden paths and have a fierce drive to excel at what makes them stand apart from the crowd. Over the last two decades several socio-cultural changes and initiatives undertaken by the Government have encouraged women’s education in the country, thereby increasing their participation in the corporate landscape. Another important stimulus towards increasing number of women joining the workforce has been the changing lifestyle and increasing cost of living making it mandatory for both men and women to contribute towards household income.

However, women often come across a common dilemma of balancing work and managing household chores along with raising kids. A long-term solution to this problem is self-employment. As Indian economy continues to be on a growth trajectory backed by an entrepreneurship-led boom over the last decade, there are huge opportunities available for Indian women to leverage the demographic dividend to the maximum possible extent. Being an entrepreneur requires investment of time and energy besides money, but involves a lot of flexibility.

It is here that Amway – and indeed, the entire Direct Selling industry, has led a silent revolution. A KPMG Report brought out by FICCI, disclosed that this industry has created over 4 million micro-entrepreneurs. Recent indications are that this figure could be much higher. Nonetheless, over 60% of this 4 million, are women. Economists have long held that an earning woman translates to a wholesome-earning household. Women entrepreneurs with help from their families, their husbands and even their children are now embarking on the fulfilling path of entrepreneurship. The number of women entrepreneurs in the country is only set to rise. And, we want to strengthen our contribution towards women entrepreneurship, as we recognize the importance of their role in the development of the economy and society.

How Amway encourages women entrepreneursWe take pride in the fact that approx. 60% Amway direct sellers are women, since direct selling offers several benefits including

the flexibility to work, while maintaining a balance between personal and professional lives and managing a good business. Amway offers individuals an opportunity to own and operate their own business, whilst promoting optimal health through distinctive quality nutrition, beauty and home products and addressing the social and environmental concerns. Our vision of helping people live better lives is what drives us to promote entrepreneurship. What we do at Amway is provide a conducive ecosystem to entrepreneurship minded people to pursue their goals. It’s a low-cost, low-risk opportunity for them as it is backed by 100% customer satisfaction else money back guarantee and cooling off period for the newly joined Direct Sellers. Our commitment is to develop entrepreneurial ability in people by giving them the right environment, the right incentive, the right opportunity and appropriate coaching and training.

Amway India strategically invests in skilling and nurturing entrepreneurship amongst its direct sellers. The company offers free training to them by conducting more than 18,000 training sessions during an average 12-month period besides the presence of a comprehensive digital learning portal (E-learning). In 2017, we tied-up with IIM Calcutta for a special course focused on entrepreneurship and leadership for identified high potential direct sellers.

Amway’s belief in the potential of women remains true for its women employees too. Amway cares for its women colleagues and partners, which reflects in many of the benefit programs and amenities aimed at supporting them through various life stages. Our vision - ‘Help People Live Better Lives’ is most visible in the success stories of these women. For our Amway female employees, we have specially tailored benefits which reinforce our belief in their importance & value to the organization. Some of the policies at Amway to support women workforce include Am Flexi which supports working parents, Adoption leave where adopting mother can avail 3 months of paid leave for adopting a child immediately after the day of adoption and stronger maternity benefits. To ensure safety and security of women during business travel, Amway encourages women to avoid odd hours travel. The organization provides cab facility to female employees working before or post their normal working hours to provide comfortable travel while travelling for official Business purposes.

To support the career growth of women, Amway has created “We Care” learning Communities within “Learning Academy” program, where internal experts conduct various sessions. Some of these sessions are focused on women employees like effectively managing work life, mentoring young women leaders. These sessions go a long way in helping women employees learn from real life experiences of leaders they have worked with & have been inspired by in their everyday life.

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Kamalpreet Kaur Boparai Saswati, a software engineer by profession came across a paradoxical situation with the birth of her daughter “Risha”. She yearned to continue working, but also wanted to give time to her family, being an entrepreneur and starting her own business did not seem as an easy option, as she didn’t have any prior business experience and there was fear of instability and sustenance. Getting a conducive ecosystem like Amway came as a ray of hope to her, as it was a viable business proposition to sell quality consumer products, while not having to invest a fortune on setting up a business. She could have flexible work timings, suiting her personal priorities. It seemed a good opportunity. Along with that Amway also supported her in getting requisite trainings to feel empowered to run her own business.

Saswati explains, “Though this is a flexi-time opportunity, it still requires key entrepreneurial skills and understanding. One needs to learn about team building, motivation, mental agility to understand the rapidly changing consumer trends, selling skills etc. Amway as well as the leaders in the team help you to acquire these skills and work on your personal development by guiding you at each step of your business. Through all these years, the business has shaped me as an entrepreneur as well as a more sociable person. I am able to focus on my family while having the flexibility to adjust my working hours.”

Today, Saswati is at the helm of a sales team across India as well as other countries. Her last 18 years as an Amway direct seller have been extremely enriching since she has helped many young students in starting their careers as entrepreneurs, professionals creating a second source of income, housewives to go beyond their nurturer identity and be financial providers of the family and retired professionals to start their second innings afresh.

Kamalpreet, a homemaker from Punjab belongs to a business family. Being a homemaker, her inclination was towards managing family, while having a subdued aspiration of creating her own identity. Like most Indian women she used to think about starting to do something on her own but never got the answer to - ‘how’ she can go about it. While she was introduced to Amway by a family member, she used and experienced the efficacy of the products herself. Amway seemed a good opportunity and proved to be a turning point in her life. She started the business and gradually her thoughts about her entrepreneurial journey became stronger.

Kamalpreet elaborates, “As women, we play so many roles, but I think it’s important for all of us to explore all our options. I firmly believe that if you have a passion, you should follow it. I always wanted to be equally involved in managing and providing finances for the family. Today, I feel empowered that I have carved a path not only for myself, but I am also mentoring several others like me to start their own business. Amway has helped in fulfilling one of my greatest wishes of creating my own identity. Above this is the satisfaction that I am helping many other women like me in realizing their potential and utilizing their talent to become independent.

Today Kamalpreet manages a large team of aspiring entrepreneurs, of which more than 60% are women, guiding them at each and every step of their entrepreneurial journey.

Saswati Dasgupta

From the Amway direct sellers:


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enthrals audiences at Republic Day 2018Seema Bhawani


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The grand spectacle of the daring Mahila Constables of Border Security Force with their unique taste for adventure sports left the audiences excited and thrilled at this show of Women Power.

Along with their mandated tasks of Border Management, they have developed equally amazing and thrilling set of skills of trick riding on a motorcycle and this feat was visible for the entire country to relish at the R Day celebrations on 26th Jan 2018.

Witnessing these skills of making different formations on 350CC Royal Enfield motorcycle with immaculate perfection was indeed a nail biting spectacle that enthralled audiences during the Republic Day Parade.

The journey of “SEEMA BHAWANI’s”, motorcycle trick rides of women constables of BSF started in 2016. Within a year they demonstrated their skills in Connaught Place, New Delhi during the International Women’s Day 2017 conducted and hosted by BSF.

The Central School of Motor Transport (CSMT) is the alma mater of the “SEEMA BHAWANI” and their male counterpart “Jaanbaz”.

And so it was that on the occasion of Republic day, the contingent of “SEEMA BHAWANI” was seen matching the valour and might of the forces who marched down on Rajpath and thus displayed the nail biting stunts that resulted in a a spontaneous applause that refused to die down.

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grievances being purely incidental. Men who had grievances nudged their women forward while talking to me while the women stood tongue tied and shy in front of me, just happy to see one of their own kind in khaki. My own emotions were mixed. While I realized that this kind of adulation and speculation was inevitable when women in uniform were still a minority and therefore to be viewed as oddities, it caused me immense annoyance as I saw myself not as a woman with privileges but purely as an Indian Police Service Officer having trained on par with my male colleagues. There are many firsts when you are a rarity and yes, a lot of publicity. When I walked, they said I ran and when I ran, they saw me on horseback. I was fortunate to have a sporting background and played almost every game in school and college. I had national records in

Renuka MishraAn officer and a Lady

Two decades later when all my friends in college were applying for the IIM common admission test, I enrolled for an MA instead and waited till I was 21 so that I could give the UPSC exam and salute the same flag that my father did, albeit in another colour of uniform. Clichéd, but true. My parents unquestioningly supported me at every step. Not knowing how tough the exam was supposed to be and not being in the hub where civil services aspirants struggle together on a daily basis, helped greatly. Ignorance is bliss and I was spared the pressure that colleges in Delhi put on Civil services as a mission to accomplish or perish. Bombay, then, was more about Chartered accountants and MBAs. I was considered quite an abnormality for wanting a ‘sarkari’ bureaucrat’s life. I saw it differently though and plodded on, regardless. Holed in a very small room with a tin roof in the heat of Hyderabad’s summer, I was grateful for the Parasuram family I was staying with. They took care of me and left me to my studies. I emerged periodically from my room and was promptly rewarded with lip smacking food. God’s grace, Parasuram aunty, Rau’s IAS Study Circle, Mr. Panduranga Reddy, my history tutor at the Study Circle and hardwork, in that order, paid off and I got through. I was allotted the Indian Police Service and a few months later while I was undergoing my Foundation course in LBSNAA Mussoorie, Bhaskar tailor came with his team from the National Police Academy to take measurements for stitching my uniform. A dream was about to come true.My training period was one of the best phases of my life and gave me the knowledge, skills and the attitudes to excel at my trade. I got allotted the Uttar Pradesh cadre and was soon made ready by the Academy for taking on the world. Being a police officer and a lady to boot has its advantages and disadvantages. I was an IPS officer in the state of Uttar Pradesh with very few lady officers before me. And so, in my initial years, I had visitors who came only to see me, their complaints and

My father was in the Army. I was fascinated by his uniform and by all the shining brass that adorned it. As all children do, I wore his beret as a child to see how I

looked in it. I remember the sense of pride I felt, even then.


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hurdles and pentathlon, 6 national medals and over 200 other medals over my 7-year athletics career. I was the state schools runner up in table-tennis and played active squash and badminton, in addition to basketball and volleyball. I could finish a game of carrom in two chances and my athletics coach was convinced that I had fallen into a cauldron of calcium as a child. In other words, I was cut out to be a police officer, right from the word go. Public perception is, however, based on each person’s socialisation process. Therefore, earning the respect of the ones you serve and the ones you command, both take time. Commanding the Republic Day parade in my district, turning up at every heinous scene of crime when nobody insisted that I do and working all hours of the night, helped. Sometimes a lady officer has to run very fast to remain at the same place. But things fall into place and in time, I found that I could be what came naturally to me and yet gain respect. I did not need to walk, talk and act like a man to gain acceptance in the Force.

Six questions that people never failed to ask.

1. Why did you join the IPS?2. Were you inspired by Kiran Bedi?3. Have you seen Udaan?4. Is your husband also in the

police?5. How do you balance your work

and life?6. Do you manage time for your

children?

Six questions I am sure my male colleagues were not asked.

1. Why did you join the IPS?2. Were you inspired by KPS Gill?3. Have you seen Singham?4. Is your wife also in the police?5. How do you balance your work

and life?6. Do you manage time for your

children?

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To put things in perspective:-• The Indian Police Service got its first lady officer in 1972.• The Indian Army started recruiting women officers in

the year 1992. • Sashastra Seema Bal was the first border guarding force

to deploy women personnel on the border in 2008 and was the first Central Armed Police Force to be headed by a lady IPS officer of 1980 batch, in 2016.

• There are over 950 women IPS officers today out of a total of over 4000 IPS officers. These officers have joined IPS of their own volition and on their own merit. There is no reservation for women in the IPS and there should not be.

• On the other hand women were a part of the Naxalbari uprising in the sixties and form almost 45% of the Naxal cadre today.

While the stories of women at work will continue to invite attention due to their sheer lack of requisite numbers, allusions to superhuman acts and goddess like qualities come from a basic lack of expectation and an inherent disbelief in their capabilities. There is a protectiveness that is visible when decisions on whether or not to accept women into combat roles are mulled over again and again. A question like ‘Will

they be able to perform in a male dominated profession? Are they even required?’ stems out of a feeling of physical and intellectual superiority. Most organizational decision making groups then proceed to define roles that they feel might be suitable to women. Are all men intellectually superior to women? Are all women physically weaker than men? Definitely not. But popular perceptions are based on stereotyping. It is complicated but also true that gender stereotyping has restricted mainstreaming and thereby affected development adversely. Quality takes a back seat in these situations. After working for 9 years in the state of Uttar Pradesh in various districts and various capacities ranging from crime control, law and order in district policing to heading armed battalions, intelligence, vigilance, headquarters, etc I proceeded on central deputation to the Govt. of India and joined the SVP National Police Academy, Hyderabad as an Assistant Director. I was part of a team of officers who introduced integrated method of teaching and modular training for IPS probationers, which continues to this day. I had also prepared a module for gender sensitization of police officers for the National Commission for Women. After over five years in the Academy which also included a stint for a year at the UN Mission in Kosovo as a Civilian Police Officer, I joined the Sashastra Seema Bal, a border guarding force on the open borders with Nepal and Bhutan. I was heading recruitment initially and raised 20 battalions in 2 years using transparent e-recruitment software, a first for any paramilitary force at the time. I went on to head the SSB Academy at Gwaldam where specialized courses of counter insurgency and jungle warfare and mountaineering courses were held. Gwaldam was another milestone in my career as it gave me an opportunity to breathe life into an institution that had almost perished due to neglect and low morale.On my return to U.P., I, as part of the National Police Mission conceptualized and piloted the first recruitment of over 35000 constables using transparent recruitment process. It was called Project TRP and became the model for implementation all over the country. The then Home Minister, Shri P Chidambaram mandated that TRP be used for recruitment in all the states, failing which no modernization grant would be extended to them. Over time, TRP became the norm. It is now an integral part of the SMART policing initiative.In my second stint in the centre, I was fortunate to return to my previous force SSB as Inspector General Personnel and Training and will soon complete 5 years this year. There is so much work that has been done and is still being done in both personnel and training as we aspire to create a Brand SSB and reach an ideal state of zero grievances. I have an outstanding team and


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we have tried to raise the bar and move the goalpost in every endeavour we have been part of.During the course of my narrative, as the editor breathes down my neck to hand in my article, I become conscious of the fact that I am being asked to contribute as a lady officer. To be honest, there have been very few occasions in my career that I have thought of myself as a lady officer. The work I have done reflects my ethos as an IPS Officer, not as a lady IPS officer. I feel happy in knowing that the respect I have gained is purely attributable to the hard work I have put in and the quality I have endeavored to produce. Writing an article talking about work life balance somewhere trivializes both work and home and somehow suggests that work and life are two different things. I have juggled my commitments, availed of maternity leave, child care leave as was required and still take care of my parents and children while being a confirmed workaholic and perfectionist. But why would anyone be interested? I made this choice and there is a price to pay for every choice that we make. I was and am willing to pay that price.Suffice it to say that I came into the man’s world of policing 28 years ago. A world where bullet proof vests and body protectors are made for flat chested individuals, barracks presuppose that concepts of privacy for men and women personnel do not differ, a world where women personnel do not drink water for a day before a law and order duty because there is no place to relieve herself while on duty, where women who do not form

part of the boys clubs are uncomfortable to be around, where toughness means male and sensitivity means female.I, on my part, have tried to change the conditions for others less fortunate than me, where I work. SSB has an overall strength of 2.36% female representation, which will reach 5% by 2020. In all future recruitments we will be providing horizontal reservation of 15%. We were the first border guarding force to deploy women personnel on active combat duty. We started out with 7 Battalions in 2007 and will touch 28 Battalions by 2019. Increasing numbers is the first step to normalize the situation. The question is are we ready for the numbers, or not? I did a detailed study on ‘Creating a gender sensitive and gender friendly infrastructure ‘ for the National Conference for Women Police and presented it before policewomen and men from all over the country. This was documented and given as a set of recommendations to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The issues raised were then taken up in Parliament and soon enough the recommendations of the report were sent to all organisations for compliance. A few years down the line, we should see a change in procurement patterns as well as encounter heightened sensitivity to the need to provide equal opportunities for growth to both women and men. In times to come, the Forces will not only be manpower ready but also womanpower ready and I am fortunate to have had a role to play in it. To reduce 28 years of service to 7 ages does not do justice to either the effort or the years of service. So I will not profess to have done so. I have done all that a cop is expected to do, trained to do and mandated to do. I have tried to find happiness in the smallest of successes and grieved with my ilk as I lent my shoulder to the hearses of those who have made ultimate sacrifices. I have been touched by kindness and inspired by the strength of character that I have encountered in people I have met along my journey.

Renuka Mishra is currently appointed IG (Personnel & Training) at the Seema Sashastra Bal HQ at New Delhi. This article has

been written in her personal capacity

“I have not dropped the baton. I will carry it to

the finishing line.

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The CWA WayCaring & Sharing

The CRPF family Welfare Association (CWA) was formally registered as CRPF Wives’ Welfare Association (CWWA) by the Registrar of Societies, Govt. of Delhi on 22 June 1995. Its name amended as CRPF family Welfare Association (CWA) on 2nd May 2014 by the Registrar of Societies, Govt. of NCT of Delhi.

The CRPF family Welfare Association is managed by Governing Body and Central Executive Committee (CEC) members etc. CWA is working centrally at Delhi under the presidential-ship of w/o DG CRPF (president CWA) of to look after the welfare of our jawans and their families and Regional CRPF family Welfare Association (RCWA) at each Group Centre and RAF units under the presidential-ship of wife of DIG /Commandant posted in the GC/unit concerned.

She has been District, Range and Zonal President of various Police Welfare Centres of Uttar Pradesh and has wide experience of police welfare related work which holds her in good stead in her current position as President CWA CRPF. Dr. Manu Bhatnagar shares the activities of the CRPF Welfare Association in this article.

Dr. Manu Bhatnagar is the wife of Director General CRPF, Mr Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar and is a recipient of the FICCI FLO ( UP ) award 2015- best medical professional Uttar Pradesh - for work with HIV positive patients. She has received the Distinguished Alumni Award 2018 - GSVM Medical College Kanpur and has been the Vice President of Himveer Wives Association ITBP as well as Senior Vice President Sanrakshika Wives Association CISF.

CALENDAR OF CWA HEALTH EVENTSJanuary - Geriatric Care for Senior Citizens February - Cancer Prevention with special focus on Cervical and Breast Cancer March - Prevention and Control of TB and Kidney disease April - Health Day . Focus on Women’s Health May - Women’s health continued June - Yoga Day and Physical fitness July - Prevention and Control of Hepatitis and other water borne diseases August - Promotion of Breast feeding and prevention/ control of Malaria September - Nutrition , Blindness Control October - Prevention of Heart Disease and Lifestyle Management November - Prevention and Control of Diabetes December - World AIDS Day


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MAIN AIMS AND OBJECTS ARE AS UNDER FOR WHICH THE ASSOCIATION IS ESTABLISHED:

• To generate a sense of the accomplishment in the minds of CRPF ladies and develop managerial skill in them.

• To promote programmes for rehabilitation of widows, handicapped and mentally retarded children and handicapped CRPF personnel.

• To pursue of programmes to facilitate development of academic/vocational skills training for the serving and retired CRPF personnel and their families.

• To work in co-operation with other organizations and departments of various Ministries.

• Stress management, HIV/AIDS prevention, alcohol and drug de-addiction and other healthcare programmes.

• To raise funds for various welfare schemes affecting the well being of CRPF families.

• To organize cultural and sports activities.

• To invest and deal with the funds of the Association as deemed fit to meet the overall aims and objects of the Association.

• Family counseling – To support family for solving their family problems and Financial Management.

• Vocational training for ladies.

• Scholarship to children of deceased personnel.

CWA has undertaken various schemes relating to family health care and the overall well being of CRPF personnel and their family members.

SCHOLARSHIP TO CHILDRENThrough making FDs to the name of children of CRPF deceased personnel and martyr of all over India, CWA ensures that the future of the children become smooth.

FINANCIAL AID THROUGH CWA FUNDCWA gives financial aid to the CRPF personnel and their family members due to various reasons or their need. CWA also helps during natural calamities, as earthquake, flood etc by giving various types of item as clothes, food items etc. from CWA fund.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR SUMMER CAMPCWA yearly gives a sum of amount to all Regional CWA to organise various types of courses and skill trainings during summer vacation. These training and courses make families and children empowered and self dependent.

MUSKAAN-THE SMILECWA launched a scheme named Muskaan-The Smile during 2016, through which CWA provides wheel chairs to the handicapped and mentally, physically challenged children for 50% or above disability in extreme need of the CRPF families. Before launching the scheme CWA donated various wheel chairs.

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VARIOUS AWARENESS PROGRAMMESCWA organizes various awareness programmes throughout the year not only in Delhi but also all over India through the branches of CWA i.e RCWA. As International women’s day, Senior citizen day, World environment day, Yoga day and many more.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY• International Women’s Day, was celebrated on 08th

March 2017, at Shaurya, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, by the members of CRPF family Welfare Association. The theme of this year’s celebrations was “women empowerment”. Several cultural programmes which highlighted the need for empowerment of women were performed during the celebrations. Smt Vinita Upreti and Smt. Jyotsana Sharma delivered a talk

on “Heartfulness learn to meditate”. CWA through the celebration of this function has tried to instil confidence in women, spread awareness for women empowerment and need to promote independence of women.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY • CRPF family Welfare Association (CWA) observed

a “World Environment Day” on 05/06/17 from 0900 hrs at GC, CRPF, Sonipat Haryana. The World Environment day was organised to spread awareness, to save our environment from pollution. Dr. Manu Bhatnagar, President CWA, Smt. Shalu Lakhtakia Vice President and other members of CWA and children made mass plantation to revive the nature. Shri Martand Shardul, Associate Fellow (Teri) also enlightened us how we would save our environment through presentation. Dr. Manu

Bhatnagar, President CWA, also promoted the schemes launched by Government in connection with environment. CWA tried to make people aware about a clean and green environment through this function.

CWA RAISING DAY• CRPF family Welfare Association (CWA) celebrated

its 22nd Raising Day on Thursday 22nd June 2017 at Shaurya, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. Smt. Savitri Singh w/o Shri Rajnath Singh Hon’ble Home Minister was the Chief Guest of the function. Presence of Smt. Kusum Misra, Smt Madhu Mishra, Smt Roopa Sinha and former President of CWA and various dignitaries of Delhi & NCR also enhanced grace of the function. The theme of the function was “Change is good”. The function was celebrated with great pomp & show under the supervision of Dr. Manu Bhatnagar, President CWA. A talk on “Our digital lives: Social media and cyber safety awareness” was delivered by Shri. M.Harsha Vardhan, IPS Addl. DCP, South East, Delhi to spread awareness, how digitalization is helpful and how we should use it carefully in our day to day work. Felicitation of the topper of 12th standard students was done by Smt. Manu Bhatnagar, CWA President.Various Vibrant & colourful cultural programme were also organized.

ANNUAL WELFARE EXHIBITION-2017• CRPF and CRPF Family Welfare Association

(CWA) were organised at the Annual Family Welfare Exhibition (Mela)-2017 from 10th to 12th November 2017 at SDG Ground, Old JNU Campus, New Delhi. The Exhibition was inaugurated on 10th November, 2017 at 0945 Hrs by First Lady Smt. Savita Kovind. CWA donated wheel chairs to the handicapped children by First Lady Smt. Savita Kovind on the opening of exhibition. Best lady workers of family welfare centres were also awarded. Smt. Savitri Singh w/o Shri Rajnath Singh, Home Minister of India was the Chief Guest for the Felicitation function and release of CWA Magazine on 10th Nov at 1700 hrs. Cultural evening was organized on 11th November 2017. President CWA was the Chief Guest. Closing ceremony was held on 12th November at 1645 Hrs to 1845 Hrs. Shri Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, IPS DG CRPF was the Chief Guest. CRPF Annual Welfare Function cum Exhibition was organised to provide an opportunity to showcase our welfare & social activities.


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Health Programmes screening and assessments. During the health check up programme following tests i.e. Blood Sugar, BMI, B.P., Eye, ECG were also carried out. CWA through the celebration of this function has tried to raise awareness about the depression and need to take care of people suffering from depression.

WORLD HEPATITIS DAY• World Hepatitis day was observed by CWA at

Shaurya Institute on 10/08/17 to raise awareness about hepatitis. Professor Aup Saraya, HOD Dept. of Gastroenterology, AIIMS delivered a lecture. Hepatitis vaccine was administered for its prevention. World Hepatitis Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the world health organization.

LIFE STYLE AND DIABETIC DAY• Lifestyle and Diabetic day was celebrated on

25/08/17 Shaurya, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. Dr. Piyush Ranjan and Dr. Namrata Singh of AIIMS delivered lectures on the subject matter. It was an interactive and informative programme where many questions were put up by CWA ladies and CRPF doctors.

MEDICAL CAMP• A health camp was organised by CWA in

collaboration with Medanta Hospital at GC Gurugram on 12th December 2017. Prominent Cardiologist and Oncologist from Medanta Hospital Gurugram along with their world class technical team performed health check-up of families of CRPF personnel. Beside above orthopaedic specialist, Gynaecologist, ENT surgeon, Medical specialist and Radiologist from CRPF were also present for health screening. Mammography was also performed for screening of breast cancer and other related problems. The camp was inaugurated by Dr. Manu Bhatnagar, CWA president. She insisted that such initiatives should be a regular feature for the welfare of the families.

These efforts include various initiatives taken in the field of education of the children, extra earning for the family through family welfare centres, rehabilitation of widows/disabled, vocational training to family members of force personnel etc.

WORLD HEALTH DAY• CRPF family Welfare Association (CWA) observed

“World Health Day-2017” on 07/04/17 from 0930 hrs to 1700 hrs, at Dett. Composite Hospital, CRPF, Northern Sector Staff Camp, New Delhi. The theme of this year’s World Health Day was “Depression: let’s talk”. Psychologist Dr. Priya Bir, Professor, Delhi University, delivered lecture on Depression and enlightened about symptoms and measures to deal with Depression. Dr. Naveen Ram Director (Medical) CRPF, also conveyed his thoughts and informed about harmfulness /effect of depression. The health check up was organized for giving free health check up to CRPF personnel and their family members. Physicians, Cardiologists, Dentists and Gynaecologists were also present for general

CWA & its branches located all over India observed various health related days to spread awareness, not only to the CRPF personnel but also to the families of CRPF personnel. Beside branches of CWA, CWA itself observed following health related programme and all the families of force personnel posted in Delhi / NCR attended the function and increased their knowledge.

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Giving the extra push with Haiyya

Aprajita Pandey

Aprajita Pandey

B & ED interacts with Aprajita Pandey - the

determined young founder of ‘Haiyya’ who has

also been awarded the Commonwealth Youth Worker Award for Asia

region.

Her journey to make a difference had begun much earlier and is expected to continue much longer but with her felicitation as the regional winner of the Commonwealth Youth Worker Award for Asia region in 2014, Aprajita Pandey and her organization ‘Haiyya’ was put in the spotlight and generated much interest in the community.

After her schooling in Chhattisgarh, Pandey recalls completing her B.Tech in Biotechnology from Vellore Institute of Technology and working in the biotechnical field only to feel that urge to complete a missing link in her life. This was when she decided to do her postgraduate studies at TISS (Tata Institute of Social Services) in Mumbai where she pursued her Masters in Social Work and specialization in Gender Studies and felt completely validated as she embarked on a journey that she felt was meant to be.

After that at Digital Green working with farmers in Bihar the idea of community activism and leadership got triggered within her. She also worked with Special cell for Women and Children, Mumbai and became the co-founder of Campaign Academy India where she led the training design and framework for a year long campaigning and mentorship program. For early and mid stage non-profit start-ups she also is a strategic

Appalled at the rape culture, mis-governance and apathy that pervaded the system, Aprajita vowed to change things especially at a time when the world was as enamoured and motivated as she was with Obama’s presidential campaign. What particularly caught her fancy was the manner in which it harnessed and activated youth power to create a democratic system that did not merely rely on government machinery but instead created leadership opportunities for everyone who chose to join this empowerment bandwagon.

And so it was that Haiyya was founded in 2013 by a group of young and dynamic women who came together and believed in building progressive and democratic power through community organizing framework. Haiyya started its work in Mumbai and Delhi by running local level campaigns on pressing civic and social issues, training more change- makers in the organizing framework through Fellowship programs and working with other reputed organizations to scale the on-

consulting. She currently also serves as a core team member of a Mobilization Lab to build and support a global network of campaigners.

THE INSPIRATION


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ground impact and leadership. Aprajita formally registered Haiyya as a Section 8 non-profit company in 2015.

From social change to gender issues, there were multiple themes that meant a lot to Pandey who continues to follow the dream of a strong civic leadership that can make all the difference. Her success lay in many small victories – for instance, the manner in which she lead her team to encourage women voters in 10 constituencies during the Delhi State assembly elections. While many felt she was lobbying for a particular political party, she believed in being non partisan.

“A dialogue with every member of the team is critical for social justice”, believes Pandey who also understands that they cannot afford a direct confrontation with authority and need to take everyone along with them while realizing the value of fund raising to achieve their goals

Pandey says they lead their own campaigns on pressing regional/national issues, build capacity of other youth leaders and campaigners to lead their campaigns and project ideas. She is

THE WAY FORWARD

Pandey explains how they have adapted the value-based community-organizing framework of Professor Marshall Ganz from Harvard Kennedy School in India, which was incredibly adaptted in Obama’s electoral campaign 2008 & 2012.

Today Haiyya exists as a platform and as a driver for grassroots social change movements and to build strong coalitions of activists; campaigners and organizations to strengthen people powered change. Their expertise and skills on campaigning and leadership gives them the freedom to work across

convinced that the changes that have most improved people’s’ lives in this century were not gifts given by “experts,” but the hard-won results of organizing by “ordinary” people. And that is why Haiyya is invested in building the power of citizens and organizing them such that change that is led by them upholds the democratic principles and is sustainable.

a diverse range of issues with different types of communities. Currently they work in both urban and rural communities through projects on a variety issues ranging from women safety, sanitation, sexual health, environment, waste management and sustainable alternatives of transport, governance and education.

With her focused approach and single minded dedication to the cause of nation building, Haiyya and Aprajita Pandey are sterling examples of Women First!

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ARTISTIC BRILLIANCEShivani Wazir Pasrich

is an acclaimed Odissi dancer who is synonymous with impeccable anchoring as much as her cultural performances. From anchoring numerous programmes covering travel, beauty, fashion and fitness to her brush with Bollywood with her performance in ‘Dil to Pagal Hai’ to the popular travel show ‘Namaste India’ and ‘Khoobsurat’ and the Breakfast shows ‘Morning Zee’ and ‘Good Morning Metro’, there is very little in the world of show biz that Shivani has left unexplored.

She shares how her interest in dance, theatre and choreography led her to a career as a media person quite early in life and as time went by she produced and directed documentaries on the girl child, on education and on dance. She recently compered the launch of the former Prime Minister’s poetry album, Samvedna. Even as she performed on 26th Jan 2018 at Sweden for the India festival, she remembered how her production Prakriti enthralled audiences at the Hemis Festival with a set piece making Ladakh such a high point of cultural activity where thousands of people gathered to see the show.

by Meenakshi Sharma

A versatile and acclaimed artist and emcee, Shivani Wazir Pasrich is also

Chairperson of Commonwealth Society of India and Asia Respresntative of Royal

Commonwealth Society. A household name due to her television appearances,

she continues to make India proud by showcasing its culture in different parts of

the world!

From winning the Miss India World title in 1992 to performing at the Indian Embassy at Stockholm this Republic Day 2018, Shivani has explored a wide spectrum of activities that are a tribute to her multi faceted personality. An Economics and Law graduate, Shivani


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Mahesh Dattani’s plays - Dance Like a Man, Where There’s a Will and Bravely Fought The Queen. Her latest play was titled Larki Seedhi Rahegi and was performed at the NSD theatre festival in Bangalore and was a part of Lady Shri Ram college’s 50 year celebration.

She recalls her role in the film Dil to Pagal Hai where she played Maya’s friend Anjali and interacted with director Aditya Chopra and assistant Karan Johar who was impressed how she got all her lines in one shot without retakes. “I feel it was just another day on the sets but there were so many iconic actors in the film and I was thrilled to be complimented by none other than Madhuri Dixit who appreciated my ability to pick up the dance moves effortlessly, ” she shares.

While being surrounded by glamour, Shivani continues to be grounded and humble as she exhorts values of compassion which she admits are equally rooted in her daughters. She went on to do a lot of television and shows till she got married and gave up work for a while till she had

She loves theatre, poetry music and dance and remembers how she has been dedicated to dance from the tender age of 8 years when as an Odissi dancer she performed on various stages. She believes dance comes from the heart without being over the top. Similarly as co - host for the fashion show called Khoobsoorat on TV she enjoyed the television journey where she was a pioneer of sorts as Doordarshan enjoyed a monopoly. Her journey continued with Namaste India where as emcee for the show she enjoyed the process. “I especially enjoy experiential events as they give me an opportunity to learn, listen and enjoy.” Shivani continues to keep that energy alive as she comperes live quiz shows, company launches, special government occasions, music album releases, beauty pageants and fashion shows. She has also dabbled in theatre and acted in musicals, like Annie and West Side Story as also in serious plays, comedies and three of

a baby and then when she returned chose to do live events over TV as it had more structured routines as compared to television which was too demanding. “I then reinvented myself as an emcee and have been enjoying this stint”. A charismatic person with a flair for communicating she believes she owes this gift to her talent for dancing as it helped her “own the space while involving others”. She recalls spending a lot of time with her grandma who was deeply religious and with whom she recited the Hanuman Chalisa at the crack of dawn. “This feeling of spirituality and humility and a love for the positive energy has been hugely important to Shivani.

She enjoys her Yoga as much as her work as Chairperson of Commonwealth Society of India and Asia representative of Royal Commonwealth Society and believes we all have that ability to excel if we believe in ourselves!

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Tell us more about the legacy of beauty which has influenced your professional and personal life.Sometimes I wonder if the lines on my mother’s hands extend onto mine ; if her destiny is so strong that it flows into me, her daughter. I carry in me so much of what I have learnt from her. I hold her dreams and move them ahead and somewhere our hopes and aspirations overlap.

On the personal front, I have always been careful to have a very private life style. Privacy is a luxury I never want to lose for myself and my family.

Please share your relationship with your mother and some interesting highlights of the same.I was born to a sixteen year old girl; my mother was barely out of school and I had a playful childhood with her. As I grew we became friends and confidantes to each other. Just before my marriage we flew to New York for a girl’s holiday and we had memorable times together. When she started her career I was helping her at every point and today even though she is engulfed with people, I know that the opinion she values most is her daughter and best friends. When you have shared such togetherness a relationship becomes a bond.

How did you embark on the journey of writing a book on your mother and what has been the feedback that you have received?My mother and I often meet at a coffee shop in the evenings that has a small book shop. On one particular evening a book

A Legacyof Beauty

Nelofar Currimbhoy

The beautiful, elegant and well turned out woman is charmingly familiar yet unique in her own special way. When

you gaze just a little longer, you are bound to get a flash of nostalgia as you recall the queen of the beauty industry,

Shahnaz Hussain whose legacy of beauty is well shouldered by her

talented daughter Nelofar Currimbhoy.

Business & Economic Diplomacy interviewed the affable and

approachable Nelofar to learn about her legacy of beauty and the book she wrote

as a tribute to her mother.


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caught her eye and she gifted it to me. It was Gulzar’s life penned by his daughter Boski. Written on the front page were the words ‘ Write a book on me Nelofar’ in my Mums hand writing.

I was always a writer by instinct. It was part of my DNA and my mother was aware of that. Initially I felt that I was too close to write a fair book on her. But then as luck would have it, I was visiting Bhutan and was invited by The Queen who is an amazing lady who convinced me to change my plans. ‘Do write this book,’ she said, ‘and let it be a memoir’.

It struck me that my memories of my mother’s life were worth preserving and that no one had seen what I had because I had walked the journey with her. I got back to Delhi and started writing and the words just poured through my soul. The book was published by Hachette to rave reviews. Times of India called it ‘Unputdownable.’ A riveting narrative’ said Mumbai Mirror. ‘ We have a new Author in Currimbhoy’ acknowledged the Pioneer. Today it has been translated into 5 languages and the Hindi Version was released at the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Shahnaz Hussain

My second book was released this year. Called Eyes of the Healer’ It is a Novella in Poetry form. Based on the spiritual journey of Govinda , it brought me the ultimate endorsement when best-selling author Ashwin Sanghi commented that it was almost Qayamesque!

Please share your current projects and future plans.I plan to explore the idea of traditional Spas. I see future generations spending more time in places where they can get away to revive and renew them. Ayurvedic tourism is also an area where much more can be done and I hope to find our heritage of traditional treatments and methods of meditation can bring the world flocking to India.

My third book, a novel called Tara’s Story’ is with the Publishers and going through the grind of editing. In the first half of the New Year I hope to release it.

Do share your values, beliefs and faith?I believe that professionals tend to minimise their world as they maximise their success. In the pursuit of one goal , so many miss out on the wonderful opportunity of life. I believe in expanding myself to experience life in every way.

I do week end courses in Calligraphy and Photography. I also am passionate about Philanthropy. I was initiated into working with the underprivileged by Jetsun Pema, His Holiness The Dalai Lamas Sister who is also a dear friend. Today I work through a multitude of NGOs and through my own Centre for training at Okhla. I also work run ‘ Bridges , Connecting Women,’ which works on connecting women artisans to buyers. My concept of faith is somehow intrinsically connected to working for the underprivileged and I hope I can do much more in the future.

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UNITED WAY BOARD

His Excellency Nadir Patel hosted a Networking Dinner at his residence for United Way Delhi Board on evening of 4th December, 2017. Heads of leading multinational corporates based in India along with chief of missions from different embassies participated at the event.

Addressing the distinguished guests, HE Nadir Patel and Jennifer Graham stressed on robust economic engagement between India and Canada and urged the business leaders come forward and invest in social projects that will strengthen the relationship between the two countries further.

This was followed by Kapil Kumria, Vice Chair, U.W.D. Board Introducing United Way to the audience. Sachin Golwalkar, C.E.O. UWD took the guests through on the ground impact by United Way in India.

Sanjeev Jammihal, VP (Lead CSR), Deloitte US (India) narrated about the growing UW-Deloitte Partnership in the area of education and how it impacted lives of students from marginalised communities in India.

The program ended with a thank you note by Palash Roy Chowdhury, Chairman, U.W.D Board.

Networking Dinner

Kapil Kumria

HE. Nadir Patel & Jennifer Graham


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CELEBRATED WITH POMP AND CEREMONY

The annual CRPF Mela was a grand affair that was delightfully organized with fun activities, great shopping, lip smacking street food and amazing entertainment that

became the cherry on the cake

CRPF Mela

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The Disney Magic

‘Magic and fantasy are

reality…’

TRAVEL DARBAR by Inder Raj Ahluwalia

- Travel Journalist & Author

Photo credits: pixabay library

If there’s one thing my local escorts, Ed and Jerry knew, it was how to set a ‘mood’.

Giving me an introductory tour of the ‘city’, Ed waxed eloquent about what we could do and see. “Basically people come here to have fun” he declared grandly. It all sounded like sweet music to me.

Thanks to it universally-renowned brand name, Walt Disney World (WDW), Orlando, pulls all the plugs out in providing


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guests a fun-filled stay laced with just the right amount of thrills, frills, and action. The magic and fantasy element means that visitors to this unique vacation destination can leave the real world behind, enjoying the ‘Disney Magic’ factor, that’s legacy to years of tradition and heritage.

Riding on their success, they market Disney World as ‘Disney Magic’, an umbrella for the branding which includes showbiz, magic, and animals, all combining to provide the Disney experience.

It doesn’t take long for one to notice Walt Disney World’s vastness, which makes it a composite city in

itself, with a staggering variety of things to see and do. Packed into the 47 - square mile, recreation and entertainment centre is an entire world of leisure, thrills, and adventures.

The options are staggering. Awaiting visitors are some 30 resort hotels with over 25,000 rooms. Three water-adventure parks - (Typhoon Lagoon, River Country, and Blizzard Beach). Four theme parks - (Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney-MGM Studios). Then there are the Disney Institute, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, and Disney’s Wedding Pavilion. Capping all this is Downtown Disney – an entertainment-shopping-dining complex encompassing Pleasure Island, West Side, and the Marketplace.

My doubts about the scope of recreation here were quickly dispelled. The recreation sector is superbly catered for. There are full service health spas, 99 holes of golf on six courses, water sports, tennis, car racing and horseback riding. The resort is also included in vacation packages of Disney Cruise Line. Add on comprehensive shopping, award-winning dining, vibrant nightlife, and some 55,000 ‘cast members’ (staff) trained to pamper, and we’re talking big-time entertainment.

Aesthetics, attractions, activities! It’s a mix of awesome proportions. There is the World Showcase Lagoon. And there are The Liberty Square, Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland, and The Lion King, in Magic Kingdom. There are ‘Innovations, Spaceship Earth’ and the Living Seas in Epcot’s Future World. Train rides to the ‘African Bush’ in Animal Kingdom. And ‘The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror’ in Disney –MGM Studios, The Great Movie Ride, Star Tours, The ‘Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular’, and ‘Fantasmic’. It doesn’t stop there. One can also get married, yes married, in a fairy-tale setting at Disney’s Wedding Pavilion.

Food and feasting are an integral part of the WDW experience, as I found to my great delight. There are over 500 food and beverage outlets with a 25,000-strong staff. Whether it is bouillabaisse in a French setting, questo fundido in the Mexican

Flights from several countries service Orlando International Airport – a half hour drive from WDW Resort by taxi or shuttle. • The resort stays open throughout the year. • Several types of entrance tickets - including the

‘All In One Hopper’ which provides access to all facilities- provide guests a choice of experiences, and a chance to choose and match activities and attractions.

• Hotels and entertainment can cost from USD 75 to over 700 per night. The Disney Travel Packages offer several options that include 4, 5, and 6 - day passes, and the ‘Unlimited Magic Pass’.

• In India, travel companies such as TCI and Cox & Kings offer packages that facilitate guests’ visit.

• Visitors have free access to shuttle buses that ply between all resort hotels and different attractions. In addition, there are also monorail and ferry services that also provide excellent views of the park.

Fact File

San Angel Inn, slow-roasted lamb in the Moroccon Tangierine Café, or Chicken and leek pie in the English Rose & Crown Pub, dining comes easy. There are outstanding restaurants like Citricos in the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the outlandish Rainforest Café in Animal Kingdom, the innovative Pepper Market in Coronado Springs Resort, or the historic Brown’s Derby in Disney-MGM Studios.

It’s interesting to know why people vacation at all and what they seek? Surveys show that people seek escape from the ‘routine and ordinary’, from reality itself. They also seek to reaffirm family lifestyles. With its ‘family togetherness’ environment to enjoy the product, Walt Disney World emerges as the perfect setting for such desires, offering a formula that is stress-lowering, calming, and relaxing for the mind and body. The congenial atmosphere with all the vibrant colours, parades, charades, fun and music, and general merriment and congenial atmosphere forms a perfect antidote to stress, resulting in more consideration for one another and more laughter and smiles. This ‘wellness factor’ contributes to WDW’s phenomenal success.

One can stay for a week and still have places and events to see and experience, as some 50 million annual visitors will vouch.

My visit reinforced my belief that there are still some happy places left in the world.

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All things bright and

BeautifulBooks and Arts; Culture and Music enthralled Bibliophiles

and Artists at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2018

Dance, history and civilization,

Bollywood, terrorism and investigative

journalism, and the art of creating compelling literature were themes which lit up the stage in sessions that drew

staggering crowds on the penultimate day of the ZEE Jaipur Literature

Festival 2018.

“With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, he

felt he hadn’t really done anything against his biggest

enemy.”

The celebrated danseuse Sonal Mansingh began the session The Dancer and the Dance by asking her biographer Sujata Prasad, “Why did you choose me for your book?” Prasad replied, “I plunged into your life because it was a place of refuge away from my intense and emotional phase.” She described

In the gripping Manhunt:

Pakistan and the Search for Bin Laden, speaking about his impressions of Bin Laden, Peter Bergen, the only journalist granted access to the Abbottabad compound before the Pakistani government demolished it, recounted, “He was very tall and thin, carried himself like a cleric, and spoke quietly even though his words were filled with anger for the US.” Bergen revealed that Bin Laden intended to target President Barack Obama and General David Petraeus in order to lead the US into a crisis and alter the war’s path:


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The Written World:The Power of Stories to Shape People, History and Civilisation found renowned philosopher and literary critic Martin Puchner in conversation with Homi K. Bhabha who brought up the question of the politics of world literature, which according to the former, “is in congruence with the politics of post-colonial literature. The politics is interventionist in the sense that it discovers and establishes previously unacknowledged texts adding new voices beyond the canon. The creation of a new narrative becomes integral”. Puchner gave the example of the recent publication of the African Epic of Sundiata which was previously only transmitted orally, and points to a growing interest in the oral tradition of texts.

Creating a novel is a distinctive art and a gift which needs

Mansingh as a “mysterious persona”, whose life “radically changed her world view”. Sonal revealed that her “guru’s stick was the guiding star” of her life and taught her a lot: “You would be hit if you made a mistake. That kept you disciplined and on your toes.” The legendary artiste shared an anecdote: “One summer afternoon, when I was not dancing well, my guru asked me to look out of the window and I saw monkeys dancing, and he asked me if there was a difference between my dance and theirs.” After that, she began to look for the differences between the monkeys’ automated moves and her dance. Reminiscing further, she reflected,

“I am glad we did not have cell phones back then. We observed paintings and people

and learnt from them.

to be honed. Five great exponents of the novel took to deconstructing what it takes to craft one with painstaking precision, in The Art of the Novel: On Writing Fiction. “It is a feeling for life, for language and a need to tell a story,” said moderator and author, Chandrahas Choudhury talking about the skills that amalgamate a novel, in conversation with Amy Tan, Chika Unigwe, Helen Fielding, Joshua Ferris and Michael Ondaatje. Amy Tan revealed to the panel that after her first book that came to her naturally, she had to struggle to produce work that effortlessly. Having felt the same, Joshua Ferris found himself “pulling his teeth” to create stories with ease after his first book.

Exploring the Perils of Celebrity revealed Soha Ali Khan, “In my early years, I was advised that try looking at a camera as if you are trying to impress a boy. It’s a bit of flirtation.” Addressing veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, said Sanjoy K. Roy, “You were the original IPL. Bollywood met Cricket!”

Presented by ACCESS Health International, Innovations in Healthcare:The India Example featured American biologist William A. Haseltine, best known for his ground-breaking work on HIV/AIDS and the human genome, where he praised India for innovating treatment methods and medical research, even though it continues to have an international perception of being backwards in providing health care. However, he cited India as one of the countries that has contrasting attributes in terms of providing affordable medication, but with a huge number of untreated patients. Amrita Tripathi, author of books like The Sibus Knot and Broken News, talked about the importance of mental health, and how living in urban landscapes has created a fissure in the way humans experience their lives in isolation.

The Feminine Gaze:

Women Writing Memoir highlighted how memoir writing is a powerful medium to articulate traumas and histories that cannot or should not be fictionalized, particularly for women writers who are often sidelined in favour of male voices and other normative narratives. A distinguished panel of writers examined this issue of memoir writing and its close connections to gender, cultural and political discourses. However, Juliet Nicolson the author of A House Full of Daughters found the use of the word “feminine” in the session title as problematic, as she felt that women write with as “much truth and honesty as men do” and therefore should not be “differentiated”.

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Rolland Literary Prize 2018. The award rewards translators for their rendering French works into Indian languages. Singh won for her Hindi translation of the French novel Rue des Boutiques Obscures, by Nobel Prize-winning author Patrick Modiano. Graciously accepting the award, Singh spoke of her love for the novel: “I just couldn’t get out of the novel when I translated the work.” Author and translator Sam Miller also received special mention for his English translation of Once Upon a Time in India: The Marvellous Adventures of Captain Corcora, originally authored by Alfred Assollant. Delhi-based translator Michèle Albaret-Maatsch lauded the “linguistic diversity of India” and congratulated Singh on providing Hindi readers with an excellent book. Renuka George said, “Translating is difficult, but judging someone’s translation is also difficult.”

Amidst this heady mixture of light-hearted banter and intellectually charged debate, sessions ended with applause on the fourth day of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival 2018.

This imprint was launched with two international titles by Dr. William Haseltine – Every Second Counts and Voices in Dementia Care.

At an Invite-only session for the shortlisted writers of Jaipur Bookmark’s New Writers Mentorship Programme, and winners of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival Writing Competition. Featured a panel discussion where professionals talked about the intricacies of the publishing and pitching process, and shared priceless advice with the aspiring writers. Publishers and literary agents including Urvashi Butulia, Mita Kapur and Manasi Subramaniam helped dispel certain popular myths and provided useful tips. They advised writers to “do their homework” and research different publishing houses before sending in their manuscripts. Butalia highlighted the importance of sending one’s book proposal via email only, with a well-written cover letter and synopsis, instead of verbally pitching to agents and publishers at networking events, or emailing them with an idea that has not been fleshed out.

The Jaipur BookMark wound up today with Monica Singh, a French teacher and translator, receiving the Romain

River of Life River of Death:

The Ganges and India’s Future highlighted the importance as well as the plight of the Ganges and how the issue of cleaning the river has been brought up for decades and a lot of money has been spent and several political parties have won and lost elections basis the issue, but the situation of the Ganges has gone from bad to worse. Financial Times Asia News Editor Victor Mallet said that the issue requires commitment from the government as well as people themselves who simply need to make an effort to save it from ongoing pollution and since it’s a living river it will cleanse itself over time. He went on to say that cleanliness of the Ganges should by a top priority in the public consciousness alongside world issues like Global Warming.

The Mahakavi Kanhaiyalal Sethia Award for Poetry, supported by the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival was awarded to Punjabi language poet and writer Shri Surjit Patar.

At the JaipurBookMark, the B2B arm of the Festival, Yatra Books announced a new imprint Tethys to expand its scope beyond translation and delve into relevant issues of global importance.


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