A Ramp Show For Special Souls

Rahul Sharma, Aashish Dwyer, Kiran Rajput and Devangi Dalal at Blissful Fashion Show With Special Souls

The Blissful Fashion Show with  Special Souls was an initiative of the Lions Club of Juhu & Leo Club of Juhu. The cause of the specially-abled children & youth has been very close to the heart of the Lions club of Juhu. 

Audiologist-Speech Therapist Lion Devangi Dalal had been instrumental in the organizing and in the execution of this special show. Powered by Hyatt Regency, Mumbai, the hearing impaired kids from Sadhana Vidyalaya, supported by Josh Foundation, mentally challenged kids from Dilkhush Special School, physically handicapped kids from Little Angel School, Khar, including blind girls, supported by NAB, was a part of this special ramp walk with celebrities such as Aditi Sharma, Rahul Sharma, Rishina Kandhari,

Shadaab Faridi, Manisha Saxena, Kiran Rajput among others including club members. The man behind choreography and the exquisite clothing designs was celebrity designer Aashish Dwyer. 

“Let’s do away with myths and misconceptions dealing with any handicap. Let’s give them a quality life by enhancing their potentials. Let’s learn to live life as bliss and learn to face challenges like them. They’re a part of our society and let us get together in nurturing a better future for them,” imparted President Lion Raj Wankawalla, Lion Rajesh Rasania, Mamta Parekh and Riddhish Shah.

The specially-abled kids defied all odds and overcame crippling limitations & taboos placed by the society, to develop into gifted individuals. This fashion show carried a social message that was reflected by these special souls. The event showcased that they are second to none, as they walked the ramp, hand in hand, with celebrities & members.

Audiologist-Speech Therapist Devangi Dalal has the final word. “Every individual, whether normal or handicapped, has the potential to do something extraordinary. We just need to help them explore it so they can do better than normal individuals. In today’s world, moral support and security is crucial. The feeling of someone being there for you itself makes an individual more confident. This is my thought process.”

A Flash Mob To ‘Save The Earth’

Passers-by at the Bandra Fort witnessed the world youth coming together to save the environment as 30,000 young boys and girls across 25 countries took a stand to save the earth through flash mobs. The enthusiastic youngsters from the Leo Club of Juhu represented India in this unique act, led and mentored by Raj Wankawala, Chetan Shah, Shashank Maheshwari, Devangi Dalal, Krutant Bilakhia and Akshay Shah. Aptly titled, ‘Feet Of Service’, the flash mob at the Bandra Fort Garden saw innumerable youngsters assemble at 4 pm to groove to a choreographed flash mob with a motive to save the earth. MLA Ashish Shelar representing the Bandra West constituency graced the initiative with his support. One of the tracks featured in the flash mob included the Leo Youth Anthem, composed by the veteran Lalit Pandit and written by Devangi Dalal. It was a Leo Club of Juhu initiative, supported by their parent club, Lions Club of Juhu.

                   

    

Sudhanshu Pandey, Preeti Jhangiani and Parvin Dabas at Karan Gupta, MD, IE Business School's IE Venture Day, a business plan competition for startups

  

At an event held by IE Business School, students from the prestigious IIMs, IITs, IE and ISB participated in a business plan competition. The IE Venture Day saw hundreds of institutes participating in business plan competitions and then the winners were flown to Mumbai to compete with each other. More than 20 teams competed to win the final competition.

“To create awareness in building an entrepreneurial environment, attention should be given to create an infrastructure for mentoring startups. India is the third largest start up economy in the world and our students need to be encouraged to create more businesses,” said Dr. Karan Gupta, the Managing Director of IE Business School, a Harvard & IE Business School alumni and founder of the Karan Gupta Education Foundation.

 “At IE Business School, we foster an environment of entrepreneurship in whatever we do. From having classes in Entrepreneurship to hosting a Venture lab where students are guided how to incubate business plans, we are committed to teaching students innovation. At the IE Venture Day, we heard from the best minds from, the most prestigious institutes of our country. We are excited to see these ideas turn into real businesses,” added Dr. Gupta.

 Actors Preeti Jhangiani, Sudhanshu Pandey and Parvin Dabas were present to share their experiences with the various businesses that they have started and to encourage the budding entrepreneurs. In a panel discussion, they spoke about how acting skills can be translated to businesses and how the best startups sometimes emerge due to necessity. “Passion is the most important ingredient in any startup,” said Sudhanshu Pandey. Funding is one of the most important ingredients in any startup success and “Be a big fish in a small pond - don’t waste your money. Spend your money wisely,” advised Parvin Dabas. And some final advice for the eager students - “Hard work day and night, be ready for the long haul. Watch shows that promote Entrepreneurship” added Preeti Jhangiani.

 The Spanish Consulate General in India, Mr. Jorge Cadenas and Economic Commercial Head Vanesa Alvarez were present at the event and spoke about Spain being an education destination and an attractive space for young entrepreneurs.

 The jury and panelists consisted of venture capitalists including Akansh Jain, Ashish Dave, Prakash Ranjalkar, Ashutosh Kumar, Megha Jain, Dibeyendu Ganguly and Dharam Mehta among others. Vikas Chaudhury, President of Reliance Jio Ventures enthralled the audience with his take on the startup ecosystem in India.

 The event saw pitches from not only business school students but also high school students. “It was very interesting to see such young students pitch such innovative business plans,” said Vidushi Daga, founder of Clone Futura.

 The IE Junior Venture Day was won by students from the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad. Their winning startup was ‘Pyreoil’ which converts useless plastic to oil which can then be used for furnace and tire oil. The first runner up prize was given to students from Neerja Modi High School, Jaipur whose startup called ‘Plankton’ worked with Biodegradable plastics. Interestingly both the winning plans dealt with environmental issues and are can solve the huge plastic waste problem in India and around the world.

 The winner for the main IE Venture Day business plan startup competition went to Disguise Cosmetics, a company that manufactures vegan makeup. The jury was impressed with the cruelty free makeup, a conscious lifestyle brand. The 1st runner up was IIM Kozhikode for a plan presented on growing vegetables without the use of soil, thereby revolutionizing the way farming is done in India. The 2nd runner up was IIM Ahmedabad, where the students presented a plan called Moodcafe – an anonymous chatapp and website that provides help for people facing any kind of psychological issues.

Almas Mukri from the Worli BMC School won the IE Social Impact business plan startup competition. Her business ‘Basket of Joy’ is an online organic fruits basket company that creates social impact and spreads joy at every step of the business. The 16 year old daughter of a vegetable vendor, sources fruits from organic farmers and sources woven baskets from sex workers. The greeting cards sold by her company are made by handicapped people and the couriers used employ deaf people. The other social impact plans presented included ‘100 Women’ which encourages entrepreneurship among impoverished women. A website where students can find mentors to help them was another idea presented to help students who are lost and in need of guidance. “I am most pleased with the students who despite not having the same opportunities as privileged children, managed to come up with such innovative ideas and startups. I only wish each of them could get a winning prize,” added Dr. Karan Gupta.

 The winners of each of the competitions received cash prizes of Rs.50000 each and a scholarship to study at IE Business School and IE University in Madrid, Spain

Audiologist-Speech Therapist Devangi Dalal working on an initiative in Maputo, Mozambique to make a deaf school digital. The project is in association with Rizwan Adatia Foundation at the Health Ministry of Mozambique.

Dr.Aneel Kashi Murarka, Neetu Chandra, Shama Sikander & others celebrate pre-Diwali with underprivileged kids

Dr.Aneel Kashi Murarka’s Ample Missiion’s ‘Samarpn’ is a one of its kind inter-school competition wherein a unique platform is provided to underprivileged kids to showcase their hidden talents. Recently, Ample Missiion joined hands with MOM (Meeting of Minds), a group of like-minded educationists, from 8 prominent slum schools, with over 5000 students, situated in the impoverished Malad-Malvani area, and organized one such event for kids comprising of Literary Arts, Performing Arts and a fashion show. Actors Neetu Chandra, Shama Sikander, Rakesh Srivastava and Sooraj Thapar graced the do and showcased their support in this noble cause. The dignitaries also celebrated a noiseless pre-Diwali by lighting diyas and distributing sweets and handmade diyas to children at the event. The day-long event was held at Shaila lawns in Goregaon East. 

Celebs galore at Mohit Hussein and Chhavi Mittal's SIT party.

Moonshine Cafe & Bar in Andheri came alive as celebrities from the television industry descended on the red carpet in huge numbers to congratulate Mohit Hussein and Chhavi Mittal, founders of the online series, Shitty Ideas Trending, more popularly known as SIT, to mark 1 million subscribers on YouTube and 4 million followers on Facebook. Amongst the who's who of the television industry that graced the occasion, mention may be made of Hussain Kuwajerwala, Karan V Grover, Pooja Gor, Raj Singh Arora, Kishwar Merchant, Sharad and Kirti Kelkar, Gaurav Gera, Ayub Khan, Iqbal Khan, Pracheen Chauhan, Mansi Parekh, Vrajesh Hirjee, Manasi Rachh, Jayati Bhatia, Shubhangi Litoria, Vinod Singh, Anuj Sachdeva, Shakti Anand and Summeir Pasricha to name a few.

The celebs grooved to some foot-tapping numbers, gorging on lipsmacking delicacies and the party went on till they could party no more!

Mohit and Chhavi also announced their next web series titled The Family Vacation at the do.

Journalist-Filmmaker S Ramachandran, filmmaker Dr.Farhad Vijay Arora, Philanthropist Dr.Aneel Kashi Murarka and other guests lauded the JOSH Foundation-ATOS’s noble initiative.

Bharat Sanghvi, Gohil Surendrasinh, Devangi Dalal, Murli Menon, Mukesh Rishi, Dr.Jayant Gandhi, Dr.Aneel Kashi Murarka, Shibani Kashyap, Dino Morea & S Ramachandran at JOSH Foundation-ATOS event

S. Ramachandran at the JOSH Foundation-ATOS free digital hearing aid distribution initiative

Philanthropist Dr.Aneel Kashi Murarka and his foundation, Ample Missiion, 

honoured and felicitated at the IDF Foundation Day celebrations. 

Dr.ARK Pillai’s book, Hope On The Horizon, was released by 

Dr.Murarka who was also the Chief Guest at the event.

Audiologist and Speech Therapist Devangi Dalal and ENT Surgeon Dr.Jayant Gandhi, through their JOSH Foundation, visited over 25 children from a Nasik school, with high quality digital hearing aids, based on individual requirements. With this, JOSH Foundation has completed the project of donating hearing aids to hundred kids from ATOS in a single month.

RANVIR SHOREY, PARVEZ DAMANIA & ASHOK DHAMANKAR GRACE VISHWA SAHNI AND SONU GUPTA’S SOLO ART SHOWS

The inaugural ceremony of Vishwa Sahni and Sonu Gupta's solo art shows, saw actor Ranvir Shorey, enterprenuer and art enthusiast Parvez Damania, Ashok Dhamankar, Director - Magna Publishing Co. Ltd. and many other artists of the likes of Prithvi Soni, Madhusudan Kumar and Paramesh Paul and singer Mudasir Ali. 

Veteran artist Vishwa Sahni, in his 35th show, seeks to explore what is the need of the hour -- women empowerment, using light as the medium. Alongside him is young Sonu Gupta who brings to life on canvas, the blessed lotus. “The lotus blooms in the muck, yet is sought ater. It teaches us that we are all blessed,” avers Sonu who has depicted Buddha as well.

Vishwa who use light to display the emotions says, "In the equation of economics and hunger, women become a dispensable commodity. My works seek to find that light within us, casting aside the shadows."

विश्वशांती स्मारकची घोषणा करण्यासाठी एमआयटी विश्वराजबाग येथे मोठं-मोठे शास्त्रज्ञ, संत आणि तत्त्वज्ञानी एकत्र आले.

"डोम मध्ये प्रस्थपित करण्यात आलेले ५४ पुतळे विज्ञान, तत्त्वज्ञान. अध्यात्मवाद, भारतीय संस्कृतीचे मूलतत्त्व 

आणि जागतिक शांततेच्या विविध पैलूंच्या एकजुटीचे प्रतीक आहेत."

-डॉ. विश्वनाथ कराड

१९५८ च्या सुमारास १५९ रुपये,सवलतीच्या दारात मिळालेली सायकल लहानश्या विश्वनाथांच्या जिव्हाळ्याचा विषय होता. एखाद्या राजपुत्रासारखे त्यावर सवार होऊन त्यावरून फेरफटका मारणे त्यांना खूप सुखावून जाणारे होते. ग्रामीण महाराष्ट्रातील मराठवाडा येथील रुई गावच्या  एका गरीब शेतक-या मुलासाठी ती सायकल एखाद्या मर्सिडीजपेक्षा कधीच कमी नव्हती. त्यांची बालपणातील अस्थायी शाळा म्हणजे गाई-म्हशी रानात चरायला गेल्या की मित्रांसोबत मिळून गोठ्यातील जमीन साफ करून तिथेच त्या गोठ्यात भरत असे. तेव्हापासून ते आतापर्यंत, ते दिवस आठवले की जेष्ठ आणि अनुभवी शिक्षणतज्ञ विश्वनाथ कराड सांगतात की, " मला जी शाळेची घंटा माहिती होती ती म्हणजे फक्त आणि फक्त गोठ्यातून परतणाऱ्या गाईच्या गळ्यात बांधलेली घंटा. गाई रानातून चरून गोठ्याकडे परतताना त्यांच्या गळ्यातील घंटा वाजली की आमची शाळा सुटायची." सध्या शिक्षणतज्ञ विश्वनाथ कराड हे जागतिक शांती केंद्र (आळंदी), एमएईईआरचे एमआयटी या देशातील सर्वात प्रतिष्ठित शैक्षणिक संसंस्थेचे संस्थापक अध्यक्ष आणि डायरेक्टर जनरल म्हणून शैक्षणिक कार्याची धुरा हाती सांभाळत आहेत.

वास्तविक पाहता आज कराड यांच्यासाठी हा एक प्रकारचा अदभुत क्षण आहे. २००५ पासून म्हणजेच जवळ-जवळ १३ वर्षे त्यांनी अत्यंत कल्पनेने आणि अपार कष्टांनी, तत्त्वनिष्ठ संत श्री ज्ञानेश्वर विश्व शांति प्रार्थना कक्ष आणि वाचनालय निर्माण केलेले आहे. ही दोन्ही ६२.५०० चौरस फुटाची भव्य स्मारके एमआयटीच्या विश्वाबाबाग कॅम्पसमध्ये उभारण्यात येणार आहेत. त्याच्या घुमटाचा व्यास हा १६० फूट तर उंची २६३ फूट असणार असून तो जगातील सर्वात मोठ्या १३९.६ फूट व्यास असणाऱ्या व्हॅटिकन डोमपेक्षाही मोठा असणारं आहे. नम्र व्यक्तीमत्त्व असणारे कराड आपल्या यशाचे सर्व श्रेय संत ज्ञानेश्वरांच्या आशीर्वादांना देतात.  ते म्हणतात, "जग एक कुटुंब आहे, ‘वसुधैव कुटुंबकम’. प्राचीन भारतीय संकल्पना आहे.  मी माझ्या मातृभूमीच्या वैभवात भर पडण्याचा एक नम्र प्रयत्न केलेला आहे." 

जगविख्यात अभिनेता राज कपूर यांच्या हेरिटेज फार्म आणि मेमोरियल भूमीवर आता एमआईटी, कराड ही जगातील सर्वोत्तम शैक्षणिक संस्थेअंतर्गत जगातील सर्वात मोठ्या व एकमेवाद्वितीय अशा डोममध्ये साधारणतः १५०० किलो वजनाच्या ५४ महान संत, तत्त्वज्ञ व शास्त्रज्ञांचे भव्यदिव्य व सुंदर असे ब्रॉन्झचे पुतळे स्थापन करण्यात येणार आहेत. हे पुतळे घडविण्याचे कठीण काम ९३ वर्षीय सुप्रसिद्ध मूर्तिकार राम सुतार यांनी केलेले आहे.

“संत स्वामी विवेकानंद यांना आणि त्यांच्या कार्याला जाणून घ्यायची संधी मला तेव्हा मिळाली जेव्हा मी माझं गणिताचं पुस्तक विकत घेण्यासाठी दुकानात गेलो होतो.  आणि तेव्हा अनावधानाने विवेकानंदांचं एक पुस्तक माझ्या हाती लागलं. खरंतर सहजच म्हणून ते पुस्तक वाचण्यास घेतलं परंतु विवेकानंदांच्या त्या शब्दांनी आणि विचारांनी मी प्रभावित झालो. त्यानंतर मी संत ज्ञानेश्वर आणि संत तुकाराम यांच्या लिखाणाचे देखील वाचन केले. तेव्हा जाणवले की ते आपल्याला लाभलेले किती मोठे तत्वज्ञ आहेत. डोम मध्ये प्रस्थपित करण्यात आलेले ५४ पुतळे विज्ञान, तत्त्वज्ञान. अध्यात्मवाद, भारतीय संस्कृतीचे मूलतत्त्व आणि जागतिक शांततेच्या विविध पैलूंच्या एकजुटीचे प्रतीक आहेत." भारतातील व जगभरातील महान संत, ऋषी आणि शास्त्रज्ञ तसेच गॅलिलियो गॅलीली आणि आयझॅक न्यूटनसारख्या तत्वज्ञांचा त्यांच्या मनावर प्रचंड प्रभाव पाडला आहे आणि स्वतःच्या स्वभावाचे खरे रूप जाणण्यास व समजून घेण्यास मदत केली आहे.

भारताच्या स्वातंत्र्यदिनाचे औचित्य साधून, संत, तत्त्वज्ञ व शास्त्रज्ञांच्या भव्य व सुंदर अशा पुतळ्यांची स्थापना जगप्रसिद्ध शास्त्रज्ञ पद्मविभूषण डॉ. आर.ए. माशेलकर, ज्येष्ठ संगणकतज्ञ पद्मभूषण डॉ. विजय भटकर, भारताचे कृषीमंत्री डॉ. राधामोहन सिंगजी, बिहार राज्याचे पर्यटन मंत्री डॉ. प्रमोद कुमार, ज्ञानोबा-तुकोबा पुरस्काराचे यंदाचे मानकरी ह.भ.प.किसन महाराज साखरे, शांतिब्रह्म ह.भ.प. मारूती महाराज कुरेकर, महान तपस्वी व साधक  ह.भ.प. श्री. तुळशीराम दादाराव कराड, संत तुकाराम महाराजांचे वंशज ह.भ.प. बापूसाहेब मोरे, थोर जैन मुनी श्री तरूण सागर, धर्मस्थळाचे मठाधिपती डॉ. विरेंद्र हेगडे, थोर मुस्लीम विचारवंत हजरत शेख बियाबानी, ज्येष्ठ पत्रकार डॉ. वेद प्रताप वैदिक,भारताचे माजी केंद्रीय मंत्री आरिफ मोहम्मद खान, मौलाना अब्दुल कलाम उर्दू विद्यापीठाचे कुलपती डॉ. फिरोज बख्त अहमद आणि ज्येष्ठ संगीतकार पं.हदयनाथ मंगेशकर यांसारख्या आणखीन अनेक प्रतिष्ठीतांच्या हस्ते १५ ऑगस्ट पासून 2 ऑक्टोबर या कालावधीत होणार आहे. 

गांधी जयंतीचे औचित्य साधून संगमरावरी दगडाने निर्माण केलेले जगविख्यात डोम मानवजातीच्या कल्याणासाठी जीवनात विज्ञान, अध्यात्म आणि तत्त्वज्ञानविषयक पैलूंमधील विश्वाचे दर्शन जगासमोर उघडकीस आणेल.

जगप्रसिद्ध शास्त्रज्ञ पद्मविभूषण डॉ. आर.ए. माशेलकर, एफआरएस, एक बुद्धिवंत आणि नम्र व्यक्तिमत्त्व. माशेलकर सांगतात की, "एका अभुतपुर्व व्याक्तिकडून निर्माण होणारी आश्चर्यकारक रचना म्हणजे हा डोम व त्या भोवतालचा परिसर होय. कल्पना अनेक जणांना सुचतात पण त्या सत्यात उतरवून पूर्ण करण्याची जिद्द बाळगून इतक्या कमी वेळेत खरंच पूर्ण करणे तितकेसे सोपे नव्हे. मी विश्वनाथजींकडून नेहमीच 'जागतिक शांतता' हे शब्द ऐकत आलो आहे. आणि आता तर त्यांनी अद्वितीय असं जागतिक शांतता ग्रंथालय आणि डोम निर्माण केलेले आहे जिथे जागतिक शांतता कायम राखली जाईल व त्याबद्दल विचारविनिमय केला जाईल."

पद्मभूषण डॉ. विजय भटकर चेअरमन - आयोजन समितीचे तसेच चांसलर - नालंदा विद्यापीठ, आणि जागतिक स्तरावर प्रसिद्ध संगणकतज्ञ म्हणतात की, "जगभरातील अनेक देशांतील शास्त्रज्ञ, धार्मिक पुढारी आणि तत्त्वज्ञानी यांच्या एकत्रिकरणाची जागतिक संसद साक्षी असणार आहे. जगातील अनेक देशांचा यात सहभाग असून धर्म आणि तत्त्वज्ञानात सुसंवाद साधण्याचा ते प्रयत्न करतील तसेच समकालीन वैज्ञानिक विचारांशी एकत्रीकरणकरून नवीन वास्तविक अन्वेषणातून उदयास येईल."

संत, शास्त्रज्ञ आणि तत्त्वज्ञ यांचे पुतळे १५ ऑगस्टपासून एमआयटीमध्ये उभारण्यात येणार आहेत. शाश्वत विश्वशांती स्मारकाचे दरवाजे २ ऑक्टोबर रोजी उघडले जाण्याची प्रतीक्षा सर्वांनाच लागून राहिलेली आहे. मातृभूमीच्या जागतिक शांतीच्या प्रयत्नासाठी नवी सुरुवात आता होते आहे.

The bumble bee can fly!

Out of 120 million population of our country, 6.3% have hearing difficulties and out of that 60% are kids. Out of that, only 5% of the population is getting correct treatment and eventually become self-dependant.

Audiologist-speech therapist Devangi Dalal feels that Instead of treating the rest of the hearing impaired people as a liability to our country, we should work towards creating awareness and with a dedicated approach we should work towards converting them into useful assets of the society.

Says she, “Anyone can have less hearing because of Wax or middle ear problem, cough & cold, sensory neural loss. Wax i.e. outer ear problems and middle ear problems can be treated with medication and surgeries. However sensory neural losses can only be treated with hearing aids or cochlear implants surgeries. These treatments can be given according to the individual requirements and cannot be done across the counter. It is a process one has to go through. Right diagnosis, right technology and proper rehabilitation - right mix of this entire process one can produce wonderful results.”

Adds Dalal, “Hearing and listening are very important for communication. We must know how to take care of it and prevent any damages to it. We take utmost care and due diligence in investing in technologies for TV, Mobiles and other electronics devices but ignore them while investing in right Hearing aids to overcome our hearing disability, which can actually change our lives !!!”

Dalal along with Dr Jayant Gandhi runs the Josh Foundation where she helps thousands of hearing impaired children across India.

Hear The Future

Our attitude can change the future of 63 million hearing impaired people. In most cases, children who struggle to hear can be helped with the correct hearing aid. We need to understand that hearing disability can be a renowned speech impediment resulting in the child being a socially isolated underachiever, something that can be prevented/controlled", says Audiologist, Speech therapist and Author Devangi Dalal, the recipient of Humanitarian Award from the American Academy of Audiology (AAA).

 Audiologist, Speech therapist and Author Devangi Dalal.

Dalal has dedicated her career to improving the quality of life of hearing impaired children of India for the last two and a half decades, and also provides free hearing services that is new digital hearing aids to hearing impaired children, enabling them to speak and attend normal schools. Dalal believes that "a hearing handicap is no longer a handicap", and is currently working at providing hearing impaired children in India the same privileges as the hearing impaired children in Europe and the United States through her foundation with Dr Jayant Gandhi, Juvenile Organisation of Speech and Hearing (JOSH), whose purpose is to educate and empower hearing impaired children.

An atry affair!

Thalassa: An Ode To The Spirit Of The Sea...

In this hot concrete jungle of a metrop, what gives us some respite is the cool sea, the serene sands and the unbridled waves... These wild wild waves inspire artist Sanjukta Arun who captures their essence in her timeless canvases forever.

A management topper who turned homemaker and chose motherhood over management, Sanjukta never let her choice tame her wild side. Instead, she chose to be the inspiration, spelling artistic freedom for women, bound and shackled by their own thought chains. 

The waves in Sanjukta's canvas lash against the rocks, not caring about anything that comes in their way, a life lesson for each of us who wants to break free and soar.

In a way, her works are also of the love play between two lovers whose meeting lasts few moments of time, but their passion keeps bringing them back together. That is a shade of the eternal, diehard romantic in Sanjukta we see transferring her emotions on the canvas.

Says Sanjukta, "I want to portray the sea that most of us don’t see... The wild animal as someone described... What we all see here in the beaches is the tame, calm sea. I look within..."

Sanjukta effortlessly paints the unbridled, unreined wildness, the unrestrained energy of the electric blue sea, in all its resplendent glory. And with time, the tempestuous sea changes its myriad colours and hues, not losing a bit of its wild side, ever.

The freedom to break shackles and bondsjust lash out and erode even the toughest of obstacles, leaving an indelible mark and the salty fragrance that lingers... Tempestuous above, calm within... The sea could well be a woman's heart at its poetic best.

"The sea inspires me, enthralls me, bewitches me... I have never seen the wild sea... These are my dreams," surprises Sanjukta. In a way, artist Sanjukta Arun is the sea she portrays, complete with the sanity and the serenity, yet the wild child with the tempest within.

Artist Sanjukta Arun's show, Thalassa: An Ode to The Spirit Of The Sea, will be on at Nehru Centre AC Art Gallery, Worli, from 1st may to 7th May, daily 11 am to 7 pm.

JOSH Foundation in Mozambique

Devangi Dalal with volunteer and patient in Maputo, Mozambique

Audiologist and Speech Therapist, Devangi Dalal, got felicitated by the Indian Ambassador to Mozambique in Maputo in the presence of the American and Mauritius Ambassadors to Mozambique.

Rizwan Adatia visited India and met us at the Josh Foundation and he had in his mind to conduct and organize a hearing camp in Maputo, Mozambique.

Last year they organized a camp with USA’s Entheos. It was their first project and they found it difficult to screen and fit hearing aids at same time. The camp was conducted in two phases with 4 audiologists. 700 people were screened for hearing loss and out of them, 430 patients were fitted with technologically effective hearing aids. Entheos from USA, Rizwan Adatia Foundation from Maputo (Africa) and JOSH Foundation from India work together for humanity to create Hear the Future.

And then we went to fit the hearing aid to them and see how to make long term plan to help people to hear well.

Out of 400 hearing aids fitted, more than 50 % were on kids and middle age people getting hearing loss because of Mycin drug being administered to treat Malaria and Tuberculosis there.

In the future, awareness camps need to be conducted for all age groups to keep them informed.

She is planning to work with the Indian embassy of Maputo to make a public policy in this hearing health care issue.