brush with stamps
24 AA stamp
is a nation’s pride; it is a nation’s identity…it is not just a small bit of paper – it is almost like an
identity card of a nation, says Oman’s best known Omani stamp designer.

40

Trivia for Kids

Cloth was the single largest import in
the18th century, and tailoring was the
largest trade in any city until the 20th
century. Almost every other colonial
trade also used a needle...

Contents

and reduce
12 Control
prostate cancer risk
Worldwide, prostate cancer is
considered to be quite common
among men. While the numbers vary
among countries, one salient fact is
that not all – or rather, not many –
who get prostate cancer, die from the
disease

Who moved
my news?
By Adarsh Madhavan
You work your back off for a story; make a lot of
compromises, sacrifices, step on so many toes, take
ultimate risks…put your neck on the line…all for a
story, for breaking hot news…you hardly sleep the
night and then feverishly wake up the next morning
to discover that the columns where your sensational
story should have been is filled with a yawning
corporate dribble.
What the heck happened? Where is your story? It
was supposed to appear on the front page…you
saw it there this morning at 1am (when you left the
newspaper office) and now some mumbo jumbo has
happened and it is no longer there! Did they shift it
to some other page? Some important story (although
in the back of your mind, you are telling yourself
what could be more important than YOUR story?)
must have come in at the last minute; just after you
left the office and/or some protocol news must have
come in with a strict instruction that it is meant for the
front page and so there would have been no choice
but to move your earth shattering news breaker to
another page or perhaps if the editor felt it has to be
on page one, to another day…but, why didn’t your
editor bother to call you and tell you that such and
such a thing has happened or perhaps sent you a
message…
You check your mobile to see if such a genuine thing
has happened and there is nothing; no ‘missed’ call;
no messages.
Somewhere inside, your dark heart voices the darker
fear in you that your story has been trashed by your
editor. At the last minute it was pulled out because
they were afraid of the consequences; the fallout of
this ‘nuclear’ explosion that the news breaker would
create. But, the fact that the ‘bomb’ of a story just
went ‘pftttttt’ does not fully register in you, or perhaps
the mask that you are wearing still tries to camouflage
the sinking truth in your heart that in the dead of
night or in the crack of dawn, people, well meaning,
serious, editorial staff who swear by the truth, the

whole truth and nothing but the truth suddenly
develop cold feet and drop the hot story because
in a last minute revelation they are struck by the
realisation that it was going to burn them; harm them.
But, but, but, these points were discussed, argued
upon and everyone had come to a consensus that
the story would go and we were all ready to face the
consequences. And, after all, you were the only one
who has to bear the burden of the fall out; you were
the only one who was going to be abused, beaten and
would have to suffer if the story was published. Even
the editor would not have to bear the brunt of any
fall out; only you, just you, so what was the big deal?
Who made the last minute switch and why? What is
there to fear? A zillion thoughts burn in your head but
your limbs are limp and you don’t feel anything as you
slouch in whatever position you are in as the weight of
a failed attempt to bring justice out to the fore crashes
down on you with an extreme force.
Still whirling under the impact of a ‘no show’ story, you
slowly trudge up to your editor, your face betraying
the disappointment of being cheated of a good story
and the dread that it will never see the day of light
clearly dissolving your resolve. Standing there, bent,
before the editor who suddenly preaches what he
does not practice, you take it on your chest that your
story is not going to go. It was scrapped! Management
decision! Owner feels that it will create problems and
you realise that at the crack of dawn a decision was
made to pull out a story which had all prior approval
and precautionary measures in place. And on a dark
desolate day like the one you are in, stories, which
took months to find, weeks to do and done with such
honesty of purpose and sheer effort are suddenly
sharing the same space as sandwich remains, biscuit
covers, shredded matter…with a lot of rubbish. A
dream can be razed to ashes in a matter of time and
yet, you have to take the beating in your stride and
stand up for yet another day; yet another story, which
again will be fed to the hands of fate…
editor@blackandwhiteoman.com
January 7 - February 6
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Omani women are part of
Oman’s success story
Omani women are really a class apart! They go about
their lives in a quiet and dignified manner and many of us
don’t realise that they are such achievers! The story about
the silver lady (issue 52) is a case in point. Look how, to
paraphrase your story, Nadia bint Said Ahmed Al Rawahi
was “brave enough to take the road less travelled” and
became a woman of her choice. Of course destiny played
a game and luck did shine on her, but she is a woman of
grit who worked her way up! Today, she is a success story!
I sincerely believe that there are plenty of such success
stories in Oman! I also believe that Omani women are part of
Oman’s success story!
Edward Rosario, Seeb

Proud of you!
Ever since the Renaissance, Omani women have made
remarkable strides and are today present in almost all fields.
Proud of you, Omani women! Here is my hope and wish that
you climb to greater heights and bring about bigger changes
to our wonderful country.
Suleiman Al Kindi, Al Khuwair

Reader's column

May stir a hornet’s nest
Dr Rajesh Nayak’s (issue 53) letter may stir a hornet’s nest. And, why not, he has said it right! We are all increasingly
facing a problem of bad service from everywhere. And not just the supermarkets, hypermarkets, quick shops, retail
outlets alone. Everyone, from small shops to big, to taxi drivers to airlines – everyone is giving us bad service. This is
my opinion. If you do not like it, fine, but we are not living in a very customer-friendly environment and more and more
incidents and cases are coming through. I personally feel that we are now getting so thick skinned that we don’t even
bother about the small incidences (insults, uncaring attitude, unprofessional behaviour etc) that we encounter at the
hands of sales staff per se on a daily basis. We seem to be so used to it that we are now moved only when we confront
big issues. So, a currently utopian scene as pictured by Dr Nayak where he envisioned a day “when customers get to
prepare their own bills and manage their payments into the cash register at the billing counters of the hypermarkets”
may become a reality. In actuality, that will certainly bring down all complaints. The day we get rid of these bad sales
personnel, the world will be a better place to live in!
John D’Cruz, Seeb

January 7 - February 6
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Authorities need to look into bad sales personnel
Dr Nayak (issue 53) is absolutely right! I have been doing this at all the major hypermarkets; either the staff are
unavailable, or you won’t believe it, they may just stare at us and act as though it is not their job to do it. I don’t want to
paint everyone with the same brush, but I have found incidents of uncaring acts by the sales teams of many a shop who
are slowly becoming a menace – the authorities concerned at these outlets; and, perhaps, even the municipality can
play a role here wherein their staff can do random rounds to check the behaviour of the sales teams employed in outlets.
Sushma Rajagopal, Al Khuwair

Facebook – boon and bane
Facebook can really connect (issue 52)! I have established
contacts with all of my old school friends and we have now
an exclusive network of our own. For sometime the world
was shrinking because of the net and then it stopped.
With the advent of facebook it is shrinking non stop. But,
then facebook also invades into your privacy! My friends

had many issues with privacy issues. Friends can post
anything about you on the page and it is going to be read
by many others too. Many personal, private issues were
brought out and it hurt my friends to such an extent that
they are off the facebook for good!
Grace Daniels, Qurum

Two sides to every story
Paul Sheldon (Readers forum, issue 52) has a point. But,
he is only right in parts. He is right about the need for
‘adequate’ space in the homes that have dogs. Yet, does
this mean that only people with big homes (read ‘rich’) can
buy dogs? Dog lovers can be poor too!
So, does this mean if you are poor you can’t own a dog?
If you buy a dog and keep it in horrible conditions, it is
a different story. But, if the dog in a small one bedroom
flat is well looked after and loved and is part of the family,
then where is the problem? I personally know of many
labourers who have adopted stray dogs and keep them
in their rooms. Of course, some of them have problems
because they often stay together in bachelor pads and

not everyone is a dog lover in the group and this would
lead to many altercations between dog lovers and haters.
But, in flats where there is harmony, the pets also thrive. I
agree with Paul that we need to check which breeds suit
our requirements and the facilities that we have at home.
Unfortunately, some of the lesser privileged households
often take strays because they rescue them from appalling
conditions on the street. In such cases, they are forced to
look after them and despite lack of space, are unable to
dump them like many in bigger homes and richer houses
do. There are two sides to every story!
Anitha Rajagopal, Ruwi

Mail your views and opinions at
editor@blackandwhiteoman.com

January 7 - February 6
2 0 1 3 9
B&W

Taking stock of your

CONFIDENCE

Are men losing their much vaunted confidence as women have begun to be equally
competent in all spheres? It is a question to ponder although there are quick kneejerk answers. Yes or no, something is beguiling our men. The fact that women have
been over the years proven themselves to be better decision makers maybe troubling
them…but, instead of getting into the usual man vs women aspect, let us look at
some simple facts: there are times when even the most confident amongst us feel
that they are losing their self confidence. There could be a variety of reasons for that.
But, what men need to do if they feel like that is to first spruce up their image.
CLOTHES MAKETH…
You must have heard of the clichéd ‘clothes make the
man’ adage. Well, here goes. It is a fact that what you
look will always affect your confidence. So, watch out for
your everyday appearance. This could be the root of your
problem. Change your wardrobe, make your hair look
better than always seeming to have a bad hair day and
in fact, invest in your appearance with new and better
clothes, newer hairstyle and a visit to the men’s salon and
gym for even a brush up of your face and also the body.
Feel the difference, after!

Oman watch

INNER FEEL GOOD
Since we spoke on the exterior, let us also look at giving
the works for your interior. Say, why not adopt the whole
holistic feel good factor? Get positive and begin from the
mind. Think positive. Go for yoga, or any suitable soul
measures like breathing exercises etc. Also get active on
the social front, become socially responsible, learn to give
and also let go. Begin to understand that there are people
out there in need more than you would ever visualise and
try and help them out. Feel the positive glow already?
MIX WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE
Once you engage in positive thinking and positive
behaviour, try to mingle among others of the same ilk.
Get into a crowd that hinges on positivity and be with
them.
Being around positive people will rub off on you. Within
minutes you will get into a positive frame of mind! When
you are surrounded by happy, smiling faces and laughter,
you will automatically be happy, smiling and laugh!
It is always good to have positive people around you;
those that give you the right advice, push you in the right

January 7 - February 6
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direction and therefore, if the people whom you mix with
are bringing you down, time now to push off into another
direction. Get some new ‘positive’ friends!
LIST YOUR GOOD POINTS
As they say, even the worst have some good in them.
From that premise, let us take off on another course. List
out your good points! Of course you are good at some
things or may be many things and so, let us list them out,
brother! You know why we need to list and actually write
them down? Because, whenever you are feeling down,
you can boost your spirits with a little reading of your
own personal ‘I am good’ book, which includes the good
you have done and also your achievements or personal
milestones. Read them and you will find your spirits
soaring. Enjoy!
MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS
If you have lately been moody, silent and not displaying
the real you in social situations, work and otherwise,
then it is time to drop that sulky pose and start becoming
assertive. Assertiveness has a way of boosting your
confidence and also this feeling will be shared among
others who look up at you. The time has come for you
to take control of situations and this will help you gain
confidence.
No, this does not mean being rude or bossy. Just make
yourself feel tall and brimming with confidence and
decide that from now on, it is you who make the everyday
decisions in your life, including your home, your work
place and in social situations. Do as your innermost
self wants you to do and stop being passive and then
experience the difference!

Control and reduce

PROSTATE cancer risk
Worldwide, prostate cancer is considered to be quite common among men. While the
numbers vary among countries, one salient fact is that not all – or rather, not many –
who get prostate cancer, die from the disease. Earlier statistics reveals that although
one in six men will get prostate cancer, only one in 34 will die from it. The reason for
this is simple: prostate cancer is mostly slow growing (but, there are cases when it
has been fast growing too).
CONTROL AND REDUCE RISKS
Many reasons are attributed for men getting this
disease, but these days there are many more ways
and methods in which you can control and reduce the
risk.
Recent reports state that men who drink “one normalsized soft drink per day are at greater risk of getting
more aggressive forms of prostate cancer”. The
reports quote Swedish studies that reveal a 40 percent
increased risk of prostate cancer among those who
drank plenty of soft drinks or other drinks with added
sugar. Reports also suggest increased risks of getting
milder forms of prostate cancer, which in most cases
does not require treatment. Like they say it is better to
avoid any form of cancer than to try and treat it after it
has appeared, let us also look at preventing it.

Men read

SOME TIPS
• Try and avoid being overweight by resorting to a
healthy diet. Try to introduce a daily regime of walking
and swimming.
• Infusion of water is a necessity as it is vital for health.
It prevents hunger and flushes out toxins.
• Induction of Lycopene, mainly found in tomatoes is an
antioxidant and has shown to provide beneficial effect
on prostate health. Increase of tomato sauce, paste
and even Italian dishes having tomato!
The Isoflavones found in soy beans and its products
such as soy milk or tofu has a balancing effect on the
body’s hormones and can counter excess testosterone,
which can lead to prostate cancer.
Intake of beta-carotene found in carrots and other
brightly coloured vegetables, which can stimulate
T-helper cells which prevent the development of
cancer.
Avoid stress, anger and depression; resist from getting
into damaging emotions. Practice relaxation exercises
or learn yoga.
January 7 - February 6
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2 0 1 3

TOP CAUSES OF PROSTATE CANCER
AGE
Your risk of prostate cancer increases with age,
particularly among men over 65 years old.
FAMILY HISTORY
If a close relative (father, brother) had prostate cancer, it
will increase your risk.
DIET
Men who eat a lot of processed meat, bad fats and
refined grains have an increased risk of prostate cancer,
particularly if they don’t eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
EXERCISE
Exercises are known to reduce the risk of all types of
cancer and men over 65 who exercise vigorously have
been found to have a lower risk of prostate cancer.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS
Exposure to pesticides has been linked with an increased
risk, as has in-utero exposure to the plastics chemical
bisphenol A (BPA) and other hormone-mimicking
environmental contaminants.
CADMIUM
Cadmium exposure will increase prostate cancer risk.
Cadmium is found in foods (shellfish, liver and kidney
meats have the highest levels), cigarette smoke, and
contaminated air and water (particularly if you live near, or
work in, a facility that manufactures batteries, pigments,
metal coatings or plastics).
VITAMINS TOO MANY
Men who consume vitamins excessively could be
increasing the risks of prostate cancer.
…too less and too much
Also, too much, or too little vitamin D – both increased the
risk.

January 7 - February 6
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B&W

WHAT IF
TOMORROW
NEVER COMES
By Bikram Vohra

The most disturbing thing about this end of
the world stuff on Dec 21, 2012 is that I have
a cheque given to me for Dec 22nd and that is
really unjust. What if I cannot cash it?
So, let’s not get too carried away with the
abrupt end of the Mayan calendar I want to
cash that cheque. Maybe they ran out of ink
or papyrus or simply got bored with the whole
thing, like an unfinished painting. Perhaps
the Mayan calendar boss thought okay, that’s
a lot of years, we're cool, let’s go hunting
instead, I am starvin' like Marvin, enough
already.
For all you know, it was his birthday Dec
21st and he thought, that’s neat I’ll make it a
red letter day though there is some lingering
doubt that Mayans would not have known
much about red letter days.
Maybe he wanted to just end the year with the
standard Dec 31 but carved it wrong as a '21'
and threw the tablet in the waste bin and we
are all getting sweaty for nothing.

Sunny side up

My interpretation is that the same fellow fell
in love and then she cheated on him and he
came to know and Cupid’s arrow bit deep into
his heart which then broke as hearts are wont
to do when you are smitten and it was Dec
21st the morn of which she 'dear johned' him
and therefore as far as he was concerned, the
world ended. You know the feeling.
After that he took up farming and though the
Mayan king ordered him to carry on the good
work his heart was not in it and I think it is as

B&W

2 0 1 3

valid a story as all those tales of doom and
gloom and at least it has a touch of romance
and has it ever struck you that maybe the
rest of the calendar got lost or burnt in a
fire(Mayans had fire I looked it up on Google)
or simply stolen and kept for ransom and
some day someone will find it and we’ll have
to pay out on our credit cards again.
So, don’t start packing yet. Pretty silly you’d
look when the sun comes up on Dec 22 and
I am cashing my check and you are inside
unpacking the furniture.
Why did you pack the furniture in the first
place? Good question just in case you did.
Where did you think you were you taking it?
And look at the bright side. All those banks
who aren’t going to get your monthly credit
card payment and what a great time to max
all the cards (that’s only good if the day after
its all kaput, otherwise you are in big trouble.)
Also, don’t be reckless. Like, don’t tell folks
what you actually think of them, especially
your boss because he might still be your boss
Saturday so however tempting it is, hold the
thought. And if you are married it could be
rather hasty to tell your partner all the things
that are wrong with him or her because there
could be a lot of bridge building to do next
week and once said cannot be taken back,
yadda, yadda, yadda.
And have fun Friday because you aren’t going
anywhere…see you Saturday.

O

Leopard
cannot
change its
spots

wall
he
t
ff

By Adarsh Madhavan
There was this ugly, rude and dismissive counter sales guy
at one of the filling station quick shops-- near my office -whom I really wanted to whack. Every occasion that I went
there to get a coffee or some bite, I would be tempted to
really sock this dirty rude man in the eye, get myself arrested
for bodily harming an ‘innocent’ (ha, innocent?) man, do
time and get deported. I was ready to go through hell just
to have the pleasure of walloping such creatures that really
destroy a company because of their ugly, uncaring non-sales
behaviour. Why do they take up such jobs in the first place?
Because they are desperate for a job; but, then slowly over
the period of years as they get used to the idea that they are
going to be around and are not going to lose their jobs, their
desperation sinks in a sea of complacency and arrogance
sets in. Their earlier meek, ever-to-please behaviour soon
evaporates into an unpleasant, boorish attitude and they
don’t care whether customers come in or not and at times
behave as though they were doing the customers a favour.
What they don’t realise is the huge sacrifices that the owners
of such outlets (or any organisation for that matter) to get it
up and running; the loans taken; the risks, the challenges
and daily competition they have to face and the uncertainty
of not knowing whether the wind of luck would blow in their
direction. In their endeavour, they take some people to
journey along with them and as the daily financial jugglery
keeps their hands full, they slowly begin to forget to check if
the team they had taken was doing it right or not. Like this
quick shops for instance. Since it was attached to a filling
station, there was no problem in the footfalls and real-time
customers buy. There was a flow and since the commodities
they sold were in the region of essentials, need and
necessity kept the business going and there was no hard sell
required; there was no need to woo anyone in.
But, there is a need. Such outlets, which had a good public
flow need to keep personnel that are pleasant, nice and
polite, decent and hardworking and with a mission and
purpose to serve. This bulk of a sulking monstrosity had

no such qualities. He strutted around as though he
owned the place and in fact was not even bothered
about any service aspects; he often acted as though
he despised anyone coming in to the shop and
his frowning countenance served as a deterrent to
anyone with any enquiry of sorts. Say, for instance,
you ask: is there a free supplement along with this
paper? He would not even look at you. You repeat
the question and then he would look elsewhere with
an angry face and shrug his broad shoulders. If it
was me whose question got such a shrug, I would
tear the paper to one thousand bits and give him a
confetti shower. Once I remember asking if there was
a particular brand of chocolate and he smirked and
replied before I could even finish my question saying
that if it was not found there, it would not be there!
When I demanded what he meant by that, he just
shrugged and went in. I had one or two interactions
with him and all of them made me reach my boiling
point. Many others succumbed to his whims and
treated him with deference. I couldn’t stand the
sight of him and so, I began to avoid going there. I
heard many others complaining about him and many
told me to complain about him to the management.
I was tempted, but I couldn’t do it because I did
not have the heart to think I made someone lose
his job, however bad he was. But, soon he was
moved elsewhere and I also moved from that office
and the years passed wherein I completely forgot
about him. Then, the other day, maybe after 15 years
or so later, I walked into one of these outlets next to
the filling station and yes, he was there! I couldn’t
resist the temptation and I asked him the time and he
did his famous smirk and shrug. I went home happy!
adarsh@blackandwhiteoman.com
January 7 - February 6
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B&W

New Audi RS 4 Avant and RS 6 Avant
The Audi RS 4 and RS 6 with the Avant body style will be
available for the first time ever in the Middle East when they
arrive in the first quarter of 2013 and 2014 respectively. Prices
and specifications have not been announced yet.
Their character and uncompromisingly sporty tuning is the work
of quattro GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AUDI AG. The
company’s RS models with their powerful engines form the
dynamic spearhead of the model programme. The abbreviation
“RS” stands for the most powerful version of a model series, for
quattro permanent all-wheel drive, for extreme handling, for an
understated appearance and for full everyday utility.

Big Bus tours in Muscat
Big Bus Tours, the largest operator of open-top
sightseeing tours in the World, and Travel Point LLC,
Oman’s single largest Travel Company, have brought
the Big Bus Tours into Muscat. The operation of these
buses was flagged off by Maitha Saif Majid Al Mahrouqi,
undersecretary, ministry of tourism, who was the chief
guest at the launch, which took place at the Royal Opera
House Muscat.
The Big Bus Tours which operates sightseeing tours
in 13 cities across three continents was welcomed
enthusiastically into the Arab Tourism Capital 2012 by
the ministry of tourism, which has been the fortitude to
this venture. “The ministry is working with the government

January 7 - February 6
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and private sector agencies to ensure the sustainable
development of tourism in accordance with Oman’s
Vision 2020 which sees the tourism sector making a
significant contribution to Oman’s economy as well as
a platform to showcase Oman’s rich cultural heritage,
protect and enhance environmental values, and build
international peace through cultural linkages."
The objective of introducing the Big Bus Tours in Oman is
to endorse the beauty of this country to the people of the
world, Maitha said. "We are very happy to introduce Big
Bus Tours to Oman, which will elevate Oman’s standing
as a touristic attraction on the world map, thereby
escalating the influx of tourists/visitors to Oman.”

Haya Water 10th anniversary celebrations
Haya Water – the company responsible for designing, constructing,
and operating water reuse projects throughout Muscat Governorate,
officially inaugurated their modern new headquarters – Bait Haya.
Held under the auspices of Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al
Shihi, minister of regional municipalities and water resources, Haya
Water celebrated the completion of 10 years of activity.Centrally
located, in close proximity of its major STP and Al Ansab wetlands,
Bait Haya will be the nucleus of all major projects undertaken by
Haya Water. Haya Water’s vision is to enable Muscat to become
one of the top cities in the world by building and operating a world
class water reuse system that connects at least 80 per cent of
the residential properties by the year 2018 and brings enormous
environmental benefits to the Muscat Governorate area.

Jebel Sifah offers free berthing

The marina and the marina town
are at the heart of the integrated
tourism complex that Muriya Tourism
Development is establishing. The
waterside setting adds to the
character of the place, transforming

it into an exotic locale. The
stunning 100-berth marina
at Jebel Sifah is set on the
shores of the Gulf of Oman
and provides a gateway to many of
nature’s splendours.
“The marina not just offers berthing
facilities but also presents an
opportunity to explore destinations
that are located at close proximity.
The natural beaches along with the
majestic mountain backdrop add
to the overall allure of the place,”
states Philip A Jones, CMM, senior
director, Marinas. For those who
have a love for nautical adventure,
there is a special offer until the end
of the year. The first 10 early birds

to book berthing space will get two
years of free berthing and the next 10
bookings will get one year free.
In the coming months, the marina
will offer 360º services such as boat
management, engines maintenance,
repairs and much more.
An option of dry or wet berthing
facilities will also be available. At
the same time, the Jebel Sifah
waterfront has served as the venue
for a number of scintillating events on
special occasions and will continue
to serve as a hotspot for recreational
activities in the future as well.

Oman Dental College graduates
Oman Dental College (ODC), the
first and only dental college in Oman,
held its first graduation ceremony
at the Crowne Plaza last month.
Forty- seven successful candidates
received their Bachelor of Dentistry
(BDS) certificates.
Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed Al
Sarmi, undersecretary, ministry of
higher education was the chief guest.
The ODC’s Dean, Dr Rahul Arora,
said, “We are immensely proud of our

first batch of graduates. We salute
them for having the commitment
and dedication to work through this
exacting course successfully. We
also acknowledge the role of their
families in being so supportive of
their education over these six years.”
Dr Mohamed Al Ismaily, chairman
ODC commented, “It has always
been ODC’s intention to play an
active and informed role in achieving
the long sighted vision of His Majesty

Nawras is setting a new standard for telecoms in
the Sultanate with the unveiling of its new concept
flagship store on the ground floor of Muscat Grand
Mall. The vibrant new store is a one stop shop for all
communications needs, providing handsets, devices,
SIM cards, recharge and payment options as well
as specialised services for the home and office. The

colourful, lively design brings the brand to life with an
interactive style designed to provide an unforgettable
customer experience.
After a countdown to 12 minutes past 12 o’clock on 1212-12, Ross Cormack, Nawras chief executive officer,
unveiled the exciting interior and said, “Our flagship
store introduces a new energetic retail environment
showcasing the fun and innovation we are offering as
well as a dedicated business area. The dynamic and
interactive displays invite customers to play games, surf
the web or experiment with the latest products. Our brand
ambassadors make this store all the more special and
give customers a unique experience.”
The new flagship store is open from 10am until 10pm
every day except Friday when it will operate from 2pm
until 10pm.

Omran supports Muscat Youth Summit 2012
For the fourth consecutive year, Omran, extended its
support to Muscat Youth Summit, one of the country’s
most highly anticipated annual events. The summit was
hosted at Omran’s first hospitality venue, the Millennium
Resort Mussanah, where the company also held an
exhibition to showcase a number of its latest corporate
social responsibility initiatives which included the Intajee
program; Intajee Al Mussanah and Salma’s Chocolates,
‘A Journey in Time through the Wilayat’, a book by Maher
Al Zadjali, a promising author and its partnership with
Injaz Oman’s signature programme ‘‘Sharikati’. The
exhibition was held to expand the horizons of 200 youths
attending the summit from across the globe through
exchanging and sharing creative and business ideas.
Eng. Wael bin Ahmed Al Lawati, Omran Ceo said, “The

Muscat Youth Summit has successfully created a safe
space where young people can voice their opinions and
concerns on what matters most, it also empowers them to
make a change that will contribute to the continued social
and economic development of the nation.”

located at the Qurum City Centre.
Highlighting the convenient location
at Qurum City Centre, Mohammed
Suleiman Saleh Al Balushi, manager
of Sayarti Autocare said; “Customers

really identify with the Sayarti
promise to ‘love your car’ as our
experts bring state-of-the-art car
care to each and every customer.
This means friendly and professional
service with our commitment to a
quality job well done. At Sayarti,
our growth strategy is to continue
our network expansion in customer
friendly areas, so customers will find
our newest outlet at the Qurum City
Centre to be a handy location.”

Mustaqbali – NBO’s youth
savings account launched!
National Bank of Oman (NBO) has once again
reaffirmed its commitment to serving the nation by
launching 'Mustaqbali' (which means ‘my future’) - a
special savings account for youth.
The savings account is especially designed to
respond to the banking needs of young individuals
in the best possible way. Mustaqbali will not only
encourage and prepare the youth for a better
tomorrow, but is also a ‘friendly account ’ that will
encourage them to achieve their higher education
plans and career objectives.
Mustaqbali is a direct reflection of His Majesty Sultan
Qaboos Bin Said’s vision towards empowering and
educating Oman’s youth. It also reaffirms the bank’s
tagline ‘ For You. For Our Nation.’, especially since
almost 55 per cent of the total population of Oman is
under the age of 25.
Mustaqbali is offered to all Omani and expatriate
youngsters between the ages of 18 to 25 years.
All youth account holders will receive a free debit
card, credit card, discounted education loans, free
travel insurance for up to $10,000 and free access
to all NBO e-banking services. Upon maintaining

a minimum balance of RO 100, customers are also
automatically entered into the bank’s Al Kanz prize draw. The
higher the savings balance and the longer it is held, higher
are the chances of winning the Al Kanz daily and quarterly
prizes.
Hanaa Al Hinai, NBO’s head - product development, retail
banking said: “NBO’s youth account aims to build a rewarding
savings habit and develop early financial thrift that will help
our youth manage their money better as young adults.Those
seeking a higher education are offered an educational loan at
discounted rates which can help pay for all expenses relating
to their education.”

Ceo of Sarco ‘Brand Builder of the Year’
In a hotly contested international branding forum Ajay
Ganti, Ceo, Sarco (Al Seeb Technical Establishment) was
awarded the much acclaimed ‘Brand Builder of the Year’
in the Individual Awards Category, at the ‘Global Awards
for Brand Excellence 2012’ which concluded recently in
Mumbai, India.
The World Brand Congress is the single largest
rendezvous of the best brains behind some of the world’s
most successful and sought after brands. Participants
from a hundred different countries vied for the top
honours, including entries coming in from the USA, the
UK, Germany, Saudi Arabic, Singapore, Hong Kong and
Oman, besides the other nations representing every
single continent in the globe.
In this major international event over 500 honchos of
the world’s best marketing, branding, advertising, public
relations, brand strategy and corporate communications
put their heads together to pick and choose the
very best in the business across various categories,
companies, countries and brands. Ajay Ganti was
unanimously chosen as the ‘Brand Builder of the Year’
for the phenomenal transformation that he spearheaded
towards the total conduct of business in the company
comprising various divisions like consumer electronics,

home appliances, watches, I.T., office automation,
telecommunication, service / customer care, commercial
air conditioning and projects.
His guidance and leadership fuelled explosive growth in
revenues of 73 per cent between 2006 to 2011 and the
same trend is likely to continue in 2012. Since his taking
over the reins of the organisation in the year 2006, Ajay
Ganti is credited for the turning the organisation around
into one of the most impressive and profitable success
stories of recent times in the marketing and business
landscape of the Sultanate.
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Omantel recognised as best in Mucat Securities Market
Omantel has been recognised
for its continued outstanding
business performance and has
been voted once again as the best
performing listed company in the
Muscat Securities Market (MSM)
at a prestigious business debate
organised by Oman Economic
Review (OER Debate 2012 ).
Omantel was named as the leading
company in Oman for the seventh
consecutive year in the annual OER
top 20 companies – demonstrating
once again the vital role that the
telecommunications giant plays in
the Omani economy, its development
and creating prosperity.
On receiving the award, Dr Al Rawas
said: “We are proud to receive
this award once again and for the

seventh consecutive year.
This recognition from the analysts
and investors is the fruition of a clear
vision, sound financial performance

and our focus on providing an even
enhanced customer experience year
on year.”

WGO holds 10th Crystal Ball
The Women’s Guild in Oman( WGO) held its 10th Crystal
Ball last month at the Al Midan Amphitheatre at the
Shangrila’s Bar Al Jissa Hotel. Addressing the 850 strong
crowd gathered there, Sally Sleep, the president of the
WGO mentioned that in addition to giving support to
ladies who have recently arrived in Oman, the aim of the
Womens Guild in Oman is to raise funds for local charities.
The WGO dates back to 1973 when it started with just
13 ladies and now has 1928 members from 91 countries.
Continuing with her speech Sally said, “Most of us aren’t
rich and famous but we are all beautiful in our own way.
We are also all in the privileged position of being able to
read and write, which is something that we often take for

granted. Take a minute to think about those who don’t
have this ability and what an immense impact it has on
their lives and especially what it prevents them from
doing. This year the Crystal Ball will be supporting the
Lets Tread Mobile Library/Book Bus.”

AMOUAGE MARKS 3OTH YEAR

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H.H. Sayyid Kamil Fahad Mahmood Al-Said, assistant secretarygeneral for the cabinet of the deputy prime minister for the council
of ministers, inaugurated Amouage’s new, state-of-the-art factory
and visitors’ centre in Muscat. The event also marked the start of the
House’s 30th year as it continues to expand its international footprint.
“Amouage today sells in 52 countries and has 4 regional sales offices
across Europe, the Far East and the Gulf. We have 12 international
shops, with the latest openings in Kuala Lumpur, Bahrain and Jeddah,
and countless shop-in-shops around the world. We have seen our
manufacturing levels increase dramatically year-on-year and this is
why we needed to build a facility fit for future expansion plans,” said
Amouage CEO, David Crickmore.
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BADR AL SAMAA

voted as the best

Badr Al Samaa group of hospitals
has been voted as the best brand in
the popular choice for 2012 survey as
in the previous years.
The board of directors P.A Mohammed, V.T Vinod and Abdul Latheef
expressed their gratitude to all those
who voted for Badr Al Samaa as part
of this years’ survey. “We deeply
acknowledge the support and encouragement extended by everyone
all these years. This acceptance is a
reflection of our commitment towards
building a healthier society”, they
said. Badr Al Samaa’s Ruwi centre
was set up in 2002, within a span of

few years it was able to position itself as the largest private healthcare group
in the Sultanate, expanding its horizons to Al Khuwair, Sohar, Salalah, Al
Khoud, Barka, Sur and Nizwa. Badr Al Samaa also expanded to other countries of GCC by starting its facilities in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 2007, Dubai
in 2010 and Sharjah in 2012. Badr Al Samaa completed ten years last year in
the Sultanate.

Diane von

Furstenberg and evian
celebrate life
evian’s latest limited edition bottle
by Diane von Furstenberg will be
available in the Middle East from
November for a limited period, and
reflects a playful celebration of life
and features a nod to the designer’s
iconic mantras with, “Water is life is
love is life is water is…,” gracing the
bottle in her distinct handwriting. Von
Furstenberg drew inspiration from her
personal relationship with evian water

and her own love of life. The result
is a unique design that combines
evian’s commitment to purity with
DVF’s youthful and optimistic
philosophy.
“Diane von Furstenberg is a globallyrecognised pioneer in the fashion
industry through her eponymous
DVF brand and has also established
herself as an icon through her
philanthropic ventures and
mentorship as president of Council
of Fashion Designers of America
(CFDA)”, says Martin Renaud,
president of evian.

Mitsubishi Lancer
Fortis launched
General Automotive Company,
the exclusive dealer for Mitsubishi
vehicles in Oman, launched the latest
star to join the Mitsubishi family – the
Lancer Fortis, at the Motor Show
Oman 2012. The Lancer Fortis,
with its new 1.8L engine, bridges
the current gap in the Lancer range
and is perfectly specified to lead the
C-Segment in Oman; featuring class
leading performance that sets is
aside from its competitors in the market. " General Automotive Company
has emerged as a leading player in

the Omani automotive market as a result of being able to offer customers the
functionality and comfort they desire in a vehicle while still making it attainable,” explained, Mark Tomlinson, general manager of General Automotive
Company. “The Lancer Fortis is the first all-new car from Mitsubishi in over
two years, equipped with a 1.8L MiVEC engine, this new car offers classleading performance at a very competitive price. This is the first in a long line
of all-new models that Mitsubishi plan to launch over the next few years.”
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PANASONIC ePlus
Panasonic, has officially launched
‘ePlus’ - an online portal for
customers in Oman. The move marks
Panasonic as the first electronics
company to launch an online portal
in Oman. The shoppers will have
to log onto the ePlus website http://
eplus.panasonic.om and register
themselves following a simple
process, to avail of the great offers
on site. Once live; the site will provide
some great introductory offers to the
registered shoppers.

“The Sultanate has become one of
the most important destinations in the
Middle East region to attract foreign
investments, and there is a consistent
rise in disposable incomes as well”
said Mr Masao Motoki, managing
director, Panasonic Marketing Middle
East and Africa.
“With the launch of ePlus, Omani
customers can now get immediate
access to Panasonic products online.
OMASCO is proud to be associated
with a dynamic, progressive and
innovative brand like Panasonic.
ePlus adds to the sales channels

ZAHARA TOURS named the best tour operator

Zahara Tours was named the ‘Best Tour Operator of the Year’ at the highprofile Travelex Oman Tourism Ambassador Awards ceremony held recently.
The company was among 10 entrepreneurs and tourism service providers
that shared the spotlight at the inaugural edition of the Awards, recognising
outstanding contributions to Oman’s tourism industry. Attended by the movers and shakers of the tourism industry, the event was held amid the splendid
settings of Bait Al Nahda, part of Muscat’s famed Bait Al Zubair landmark.

already in place across Oman to
reach customers and helps those
customers who are enabled through
the internet to purchase,” said
Michael Hansen, managing director,
OMASCO.

Lending prestige to the event was
the presence of Her Excellency
Maitha bin Saif Al Mahrouqi, UnderSecretary of the Ministry of Tourism that joined hands with Travelex
Oman in celebrating the pursuit of
excellence in Oman’s rapidly growing tourism sector.
Commenting on the win, Gautam
Broota, CEO of Zahara Travel Group
said, “This award is a testament to
the Zahara team’s commitment to
provide our tourists with a memorable and enriching experience during
their stay in beautiful Oman. As
the Sultanate’s leading destination
and leisure management company,
Zahara Tours is committed to playing
a contributing role with the Ministry
of Tourism in promoting Oman as a
distinctive holiday destination.”

Wordpress

BOOK launch
The first book in Indian language in Malayalam that sheds light on His Majesty’s
life, his values and principles, his unmatched qualities that steered the Sultanate of Oman from success to success, is now in Tamil titled “His Majesty Sultan
Qaboos bin Said al Said- Tholainokku Arashiyal Deerghadarshi”.
His Highness, Sayyid Faisal bin Turki al Said launched the 200-page book at
the Bank Muscat Head Quarters after the book was handed over to him by His
Excellency J S Mukul, the Indian Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman. Justice
A.R Lakshmanan, a special invitee from India presented the book to AbdulRazak
Ali Issa CE, Bank Muscat, and to Dr Ibrahim al Kindi, CEO, Oman Establishment for Press, Publishing and Advertising.
Dr V. R Sampath, chairman of Chennai Development Authority spoke about the relations between the two friendly nations. Written by Chithra Narayan and Kabeer Yousuf, author of the first Indian book on His Majesty in Malayalam, the
book brings about a plethora of latest information and a range of old and new pictures that portray HM’s life in black
and white and colour in one of the mostly widely spoken languages of the world.
The book presented by Muscat unique Diamond Ent, is supported by Bank Muscat, Bahawan Cybertech, Petron,
Oman Air and many other well-wishers. The glossy, hard- bound book is printed and published by Oman Establishment for Printing, Publishing and Advertising.
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Stamps today remain as
tangible reminders of
years gone by.
Stamp collecting dates
back to 1840, when the
first stamp was issued
in England. And for many
years stamp collectors
were good sources of
revenue for post offices

TANGIBLE REMINDERS OF YEARS GONE BY…
Almost each and every one of us would have had our
own collection of stamps at some point in time. But,
we can’t say the same for the current generation.
They say you cannot collect something which you
don’t know of, but when it comes to stamps, every
child used to be a collector. Those days are gone and
you don’t see the youngsters of today showing the
same inclination.
Stamp collecting has simply lost its appeal among
the youngsters of today. They are content with
running around with their iPods, iPads and advanced
software. A mere touch can reach them to their near
and dear ones, so who would sit down and pen a
letter, seal an envelope, go to the post office to stick
a stamp and drop it in the boxes? Why go through all
this trouble, they would think. But, we all forget that
this is how it used to be years ago. I still believe that
the old charm of sitting down to write a letter and post
it will never die. Like a piece of art, stamps will still live
on…

In Black & White

In Black...

Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali
Editor-in-chief
My tryst with stamps began when we were in the Gulf
states and my father used to get letters from Oman. He
used to tell us how to remove those stamps from the
envelopes and collect them without damaging them. Put
the envelope in water for a few minutes, my father would
say… when it is soaked, you can get the stamp out from
the envelope without tearing it. It was fun then. Playfully
we used to collect quite a number of stamps from Oman.
I don’t know what happened to them, but I don’t see my
children collecting any…
The B&W team met one of the first Omani stamp
designer, who made a career out of designing stamps
for the nation for the last 27 years. A real time artist and
painter Mohamed Nidham lives in a beautiful world of
stamps, arts and history, collecting every little bit of data
he can… Stamps are a nation’s identity, he tells us.
I only wish the authorities concerned would take
necessary steps to preserve the dying stamp art,
introduce it in the schools for the young kids to learn
about history and culture of not just our nation, but also
the world… otherwise stamps would just be a picture with
a photo caption in a school textbook!

Despite the lack of interest, stamps today remain as
tangible reminders of years gone by. Stamp collecting
dates back to 1840, when the first stamp was issued
in England. And for many years stamp collectors were
good sources of revenue for post offices.

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A brush with

StampS
Stare at a stamp and you are staring at history.
You are staring at the culture, tradition and history
of a country; you are staring at some of the most
precious moments in time captured on a small
rectangular piece of paper and preserved for
posterity. A stamp is a nation’s pride; it is a nation’s
identity…it is not just a small bit of paper – it is
almost like an identity card of a nation, says Oman’s
best known Omani stamp designer.

Mohammed Nidham Al Balushi is bent
on his work table. Clad in white, a kummah
on his head, round silver-rimmed glass on
his nose, a pen in his hand, he is lost in
a colourful world of his own. Behind him,
the wall emanates an orange hue. The
scene looked quite ethereal and striking. If
Mohammed Nidham had painted the whole
scene himself, he would have grudgingly
approved of it.

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We have been standing before him for sometime but
he has not noticed us as yet. A pretty white cat glides
by miaowing to itself. Otherwise, the room is silent. We,
including his wife, Laila Zidjali, wait patiently. The man
is lost in thought. And, we did not want to tread on his
dreams.
After sometime, he lifts his head and gently smiles at us.
It is quite a disarming smile. Like the man himself, his
easy, simple and affable smile strikes an immediate chord
in us.

B&W Xclusive

A painter, stamp designer and philatelist, Mohammed
Nidham has taken several responsibilities on himself.
Yet, he has found a way to juggle them and still enjoy the
process.
OMAN’S FIRST OMANI STAMP DESIGNER
Titles such as ‘Oman’s singular Omani stamp designer’
and ‘accomplished painter’ sits easily on Mohammed
Nidham. He shrugs them off and declares that it is not
easy being a painter or a stamp designer; both took
the most out of him and left him so drained that titles,
accolades, money seemed to have no value during and
post creation. The only thing that seems to drive this man
of stamps and colours is the end result. He has put in so
much of painstaking effort in creating a stamp design or
a painting and he is ready to do anything to bring out the
best. “It has to be good; it has to have that right balance
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– it has to strike a chord in people. Everything else is
immaterial!”
TRUE ESSENCE AND SPIRIT
This is the simple philosophy of a simple man who
has picked a paint brush from childhood and is still as
passionate as ever, despite spending more time as a
stamp designer today. But in his simplicity lies the true
essence and spirit of a real artist who will one day wow
not just Oman, but the rest of the world. While other
artists of his ilk are busy packaging their art, selling,
showcasing and exhibiting their ware, Nidham (as he
is fondly known) is busily creating. Currently, he is off
painting, because he is a fulltime stamp designer, but he
plans to pick up his brush soon.
THE LIBRARY OF STAMPS
We were there at his home in Al Ma’awaleh to learn
more about not just his paintings, but his equally strong
passion – stamp designing. His home is a mini gallery
with his modern paintings covering almost every inch of
the walls. Even the staircase leading to his home studio –
he called it the library, not wrongly though, because of the
huge collection of stamps, personal documents on stamp,
literature, paintings and the like. The ‘library’ itself spoke
volumes about Nidham’s passion as well as his abundant
skills. Socially or otherwise, he kept a very low profile;
was totally unassuming and free with his work as well
as his demeanour. He had that almost self-deprecating

view of his work not because he thought less of it, but,
because as he honestly avers, he had miles to go… “I am
just at the first rung of the ladder – I have a long way to
go; I am still a small student of art, sipping at the edge of
a vast ocean. I need to do a lot more before I can even
attempt to talk like an artist,” he laughs. His laughter is
also infectious.
We went around the tastefully decorated living room
where his fabulous art were adorned on the walls.
Each work drew attention and were live pieces of art
– some betraying his emotions, others portraying his
philosophies, but all, vibrant, and full of life. Embedded
in each painting were his own personal features, his
particular styles and the one that he himself declared as
his favourite among the ones hung there was an exquisite
piece on a luminescent Buddha.
Although diverted by the unusual pieces of art that
adorned the walls of his home, we zoomed in on our
purpose. We were there to learn more about the man,
his stamps and his designs. But, Nidham was not just a
designer of stamps; he was also its most avid collector,
or rather, a philatelist. “Collecting stamps is not child
stuff – it is science!” both Nidham and Laila chorused.
Laila, who has made her mark as a top health official
in town, plays an able assistant, helping her husband
research, document and file his valuable collections.
Most importantly, she plays the role of a patron, always
encouraging her husband to do well in both worlds –

stamp designing and painting. “He has not touched his
brush since some years now as he was totally engrossed
in the world of stamp designs, but I am hoping that he
picks up from he stopped,” Laila said. Their eyes meet
and their lips part slightly in a small smile. Their ardour for
each other also seemed contagious.
A STORY TO TELL
Talk about anything else and Nidham may show very little
interest. But, talk about stamps and his face lights up.
This man is a walking, talking encyclopaedia on stamps.
He knows its history; its culture, tradition and he knows
the story behind each new stamp being issued today,
because he has, in most ways, designed it, or been
instrumental in its design.
We walked around the large work room, library or study
of Nidham as he explained the need and necessity for
each nook and corner. Everything was laid there with
a purpose. He shows one of the oldest stamps in his
collection and as we stood and trilled over it, he pointed
to a simple stamp nearby, which was on a cover: “Look
at this postage stamp. What do you see? If all that you
see is just a small adhesive label that is sold in various
denominations to be affixed to items of mail as evidence
of the payment of postage, then you are not really seeing
a stamp!”
It is much more than a mere hallmark or an imprint,
Nidham emphasised. That usually little rectangular
shaped piece depicting a portrait of a well known
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personality of that country has more importance than just
being an item of mail service.
Each and every stamp bears the culture, tradition and
history of a particular country. It has a specific story to
tell.
STAMP AMBASSADOR
“When that stamp is sent to a foreign country, it acts as
an ambassador. And there are many fine details that you
can learn from the quality and the theme of the stamps;
they reflect the growth and development of a particular
country. The stamp might be put on an envelope carrying
a particular letter, but few realise that the stamp itself has
a particular message, and a story to tell,” says this most
passionate stamp designer of Oman, one of its very first.
Slowly he unveils to us the stamp design tale as he takes
us through the history of stamps here and also highlights
how each stamp was a mini storehouse of culture,
tradition as well as the history of Oman.
WORLD OF COLOURS
Nidham is a serious and passionate man about his
stamps. His sudden irreverence and his full throated
laughter may divert your attention from the fact that this
is an intense man who means business. Give him a
project – painting and stamp designing and he gets totally
immersed in it for hours, days, months. Unless and until
he finishes his work, Nidham remains immersed in this
world of colours.
TRYST WITH STAMP DESIGNS
But, ask him how he got into the world of stamps and
he is quick to say: “By mistake!” The laughter follows.
Of course, we don’t take it seriously. Many years ago,
Nidham used to be employed with the ministry of
education and at that time the then ministry of transport
and communications was looking for an artist to design

stamps. “I joined the postal department at the ministry of
transportation and telecommunications and thus began
my tryst with stamp designs!”
Nidham was already a known painter then and his
artistic flair did help him in the world of stamp designing
to a certain extent, but he added quickly that it was not
something he would recommend. “I don’t want to make
anyone think that if you are a painter or an artist you can
automatically become a stamp designer,” he warned,
adding that both were actually diametrically opposite
worlds.
FIRST OMANI STAMP ISSUED IN 1966
For Nidham it was an entry into a brand new sphere of
life. “There was a senior Egyptian designer who was
there with the ministry since many years. I joined the
department, under him, in 1985.
“Though the postal service in Oman goes back some 150
years, records say that the first Omani stamp was issued
in 1966. Over the years, Oman has brought out hundreds
of stamps, highlighting various national, regional, cultural
and other related themes. New stamps are issued on
every national occasion, festivals and other occasions.”
ART ON SMALL CANVAS
Before the 60s, Oman used stamps of the UK, which
were printed in India and later started using the stamps
from India, until the country started issuing its own in
1966. Stamps and seals are part of a nation’s history and
culture and is a piece of document that can be used to
trace years of communication and correspondence. “It is
like an identity card of the nation,” Nidham noted.
“As an artist, we sketch things, paint, create, recreate and
stretch our thoughts’ limits. But while creating a stamp,
you have to remember that unlimited data and information
has to be captured in limited space and a design has
to be put in place. The image is first drawn on a large

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canvas and then reduced to a stamp size. The sizes differ
according to the theme and essence of the year or with
the ministry that is involved in bringing out the stamp that
year,” the stamp designer said, explaining his metier.
A RESPONSIBILITY
But, wasn’t it quite challenging for an artist like him to
work on a small canvas? Nidham smiled, vigorously
nodding his head. “Most often I am limited to choose a
single important characteristic detail as the centre of the
design and work around it. Sometimes it takes weeks to
create one theme, sometimes more. The art of postage
stamp designing is a responsibility!
I always provide options of a design before it is accepted.
The shortlisted design may undergo several rounds
of modification before production. The life of a stamp
design is optional and could be even limited to a few
weeks sometimes. Like I said, the design of a stamp is
dependent upon the nation from where it is created, the
region where the nation is located and is also dependent
on the international affairs and events governing it at that
moment of time.”
NIDHAM’S FIRST STAMPS
Like most artists, Nidham has not forgotten his first ever
stamp creation. “The initial few designs of the year are
still very vivid in my memory. I had designed a stamp on
Jibreen castle as well as a kids’ theme for Unicef. As an

artist, designing a stamp is not easy. No one teaches you
the art of stamp making. You have to learn everything by
yourself. You have to do a lot of research and understand
the theme of the design, to illustrate it right. Stamp
designing is very serious business. Though the basic
purpose of a stamp is to indicate the prepayment of
postage, a theme is followed based on the significance
of the year of creation, or based on the theme, national,
regional or international.
This work was a different experience for an artist like me.
Though I stumbled on to a career in designing stamps, I
stayed on to learn and create many designs by myself, or
with a team. Not many in the public know what it takes to
create a stamp, and how it is done,” Nidham said.
EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS
Over the years, stamp design has undergone a gradual
process of evolution, traceable both to advances in
printing technology and general changes in taste.
However, the younger generation today may not even
remember seeing or using a stamp as they belong to the
email generation.
While modern tastes tend to favour simpler designs, the
current trend is a return to the old classic style.
“When I started designing, I did it as a career option. I
never thought that a stamp could be so much steeped in
history; and that it had volumes to tell about the culture,
tradition and history of the nation it is created in. It took
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B&W Xclusive
34 December 7, 2012 - January 7, 2013
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me nearly a decade to understand the sheer intricacies
of designing a stamp the right way with the right essence.
For a collector, stamps are real treasures!” Nadhim
enthused.
REAL WORKS OF ART
Since the 80s, the postage stamp design has grown
far beyond the prepayment mark. It has become a real
work of art, inspiring for philatelists, stamp collectors and
those interested in art on the whole. There are a group
of philatelists, who consider stamps more valuable than
anything else in the world. In the Middle East region,
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has an association
for stamp designers and they organise exhibitions
bringing the likeminded together to display and share the
developments in the field. “Two years back, I attended an
exhibition in Sharjah and it was a mind opener for me. A
small stamp is created with a theme, which is depicted
elaborately in six to10 sheets of display, money, energy
and talent utilised to tell the story of the stamp creation.
Internationally, the field of postage stamp designing is
taken very seriously and professionals work together to
create stamps of value in all aspects pertaining to the
interests of not just a nation, but also that of a collector.”
STAMP ON ARAB POSTAL DAY
Oman won a regional competition when a stamp was
created for the Arab Postal day and was used by 22
countries in the region. “Not many in the public will know
about these competitions and exhibitions, unless it is
reported in the philatelic press.
The prize winning stamp bears Oman’s flag, a map of the
Arab World, logo of Arab League and a carrier pigeon.
The picture of the pigeon refers to the way of sending
messages in the past, while the map of the Arab World
indicates the importance of maintaining communication
among Arabs nations in the field of information and
communication technology. “The stamp, designed by
me, won the first place among eight other Arab stamps
submitted to the Arabian Postal Committee in Cairo,”
Nidham said.

BRAILLE STAMP FOR THE VISUALLY CHALLENGED
Oman has always shown remarkable understanding
and care for the lesser privileged. And this is seen in the
stamp making field too. “In 2010, on the White Cane Day,
we designed an absolutely different stamp for the visually
challenged. It was black in colour and was of a bigger
size than the normal stamps. It did not have much of
design, there were no words, only on Braille, some dots
and dashes... It was dedicated to the visually challenged.”
A COLLECTOR OF STAMPS AND KNICK KNACKS
While the artist in Nidham shone through his work,
the collector in him was clear in the array of neatly
documented stamp issues, albums and a host of other
related items. A much travelled man, Nidham has selfposted letters with stamps from that particular country he
was visiting then. Other than this, he was also keen on
mail art, wherein he had drawn quick visuals of a place he
was in and sent it back to his address and he was also a
collector of other knick knacks like chocolate wrappers.
“Do you know that there are so many varieties of KitKat?”
he laughed displaying several unheard varieties. We
laughed along. Like we said earlier, his laughter was also
equally infectious.

& White635
JanuaryBlack
7 - February
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B&W Xclusive

Mail art bring smiles on faces
Mail art is art on postcards or envelopes that you can
send through the postal service. It is a worldwide
cultural movement that began in the early 1960s
and involves sending visual art (but also music,
sound art, poetry, etc.) through the international
postal system. Mail Art is also known as Postal Art
or Correspondence Art. Unlike regular post, this form
of art actually great distances and bringing smiles to
faces in other places. Imagine how loved you would
feel to find a homemade postcard in your mailbox.
You can get as creative as youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like with mail art, but
you need to make sure you follow a few simple rules
so the post office doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t send it right back to you.
36 December 7, 2012 - January 7, 2013
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History of
the postal
service in
Oman
The postal service began in Oman in 1856 with the
opening of the first post office in Muscat. The stamps
used at this post office were Indian stamps, without
any overprinting, and these continued to be used until
December 19, 1947.
From December 20, 1947, Indian stamps were used with
the word “PAKISTAN” overprint on them, following the
transfer of the postal service to Pakistani administration at
this time. These stamps were used until March 31,1948.
However, on the November 20, 1944, two sets of postage
stamps overprinted with “AL BUSAID 1363” were issued
to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Al Busaid dynasty in
Oman.
On April 30, 1966, Oman post was taken over by the
Omani government. The first set of 12 Omani postage
stamps was issued bearing the name “Muscat and

Oman”, the national crest, and the great forts. These
stamps were then overprinted with the present name
“Sultanate of Oman”, the name, which was adopted
in accordance with the announcement by His Majesty
Sultan Qaboos, on August 9, 1970.
Then Omani stamps continued to be issued for various
national and international occasions. Various postal
services incorporating the latest technical procedure have
spread at an ever accelerating rate to the farthest corners
of the Sultanate with the result of (94) post offices now in
operation and (427) postal distribution agency extended
to many inhabitants throughout the country. Local mail is
transported by plane and fleet of vehicles for operation
between the wilayats and the capital to accelerate
collection and delivery
(Source: internet)

Text: Adarsh Madhavan & Priya Arunkumar Photos: Ben

& White637
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7 - February
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Great Bosses
do things
differently
By Dr CK Anchan

Bosses are often the primary reason for
people either loving or leaving their jobs. A
boss is the umbilical cord that connects employees to an organisation. When I look back
today, I feel great that I had great bosses who
inspired me from time to time.
What makes a great boss really? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a tough
question to answer because different people
will define it differently. I thought of sharing
my learning curve.
Great bosses see business as a symbiosis
where the most diverse firm is most likely
to survive and thrive. For them business is
an ecosystem; they create teams that adapt
easily to new markets and can quickly form
partnerships with other companies, customers
and even competitors. A great boss is direct,
but sensitive. He or she realises that communication is essential to build a great and
effective team.

It's my life

Great bosses believe that company is a
community and not a machine; they see
their company as a collection of individual
hopes and dreams, all connected to a higher
purpose. They inspire employees to dedicate
themselves to the success of their peers. A
great boss sits down with an employee right
from the beginning and identifies priorities.
Discusses the performance review, and holds
discussions regularly in regards to expectations from that point on.
A great boss views his position as both a
leader and a coach, someone who educates
and encourages, who leads the team by
example.They set a general direction and
then commit them to obtaining the resources
that their employees need to get the job done.
They strongly believe that management is
service and not all about control.
Great boss stops by and says hello. He
38January
November
7 - February
7- December
6
6, 2012
38 B&W
2 0 1 3

Dr Anchan C.K.
managing director,
World Wide Business House

makes himself available. No matter what he
is doing, when employees speak he will stop
and give them full attention.They treat every
employee as if he or she were the most important person in the firm. They have this firm
belief that "My employees are my peers, not
my children".
They inspire people to see a better future and
how they'll be a part of it. As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the
organisation's goals, truly enjoy what they're
doing and of course know they'll share in the
rewards. A great boss observes his employees to find out what they do best. He talks
to them about what aspects of their job they
enjoy the most. A great boss taps into and
leverages the instincts and skills his employees have.
They see change as an inevitable part of life.
While they don't value change for its own
sake, they know that success is only possible
if employees and organisation embrace new
ideas and new ways of doing business. An effective boss encourages his employees not to
be scared of making mistakes along the way.
It is about opportunity, trying something new
and different, and pushing personal limits.
They see work as something that should be
inherently enjoyableâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;and believe therefore
that the most important job of manager is, as
far as possible, to put people in jobs that can
and will make them truly happy.
I am thankful to all my bosses from whom
I learned the way we can make difference,
hope this article helped give you some ideas
about things you can do to make a positive
impact in the lives of the people around you.
Wishing you all the best and be a "Great
Boss."

By Dave Green

1

2 5
3

4
4
6 5

8
7

3

6
8 3
1
7
3
9

7
5
ÂŠThomas Snyder

2012 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

3

9
2 6

7/06

Difficulty Level

9 6
3

2

3 4
2

7

4

6

5

8

7
8

ÂŠThomas Snyder

9
7
9 3
Difficulty Level

5

6
7

2
5 4

2012 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

By Dave Green

7/07

SOLUTION:
Difficulty Level

5
3
6
7
4
2
1
9
8

9
4
2
1
8
5
7
3
6

Difficulty Level

7/07

7
1
8
6
3
9
4
2
5

3
8
7
2
6
4
5
1
9

6
2
9
8
5
1
3
7
4

1
5
4
3
9
7
6
8
2

4
7
1
5
2
8
9
6
3

8
9
3
4
7
6
2
5
1

2
6
5
9
1
3
8
4
7

2012 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

9
2
5
8
1
4
7
6
3

6
1
7
2
3
9
5
8
4

7/06

3
8
4
6
5
7
9
1
2

8
4
1
5
7
2
3
9
6

7
5
9
3
4
6
8
2
1

2
3
6
1
9
8
4
7
5

5
6
2
7
8
3
1
4
9

1
9
8
4
6
5
2
3
7

4
7
3
9
2
1
6
5
8

2012 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given
numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares
so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same
number only once.

January 7 - February 6
2 0 1 3 39
B&W

Trivia on

shirts &
t shirts

January 7 - February 6
40 B&W
2 0 1 3

Cloth was the single largest import in the18th century,
and tailoring was the largest trade in any city until the
20th century. Almost every other colonial trade also used
a needle. Blacksmiths used a needle to make bellows,
shoemakers and saddle makers used a needle to make
shoes and saddlesâ&#x20AC;Ś
It takes six miles of yarn to make one t-shirt.
Men have buttons on the right hand side and women
on the left because in the olden days men dressed
themselves but women were dressed.
The word 't-shirt' first appeared in the Merriam-Webster
dictionary in the 1920â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.
Tailors only began using buttons as fasteners on shirts
during the 13th century. Before then cuffs were held
together with pins, lacers or fasteners.
In 1939 the first promotional t-shirt was printed for the
movie 'The Wizard of Oz'.
Around 1904, the famous Parisian shirtmaker Charvet
invented the silk knot; typically they are now made from
elastic.
A menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suit jacket has two back vents because back in
the days this was designed for comfort; you wore your
jacket while riding a horse
John F Kennedy wore a two button suit to a televised
debate with Richard Nixon and overnight it emerged as
the look that expressed youth and youthful thinking.

We have been thinking of it since quite sometime now. Finally, we have taken the plunge to bring home to you some
offbeat stuff. Here goes, if you like it, give us the green signal
for more; if not, just take it with a pinch of salt. For this fortnight, here is some nitter natter for the B&W Bitter Batter:

Sorry, you can’t leave
until it is over

Nitter natter

Mystery of the fallen
street lamp

January 7 - February 6
42 B&W
2 0 1 3

Attendees to a recent concert reported to Bitter Batter
recently that they were pretty upset by the organisers
policy of locking the gates once the event began and not
allowing people wanting to go home, out. “Normally the
gates are shut to prevent people without tickets getting
in; but, in this case, people who have paid for their tickets
and merely wanted to get out before the event got over
were rudely told to stay put until the show ended. This was
very upsetting and we think it is quite an unprofessional
behaviour from the part of the organisers,” irate members
of the public who had attended the concert told Bitter
Batter.
“There were people wanting to go home; there were some
others saying that they wanted to take a sick child out,
but the bouncers would not budge! We couldn’t believe it!
We demanded them to open the gates, but they refused
saying that the organisers have ordered the gates to be
closed and opened only after the event got over. We
could not understand why they took such a stance. It was
pretty upsetting!”
After much arguing and once it became a real mess with
loads of people demanding them to immediately open
the gates, the bouncers finally relented. Is there any rule
that once you enter a show/event you have to stay until it
finishes and only then go?

Cases of hit and run are not too many in Oman, but
sometimes the odd ones do creep in. The other day,
one of our readers in Al Khuwair reported a street lamp
being knocked down when they all woke up to a cloudy
rain drenched morning. But, who knocked it down? Since
heavy rain poured down, the natural assumption was
that it could be due to natural causes. But, how could
rain – which poured down, albeit heavily, but only for a
short period – uproot a rock steady street lamp? As many
mulled over this, someone said that it was not the natural
elements that knocked it down, but a vehicle. Apparently,
early morning a speeding vehicle, lost control, hit the pole
on the run and then disappeared without even stopping.
But, even the one who said that confessed he did not
actually see it happen. So, what exactly happened to the
poor street lamp? No one really knows. We have heard
of trees being uprooted in heavy winds, but street lamps?

Save our children
on the roads

Road teasers

Driving deaths have been the bane of Oman. That not withstanding,
there is a stark need to look into the safety of children on the
roads, in buses, in cars…everywhere. The recent tragic death of
a poor Indian student on the road in a school bus accident brings
these issues into sharp focus. It is not about bad drivers alone.
You have to tackle the problem from the source. Weed it out from
the grassroots level. There is a need to bring about a new order
in the scene of driving; among drivers; among the transportation
facilities available for students and there is a stark need for a law
to come into place that will slow down all school bus drivers.
As some parents suggested, the authorities concerned should
start monitoring school buses as a separate entity and stopping
the drivers if they increase the speed even slightly. Stringent laws
are the need of the hour to bring down the spate of accidents and
a new order to be put in place which will save our children on the
roads. This is the fervent plea of all parents in town.

Since we are on the subject of driving and being careless on the
roads, here is a twist to a serious story. A lady whom we know has
reported that she is constantly been the target of attention of a not
to harmless form of eve teasing on the road. No, not when she
is walking but when she is driving her car. The attention is being
thrown on her by the younger lot of drivers, she claims. “Well, not
just by honking alone, but there are some who make funny faces
at me, foolishly wave out, raise their hands in mock salute or do
some type of clownish antic or the other.”
More than an irritation, it is a matter of concern because she feels
that such clowning with one hand on the wheel and the other
employed for such silly action was actually putting the driver as
well as others on the road at risk.
“I often stop my car and blast them! But, they just honk and drive
away!”
However, when enquired about this, many other ladies say that
they have never ever experienced such type of eve teasing on the
roads. “Yes, there might have been some rare occasions when
a tearaway comes behind and chases you off the speed track to
a lower one – but no one has bothered us with such antics (as
described above)!” they said. Well, to each their own! Let better
sense prevail among the youngsters who drive on the road!

(Note: Readers who have something bitter to chatter about can either
email on editor@blackandwhiteoman.com or call 99218461)

January 7 - February 6
2 0 1 3 43
B&W

Your
TAURUS
April 21-May 20

GEMINI
May 21-June 21

You’ve learnt a lot of hard
lessons in life already this week but
you’re stronger and better for it.
Be aware of the hidden agendas
and motives of others when making
plans for the future at work this
week. Team spirit is sadly lacking
these days. Others will always put
themselves first.

Don’t pretend to work.
You’re wasting as much time with
this game playing as you would if you
were really doing what’s required.
Test and exams loom and you’d be
a fool to turn your back on them;
they’re likely to be easier than you’d
dreamed.

Take a long hard look
at your career and sort out the
worthwhile from the wasteful. It’ll be
hard to be so brutally honest with
yourself, but it has to be done. Try
not to over react when you realise
you’ve been quite wasteful in the
past.

CANCER
June 22-July 23

LEO
July 24-August 23

ARIES
March 21-April 20

Someone’s jealousy, envy
or resentment will spoil your creativity
and enthusiasm over trying to make
this week a fun time for everyone.
Misunderstandings over work or
health put the tin lid on it. Cheer up,
Christmas is coming.

There’s no way you can
please everyone this week, so just
please yourself and let them all get
on with it. The new moon at the
latter end of the week puts you in
the party mood, and you’ll be happy
to celebrate others good news with
them.

VIRGO
August 24-September 23
A better working week is put
in place and this could be to do with
the more approachable area the stars
are placing many of the signs in. Is it
wrong to mix business and pleasure?
Not this week, go ahead and take a
chance. Plans which are laid down
this week can make for your most
prosperous year ahead

NICOLAS CAGE (BORN NICOLAS KIM COPPOLA;
JANUARY 7, 1964) is an American actor, producer and
director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising
Arizona (1987), The Rock (1996), Face/Off (1997), Con
Air (1997), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Adaptation (2002),
National Treasure (2004), Lord of War (2005), Ghost Rider
(2007), The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009),
Kick-Ass (2010), and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012).
Cage has been nominated twice for an Academy Award,
winning once for his performance as a suicidal alcoholic in
Leaving Las Vegas. His other nomination was for his portrayal
of real-life screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and Kaufman's

Horoscope

fictional twin Donald in Adaptation.

January 7 - February 6
44 B&W
2 0 1 3

stars
LIBRA
September 24-October 23
Although youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find it hard
to concentrate this week, do your
best to pay attention to whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going
on around you. Stay alert and on the
ball and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let anyone pull the wool
over your eyes. Stress is evident in
your chart but there is much you can
do this week to get rid of it for good.

CAPRICORN
December 23-January 20
What you hear or say
seems to be more wishful thinking or
clouded judgement than actual fact,
so donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t base long term decisions on
how youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re feeling this week. Find
a quiet place to think things through
before stating your case.

SCORPIO
October 24-November 22
Try not to lose your temper
if a partner or child has overspent
their budget. You have finally
realised that a certain road you have
been travelling down is not working
and you seem to be more worried
about the embarrassment that
admitting such a fact will bring.

SAGITTARIUS
November 23-December 22
This week is not really
shaping up in the way you envisaged
it, especially if finances or matters
of the heart are not going according
to plan. Its not a good time to make
firm decisions. Wait until after the
weekend as stress will ease.

AQUARIUS
January 21-February 19
Your goals and objectives
seem to have become quite blurry
recently, mainly because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had
so many responsibilities to tend to
that plans have lost their edge. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t
worry. Everyone is caught up in the
Christmas bandwagon. Start again
after new year.

PISCES
February 20-March 20
Energy levels are all over
the place. You must try to stop talking
in riddles and start telling your friends
the facts, or you are never going to
get the right advice. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe all
your hear on the career front or youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll
make yourself quite ill as you think
too deeply about whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and ifâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and
butâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of a situation.

E-r-r-r we are
still around
Vandana, award winning author
(‘360 Degrees Back to Life')

By Vandana Shah

The world was supposed to have gone kaput on December 21, but here we
are and another year ahead of us. How about that? We still have the world
to us, we are still alive and kicking and enjoying another day in this beautiful
Universe.
Maybe this is the best time for us to crack open the safe vaults of our heart
and bring out all our good intentions of helping those who need our help and
there are so many out there.
Some of them we know within our family and they may be vocal about their
problems and ask us to support them. Some in fact are silent and we could
volunteer to bail out. I know that I tried for 13 months of trying to patch up with
my sister who was very angry with me for a various reasons and you know
what changed the tide in my favour? I genuinely helped her about 2 weeks
ago when an opportunity arose. I put aside my anger, hurt and that stupid ego
and went all for it and no prizes for guessing the outcome .She was one of
the first few people to call me and wish me on New Year’s and it’s like the ugly
past never happened.
What about extending a helping hand to strangers for a small or a large
cause? India has in the past two weeks been shaken, stirred and saddened
by the bravery of a young 23 year old girl (coined Nirbhaya-the fearless oneby the press). Absolute strangers, have accepted her as their own, have put
their lives on hold and taken to helping her cause and have succeeded in
make her voice heard.
Maybe it is our good intentions that have saved the world and debunked the
doomsday prophecy. So let’s act on those and have many more ‘’ New Years’’
to come.

Vandana Shah, Author 360 Degrees Back To life, editor of Ex-Files. www.vandanashah.com.
Email me what you’d like to say on 360degreesbacktolife@gmail.com
Follow me on twitter Vandy4PM

JanuaryBlack
7 - February
& White 649
2 0 1 3 49
B&W

I beat

STRESS
By Mandelene Bogata

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so can you!

Opinionated

If you have struggled with stress like I have, then, you will probably know what I
am talking about. My previous bout with anxiety and stress makes me a little more
qualified than many to drive home some essential points about stress and how to
beat it. My experience may now be the same as yours but my simple methods have
helped many and so I wanted to stress (oh, why should we use this word?) on some
age-old, time-tested defense mechanisms to keep stress at bay.

January 7 - February 6
50 B&W
2 0 1 3

Do you suffer from stress? Well, admitting that you
are stressed is the first obstacle to tackle as some
of us don’t admit it, or don’t know that we do have
stress. Like I did, for instance! At that time I got
stress, I had just broken up with someone whom
I knew since a long time and it was like tearing a
precious part of my life out and I sank into the stress
world without a trace. But, I had no clue this was
what was happening until I actually broke down in
the middle of a silly fight in my office and everything
went crazy. It was only when my senior friends
analysed my behaviour for the last few weeks before
this breakdown that I was gently told that I was
suffering from immense stress and I needed a break
– not a break down!
So, I took a break from it all, in fact, moving out of
town and took up a new job; complete change of
scenery. But, this is not what I would advise you.
Within a week or two, I was totally back to normal
and in fact, I realised what was the key points one
should adhere to if you are stressed out. I did it, I
beat stress, so can you!
SOUND OF SILENCE
Yes, get away from sound and anything remotely
connected to it. What I mean is that you need to
first find a spot in your home, away from people,
away from sound and a place where you can
be totally private and totally alone and at peace.
Once you find that corner, then let yourself free
from everything. Empty your mind and relax. Try
to meditate for an hour or two. Try some simple,
slow breathing. If you already know some breathing
techniques, try that out, or, otherwise, just close
your eyes and breathe. It may feel silly, it may feel
difficult, but after sometime, you will slowly begin
to feel at ease. But, try to keep sound out as far as
you can. If it is too much for you to meditate for a full
hour and more, then, stick to at least 20 minutes. It
will slowly do you good!
FINDING YOURSELF
Where has all your self respect gone? Are you
forever saying yes to everyone and have you
lost your drive and passion to work? Yes to all!
Unfortunately, people around you are not as helpful
as you may think. If they are, well, you are lucky!
But, if not, it is time to put a stop to people taking
you for a ride and not bothered about you.
Say no, when you have to say no. Say it without
guilt!
Open your eyes; open your mind to what YOU want!
Don’t take the burden of the world on your shoulders

– let go! Don’t try to do everything! Most importantly,
try to find time to do the things you want to do. And
for that you are going to cut down on all useless,
unwanted meetings and work. Organise yourself
and cut out the frills and then look at all the time you
have with yourself, with you want to do. Enjoy!
PROBLEM SOLVING MANTRAS
Now, there are times that some kind of problems or
challenges would still come into your life. I mean,
there is no escape from problems, challenges and
issues. It will happen, and it has to be faced, there
are no two ways about it. But, then, there are easier
ways to face them than you have before. Self talk
and self affirmations can really work. While you
may come across many self affirmation words and
mantras, I would think that the best approach would
be to think one up yourself. Something on the lines
of, “yes, I can do this; I can overcome this; I am
going to be calm and let this storm pass…” if you
find a line that suits you and if you learn to repeat
it like a little prayer, you will find that most of the
challenges can be overcome. What really happens
is that because of the anxiety you face, you are
tensed up the moment a problem confronts you.
But, if you treat a problem with the understanding
that it deserves, you will be able to confront it better.
What is the biggest problem that you are going to
have? Will you drop dead because of it? No way!
Let it happen! You will find a solution. Keep yourself
mentally tough and nothing will shake you from your
resolve to be strong when confronted by a problem!
YOU ARE POSITIVE!
What I meant by the above is the little secret of
being positive. It is high time that you understood
the sheer power of positive thinking. Let the
negative clouds come and rain down on your
parade. But, blow these clouds away. It is very
simple. Switch off when negative thoughts hit you
and slowly, inch by inch, you will find that you have
the power to ward off your negativity and replace it
with positive thoughts. Go on and on thinking about
positive means to your life and it will work out. I am
positive!
Thanks to the number one best seller ‘The Secret’,
the power of positive thinking got a bad wrap, but it
worked for me. By turning the negative thoughts I
was having about myself into positive affirmations
I started feeling better about myself. The simplicity
of: “I am an intelligent and valuable person” is very
powerful. Find one that suits you and write it down.
Read it as often as you need to.
January 7 - February 6
2 0 1 3 51
B&W

Women
exercise

In general, women tend to exercise lesser than men. And this is cause for concern
among some. It could probably be a gender issue. Some say women are unable
to lose weight easily because of their slow metabolism and this is why they tend
to exercise less. These women tend to lose interest in exercise because, as they
complain, “no matter how much I exercise, I just cannot seem to lose weight”. And
when they try to lose weight and don’t, they begin to despair.
Also, exercise makes all of us to want to eat more. Unfortunately, this affects women
more than men and as we said earlier, a woman’s metabolism is slower – actually
almost a third slower – than a man’s and this combined with their increased food
intake could lead them to the brink of despair. But, this does not make them exercise
better or even propel them to begin exercising.

Opinionated

MANY HEALTH PROBLEMS
But, women need to take care as lack of exercise is going to not only make
them gain weight, it will bring about cardio-respiratory problems, lack of
flexibility and stamina, plus the risk of diabetes and other chronic conditions.
Now, this affects women in a different way than men and this is what this
article is all about.
January 7 - February 6
52 B&W
2 0 1 3

NOT 30 BUT 60
Studies have found that high activity levels leading up
to middle age meant that women gained less weight per
year than they would if they did not exercise. Men also
gained weight (per year), but dramatically lesser than
men. However, to quote reports, â&#x20AC;&#x153;researchers have found
out that once you actually hit middle age and have not
been active before, the suggested 30 minutes a day of
physical activity may not be enough to shift the weight in
women, and even 60 minutes a day may not be enough
to shift the weight in men, based on earlier studiesâ&#x20AC;?.
ACTIVE ONES GAIN LESS WEIGHT
Also, it has been found that women are known to benefit
more in the long term from greater physical activity than
men. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Active women were shown not only to gain less
weight but also fewer inches around the middle,â&#x20AC;? reports
note.
PULL UP YOUR SOCKS
All of these simply prove that women need to pull up their
socks and start exercising in earnest.
New studies have also shown that women need at least
an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moderate exercise a day to prevent weight gain
as they age. These studies are opposed to earlier ones
which said moderate half an hour exercises five times
a week were sufficient. In fact, these studies note that it
was better for middle aged women to exercise 60 minutes
a day, or 420 minutes a week, so as to prevent weight
gain.

However, women at a normal weight who consume a
normal diet can beat middle-age weight gain by working
out intensely for 30 minutes a day, whether by running,
cycling, swimming laps or working out at a gym.
Weight gain can also be prevented with 60 minutes of
moderate activity, such as walking, a leisurely bike ride
or playing catch, reports said. In short, women need to
get an hour of moderate exercise daily to maintain control
over a healthy body mass index (BMI).
An hour, you would say. But, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t press the panic button.
It mean an hour of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;moderateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exercise, which means,
brisk walking. But, if you are doing more intense exercise
then you may drop down the time to about 30 minutes/
half an hour. Yet, make it a daily commitment. You just do
it because it is your life and with young kids around, you
need to do it as a responsibility â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for them. To be around
them when they need you the most!
EVEN 60 IS NOT ENOUGH FOR OBESE
And for overweight or obese women, even 60 minutes of
exercise a day wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to maintain weight, thereby
pointing out to the fact that calories need to be cut.
WORKABLE EXERCISE SCHEDULES
Try to find a workable exercise schedule and stick to it for
life. If you are having children and they are just growing
up, it is then your responsibility to make sure that you are
going to be around for them. One of the many ways to
ensure that is to have regular exercise. An hour, that is!

Ma, money does grow on trees!
It does, it does! Technically you are
wrong when you tell money doesn’t
grow on trees.
The currencies come in papers right?
And where do you get the paper?
Trees ma, trees, she was gleeful.
She was totally excited that she
caught me on the wrong foot
Before I could splutter a few words to
justify, she was on to the next line.
I want money, ma and it is for a good
cause.
If only I could make some money…
she had a serious frown on her face.
I meant money doesn’t come free, it
is an expression, I explained feebly
Ma, nothing in this world comes free,
I know that.
But, give me some money, she
negotiated.
What is with these kids nowadays?
They know their words, their way
and seem more mature than they
should be. They claim they are cool
and look cool too. I would have never
negotiated with my parents, I still
don’t!
Clutching a few notes in her hand,
she brooded. Everyone wants money
and they are all going to kill the trees,
she actually sounded worried.
Why don’t they stop making paper
money?
It is not good for the environment.
Whoever thought of paper money
actually has killed us all… she
philosophised.
Maybe we should have virtual
monies, what say you?
I pinched myself; it is time to think
before you speak.
It is not easy to have a dialogue with
the younger generation. They are
never impressed.
And they have an answer to

everything.
When I was a kid, I listened patiently
to everything my parents told, from
a simple bedtime story to the history
to the unending stories of the Indian
epics. My dad told us stories of the
world, and life experiences that I
listened to without batting an eyelid. I
loved stories, I still do.
I never questioned the credibility of a
story, I always visualised the scenes.
Probably we came from a generation
that was impressionable.
And because I grew up with stories, I
had an active mind, and it taught me
a little righteousness.
Even if it meant learning from dead
old history! Probably the busy
schedules, working system, and the
modernity is taking away the time to
sit and talk to your youngsters, pass
on what you got from your elders.
It used to be a ritual, part of every
childhood. Not anymore.
Childhood is filled with graphics,
mobiles, downloads and reminders!
The word righteousness sound
prudish today, it even seems
nonexistent.
Not that I am fond of it. I loathe it all
too– ‘holier than thou’ testimonies,
the long do and don’ts checklists
and finger-pointing; but don’t we all
need some measure to live by? Don’t
you think the art of right living is to
develop true goodness without falling
into the trap of look-how-good-I-am?
Who wants to be a ‘goody two
shoes’, ma? If you want to be cool,
you need to go with the flow, ma.
Well, you can be as you want to be,
there she goes again…
Sigh! I do sound prudish today, and
outdated."
priya@blackandwhiteoman.com