Tha ThaLIFESTYLE

Tha
Tamil lifestyle magazine from Great Britain
ThaLIFESTYLE
Nov - Dec 2013 • Vol 01 : Issue 01
www.Tha-lifestyle.com
Shop Saree
Online
Do we really know
What our
Children
are going to be in
the future?
iPHONE
GETS
TAMIL
TOUCH
Simple Guide to
Tamil Hindu
Wedding
Lego to
Linux:
Programming
for Kids
Recipe : Pineapple Chicken
How Good
are you in
British Slangs?
Also in this issue....
• Newly launched Help t buy Scheme
• Love your Pets? Then Care Them
• Tamil Telecom Tycoon
• Enters the Real Estate market
LOOK INSIDE FOR MORE
Tamil MI 7
London Baba’s
New release

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2

content
06
Iphone gets tamil touch
How to get your Tamil keyboard with latest iOS7
updated on apple devices
07
Newly launched ‘Help to Buy
Scheme’
Newly launched ‘Help to buy’ Schoeme by UK
government. Learn more here
08
Love your pets? then care them
Advice from veterinary surgeon on pet care for
pet lovers
16
simple guide to tamil wedding
Learn about Pre-wedding day customs and
traditions of Tamil weddings
12
yoga for human excelence
Simple Kundalini Yoga and its benefits
14
Starting your own business
A guide to start a new businesss
18
Clicked
Picture gallery from Tamil Photographers
19
Cinema corner
Tamil movie times and reviews
20
why our children are under
pressure?
Experienced High School teacher analyses the
pressure on Tamil children by parents
05
Tamil Telecom Tycoon
Enters the Real Estate market
Featured news about Lyca Mobile’s expansion
into London’s prime real estate industry
22
28
Parental engagement
Experience of a young father and his views of a
role of parents
Child can be free from dental
disease for life time
Oral Health awarness series from a Dental
Surgeon for your children
31
An archive for Sri Lankan Tamils
in Expatriate countries
01

tha lifestyle | EDITORIAL
Editor’s wall
Hello ! First step with fist bump…
As the British Autumn arrives and leaves fall from the trees our magazine sprouts
upwards like a seedling in Spring from bare land, shooting up to the sky. It has long been
a dream of mine since I arrived in United Kingdom to create a forum where the many
and varied lifestyles of the modern Tamil community could be reflected and captured,
with voluntary contributions of stories and pictures from across our community,
supported by successful ethical businesses.
As a diaspora spread from the South Asian continent over the last few decades Tamils
have settled in many countries, mingling and mixing with all communities, bringing
their skills and traditional hardworking attitude and a desire to contribute. Our new
generations collecting modern educations along the way are becoming a powerful
nation.
The huge changes in lifestyle for Tamils born in South Asian tropical lands, with its yearround
supportive farming climate , coming to the industrial countries of the developed
West have transformed our nation and ensured it will continue to prosper everywhere
with time.
As we look back on the changes in our lifestyle coming from Jaffna to London, we can
all plot a steep learning curve of social, cultural and economic change. I have loved living
and working in Great Britain for its tolerance and kindness and hospitality. And I see my
friends, the people contributing to this magazine and all the other Tamil professionals
and artists out there as role models who can inspire, educate and be the foundation of
a great nation.
We hope this effort from the team and all the voluntary contributors will be a magazine
of our lifestyles to set an example and inform and entertain our readers. We want it
to provide a platform for all ages to say something that expresses their feelings and
aspirations. Our busy full time working lives are the very stories we wish to see and tell
here every month in Tha Lifestyle.
We begin this journey firmly believing that whether you are a pupil, a student or a
teacher we want to hear from you all. No matter if you have a part-time or full time
jobs or are self employed, an apprentice or a businessman, we want to hear from you all
with your stories, and your pictures too if you have them.
Tha Lifestyle is your magazine, your free platform to reach out through print and on the
internet and eBook stores to tell your own Tamil story to millions of people
Sujay
Sujatharan
Tha Editor
Tha Team
nimalan
tharmalingam
Tha Graphics manager
Satheesan
Thanabalasundaram
Tha Marketting Manager
Bala
Thavapalan
Tha IT Manager
editor@tha-lifestyle.com submit@tha-lifestyle.com contact@tha-lifestyle.com info@tha-lifestyle.com
Stephen Jeyaseelan Gajanthy Gobiraj Johannes Shanmugam
Nithiyananthan Partheepan Sachin Sakthivel Dr SS Balachandran
Raguraj Anthuriya Rajan Bharathan Ariryaratnam
Nimalan Balan Thava Vani Thavapalan
Anton Gangakumaran Vara Suntharalingam Trisha Sundaralingam
N.Selvarajah
Parani Tharmakularajah
02

tha lifestyle | Business & Finance
Tamil Telecom Tycoon
Enters the Real Estate market
The British Tamil Tycoon who is behind the world’s
largest cheap international call network, Lycatel
Chairman Subaskaran Allirajah, has purchased the 3.7-
acre Thames Quay in Docklands from Columbus Capital
Management in an £82 million deal. The move is his first
entry into British real estate investment.
The site currently holds four fully occupied
office buildings and has very good potential for
redevelopment.
The Ceylon Tamil born, ex- British Telecom tycoon is
ranked 434th in the Sunday Times Rich List with a
£180m fortune, and he saw off competition from seven
other bidders to secure the site.
Architects Robin Partington has already designed
four residential towers
of up to 47 storeys,
incorporating a 100,000
sq ft hotel and a
246,000 sq ft office
building.
The group’s main
company Lycamobile,
which is already based
at Thames Quay owns
Independent House,
the ISIS building, the
Walbrook building and
197 Marsh Wall
Subaskaran
Allirajah
Born : 2 March 1972 in Sri
Lanka
Group Founder and
Chairman of the Lycatel
and LycaMobile Groups of
companies.
Worth £180 million
Lives in London Chigwell
Lycamobile also bought Drewry House at 213
Marsh Wall, which it plans to use as overflow
space.
Since Lycatel Group was founded in 2004 it
has developed operations in 16 countries and
a subscriber base of more than nine million
customers.
In an attempt to expand his business areas
International MVNO Lycamobile has recently
bought the Red Steel cricket team, which
represents Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean
Premier League.
In an interview regarding the purchase
Subaskaran Allirajah said: “We are incredibly
excited to support the Trinidad
and Tobago Red Steel team from
the very beginning of their journey
and look forward to growing
with them through the exciting
tournaments to come.”
The Caribbean Premier League
is an annual Twenty20 cricket
tournament held in the Caribbean
by the West Indies Cricket
Board. It was created in 2013
and replaced the Caribbean
Twenty20 as the premier cricket
competition in the Caribbean.
03

tha lifestyle | INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY
iPHONE GETS
Upgrade to iOS7
THE TAMIL TOUCH
Apple’s latest operating
system iOS7, could lead to a
dramatic shift in the nature
of user-generated content as
it included the two in-system
Tamil keyboards. The iPhone ,
iPod and iPad users who
upgraded to iOS7will enjoy
the new user friendly Tamil
Keyboard as they quickly
change the keyboard by
pressing the key .
Already the Tamil keyboard is
available in other smartphone
platforms, most notably
in some Android Devices.
Apple’s inclusion of Tamil input
keyboards is significant for the
developer community who
still view it as the preferred
platform for publishing ‘paid-for’
apps over others.
The Hindu notes that Apple
brought on an experienced
maker of Tamil keyboards,
Muthu Nedumaran, who’s
known for making the Sellinam
keyboard for Android and iOS.
The iOS 7 upgrade will bring to
eligible Apple mobile devices
two keyboards ; ‘Tamil 99’
which will display Tamil scripts
and ‘Anjal’ a phonetic keyboard.
Both of which are developed by
the same team as ‘Sellinam’.
This will enable users to type in
Tamil directly. One of the areas
it could improve dramatically
would be ‘News Apps’ where
users will be able to type in
Tamil keywords. This should be
a big boost for Tamil-speaking
iOS users in India, Malaysia,
Singapore and Sri Lanka.
HOW SAFE ARE YOU ON
FACEBOOK ?
Who can see your Facebook
updates ?
Everytime you post a
status update on your
Facebook page, you have the
ability to control who can see
it.If you make it “Public” then
that actually means you have
made the status update not
only viewable by everybodyon
Facebook, but also everyone
not on Facebook as well.
Who can see your future
and past posts ?
You should also use Facebook’s
privacy settings to adjust who
can view your future posts,
take the opportunity to review
past Facebook posts you have
made, and limit the audience
for past posts that may have
been accidentally shared with
“Friends of Friends” or “Public”
Which Apps can access your
private information?
Many Facebook users
aren’t aware that – unless
you have locked down your
privacy settings correctly – the
apps, games and websites
that your *friends* use can also
access your personal details,
photos and updates.
Why Post private stuff on
Facebook?
Facebook is going to find
it a lot harder (although
not impossible) to expose
your personal and private
information to others if you
never share it with the social
network in the first place.
Who Can Tag you on Time Line?
Facebook provides
additional privacy settings
which you should spend time
checking to better protect
yourself online.
04

tha lifestyle | Business & Finance
What is Help To Buy
Scheme and Is it
only for Newly Built
Properties?
The answer is NO. Help to buy
scheme is designed for both
pre owned and newly built
properties.
There are two kind of schemes
a government equity loan of
20% of the purchase price plus
a traditional mortgage.
Mortgage Guarantee: The UK
government has extended
its Help to Buy Scheme in
October 2013 to make it
possible to purchase any
property whether newly built
or pre owned with just 5%
£600,000. Participating Banks:
RBS/NatWest and the Halifax.
Santander, HSBC, Virgin Money,
Lloyds, TSB and Aldermore
all saying that they will start
offering products by the start
of January 2014.
Equity Loan: Currently only
applicable for newly built
Newly launched
‘Help to Buy Scheme’
have been introduced
by the Government, and
the Mortgage Guarantee
Scheme is available for
both pre owned and newly
built properties. The two
B Niranchan, MBA BSc
Estate Agent and Founder of
Touchwood Homes (UK)
(T: 020 8574 0270)
twhomes.co.uk
properties with participating
home builders and lenders only.
In this scheme the Government
will lend 20% of the property
price as a long which is payable
when you sell the property or
available schemes in the market
are,
1.. Mortgage Guarantee -
available on both pre-owned
and new build properties with
a standard mortgage of up to
95% of the purchase price.
2. Equity Loan - available on
new build properties only using
deposit. The government will
make guarantee the 20% to
the lender, and this scheme
is currently possible through
participating lenders only. This
scheme is available to both
existing home owners and firsttime
buyers with a deposit of
just 5% and available for both
pre owned and newly built
properties up to the value of
when the mortgage comes to
an end. You will need to arrange
the mortgage of 75% LTV to
cover the rest. You won’t be
charged loan fees for the first
5 years of owning your home
but on the 6th year onwards a
fee will be charged coupled with
RPI.
05

tha lifestyle | Pets & fAMILIES
PET CARE SERIES : PART 1
Love your Pets?
Then care them
Dr. S. S. Balachandran
Former Director General at
Department of Animal
Production and Health, Sri Lanka
Pets have become a very important part of our families.
In many cases they have become as much a part of
our lives as children or grandchildren. Pet dogs are usually
companion dogs especially to elderly people. Recent
studies also show that Pets can improve your mood,
Control blood pressure better than drugs, Encourage you
to get out and exercise, Stave Off loneliness and provide
unconditional love, Can reduce stress, sometimes more
than people etc.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the pet owners to
keep their pets healthy and happy. So have to pay special
attention in giving them proper food and in their health
care..
FEEDING
Feeding your pet should be one of the easiest things you
do. Pick a name brand that you are familiar with, feed
puppy food to the young ones and adult foods to those
generally over six months of age. Consult your Veterinarian
on what to feed when they get past middle age. Most of
the diets out there are fine and our pets seem to thrive
well on nearly all of them.
HEALTH CARE
Vaccinations
Vaccination protects your dog against various
diseases which can cause pain, distress and are
often become fatal. Vaccinating your dog will give
you peace of mind knowing that you have provided
protection to your pets. In addition to safeguarding
your own pet from diseases, vaccination also
prevents diseases from being passed on to other
animals.
The vaccines are commonly used to protect our
pets from
»»
Canine parvovirus
»»
Canine distemper virus
»»
Leptospirosis
»»
Infectious canine hepatitis
»»
Rabies.
Pets should receive a ‘primary’ vaccination course
early in life, followed by ‘booster’ vaccinations
throughout their life.
Know the Law!
Controlling your dog in public It’s against the law
to let a dog be dangerously out of control:
a) in a public place
b) in a private place
where the dog isn’t allowed to be (eg a
neighbour’s house or garden without
permission)
The law applies to all dogs.
Recent studies also show that Pets can improve
your mood, Control blood pressure better than
drugs, Encourage you to get out and exercise,
Stave Off loneliness and provide unconditional
love, Can reduce stress, sometimes more than
people
The primary vaccination course for dogs varies with
the type of vaccine used.
The first vaccine can sometimes be given as young
06

tha lifestyle | Pets & fAMILIES
as six weeks of age, with the second usually given
two to four weeks later.
Booster vaccinations are needed because the
body’s immune response gradually fades over a
time. They are often given every year, depending on
the type of vaccine.
Puppies should be vaccinated before they mix with
other animals.
External and Internal parasites
Internal parasites – Worms
The most important internal parasites are
Roundworms, Hookworms, Tapeworms and
Heartworms. They have been known to cause
blindness and, in rare cases, even death.
Zoonosis is a medical term for diseases that can be
transmitted directly from our pets to us. Therefore,
be sure your pets and their environment are as
worm free as possible.
The most common way these worms get
transmitted is when dogs defecate in garden beds
or sandboxes, and children come in contact when
playing, or adults when gardening. Beaches can be
another source of these creatures. Tapeworms
are transmitted via fleas, and heartworms can be
transmitted by mosquitos.
Therefore, make sure your pets are free of the
parasites. Practice good hygiene; wear gloves when
you are gardening and wash your hands thoroughly
afterward. Keep the children out of sandboxes that
may be used by stray animals.
Dogs should be given regular medication (Deworming)
to prevent them from suffering from
worms infestations. It is important to follow the
worming regime recommended by your Veterinarian
External parasites – Ticks and Fleas
Keep your pets flea and tick free. Fleas can cause
itching, chewing and licking and the skin may
become red and inflamed. Sometimes you might
see fleas on your dog or you might see small dark
flecks (flea “dirt”) in the fur and on the skin.
If your dog has fleas, then it is important to treat
the house, your dog and all other pets in the
household. Your Veterinarian can recommend safe
and effective products to use. The house should
be treated with an effective household spray
after vacuuming, because flea larvae and eggs
live off the animal, in places like carpets and rugs.
Particular attention should be paid to areas where
your dog spends much of their time. Grooming also
helps in the control of ticks and fleas.
....continued in Next Issue
BEST PET GADGET
PawTrax Pet Tracker
Keep track of your pets with this tracker.The
PawTrax combines GPS with mobile technology
to send updates of your pet’s whereabouts to
your phone in the form of an SMS. Simply click
on the link in the text to pinpoint your pet on
Google maps.
£125, pawtrax.co.uk
DAY OUT FOR ANIMAL LOVERS IN LONDON
Battersea Park
Children’s Zoo
www.batterseaparkzoo.co.uk
Hackney City Farm
www.hackneycityfarm.co.uk
London Wetland Centres
www.wwt.org.uk
07

tha lifestyle | Business & Finance
PROPERTY TAX
Hi, I own two properties,
? one is a three bedroom
house which is my main
residence and other is a one
bed flat. I was made redundant
last month so I am going to sell
my main residence and move
into the flat. Please can you tell
me whether I have to pay any
tax on gain?
If you sell your main
A
residence, and if it has
been your main residence
during the entire period of
ownership, then you do not
pay any tax on gain as it will be
covered by “private residence
relief”.
Tax tip: The day you move
to your flat, and if you
make it your main residence, all
period then onwards would be
covered by PRR relief.
CAPITAL GAINS TAX
My name is Sathees, and
? this year I made more
than 12,000 gain on buying
and selling shares and can you
please advise me how can I
avoid paying tax?
For 2013/14 tax year the
A first £10,900 gains made
on selling shares is exempt from
tax and any gain made above
this limit is taxable.
Tax tip: If you buy and sell
shares based on “Financial
spread bet trading
method” instead of the normal
“certificated method” then any
gain you make on buy and sell
shares is fully exempt from tax
TAX ON BANK INTEREST
Q: My name is Kumar
? and I am a higher rate tax
payer and paying 40%
tax on interest receive from my
bank. Please can you advise me
whether is it possible to transfer
money to my son who is 12
Ragu Dharmaratnam
Head of finance for a UK group Firm and
a financial journalist
e: ragu.savetax@gmail.com
years old and thereby saving
tax on interest? Currently I
am getting 3% interest on my
savings account
Income earned from gifts
A from parents is exempt
if less than £100 per
annum. Otherwise the income is
taxable as that of the parents.
Tax tip: You may open a
savings account under your
son’s name (children account)
and transfer £3300 , thereby
your son will get £99 interest
per year which is covered by the
£100 exemption limit.
CASH GIFT
Hello, My father is a
? UK national now lives
in Canada, and he is
sending me £30,000 to the UK
to put a deposit towards buying
a property. Do I have to pay any
tax on the gift?
Cash gifts are free of
A tax in the hands of the
recipient, this means you
do not pay any tax. You father
is a UK national then this gift
will be regarded as “potentially
MONEY
DOCTOR
exempt transfer” (PET) for
inheritance tax purposes based
on seven year rule. Please
check with Canadian tax
authorities for any local tax.
Tax tip: Any gifts you
make will be exempt from
Inheritance tax as long as
you live for seven years after
making the gift.
EMPLOYMENT
My name is Jaffer and I
? am 22 years old. Recently
I went for a job interview at a
local cash and carry shop and I
was offered £6 per hour hour
doing 35 hours a week. I was
told by my friend that I should
be offered a minimum wage by
law. Is this true please advise?
Under the “National
A
Minimum Wage” (NMW)
legislation from October 2013 ,
you should be offered at least
£6.31 for hour . You have the
right to ask your employer to
match this figure and it is illegal
for them to offer £6,
08

tha lifestyle | INTERESTS & HOBBIES
“
We hope our Walk will
encourage different
communities to come together
A charity walker from Gloucestershire,
Johannes Shanmugam ,a British Tamil, will be
walking his fourth year endless effort to raise
fund for charities in Western English County in
November. Showing in one hand a poppy and
other hand Glory Lily, Johannes symbolise his
message clearly to the Great Britain.
He raises fund for ‘Help For Heroes’ and
“Serendip Children’s Home” both UK based
charities. Well known Help For Heroes formed
to help those who have been wounded in
Britain’s current conflicts while Serendib
Children’s Home is supporting the war
affected children in Sri Lanka.
”
In sharing his feelings
Johannes said that he
wanted to thank Great
Britain for allowing Tamils
to live in freedom with
dignity and British People a
great prosperity and care
shown when Tamils came as
refugees.
Therefore as gratitude, he
decided to support British
soldiers who fought bravely
and sacrificed their lives for
the freedom that we enjoy
here today.
Four years and on …
Heart to
Heart
Charity walk
He also chose the “computers 4 schools”
programme through “Serendip Children’s
Home” in Sri Lanka is a great opportunity for
us to support the war affected children, and
to give them an education so that they can
enjoy the same benefits as our children.
He says “We hope our Walk will encourage
different communities to come together,
putting aside any differences and barriers.
Those who wish to support Heart2heart charity
walk can visit www.h2hwalk.org
or contact E: joshan2505@msn.com
T: 07815 496902
Mr. Johannes Shanmugam
Currently employed as Operations
Assistant in a church Johannes
is engaged in various fund
raising events for the children
impoverished by war.
This is our fourth year, and we hope to raise
sufficient funds as in the past three years. The
5-day walk is to create awareness
and to remind our younger
generation of the sacrifices made by
many, so that we can enjoy liberty
and freedom today in the UK.”
09

Tamil lifestyle | Health & well being
SELF-DEVELOPMENT
Simplified Kundalini Yoga (SKY)
Yoga for Human
Excellence
All people wish to lead a happy
life. The almighty nature is
beautifully performing and
providing everything for a
harmonious life. Science is
well developed to remove
drudgeries in material life so
that man lives happily and
peacefully. Even then, humanity
in general continues to be
in the grip of turmoil due to
lack of wisdom in the field of
physical health, mental health,
spiritual health and social
harmony.
To retrieve mankind from
these sufferings Swamiji
Vethathiri Maharishi, a
philosopher in Tamil Nadu,
India, had formulated and
designed a spiritual system of
life education for all to attain
physical, mental and social
perfection leading to peace in
individuals and in the world.
This system comprises:
Simplified Physical Exercises,
Simplified Meditation Practices,
Simplified Kaya kalpa Exercises,
Introspection Courses and
Brahmagnanam.
Simplified Physical
Exercises
An effective package of
simplified physical exercises
is designed to regulate in the
body the flow of air, water,
heat and life force leading
to good physical health:
comprising hand exercise, leg
exercise, breathing exercise,
eye exercise, Makarasanam,
acupressure,
massage and
relaxation exercises
When we learn and practice
the above exercises regularly,
they help in curing diseases,
prevent certain diseases,
increase the strength of the
body and help in long life,
enhance physical appearance,
remove laziness and keep one
active.
Simplified Kaya Kalpa
Exercise
It is a technique devised by
’Siddhas’, the wise ancestral
sages, to improve the
qualities of sexual vital fluid
thereby intensifying the life
force in the body. It helps in
postponing ageing process,
minimizing disorders of old age,
maintenance of youthfulness,
develops resistance against
diseases and helps in curing
diseases, as the sexual vital
fluid is purified and intensified,
progeny of benefaction is
possible.
Simplified Meditation
practices
Normally the life energy is
functioning at ‘Mooladhar’
near the sex gland. Under this
condition, the mind is more
emotional in an accelerated
and aggravated condition
through sensory and physical
activities. By changing the
working centre to ‘Agna
Chakra’, point between
eyebrows and meditating
there, the mental frequency is
Dr. S. Letchoumanane
Director,
Research and Development,
Temple of Consciousness,
Aliyar - 642101, Pollachi TK
Coimbatore DT
E-mail: braintrust@vethathiri.edu.in
Website: http://www.vethathiri.edu.in
reduced to alpha wave level.
Here, sharpness in intelligence
and peace of mind sets in.
In Thuria meditation, ‘Crown
Chakra’, the brain wave is
brought down to ‘Theta’
range 5-7 cps. Sublimation of
self through introspection is
achieved at this level. Besides
this, practices to amplify and
intensify the bio-magnetism
also are taught.
10

Tamil lifestyle | Health & well being
DO WISH TO LEARN IN UK?
Contact K Gangakumaran
Mobile: 07766442273
Email: skyuk@vethathiri.edu.in
or skyogauk@aol.com
Weekly class: Every Saturday 8:30 till 10:30am
at Victoria Hall, Sheepcote Road, Harrow HA1 2JE
Quotes
Introspection Courses
After a month of initiation
of thuriyam meditation and
proper practice, introspection
courses are taught in four
stages every month for 4
months. Each stage consists of
six sessions comprising special
meditation and philosophies.
For practical comprehension
and experiences, introspection
subjects like analysis of
thought, moralization of desire,
neutralization of anger and
eradication of worries are
explained. The great values
of blessing others by saying,
‘VAAZHGA VALAMUDAN’
to maintain cordiality and
compassion are also taught.
Detailed knowledge about sins
and salvations, life before birth
and after death, astronomy
and astrology, the unfailing law
of nature - cause and effect
system, karma yoga, purification
of the genetic centre,
differences among people,
philosophy of magnetism,
evolution of universe and living
being are given.
Benefits of Introspection
courses
Expansion of the mind leads
to undue psychic attachments
with men and materials, and
thereon emotional illusions viz;
ego, greed, anger, miserliness,
immoral sex, inferioritysuperiority
complex and
vengeance. This transforms
human life virtuous, peaceful
and blissful.
Brahmagnanam course leads in
developing God consciousness
and understanding the unfailing
law of nature, “the cause and
effect system” help to live a
virtuous way of life and live
in harmony with others and
nature. This only will instill peace
and bliss in the mind.
Benefits of Meditation
Improves the personality,
insight and dexterity of mind
Increases mental concentration,
sharpness, honesty and
peacefulness there by leading
to a rational life
Helps in withdrawing the mind
from sensory emotions thereby
saving the life energy and
inculcating God Consciousness
Improves perspicacity,
receptivity, remembrance and
normalizes the functioning of
endocrine system there by good
health
Helps in self-realization and
sublimation to enjoy everlasting
peace and bills
This system of yogic practices
is taught to all, beyond the
barriers of sex, religion etc.
Students of both sex are
also trained in this system for
their successful career, happy
and peaceful life. This service
is rendered by the World
Community Service Centre
founded by Yogiraj Vethathiri
Maharishi in the year 1958,
through its affiliated trusts
spread all over the world.
“If you don’t build your dream,
someone else will hire you to
help them build theirs.”
Dhirubhai Ambani
Indian business tycoon who founded
Reliance Industries
“Great minds discuss ideas;
average minds discuss events;
small minds discuss people.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Longest-serving First Lady of the
United States
”A successful man is one who
can lay a firm foundation with
the bricks others have thrown at
him.”
David Brinkle
An American newscaster
“Twenty years from now you will
be more disappointed by the
things that you didn’t do than by
the ones you did do.”
Mark Twain
American author and humorist.
“The difference between a
successful person and others is
not a lack of strength, not a lack
of knowledge, but rather a lack
of will.”
Vince Lombardi
American football player
“Every great dream begins with
a dreamer. Always remember,
you have within you the
strength, the patience, and the
passion to reach for the stars to
change the world.”
Harriet Tubman
African-American abolitionist
11

tha lifestyle | Business & Finance
With Unemployment
at record highs, one
way for people to
get a job, is to start their own
business. It is certainly an
ambition for many people to
run their own business.
Some may have been made
redundant, and find themselves
with spare time and financial
resources, while others make
the choice to begin a business
to be more independent and
gain the full financial reward for
their hard work.
It is no secret that running your
own business is not an easy
task. When those first few
weeks of excitement and
anticipation are a distant
memory, getting to, and
staying at the top of your
game can be a constant
battle especially during
recession time.
However, hard times are good
times to start a business
.The advantage of starting a
business during a downturn
is that things can only get
better as the economic climate
improves. By then, you will have
learnt an awful lot during the
difficult times which will then
12
take you through the easier
ones.
In order to make your business
a success, you ought to
consider some vital key factors.
Most people go about finding
their niche by using business
school tools such as market
analysis or sector research.
This is good – however utilise
what you are good at. Why
not start a business, based on
a need you have which is not
properly addressed by existing
suppliers. You experience the
gap in the marketplace, and you
fill it in.
. Why not start a business, based on a need
you have which is not properly addressed by
existing suppliers.
Don’t try to enter a competitive
market that requires a great
deal of capital and experience.
Stick to something that you
either know a lot about or
something that really interests
you so that you’ll want to find
out a great deal about it. If you
have got the need, and an idea,
then become the operational
problems. Now not to worry
– these are less daunting than
they ever used to be.
You become like the people you
associate with.
Therefore, associate with
people who are like minded.
Join appropriate industry
associations. These will also give
you the lowdown on relevant
industry threats, opportunities
and legislation and the like.
Starting a business is not like
back in the days. Generally,
you already have the tools that
you need.
Most homes are already
equipped with quite a lot
of the tools any business
to reach a worldwide
audience from day one.
A laptop and a mobile
phone are all the infrastructure
a new business needs to get
up and running. There are also
so many social networking sites
available for you to market
your business. Join online
networking groups and forums
and start giving useful advice on
areas directly relevant to your
business.

tha lifestyle | Business & finance
Starting your own
business:
The Sky is the Limit
Sakthivel Sachithananthan
Chartered Accountant
Founder: Accountancy gateway
www.accgateway.com
This raises your profile in a
positive way.
Every business from its
commencement and through
its development and growth will
need finance.
But what type of finance is
best suited to the business and
who should you approach for
funding?
Start -up business funding
should be from your saving,
relatives or any of the other
investors.
When commencing a new
business, very often the initial
monies invested will come from
the individual’s personal savings.
Additional funding requires a
commitment in terms of capital
and interest payments.
Embarking on this course of
this action must therefore be
planned carefully.
Start small and keep overhead
low. Don’t spend any more than
you have to on your start-up.
Many businesses start very
small. For instance Laura
Ashley began on her kitchen
table while M&S started with
a market stall. Look at where
they are now!
Starting a business is
demanding. Commitment,
determination and enthusiasm
are essential.
Are you running an Off-licence
store? Then Check your figures!
On Average Off-Licence must make
17.5 % anual Gross Profit margin.
Alcohol (Beer,wine & spirits) – 20%
Snacks (Crisps, pea nuts, etc) – 30%
Cigarettes, cigars and tobacco – 8%
Looking for Off-licence on sale?
www.businessesforsale.com
www.offlicenceforsale.co.uk
www.rightbiz.co.uk
www.nationwidebusinesses.co.uk
You will need managerial,
financial, technical and
marketing skills. If you feel
that you do not have these
expertises personally, they
can be found in a partner or
employee. If you feel that you
are not ready to employ anyone
or take on a partner, there are
many courses out there to get
you trained and get you on the
go. Every Business should have
a business plan. It is the key to
success. As the saying goes: ‘If
you fail to plan, you plan to fail’.
Therefore preparing a business
plan will help you to set clear
objectives for your business and
clarify your thinking. It will also
help to set target for future
performance and monitor
finance and profitability.
Keep your finances and records
in order: everyone hates it- but
it must be done.
Speak to your accountant
about how much you should put
aside for your forthcoming tax
bills.
Keep good records of your
incoming and outgoing
revenues, your receipts and
other related information.
Running a business should
be creative, satisfying and
enjoyable. It’s a chance to
express you, meet interesting
and creative people, potentially
make a lot of money and create
a whole new life for yourself.
So do everything you can to
enjoy the process of being in
business.
13

tha lifestyle | language & culture
a simple guide to
Tamil Hindu Wedding
Pre-Wedding Events
Pre Wedding
Arrangements
The marriage of a man and
woman is such an important
and unforgettable day in
anyone’s life. Memories of a
wedding are always recorded in
family photographs and videos
as people always want to
remember and review the day
of union between two souls.
And In Tamil communities a
wedding is more than the
marriage of two individuals , it is
also a coming together of two
big families and all their friends.
Tamil wedding customs date
back four millenia and now
there are local customs as well,
based on newer geographic
locations, not to mention how
much change they have seen as
Tamils have moved to western
countries and adopted new
styles. Some of the traditional
procedures have been left
behind by western Tamils as
they grow into a new generation
of British, Canadian, French and
Australian Tamils, to name just
a few.
At the point of the
transformations occur in British
Tamil Community, the long
historical traditional marriage
procedures are vanishing
with time. Traditional wedding
custom can be retold under few
headings. Even though custom
is different in different parts of
South India , North and East of
Sri Lanka , Malaysia , Singapore
and the newly growing Western
Tamil Diaspora, the main
aspects of traditional marriage
are fairly common to most of
them.
Bride & Groom Seeking
Usually Bride or Groom are
sought by parents through their
families and friends and based
on age , jobs and background.
Parents exchange the details
and photos which includes the
astrological charts which was
written on birth.
Jathaka Porutham
- Astrology Chart
Matching
Once the parents exchange
the charts they consult a
astrological expert to find
the matching. There are two
systems the charts are based
on called ‘Vakkiya Panchangam’
which is based on empirical
theory which has passed
through generations and the
other system which is called
‘Thirukanitha Panchangam’,
based on mathematical
calculations.
Tamil astrological system,
used for analysing marriage
compatibility is based on
horoscopes of a man and
woman. Horoscope matching in
Tamil is known as ‘ten matching’;
named as dinam, ganam, yoni,
rasi, rasiyathipaty, rajju, vedha,
vasya, mahendram and stree
deergham.
Ponnu Parthal - Bride meeting
14

Once the chart is matched
, groom family will visit the
brides house which will allow
bride and groom to meet
for the first time. They will
be allowed to have a private
chat to get each other
understanding. In successful
day this will give bride and
groom a good opportunity to
understand each other and be
confident to go for marriage.
Ponnurukku - Melting of
Gold
This is the official beginning
of the wedding procedure.
This occasion occurs a few
days before the wedding is
attended by close family at
which the groom presents a
gold coin to the goldsmith for
its ritual meltdown to fashion
the thaali – the bridal pendent.
Thaali is a symbol of marriage
and must be worn all time by
traditional married woman.
After this occasion the bride
and groom are not expected
to meet each other until the
wedding day.
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tha lifestyle | fashion
Kanni kaal Planting –
( Tree planting)
On the same day a tree is
planted in the homes of the
couple. Currently the traditional
choice for this is a metre high
cutting of Mulmurukku which is
easy to propagate and signifies
fertility and prosperity. Three
manure pots of nine grains are
also planted to be sprouted
and be used on the day of the
wedding.
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After above Pre-wedding
traditions, the wedding day will
begin. Our next month edition
will bring you the highlights of
wedding day arrangements and
customs.
WAIT FOR OUR NEXT EDITION
TO READ ABOUT INTERESTING
WEDDING DAY CUSTOMS
AND TRADITIONS OF TAMIL
COMMUNITY !
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15

tha lifestyle | Photography
Clicked!
A View of London Bridge from Waterloo Bridge
© Bharathan Ariyaratnam
fb/ Ariyam.Photography
Canon EOS 60D • 30 s • f 8.0 • ISO 100
Violet moments of honey bee
© Bala Thavapalan
Canon EOS 500D • 1/250 s • f/5.6 • ISO 200
A floating boat in Punguduthivu , Jaffna
© Nimalan Tharmalingam
photography.gradientgraphics.co.uk
Canon EOS 400D • 1/400 s • f 4.0 • ISO 200
16

tha lifestyle |ENtertainment
TAMIL STYLE | ENTERTAINMENT
movie review: raja rani
Though the movie is incredibly refreshing, it does
remind one of Mani Ratnam’s classic hit ‘Mouna
Ragam’. Atlee has added his own dimension
to the story, and has served it on an all new
platter. The best thing about the film is that it
satiates the cravings of every class of viewer
and leaves nothing to complain about.
The film is a neat entertainer. The entire
team has given this film their best. Atlee, the
debutant director has delivered his dream
project flawlessly. His strong points seem to
be character definitions and screenplay. He
has carved his characters with utmost care to
perfection and has selected his crew rather
cautiously. The movie has three different
stories, but the gripping screenplay keeps the
audience glued to their seats.
The let-downs however are the songs and
editing. Given G V’s repute, the audience
definitely expected something better -
something hummable, and something more
urban. Though the songs are a disappointment,
he has done an excellent job scoring the
background music in the first half.
cinema corner‘Worth to Watch’
Upcomming movies
in cinemas
Arambam
Director Vishnuvardhan
Starring Nayantara,
Arya, Mahesh Manjrekar,
Ajith Kumar,
Genere Action comedy
CINEWORLD, saffari
Irandam Ulagam
Director Selva Raghavan
Starring Arya, Anushka
Shetty
Genere Romance
Music Harris Jayaraj,
Anirudh Ravi
Endrendrum Punnagai
Director Jananathan
Starring Jiiva , Andrea
Jeremiah, Santhanam
Genere
Music
Romance
Harrs
Jayaraj
Kochadaiyaan
Director Soundarya R.
Ashwin
Starring Rajinikanth, R.
Sarathkumar, Deepika
Genere Epic fantasy
Music A R Rahuman
Naiyaandi
Director A. Sarkunam
Starring Dhanush,
Nazriya Nazim
Genere Comedy
CINEWORLD
17

tha lifestyle | family & pets
Our children in the United
Kingdom are preparing
for the 11 plus exams
from the early age of 7 years
in order secure a place in a
grammar school or private
school for their secondary
education.
Are we undermining
the capabilities of
state schools?
The education system in the
United Kingdom is undergoing
important changes at present,
where new types of schools
known as ‘Free schools’ and
‘Academies’ are emerging.
My teaching experience in the
UK education system started
back in 1987. I began my journey
working with Adults in Further
Education and then moved to
secondary school education
in 2000. I have worked with
students with varying academic
levels including children with
learning difficulties. For over a
decade now, I have been working
as a School Governor with one of
ELEVEN PLUS & GRAMMAR SCHOOLS
Why Our
Children are
under Pressure?
Para Paramkumaran
Teacher at high school
Founder of
North harrow tuition centre
All parents have a strong belief
that Grammar schools and
Private schools are better
equipped to provide the best
opportunities for our children
in comparison to state run
schools.
As we strive to achieve
academic success for our
children we work arduously
to train them for the 11 plus
examinations.
These are new government
initiatives to save money for the
ministry of education with the
recent financial crises.
The entire league table system
and the GCSE and Advance
Levels exams are under scrutiny
and will be assessed with
different yard sticks. After 2014
no child will be entered for their
GCSE exam early unless they are
absolutely ready and it will be
recorded as their first attempt.
the Brent Primary schools. During
my lifetime I have seen extensive
changes in learning and teaching
methods and styles, including
the changes brought in by the
education watch dog OFSTED.
At present I am also working with
Primary school s to enhance
early learning development with
the ABACUS mental arithmetic
program (MAP).
18

tha lifestyle | family & pets
Why do our children
feel such immense
pressure to get
into to a Grammar
School?
One typical story – A mother
came to me: “My Son is not doing
well in Maths, and his Grammar
school is not allowing him to take
Maths for his Advanced Levels.
My dreams and my son’s dream
to be an Economist is never
going to come true, please
help!” These were the words
of a very disappointed mother
of a teenager, who came to me
asking for help.
This is a common situation that
arises frequently, especially in
the British Tamil Community.
We were forced to migrate here
due to our many hardships, and
the first generation British Tamil
life style includes a hardworking
father and child focused mother.
In a world, where most fathers
have chosen to work tirelessly,
mainly as businessmen striving to
establish their families on British
soil they have limited the time
they spend with their children.
This has left the mother to guide
children, looking after their every
need, and bearing the most
influence in the future of the
child.
The mother and the child spend
a lot of time together, travelling
in the car to all the educational
and extra-curricular activities
including Tamils School, Dance
classes, Cricket, Football, Netball
and private tuition classes.
It is this precious time and the
remaining time at home that
allows the mother to the play a
great role in establishing food
habits and language fluency
moulding the child’s future.
What we fail to notice is that this
influence can be over powering at
times, especially when the mother
begins to impose an undue impact
on deciding the future career path
of the child. There are mothers
who decide the future of their
children with traditional views,
and can be quite dismissive of
their child’s aspirations and any
professional advice by teachers or
tutors.
I have personally dealt with many
students who have been misguided
through influential parents, away
from their strengths and interests
in order to fulfil parental dreams
through their children.
We fail to realise this at the
time and this can lead to many
problems in the future.
Most Tamil parents feel that if they
cannot afford a private school then
it is essential that their child should
attend a grammar school.
They are under the impression that
any other school would not allow
the child to achieve the success
they dream of.
This pressure results in a huge
amount of disappointment
when a child does not achieve
a place in a grammar school
and the confidence of the child
can be destroyed by the same
parent, unintentionally.
In such circumstances, these
mothers who dedicate their lives
to every need of their child, to
ensure that they get the best
education, can herself have a
detrimental role in the future
of the child if they do not get
selected into a Grammar school.
The future of our
children lies in
the hands of the
parents.
In my long career as teacher, I
have witnessed many occasions
when a child from an ordinary
state school becomes a scholar
and a student from private or
grammar school ends up with
19

tha lifestyle | family & pets
| Tha Style
the unexpected undesired life they
wanted.
We need to realise that the ideal role
for parents is to understand a child’s
strengths and weakness, helping
them to improve on their weakness
whilst continuously encouraging them
to develop their stronger skills and
interests.
A good parent will try to understand
the teacher and work with them to
enhance the future of their children.
They will seek the teacher and learn
the skill of a guide from teacher, by
being an observer and support the
teacher’s consultation.
A good parent will defy the myth that
the future of their child is determined
by the school they attend. They
realise that it is not the school, but
a good teacher and guiding parent
who can help determine the future
prospects of these young souls.
They will strive to understand the
child’s skills, appreciate the extra
ordinary talents that he/she posses,
and support them to choose a path
on their own. They will ensure the child
is aware of the possible paths they
can take by opening their minds to a
wider world of opportunities.
A child who has been influenced
by a role model or passion and
determination will work towards their
goal naturally. This journey will not be
affected by which school they attend,
as long as a teacher identifies them
and help to enhance them.
A student may have weaknesses in
certain areas but they will definitely
have strengths elsewhere.
As good parents we must try to
identify these with the help of
teachers or tutors. When a child is
guided and supported by parents
with this awareness, he/she is more
likely to become a shining star. The
mother who endeavours to fulfil her
own dreams through her child might
unintentionally cast a shadow over
their future prospects.
In this article, I will share
with you some of my own
experience in respect
of parental engagement.
They are based upon the
Parental
Engagement
understanding of my son
(19 months old), since we
saw him from his first scan
until now.
Parental engagement has
a large and positive impact
on children’s learning and
positive effect on their
achievements. Majority of
fathers are not significantly
involved in their children’s
education or at least
spending time with them.
Some fathers aspired to
and had loving relationship
with their children. Many
distanced themselves
from what they saw as
a ‘typical Asian father’.
Some fathers, however,
expressed a heavy sense of
responsibility and worried
greatly about their children’s
successful education.
Some found personal care
giving tiring and frustrating
and felt pressured to
provide significantly and
find time for direct contact
with children due to their
workload and various personal
activities.
What I understand is, your
baby’s familiarity with your
Stephen Jeyaseelan
IT network Systems Engineer
Stephen is a IT network Systems
Engineer lives in Sunbury-On-Thames,
London.
voice helps him/her quickly form
an attachment to you once he/
she’s born. One theory suggests
that your baby’s hearing is well
developed in the uterus to
help him start to bond with you
before he/she’s born. After
birth, your newborn
may also
pay more
attention to
your voice
than any
other.
Most children
have two main educators in
their lives their parents and
their teachers. Parents are
the prime educators until the
child attends an early years
setting or starts school and
they remain a major influence
on their children’s learning
throughout school and beyond.
If your child wanted to touch
a leaf or piece of paper,
please let them touch and feel.
Because you may be seen that
leaf or paper for million times
in your life, but remember
that is their first time they
touch and explore the world.
20

tha lifestyle | family & pets
If your child asks “Daddy, why
is the sky blue?”, then please
answer them rather ignore their
findings. You can answer them
“because blue is beautiful and it
reflects the sea”
In my personal experience,
the key to bond with your
baby is actually a process of
enjoyment. Simply enjoying
your baby is what helps you
bond with him/her and him/
her with you. Babies fall in love
with the people who enjoy
them, and who help them enjoy
themselves. These “first loves”
aren’t simply the people who
feed them they’re
the people who come when
they want help or company,
who notice when they smile and
stop to smile back, who listen
to their babbling and babble
right back at them, who play
with them, and who bring little
bits of the world for them to
see. These are the things that
matters to your baby.
How can you find time when
you feel you don’t have any
to spend with your children?
Please find the following tips:
1-2-1 time: Alone time with your
child is best when you are doing
something you both enjoy. With
one family it may be the time
when Dad takes the baby so
Mom can spend time cooking
or spend time with the older
child. This could mean going
to a movie, going to the local
theatre...Etc.
Little helpers: Children
love to help. Do you have
a mailing to do? Have
them put the stamps on
the envelopes. Need to
go shopping? Make grocery
shopping “fun time”
with you. Need
to make
dinner?
Let
greatest helpers and they will
look back and remember that
“before dinner” was always
special time with you.
Phantom Time: You can still let
your children know that you
care. Write notes and drop
them into their lunch boxes. This
was one of the top ten things
children made them feel loved
and cared for by their parent.
Break time: Everyone is busy.
Some parents are busier than
others. Slide in a “break time”
so that you and your children
can spend 15 minutes or a half
hour together. Set a timer if you
need to so that everyone knows
when “break time” starts and
finishes.
Spending time with your
children provides them with
opportunities to learn and
to be heard. Most of all, it
provides you and your children
with time to connect. It’s these
connections that make your
children feel loved.
It’s true what they say: “The
dust bunnies and dirty dishes
aren’t going anywhere. Take a
break from the rat race and
commit to cherishing the little
moments with your kids.”
them
help you by
contributing to
the preparation
process. While it
might be messier
and it may time
more time in
the beginning,
you will see that
the children will
become your
21

tha lifestyle | Entertainment
Suresh Krishna (also known
as “London Baba“) was
born and brought up
in the village of Nelliady, near
Jaffna in the northern province
of Sri Lanka.
He moved to the
United Kingdom
to complete his
higher education
and completed his
Bachelor of Arts
degree at Middlesex
University. In 1992
he became a
naturalised British
Citizen and settled in
Harrow, north-west
London.
He has worked in
finance for Samsung
Electronics for the last 8 ½
years, but has not restricted his
life purely to office work.
Since 2002, he has also worked
as an actor. He has played
the lead role in three films
(‘Theervu’, ‘Neerai Kaanaatha
Veerkal’ and ‘Surya’) and his
fourth film yet to be certified
(‘Tamil MI-7’) which he stars
in and directs. Under his
performing name of London
Baba, he is currently acting in a
film called Thousand Dreams in
united kingdom and Its Director
Nantha, he has imitated the
superstar Rajinikanth and
released a video song album
called ‘Singa Nadai’ and also
wrote the song ‘Ulaga Tamila’
with music Ravi Devendran,
which was performed
by SP Bala and
released both as an
audio and video single.
Between 2000 and
2006, he encouraged
and promoted young
developing performer
(singers, dancers
and announcers) on
the Deepam Tamil
TV channel. During
this time he was
a key supporter
of the Kanakuyil
singing competition
programme, originated
by Mrs Yoha Thillainathan to
promote young singers.
South Indian film Paradesi,
an adaptation of Paul
Harris Daniel’s book Red
Tea , took two award at the
London Film Festival, Best
Costume Designer for Poornima
‘Paradesi’ wins awards
at London film festival
Ramasamy and the second for
cinematographer Chezhiyan.
The film directed by filmmaker
Bala, is on on the exploitation of
Indian tea estate workers by the
British in South India.
“The film involved shooting
in verdant landscapes of tea
estates. And that’s where the
challenge lay. We had to narrate
a sorrowful story against
this picturesque backdrop,”
Chezhiyan , said in an interview.
Paradesi is a sixth film for him
as cinematographer.
Chezhiyan was a civil engineer
who pursued his passion for
photography when he entered
films as last assistant in
famous Tamil film director Mani
Ratnam’s Alaipayuthe.
Poornima Ramasamy,
costume designer of the movie
who already won National
Award in India said “I am still
shocked,” Ramasamy is the
granddaughter of late M.G.
Naidu, founder of Naidu Hall,
a well-known garment store
in Chennai, and was assisting
her father at the store before
venturing into films.
Ramasamy has since wrapped
up French filmmaker Michel
Spinosa’s upcoming film, Mon
Espouse, which will be screened
at the Berlin Film Festival in
2014.
22

tha lifestyle | internet & technology
Lego to Linux:
Programming for Kids
Bala Thava
Bala is a software-geek, full time developer at
Microsoft gold partner, passion of photography,
fond of music and cinema.
Kids can now test their creative skills on
websites which helps them to develop
simple games and applications.
Scratch
This is designed for kids where its help
kids to develop animation, interactive
stories and games by drag-and-drop.
They can draw their own characters too,
add action and sound to them. The work
can be saved and shared with others.
http://scratch.mit.edu/
Hopscotch
It’s an iPad app, which provides with
the right number of keys and controls
for kids to start up, which helps them
to learn it by them self without any
help.
https://www.gethopscotch.com/
Stencyl
If you are looking for only game related
development, with a payment then
Stencyl will be the choice. On the other
side it’s a cross platform application as
build once and play anywhere.
http://www.stencyl.com/
Codecacademy
This is another great resource to learn
programming interactively.
Kahn Academy
This is a non-profit educational
project by educator Salman Khan.
Here you not only learn programming
but also other important subjects.
https://www.khanacademy.org/cs
10
Programming helps kids to express their perception
on objects and events surrounding with creativity.
But are we enough realized the need for
programming skill as part of the children education;
according to some people it’s important as the
literacy and calculation skills.
From ‘Lego’ to ‘Linux’, the base line of concept
in programming is arranging the available blocks
into a required or targeted design. By learning
programming, kids learn to solve problems, get over
the obstacles and collaborate with others, these
are important life skills needed to prove them in any
profession. As MIT professor Mitchel Resnick wrote,
when kids ‘learn to code’, they also ‘code to learn’.
On the other hand, many of us see the code as
the endless lines of computer language. However, I
look at programming as an expression which mixed
up logic, techniques in form of modern art. So
programming should be taught at an early stage
of human life as the minds are not consumed by
specific streams of knowledge - may be in kinder
garden.
So how we can teach programming to kids, there
are number of web sites and projects are available
both paid and free, but here I am listing a number
of websites which helps you to learn from some
code lines to a whole application. Have a try and
find what suits you or your kids.
I conclude this here with, as said by Naveen
Selvadurai, co founder of Foursquare.
- “What ever you do, learn to code”
For more tech stuff and link stay turned with us.
Mitchel Resnick : http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/
Naveen Selvadurai : https://twitter.com/naveen
Khan Academy : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Khan_
(educator)
23

tha lifestyle | family & pets
Do we really kn
our children ar
to be in the futu
Paraniharan Tharmakularaja
Tennis Coach
David & Lloyds Sudbury Hill
I
am going to tell you a story
about encouraging children
and how encouragement
makes them successful.
There was a small town and in
that town there were 3 kids who
were very good friends.
Theyalways went around the
town after school to play cricket,
football and basket ball. They
were able to play all the games
except from one game…TENNIS.
In their town, they had 2 tennis
courts that were used by
the members of aclub. The
members were engineers,
doctors and lawyers. Every
evening, they played for a
couple of hours in the tennis
courts.
The 3 boys had a habit of
watching and helping them by
collecting the balls, if they flew
out of the courts. These are the
things we all do whenever we
get a chance to play tennis.
One day their sports teacher
at school,went to them and
said“We are going to start
playing tennis at our school . Do
you want to play?”
The guys were filled withgreat
joy and said “yes” to the Master.
Older boys of their school went
to America and encouraged the
others bysending them tennis
balls, rackets and Shoes.
Because of that, the three boys
started to play tennis and their
dream came true. Many Boys
joined themin their games. In
two years time, they went to
play at theNational Level School
championships. They came third
place out of 22 Schools. Great
Performance, Great Joy and
Great Success were following
them because of their hard
work and the help of the older
boys of their School.
At Present, one of them is
aTennis programme developer
in SriLanka.He has travelled
more than 20 countries in
the world and representing
International Tennis
federation(ITF) as a captain
for the trip to Europefor many
years. The other one became
the National Tennis Centre
Head coach for Sri Lanka and
the third one is writing this
article from London as a Junior
& Adult Tennis Pro at David
Lloyd Sudburyhill.
Encourage the children
24

tha lifestyle | food
ow what
e going
re?
and give them a chance to
learnsomething that they don’t
know.
As we became successful, they
will surely become successful in
many things we didn’t know.
As a Tennis coach, I encourage
the Kids and I have seen that
the kid who never listened and
didn’t have any idea about tennis
became the top player in the
group.
I hope you all understood
how important to encourage
the children. As a part of the
encouragement, I will give some
basic tips to learn Tennis and
you all can share the tips among
friends and you also can learn
tennis.
See you soon.
Pineapple Chicken
Ingredients:
»»
Pineapple, cubed cooked with sugar 1/2 measures
»»
Boneless chicken breasts, cubed 2
»»
Cornflour/ corn starch 3 tablespoon
»»
Chopped 5 clove Garlic
»»
Ginger chopped
»»
Spring onion
»»
Red capsicum small strips 1 medium
»»
Green capsicum, 1 medium
»»
Crushed red chillies 2 1/2 teaspoon
»»
Chicken stock 1/2 cup
»»
Spring onion greens, chopped 1 tablespoon
»»
Soy sauce 2 teaspoon
»»
Oil 1 tablespoon
»»
Salt to taste
Method:
»»
Place the chicken pieces in a bowl; add salt, two
tablespoons corn flour and one teaspoon soy
sauce.
»»
Mix well. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan.
»»
Add the chicken pieces and sauté till light brown.
»»
Add the garlic and ginger. Toss well.
»»
Add the spring onions, red capsicum, green
capsicum, and salt and pineapple pieces.
»»
Mix well and cook for two minutes.
»»
Add the remaining soy sauce, crushed red chillies,
chicken stock and remaining cornflour dissolved in
quarter cup of water.
»»
Stir to mix and simmer for one to one two
minutes.
»»
Serve hot garnished with spring with spring onion
greens.
Vani Bala
Vani is Passion on Food processing and
homemade recipes, Nature Lover,
Philosopher by qualification.
Rulang Ladoo (Rava Ladoo)
Ingredients:
»»
Semolina (Rulang) 2 cups
»»
Sugar ¾ cup (powdered)
»»
Ghee 1 cup
»»
Cardamom powder 1 teaspoon (fried)
»»
Raisins 1 teaspoon (fried with ghee)
Method:
»»
Heat the 1 teaspoon ghee in a pan and dry
roast the rava.
»»
Grind the rava and sugar in a fine powder.
»»
Heat the remaining ghee and add powdered
rava, cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom
powder
»»
Mix them thoroughly.
»»
While it’s warm, make into small sized balls.
Cooking Time
25

tha lifestyle | Health & well being
You Child can be
free from
dental disease
for life time
Children’s oral health is one of
the foundations upon which
preventive education and
dental care must be built to
enhance the opportunity for a
lifetime free from preventable
oral disease which includes
preventive strategies, oral
Dr Anthuria Rajan
Anthuria is an overseas
dentist from Sri Lanka
currently living in South
London.
health risk assessment and
therapeutic interventions
Early childhood caries (ECC)
begins soon after tooth
eruption, develops on smooth
surfaces, progress rapidly, and
has a lasting detrimental impact
on the dentition.
This disease affects the general
population but more likely to
occur in infants who are of low
socioeconomic status, who
consume a diet high in sugar,
and whose mothers have a low
education level.
Caries in primary teeth can
affect children’s growth, result in
significant pain and potentially
life-threatening infection, and
diminish overall quality of life.
26

tha lifestyle | Health & well being
Dental caries is a common
chronic infectious transmissible
disease resulting from toothadherent
specific bacteria,
primarily mutans streptococci
(MS), that metabolize sugars to
produce acid which, over time,
demineralises tooth structure.
MS generally is considered
to be the principal group of
bacterial organisms responsible
for the initiation of dental caries.
MS colonization of an infant
may occur from the time of
birth.
Significant colonization occurs
after dental eruption as teeth
provide non-shedding surfaces
for adherence.
Other surfaces also may
harbour MS. For example, the
furrows of the tongue appear
to be an important ecological
niche in harbouring the bacteria
in predentate infants.
Vertical transmission of MS
from mother to infant is well
documented.
The higher the levels of
maternal salivary MS, the
greater the risk of the infant
being colonized. Along with
salivary levels of MS, mother’s
oral hygiene, periodontal
disease, snack frequency, and
socioeconomic status also
are associated with infant
colonization. Reports indicate
that horizontal transmission
(i.e., transmission between
members of a group such
as siblings of a similar age or
children in a day care centre)
also may be of concern.
Dental caries is a disease that
generally is preventable. Early
risk assessment allows for
identification of parent-infant
groups who are at risk for ECC
and would benefit from early
preventive intervention.
The ultimate goal of early
assessment is the timely
delivery of educational
information to populations at
high risk for developing caries in
order to prevent the need for
later surgical intervention.
Educating the parent on
avoiding saliva-sharing
behaviours (e.g., sharing spoons
and other utensils, sharing cups,
cleaning a dropped pacifier or
toy with their mouth) can help
prevent early colonization of MS
in infants.
A comprehensive oral
examination and treatment
during pregnancy is especially
important for the mother.
Routine professional dental
care for the parent can help
optimize oral health. Removal of
active caries, with subsequent
restoration of remaining tooth
structure, in the parents
suppresses the MS reservoir
and minimizes the transfer
of MS to the infant, thereby
decreasing the infant’s risk of
developing ECC.
Maintaining acceptable level of
oral hygiene such as brushing
with fluoridated toothpaste
and flossing by the parent are
important to help dislodge food
and reduce bacterial plaque
levels.
Dietary education for
the parents includes the
carcinogenicity (causing
caries)of certain foods
and beverages, role of
frequency of consumption
of these substances, and
the demineralization/
remineralisation process.
Using a fluoridated toothpaste
and rinsing with an alcoholfree,
over-the-counter mouth
rinse containing 0.05 percent
sodium fluoride once a day or
0.02 percent sodium fluoride
rinse twice a day have been
suggested to help reduce
plaque levels and promote
enamel remineralisation.
Evidence suggests that the use
of xylitol chewing gum (at least
two to three times a day by the
mother) has a significant impact
on mother-child transmission of
MS and decreasing the child’s
caries rate.
Look out for our December
edition for continuation
27

tha lifestyle | internet & technology
THE WORLD’S FIRST
64 BIT SMART PHONE
IN YOURHANDS
Iphone 5s , Apple’s seventhgeneration
iPhone is indeed a
major evolutionary step for the
iPhone.
It’s the first smartphone where
the hardware and software
feel truly cohesive, fun and
effortless.
With newly launched iOS 7,
a new camera system and a
high-tech fingerprint sensor,
iPhone 5s offer much more to
the smart phone users.
VERY FAST
64-bit architecture with quad-core A7 brings you the faster than
iphone 4 s
FINGER SCAN
Unlock the phone and purchase
in the iTunes store by scanning
your finger
SHOOTS IN SLO-MO
It can shoot at 120 fps but also
can play the footage back in 30
fps, slowing your movie for view
WATCHES MOVE
With M7 a’motion coprocessor’
chip it can sense your move
acurately with saving battery
28

tha lifestyle | Launguage & culture
The lives of Sri Lankan
Tamils in their home
country and expatriate
countries are seen by many
with particular interest in the
light of the liberation struggle
and the war desolation our kith
an kin face back home. In the
view of the world, the attention
gatherings, readings and
writings representing the Sri
Lankan Tamils are being looked
upon with an interest primarily
focused on the art of war.
Many important matters have
been overlooked due to the
above attitude. It is obvious that
this would eventually create a
negative impact on Sri Lankan
Tamils. It is a fact that we, the
expatriate Tamils, do not have
any institutionalized resources
to fulfil the needs of Tamils
or others coming forward to
engage in researches and
studies on subjects related
to Sri Lankan Tamils’ life,
politics, literature and other
matters. We who consider us
intellectuals are obliged to ask
ourselves whether we have
done anything constructive
towards this issue.
The collections and works
related to Sri Lankan
Tamils found in the
libraries of educational
institutions like The School
of Oriental and African
Studies,
of the
University of London (SOAS),
British Library and the
Indian Section of Cambridge
University, are limited in their
utility because of the general
absence of Tamil speaking
personnel working in these
institutions.
Young researchers of the
universities of the world, who
wish to engage in studies
An archive for
Sri Lankan Tamils
in Expatriate countries
related to Sri Lankan Tamils,
invariably turn their attention to
other subjects related to Tamils
in Tamil Nadu. This is because
of the lack of accessible data
and information and due to the
risks of travelling to Sri Lanka
because of the war. This has
robbed Sri Lankan Tamils
of
of
N.Selvarajah
Co-ordinator-ETDRC
Tel : 00 44 (0) 158 270 3786
Fax : 00 44 (0) 208 908 0452
E.mail : etdrc2009@yahoo.com
Website: www.vethathiri.edu.in
valuable works
research and
studies which
would have been published, had
a favourable situation existed.
Should we ask ourselves as to
why Tamil libraries, archives
and book shops have not been
established and developed as
much as temples and shops
have proliferated in expatriate
countries, the answer would
be only one. It is because that
libraries, archives and book
shops do not bring in
as much money as
temples and other
commercial ventures
would. Though this
sounds bitter, it is the
truth!
Wishing to usher in a
change in this situation
at least at this juncture
we have recently
created the ‘European
Tamil Documentation
and Research Centre’ –
ETDRC in London.
Though this is a small
step we are certain
that this institution
will create meaningful
development in the intellectual
lives of the expatriate Tamils in
the future.
We have taken necessary steps
to register this institution as
a Tamil Research Centre with
the Charity Commission in the
United Kingdom. (Registered
Charity No. 1127365)
As the next stage in this project
we have begun to identify
individuals who show keen
interest in the sphere
of Sri Lankan Tamils
and to invite them
into our institution;
we are also collecting
books, documents
and other written
works on this subject.
29

tha lifestyle | lnguage & culture
Apart from this project, I have
recorded 5000 books in 5
volumes of my Nool Thettam
collections in Tamil Language.
A volume of Nool Thettam
containing around 600 pages
is published annually since the
year 2002. The 6th volume
is being compiled now and is
expected to be published in
early 2010.
I have donated all the books
I get in connection with the
compiling of Nool Thettam
as an initial resource to the
‘European Tamil Documentation
and Research Centre’. These
3000 books are not enough
to develop our archive; we
need books and work related
to Tamil language from all over
the world besides books and
works authored by Sri Lankan,
Malaysian and Singaporean
Tamils.
We would be grateful should
those in possession of personal
collections come forward and
donate at least some books
from their collections for public
use. Many people are now
giving us a helping hand for the
ETDRC so that it would be of
great service as the archive of
the expatriate Sri Lankan Tamils
and of the works of Singapore
and Malaysian Tamils, in the
future.
Yet, ETDRC is in need of more
and more books and financial
support. We are engaged in the
task of sourcing them. I appeal
to you in the hope that you will
come forward to preserve and
maintain the books you have on
Sri Lankan studies and those
written by Sri Lankan Tamils in
Tamil and English languages with
ETDRC.
I sincerely believe that this
ambitious project would
certainly be a useful source of
data and information for the
researchers on Tamil living in the
European countries and also for
the next expatriate generation
and their needs of researches
and studies.
Tha Calendar
08 28 14 14
Dec 2013 DEC 2013 DEC 2013 DEC 2013
V4U-UK Badminton
Tournament
Venue Tiffin School,
Kingston Upon Thames
Time 10.00am- 6.00pm
Categories- Mens
Doubles, Over 40
Doubles, Beginners
Doubles
Team Entry fee-
Beginners- £20 per
team (£10 per person)
Mens & Over 40
Doubles- £40 per team
(£20 per person)
Contact
Kesavan- 07747606203
Limited Spaces
CANE CHARITY DINNER
DANCE
Venue Nakshatra
Banqueting Hall, Feltham
Time 5:30 pm onwards
Admission £20 per
Adult
Contact
Ragavan 07768625687
Kamala 07711499284
St.Patricks alumini
dinner dance
Venue Nakshatra
Banqueting Hall, Feltham
Time 6:30 pm onwards
details: Live music and
Xmas Carol
Admission Contact the
Organiser
Contact
Joe 07921 782266
Dr Jos 07788560001
West london Tamil
School Christmas
celebration
Venue Alperton
Community School, Stanley
Avenue, Wembley. HA0 4JE
Admission www.wlts.org.
uk
Contact
www.wlts.org.uk
30

TAMIL lifestyle | MOTOR
Car Tax Bands
What You Need to Know
One of the key factor car buyers are
concerned with is car tax or road tax.
Buyers have to pay the tax every year, but
it is easy to work out how much a new car is likely to
cost you in tax over the years.
The car tax bands are based on the carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions that your car puts out over one
kilometre called ‘CO2 emission rate’.
Road Tax ( officially called Vehicle Excise Duty
(VED)) , has two elements which are main tax rate,
which is based on the emissions, and a first year’s
rate, which can be more or less , expensive than
the normal rate.
If they emit less than 100g/km of CO2, then the
car is completely tax free and also all cars that
produce up to 130g/km are free to tax for the first
year.
If you buy an car which is manufactured before
2001 , then the tax is based on engine size instead.
Cars under 1549cc (1.55 litres) cost £140 per year
to tax, while everything above 1549cc costs £225
per year.
CO2 Emissions First year rate Annual rate
(g/km)
Up to 100 £0 £0
101-110 £0 £20
111-120 £0 £30
121-130 £0 £105
131-140 £125 £125
141-150 £140 £140
151-165 £175 £175
166-175 £285 £200
176-185 £335 £220
186-200 £475 £260
201-225 £620 £280
226-255 £840 £475
Over 255 £1,065 £490
Following table applies to cars manufactured after
2001.
Some Cars that have zero tax
Kia Picanto 1
Volkswagen Golf hatchback
Peugeot 207 Oxygo
Citroën C3 1.4 HDI
Ford Fiesta Econetic
Price: £7,795
CO2 emissions: 95g/km
Combined fuel economy:
67.3 mpg
Price: Price: £16,775 - £25,370
CO2 emissions: 85g/km
Combined fuel economy: 88
mpg
Price: £12,645
CO2 emissions: 98g/km
Combined fuel economy:
74.3mpg
Price: £14,395 - £23,995
CO2 emissions: less
than100 g/km
Combined fuel economy:
62 mpg
Price: £13,895
CO2 emissions: 95g/km
Combined fuel economy:
76.3 mpg
31

TAMIL lifestyle | lnguage & culture
How Good
are you
in British
Slangs?
Fagged: disturbed, bothered
or interrupted (Example: If one
were studying for a test, one
would not want to be “fagged.”)
Fit: hot or sexually desirable.
The Full Monty: going all the way
with it, going big instead of going
home.
“Get stuffed!”: “Beat it” or
“Scram!”
Gobby: loudly opinionated,
offensive or prickish. (See:
Donald Trump.)
As Tamil Community emigrated
from former British Colonial
South Asian Countries, most of
them were mostly familiarised
with their own version and own
English style which were close to
Queens English.
So for some people British
Slangs were new, therefore we
researched into some famous
British Slangs. As British Tamil
become part for greater British
Nation, these slangs will help
them to mingle with other
communities. Here the list of
few famous slangs
Any road: used in place of “any
way,” primarily used in the north
of Britain.
Baccy: shortened word for
“tobacco;” also, “wacky backy”
means marijuana.
Barmy: crazy, insane; always
derogatory.
Biggie: term children might
use to describe feces; also, an
erection.
Bits ‘n Bobs: various things.
(Example: “My mother has a
lot of Bits ‘n Bobs around the
house.”)
“Bob’s your uncle!”: “There you
go! You’ve got it!”
Bollocks: technically means
“balls,” but often describes
something seen as extremely
negative or lacking in value; e.g.
“total shit.”
“Bugger off!”: “Go away!”
or “Leave me alone!” (Note:
Bugger, used on its own, is akin
to “Shit!” or swearing)
Chav: white trash.
Cheeky: to be not respectful of
something, having a flippant or
facetious attitude.
Chin Wag: to have a chat with
someone.
Collywobbles: extreme
queasiness or stomach
pain brought on by stress,
nervousness or anxiety.
Crusty Dragon: a piece of snot
or booger.
Daft Cow: a very stupid person
(See also: “Wazzock.”)
Dog’s Bollocks: extremely good
or favorable, great
Dog’s Dinner: to be dressed
nicely or look dapper.
Donkey’s Years: ages, as in “I
haven’t seen you in ages!”
Gobsmacked: amazed or awed
by something.
Gormless: completely clueless,
like Alicia Silverstone in the 90s
film.
To Have A Butcher’s: to take a
look at something or someone.
32

TAMIL lifestyle | lnguage & culture
Her Majesty’s Pleasure: being
incarcerated or put in prison.
“How’s Your Father?”:
euphemism for sex (Example:
“Have you and your wife had
any of the ol’ ‘How’s your
father?’ recently?”)
“I’m Off To Bedfordshire!”: “I’m
hitting the hay!”
“It’s Monkeys Outside!”: “Wow,
it’s very cold out!”
Knackered: phrase meaning
“extremely tired,” often uttered
after a long, exhausting day;
also see: “zonked.”
Knees Up: A term for a mixer
or a dance party (Example: “I
went to this wild knees up this
weekend. I wish you could have
been there.”)
Legless: totally, completely
hammered.
Lose The Plot: to go “crazy” or
become mentally unstable.
Lurgy: sick or under the
weather.
Made Redundant: to be fired or
let go from one’s position.
Minted: to be extremely rich.
Off One’s Trolley: mad, out of
one’s mind.
On The Piss: binge drinking
solely for the purpose of getting
totally smashed.
Pavement Pizza: euphemism for
puke or vomit.
“Pip pip!”: archaic, out-of-use
phrase used to say goodbye.
Plonk: a pejorative word used
to describe red wine of poor
quality, usually purchased at
little expensive.
Ponce: a poser.
Porkies: old Cockney rhyming
word used to mean “lies.”
(Example: If one is “telling
porkies,” you’re telling lies.)
Comes from “pork pies,” which
rhymes with lies.
Puff: a fart.
See A Man About a Dog: what
you say as an excuse for
leaving, in order to hide your
destination; also, to excuse
oneself to take a giant shit.
Shambolic: in a total state of
bedlam, chaos or dismay.
Shirty: ill-tempered, insolent.
Skive: a character deemed
particularly lazy or incapable of
being of use.
Slap And Tickle: making out or
heavy petting.
Spend A Penny: to use the
restroom.
did you
know?
The most commonly used
letter in the alphabet is E
The least used letter in the
alphabet is Q
The sentence “the quick
brown fox jumps over the
lazy dog” uses every letter
in the English alphabet
The word ‘rhythm’ is the
longest word without a
vowel
The letter W is the only
letter in the alphabet that
has 3 syllables
14
33

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34