SUDOKU FOR AUTISM - Black & White

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SUDOKU FOR AUTISM 

Vol.3 Issue 44II May 7-20, 2012 

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Don’t look 

down upon us 

By Adarsh Madhavan 

It does not feel great when we learn that a member 

of our own tribe is suffering. We, the scribes, who 

attempt to prescribe the moral (and otherwise) tone 

of the society that we live in; take up causes, fight 

injustice and generally make a noise about anything 

and everything are actually helpless when we have 

to fight our own cause. When it comes to voicing our 

own needs and when we have to fight a daily battle 

upstream to present our cause, words fail us; we 

become numb; dumb… Our backs bend, our hands 

shiver, our tongues gets stuck and we stand there 

nervous with impotent indignation as well as shame; 

we stand there shaking like a leaf that is about to let 

go… 

I do not want to talk in riddles and really want to 

highlight the full story, but unfortunately I am a 

victim of my own words. I cannot say more than 

this as it would not be right under the prevailing 

circumstances; besides, most of the scribes are privy 

to this issue of an expatriate journalist fighting a case 

here. Since the verdict is due, let us not delve into 

it at all; rather, let us keep mum about that. I am not 

touching upon the case per se, but, I want to know 

what happens to scribes who are forced to fight 

such battles, especially when they are in a foreign 

land. Who will protect them? Who will come to their 

side and who will fight their cause? True, scribes 

are flesh and blood like any, and I don’t mean any 

special treatment should be accorded to them…or, 

rather, I mean just that! Why can’t special treatment 

be accorded to them in such situations?! If not for 

them, at least to their families? Like, in this case, the 

scribe’s wife and innocent children are the worst hit. 

They have to go through the trauma for no fault of 

their own. 

Whatever the issue, whoever is right or wrong, my 

simple question is: why should people who are not 

4 May 7-20, 2012 

fully related to the issue be pulled into this vortex of 

suffering? Both the warring parties may have their 

reasons for going about their tasks exactly the way 

they deem fit, but why should innocents suffer? 

Some will say aha when it comes to your own, it 

hurts, right? Yes, it hurts, right. It is the unwritten 

law of the world. When your own falls, we rush to 

pick him/her up. It is but natural. We have not grown 

to the level where we see everyone as one; at this 

stage only our very own is ours! 

Anyway, forget it. Now, what happens to the scribe’s 

family? And how will they all live here without any 

job, without any other means? Fighting a battle is 

alright if you have the necessary ammunition. But, 

when you don’t have any, what do you do? Can you 

just scream at the ones who are shooting at you 

thinking they are going to be intimidated by that? 

And for an expatriate living in Oman and fighting a 

case, shouldn’t the embassy concerned be there 

in the front, not only protecting the person, but also 

providing the necessary help in this regard? Why 

are they silent and ‘indifferent’ as reports on this 

issue claims? When we are in another country, the 

only place we can run to in times of trouble is our 

embassy. But, when that embassy does the cold 

shouldering act, whom do we run to? Where will my 

brother scribe run to? He does not need sympathy; 

nor does he need pity. But, his basic needs as 

a scribe need to be attended to by the embassy 

concerned. 

I am actually concerned: Where will we all run to 

when we are in a spot? What will we all do when 

the people in authority (who have been appointed 

to support us) whom we look up to look down upon 

on us? 

editor@blackandwhiteoman.com

Black & White 

5

Contents 

23 

Xclusive 

Not bad parenting 

In the 1960s and 70s, Dr Bernard Remand, the father of a son with autism, who later founded the Autism 

Society of America and the Autism Research Institute, helped the medical community understand that autism 

is not caused by cold parents but rather is a biological disorder 

Dream of good skin and 

make it happen 

Men wouldn’t dream of 

10 having skin as good as 

women, but can’t they just 

have good skin? Is that too 

much too ask? 

Published by: Muscat Press & Publishing House SAOC 


Postal address: P O Box 86, PC 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos 

Office location: Hatat House A, II Floor, Suite No: 212 

Ph: 24565697 Fax: 24565496 

Website: www.blackandwhiteoman.com 

Editorial: editor@blackandwhiteoman.com 

Printed 6 May at 7-20, Oman 2012 Printers 

52 

34 

Bitter batter 

Something wrong with traffic 

There is something wrong with traffic 

in town. Something very very wrong. 

Everyone is complaining. Everyone 

says they are getting late to get to 

wherever they have to go, even if 

they start early 

Help shake off your 

daughter’s blues 

if you are the mother with a 

depressive daughter, go ahead 

and give them some much needed 

advice. At the same time, remember, 

there is no magic wand to do away 

with your child’s blues 

Editor-in-chief Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali 

Managing editor Priya Arunkumar 

Work editor Adarsh Madhavan 

Design & production Beneek Siraj 

Advt. & marketing Shannon D'Souza 

Priyanka Sampat

www.omanonlinesearch.com 

Coming Soon! 

Oman's first 

comprehensive 

online directory 

More details: oos@blackandwhiteoman.com 

Black & White 7

Reader's column 

8 May 7-20, 2012 

Oman let down by ‘no show’ stars 

I did not attend the 7th Muscat International Film Festival 

(MIFF) because I was away in India at that time. At first I 

heard from some people that the organisers had let down 

the public by claiming to bring the Bollywood stars Saif Ali 

Khan and Kareena Kapoor and then announcing that they 

were not coming (B&W, issue 43). It was only later that I 

learnt that the poor organisers and the fans of the stars were 

let down by the stars themselves. It is such a pity that these 

arrogant Indian celebrities let down the fans as well as let 

down Oman. How could two individuals who are actually 

feeding on the devotion by their fans let them down as 

though they meant nothing to them; how could two arrogant 

individuals let a country down? Why aren’t the organisers 

doing anything? Why aren’t they taking these two to court? 

Bal Subramanian P., Al Khuwair 

Let’s talk about those who came 

I refer to the readers’ column (B&W, issue 43) where you 

have mentioned about how some actors ditched the MIFF 

at the last time. I wonder why so much space has to be 

given to some irresponsible stars. The MIFF happened. So 

many stars, especially from Hollywood came (I took photos 

with them), so why are you all wasting time on about those 

who did not come? This is very silly! All of you so-called 

movie lovers do not like anyone from Hollywood or the Arab 

world? And for your information, there were celebrities from 

Bollywood too! So why waste precious time and space on 

people who did not turn up?! 

It is a shame! 

Abdul Rahim Al Zadjali, Qurum 

Absolutely right! 

This is a fact! Abs doesn’t come out of the blue (Absolutely no 

abs, issue 43)! You have to work for it. But, then sometimes, 

even when you work at it and don’t find any development 

on your abs, then you realise that there is something wrong 

inherently. So, those who have problems with developing 

abs, please bear all of this in mind. 

Calvin Thomas, Seeb

DODGE DURANGO 

Better abs 

It was interesting to learn that water and stress plays a role in the developing 

of our abs. I believe I have pretty good abs, but I am sure if I look into these 

aspects, I might get it better. 

Sastry G, Barka 

Fit at 40 or 60 

There is no way you will lose any weight by just sitting and procrastinating about 

it. Especially if you are a woman. I feel that a woman, by her very nature, should 

automatically lose a little weight because we tend to do a lot of household work. 

But, in the modern age, women don’t really have to do that type of work like in 

the earlier days. So, although she (a woman) is fully occupied, she is still not 

exactly doing that kind of work that would help her lose some pounds. 

Yes, when you are forty (issue 43) you may tend to gain a little more weight than 

you desire and a combination of age, laziness, and a general feeling of what 

for might hit a lady wherein she is not able to fully able to attempt any weight 

loss activity. And we speak of women in their 40s, what about the women in the 

60s? I sincerely feel that whatever the age, you need to have a very practical, 

but equally disciplined, weight loss programme. If you stick with it, you are not 

just going to lose weight, you are going to be fit! 

Anita Ramdas, Shatti Al Qurum 

Mail your views and opinions at 

editor@blackandwhiteoman.com 

Call: 2458 4530 or email us 

at info@chrysler-oman.com 


Men read 

Dream of GOOD SKIN 

and make it happen 

10 May 7-20, 2012

Men wouldn’t dream of 

having skin as good as 

women, but can’t they just 

have good skin? Is that too 

much too ask? 

Today’s men need good 

skin, make no doubts 

about that. But, do 

they need to have their 

bathroom cabinets filled 

with thousands of lotions, 

potions and gels? 

Not necessarily. Skin 

problems are not unique 

to females; men are also 

equally prone to them. The 

difference is that women 

seem to automatically take 

care of them, while men 

seem to be a bit lost, or 

otherwise too lazy to follow 

a strict regimen. Whether 

you are upto this task or 

not, here are some timetested 

ways to get that 

skin you were secretly 

hankering for: 

NO SOAP ON THE FACE 

But, don’t be like Adil who thinks 

rubbing his face with a soap bar 

was going to give him good, clean 

and healthy skin. The first thing to 

understand is: soap should not be 

used on the face at all; try to avoid it 

as much as possible. The soap is for 

your body, which actually needs it. A 

soap will ideally help you get rid of all 

dirt and germs. 

But, not on your face, buddy! For, 

when it comes to your face, you 

need to go gentle and that’s what a 

facial cleanser does. It is specifically 

designed for the skin on your face, 

thus making it free of harmful 

substances such as detergents, 

soaps and fragrances. 

FOAM AND CREAM YOUR FACE 

According to experts, men need to 

get good cleanser foams which helps 

wash away dirt without ridding the 

skin of its natural oils. 

Use twice a day - before shaving 

and before sleeping at night. 

Cleansing your face before going to 

bed is essential as the skin goes into 

restoration mode in the night. There 

are two types of cleansers - foaming 

cleansers and cream cleansers. 

Foaming cleansers are great for 

removing excess oils while cream 

ones get rid of only dirt and are good 

for dry skin. 

GO AND EXFOLIATE 

If you are feeling a bit squeamish 

about all this, relax. Majority of the 

men you bump into are indulging 

all of this, but they are not going to 

reveal it and you do the same. Do it 

in the confines of your home, your 

bathroom and who is going to know? 

After all, the effort is worth it because 

you are going to get good skin in the 

bargain. 

Now, it is not just about getting rid 

of the dirt on your face. 

The skin’s surface builds-up a 

superficial layer of dead skin cells 

that make your skin look dull and 

lifeless. With exfoliation, the dead 

cells are gently removed and it helps 

the skin to absorb external nutrients 

that leads to healthy-looking skin. 

For sensitive skin, use non-abrasive 

formulas. 

Do not use your body scrub on 

your face and never exfoliate the 

immediate area surrounding your 

eye as a scrub is too harsh for the 

delicate skin around the eyes. An 

exfoliating scrub with fine grains used 

once a week is going to give your 

face a vibrant look. 

GOOD TO MOSTURISE 

Now, don’t shy away from lotions 

and creams because they are great 

moisturisers, which according to 

experts, impart antioxidants to your 

skin. “Rest assured that lotions are 

good for normal skin, but, if you have 

dry skin, then it is better that you get 

more of oil-based creams,” Sarah, 

a beautician, says. If you think you 

are aging, that is your face looks old, 

then the best option is to reach out 

for a moisturiser. 

One of the best advantages of 

moisturising your face is preventing 

the signs of aging. If you have 

particularly sensitive skin, then 

choose a moisturiser that is free of 

fragrance and hypoallergenic. 

PICK THEM UP FROM ANYWHERE 

These skin-care products such 

as facial cleansers, exfoliants and 

moisturisers can be picked up 

from any up-market department 

store, spas or at a dermatologist’s. 

However, each of them has several 

products that are specific for certain 

skin types for maximum results. So 

choose carefully and combat bad 

skin with the right ones. Be aware 

of exactly what your skin requires 

before starting any regimen. Consult 

a dermatologist or any skin specialist 

at any local clinics to give you an 

idea about this. 


Men read 

Dear men, 

12 May 7-20, 2012 

An 

OPEN LETTER 

to men! 

By Olivia Drake 

“Men and women belong to different 

species, and communication 

between them is a science still in its 

infancy.” – Bill Cosby 

Women are frustrated with you. You can’t communicate for nuts! You can’t communicate with us! 

Maybe I shouldn’t address all men, some are good at communicating, yet, it is impossible to deal with 

them anyway. But, I am restricting this to only those who simply can’t communicate. 

You men can’t even say a proper hi (maybe you are good at saying bye) and you can’t even make a proper 

phone call to say hello. Ok, you don’t like my saying it, then, fine. But, don’t tell me I did not warn you. 

You are garrulous when you come to your coffee buddies, but when it comes to us; the cat’s got your 

tongue! 

Unless you talk to us, tell us your feelings, listen to ours, and then tell us about your daily life, how 

you feel and want in life and what you want to do together with us and the like, then it becomes a 

communication. You should be open with us and tell us everything – yes, which is communication. 

When it comes to communication, you suddenly develop selective memory and you only speak about things 

you want to reveal. I simply cannot understand why you have to hold on to some silly things, which 

you feel only you should know. C’mon, we girls can take it; you don’t have to hide anything from us. We 

know that you are a bit scared about us and since you desperately want our approval, you hide about the 

things you automatically feel we don’t like. 

We don’t do that. In our approach to you, we are transparent, but it is not reciprocated and we feel 

cheated. We feel that you don’t value us as much as we do, and for you, we are the last priority. In 

such a climate of unfriendliness and downright distance keeping approach, why should we bridge the gap, 

break the barrier and come to you like as though we are men starved? Look, we don’t need you! It is 

the other way around – you need us and you better well know that. You have to chase us, not the other 

way around – you will chase and that is the way we are all programmed. And why should we waste time 

chasing you? We have far better things to do. 

Of course, sometimes we understand why you don’t communicate. You could be the shy type. The 

vulnerable type. The type that are afraid to risk it with a girl, but, then don’t be so prim and proper to the 

point of ad nauseam. We don’t like it. 

In short, we hope you can slowly attempt to improve your communication skills and then practice very 

hard until you’re better at it. It will take sometime but you will get better at it as times go by. It’s 

okay to be vulnerable to women. Some of them may not like it, but finally they are going to be okay with 

it and will not criticize you for it or bring you down. 

Finally, understand that women feel more appreciated when you open up to them. Communication in 

relationship is very important, if you are not willing to understand that, then rest assured that you are 

going to lose them. 

The choice is with you – take it or leave it! 

Until next time.

My name is 

not Khan… 

By Adarsh Madhavan 

My name is not Khan. Yet, I was stopped at the London 

Heathrow (LHR) airport several years back. Not just 

stopped – I was yanked out of the British Airways flight 

just when I was getting comfy and feeling nice and 

happy about being in a flight next to some fun-loving 

travel companions and was about to get soaked in that 

enjoyable ambience when someone suddenly rained on 

my parade. 

There I was enjoying being pampered and attended 

to by some really pretty looking and happy-to-serve 

airhostesses when suddenly there was an announcement 

asking for ‘Mr A Mad a van’, or perhaps it could have 

been just a ‘Mr Mad a van’. Whatever, suddenly you find 

a very worried looking official asking around for me. The 

man tells me that I had a problem in my passport and 

I tell him whoah, my passport is with me and there is 

nothing wrong with it. You must follow me Sir, the man 

tells me very politely (very very politely uh oh) and the 

air-conditioned flight slightly turned a bit too cold for my 

comfort and I stopped sipping whatever I was sipping and 

got up. Although it was not a big deal but most definitely a 

consolation, I find that another member of our journalisttravel 

agent group was also asked to follow yet another 

official and we both trooped down the same path that we 

had taken to the flight just 10 to 15 minutes back. 

Unlike Sharukh, my name does not end with a Khan, but, 

I always seem to encounter some problem at every airport 

that I travel to. But, this took the cake. It is not a great 

feeling to be pulled off a plane before it takes off. That is 

almost like they were suspicious of us being some kind of 

anti-social elements. At that stage, I was not just a scribe 

-- I was part of an official invited tour – probably in 2002 

- which the local BA had organised for us and we even 

had a Muscat Intercontinental representative with us. 

This tour involved us flying to both the UK and the US on 

BA and we had a swell time perambulating the two sites, 

Off the wall 

especially the former. In fact, it was one of the most 

enjoyable trips ever for me because we could do what 

we wanted to do and we all felt like kings if not khans. 

So, it was quite an unnerving feeling when the swell 

trip ended being a damp squib like this. It left a pretty 

bad taste in the mouth and when we got out to the 

airport, we were both told that we had similar problems 

in our passports. The problem was that our passports 

did not show clear proof that it was renewed, they said. 

We kept our cool and showed them the page where 

it said that the passport needs to be renewed only 

after 2010. Yes, the officer said, but where is the seal 

– it needs to have a seal. And they stared at us a bit 

more than was necessary. Suddenly panic hit us. This 

was 2002 April alright and 9/11 (2001) was just some 

months back. And we both, other than our natural born 

belligerence, were also sporting a goatee and we were 

both from India. A cold shiver engulfed us as we tried 

to figure a way out of the situation, which was getting 

worse with every minute and in that time even the flight 

we were on took off abandoning us both. Stranded 

at the airport! And the worst thing was that anything 

could happen. If they did not clear us, we would both 

be handed to the security and God alone knows when 

we would get out – we both swirled nervously close 

to an impending nightmare but still gritted out teeth 

and did not show that we were upset. In fact, for once, 

being level headed helped me, because, as the officer 

whom we grilled (oh yes) after we were found to be 

‘innocent’ told us, since we did not create a scene, 

which was the norm in such situations, we were not 

hauled off to the lam…otherwise… And it is not just 

LHR; I am accustomed to some delay of sorts at the 

US, Kenya, Thailand or even my hometown airport 

and I tell you Sharukh this happens to me even though 

my name is not Khan. 

adarsh@blackandwhiteoman.com 


Wordpress 

Oman and Lithuania looks 

set to join hands in the IT 

and telecommunications 

sectors here. Exciting 

new possibilities offered 

by a recent Lithuanian 

delegation bodes well 

for the development of 

technological ties in the near future. 

The Lithuanian delegation was invited by Anees bin Issa 

Al Zadjali, honorary consul of Lithuania to participate in 

the Comex 2012, the annual international IT exhibition. 

The delegation participated in the five-day exhibition 

to represent their country as well as to offer their latest 

technological solutions and services to the companies 

and government bodies in the Sultanate. 

The delegation comprised eight members from various 

Two young twin sisters, formerly from Muscat, displayed 

their musical talents at a carnatic vocal concert in 

Chennai last weekend. 

Twins Shruti and Sahana, daughters of Raman Kumar, 

group controller, W. J. Towell Group, and his wife Gomati 

Kumar, put their more than a decade long dedicated 

pursuit of music under the tutelage of the popular Indian 

songstress, Bombay Jayashri Ramnath, to the test. 

The young singing duo performed in front of top music 

stalwarts and others at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 

Mylapore, Chennai recently. 

Padmabhushan Sangeetha Kala Acharya P.S. 

Narayanaswami, who has taught almost every known 

name in carnatic music and instrumental in producing 

many present generation singers, was presiding. 

The guests of honour were Nadabrahmam violin maestro 

V.V.Subramaniam and padmashri sangeetha vidwan 

professor S.R. Janakiraman. Shruti and Sahana grew up 

in Muscat till 2007 and were students of the Indian School 

Muscat (ISM). “They started learning carnatic music, 

when they were just six, from Sudha Raghunathan, a 

popular music teacher in Muscat. They were regular 

14 May 7-20, 2012 

Oman and Lithuania all set to collaborate in the 

IT and telecommunications segments 

leading IT and communication companies in Lithuania. 

The members represented companies like Infobalt, 

Etronika, Mitsoft and TeleSoftas. 

Vytautas VITKAUSKAS, president of Infobalt and the 

head of the Lithuanian delegation said that they were 

ready to start their businesses in Oman because they 

saw “big possibilities” here. 

The other members included Bloeta SENKIENE, export 

and investment manager Infobalt; Kestutis Gardziulis, 

Ceo/co-founder, Etronika, Paulius Morkvenas, project 

manager and Laima Kopylovaite, system analyst of 

Etronika; Dr Arunas Stockus, systems analyst, MitSoft 

and Algirdas Stonys, Ceo of TeleSoftas. 

The delegation showcased the latest IT and 

communication services to visitors and also met with 

government and private sector representatives as well as 

IT enthusiasts. 

Musical twins perform at Chennai Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan 

participants in all the music competitions in Muscat 

conducted by the Indian Social Club and its various 

wings, like the Malayalam wing etc. They were consistent 

prize winners till such time they were here. Notable 

among those were the prizes in the annual Keralotsavam 

and also prizes in the ISC competitions judged by Jatin 

Pandit of Jatin Lalit duo, in the open category duet, solo 

in their categories and in the open group songs category, 

when they were only 10,” Kumar, their father said.

Audi RS Q3 concept 

At Auto China 2012 in Beijing, Audi is presenting a themed 

vehicle based on the Q3 – the RS Q3 concept. Its engine, a 

2.5 TFSI with 360 hp of power, and its body – lowered about 

25 mm and widened with sharp visual details – explore the 

potential of the Q3 model series in a new way. The Audi RS 

Q3 concept’s single-frame radiator grille is framed by brushed 

and polished aluminum and the black honeycomb grille insert 

creates a distinct three-dimensional effect. A silver quattro 

signature is integrated into the lower area of the grille. The 

headlights are slightly tinted with parts in dark chrome and 

carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). The bumper was 

also redesigned. The inner sections of the air intakes have 

honeycomb screen inserts while their outer sections are 

made of CFRP. The front spoiler is also made of CFRP. 

BankMuscat ranked 300 among top global banking brands 

BankMuscat has moved up again to 

reinforce its ranking at 300 among 

the top 500 global banking brands 

compared to 331 in 2011. The 2012 

Brand Finance Banking®500 report, 

published in association with The 

Banker magazine, retained the 

Bank’s brand rating at ‘AA’, while the 

brand value accounted for almost 9 

per cent of its market capitalisation. 

Elated on the global brand 

recognition, AbdulRazak Ali Issa, 

Chief Executive, said: “BankMuscat 

is delighted to record sustained 

Travel Point partners with Big Bus 

Travel Point LLC and Big Bus Tours LLC, UK, have 

entered into a joint venture to announce the introduction 

of City Tours into ‘Oman’, the Arab Tourism Capital 2012. 

Tour Oman, which is the inbound division of Travel Point 

and a full-fledged DMC, will handle the operations of 

the Big Bus in Oman. Big Bus Tours already operates 

sightseeing tours in 12 cities around the world, and this 

new tour, will provide visitors with the perfect introduction 

to the city of Muscat. Customers will be shown all the 

finest sights of the city, from the historic Muttrah souk 

to the glistening waters of the Gulf of Oman; and from 

panoramic mountain views to traditional forts and 

palaces. 

The service is starting out with a two hour panoramic tour 

of Muscat, departing at intervals throughout each day 

from Muttrah souk. A dedicated tour guide will provide an 

entertaining and colourful commentary, providing valuable 

historical information and a real insight into the ways and 

workings of the city. 

growth in global brand ranking. The 

Brand Finance Banking®500 report 

is a benchmarking study of the 

strength, risk and future potential of 

the global banking brands as well as 

a summary measure of their financial 

strength. BankMuscat understands 

the relationship between brand equity 

and key value drivers in the business 

model and views brand management 

as a key element to enhance value 

for all stakeholders.” 

Mike Lees, general manager, Big Bus Tours, Dubai, said: 

“We are delighted and excited to bring our tour to the city 

of Muscat. It will provide the growing numbers of tourists 

in this destination with a great opportunity to discover the 

city and its history, with the combination of informative 

commentary and breathtaking views from atop the 

buses; making this tour an essential part of the Muscat 

experience.” 

Sunil Prabhakar, group general manager of Travel Point 

added, “We are very happy to partner with Big Bus Tours 

and excited to showcase Muscat and its beauty to both 

tourists and locals alike. This is a wonderful project that 

will provide visitors the perfect introduction to all that 

Muscat has to offer.” 

Both the companies intend to expand the itinerary of the 

tour as well as the route to offer a very comprehensive 

view of the Omani natural beauty. All the tourist will have 

to do is sit back, relax, and take it all in from the vantage 

point of big red, double-decker open top bus. 


Wordpress 

Oman Drydock 

Company organises 

Duqm beach cleaning 

campaign 

Oman Drydock Company (ODC) 

recently organised its social 

contribution programme to the 

society by initiating and completing 

the beach cleanup campaign in 

Duqm successfully. In all, there 

were 60 employees from different 

departments who participated in this 

event. 

The campaign lasted for almost two 

hours. All participants did involve with 

excellent enthusiasm and abiding 

cheerfulness in accomplishing this 

cause without failure. 

This campaign was organised by 

Giordano spring series collection 

Giordano launched the finale of its 2012 spring 

collection series, featuring new style wrinkle-free 

shirts for men and on trend shoulder ball tops for 

ladies. “At Giordano, we continue to spice up our 

offerings with stylish clothes with an uncompromising 

commitment to quality and look,” said Ishwar 

Chungani, executive director of Giordano Middle 

East, India and Africa. “Our customer is always our 

focus and we want to make sure that every time they 

visits any of Giordano’s 226 stores across the region, 

they will find something that meets their needs.” 

The Giordano’s final phase of spring collection is 

available in all Giordano stores across the Middle 

East starting May 1. 

16 May 7-20, 2012 

HSSE department to raise the 

environmental awareness among 

the employees in a way that will, 

eventually, result in motivating them 

to conduct their daily duties in an 

environmentally friendly manner. 

Due to the encouraging results 

of the event, other environmental 

campaigns will follow in the future 

as part of HSSE activities of the 

organisation with the involvement of 

other departments. 

Novel design premium Malaysian furniture brand 

Further, continual effort will be 

directed towards this cause in order 

to maintain a good environmental 

status within the shipyard as well 

as in the surrounding area here 

in Duqm. Moreover, the ODC will 

always pay great consideration 

towards the environment by 

complying with all the applicable 

environmental regulations of ministry 

of environment and climate affairs’. 

Dawood group of companies announced the opening of 

the first franchisee showroom of the brand Novel in the 

AGCC and choosing Oman as its first destination. 

The citizens of Muscat will have lots to look forward to in 

the 1150sqm outlet which will be located at the Markaz 

Al Bahja Shopping Mall. 

With more than 35 years of furniture fabricating 

experience, Novel has gained the highest appraisal 

from its initial concept, design, material to the final 

product quality.

Chrysler 300C has best interior 

North America based Ward’s AutoWorld is well known for 

its annual '10 Best Engines' (also considered as the engine 

Oscars) list, but the prestigious trade publication has now 

added a second award category – ‘INTERIORS’. Ward’s 

AutoWorld rebranded the list in 2011 by naming the 

coolest car cockpits under the '10 Best Interiors' tagline. 

The 2012 Chrysler 300 C is one of the winners this year 

of this coveted award. This year’s winners are a relatively 

diverse lot, with hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers all 

making the list. Chris Edwards, general manager of Dhofar 

Automotive, said: “We are delighted that the 2012 Chrysler 

300C sedan has received this prestigious accolade in US 

despite tough competition from brands across the globe. 

From the onset, the model was designed to be the most 

luxurious and fuel-efficient Chrysler flagship sedan ever. 

The executive edition combines ultra-premium features 

that was once limited to some of the most exotic and 

expensive Italian luxury cars.” 

ESO awarded Hima Fund Grant to research Egyptian vulture on Masirah island 

The Environment Society of Oman 

(ESO) was recently awarded the 

Hima fund to conduct a research 

project on the Egyptian vulture in 

Oman. Hima Fund is a regional 

fund, established to provide grants 

to conserve Important Bird Areas 

(IBAs) in the Middle East. Hima is a 

traditional system of land designation 

and customary practice and aims 

for the protection of land, and the 

sustainable use of natural resources 

by the local communities. 

Masirah Island has been designated 

an IBA in 2001 and is home to 

numerous bird species, both 

resident and migratory. The island 

is an important site for wintering 

and migrating waterbirds in the 

Middle East.The Egyptian Vulture or 

Neophron percnopterus, is believed 

to be an abundant passage migrant 

and winter visitor to Oman and 

the Island, and a resident over the 

summer season. It is listed as an 

Jadavpur University alumni's ‘Sanskriti – 2012’ 

Jadavpur University alumni, Oman chapter, orchestrated ‘Sanskriti 

2012’, as an extension of the popular university campus festival, 

recently. Indian ambassador J S Mukul underlined Jadavpur University 

alumni’s remarkable presence in Oman with its multifaceted social, 

educational and cultural activities. ‘Sanskriti 2012’ opened with 

‘Dontorongo’ a one-act play performed by alumni members who 

attracted a round of applause in the auditorium. This was followed by 

Karma’s unique fusion of Indian classical music and contemporary jazz, 

Afro-Cuban styles and Mediterranean music. Karma’s band members 

– tabla maestro, Grammy award nominated Pt Subhen Chatterjee, 

Grammy award winner Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt of Mohan Veena fame, 

award winning singer Raghab Chatterjee, wonder drummer Sambit 

Chatterjee, young guitar virtuoso Subham Mitra and keyboard wizard 

Subhas Mondal presented a musical euphoria for Muscat’s music 

aficionados. The electrifying melody and power house performance of 

Karma attracted enthusiastic applause from the audience. 

endangered species on the IUCN 

Red List (International Union for 

the Conservation of Nature) and 

is a priority for conservation work. 

Through this project, carried for a 

period of 11 months, the society will 

seek to understand the status of the 

existing Egyptian Vultures population 

in Oman to support any conservation 

action. Few challenges are expected 

to be faced throughout the project 

as ‘the bird is not very popular on 

the Island of Masirah as its local 

name, al rakhma, is often used as an 

offense among the local population’ 

says project manager Maia Sarrouf. 


Wordpress 

Nissan Micra 2012 

launched in Oman 

Suhail Bahwan Automobiles 

(SBA), the exclusive importers and 

distributors of Nissan vehicles in 

Oman, unveiled the all new Nissan 

Micra, the zippy and smart compact 

hatchback. Coupled with its trendy 

looks, characteristic agility and 

distinctive lifestyle appeal, Micra 

is sure to offer a highly-rewarding 

driving experience to its discerning 

consumers. 

The glittering launch ceremony was 

presided by Ahmed Suhail Bahwan, 

chairman of SBA and Divyendu 

Kumar, managing director of SBA 

and other key dignitaries in the 

presence of select customers and 

the media. 

Commenting on the occasion, Ahmed 

Suhail Bahwan said, “In a short 

period of seven years since inception, 

SBA has carved out a strong niche 

Affirming their commitment 

to environmental 

sustainability, OCTAL 

Petrochemicals employees 

planted 50 native 

Frankincense trees at the 

company’s 47-hectare 

PET Complex in the 

Salalah Free Zone in 

honour of World Earth Day 

2012. The trees, provided 

by the Environment 

Society of Oman, were 

added to the company’s greenbelt which is comprised 

18 May 7-20, 2012 

for itself in the automobile market in 

the Sultanate. Driven by customercentric 

philosophy, we have been 

continuously offering new products 

and value-added services to our 

valued customers. 

The introduction of the All New 

Nissan Micra, after launching Nissan 

Sunny last month is a testimony to 

this fact”. 

Divyendu Kumar, added, “The 

All New Nissan Micra 2012 is a 

powerful, safe and fuel-efficient 

city car possessing all the features 

required to become the segment 

leader in the Sultanate." 

OCTAL petrochemicals plants 50 frankincense trees in Salalah 

of a variety of indigenous 

flora to further support the 

biodiversity of the region. 

Ahmed Al Najjar, director 

of government affairs at 

OCTAL, explained that 

the tree planting exercise 

is part of the company’s 

efforts to mitigate the 

impact of carbon emissions 

and combat desertification 

while helping to restore the 

diminishing population of 

frankincense trees among other native trees in Oman. 

Suhail Chemical Industries ISO 

9000 certification 

Suhail Chemical Industries LLC (SCI) has 

been accredited with ISO: 9001:2008 Quality 

Management System certification by Velosi Quality 

Management International.

Mazda awarded ‘Superbrands’ status in Oman 

Towell Auto Centre’s (TAC) Mazda 

brand has recently emerged among 

one of the strongest consumer 

brands in Oman, and has been 

awarded the highly coveted 

‘Superbrands’ title. Having a 

marketing programme that breaks 

conventions, and lays emphasis on 

the building of long term relationships 

with customers, Mazda joins the 

aspirational league of some of 

the Sultanate’s top most brands, 

thereby highlighting its distinctive 

image and position in the Omani 

automotive market. Speaking about 

winning the coveted accolade, S. 

Kasthurirengan, Ceo, TAC says, 

“We restructured our marketing 

department about six years back and 

have been consistently investing in 

marketing and branding initiatives 

for Mazda. I am proud and happy to 

learn that the hard work put in by our 

marketing department has received 

a global recognition. Everybody in 

our team is absolutely committed 

to delivering exceptional levels of 

customer service and the winning 

of the ‘Superbrands’ title proves 

the ever increasing strength of the 

Mazda brand in Oman, which is also 

reflected in our huge gain in market 

share figures across the country.” 

Annurag Chawla, head of marketing 

and communications, TAC adds, 

“Known to be a celebration of many 

Pizza Hut call centre agents training 

Pizza Hut Oman recently conducted a rigorous training 

programme for its call centre agents as a part of its quality 

initiative to provide excellent customer service that matches 

its world-class standards. This training was conducted in 

association with Khimji Training Institute, Muscat. 

The programme focussed on areas like: identify the 

characteristics of excellent customer service; demonstrating 

professional call etiquette; improving the agents spoken 

English; identifying and explaining the elements of the 

call flow including special training on dealing with difficult 

customers. The programme was designed to enhance 

excellence in customer service. Yogesh Shah, general 

manager, Pizza Hut Oman said, “As one of the most 

preferred family dining restaurants in Oman, Pizza Hut has 

been serving the best ingredients of pizza’s and pasta’s to its 

valued customers over the last 23 years." 

“It has been more than a year since I started my career with 

Pizza Hut Oman. I feel confident about my knowledge and 

skills attained during this period. The techniques imbibed by 

our team during this interactive training session will definitely 

help us to serve our customers better,” said Hanaa Abdulhadi 

Nasib Al Harthi, Call Center Agent at Pizza Hut Oman. 

a country’s high profile brands, 

‘Superbrands’ is a highly aspirational 

accolade. Winning the ‘Superbrands’ 

title is very special for us, as this is 

probably the first time that Mazda 

has been awarded ‘Superbrand’ 

status in the AGCC and the region, 

and we are delighted that we’ve 

achieved this coveted title amongst 

some extremely stiff competition.” 

Second Cup 

summer new drinks 

Second Cup Oman has introduced four ‘irresistible’ 

drinks that have been delicately blended to 

offer a revitalising experience, as temperatures 

begin to soar. This is part of the coffee house’s 

ongoing commitment to delivering on the promise 

of providing customers with variety. From hot to 

cold beverages which feature rich flavours of, the 

newly introduced options are part of Second Cup’s 

product development strategy. Describing the four 

new additions to the Second Cup extensive menu 

Jannat Moosa, marketing director at Bin Mirza 

International explained that the “Mint Lemonade 

Chiller is expected to be hugely popular given its 

zesty taste and cooling affect. The Chocolate Chai 

Latte is available in both hot and cold variations 

and is made with the finest imported cocoas, lightly 

spiced with cardamom and cinnamon. Bringing 

the best of both worlds, the Coffee Toffee Latte 

combines velvety caramel with creamy m ocha. The 

newly introduced drinks will be available until mid- 

May of this year at Second Cup branches located 

in Qurum, Shatti Al Qurum, Bareeq Al Shatti and at 

the Omantel’s Headquarters in Mawaleh. 


Wordpress 

Muscat 

Kathiyawadi 

Pariwar marks Gujarat 

Day with dance festival 

A fully packed hall witnessed rocking 

performances of nearly 130 dancers 

in different categories (solo, duets 

and groups) at the MKP dance 

festival – 2012 presented by Muscat 

Kathiyawadi Parivar at Rise Vision 

Hall, Darsait, recently. The event, 

which was held in association with 

Abu Muneer Al- Hashmi Trading 

LLC, was to mark the Gujarat Day 

celebration. 

Colourful dances from all parts and 

varied cultures from across India 

were presented by MKP. In spite of 

closing the participation before 15 

days, 110 youngsters showed their 

talents with classical, semi-classical, 

Bollywood, folk and western dances. 

The Sultan’s School raises money 

in continued support of the 

Sindbad mobile library 

Primary students 

at The Sultan’s 

School have raised 

an additional 

OMR940.400 for 

the Sindbad Mobile 

Library, a joint 

project between Al 

Roya Publishing 

and Dar Al Atta’s 

‘Let’s Read’ campaign. An active supporter of the 

Sindbad Mobile Library, primary students from ages 

3 to 11 raised close to OMR2000 earlier in the year 

through a non-uniform day and coin lines during Maths 

Week. Participating in community projects is part and 

parcel of The Sultan’s School’s ethos. 

The school recognises that not every child outside 

Muscat is privileged enough to access quality books 

every day. By supporting this very valuable resource 

and worthy cause, students of The Sultan’s School 

are able to appreciate the importance and value of 

education while ensuring similar opportunities are 

possible for others. 

20 May 7-20, 2012 

“Whenever Gujarat Day is 

celebrated, we see focus on garba 

and dandia raas dances. Though 

garba and dandia represents 

the Gujarati culture, we wanted 

to expand our horizon to include 

dances from Kashmir, Rajasthan, 

Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil 

Nadu and offer a beautiful dance 

festival on such an important day,” 

Dipti Raval, the chief programme 

director of MKP said, adding that 

MKP had organised many other 

quality programmes before. This 

programme was sponsored by Sky 

Falcon Trading, Silver Shell Trading 

& Contracting, NAPCO, Al Mudhish 

(Oman Foodstuff Factory), Ramniklal 

B Kothary & Co, Majdi Spices (Towell 

Group), Pizza Express, Shang 

Thai, Rajdhani Restaurant, Tawa 

Magic Restaurant, Al Azb Pure 

Drinking Water, Pran Juices, Taiseer 

Electronics, Modern Square Trading, 

Color Impressions, Country Club 

Holidays and Shah Nagardas Manji. 

Win 100 free trolleys in exciting 

sultan center promotion 

Customers at the Sultan 

Center in Qurum this 

month can win their 

trolley load of groceries 

absolutely free! 

The contents of 100 free 

trolleys will be given 

away over the 15 day 

extravaganza during 

which time the Sultan 

Center will ‘Spin the Wheel’ and surprise up to seven 

lucky shoppers every day. At random times during the 

morning and late afternoon, the wheel of fortune will be 

spun and a cashier number selected. The customer at 

the selected cashier at that time will win the contents of 

whatever is in their trolley absolutely free. Dana Geadah, 

marketing manager, Sultan Center said, “The more you 

put in your trolley and the more frequent you shop at 

Sultan Center the more you can potentially win in our 

newest and most exciting promotion to date. Being in 

the right place at the right time is something we can 

never predict so the element of surprise makes this 

giveaway even more thrilling for our shoppers!” 

The ‘Win 100 free trolleys’ promotion runs until April 30. 

Visit www.sultan-center.com.

In Black... 

We hope to make a 

difference this year 

and we hope to help 

the autistic as well as 

create more excitement 

to Sudoku lovers 

THIRD EDITION OF SUDOKU 

When we started the numbers game, we were 

apprehensive whether we would be able to create 

enough interest with our readers as well as the public. 

It is a numbers game that needs no professional 

expertise. Anyone and everyone can do it and it is 

said that Sudoku is a game beyond borders since it 

does not require any language. 

Every time I travel, I see someone or the other 

diligently filling in a Sudoku puzzle featured in a 

newspaper either at the airport lounges or inside the 

flights. I was always fascinated by the game and I am 

sure there are many out there who are good at it. Last 

two years we saw over 300 to 700 participants, from 

kids to ladies to people of all ages, trying hard to finish 

the game ultra fast, all of which ensued in a nail biting 

finish. 

The first edition’s Omani champion Marwa told the 

B&W team that she was only good at Sudoku and 

she was waiting for someone to start a competition, 

Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali 

Editor-in-chief 

and when it happened, it was dream come true for her. 

And she was very fast. All of this gave us an impetus 

to go ahead and make it an annual competition. This 

year again we have entries from all over Oman. We 

hope to see this competition become more regional and 

international soon. 

GEORGE WIDENER AGAIN 

The Sudoku event is an autism awareness event and 

this year we will have the world famous autistic savant 

George Widener back with us to promote the cause. He 

had impressed Oman two years back in 2010, when he 

displayed his calendar calculation talent to the audience. 

He is an artist par excellence, a simple human being, but 

an intellectual giant with dates and numbers. 

We hope to make a difference this year and we hope to 

help the autistic as well as create more excitement to 

Sudoku lovers. We want you to not only read about it, 

but also to come and participate in the event. Not just the 

Sudoku game, but to just be there. Your presence alone 

will help this cause. So, be there on June 1 at the Oman 

Auditorium of Al Bustan Palace hotel! 

& White 

Black & White 21 

In Black & White

B&W B& B& BB & W Xclusive Xc X lu luu si ive 

ve ve vee vv eeee 

22 May M 7-20, 7- 7-20, 20, 201 2012 01 012

Your 

daughter is 

not autistic 

because 

you are a 

bad mother! 

“Is it because I am a bad parent that 

my daughter is autistic?” Sabah Al 

Zadjali (*), a mother of an autistic child 

genuinely asks. One is pained to hear 

the question. Despite the work done 

by so many here to promote the cause 

of autism, doubts like this still arise 

among the parents. It is not that they 

don’t know. It is the sheer desperation 

among parents who do not know how 

to cope with a child who has autism. 


B&W Xclusive 

BIOLOGICAL DISORDER 

In the 1960s and 70s, Dr Bernard Remand, the father of 

a son with autism, who later founded the Autism Society 

of America and the Autism Research Institute, helped the 

medical community understand that autism is not caused 

by cold parents but rather is a biological disorder. 

So even though Sabah Al Zadjali might like to whip 

herself, the underlying factor is that it is not because of 

anyone’s fault. 

UNWANTED GUILT 

But, somehow, the guilt continues in some parents. 

Alaa Ghalib Hassan, mother of Zaid Nizar, a seven plus 

year old son, remembers how she felt when the latter 

remained silent. All he would do was make some noises, 

clap and his movements were not with much aim. 

Alaa’s husband work involved travelling and so there 

were many occasions when she was the only one with 

her son and initially she thought that his silences were 

because of that. But, luckily for Zaid, Alaa was made of 

different material. She was a one-woman army against 

autism and soon her persistent efforts to bring her son to 

normalcy worked. Zaid is a different boy today. Her efforts 

paid off and after a long haul, she began to see positive 

changes in her son. “But, it has not been easy,” she 

confesses. It is this hard trek that makes many parents 

baulk at the long road ahead of them when they have an 

autistic child. 

ONE OUT OF 150 

But although more people are working, not just in Oman, 

for the cause of autism, even today, the exact cause 

of autism is not very clear. What is clear though is that 

autism affects 1 of 150 kids. 

The brain contains over 100 billion nerve cells called 

neurons. Each neuron may have hundreds or thousands 

of connections that carry messages to other nerve cells 

in the brain and body. The connections and the chemical 

24 May 7-20, 2012 

While all of us may still be groping in the dark to find out the 

real cause of autism, rest assured that it is not because of bad 

parenting or cold mothers. 

Indeed, many years ago, Dr Leo Kanner, a psychiatrist, made 

this bombshell statement that autism was caused by cold, 

unloving mothers. Bruno Bettelheim, a renowned professor of 

child development supported this misinterpretation of autism. 

Their promotion of the idea that unloving mothers caused their 

children’s autism created a generation of parents who carried 

the tremendous burden of guilt for their children’s disability 

messengers (called neurotransmitters) let the neurons 

that help you see, move, remember, and work together as 

they should, but for some reason some of the cells and 

connections in the brain of a kid with autism –especially 

those that affect communication, emotion, and senses- 

don’t develop properly or get damaged. Scientists are still 

trying to understand how and why this happens. 

About one in 10 persons with autism spectrum disorder 

will have special skills, or, they are islands of geniuses 

with special skills in music, art, math or virtual-spatial 

abilities, Dr Darold A. Treffert, a world renowned savant 

expert tells us. 

“Also, autism is not due to faulty parenting,” Dr Treffert 

stressed. “There is no evidence to suggest such a link 

and my work with the many families of children with 

autism have shown them to be very caring and loving 

parents with no hint whatsoever that bad parenting had 

anything to do with the presence of autism. 

NO BIOLOGICAL TESTS 

Unfortunately, there are no any biological tests that can 

be done to detect if a child is suffering from autism or not, 

the diagnosis of autism depends solely on observation 

and also educational and psychological testing. 

An autism-specific screening tool, such as the Modified 

Checklist of Autism in Toddlers (MCHAT) should be 

used. The MCHAT is a list of simple questions about the 

child. The answers determine whether he or she should 

be referred to a specialist, usually a developmental 

paediatrician, a neurologist, a psychiatrist or a 

psychologist, for further evaluation. 

However, autism does have a genetic component, which 

can be triggered by certain environmental or other factors, 

Dr Treffert points out, adding however that research is 

continuing in order to fully establish the exact link. 

NO EMOTIONS 

People with autism tend to have problems with ordinary

language or day to day communication. “They also tend 

to be quite isolated and alone and have difficulty with 

social skills, socialisation and just ‘fitting in’,” Dr Treffert 

noted. 

People with autism are unable to feel emotions or 

develop personal attachments. However, with time and 

effort, such barriers to feelings can be overcome so that 

the autistic persons can still give and seek affection. 

FUTURE IS NOT BLEAK 

So, the future should not be all that bleak for those 

afflicted with autism. Early intervention and treatment 

benefits most children with autism and treatment can help 

adults with that condition as well. 

Experts in Oman note that studies have shown that 

early intensive intervention is directly correlated with 

positive outcomes in children with autism. In the sense, 

if a child begins intensive therapy at a very early stage, 

the chances that the child will lead a productive life is a 

distinct possibility. 

But, at the same time, without proper intervention, the 

future for a child with autism is often bleak. “Seventyfive 

percent of children with autism test in the mentally 

retarded range prior to therapies and treatments. More 

than 50 percent of children with autism who do not 

receive early intensive intervention will remain nonverbal. 

There was a time when these grim statistics were 

lifelong probabilities, but today, with recent advances 

in educational interventions, autistic children can make 

astounding gains, sometimes even losing their diagnosis 

of autism,” a report notes. 

Dr Teffert notes that resources to provide early 

intervention are now becoming available in most 

countries. Research to find even more effective 

treatments and to share such advances and insights 

are now there with families, caregivers and treatment 

personnel. 

But, what is required in Oman is a much more concerted 

and bigger effort because only fledgling work has been 

done so far. Parents of autistic children and the latter 

themselves need support. Without support, the road 

ahead is not that easy. 

(*) not real name 


B&W Xclusive 

What happens 

when autistic 

children grow up? 

Autistic children do not remain 

children for ever, notes a top Omani 

campaigner of autism. 

DR YAHYA AL FARSI, assistant 

dean for training and community 

service at the College of Medicine 

& Health Sciences, SQU noted at 

a recent conference the need to 

understand that autistic children 

finally grow up and stressed on the 

need to look at those aspects too. 

He was speaking at a conference on 

autism in March this year when he 

made the above observation. 

As part of an initiative to establish a 

national centre for autism in Oman, 

‘The First International Conference 

on Autism: Accepting Difference’ 

conference was organised by the 

Language Centre Social Committee, 

in association with the College of 

Medicine & Health Sciences at the 

Sultan Qaboos University some 

months ago. 

26 May 7-20, 2012 

The conference provided 

professionals and parents of autistic 

children with a clearer understanding 

of the diagnostic criteria for autism. 

Dr Yahya Al Farsi spoke about how 

over the last two decades, the world 

had been witnessing an incredible 

increase in the prevalence of autism. 

“Despite all efforts made to study 

and support autistic children, the 

fact is that the world appears to be 

not ready yet to provide full range of 

services that those children deserve. 

People with autism are often referred 

to as ‘autistic children’. We need 

to realise that they do not remain 

children for ever. 

They grow up to adulthood and look 

for successful social and professional 

life, like any other person in the 

society,” Dr Al Farsi pointed out. 

So, what happens to autistic kids 

when they grow up in Oman? Do 

they get to have a family or a job? 

Does their quality of life get better, 

worse, or stay the same? What kind 

of support or services do middle aged 

people with autism need in Oman? 

What do they get? Are they happy? 

Looking at efforts in this direction in 

other countries can give parents real 

cause for hope. 

There are cases of speech impaired 

children becoming pretty successful 

adults, but after several years. A 

significant number of disabled autistic 

kids grew up to have families, jobs 

and a self-described decent quality 

of life. Most people got better – not 

worse – with age. 

‘Autism in Oman’ was selected for strategic research fund in 2011 

On the occasion of 11th Annual Day of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), six research projects were 

selected for Strategic Research Fund for the year 2011. 

One of the qualified projects for 2011 was: 

Autism in Oman, Epidemiology and Etiology (Principal Investigator: Dr Yahya Al Farsi, assistant professor, 

department of family medicine and public health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences. 

Until 2008, little information has been known about autism in Oman. On September 2008, the newlyformulated 

Autism Research Group (ARG) at SQU initiated research activities which resulted in important 

findings, namely estimation of prevalence in Oman, quantification of malnutrition among autistics, and 

ascertainment of a strong association between suboptimal breastfeeding and autism. 

The generous funds donated by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said will be used to support long-term, 

multidisciplinary strategic research projects of importance to the Sultanate. The aim of such projects 

is to generate new knowledge and discoveries leading to substantial socio-economic benefits to the 

Omani society in the long run. Researchers are expected to obtain major results and identify anticipated 

direct benefits to prospective users. This type of research is expected to help the University build an 

infrastructure for “centres of excellence” in vital areas, in addition to making a solid contribution to the 

advancement of University’s academic programmes.

The 3rd edition of Black & White 'Sudoku for a Cause' 

Preliminary Competition is scheduled at Indian School Ghubra 

premises on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 7pm. 

The Grand Finale will be held at the Oman Auditiorium, Al 

Bustan Palace Hotel on Friday, June 1, 2012 at 7.30 pm 

Black & White has managed to 

successfully connect the popular 

puzzle, Sudoku, with autism for the 

last two years. And, in the first edition 

itself an Omani girl won. Marwa Al 

Wadhahi became the Sultanate’s 

first-ever Sudoku champion. 

Do bear in mind that although 

Sudoku is a very popular puzzle 

game, it was only in the realm of 

newspapers and it never got beyond 

it. Thanks to the cause and the way 

Marwa and Vishwanath 

-- first and second year 

Sudoku champs 

it was connected with the puzzle, 

Sudoku leapt out of the papers and 

became a major hit. 

Marwa, who was just 19 then, took 

12 minutes to complete a very 

complex puzzle created by former 

Sudoku world champion, Thomas 

Snyder. 

She competed against other Sudoku 

wizards at the final of the first-ever 

Black & White ‘You Play Sudoku’ 

Open to All Competition – 2010, 

which was held at the Oman 

Auditorium of Al Bustan Palace hotel. 

Kalpana D’Silva and Madhvi Kumar 

were the first and second runners 

up, recently. In the second edition, S. 

Vishwanath, a chartered accountant, 

was crowned the Sudoku champion. 

He was one among the eight 

contenders who went into the final of 

the Sudoku event. The final session 

were contested between Vishwanath 

and Premlatha Muralikrishnan. 


Preliminary on May 30, 2012 

7 pm at Indian School Al Ghubra 

Let's under

stand Autism 

Grand Finale on June 1, 2012 

7.30pm at Oman Auditorium, 

Al Bustan Palace Hotel

B&W Xclusive 

30 May 7-20, 2012

Find happiness from 

something you are good 

at: George Widener 

tells the autistic 

The life of prodigious autistic savant, George Widener, is 

a story for all to learn from – even those who are remotely 

related to autism. 

George was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1962. He 

showed clear signs of autism as well as giftedness as a 

child. However a combination of growing up in a poor, 

multi-racial Appalachian family and the public lack of 

understanding of autism (in this case high-functioning 

autism known as Asperger’s Disorder) in the 1960s 

allowed him to remain undiagnosed until he was into 

adulthood. 

As a result, George spent years living hand to mouth, 

often working ‘day labor’ jobs and staying in homeless 

shelters. He also spent his time in libraries reading and 

making his drawings. George has thousands of specific 

historical trivia and facts in his memory, often strange and 

even tragic details which he finds obsessively fascinating. 

Give George Widener any date in history and he can, 

within seconds, tell you what day of the week it was. 

Numbers follow George wherever he goes, he finds 

comfort in them, and he considers them his friends. 

George says no-one ever taught him to calculate 

calendars. In fact, he insists he’s not calculating at all. 

George’s skill is phenomenal, but it comes at a cost. He 

suffers from a form of autism, a brain disorder that leads 

to awkwardness and social isolation. 

As a child, school was a place of fear and dread, but 

a chance encounter at his grandmother’s house when 

he was seven changed his life. He met another child 

who was fascinated with his grandmother’s calendar. 

Today, George is perhaps the world’s greatest calendar 

calculator, but he is not unique. He belongs to a select 

group of people known as savants. 

In 2004 he easily defeated a former NASA scientist 

(“What day of the week will June 25th be in the year 

47,253?”) who was using paper, pencil, and formulas 

(and eventually a laptop computer) in a ‘contest’ shown 

on a Japanese TV science documentary. 

Despite being autistic, progress has been made in 

George’s life by emphasising his strengths rather than 

trying to ‘correct’ his weaknesses. All his life George has 

made various drawings and had numbers in his head 

and so this is what he focuses on today versus trying to 

have some career with broader interests. He is a lightning 

calendar calculator with a seemingly unlimited range. 

He also has instant recall of thousands of historical 

trivia, facts, world and US census figures (“Population of 

Boston, Mass is 589,141 in last census”) that has had 

some sort of interest to him. Mention the ‘Powers of Two’ 

to him and he might reel them off in rapid fire progression 

up to 20 digits (1, 2, 4....1073741824, 2147483648....) or 

so. George graduated from college when he was 37 while 

in a special education programme for learning disabled 

persons at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, 

eventually earning a general Liberal Arts degree, Cum 

Laude. 

George has drawn all his life and his early artwork was 

of a more stereotyped savant style, a sort of recording 

of something he was looking at or had seen in the past. 

He drew landscapes and portraits. His very talented 

draughtsmanship gives him a range of technical abilities. 

He has had to work to overcome his literal nature and 

visual memory to create original artwork. George’s 

emergence as an expressive, original artist came as 

he began to place his revered numbers, calculations, 

calendars, facts, machine parts, and letters into works on 

found paper, often napkins. 

George was the first savant who literally introduced 

the Sudoku for Autism event of Black & White to the 

public at the inaugural edition of the charity cause cum 

competition. 

This year this prodigious savant and date genius with 

‘outstanding computational ability’ is here once again to 

promote the cause in Oman. 

As he himself tells us, he was once struggling and 

actually lived on the streets several times, in Dallas, 

London, and Amsterdam... But, today world famous ‘rock 

stars’ are known to buy his work and they invite him to 

their mansions in Europe. It is important, he tells those 

afflicted with autism, that they find what they are good at 

– some type of work or activity -- and then attempt to find 

some happiness with it. 


B&W Xclusive 

32 May 7-20, 2012

Sudoku is 

addictive: 

US champ 

He took seven minutes and seven seconds to win 

the United State of America’s first national Sudoku 

championship. But, his fastest time to solve a 

Sudoku puzzle was just 52 seconds. 

THOMAS SNYDER, whose puzzles are being used 

for the Sudoku for Autism event, is a famous former 

Sudoku champion. Snyder has won the US (2007) 

and World (2007 & 2008) Sudoku championships 

and a five-time US Puzzle Champion (2006 – 2010) 

For Snyder, solving a Sudoku puzzle comes naturally. “My pencil goes from 

one square grid to another,” he says. 

While there are many reasons that people enjoy Sudoku, one of the main 

reason for Snyder is the “‘rush’ of entering the last few digits of a Sudoku and 

the positive feedback of getting better at solving the puzzle after you’ve played 

it for awhile”. 

Snyder wants to compare the last moments with a Sudoku to the last 

moments with a jigsaw puzzle (the puzzle most often associated with autism). 

“You can easily spend over a week trying to piece together a 1000-piece 

jigsaw puzzle, where it can take awhile to place even one more piece as you 

get started, but as you get very close to the end, and have just 20 pieces, then 

10 pieces, then 5, then 1, then finished, there is a real sense of excitement 

and accomplishment (unless of course there is a missing piece which leads to 

intense frustration!). 

In a Sudoku, it is easy to get stuck on a puzzle and take awhile to even place 

one more digit. But as you finally break through and approach the end, there 

is the same sense of excitement and accomplishment (unless you realise you 

wrote the same number twice in a row or column and have a mistake!). 

Getting to the exciting point of a Sudoku requires much less time than a 

jigsaw puzzle, so its much easier to want to do another right away, and I 

think the release of endorphins that comes with finishing a Sudoku puzzle 

contributes to its addictive qualities.” 


Nitternatter 

Something wrong 

with traffic 

Journalism is 

more than a 

business 

34 May 7-20, 2012 

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: 

There is something wrong with traffic in town. Something very very wrong. 

Everyone is complaining. Everyone says they are getting late to get to 

wherever they have to go, even if they start early. Everyone is getting stuck in 

the road and traffic seems to be moving mostly at a snail pace. When things 

are going slowly, why are accidents still happening? Accidents should be 

down, right? Wrong. Cars are moving slowly, but accidents are happening; 

cars are damaged, people are injured and fatalities are also continuing like 

no man’s business. All in all one fears getting into a car and driving on the 

road these days. Either you reach late, or you don’t reach at all. 

When we first met Anasudhin Azeez, he was a young journalist of an English 

daily in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Today, he is an award winning 

editor of a fortnightly in Britain. Azeez, a Keralite, came to Oman on a very 

serious mission: a cousin of his had committed suicide here in a downtown 

area and he wanted to not only get to the root of it, but also finish many 

formalities. I remember him arguing with the then head of Air India on setting 

a precedence of sending the human remains of Indians who have passed 

away in Oman free. I am not sure if the man did allow them to send Azeez’s 

cousin’s remains free, but then somewhere down the line it has happened. A 

precedent was actually set then… 

Today, we learn that Azeez is doing quite well in Britain with Asian Lite, a 

fortnightly focusing on British Asian events and issues. In fact, he even won 

the prestigious ‘How-Do’ newspaper of the year award for this year (2012). 

A judging panel comprising BBC veteran Jim Hancock and Google’s Andy 

Barke selected Asian Lite as the Newspaper of the Year 2012 from the shortlist 

of eight leading British titles, including Rupert Murdoch-owned News 

Corporations’ The Times; Newsquest’s The Bolton News and Johnston 

Press Group’s Lancaster Guardian. Asian Lite was the only British ethnic 

media title shortlisted in the 18 award categories. The award committee said 

Asian Lite, published by New Asian Media Ltd, bucked the current British 

trends in declining sales and circulation in publishing and derived innovative 

solutions to identify new models and revenue streams. 

“In the papers five-year history, we never took a single advert of psychics, 

astrologers, faith healers or premium-priced chat lines. Journalism is more 

than a business and we are trying our best to serve the community in a better 

way,” Azeez is quoted as saying.

Hair of a woman 

Tic tic bang bang 

(Note: Readers who have something bitter to chatter about can either 

email on editor@blackandwhiteoman.com or call 99218461) 

We don’t know if an official complaint has been made, but the male staff 

of a medium-sized company in town have targeted a female member and 

have laid out various traps to catch her red handed at a task she has been 

accused of doing. Want to know what the drama is all about? Since some 

weeks now the male staff have been stumbling – well, not exactly – slipping, 

shall we say, not that either, well they have been confronting slightly long 

black hair either on the floor, their work stations, the meeting room and yes, 

even in the pantry…and the yuck factor seems to have incensed the male 

members, most of them sporting thinning and receding hairlines (one must 

quickly add), who although accusing one lady of the hair fall, have not fully 

been able to catch her in the act of shedding, so to speak. “It is just a matter 

of time,” one of the main members of this ‘no hair shedding in office allowed’ 

group says. But, shouldn’t they be spending time and effort on their office 

task than indulge in such non hair-raising issues, one would want to ask. 

Smirk, smirk. “We are doing this event and we are going to bring this famous 

star and another great celebrity…” we said. She went smirk, smirk again. 

Must be a facial tic, we thought and dismissed it. Of course, not in the level of 

Leonard Lowe (Robert De Niro) in the 1990 movie, Awakenings, but people 

can have tics and they need not be in the style portrayed by Oscar winning 

actors, we told ourselves. So, let it be, we said. Let her smirk, smirk, tic tic. 

But the more we spoke about the event, the more smirk smirk tic tic, she 

went. Time went tick tock tick tock and she went smirk tic smirk tic toc and 

suddenly we saw red. Hey lady, you gotta stop it, we growled. What, she 

asked as she continued with her smirk smirking, tic ticking… Our fingers 

twitched; our hands shook; our lips trembled and our tongues were 

ready to lash vitriol. Our hands went violent again to the point we 

thought we were going to go bang bang burst… Stop it, we rumbled 

as we furiously cut air between two gnashing set of teeth. Stop it, we 

told the other senior person with this lady and added that if she did not 

stop her tic, we were going to toc, sorry storm out. The man quickly 

cut in, telling the lady with the tic to stop smirking and behave herself 

before their guests and apologised to us. We stood up to leave, but 

then she immediately stopped her tic tic ticking (oh, we gotta tell Dr 

Malcolm Sayer – aka Robin Williams – of Awakenings that we have a 

medicine better than his L-Dopa drug, which might work for tics) and 

we sat down again for the discussion. 

Black & White 35 


Management talk 

Lakshmi Mittal 

– the world’s 

steel tycoon 

By Dr CK Anchan 

Lakshmi Niwas Mittal’s life is a rag- to-riches story with 

a twist, as in he literally went from rags to riches. As a 

youth, he lived on bare floors and slept on a thin, rope 

mattress. Today, Lakshmi Mittal owns a majority stake 

in Arcelor Mittal - the world’s largest steel company. 

Mittal is the richest man in India, Asia and the 

Kingdom, and is presently the 21st richest individual in 

the world with a personal wealth of $20.7 billion. He is 

the 44th “most powerful person” of the 68 individuals 

named in Forbes’s Most Powerful People list. 

In 2003, he acquired the Kensington mansion, said to 

be the world’s most expensive home, from Formula 

One racing’s Bernie Ecclestone for 70 million ($128 

million). His daughter Vanisha Mittal’s wedding was 

the second most expensive in the recorded history of 

the world. 

Mittal was born in 1950 in Sadulpur, India, a desert 

village in the state of Rajasthan. His family moved to 

Calcutta in the early 1960s, where his father became a 

partner in a small steel company that began to prosper. 

By 1969, Mittal had earned a degree in accounting 

from St. Xavier’s, a prestigious college in Calcutta (now 

Kolkata), and joined the family steel business. 

In 1976, he traveled to Indonesia to look into a realestate 

investment for his father, and convinced him 

to purchase a rundown steel mill there instead. The 

roots of Mittal’s empire were in that Indonesian mill. He 

founded his own company, which he called Ispat, the 

Sanskrit word for “steel,” and modernised the mill. It 

was a formula he replicated around the globe over the 

next decade: 

Mittal acquired mills in Trinidad, Mexico, and Algeria, 

and turned the enterprises into profit-making plants. 

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, he 

recognised new opportunities for his company, 

because the heavily industrialised Eastern Bloc 

boasted many immense steel mills. In 1995 Mittal 

made an enormous investment in one in Kazakhstan, 

Mittal spent $1 billion to buy and renovate the plant, 

and it became one of the showpieces of his growing 

empire. 

Mittal returned to the headlines in Britain in October of 

36 May April 7-20, 7-30, 2012 

Dr Anchan C.K. 

managing director, 

World Wide Business House 

2004 when his company merged with the International 

Steel Group, a holding group of five major U.S. steel 

mills. With the purchase, Mittal Steel became the 

world’s biggest steel producer. 

In 2005 Mittal acquired a stake in China’s Hunan Valin 

Iron & Steel Group for $314 million, which gave him 

37 percent ownership. Industry analysts were not 

surprised that Mittal had ventured into China, which is 

the world’s single largest exporter and importer of steel. 

Mittal scored another coup in June of 2006, when he 

emerged victorious in a bitter battle to acquire Arcelor 

of Luxembourg, the second largest steel company in 

the world and Europe’s biggest. 

One business strategy that Mittal employed to reach 

the greatness of business excellence was through 

always desiring for new and fresh grounds of business. 

It is true that had Mittal decided to remain in India, he 

would not be the wealthiest man in Europe today. He 

however decided to change his business worldview 

to suit the international market through switching from 

India to London. 

Business also entails doing something novel that will 

add value to the already existing business world. Mittal 

invented the use of Direct Reduced Iron or scrap as 

a suitable substitute for steelmaking. In today’s world, 

this trend is the most used for steel manufacturers. It is 

therefore, not a mistake that Mittal, as a pioneer of this 

scrap business has enjoyed the biggest shipments as 

well as profits in the world out of this business. 

Today Lakshmi Mittal is the face of a steel empire 

called Arcelor Mittal. the world’s largest steel company 

which accounts for 10 per cent of all crude steel 

production. As the president and Ceo of the company, 

he has steel-making facilities in 16 countries across 

four continents that serve his customer base spanning 

150 countries. 

His success can be expressed in his own views: “Hard 

work certainly goes a long way. These days a lot of 

people work hard, so you have to make sure you work 

even harder and really dedicate yourself to what you 

are doing and setting out to achieve.”

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. 

6 

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Difficulty Level 

Announcing 

Grand Finale 

On Friday June 1, 2012 

Preliminary 

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By Dave Green 

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Syndicate, Features King by 

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8/11 

SOLUTION: 

8/11 

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39

Kids 

40 May 7-20, 2012 

Here are some trivia on what causes tsunamis and some 

interesting information related to these great walls of water that can 

cause so much destruction

The Japanese word tsunami literally means ‘harbor 

wave’. 

Tsunamis are sometimes referred to as tidal waves but 

this term has fallen out of favour because tsunamis are 

not related to tides. 

Tsunamis are huge waves of water that are usually 

caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. 

As a tsunami approaches the shore, water may recede 

from the coast, if it is shallow enough the water may be 

pulled back hundred’s of metres. If you are in the area, 

observing this is a good indication that a tsunami is on 

the way. 

Regions in tsunami danger zones often have warning 

systems in place to give people as much time to 

evacuate as possible. 

When tsunamis hit shallow water (often near the coast) 

they slow down but increase in height. 

An earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia in 

December 2004 caused a tsunami that killed over 

200000 people in 14 countries. 

In March 2011, the Tohoku earthquake off the eastern 

coast of Japan caused a tsunami that was a major 

factor in the death of over 15000 people. 

The tsunami waves created by the Tohoku earthquake 

reached heights of over 40 metres (131 feet) in some 

areas, wiping out coastal towns and causing a number 

of nuclear accidents. 

A tsunami is a series of sea waves caused by an 

underwater earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption. 

More rarely, a tsunami can be generated by a giant 

meteor impact with the ocean. 

A tsunami is not just one wave but a series of waves or 

a “wave train.” 

Tongue twisters 

Many witnesses say a tsunami sounds like a freight 

train. 

When the ocean is deep, tsunamis may be less than a 

foot high on the ocean’s surface, can travel at speeds 

up to 500 mph without being noticed and cross the 

entire ocean in less than a day. 

Tsunami waves can be as long as 60 miles and be as 

far as an hour apart. These waves can cross entire 

oceans without losing much energy. 

Flooding can reach land 1000 feet (300 meters) from 

the coastline and the dangerous waves have enough 

force to lift giant boulders, flip vehicles, and demolish 

houses. 

Scientists can accurately estimate the time when a 

tsunami will arrive almost anywhere around the world 

based on calculations using the depth of the water, 

distances from one place to another, and the time that 

the earthquake or other event occurred. 

Hawaii is the U.S. state at greatest risk for a tsunami – 

they get about one per year and a damaging one every 

seven years. 

The biggest tsunami that occurred Hawaii happened 

on April 1, 1946, where the coast of Hilo Island was 

hit with 30 foot waves coming in at 500 miles per hour. 

170 people died as a result. 

In 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by an 

earthquake that is thought to have had the energy of 

23,000 atomic bombs. Within hours of the earthquake 

in 2004, killer waves radiating from the epicenter 

slammed into the coastline of 11 countries, damaging 

countries from east Africa to Thailand. By the end 

of the day, the tsunami had already killed 150,000 

people. The final death toll was 283,000. 

Not counting the 2011 tsunami in Japan, there were 26 

tsunamis that killed at least 200 people or more in the 

last century. 

Whether the weather be fine 

Or whether the weather be not, 

Whether the weather be cold, 

Or whether the weather be hot, 

We’ll weather the weather, 

Whatever the weather, 

Whether we like it or not 


Cooking 

42 May 7-20, 2012 

Salads 

Galore 

Fresh summer tomatoes need almost nothing added to them. Tossing 

ripe tomatoes into a salad brings out the best in their flavour, and also 

provides the most nutrition. 

Here are a few easy salads that will keep your menus cool:

TOMATO ONION SALAD 

Ingredients 

3/4 lb. plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise 

1/2 sm. red onion, thinly sliced 

2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 2 tbsp. dried basil 

leaves 

2 tbsp. vinegar 

2 tbsp. olive oil 

1 sm. clove garlic, minced 

1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper 

Method 

In medium bowl, combine salad ingredients, 

mixing well. Refrigerate. Toss salad just before 

serving. Makes four servings 

TOMATO BREAD SALAD 

Ingredients 

8 cups Italian bread cubes 

3 cups chopped tomatoes 

1 cup minced fresh basil 

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion 

1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil 

2 tablespoons cider or vinegar 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pepper 

1 garlic clove, minced 

Method 

In a large bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, 

basil and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together 

the remaining ingredients; drizzle over bread 

mixture. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes before 

serving. 

CHERRY TOMATO CORN SALAD 

Ingredients 

1/4 cup minced fresh basil 

3 tablespoons olive oil 

2 teaspoons lime juice 

1 teaspoon sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

2 cups frozen corn, thawed 

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 

1 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber 

Method 

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the basil, 

oil, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper; shake well. 

In a large bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes and 

cucumber. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. 

Refrigerate until serving. 


Horoscope 

It is time to change tactics 

at both work and play, so step 

outside your comfort zone and you 

will catch others off guard. It’s all 

about rebooting and restarting this 

week so forget the past and focus 

on the future. Long distance travel 

may seem out of your reach but it 

could still happen. 

Home is where the heart 

is usually rings true for you, but 

this week home and hearth seems 

like a lonely place. Mid week jolts 

your attention over work matters, so 

attend to them first then maybe you’ll 

get the respite you need when you 

return to your abode. 

44 May 7-20, 2012 

ARIES 

March 21-April 20 

CANCER 

June 22-July 23 

TAURUS 

April 21-May 20 

Edgy conversations could 

lead to a standoff but think long term 

before making major decisions about 

work or love. Calm down. No matter 

how hard you work or how much 

effort you put in, it seems you’re 

the only one who misses out on the 

rewards, and you’re getting fed up 

with it. 

LEO 

July 24-August 23 

Filter the wild off the wall 

ideas out of your mind over business 

matters and concentrate on the tried 

and tested ones that you know will 

work. If a friend needs a shoulder to 

cry on this week, be there for them. 

They’ve been supportive of you in the 

past and got you through some hard 

times. 

Your 

GEMINI 

May 21-June 21 

Trust your inner voice to 

give you the guidance you need over 

an emotional situation this week, 

even if you have to work hard. You 

haven’t played fair in the past and 

now need to work out how to make 

amends. It is only fair, especially if 

you’ve been a taker and not a giver. 

Sort it out. 

VIRGO 

August 24-September 23 

The impact of Mercury 

your ruling planet makes you more 

outspoken about money, but try to be 

sensitive to those with less than you 

as you can be rather brusque in your 

delivery of the facts at times. Allow 

your softer side to break through. 

You’ll get your own way anyway. 

ALFREDO JAMES "AL" PACINO (BORN APRIL 25, 1940) is an American 

film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, 

including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy and Tony Montana in 

Scarface, though he has also appeared several times on the other side of 

the law — as a police officer, a detective and a lawyer. His role as Frank 

Slade in Scent of a Woman won him the Academy Award for Best Actor 

in 1993 after receiving seven previous Oscar nominations, one of them 

being in the same year. He made his feature film debut in the 1969 film 

Me, Natalie in a minor supporting role, before playing the leading role 

in the 1971 drama The Panic in Needle Park. Pacino made his major 

breakthrough when he was given the role of Michael Corleone in The 

Godfather in 1972, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for 

Best Supporting Actor. Other Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor 

were for Dick Tracy and Glengarry Glen Ross. Oscar nominations for Best 

Actor include The Godfather Part II, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, ...And 

Justice for All and Scent of a Woman. In addition to a career in film, he has 

also enjoyed a successful career on stage, picking up Tony Awards for 

Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel. 

Pacino has received numerous lifetime achievement awards, including one 

from the American Film Institute. He is a method actor, taught mainly by Lee 

Strasberg and Charles Laughton at the Actors Studio in New York.

stars 

LIBRA 

March 21-April 20 

It’s not only you who have 

problems and issues this week, so 

stop being such a martyr and see 

if there’s anyone in your circle you 

can help. Embrace the unexpected 

and see where it takes you over 

work and love, and you might be 

happier with the new direction 

you’ve been pushed into. 

CAPRICORN 

December 23-January 20 

Although you know you’ve 

got commitments to meet this week 

your heart’s not in it. That’s not to 

say you wont do your bit, you will, 

but grudgingly. You need something 

major to happen in your life that will 

restore your faith and optimism in 

everything and everyone. Make it 

happen. 

SCORPIO 

April 21-May 20 

Your emotional energy 

needs to be controlled this week to 

ensure your decisions are effective 

not chaotic. Money still seems to 

be an edgy issue but focus on work 

and health matters before thinking 

of your cash flow. It’s a weekend to 

separate fact from fantasy and truth 

from exaggeration. 

AQUARIUS 

January 21-February 19 

If loved ones are feeling 

vulnerable, you’ll need to be patient 

with them, even if they stretch your 

last nerve. You don’t seem to be 

getting the results you want from 

work situations, but make the best 

of what’s going on. Home and 

family need your full attention at the 

weekend. 

SAGITTARIUS 

November 23-December 22 

A growing inner 

confidence in your decision making 

skills puts you in the mood to 

experiment, but don’t take too much 

of a chance or you’ll feel out of your 

depth. Focus on health matters, 

so up your activity levels and get 

moving. 

PISCES 

February 20-March 20 

Feeling impatient? 

Restless? Impulsive? Try to get a 

focal point to direct your energy as 

if you scatter your focus as you’ve 

been doing, nothing will get done 

and you’ll have wasted time and 

energy on nothing. Try to see the 

best in others at the weekend. 

They’re trying their best 

AJAY ENTERPRISES 

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www.blackandwhiteoman.com

Mwah Mwah 

Mwah… Vandana, 

By Vandana Shah 

“Oh God I hate this food! Can I get something else immediately?” “Sure, 

Mwah Mwah”. 

“I think I look fat and ugly in this outfit”. “Not at all, you look very nice”. 

“No one loves me”. “Mwah Mwah Don’t say that, I love you so much” 

The only person who can do Mwah Mwah to you when you are being a 

big fat pain is the universally loved Mom. 

Bollywood has its own versions of mom which pretty much reflect 

mothers across the world. They are self-sacrificing who give up 

everything for the children. 

Moms are one thing that haven’t changed over a period of time. They 

are made from such a mould, created in God’s kitchen, that doesn’t 

crack, doesn’t change, loves unconditionally and is resistant to all kind of 

breakages especially by children. 

They don’t go deaf with our constant whining, demands and desires and 

always try and fulfill them. They always draw upon their strength to take 

us through our tough times. No one has yet been able to create 'Maa ke 

haath ka khana' i.e. food made by mothers. I am sure the MNCs would 

love to do it but have failed miserably because who can replicate her 

love. 

In this ever changing and ever demanding world one thing I can be sure 

of is my mother’s love even if I come home in tattered clothes having lost 

every battle in this world she will hug me real tight and put a smile back 

on my face. 

So on this day and month of Mother’s Day and every other day let’s all 

give all our MWAH MWAH MWAH….to our Mums. I’m sending mine to 

Heaven as my Mum’s there. 

Till next time love and hugs! 

award winning author 

(‘360 Degrees Back to Life') 

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 


47 

It's my life

Shape n sound 

48 May 7-20, 2012

By Olivia Drake 

your inner beauty 

Admit it. Some of us 

women are never going 

to be as beautiful as 

these women who grace 

the covers of various 

magazines. For, those 

who dispute this theory, 

well and good. Hats off 

to you ladies for looking 

as good as these cover 

ladies, and perhaps 

better. 

But, my words are addressed to 

those who know they don’t look as 

good as these cover ladies and to 

those who know that they are far 

from perfection. And that is fine. You 

got me, that is fine! You are never 

going to be as pretty or as striking as 

these ladies, so let it be. Let us start 

off on what you can be, if not that. 

Knowing you women, you would 

have huffed and puffed and ran to 

look in the mirror to see if there was 

some way that you could prove me 

wrong; somewhere you will find some 

lines, skin tone, some features that 

will redeem you from the overall 

flaw-ridden face that you think you 

have. Ok, am I playing some mind 

games here? Not really. I am in the 

business of calling a spade a spade 

and so, I am stating it as it is and as it 

will be. There is no point in believing 

that some of us, who are born as we 

are, to suddenly transform ourselves 

from our plain ordinariness to 

something quite extraordinary. 

But, there is a way out, and this is 

where I come in: 

BEAUTY LIES WITHIN 

Yes, you heard this so many times, 

ad nauseum. But, bear it within 

you for this is one fact that will not 

change. The true essence of you, the 

real beauty within you, the woman, 

is not what you look like; or what 

you portray, or your makeup, or the 

fashion statement that you make. 

Nope. You have got to understand 

that if you want to find the beautiful 

you, look deep within you. It is not 

your skin that matters. It is not your 

colour that matters. It is not your 

weight that matters. It is not your 

height, your clothes, or your high 

heeled pumps…there are millions out 

there who could have all of this and 

more and rich to boot but are very 

poor within. 

Why is it so tough to understand this? 

And why do you want to be like them 

when a treasure trove rests within 

you, waiting to be discovered and 

uncovered…? 

MIRROR, MIRROR, ON THE 

WALL… 

No, I can’t ask you to stop gazing 

at yourself in the mirror. But, why 

gaze at only your imperfections? If 

you are the type who are going to be 

influenced by your own visual self, 

then let it be known that the mirror, 

mirror on the wall…will be the biggest 

betrayal of them all. 

Women are known to be consumed 

by their desire to outgrow their age, 

their wrinkles, age spots, sagging 

skin and bodies, and so, when they 

are before the mirror, these are 

the areas that they automatically 

check. And if they find that nothing 

has happened; no miracle has 

occurred and their imperfections 

remain as they are, they slip into a 

mode of depression. My request is 

simple here: even if you are mirror 

conscious, please don’t focus on 

your imperfections. No two women 

are alike and so celebrate your 

difference. Enjoy what you are. Has 

your body shape shaped the way you 

are as a woman; as a daughter, as 

a friend, as a wife, as a mother…? 

Think! 

So, why worry about your shape 

and focus on the inner shape that 

has led you to be what you are – a 

successful woman! 


Shape n sound CHIVALRY 

is a puddle away 

50 May 7-20, 2012

Chivalry is just a puddle away from 

realising for women. 

Or, is it? 

If there is a puddle between you and 

your lady, all you have to do is to 

throw your coat on top of it and let 

her daintily step over it. Sure, this 

can be done, but, imagine if it is more 

than just a puddle? 

What if it was the roaring rapids? 

It is easy for men to become 

chivalrous in a small situation, but 

what if it was not that simple, would 

the man wilt under pressure? 

Okay, let it stew for a while as we go 

over the issue of whether men are 

actually chivalrous as they are meant 

to be or are the chivalrous ones 

slowly disappearing into the sunset? 

With feminism still on a roll, there are 

so many areas where a man might 

feel overwhelmed by the task ahead 

of him – the task of being courteous 

and the responsible task of being 

chivalrous. 

HOW WILL HE KNOW? 

How would he know – in a world 

riddled with feminism too among 

other things -- for instance that what 

he shows as courtesy or chivalry that 

it is not downright condescending? 

How is he going to know that by 

keeping the door held long enough 

for the lady behind her to enter 

is not going to view it as an insult 

(“Why, what makes you think you 

have to hold the door open for me? 

You think I cannot do it?)? That is 

one extreme and if a man has been 

rebuffed by a woman to whom he 

extended chivalry, he is going to 

think twice before opening the door 

for a stranger lady for fear of getting 

his foot jammed there. Women are 

known to be hostile to men when 

they are approached by strangers 

with offers to help. It can be due 

to a variety of reasons and most 

are genuine, but men who have 

undergone rejection are known to 

think twice before crossing the line. 

MANNA FROM HEAVEN 

At the other end is the woman who 

represents a different type of plaint: 

she has had the door slammed in 

her face so many times that any sign 

of politeness (forget chivalry) will be 

seen as manna from heaven and she 

may not even be able to react to it 

properly. 

But, deep inside them, there is this 

hidden desire in many women to be 

treated like a woman and neither as 

a doormat nor as something beyond 

every man’s reach. Women won’t 

mind it if their men put them on a 

pedestal, but, if it is so high that their 

men themselves find it tough to reach 

them, then all of this is without any 

purpose. 

NOT SO INNOCENT ACTS 

Yes, eager to please men do quite 

often stumble on their idiot stub toe 

of overzealousness and are often 

chastised by their women for doing it 

all wrong. 

And women are also wary and weary 

of those who try to disguise outright 

sleaziness in a not so innocent act of 

chivalry. 

HELP IN INDEED 

But, imagine if a woman is really 

in trouble: her car breaks down in 

the middle of the road (couldn’t go 

beyond the commonplace example) 

and she has no clue as to how to 

even open her car’s bonnet and then 

there comes along a young man 

who knows not only that but also 

even how to fix the car. He is very 

courteous and good looking to boot 

and the woman would be all in a 

flutter. 

MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER 

PLACE 

The truth is that the world needs a bit 

of chivalry here and there. And if not 

for anything downright chivalrous, at 

least a bit of courteousness would 

go a long way in making this world 

a better place. And what is wrong in 

displaying a little door holding love? 

That will cost you nothing and would 

mean a lot to many women. 


Pysche 

Help shake off your 

DAUGHTER’S blues 

52 May 7-20, 2012 

Mom, is your teen daughter showing signs of 

depression? 

This is a question to be asked to all mothers who 

have daughters at home. Before you tense up, this is 

to quickly remind you that almost all girls go through 

this phase, and well, you yourself have gone through 

this phase, although you may not remember it today.

Earlier studies have shown that a percentage of 

adolescents, between nine and 18 have suffered from 

depression at some point of time, with some of them 

even undergoing major depressive disorder. 

But, if you are the mother with a depressive daughter, 

go ahead and give them some much needed advice. At 

the same time, remember, there is no magic wand to do 

away with your child’s blues. 

In fact, you are the key person here who can actually 

set about managing your daughter’s stress, anxiety and 

depression: 

SHE IS UNIQUE; SHE IS SPECIAL 

Most of the kids (male or female) are sometimes 

suffused with negative thoughts like, “I am a failure” and 

therefore, “I should give up” or “He/she hates me”. 

These thoughts alone can be the root of the problem. 

So, start with that. Explain to them how unique they 

are and how special. Tell them how you love them and 

appreciate the sheer fact that they are daughters and 

how every mother feels how special a daughter is to 

them. Then, detail to them the essence of being, and 

how they are unique creatures of God. 

Be with them, take them out, cheer them up, buy them 

gifts, get them a new haircut, or ask them to polish their 

nails and dress up…there, she is feeling better already! 

MOOD LIFTING FOODS 

Now, look at it a bit scientifically too. Every kid’s body 

needs vitamins and minerals such as iron and the 

B-vitamins. So, feed her plenty of fruits, vegetables and 

whole grains. Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty 

acids are mood lifting agents and could even help in 

bringing down depression. Here is a quick list of some of 

the foods that are rich in omega-3: oily fish like salmon, 

mackerel and sardines; ground flaxseeds, walnuts, 

and omega-3 fortified eggs. Vitamin B 12 and Folate 

are also important for mood. Some scientists believe 

that these vitamins create serotonin, which normalises 

mood. Vitamin D also increases serotonin and can 

be especially helpful with Seasonal Affective Disorder 

(SAD). Milk and soy milk are full of Vitamin D as are egg 

yolks and fish with bones. 

EXERCISE THE BLUES AWAY 

Stop their non-stop television viewing. Yes, this one 

is going to be hard. But, let it be known that too much 

TV and too little exercise drive you to the edge – of 

depression! So, push her off the sofa, plug off the TV 

set and push her out. Why not go with her? Go for a 

jog, momma and daughter. Not that she needs to lose 

weight, but tell her that she is going to look great (like 

her mama). 

So, get her (and yourself) into the great outdoors, or 

buy her a tread mill and tell her to blaze on it! The thing 

is, get her to do some exercise, and you will find all her 

dark moods uplifted and she will be feeling light and 

happy. 

AJAY ENTERPRISES 

PO BOX 54, PC 100. TEL : 24815485 FAX : 24815490 

E-MAIL: marketing@albahja.com, Website: www.albahja.com 


Hooked 

Ladies first? 

By Priya Arunkumar 

You speak of equality, right, go make 

your own tea, smirked my colleague. 

It is called chivalry, make a cup for me, I 

retorted. 

No way, you ladies want to be stronger 

and smarter, so work for it, pat came the 

reply. 

But what has making a cup of tea got to 

do with equality and strength? 

It is just a cup of ordinary tea? Anyone, 

beyond genders can do it? 

He turned around and said: ladies first, 

make your tea first! 

And then he turned around laughing: Do 

you know the tradition behind ladies first? 

To my utmost grief, he started narrating: 

Well, long long ago, there was this young 

couple, who were in love, doted to each 

other, body and soul. 

But in those days, love was forbidden; 

society did not allow them to live together 

and the young couple had no other 

choice rather than to run away and 

commit suicide…? 

I acted as if I was not listening. 

He continued his story, am sure it was to 

my benefit: So there they went, one fine 

morning, well determined to join in death, 

if not in life. 

They chose to jump to their death and lo, 

the man jumped, without any doubt and 

dilemma! He was committed to love. 

Men are just that from time immemorial – 

loyal, determined, committed, he added 

his own spice to the story! Hmph! 

And he jumped first, as he could not bear 

to see his love jump to death. 

Well, you know what the young lady, did, 

she was so heartbroken and horrified 

that she didn’t jump! 

The lady didn’t jump! 

How absolutely lady like! 

He reiterated, as if I was the lady in 

context! 

Well, well, well, could only be true! It 

is not just a story, am sure you all can 

Google it, this is the real story of the 

Ladies First term usage and tradition. 

You can’t trust a lady to be committed; 

we men need to ensure she does it! 

That was his punch line. Period. 

So what are you men trying to do? 

Ensure ladies jump first always? I almost 

responded. 

It is amusing when men take up feminist 

attitudes, trying to prove a point. 

They are no match and do not know what 

the result of a conversation could be. 

I know there are speculation abounds 

about the origin of this tradition. 

Some believe it stemmed from soldiers 

being protected during wars and walking 

behind women in order not to lose 

soldiers! 

There are many versions to the ladies 

first usage. 

Some say it began during Victorian 

times. 

Another say in times of crisis, 

earthquakes, floods women folk and 

children are saved first… 

If it is up to the men, women would 

remain as shields ever, someone else 

chipped in! 

Who wants equality? 

I don’t think there is one woman out there 

who wants equality, all of them want a 

life of self respect and it has nothing to 

do with equality… at least I think so! 

What started as a cup of tea, ended up in 

heated arguments and discussion, hotter 

than the tea! 

All for just a cup of tea? 

Next time someone says ladies first, am 

going to ask them why! 

priya@blackandwhiteoman.com

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