GMC Foundation day and felicitations to veteran journalists

GMC - Gujarat Media Club honoured twelve veteran journalists of Gujarat at a special function organised on Saturday, 28th March 2009 at Karnavati Club. The felicitations were a part of the foundation day of GMC who gave honourary membership and shawl. The function was attended by a large number of Senior IAS and IPS officers, Former Union Minister and many more people. You can find the Incoming President Uday Mahurkar's speech here with link to the speech of outgoing President too.

I am happy to mention that Bhupatbhai Vadodaria was felicitated along with other journalists like Sadashivbhai Pathak, Labhshanker Upadhyay and many more. Read here in epaper of Divya Bhaskar. Also in archive of Sambhaav.

- ilaxi

Shrug off the stress for kid's sake!

Want to help your child do well in Class. Eat Well, sleep well. Often our lifestyles disturb children. A poor diet can be one of the factors reponsible for poor attention span and academic performance. Deficiency of all vitamins lead to mood disorders and even depression. And, often during exams, parents are worried and over stressed. They even pass their stress to children.

Few words but think, says a lot. More on Examination tips and stress on kidsfreesouls. While you surf here, me travelling to neverland to every men's land - Gujarat. Enjoy.

- ilaxi

12th March

12th March - A day that leaves memories on mind! My Dad who was born on this day and Gandhiji began the Dandi March. But, as a journalist I ever fondly remember the birthday of a newspaper 'Sambhaav' and my first Management article I had placed in print media on this day. Dada, and the name brings in a smile on the face and whenever I see him, almost words take a form of 'silence' - an inspiration of a leader among the many, who made me achieve my goals.

Time flies by and Change is certain.....And here's pages on Gandhiji with the main Ed note here.

- ilaxi

Am on Cloud 9! Thanks to all my readers...

Am on Cloud 9! On International Women's Day, I am honoured this year with an Award for 'Outstanding Personality' by Ahmedabad Medical Association, Women's Wing. Earlier, it was 'Outstanding Journalist', an award conferred upon me by Kadva Patel community in 2005.




Read more on Kidsfreesouls and my Awards page. Incidentally, my first print media article had appeared on Women's Day!


I thank all my readers and well wishers without whose support I wouldn't be who I really am....

- ilaxi

Happiness Capital of India!!!

" Faith is like a cord that carries the power from the source to the appliance. God has unlimited power, but to tap in to that power you need a line, and that's faith."

Sounds interesting! People of Gujarat and India seems to have faith in Leadership qualities of the CM - Faith can move mountains....it's only to be noticed!

And so, here's the recently uploaded You Tube video that speaks the Glory of Gujarat. Need one more to say anything....What I would dream for, is my very own Gujarat and my "Home sweet Home" - a paradise on earth.



Watch the video and find such more on You Tube. Enjoy!

Btw, check in for the new Links page here and if you have link recommendations, do send across. Also Find a Badge of supporting L K Advani website here and you can grab this too:-) Well, this do not mean I am a supporter.....

- ilaxi

Relationships n Stuff

Valentine's Day and all went 'Red' - balloons, clothes, lights, ambience....As we thought of keeping our spirits live celebrating Valentine together, it was amazing to find, people at every nook and corner of the town, celebrating Valentine - Even the Chocolate Room was all Red!

Yes, indeed. The city is changing and our politicians won't ever go against the western culture as times are changing and the East is turning West.

Well, here's my stuff on Relationships. (Listmania) and here's a review you'd like to read as I am sure, many of you must have experienced.......




Why Men Lie and Women Cry: How to Get What You Want Out of Life by Asking
Review By Ilaxi Patel

My earlier picks of Allan + Barbara Pease has been a great read and this book is no exception though some of the contents seem repetative. Why Men don't Listen and Women can't Read Maps was a wonderful book and so was Body Language. So, I couldn't resist a pick of this book 'Why men lie and Women cry'! Main reason was the book title that bring a twitchy smile upon the face and second reason was that it's been a great gifting Allan & Barbara Pease's unique Books which delights the reader. The first chapter says on How to Give a Book as a Gift, too. Third reason for this pick is that the book is a must on the Bookshelf as it gives practical, easy digestible advice for better relationships. The book is so hilarious, answering the common questions that arise in minds about the attitude of men and women in general. Some of the points covered on back flap are:

1. Why are men confused about love
2. Why do men avoid commitment
3. Why do men feel women nagging around
4. Why don't women ever get to the point
5. Why do men love high heels on women and women love men with small tight bums?

Moreover, with simple black and white illustrations and quote quips in-between the pages, makes the book also a 'Quick glance Read' and obviously the quotes are too correct and informative. There are some interesting jokes too at the beginning of some chapters and case study that makes interesting read. The Authors have practical tips in detail for all chapters like:

1. Nagging - When someone just won't let up
2. Seven things men do that drive women insane
3. Why women cry - The dangerous emotional blackmail
4. Women's top secret point - scoring system
5. Solving the seven biggest mystery about men
6. The other woman - mother
7. Women's secret ways with words
8. Women's sex appeal test
9. What made Rogger Rabbit's eyes pop out
10.Men's sex appeal test
11.Male Sex appeal - what makes women turn on
12.Does this outfit make me look big?
13.When a hunter hangs up his bow - Retirement

The book is revealing as to why men and women have so much trouble. Be sure to read page 9 & 10 How to give this Book as a gift coz this advice of authors is a sure fire way to strengthen relationships. A nice pick always and that's Allan+Barbara Pease series of Books, all topics, all practical and good. A + Choice Pick.

Read here's My Amazon Profile + Reviews + My Book (Bibliography) + My Author Blog + Listmania + Wish List + Guides + Friends & Interesting People + Customer Tags....
And yeah, grab a copy of my Book too:-)

- ilaxi

અને આને કહેવાય વાયબ્રંટ ગુજરાતના પ્રણેતા - A Reader on Narendra Modi

Are you a Gujarati? Love or Hate the CM Narendra Modi? What is your Swarnim pledge that you can help in the development infrastructure of Gujarat?

અને આને કહેવાય વાયબ્રંટ ગુજરાતના પ્રણેતા - Here's an article of a Reader that I received in my mail box and I am sure, if you are a Gujarati, you may believe in your dreams and the dreams that can change your very own Gujarat. Add your comments on your vision/thoughts on the CM Narendra Modi and also comment what you can do to change Gujarat.

Watch for Kidsfreesouls.com for more in the News.

- ilaxi

Enjoy songs at You Tube...

"Mind is simply a complex machine, which moves from ‘fast forward’ to ‘slow motion’ and even popping into ‘pause’ mode at times. Igniting the creative spark is overflowing of potentialities within to enjoy work to achieve a fulfillment. Time flies and the creativity turns into work mode. If this work becomes slogging, there comes pause mode with a neutral gear. This is the still point when we find ourselves entering into a state of ‘Let go’ doing just nothing, no thoughts, no work or any creativity. It leads to experience existence, the nature and enjoying the state of paradise with awareness. The mind is rejuvenated and back again to explore work with creativity to ultimate flowering."

I mentioned this earlier note but yes, the mind gets rejuvenated while you work on information super highway - listening to the yester years music and watching inbetween the slow blogging trail or speed blogging posts. You Tube has great music as I pick them for the Valentine Favorites. Stay tuned and check on my Val Favs here.

- ilaxi

Unique Stadium in Ahmedabad

Rain Proof Stadium for Ahmedabad - Good news, isn't it? India's first Sports and Entertainment complex is under development with completion period by 2010. It will have around 33000 permanent seats, a cable supported retractable roof which would be operational by a mere push of a button and the structure to be decorated with art. The State govt. MoUs with a London based company and this stadium will include a football ground and an entertainment arena at the cost of Rs.200 crore.

I hear, the facilities are 'All Purpose' - Sports and just sports with Entertainment too! I wonder, is Cricket to be as 'Top Game' or is Football (soccer) to be major attraction now as most of the Cricketers are busier as ever with ADs and social campaigns. Anyways, this is indeed a good move and we do look forward for our Youth to be more Sports buff than just having fun frolicking around.

Indeed, Gujarat is changing for good and the difference is just seen and will be more felt in coming years. Why even filmstars like Priety Zinta hopes that CM Narendra Modi becomes the PM of India!

- ilaxi

Save Girl Child - new Slogan 'My Daughter-Nation's Pride'

Gujarat Chamber of Commerce inaugurated an "Exhibition of Products" Manufactured and Traded by Women Entrepreneurs. The Chief Guests were Dr. Mayaben Kodnani (Hon. Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Govt. of Gujarat), Ms. Tanvi Vyas, (Femina Miss India Earth-2008-2009) and Ms. Aishwarya Majmudar, (Winner-Amul Voice of India.)

Being 'International Girl Child Day' today (24th Jan), the Minister spoke on the various aspects to save girl child and focused on healthy moms for healthy child. She weighed stress on Literacy and was concerned that 40% girls were illiterate and more efforts can be made by educated people to devote their contribution to spread literacy. Tanvi Vyas aspired to be an Entrepreneur herself and make her place among the women who scale to top as Business women. She was inspired with the GCCI Business Women Entrepreneur who exhibited their talents and products at the venue.

- Read more for Exclusive Kidsfreesouls Interview with Aishwarya Majmudar on Kidsfreesouls

- ilaxi

Aishwarya Majmudar with live performance - Singing 'Allah Tero Naam, Ishwar Tero Naam....'

Indian Obama

As President Obama made his speech, I observed the reaction of the world media and back home comments which strikes attention - PM Narendra Modi will be the Indian Obama - cross your fingers...will he?

And here's on President Barrack Obama on Kidsfreesouls - Follow....

- ilaxi

2009 begins with phishing scams, frauds and stock plunge..

The year begins with Twitter phishing scams and Facebook frauds - web and stock market! Satyam has made waves which can heavily weight on other India IT stocks. What is your Trading Strategy for Satyam and you find 78% for Buy, 19% for sell and mere 3% for hold! Meet any sane or insane businessman and he's talking of Stocks! Everybody seems to be gripped with the stock market and rate 2008 as worst with yet to foresee 2009 as worst and worst....a dooming economy?

Well, I just read about the Print media journalism : "What if The New York Times goes out of business -- like, this May? It's certainly plausible. Earnings reports released by the company in October indicate that drastic measures will have to be taken over the next five months or the paper will default on some $400 million in debt."

The collapse of daily print journalism may mean many things and if you want to know more on this, click here.

As for the new year, here's wishing all the best to all who pass this way with Sun Sign traits and number reading. Click to read on Kidsfreesouls as ever...

- ilaxi

Home is where the Heart is...

We celebrate festivals - All festivals in Gujarat. The gujarati spirit is ever so live and you can just find the young and the young at heart, celebrating Christmas and enjoying the Dance and Dinner parties. Either at farms, clubs or hotels - Friends and friends do matter! Even more...Missed is Home - the family, togetherness, unity in many homes!

So, here's a message this christmas with 'Home is a place where Heart is.'

Home is where the heart is....
where love and reverence reign,
where there is spirit of harmony and feeling of security,
where there is neither selfishness nor bickering,
nor lack of discord or respect.
Home is where there is great virtues of sympathy, kindness & gentleness practiced every hour, where the child learns to know, understand and practice that is right.
Home is where there is love,peace and joy - Happiness of companionship of family and friends and say Grace at mealtime and prayer at close of day.
Let your home radiate Love, faith, hope and charity
Let us be humble to spread "Peace on Earth and good will among men"

Here's christmas and How to make the child Keep the Faith! Be it any, God is One.

- ilaxi

Have Peace!

I just read a quote on my desk - "To use punctuation marks on paper is easy but can you put a full stop to waste thoughts?" Ponder....When do you get waste thoughts? It's like, "An idle mind is a devil's workshop" - And when do this devil work? Only when idle? I don't think so. Devils keep working round the clock - at workplace when there's someone superior than you and you are a big 'J" - when you have the inferiority complex, when you are poorer than the rich ...when ...when...Maybe that's the reason the young terrorist had the devil in him to risk his life....But, there goes a thought in mind 'What makes a human think terror, why they become criminals...

Whatever be the reason, here's Anti Terrorism Lesson Plans - We want our young generation to be more wiser and face the world terror free. We need to stop the Hatred and Anger, learn tolerance and spread peace. Stop crime and stop kids to be criminals.

I hear groups of people gathering to light candles on Mumbai Terrorism and invites on Facebook reveals that some of them have taken a fancy to go for multiple social causes as an Activity! And it has almost become a happy program for children to draw and paint terrorism - Do we want our kids to come to class and tell us exitedly that, "I did a Taj drawing with bombs and terrorists and it was fun!" So many competitions I've taken so far but never, ever did I think that one can organize a competition on topics like Terrorism or peace! Yes Indeed, Ahmedabad is changing!

And here's Peace Lessons with song of John Lennon 'Imagine' - Have Peace.

- ilaxi

Politics behind Terrorism!

As terror strikes once again with a date 26, it is with deep agony to realize the state of a nation in doldrums who can't face crisis management! Shattering to see the truth, it saddens our hearts as we see continual terror reigning supreme to bring havoc. Who could be the souls behind this? Whoever, but the attacks were primarily aimed at the foreigners! We cannot go deep into terror mayhem but here's Fareed Zakaria's views on who they can possibly not be - not a Deccan Mujahideen nor Al Quaeda! He says, "My sense is that for the last several years, the core of Al Qaeda—Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri—has been very weak. This seems more like a Kashmiri, Lashkar kind of thing."

Well, as New York Times adds a story today on Narendra Modi and Political shifts, here to watch for political wave this crisis may India's political landslides. The newspaper headlines in India also focus on bigger issues saying, “It is time we stop our political parties from using terror — Hindu or Muslim — to fuel their popularity when they are fueling a fire that can consume India,” (front-page editorial in The Hindustan Times and Indian Express). You can keep updates with Kidsfreesouls Google search here and check on MJ bylines too. Politicians and they indeed can be said - Endangered species - Keep away from all the four P's - Press, Police, Politician and Priest!

Terrorist have no religion nor are they humans as their acts speak more of their wrong deeds which angers the whole nation-world. More than these terrorists, is the threat of a Nuclear terrorism, which is a top fear and this is worst that we can only shudder to think.

Our hearts go out to the souls who lay fighting for terror and may there be light, peace prevail.

- ilaxi

Children's Day - 14th Nov

Kidsfreesouls celebrating Children's Day online. Go back memory lane to your childhood and send in your contribution - Draw, color, paste stickers - scan and send across your art work for Kidsfreesouls Picture Gallery. Encourage kids to enjoy creativity and send in their contributions too!

Relieve stress - show talents. Remember Chaha Nehru! Enjoy!

- ilaxi

He had a key to every Heart : with Love

He had a key to every heart - His Shayaris and gazals with Love mixed to vibrate our souls. Adilbhai Mansuri has left for heavenly abode. I deeply feel the loss of a colleague who drifted with time to far away lands and space built in a gap of years as I only thought of but actually could not make it up to meet him! A renuion of AGK, Adilbhai and finding lost traces of Vora, Pritam, Shah, Srini, Venkat, Guru, Murugesan, Kaushik and all at Shilpi Advertising still lingers away. Well, Diwali has really been too unfair to bring me over news of four deaths of people whom I knew and could not make it up to meet them. Sometimes, we can never make it up, so happens!

You can find updated info on Adilbhai's website. I have no words to pen here as my heart pains as I cherish a book he sent me...My heartfelt condolences goes with his family, friends and fans. May his soul rest in peace~

- ilaxi

Will Modi get US Visas now?

With a Historic win of Barrack Obama, here's more on Kidsfreesouls in case you missed. I asked a friend, 'Whom did you vote' and she strangely replied that her country is India. I wonder, do you miss on voting rights if you have?

Well, How much do our kids know Politics? I've heard many people voting for the candidate who is less corrupted and casually joke away saying so that his valuable vote goes to the less corrupted politician as he hopes, he might bring about a change. Unfortunately, sometimes changes never occur instead there is fight for power and more power and money and more money.

Our politicians back home has power, (money I don't know) more determination and more progress in time to come. There is strong expectation in Gujarat, 'Will Modi now get US Visa?' - Obama's feat brings in cheer and rays of hope for our CM Narendra Modi and even American journalists currently on visit to Gujarat has been trying to figure out whether Narendrabhai will become Indian PM. Hmm...Power, Fame and Reach - I hear, Modi is headed for a trip to Africa, including Kenya. Does this sound a tinkle? Good nah!

- ilaxi

Happy Diwali and Prosperous New Year

Wishing all who pass this way, "A Happy Diwali and Prosperous New Year"

Here's a Creativity of a 70+ Chandra Ba (My mom in law) who inspires us in our home but might inspire many a souls through her creative Rangoli - For quite some years, she makes unique rangolis with color apart from waste to best themes like torans, flowers, vases, crochet work etc. Last year, it was a color rangoli with Pistachio covers and this year, it's been a Patchwork Rangoli out of the waste papers of invitation cards.

Find a link here to the Kidsfreesouls main to Kids Diwali Page with info. Do await for a pic yet to be placed as she is almost giving a finishing touch to a color Rangoli too.

Enjoy!

- ilaxi

Struggle to survive - Poverty

How would you eradicate Poverty? And, the question keeps burning with a lot debate, views, suggestions and posts at Blog Action Day website and Kidsfreesouls. You can be a part of the question, "Is poverty root to war? Or, Is root of war, Poverty?

Btw, I happened to get into Interactive session with Sam Pitroda on his visit to GCCI for a Lecture on Knowledge Economy. I found him a good orator but my question still lingers on my mind - will poverty lead to a bigger war - a struggle, frustrations, seperations, injustice, ego hurts, losing self esteem....all the inner war leading to some to crime....A war with self, war with human values, humans....What do you say? Do post in your comments on the recent Global Crisis.

This might find interesting for nrgs as here's a newly formed GCCI-NRG coming up online and you now have a great platform for all your business enquiries/queries.

btw, extremely alarming is that Gujarat is classifed under the 'Alarming' category in the severity of Hunger Index with a score of 24.7 and with over 200 million people who are food insecure, India is the home to the largest number of hungry people in the world. You can find more on this here on India State Hunger Index. However, the Gujarat Govt. dismiss this as 'Humbug' as the Minister of State for Food and Civil Supply challenges the organisation which has conducted this survey and he's ready to be answerable if this is proved correct.

The Nano Project is coming and the Eco friendly car is already rolled from Rajkot, can we expect Hunger in Gujarat? No ways....

One never knows what future bestows with current economy fall - even the top most Builders and a Doctor, I hear, have lost crores in Stock...everything can be uncertainties!!!

Btw, stay tuned to Kidsfreesouls for more to come...there has been a great concerns with Global crisis and even parents who advice teachers to teach children How to Manage Crisis as there's been conflicts, seperations and so on.

- ilaxi