Newsletter May 2013: SI Madurai

NEWS FROM SI MADURAI MAY 2013

1

Life After 40 Workshop

Diwali Cheer Project

Music Therapy Workshop

Membership Drive

Soroptimist International is a

worldwide service organization for

women. We are committed to a world

where women and girls together

achieve their individual and collective

potential, realize aspirations and have

an equal voice in creating strong,

peaceful communities worldwide.

Soroptimists inspire action

and create opportunities to transform

the lives of women and girls through a

global network of nearly 90,000

members in over 3,000 Clubs, in 126

countries.

SI Madurai is affiliated to

Soroptimist International of Great

Britain and Ireland (SIGBI). It was

chartered in 2009 and has been

actively conducting various campaigns

and projects to improve the life of

women and girls as per the needs of

the local community.

www.sigbi.org

www.simadurai.com

Launch of New Website

Culinary Demonstration

Better Skills, Brighter Future

Fun & Fellowship Dinner

Life Saving Skills

Musical Evening in March

Eye Camp at Hospice Centre

Playtime Pals

Happy Holidays Kalikappen!

Medical Camp for Girls

Projects & Events from November 2012 to June 2013

Madurai

News From

SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL Of MADURAI

M A Y 2 0 1 3


2

Spreading smiles at Kalikappen Village School

Hello,

It has been one year since I was appointed president of SI Madurai. While the time has almost come for me to

step down and welcome the new team, I would like to place on record via this newsletter - all the work, time and ideas

that each member has bought to the team during the period of November 2012 to June 2013. The purpose of this

newsletter however, is not only to shine a little light on each members effort, it is also to share ideas with SI clubs

and raise awareness about what is being done and what more can be done to progress towards our common goal of

supporting women and girls and creating better communities.

Recently, I came across a TEDx video by an American writer Ronna Detrick, who passionately spoke about

the connection between faith and its influence on womens empowerment. It was an interesting perspective that made me think: in the Indian context, where a large part of the population is influenced by a religion where the wisdom,

beauty and power of the Goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga are praised in prayer, song, dance, film and

theatre, why are women overshadowed? Of course not all of the societal oppression of women can be related to this

perspective, but seeing media reports of the incidences of violence against women and discrimination in not only

weaker sections of society, but also sections of society that are educated and wealthy can be depressing. It is even

more upsetting to know there are hundreds more of such incidents occurring in every part of the country which go

unreported. The stories of these innocent women and girls remain unheard. However as Soroptimists, I feel it is our

duty to rise up against emotions and statistics and focus on the opportunities we have to help women in need. Most

importantly we must make efforts to change the mindsets of people. Urge them to do it for the sake of the women in

their own lives the daughters, the mothersthe sistersthe friblings (friends like siblings)the wives..the girlfriends...the auntsthe niecesthe grand-somethings

The journey of SI Madurai this year, has been exciting and fulfilling but not without obstacles. While many projects

blossomed with good results, there are also some that never took off, some that took off but crash landed and some

that are still work in progress. However, I am happy to report that this year we successfully conducted a life saving

skills workshop, a self defense demonstration, a skill-share program, two free medical camps, a music therapy

workshop, an art workshop for girls, a donation drive benefitting the Thiyagam trust and a public rally to discourage

honking. This year was special for SI Madurai as it also saw the opening of the Cosmo Green Park in the city.

Scholarships were given to 14 girls to complete their higher education under the newly established program: SI Madurai Fund for Empowerment through Education..

I cannot emphasize enough on the contributions made by each member in spite of their busy professional schedules.

Many of our projects were collaborations and thanks to the smooth coordination that our members exhibited, the

results were very satisfying. It was encouraging to see members taking

initiative to bring new project ideas, sponsor gifts, donate towards a

cause and even just provide support by showing up to meetings and

projects in full force!

1. Id like to thank SI Madurai for this wonderful opportunity and wish the incoming officers all the best. I have full confidence that the new team

will continue to support the organization in its effort to have a

meaningful impact in all its key program areas: Economic

Empowerment, Environmental Sustainability, Food Security and

Healthcare, Learning Opportunities, Violence and Conflict Resolution.

Signing off with a salute to fellow Soroptimists around the world for

inspiring us with the wonderful work they do,

Divya Gupta

President SI Madurai (2012-2013)


3

Life After 40

Travels

Unless you are one of those (very few) women has

gotten lucky in the genetic lottery, staying fit takes effort.

We called in the experts to show us what exactly we need to

do to add years to our life and life to our years. At the Life after 40 event organized by SI Madurai, our Member Dr. Sudha Dheep conducted a presentation and short seminar

that underlined the fact that fitness after 40 doesnt have to be so daunting.

She talked about health issues for women over 40,

preventive measures, exercise, dealing with stress, lifestyle

management etc. Thanks to her crisp, clear and to-the-point

style, she was rewarded with a flurry of questions from our

audience of 15-20 very attentive ladies. The size of group

helped make a real difference to each and every attendee apart from having more time to address each ones

questions, a good comfort level was maintained as the

session got more interactive. Following the presentation and

the Q+A round, a talk on the benefits of yoga for women

over 40 was given by Mr. Yashpal from the Sivananda

Yoga Center Madurai, along with our member Gaurie

Gupta, who demonstrated the hatha yoga postures. The

central theme of Sivananda Yoga was discussed, i.e. Proper

Exercise, Proper Breathing, Proper Relaxation, Proper Diet,

Positive Thinking & Meditation.

Talk & demos aside, the key point of the workshop

was also motivating women to start a healthier lifestyle

from this moment onwards. You know how they say whether youre a fresh college grad or a loveable grandma, the moment to launch your lifetime fitness plan is NOW!

Divya Gupta & Gaurie Gupta

attended the NASI AGM in

Mumbai

Anitha Rajarajan, Rukmini

Palanivel Rajan, Divya Gupta &

Gaurie Gupta Attended SI

Chennai member Naina Shahs daughters wedding in Chennai

Anitha Rajarajan attended a meeting of

the SI Brisbane Water in Australia


4

Diwali Cheer Project

From an article in The Telegraph, about charity, giving and good karma: According to Dr David Hamilton,

(author of Why Kindness is Good for You) when you do something for someone else, your brain produces a hormone

called Dopamine which makes you feel happy, and gives you (in addition to the warm glow), the feeling that what you are doing is right. While you are still deciding whether thats a powerful new theory or just pop psychology, heres what we did to spread that warm fuzzy feeling during the Diwali Season in November 2012.

SI Members Divya Gupta, Sabina Ali, Dr. Sudha Dheep, Dr. Manju & Gaurie Gupta shuttled around the city in

a car full of goodies biscuits, cakes, juice packets, candy, pencil boxes, coloring pencils, erasers etc. one of each packed neatly in little paper bags. Our first stop was the school at our adopted village of Kalikappen. We had also

invited with us Ms. Shobana (storyteller), to tell the children the story of Diwali the festival of lights. We celebrate Diwali to mark the return of Lord Rama and His wife Sita to Rama's kingdom after fourteen years of exile she started and the little members of our audience were completely enthralled. SI Members spent some more time with the kids singing songs and playing games and also teaching them about various parts of our country. The

children who are now familiar with the members were overjoyed to see us again and have a small celebration with us

before the beginning of their festive holiday.

Following this, there was a repeat performance of the activity at 3 more places - a crche run by one of our

members Ms. Valli Annamalai, at Anbagam school for the disabled and at Balwadi (an Indian Preschool run in rural areas). The children happily dug into their paper bags and let out squeals of delight as they discovered each item. The

enthusiastic smiles, waves and thank yous of 500 children definitely got our Dopamine flowing, making us giddy with delight! All gifts were sponsored by SI Members Ms. Jeyanthi Annamalai, Ms. Divya Gupta & Dr. Sudha Dheep

Ingredients:

1 cup orange juice (fresh

or tetra pack)

1 cup heavy cream (or

melted vanilla ice

cream)

3 TBSP. honey

1/4 TSP. orange extract

1/2 TSP. vanilla extract

Prep time: 5 mins / Cook time: 6 hours

Method:

Whisk all ingredients together in a

bowl

Pour mixture into popsicle/ kulfi

molds.

Let set for 30-60 minutes, then add

popsicle/ ice cream sticks.

Freeze for another 4-6 hours or until

frozen.

When you're ready to serve, run

some warm water along the mold to

loosen & serve immediately.

Orange Creamsicles

As the temperature around you

soars, cool off with this easy breezy, sunny recipe!


5

Membership Drive

Launch of New SI Madurai Website

On the 28th of November a meeting was hosted by SI

Sisters Dr. Uma Kannan & Dr. Rohini Shridhar. The bright

and sunny day was apt for a discussion about Vitamin D the sunshine vitamin. In a talk given by Dr. Rohini, she

enlightened us about the importance of Vitamin D for the

absorption of Calcium in our body. She mentioned that

sunlight was the best natural source of Vitamin D. Following

the talk, she also offered to help SI members test their

Vitamin D levels.

The event was held at the beautiful lawns at Dr.

Umas residence. The guests of honor were Ms Marion Bolam and Mr. Alan Cope who were visiting us from the UK.

They especially enjoyed the traditional welcome with flower

garlands and the vegetarian dinner!

This meeting also served as a membership drive for

SI Madurai. The members brought along with them their

guests/ prospective members who keenly watched the

presentation on past and present SI projects (presented by Dr.

Manju). Overall, it was yet another a fun and fruitful evening

to add to SI Madurais growing list of memorable events!

We are excited to announce the Launch of our newly redesigned website,

residing at the same domain: www.simadurai.com. We have completely redesigned our

layout with simplicity, ease of use, and a strong focus on content delivery in mind.

A few of our goals with the new website were to make it faster, easier to

navigate for users, and easier for us to manage/update. Most of all, we wanted to help

people internally -members within Soroptimist International as well externally - potential donors, press, general public, prospective members etc. -- to get to know our

organization better.

The sites homepage welcomes visitors with bold colors, a clean uncluttered design and branches into simple pages describing SI Madurai, our projects, a photo showcase and

details on how to get in touch with us. The website was re-designed by Gaurie Gupta,

Special Thanks to Dr. Uma Kannan for sponsoring the web pace and Sabina Ali for

coordinating the content.

Browse and take a look at our new features: www.simadurai.com

SI Madurai Woman of the Year 2013 Every year, SI Madurai honors a woman from Madurai who exemplifies the values of selflessness, generosity and

leadership. Do you know of a woman whos changing lives on her street, in her community, or across the city or even

worldwide? She may work towards a social cause in a low-profile way, or she may be associated with a global organization.

She may be doing simple things that set wonderful examples to other young women. She may be a colleague, friend or

an acquaintance; she may even be your mom. Want the world to know about her? Here is your chance to nominate her for

the SI Woman of the Year Award.

Find out more/ Nominate online: http://www.tinyurl.com/simwoty


6

Music Therapy Workshop

Have you noticed how nature sounds like the

crashing of waves, rustling of autumn leaves, silence of

snow, music of rain, trickling of a brook can magically

calm you down? If you've paid much attention to how

you respond to a variety of music, you may have noticed

that some music seems to energize you, some music can

move you to tears or spark a special memory of a time,

place, food, or perhaps a certain person. Some music

seems to make you joyful and some music fills you with

deep spiritual attunement.

The miraculous power of sound, tapped to bring

about healing and inner harmony has been known for

centuries. Pythagoras used 'musical medicine' creating

combinations of sound to eliminate inner dissonance.

Hippocrates - widely considered the father of modern

medicine - used music as part of the treatments he

offered patients. He often took his patients to the Temple

of Asclepius, to make them listen to healing music - the

ringing of bells. Music was used as a key healing method

by the ancient Hindus, Chinese, Persians, Egyptians,

Native Americans and Greeks.

Music Therapy is a modern day application of

healing via sound. It is a powerful tool for personal

growth, spiritual transformation, enhancing listening

skills, stress relief, relieving muscular tension, stabilizing

moods etc.

At a Music Therapy workshop organized by SI

Madurai, our therapist Ms. Ayala Gerber Snapir from

Israel, took the 30 women participants through a

transformative experience.

The session began with five varieties of beautiful

music being played and participants were asked to

concentrate on each and be aware of their feelings about

each piece. Each participant was then asked to pick their

favorite melody and they were divded into groups based

on their choice. Once in the groups they were asked to

gather around and put down their interpretation of that

melody on paper, either in the form of words or

drawings. The next 30 minutes were spent

writing/painting/coloring our blues away in between sips

of freshly brewed green tea. This was followed by a

discussion of each of our artwork/ writing, in our groups,

where we realized the piece of music that had appealed

to us, in its own way, did have a relieving, therapeutic

and refreshing effect on us. Participants who arrived at

the session, stressed from work felt calm after listening

to the soothing piece of

music and participants who came in feeling

lethargic and tired felt more energetic after listening to

the upbeat song. The last part of the therapy session

included dancing and singing, thereby providing a

vent to any residual stress and negative emotions, both of

which had by now, almost exited our bodies in a hurry.

As the happy and glowing participants said their

goodbyes, some of the SI members stuck around to chat

with Ayala who talked about how she along with her

group, the Masanashi (meaning flying women in Hebrew) travel around the world helping women victims of domestic violence, natural disasters etc. -- through Music

Therapy. She mentioned how music and dance are art

forms that provide an outlet to otherwise suppressed

emotions and how they help in building strong character.

Through Ayalas workshop, it dawned upon us that even though our world maybe in chaos, we have the ability

to choose our own soundtrack to our lives and help

ourselves by being surrounded by music that is positive,

energetic happy, soothing, uplifting and joyful.

To get you started, Tibetan Buddhist chants, Zen

Shakuhachi music, Ancient Native American

Flute, Renaissance choral music, English and Irish Celtic

folk songs, Chinese Healing Music, Beethovan, Mozart,

Brahms, Vivaldi, Classical Sufi Music etc. are just a few

suggestions in the galaxy of music that helps heal and takes

one towards spiritual enrichment


7

Culinary Demonstration

SI Madurai fund for empowement

through education

If you thought the skillfully twisted potato

stuffed papad rolls and wonderfully fluffy date

pancakes were strictly fancy restaurant foods, our guest

chef suggested we think again. On January 12th 2013,

A cookery demonstration was held after an SI meeting,

at our member Valli Annamalais residence. The event was co-hosted by Ms. Jayanthi Raja.

After the meeting, the talented chef showed us

what went on behind the scenes of Hotel Germanus popular restaurant and how to conjure up our favorite

snacks and deserts at home.

Once the first two dishes were sampled, the

demo featured the traditional south Indian hot favorite--

the Chilli Vadai. The chef also offered useful tips and

advice that we could employ in our general cooking

skill set.

It had been only 12 days into the New Year and

for those of us who had resolved to eat better, we had

already been presented with our first challenge with

tempting plates of fabulous food that flew around the

room. However, everyone will agree that the lunch was

worth every last calorie!

We laughed, learned and ate scrumptious food

all in one afternoon and of course as a bonus we came

away the great hopes of making culinary magic in our

kitchen.

In line with our theme of Educate to Lead, during the month of August 2012, the SI Madurai Fund for Empowerment through Education

(SIMFEE) was established. In the month of January 2013, three female

students of the Fathima College Madurai were awarded scholarships - totally

worth Rs. 26,375/- to complete their higher education. The amount was

sponsored by Mrs. Lakshmi Murugesan. SI Madurai would like to thank

Mrs. Murugesan for her generous donation.

From August to December 2012, 11 scholarships (amounting to

Rs.75,000/-) were been awarded to students to complete their full 3 year

education at college level. This is an on-going project, open to female

students of all colleges in Madurai. The scholarship is based on merit and

awarded to deserving students from economically weaker sections of

society.

For More information, or to give a girl the precious gift of education,

please visit: www.tinyurl.com/simaduraifund


8

Better Skills, Brighter Future

Better Skills, Brighter Future was a week-long skill share program organized by SI Madurai at one of the local

womens colleges in the City. From the 21st to the 29th of January 2013, each day, a member from the SI Madurai Team met 30-35 students at the Meenakshi Govt. Arts College and held a short seminar where they shared their skills

with the girls.

The goal of the program was to impart knowledge about a specific topic that would be useful to the girls in their

everyday lives at home and at work. While the girls learnt technical skills at their institute, our member Sabina Ali had

identified a gap in teaching when it came to soft skills like teamwork, communication etc. She bought the idea of a skill

share program to an SI meeting and it was very well received by our members who belonged to varied professional

fields like Medicine, Education, IT, Arts etc.

On day one of the program, Sabina Ali conducted a seminar focused on effective communication, body

language, importance of listening and clarity of communication. The second session was taken by Ms. Sharmila Siraj

who talked about techniques to overcome stress, manage stress and the effect is could have on us physically and

mentally. Session three was conducted by Dr. Sudha Dheep who apart from a talk also conducted a quiz around the

topics of healthcare, personal hygiene, maintenance of a healthy mind in a healthy body. The fourth session took place

on the 24th of January The National day of The Girl Child in India. Dr. Hema Sathish addressed the gathering about feeling good and looking good. She busted some skin care myths and gave tips and advice for maintaining a healthy skincare routine. Ms. Selvi Santhosham held an interactive session number five, where she explained the importance of

time management and self management. Last but not the least the program ended with a sixth session (attended by 300

students) conducted by Ms. Sabina Ali and Dr. Sudha Dheep surrounding the topic of leadership qualities and team

work. The importance of soft skills was demonstrated via various examples and team building games.

Our SI sisters, who shared their skills and time were happy to see that the response to this six-day long soft skills

program was enthusiastic and instilled confidence in the students who were ready for more of these programs in the

future.


9

Fun & Fellowship Dinner

Musical Evening in March

SI Madurai checked off the February event in our

calendar, in style. Our Member Mrs. Lakshmi Murugesan

hosted a dinner where she aimed for 100% attendance. The

SI members arrived smiling and cheerful who wouldnt

be delighted to be surrounded by crackling ideas, delicious

food and fun friends! The event was co hosted by Mrs. Selvi

Santhosham and Mrs. Subathra. A fruitful brainstorming

session was held where many ideas surfaced for future

projects. The progress of the clubs past projects was also

discussed and members volunteered to take up tasks for new

projects as well as maintenance of past projects.

It was one of the years most exciting meetings that

took place at the TVS Guesthouse. Our SI Member. Ms.

Mridula Ramesh, along with Dr. Haripriya and Dr. Manju

hosted an SI meeting that was followed by a live performance

by a local band. Members were treated to a feast of fabulous

music and thoroughly enjoyed the popular Tamil tunes. The

weather was perfect and as per SI Madurai tradition of cutting

a birthday cake for each month, the SI sisters with a March

birthday too cut the cake which was served along with high

tea.

If that didnt make the evening special enough, there

was also a self defense demonstration. A Tae-kwan- do style of

martial art demo was given by a group of trained school

children- boys and girls, along with their instructor. Tae-

Kwon-Do is said to have originated in Korea and it is an art

that combines combat, self defense, sport and exercise. The

young children were enthusiastic, fierce and exhibited their

skills powerfully. They were happy to share their skills with

us. SI Members were pleased to see local schools taking

interest in co-curricular activities like Tae-kwan-do and

teaching young men and women this very important skill of

self defense at an early age.

Videos: Click to watch

Celebrating Working Women: Click to watch

Doves Real Beauty Sketches Ad: Click to watch

Self Defense Demo

( March Meeting of SI Madurai)

Click to watch


10

Life Saving Skills

Happy Holidays Kalikappen

First aid training comes in handy for a variety of

different situations in life. Although many people receive this

training strictly due to a job requirement, it is actually

something that can benefit anyone's life. One of the most

valuable skills to have, first aid training prepares us to help

anyone in their time of need.

Members of SI Madurai took a first step and made a

commitment to learn basic first aid skills. The training session

was organized by SI Madurai for members, female staff and

students of Thiagarajar arts College and the NCC unit of

Meenakshi Govt. College for Women.

On the 27th of February. Dr. Hema Sathish arranged

for the session to take place at Devadoss Hospitals in

Madurai. Mr. Siluvaimani, - of the St. Johns Ambulance

Service, Madurai Center conducted the course. He took the

attentive audience through the steps and skills required to

preserve life, prevent worsening and promote recovery. The

proper methods of administrating first aid in situations like

choking, burns, fractures, bites, cuts, fainting etc. were

demonstrated and explained. The trainer made the session

highly interactive with the use of dummies, audio visual aids

and volunteer demonstrations.

Everybody should have some level of first aid ability,

because accidents and medical emergencies can happen

anywhere at any time.. First aid classes are widely available

and are a worthwhile investment. SI Madurai urges you to

find your nearest first aid training course and get certified.

When you know what to do in emergency situations, you can

become a valuable asset anywhere you go. Once you have

learned first aid it is also important to keep taking refresher

courses every couple years so you can easily administer these

skills when needed.

In Early 2012, SI Madurai had adopted Kalikappen

Village and ever since then, the local school there has

been a hub for many of our SI projects. So it wouldnt

do, of course, to close a successful SI term without

saying goodbye to the kids who always waited for us

eagerly. In April 2013, as the children were just

finishing their last exam, SI Members Ms. Sudha

Dheep, Ms. Latha Abiruben, Ms. Divya Gupta and Ms.

Sabina Ali showed up drawing notebooks and felt pens

which the children were thrilled to receive. As part of

an initiative to make them revise during holidays, A

math tables book was also distributed. The items were

sponsored by the SI Members themselves. Mrs. Latha

Abiruben highlighted the importance of planting trees

and suggested that the children named each sapling that

they planted. As always members interacted

effortlessly with the children and helped them wind up

their academic year on a positive note.


11

Playtime Pals Before various summer camps popped up around the

city during the school holidays, most children spent their

summer holidays at home doing nothing or watching TV.

While children hope for a month of respite from anything that

resembles studying or responsibility, parents are faced with

the task of keeping their kids occupies, away from negative

influences and out of trouble.

SI Madurai organized an educational, fun filled

weekend for children between ages 6-12 at Sabina Alis Activity Center in Madurai. What made the even more

effective was the fact that this activity camp was run by older

children (ages 15-17) for the younger children (guided by SI

Members Sabina Ali, Divya Gupta & Gaurie Gupta). The

ideology was similar to that of the various big sister, Peer and mentor programs that take place in schools. This model

was successfully followed at the Playtime Pals activity weekend.

Over the 2 days, the program was attended by 55

children from various schools. The activity started with an ice

breaker game and was followed by creative writing where the

given topic was My Dream Tour. There was also a short lesson on storytelling (which included voice modulation;

improving spoken English, body language etc.). During their

creativity time, the children made a card for their mothers after a short talk that helped them identify and reflect on the

various roles played by a mother their lives. The second days session included speech exercises and jaw exercises. The

children were made to play word games and spelling games

which they thoroughly enjoyed. They also spent time doodling

ideas on how they would ideally like to spend their summer

vacation. While half the class agreed that playing computer

games would be the best way, the rest of them believed it

would be nice to swim, cycle and play cricket. It was

interesting to note how far we have not come from the age old

debate! The young mentors, perhaps speaking from

experience, advised the class to balance indoor and outdoor

activities. The highlight of the second day however was the

little skit enacted and performed by the children.

Apart from the activities, during the sessions the

children learn how to share things, interact with each other,

forgive each other, how to manage stress and how to spend

their free time effectively. It was also a great lesson for the

older children on how to take on responsibility.

Prizes and activity material were sponsored by Sabina

Ali and refreshments were sponsored by Divya Gupta.


12

Eye Camp at Hospice Center Health Camp for Girls

Could you imagine a world of complete

darkness? We use our eyes for almost all our daily

functions, and a world without vision is a grim

prospect. Unfortunately, India is one of the countys that shoulders the largest burden of global blindness.

In Madurai, the world renowned, Aravind Eye

Hospital addresses the problem of blindness

holistically by conducting various eye camps for

people of all ages and backgrounds. The hospital

operates on a sophisticated social entrepreneurship

system and provides high quality healthcare.

In April 2013, our members Dr. Haripriya

and Dr. Manju, along with a tem of doctors form

Aravind Eye Hospital, helped SI Madurai conduct a

free eye-check up camp for 55 inmates of the Kodai

Road Hospice Centre.

The patients who were physically or

emotionally unwell were tested and given free eye

drops. New spectacles were provided for 15 patients

and 11 of them were taken to Aravind Eye Hospital

for eye operations. SI also spent time inspecting the

center for any other needs, interacting and

comforting patients and listening to their personal

stories.

In every nation, the welfare of the entire community

depends on the health and welfare of the child. The physical

and mental health of the nation is also determined by the

manner in which the life of the child is shaped in the early

stages. While there are various schemes and policies to

ensure child welfare, in many parts of India, the girl child

still faces discrimination and is denied food, security,

healthcare, employment etc. As this alarming trend signals

the onset of a demographic imbalance, the government is

rapidly working towards changing rural mindsets. With this

is mind, members of SI Madurai too organized a health camp

for nearly 300 girls.

The project was headed by SI Member Mrs. Valli

Annamalai (who is also a key member of the Indian Council

for Child Welfare ICCW). The medical procedures and check-up were organized by our SI Member Dr. Rohini

Shridhar of Apollo Hospitals Madurai.

In May 2013, members Mrs. Valli Annamalai and

Mrs. Divya Gupta were present as the health screening took

place at the Usilampatti Vocational College run by the

ICCW. The general health check up also including blood

grouping. Mrs. Valli Annamalai also mentioned that free

education was being given to these girls from class 3 to

college, following which all help was given to them to obtain

a vocational diploma and placements were guaranteed.


13

A spring in her step and steel in her soulMovies that inspire Sure, there are movies now that have girls with briefcases, girls with gun, girls with laser beams,

high heels, magic powers etc. If what is popular is a barometer of how accepting our society is,

this is a good thing, right? Might not be. Take a minute to think are women being celebrated or

objectified and what influence is it having on viewers across different ages and backgrounds? Its

an age old debate (which we can save for another time). For now, you cant be what you cant

see - just one of the reasons to have a movie marathon. Here are some exceptional movies that

will make you think and/or leave you inspired & proud to be a lady.

The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler | During the WWII, the 2007 Nobel Prize nominee,

Irena smuggled 2500 children out of Poland- in wheelbarrows covered with bricks, hollow

compartments in trucks, false bottoms in ambulance tool boxes and burlap sacks. She was

arrested, tortured, but miraculously escaped and tried to unite the children she had saved with

their families after the war. ( Anna Paquin. Latvia, 2009. War/ Biogrpahy)

Mulan | Mulan is one of the few strong Disney heroines who impersonates a soldier in a time

when women were forbidden to even speak in public. Thanks to her cunning and inventiveness

she manages to defeat the entire Hun army.

(Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy. USA, 1998. Animation/ Adventure/ Family)

Erin Brockovich | The sassy, Ms. Brockovich is a single mother supporting three kids. When

finally manages to secure a filing job at a law firm, she stumbles into a world of malpractice and

dirty deeds that has lead to deaths. Story of how she almost single handedly brings down a large

California power company. (Julia Roberts, David Brisbin. USA, 2000. Biography/ Drama)

Elizabeth | When a young monarch refuses to bow to the wishes of her male counselors, she

faces intrigue, conspiracy and assassination attempts. The Story of Elizabeth II, who transforms

from a naive, young girl to ruthless, political icon while struggling to secure her throne in the

turbulent early years of her reign. (Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush. USA, 1998. Biography/

Drama)

Mona Lisa Smile | Set in the 1950s, A free-thinking art professor whos modern views are incompatible with the culture of the prestigious Wellesey College, forms a strong bond with her

conservative students and teaches them to question their traditional societal roles.

(Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst. USA, 2003. Drama)

The Help | Southern society belle returns from college, determined to become a writer in the

1960s and turns a Mississippi town upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families.

(Viola Davis, Emma Stone. USA, 2011. Drama)

Fast Girls | A street smart runner develops a rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young

athlete. Fast paced, feel good movie that seeks to inspire and empower. Showcases the trials and

tribulations of running for the British Womens Track Team.

(Lenora Crichlow, Lily James. UK, 2012. Sport/ Comedy/ Romance)

Bend it Like Beckham | Who wants to cook Aloo Gobi, when you can bend the ball like

Beckham?! The struggle of an Indian girl to play football challenging all traditions and breaking

all rules and stereotypes. (Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley. USA & UK, 2002. Sport/ Comedy/

Romance)

G.I. Jane | Demi Moore joins the elite Navy Seals. While dodging bullets, chauvinism, and self-doubt finds the inner strength to save her fellow soldiers and herself. Demi gets bonus points for

looking good being bald and selling those one-armed push-ups.

(Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen. USA, 1997. Action)

Bring out the

popcorn!


14

About Madurai

About Madurai

Remem

ber, W

hat

Sally

say

s ab

out

Susie, s

ays mor

e

abou

t Sa

lly t

han

abou

t Su

sie.

Words to live by:

Rem

em

ber, W

ha

t Sa

lly sa

ys a

bou

t Su

sie, sa

ys

more a

bou

t Sa

lly th

an

a

bou

t Su

sie.

Divya Gupta President 2012-13 [email protected]

Lakshmi Murugesan Vice President 2012-13 [email protected]

Sabina Ali Secretary 2012-13 [email protected]

Jayanthi Raja Treasurer 2012-13

[email protected]

About Madurai

We are writing to you from Madurai. Situated on the banks of river

Vaigai,Madurai, is the second largest city in Tamil Nadu, India. The name

Madurai, comes from the Tamil word mathuram meaning sweetness. This antique city is endowed with a rich cultural heritage. The history of Madurai dates back to the 6th century B.C. Madurai was the much-

acclaimed capital of the Pandya kings. Back then, it functioned as an

important commercial center of South India. Madurai is famous for its

temples, monuments and ancient cultural wonders. It is even called The Temple city and The Athens of the East. Today the vibrant city of Madurai bustles with activity from dawn to dusk. Madurais Meenakshi Temple is one of the greatest architectural marvels of India and it attracts

thousands of pilgrims every year from all over the world.

http://www.maduraitourism.info

Newsletter feedback & contributions:

Gaurie Gupta | [email protected]

Anitha Rajarajan PAC 2012-13 [email protected]

Documents

Newsletter May 2013: SI Madurai