Welcome Back Get-Together

20 Mon 03.45 PM
Seetha Muthiah’s Residence
Coromandel House
14, Boat club Road, R.A. Puram
Chennai 600 028

Welcome Back Get-Together

There will be mystery
There will be misunderstanding
There will be yelling
But there will be laughter !
Come join us as we indulge in a laughter-inducing afternoon with our IWA family after our holiday hiatus!

HEALTH & ECOLOGY

21 Tue 08.45 AM
The Theosophical Society
Adyar
Chennai 600 020

Walk the Tree Talk

Join us for an outdoor meeting in the beautiful gardens of The Theosophical Society, Adyar. We will walk up to the Great Banyan tree and around. Prof D Narasimhan, a well-known tree enthusiast and botanist in the city, will guide us in our walk. He will talk to us about different trees as we come across them, their features and other interesting facts about them.
The Great Banyan Tree or Adyar Ala Maram as it is known locally, is the second largest banyan tree in the world and is believed to be about 450 years old. Although the main trunk suffered storm damage a few decades ago, the rest of the tree survives and thrives.
For entrance, please use the gates on Besant Avenue. (NOT the gate
opposite Fortis Malar Hospital)
Please assemble at The Library (which is the first building on your right when you enter the campus through the gate on Besant Avenue) at 8.45 a.m.
Please note: This meeting starts earlier and will last longer than the usual meeting. The meeting is scheduled to conclude around 10.30 a.m. The actual walk will last for about an hour. You may not have close access to rest rooms.
We have place for 35 members. Please warn-in by messaging
Nirupa – 9840234623 or Swati – 9884177777 between 9 a.m.
and 6 p.m.

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

28 Tue 10.15 AM
The Armenian Church
Armenian Street, Opp. High Court
Parry’s Corner, George Town
Chennai 600 001

Armenian Church - Footsteps in time…

Explore the forces that shaped Christianity in India, and learn unexpected facts about its early days in Chennai.Storytrails was born with the idea of  discovering India through her stories. This morning we will savor local sights and sounds through the eyes of a storyteller, go beyond the sights themselves, and uncover the characters and customs that made these places come alive.
Join us for a story-filled session, with Storytrails, about Chennai’s Christian history, from the humble arrival of St. Thomas, to the British,who created a cathedral of neo-gothic splendor at the Armenian Church.
Please warn-in on 25th & 26th of January between 10 am and 6 pm by calling or messaging (or whatsapp) on 9840027222 as we have to limit the participation to 30 people.
We request you to carry your own water bottle and encourage you to
carpool.

CURRENT EVENTS

30 Thu10.15 AM
The Folly, Amethyst
Whites Road
Next to Corporation Bank
Royapettah, Chennai 600 014

“A SPARK on women’s empowerment”

SPARK! (Stories for Progress, Advocacy, Rights and Knowledge) is a platform for thought-provoking discussions that has taken Chennai by storm. Started by two enterprising young women, they SPARK illuminating conversations on social impact, public policy,development, the environment, arts, health and feminism in India. Spark is founded by Niru and Vishala, both of who are corporates in their own right, in Chennai.

Join us as they share insights on Women’s Empowerment in the Indian cultural context and how they have impacted our community by hosting these conversations in our city. During this session, they will trace four ideas for Indian women’s empowerment - financial independence, women in family business, modern motherhood and the changing role of fathers and husbands.

ARTS & HANDICRAFTS

31 Fri 04.00PM
Hanu Reddy Residences
39/18, Binny Road
Poes Garden
Chennai 600 086

Crafts of the Harappan Civilisation

The ancient Harappan civilisation, also known as the Indus Valley civilisation, was highly advanced. The Harappan people had a finely honed sense of aesthetics and they produced an astounding range of crafts.
Examples of Harappan craft specialisation can be seen in the lapidary work, shell industries, stoneware bangles, ceramics, terracotta figurines, stone and metal figures.The Harappans traded extensively with the Oman Peninsula, Mesopotamia, modern Iran and Central Asia. This fascinating presentation will introduce us to the Harappan craft specialisation and highlight its evolution and important characteristics.
Dr.K.N. Prabhakaran is Director (Exploration & Excavation and Institute of Archaeology) at the Archaeological Survey of India and Guest Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar . He has carried out intensive analysis and research of Bead making Technology at the Harappan sites.He has participated in excavations of Harappan culture sites such as Dholavira (Gujarat), Sanauli (Uttar Pradesh) and directed excavations at Rupnagar (Punjab) and Karanpura (Rajasthan). He has contributed numerous papers to various prestigious journals.

DECEMBER

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

3 Tue 10.15 AM

The Folly, Amethyst

Whites Road

Next to Corporation Bank

Royapettah, Chennai 600 014

Antaranga Sadhana, Journey to Becoming our Best Selves

We recognize our manifest emotions, anger and fear, but not the underlying subtle emotions which affect our choices. Antaranga Sadhana helps us explore, discover and master our inner self with the help of ancient Indian texts, the Puranas.

Parthasarathy is a yoga therapist, trainer and coach who continues

his studies (which began 7 years ago) with Saraswathi Vasudevan of

Yoga Vahini & Raghu Anantanarayanan of Ritambara, in the lineage of Sri Krishnamacharya. A software engineer by training, he is passionate about taking yoga to rural India. Partha will take us through an experiential reflective session to look at some of the underlying, not so obvious emotions that heavily and  subconsciously influence our choices.

We hope to recognize the importance of emotional self-discovery in

the journey of being and becoming the best we can be.

COOKING SWAPSHOP

5 Thu 10.15 AM

Hanu Reddy Residences

39/18, Binny Road Poes Garden Chennai 600 086 

                              Souper Thursday!

Although Namma Chennai doesn’t enjoy a chilly winter, December is just the right month to showcase a variety of soups contributed by our very generous members.

Join us for an interactive Souper Trivia Quiz and Souper tasting.We would like to thank our members who brought their best soup forward:

Nabila Avais, Kaety Dalal, Beena Ram Mohan, Masako Maruyama, Usha B. Moorthy, Hemu Ramaiah, Tulsi Reddy,Ritu Sahi, Naina Shah.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

10 Tue

10.15 AM

The Raintree

616, Anna Salai

Teynampet

Chennai 600 035

The Merry Little Christmas Party!

It’s December! And time for our very own IWA Christmas celebration.Join us in colors of Red, Gold and White and let’s have a merry little party.Nothing marks Christmas like laughter, friends, gifts and good food,and we have all of that lined up for you at the IWA Christmas Party.Come prepared to step out of your comfort zone and engage in some fun challenges.

We thank Ambika Mammen and Achu Kurien for their contributions towards this event.

Please note that this is a members only meeting.

HEALTH & ECOLOGY

 12 Thu 10.15 AM

The Folly, Amethyst

Whites Road

Next to Corporation Bank

Royapettah, Chennai 600 014

How Green Is My Tally

Universally, the topic that takes centre stage in discussions today is the degradation of the environment. Activists everywhere are painting  dismal pictures of the future of our earth. Individuals and groups are using every known method to arrest the decay.Greta Thunberg has caught everyone’s attention with her fiery speeches. But many of us consider these distant events over which we have no control and therefore issues in which we have no part to play.

Join us in the discussion with our beloved member, Sushi Natraj. Let us plot our ECO scores, and work on improving them in the days to come.We will try to see if there are indeed ways, albeit small, in which we as individuals can make a difference.Sushi, Past President of IWA,wears many hats. Among other things, she is a passionate crusader against the abuse of plastics. She has been slowly making inroads into persuading friends to work against environmental degradation in some simple ways.

ARTS & HANDICRAFTS

16 Mon 04.00PM

Qasr-e-Naz

19, Kothari Road

Nungambakkam

Chennai 600 034

Six Yards of Pure Elegance

Rama Rrebbapragada, a Hyderabad based designer and founder

of Studio Rama, has been interested in textile art from her early

teens. A B.Com graduate, she went on to do her articles in CA and get married. It was only later in life, that she turned her innate connection with textiles and fashion into a career.

In 2000, she started a tailoring unit in Hyderabad, working with various traditional textiles including Mangalgiri, Ikat, Chanderi and Maheswari.In the last 20 years of her career, she has worked remotely with numerous craftsmen and intermediary crafts people around India. One of her creative experiments was to combine the block printed Peddana style of Kalamkari with the Narsapur crochet on Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh. These sarees were presented at the show held at the ITC Grand Chola in 2015 by the Crafts Council of India, Chennai.

Through her designs, Rama has combined vintage design aesthetics

with modern colour palette to ensure the colours are festive, bright and cheerful. Amala Akkineni, Maria Goretti and Jhansi are a few among her many celebrity and prominent clientele. Rama looks forward to talking about her Kalamkari craft and demonstrating some saree drapes for the IWA ladies of Chennai

Please note this is an evening meeting.

COOKING SWAPSHOP & MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS

17 Tue 09.30 AM - 12.30PM

Bus Pickup - Hotel Crowne Plaza

132, T T K Road

Alwarpet

Chennai 600 018

Marghazhi Sabha Hopping – IWA Style

The Music Season is one of the biggest events in Chennai’s arts and

music calendar. However, It’s not just music that brings rasikas to the Sabhas. It’s also the promise of scrumptious South Indian food. Many of the major sabhas have fully operational canteens or ‘pop up’ restaurants that serve a variety of dishes.

Hop on to the IWA bus as we go Sabha hopping in an attempt to

sample some of the lip-smacking delicacies. We will assemble at

Hotel Crowne Plaza and go to 2-3 venues that are famous for their

food during this season.

We hope to catch a recital or dance performance as an interval

between breakfast and lunch. Food and music compete with the fun

of sharing this experience with your IWA buddies.

This is a 40-seater bus, so warn in please. Warn-in for the bus by

messaging Nandi – 9884070014 any time between 9:00 am- 6.00

pm.

You do have the option of following the route in your own car.

This meeting is longer than normal and is scheduled to end around

12.30pm.

RIDE ON THE SANDS OF TIME

Travel with us to the Land of Kings. Rajasthan is a fabulous realm of

maharajas and their majestic forts and lavish palaces. The remnants of a rich and romantic past, either in evocative ruins or restored to former splendour.

We will begin our journey with Ranakpur which hosts one of India’s

biggest and most important Jain temple complexes.The magnificent

structure has 1444 dissimilar pillars where the play of light n shade is awe-inspiring.

The Mighty Mehrangarh, the muscular fort that towers over the Blue City of Jodhpur, is a magnificent spectacle and an architectural masterpiece. Get lost exploring the old city which is a jumble of Brahmin-blue cubes.

Take a break at the Samsara Desert camp set in the Thar. Stay a night in a luxury tent, spend a magical evening on the dunes, set against the  backdrop of mesmerizing folk singers and graceful dancers.

Bikaner, a dust-swirling desert town with a fabulous fort and an

energising outpost feel, will be our next stop. Lip smacking cuisine and the famous ‘Bikaneri Bhujia’ will tantalize your taste buds.

Stopover at the village of Mandawa, which lies in the heart of the

Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. This is where many rich merchant

families lived in the 18th century and their Havelis still stand whispering stories of the grandeur of that era. End the trip with a free day in Jaipur’s busy markets and fly back home with bags full of beautiful things and a heart full of beautiful memories.

8 NIGHTS AND 7 DAYS - 4th to 11th February 2020

 Stay in 5 star & heritage hotels

 Luxury tent and Camel Safari

 Includes all meals and sightseeing

 Travel in exclusive A.C. Coach

 Royal Rajasthani Dinner

 Return Airfare from Chennai

 Guide, Porter, tips

 Water bottles - All inclusive Rs.92,500/- (a steal!)

Max Pax 20- due to the tents and other accommodation the group size is limited.

Warn-in with Non-returnable Advance of Rs.35,000/- to be paid by 10th December.

Contact:

SHEELA K SARATH SOMNA SACHDEV

98840 33336 98410 22922

Prayer meeting in memory of Saroja Ramamrutham

Our dear founder member Saroja has passed into the light, leaving us with only memories of the times we shared with her.We pay respectful homage to her legacy, share happy stories of her at this sad time, and remember her fondly, for her role in creating an organization that continues to foster intercultural relationships. We thank Sunita Shahaney for hosting this memorial meeting.
Date : 1st November
Time : 4.30 p.m
Venue : Residence of Sunita Shahaney
The Park Residences Apt. H-3, 22
Vellaiyan Road Kotturpuram 
Chennai 600 085
We request you to please RSVP by calling 044-24471073, between 12.00 pm and 6.00 pm.

WELCOME TO JAPAN

 5 Tue10.15AM
Avichi Hall (next to AVM Rajeswari
Kalyana Mandapam)
101, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai
Mylapore, Chennai 600 004

YO-KOSO NIHON!Welcome to Japan!

Japan comes to Chennai in a multi-splendored event where members and the various committees of IWA join hands to showcase the various facets of this wonderful nation. Be sure to be there for the event which will feature:
A fascinating talk on The Changing Fashion of the Kimono by IWA member Caroline Sato, an expert on the subject, who was drawn to Japan from  Australia by a love of textiles and the vibrant fashion cultures in Tokyo.
Caroline who has an M.A. in fashion, will trace the changing styles of the kimono through the eras of the Japanese emperors of the 20th century.
Ikebana demonstration by IWA member Cherry Venkatesan who will show us her mastery in the art!
Exquisite Origami display by IWA member Masako Maruyama who is skilled in this traditional art of paper folding!
We are delighted to welcome Mrs. Karen Uchiyama, wife of Hon’ble Mr. Kojiro Uchiyama, Consul-General of Japan, Chennai as our chief guest for this morning.
A big thank you to Cherry Venkatesan for being such a tremendous support
and resource in putting together Japan Day and to the committee members
for joining in with a little showcase from each activity.
Please note that this meeting will start at 10.30 am. Japanese refreshments will be served after the meeting. Please plan to be there for a little longer than usual as the meeting will finish by 12.30 pm.

ARTS & HANDICRAFTS

7 Thu 10.15 AM
Hanu Reddy Residences
39/18, Binny Road
Poes Garden Chennai 600 086

Painted Manuscripts of the Sarasvati Mahal Library A treasure trove of information

Serfoji II (1777-1832) the Maratha ruler of Thanjavur, was a bibliophile whose collection of manuscripts and books forms the bulk of the historic Sarasvati Mahal Library. The library contains several unique painted manuscripts, covering a wide range of subjects, which our IWA member Nanditha Krishna was able to study and which were photographed by IWA member Charu Rajamani’s husband, the late Mr. V.K. Rajamani. This was published as a book, Painted Manuscripts of the Sarasvati Mahal Library.
A historian, environmentalist and writer based in Chennai, Nanditha Krishna has a Ph.D in Ancient Indian culture from Bombay University. She is a professor, and research guide at CPR Institute of Indological Research, affiliated to the University of Madras. She is the president of the C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation and founder-director of its many constituents. She is the author of several articles, research papers and 26 books. It is over 100 years since the Sarasvati Mahal Library (which dates back to the Nayak era in the 16th century) became a public library. We invite you to celebrate it by learning about its painted manuscripts!

MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS

12 Tue 10.15 AM
The Folly, Amethyst
Whites Road
Next to Corporation Bank
Royapettah, Chennai 600 014

Sacred Music

Vidwan Professor Ramamoorthy Rao migrated t o Chennai to learn Carnatic music from gurus. He has been awarded the Presidents Gold medal award for Carnatic music. However, his passion for Hindustani classics music led him to Mumbai. There under Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, he further shaped his musical journey.
Vidwan Ramamoorthy has the unique distinction of composing 1800 songs in Kannada, Sanskrit, Hindustani, Brighbhasha and Rajasthani. He has created a devotional style of presentation of Hindustani Bhajans influenced by Hindustani classical music. His perspective on ragas and the spiritual approach towards music is well appreciated. Mr Ramamoorthy Rao currently teaches Slokhas and Bhajans since 40 years. He specialises in meditation through music. He is a cancer survivor and attributes his curing totally to his disciplined lifestyle and his recitation of the Soundarya Lahiri over 100 times a day.
Welcome to a soothing morning of Bhajans and beautiful music.

ARTS & HANDICRAFTS

14 Thu 10.15 AM
Not a box 
2, 5th Street, Rutland Gate
Near Gallery Veda
Nungamabkkam, Chennai 600 006

Paint with Thejo

IWA member Thejomayee Menon is a Chennai based artist who has been practising art for over two decades. Thejo completed her M.A. and M.Phil. in Fine arts from Stella Maris College, Chennai and went on to become a professional artist as well as an art professor.
It’s the journey of creating something that is often the real fulfilment of an experience with art. JoinThejo, as she takes you through a morning of painting- you don’t need to have any prior experience of painting or art. Get your aprons on and enjoy the play of paint on canvas as we hear Thejo talk about her journey as an artist and as she guides us through the steps of painting.
This is a warn- in meeting restricted only to 40 members for participating, however, any number are welcome to come and see and share the experience. All art material will be provided for the 40 participants. Please do note that if you would like to paint, you should plan for 2 hours of your time as it will take that long for the painting to be done. The meeting for those participating in the painting experience will get over by 12.30 p.m. We look forward to seeing you on this journey with creating your own art to take home.
Please warn-in for painting, by sending your name and membership number via text message / WhatsApp message to 
Kausalya Santhanam @9841558467
Mangai Kamal @ 9840041066

HEALTH & ECOLOGY

19 Tue 10.15 AM

Focus Art Gallery

Raja Annamalai Building

19, Rukmani Lakshmipathi Road

Egmore, Chennai 600 008

We’ve Got Your Back!

Whether from sitting at a desk all day, looking down at a smartphone, or lounging on a couch, poor posture can have many negative effects on your health. It can increase stress on muscles and joints, worsen circulation issues and cause fatigue. Understanding and improving posture can help reduce the strain and improve our physical efficiency.
Our speaker, Dr A J Rajendran is awell-known Physiatrist in the field of Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. He is an alumnus of Madras Medical College and has over 30 years of experience. He is a Life Member of the Indian Association of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (IAPMR), the American Association of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) and Kuwait Physical Medicine &Rehabilitation Society.

CURRENT EVENTS

21Thu 10.15 AM
Curio Play
3. Ananda Road,
Alwarpet.
Chennai – 600 018

“The Secret of Sustainable Living”

73 year old Mr. Dwarkadas Suresh, popularly known as Solar Suresh, is an example of sustainable living in an almost fully selfsufficient urban house. Completely solar-powered, his house also has its own biogas unit, water harvesting unit and kitchen garden. While the house has gained fame due to its renewable ways, so has its pioneering owner. His latest project is a futuristic contraption that extracts water from air. In his words, “the Israelis came up with this technology and now it is made in Mumbai.” It is a miracle of science, better known as “ Air O Water”.
Join us as our speaker Mr. Suresh shares his views with IWA on the burning issue of climate issue and how change has to begin with each one of us.

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

26 Tue 10.15 AM
The KCP Limited
2, Dr. P.V. Cherian Crescent Road
(Near Ethiraj College), Egmore
Chennai – 600 008

Bhava Kavitvam… a peak into Telugu poetry

The romantic poetry of Telugu literature that spanned the three decades  starting from 1910 is called Bhava Kavita.Sreemathi Ramnath, born in a family of renowned writers, has been associated with the world of performing arts and literature all her life. She will lead us through the paradigm of handpicked poetry from this era, illustrating how people living in Andhra Pradesh viewed life and discovered their own meaning of it.
Shreya Ramnath, her daughter will be breathing melody into these poems, which have been set to music by stalwarts like Balamurali and Oleti. Shreya is an auditioned AIR artist, who has given several performances in a genre called Bhava Sangeetam, which is light classical music. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Sociology of Music. Shared in their original Telugu form, Sreemathi will explain the poems’ nuances in English, before they are sung by Shreya.
Join us on what promises to be a fascinating and melodious morning!

BOOK DISCUSSION

28 Thu 10.15 AM
The Folly, Amethyst
Whites Road
Next to Corporation Bank
Royapettah, Chennai 600 014
Book Discussion

Design a Book Cover

IWA Book Club invites you to join members Gowri Viswanathan and Deepa Ramaprasad in a discussion of the book ‘Circe’ by Madeline Miller. Ann Patchett describes this book as, “An epic spanning thousands of years that’s also a keep-you-up-all-night page turner.” A story of family rivalry, intrigue, witchcraft, love and loss, the book celebrates Circe’s journey towards discovering indomitable inner strength in a man’s world. The creative storytelling of this book coupled with it’s unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense makes it an absolute must read. In keeping with the book’s vivid imagery, we ask you to unleash your  creativity and design what you believe would be an apt cover for Circe.It could be in any medium- a drawing, photograph, collage, mixed media, anything that your imagination conjures up. You may email it prior to the meeting to sabina.narayan@gmail.com or print it on an A4 size paper, and bring it to the meeting.