SEPTEMBER


HEALTH & ECOLOGY


6 Fri 10.15 AM
E-Hotel
Express Avenue Mall
Gate 1, Pattulos Road
Chennai 600 002
Keep Calm and Carry On
Now and then, many of us feel a little anxious, whether it is before a  medical examination, or perhaps due to problems in the workplace, or any other  stressful situation. However, there may be some who experience anxiety so acutely that it can be overwhelming and disabling. This is no ordinary anxiety. It is, in fact, a condition known as an Anxiety Disorder. With awareness and treatment, many people can manage those feelings and get back to a fulfilling life.
Our member, Amanda Pilmore-Bedford, will talk about the importance of mental health with a focus on anxiety disorders. She is the wife of the British Deputy High Commissioner and has lived in the UK, Belgium, Singapore, Russia, Malaysia and USA before moving to India.
Amanda has completed a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and holds Graduate membership of the British Psychological Society and the British
Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Her research interests have included context-dependent memory, the identity and the lived experience of international assignments on the diplomatic spouse, and the association between attachment, personality, and love addiction. She recently qualified as a Mental Health First Aid MHFA India Instructor.


MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS


9 Mon
10.15 AM
E-Hotel
Express Avenue Mall
Gate 1, Pattulos Road
Chennai 600 002
Born to Dance!
Srinwanti Chakrabarti was only 5 years old when the dancing bug bit her and she decided to dedicate her life to Odissi!  Over 30 years later, under the tutelage of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, her unwavering dedication to this dance form from the eastern part of India, can be recognized not only through her numerous performances all over the world, but also by the lecture-demonstrations she conducts in various universities and institutions. Today, she will be performing three pieces from her repertoire which capture the diversity of her dance style.

COOKING SWAPSHOP

12 Thu 03.45 PM
Hanu Reddy Residences
39/18, Binny Road
Poes Garden
Chennai 600 086
A Peek into Parsi Cuisine
Reflecting the community’s zest for life, Parsi cuisine is robust, full of flavours absorbed from its 2 millennia history in India and is unapologetically oblivious of calories!
Sherry Batliwala will take us through a short culinary history of this fun-loving community and home cook Dolly Jila and IWA member Kaety Dalal will demonstrate some Parsi recipes.
Parsi cuisine diet tip – don’t diet!
This meeting is being sponsored by the Parsi members of IWA

ARTS & HANDICRAFTS


20 Fri 10.15 AM
Hanu Reddy Residences
39/18, Binny Road
Poes Garden
Chennai 600 086
Traditional Crafts and the Modern touch
In this fast changing world   where technology rules every aspect of our lives, traditional crafts cannot afford to lag behind. How can crafts be promoted using Information Technology? How is IT providing visibility for artisans online, helping design intervention, and marketing their products?
Dr. Santhosh Babu, IAS, Principal Secretary, Information Technology Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, and former Chairman and Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development  Corporation(Poompuhar), has done path-breaking work in this field. He will tell us how IT has brought about a transformation in the crafts sector in the State. Santhosh Babu is a medical doctor who belongs to the 1995 batch of
the Indian Administrative Service. His passion is to raise standards of
governance to the highest levels using modern management practices and the tools that IT provides. He has 150 plus transformational initiatives to his credit. He is a Chevening Gurukul Scholar from the London School of Economics and is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. In 2017, Poompuhar won the National E-Governance award under his leadership.


HEALTH & ECOLOGY


20 Fri 10.15 AM
Hanu Reddy Residences
39/18, Binny Road
Poes Garden
Chennai 600 086
Friendly Neighbourhood Spiders of the Western Ghats
The Western Ghats are a biodiversity hotspot. Once covered with dense forests, it now faces the threat of degradation. Research on the tropical rainforests in the Western Ghats has focused on different plants, birds and animals. Our speaker has a soft spot for spiders and has studied spider populations and their relation to alterations in the rainforests. She has helped raise a nursery for rainforest seeds and saplings for restoration and enjoys interacting with people to help them find interest and excitement in the natural world.
Vena Kapoor has a Masters in Ecology from Pondicherry University and an MPhil in Conservation Leadership from the University of Cambridge, UK. She has been involved in conservation research and practice since 1998. She currently works with the Nature Conservation Foundation based in Bangalore and is actively involved in its education and public engagement programme.

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION


25 Wed 10.15 AM
Dhenupureeswarar Shiva Temple
Suyambu Lingam
Madambakkam Main Road
Madambakkam (Between Velachery &
Tambaram), Chennai 600 126 
Journey towards a Thousand Year Old Temple
The tour of the Madambakkam Shiva temple will look at this Chola era temple from the angle of history and how it can teach us about the Chola empire - their bureaucracy, water management and taxation strategies. It will explain how temples are structured to help us find peace and happiness in our relationships. All of us can have a shot at a traditional board game popular on the floors of many Chola temples in Chennai, and the enthusiastic can learn a Tamil verse on thetemples (transliterated in English script)!
Pradeep Chakravarthy, who is a Behaviourist, will conduct this temple tour. A student of The School, he studied at MCC, JNU and then LSE, he worked for many years in Infosys and McKinsey in the learning and development space. Now, with Devdutt Pattanaik and others, Pradeep has begun to look at how corporates can look at learning and development from Indian rather than western models, especially inspired by Indian history and philosophy.
Madambakkam is a village in between Velachery and Tambaram and the driving time is little over an hour. Continuing our endeavor to be kind to the environment, we request you to kindly carpool with other members.
Please warn in latest by 22nd Sept to help us make arrangements for lunch and share directions to the temple. Guests are welcome, charges will apply on actuals.
Warn in - Sheetal 9840027222 or Gowri 9884068888

BOOK DISCUSSION


27 Fri 10.15 A.M.
Hanu Reddy Residences
39/18, Binny Road
Poes Garden
Chennai 600 086
The Philosophy of Dr Seuss
Joanne Saldanha, popularly known as “Myth Aunty” will share with us her insights on Dr. Seuss’ stories. A Story and Library educator for the past 15 years, she strongly believes that stories and books are the best tools to open minds, spark imagination and develop critical thinking.
Dr Seuss’ stories have captivated adults and children alike for decades. His whimsical characters and charming tales are more than just catchy poems; they explore meaningful philosophy and ethics. Simple language and fun characters lead the reader to investigate complex concepts like belief and experience, diversity and discrimination, greed and the environment, life courage and perseverance, besides many other very important life values and issues. This session with Joanne promises to be fun, informative and enlightening.

Leave the City life behind …

November 8th – 10th
Experience much more than the wild at KABINI !
Take a much needed weekend break . . . catch the Shatabdi Express to Mysore. Drive two hours through riotous green foliage to reach REDEARTH KABINI, pegged as a “Rustic Luxury EScape”
located on the backwaters of the River Kabini.
Share cosy rooms in homey cottages with your private Jacuzzi or take a swim in an outdoor pool overlooking the lake. Indulge in flavourful buffet spreads with an added plus . . . organically grown fruits and vegetables. There are a plethora of things to do. Go on a Jungle safari, spot wild  animals grazing … get lucky … sight a panther or a tiger on the prowl. Take a “must-do” Coracle ride, and a Motor boat ride to the age-old Ravi Rameswara Temple. Begin the morning with a nature walk with a ‘naturalist’ and end the day watching a tribal dance; a documentary wild life film or simply unwind by the bonfire!
Best time to visit Kabini is after the monsoon . . . Its eco-tourism at its best.
So if you are game . . . Join in !
November 8th – 10th
Cost Rs.24,000/- On Twin sharing basis all inclusive !
Total Pax 20
Warn in with a non refundable deposit of INR 10,000/-
Last date -September 5th 2019.
Call SOMNA SACHDEV 98410 22922
SHEELA K SARATH 98840 33336

IWA DEEPAVALI- KHAZANA STALL

IWA is celebrating Diwali on Tuesday, October 15th at the MRC Hall.
As we prepare for the popular ‘Khazana’ stall, we request members to donate gifts with a minimum value of ` 200 or higher, by the end of the month. You may hand over your contribution to any of the Board representatives at any meeting, or alternatively, you may drop the gift off at any of the following locations:
Chetpet
Sheetal Parakh’s Residence
6 Tarapore Avenue, Harrington Road
Chetpet, Chennai 600 020
Alwarpet
Anjali Sacheti’s Residence
228 JJ Road, Alwarpet, Chennai 600 018
R.A. Puram
Nidhi Kapoor Thadani’s Residence
Ceebros, Krishna Raj 2nd Floor
12/14 Crescent Street, Off ABM Avenue
R.A. Puram, Chennai 600 028