Friday 21 December 2018

MARTYR MOMENTS


 Vijay Diwas celebration with Awards Zindagi Ke by Dr. Aneel Kashi Murarka's Ample Mission in a bid to honour martyr's families
Dr. Aneel Kashi Murarka, through his foundation Ample Missiion, presented Awards Zindagi ke 2018 which is being organized for the 3rd consecutive year. 
 ‘Awards Zindagi Ke’ honours the supreme valour, courage and dedication of the unsung heroes who have selflessly devoted and sacrificed their lives for our country. Salutations to the brave martyrs and true heroes of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, Coast Guard and Firefighters from across the country.The event at the Bombay Stock Exchange, was attended by a bevy of celebrities from the corporate world, film and the television industry, and the social field. Besides, hosts Dr. Aneel Kashi Murarka and Siddhant Murarka, mention may be made of Prahlad Modi,  Gajendra Chauhan, Ashok 
Dhamankar, Kunika Sadanand, Mukesh Rishi, Rohit Verma, Afeefa Nadiadwala, Sandhya Shetty, Rizwan Sikander, Jiten Lalvani, Sooraj Thapar, Bobby Khanna, Dara Singh (Mr India), Soham Shah  among many others.

The Martyrs family's to be awarded  include Sepoy Vishal Chaudhary, Dr P S Rahangdale, Petty Officer Timothy Sinha, Captain R.Subramanian, Sushil Kumar(Alive),  Naik Mangat Singh Bhandari, Colonel M.P Chaudhary, Rajendra Bhojane, Rahul Shinde, Dy.Commandant Anand Babu (Alive), Sergeant Milind Kishore Khairnar, Captain Nilesh Soni, Bapurao Dhurgude, Major Alok Mathur, Major C.B Dwivedi among others.

Monday 17 December 2018

A Ramp Show For Special Souls


The Blissful Fashion Show with Special Souls was an initiative of the Lions Club of Juhu & Leo Club of Juhu. The cause of the specially-abled children & youth has been very close to the heart of the Lions club of Juhu.

Audiologist-Speech Therapist Lion Devangi Dalal had been instrumental in the organizing and in the execution of this special show. Powered by Hyatt Regency, Mumbai, the hearing impaired kids from Sadhana Vidyalaya, supported by Josh Foundation, mentally challenged kids from Dilkhush Special School, physically handicapped kids from Little Angel School, Khar, including blind girls, supported by NAB, was a part of this special ramp walk with celebrities such as Aditi Sharma, Rahul Sharma, Rishina Kandhari,
Shadaab Faridi, Manisha Saxena, Kiran Rajput among others including club members. The man behind choreography and the exquisite clothing designs was celebrity designer Aashish Dwyer. 

“Let’s do away with myths and misconceptions dealing with any handicap. Let’s give them a quality life by enhancing their potentials. Let’s learn to live life as bliss and learn to face challenges like them. They’re a part of our society and let us get together in nurturing a better future for them,” imparted President Lion Raj Wankawalla, Lion Rajesh Rasania, Mamta Parekh and Riddhish Shah.

The specially-abled kids defied all odds and overcame crippling limitations & taboos placed by the society, to develop into gifted individuals. This fashion show carried a social message that was reflected by these special souls. The event showcased that they are second to none, as they walked the ramp, hand in hand, with celebrities & members.

Audiologist-Speech Therapist Devangi Dalal has the final word. “Every individual, whether normal or handicapped, has the potential to do something extraordinary. We just need to help them explore it so they can do better than normal individuals. In today’s world, moral support and security is crucial. The feeling of someone being there for you itself makes an individual more confident. This is my thought process.”

Wednesday 5 December 2018

A Flash Mob To ‘Save The Earth’

Passers-by at the Bandra Fort witnessed the world youth coming together to save the environment as 30,000 young boys and girls across 25 countries took a stand to save the earth through flash mobs. The enthusiastic youngsters from the Leo Club of Juhu represented India in this unique act, led and mentored by Raj Wankawala, Chetan Shah, Shashank Maheshwari, Devangi Dalal, Krutant Bilakhia and Akshay Shah. Aptly titled, ‘Feet Of Service’, the flash mob at the Bandra Fort Garden saw innumerable youngsters assemble at 4 pm to groove to a choreographed flash mob with a motive to save the earth. MLA Ashish Shelar representing the Bandra West constituency graced the initiative with his support. One of the tracks featured in the flash mob included the Leo Youth Anthem, composed by the veteran Lalit Pandit and written by Devangi Dalal. It was a Leo Club of Juhu initiative, supported by their parent club, Lions Club of Juhu.

      


Sudhanshu Pandey, Preeti Jhangiani and Parvin Dabas at Karan Gupta, MD, IE Business School's IE Venture Day, a business plan competition for startups



At an event held by IE Business School, students from the prestigious IIMs, IITs, IE and ISB participated in a business plan competition. The IE Venture Day saw hundreds of institutes participating in business plan competitions and then the winners were flown to Mumbai to compete with each other. More than 20 teams competed to win the final competition.
“To create awareness in building an entrepreneurial environment, attention should be given to create an infrastructure for mentoring startups. India is the third largest start up economy in the world and our students need to be encouraged to create more businesses,” said Dr. Karan Gupta, the Managing Director of IE Business School, a Harvard & IE Business School alumni and founder of the Karan Gupta Education Foundation.
 “At IE Business School, we foster an environment of entrepreneurship in whatever we do. From having classes in Entrepreneurship to hosting a Venture lab where students are guided how to incubate business plans, we are committed to teaching students innovation. At the IE Venture Day, we heard from the best minds from, the most prestigious institutes of our country. We are excited to see these ideas turn into real businesses,” added Dr. Gupta.
 Actors Preeti Jhangiani, Sudhanshu Pandey and Parvin Dabas were present to share their experiences with the various businesses that they have started and to encourage the budding entrepreneurs. In a panel discussion, they spoke about how acting skills can be translated to businesses and how the best startups sometimes emerge due to necessity. “Passion is the most important ingredient in any startup,” said Sudhanshu Pandey. Funding is one of the most important ingredients in any startup success and “Be a big fish in a small pond - don’t waste your money. Spend your money wisely,” advised Parvin Dabas. And some final advice for the eager students - “Hard work day and night, be ready for the long haul. Watch shows that promote Entrepreneurship” added Preeti Jhangiani.
 The Spanish Consulate General in India, Mr. Jorge Cadenas and Economic Commercial Head Vanesa Alvarez were present at the event and spoke about Spain being an education destination and an attractive space for young entrepreneurs.
 The jury and panelists consisted of venture capitalists including Akansh Jain, Ashish Dave, Prakash Ranjalkar, Ashutosh Kumar, Megha Jain, Dibeyendu Ganguly and Dharam Mehta among others. Vikas Chaudhury, President of Reliance Jio Ventures enthralled the audience with his take on the startup ecosystem in India.
 The event saw pitches from not only business school students but also high school students. “It was very interesting to see such young students pitch such innovative business plans,” said Vidushi Daga, founder of Clone Futura.
 The IE Junior Venture Day was won by students from the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad. Their winning startup was ‘Pyreoil’ which converts useless plastic to oil which can then be used for furnace and tire oil. The first runner up prize was given to students from Neerja Modi High School, Jaipur whose startup called ‘Plankton’ worked with Biodegradable plastics. Interestingly both the winning plans dealt with environmental issues and are can solve the huge plastic waste problem in India and around the world.
 The winner for the main IE Venture Day business plan startup competition went to Disguise Cosmetics, a company that manufactures vegan makeup. The jury was impressed with the cruelty free makeup, a conscious lifestyle brand. The 1st runner up was IIM Kozhikode for a plan presented on growing vegetables without the use of soil, thereby revolutionizing the way farming is done in India. The 2nd runner up was IIM Ahmedabad, where the students presented a plan called Moodcafe – an anonymous chatapp and website that provides help for people facing any kind of psychological issues.
Almas Mukri from the Worli BMC School won the IE Social Impact business plan startup competition. Her business ‘Basket of Joy’ is an online organic fruits basket company that creates social impact and spreads joy at every step of the business. The 16 year old daughter of a vegetable vendor, sources fruits from organic farmers and sources woven baskets from sex workers. The greeting cards sold by her company are made by handicapped people and the couriers used employ deaf people. The other social impact plans presented included ‘100 Women’ which encourages entrepreneurship among impoverished women. A website where students can find mentors to help them was another idea presented to help students who are lost and in need of guidance. “I am most pleased with the students who despite not having the same opportunities as privileged children, managed to come up with such innovative ideas and startups. I only wish each of them could get a winning prize,” added Dr. Karan Gupta.
 The winners of each of the competitions received cash prizes of Rs.50000 each and a scholarship to study at IE Business School and IE University in Madrid, Spain.

Tuesday 4 December 2018










Audiologist-Speech Therapist Devangi Dalal working on an initiative in Maputo, Mozambique to make a deaf school digital. The project is in association with Rizwan Adatia Foundation at the Health Ministry of Mozambique.

Thursday 15 November 2018

Dr.Aneel Kashi Murarka, Neetu Chandra, Shama Sikander & others celebrate pre-Diwali with underprivileged kids

Neetu Chandra and Dr.Aneel Kashi Murarka with kids
Dr.Aneel Kashi Murarka’s Ample Missiion’s ‘Samarpn’ is a one of its kind inter-school competition wherein a unique platform is provided to underprivileged kids to showcase their hidden talents. Recently, Ample Missiion joined hands with MOM (Meeting of Minds), a group of like-minded educationists, from 8 prominent slum schools, with over 5000 students, situated in the impoverished Malad-Malvani area, and organized one such event for kids comprising of Literary Arts, Performing Arts and a fashion show. Actors Neetu Chandra, Shama Sikander, Rakesh Srivastava and Sooraj Thapar graced the do and showcased their support in this noble cause. The dignitaries also celebrated a noiseless pre-Diwali by lighting diyas and distributing sweets and handmade diyas to children at the event. The day-long event was held at Shaila lawns in Goregaon East. 

Tuesday 13 November 2018


Celebs galore at Mohit Hussein and Chhavi Mittal's SIT party.
   
Moonshine Cafe & Bar in Andheri came alive as celebrities from the television industry descended on the red carpet in huge numbers to congratulate Mohit Hussein and Chhavi Mittal, founders of the online series, Shitty Ideas Trending, more popularly known as SIT, to mark 1 million subscribers on YouTube and 4 million followers on Facebook. Amongst the who's who of the television industry that graced the occasion, mention may be made of Hussain Kuwajerwala, Karan V Grover, Pooja Gor, Raj Singh Arora, Kishwar Merchant, Sharad and Kirti Kelkar, Gaurav Gera, Ayub Khan, Iqbal Khan, Pracheen Chauhan, Mansi Parekh, Vrajesh Hirjee, Manasi Rachh, Jayati Bhatia, Shubhangi Litoria, Vinod Singh, Anuj Sachdeva, Shakti Anand and Summeir Pasricha to name a few.

The celebs grooved to some foot-tapping numbers, gorging on lipsmacking delicacies and the party went on till they could party no more!

Mohit and Chhavi also announced their next web series titled The Family Vacation at the do.


Saturday 6 October 2018

Free Digital Hearing Aid Drive in association with ATOS

The JOSH Foundation initiative with ATOS at Santokba Hall, Mumbai saw over a 100 children with hearing impairment being presented with Digital Hearing Aids and the inauguration of a sports education programme for 600 students across various special schools. Besides hosts Audiologist-Speech Therapist DevangiDalal, ENT Specialist Dr.Jayant Gandhi of JOSH FOundation and Murli Menon and Gohil Surendrasinh of ATOS, the programme that was attended by 150 children and 50 teachers among others also saw actors Dino Morea and Mukesh Rishi, singer Shibani Kashyap and journalist-filmmaker S Ramachandran, filmmaker Dr.Farhad Vijay Arora, philanthropist Dr.Aneel Kashi Murarka inspire and entertain the children.
Dino Morea shares a moment with the kids at the JOSH Foundation-ATOS free digital hearing aid distribution initiative
The hearing impaired children sang songs, danced to music that they could not hear without missing a beat and did sports demos. Not one made it evident that he/she is hearing impaired!

Wednesday 26 September 2018

Philanthropist Dr.Aneel Kashi Murarka and his foundation, Ample Missiion, 
honoured and felicitated at the IDF Foundation Day celebrations. 
Dr.ARK Pillai’s book, Hope On The Horizon, 
was released by Dr.Murarka who was also the Chief Guest at the event. 


 




Monday 3 September 2018


Audiologist and Speech Therapist Devangi Dalal and ENT Surgeon Dr.Jayant Gandhi, through their JOSH Foundation, visited over 25 children from a Nasik school, with high quality digital hearing aids, based on individual requirements. With this, JOSH Foundation has completed the project of donating hearing aids to hundred kids from ATOS in a single month.

Tuesday 21 August 2018

RANVIR SHOREY, PARVEZ DAMANIA & ASHOK DHAMANKAR GRACE VISHWA SAHNI AND SONU GUPTA’S SOLO ART SHOWS

Veteran artist Vishwa Sahni, in his 35th show, seeks to explore what is the need of the hour -- women empowerment, using light as the medium. Alongside him is young Sonu Gupta who brings to life on canvas, the blessed lotus. “The lotus blooms in the muck, yet is sought ater. It teaches us that we are all blessed,” avers Sonu who has depicted Buddha as well.

Vishwa who use light to display the emotions says, "In the equation of economics and hunger, women become a dispensable commodity. My works seek to find that light within us, casting aside the shadows."

The inaugural ceremony of Vishwa Sahni and Sonu Gupta's solo art shows, saw actor Ranvir Shorey, enterprenuer and art enthusiast Parvez Damania, Ashok Dhamankar, Director - Magna Publishing Co. Ltd. and many other artists of the likes of Prithvi Soni, Madhusudan Kumar and Paramesh Paul and singer Mudasir Ali. 




Monday 20 August 2018


"The 54 statues that we are installing at the Philosopher Saint Shri Dyaneshwara World Peace Prayer Hall signify the union of science, philosophy and spiritualty and the essence of Indian culture, traditions and philosophy to establish a Culture of Peace."
- Dr Vishwanath Karad









Scientists, Saints and Philosophers converge at Vishwarajbaug near Pune to herald World Peace Monument!



Circa 1958, Young Vishwanath rode his bicycle with glee, purchased at a princely sum of Rs. 159. The bicycle was nothing less than a Mercedes for the son of an ordinary farmer hailing from Rameshwar-Rui Village in Marathwada, rural Maharashtra. His makeshift classroom was in the tabela (cattle shed) that the boy along with his classmates, swept and cleaned while the cattle were taken for grazing in the jungle.

Cut to today, “The only school bell I knew was the bell around the neck of the cattle as they returned back signifying end of school,” recollects septuagenarian and veteran educationist Dr. Vishwanath Karad. He is also the Founder President & Director General, World Peace Centre (Alandi), MAEER’s MIT, Pune and MIT World Peace University, one of the most prestigious educational institutions of the country. 

It is indeed an amazing moment for Dr. Karad who has, since 2005 -- over the last 13 years, painstakingly created Philosopher Saint Shri Dnyaneshwara World Peace Prayer Hall and Library.  Both will be housed in a 62,500 sq. ft. magnificent monument at the Vishwarajbaug Campus of MIT under the world’s largest dome with a diameter of 160 feet, standing tall over the Vatican Dome, which has a diameter of 139.6 feet. The height of the dome at its apex is 263 feet. Dr. Karad is humility personified, attributing his success to Saint Dnyaneshwara’s blessing. “The world is one family, वसुधैव कुटुंबकम”, which is an ancient Indian concept, he says, “my humble attempt is to create an edifice befitting the glory of Mother India.”

Set in the backdrop of late world renowned actor Raj Kapoor’s heritage farm and memorial, now housing MIT, Karad’s brainchild and one of the best educational institutions of the world, is the magnificent Dome as well as 54 larger-than-life bronze statues of some of the greatest saints, scientists and philosophers of all time, all brought to life by 93-year-old veteran Ram Sutar.  Each of the bronze statues weighs nearly 1500 Kg and the installation by itself is an arduous task.

“It was a chance introduction to Swami Vivekananda and his works when I browsed through the words of Vivekananda, waiting for my Mathematics book at a shop. His words had such an impact on me. I went on to read the works of Saint Dnyaneshwara and Saint Tukaram and realized that they were amazing philosophers of our time. The 54 statues that we are installing at the dome signify the union of science, philosophy and spirituality and the essence of Indian culture, philosophy and tradition and the aspect of world peace,” adding that great saints, sages, seers and scientists of India and the world over, including those like Philosopher Saint Francis of Assisi (Italy), Albert Einstein, Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton have made a tremendous impact on his mind and help understand and realize the True Nature of the Self.

The statues will be unveiled by eminent global scientists including Padma Vibhushan Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, Padma Bhushan Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, Dr. Govind Swarup, and eminent personalities of the likes of  Dr. Radha Mohan Singh, Dr. Pramod Kumar, Shree Kisan Maharaj Sakhare, Shree Maruti Maharaj Kurhekar,  Shree Bapu Saheb More, Shree Tulshiram Karad, Dr. Virendra Heggade, Muni Tarun Sagar, Hazrat Shaikh Biyabani, Arif Mohammad Khan, Feroz Bakht Ahmed, Hridaynath Mangeshkar among others, August 15 onwards leading to October 2.   

On Gandhi Jayanti, the imposing monumental dome clad in the finest marble, the vision of Vishwanath of the blend of Science, Spirituality and Philosophical aspects in life for the welfare of mankind, will be open to the world. 
Padma Vibhushan Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, FRS and a man of sophistication and intellect says, “an amazing creation from an amazing man is how I would define the structure. Many people have ideas but to execute it is not easy that too in such a short time. I have always heard the words ‘world peace’ from him and now he has created a unique world peace library and dome that will be there forever, speaking for the cause.”

Padma Bhushan Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, Chairman - Organizing Committee as well as Chancellor - Nalanda University, and a globally renowned Computer Scientist avers, “the World Parliament will witness perhaps one of the largest congregations of recent times of scientists, religious leaders and philosophers from several countries across the world. It will make a clarion call for harmony across religions and philosophies and integration with the contemporary scientific thought of one in many and many in one that is emerging out of the latest explorations in quantum reality.”

And now the saints, scientists and philosophers will stand tall from August 15 at MIT, Vishwarajbaug awaiting the timeless World Peace Monument to open its doors on October 2, marking newer beginnings for Mother India’s quest for World Peace.



Tuesday 7 August 2018

Shabana Azmi, Pinaki Misra, Rohit Roy, Sashanka Mohapatra, Lalita Lajmi, Rajendra Patil, Brinda Miller & many others at the Mumbai Declaration of the Odisha Triennial of International Art

The OTIA Mumbai Declaration at NGMA, Mumbai was graced by MP Pinaki Mishra, five times National Award-winning eminent actress and MP Shabana Azmi, actors Rohit Roy and Kavitta Verma, designer Nikita Mohanty, veteran artists Lalita Lajmi, Prabhakar Kolte, Nayanaa Kanodia, Sashanka Mohapatra, artists Brinda Miller, Padmanabh Bendre, Suhas Bahulkar, Dadiba Pundole, Gautam Patole, Sanjukta Barik, Akhilesh Jaiswal, Maushmi Ganguly, Shabari Smita Guha Nath, Mallikarjun Katke, Kuldeep Karegaonkar, Vipta Kapadia, Vishwa Sahni, Sonu Gupta among others. India’s topmost curator and art historian, JohnyML, OTIA’s Curatorial Director, Mumbai based artist and Educationist, Rajendra Patil ‘PaRa’ as Mentor-Director of OTIA and Kshitish Das Program Coordinator were also present.
OTIA will be a 40 day-long mega art event with over 100 Indian artists of the likes of Jatin Das, Sudhir Patwardhan, Prabhakar Kolte, K.S.Radhakrishnan, Ravinder Reddy, Jogen Chowdhury, Laxman Gowd among others.
MP Pinaki Mishra said, “OTIA is a noble venture. It flew out of an idea of very bright and talented youngsters from Raghurajpur that has extraordinary talent per square inch. Every home is home to art and artisans. I would like to invite you back this winter and spend a couple of days to understand how much talent is prevalent and nurtured and is left undiscovered. That is the real motive of OTIA and the Triennial, and anything we can do to make it a success.  It is a challenging and daunting task but young people bring strong energies and exceptionally gifted mentors. Well begun is half done and I am privileged to part of it.”
Added  Shabana Azmi, “My father had inculcated art in me since I was a child. I have been watching plays, going to galleries, since my childhood. It has created a climate of sensitivity sublimely in me. In today’s times, where the entire world is driven by the market, we have to make a special attempt to say that we nurture art that doesn’t apply to market but says something much more important.
“We need to recognise that art has flourished over the years as it has had patronage. Mr Pinaki Mishra is here and I think it is very important that if in parliament we can get our parliamentarians to agree what an important part art has in shaping the personality of individuals, in creating the respect for diversity for inclusion for multilingual, multicultural society. It is also important that organisations and government should come together to create a climate in which change can possibly occur. I would congratulate it. I understand how it is important to be mentored by those in the profession and congratulations to all of you.”
Sashanka Mohapatra, the Founder Director of OTIA expressed that OTIA is an international platform where the international artists could exhibit along with the national artists of India and the artists from the Odisha state in particular, while JohnyML underlined that while most of the international events are generally high-browistic, this his global Triennial will see local aesthetics stand shoulder to shoulder with the international art, integrating art, music, dance, theatre, film, craft and literature, being the first of its kind ever.

Wednesday 1 August 2018

Enable the disabled


Out of 120 million population of our country, 6.3% have hearing difficulties and out of that 60% are kids. Out of that, only 5% of the population is getting correct treatment and eventually become self-dependant.

Audiologist-speech therapist Devangi Dalal feels that Instead of treating the rest of the hearing impaired people as a liability to our country, we should work towards creating awareness and with a dedicated approach we should work towards converting them into useful assets of the society.

Says she, “Anyone can have less hearing because of Wax or middle ear problem, cough & cold, sensory neural loss. Wax i.e. outer ear problems and middle ear problems can be treated with medication and surgeries. However sensory neural losses can only be treated with hearing aids or cochlear implants surgeries. These treatments can be given according to the individual requirements and cannot be done across the counter. It is a process one has to go through. Right diagnosis, right technology and proper rehabilitation - right mix of this entire process one can produce wonderful results.”
Dr.Jayant Gandhi, Devangi Dalal with their students

Adds Dalal, “Hearing and listening are very important for communication. We must know how to take care of it and prevent any damages to it. We take utmost care and due diligence in investing in technologies for TV, Mobiles and other electronics devices but ignore them while investing in right Hearing aids to overcome our hearing disability, which can actually change our lives !!!”

Dalal along with Dr Jayant Gandhi runs the Josh Foundation where she helps thousands of hearing impaired children across India.

Monday 16 July 2018

Treat Deaf People As Equals

Our attitude can change the future of 63 million hearing impaired people. In most cases, children who struggle to hear can be helped with the correct hearing aid. We need to understand that hearing disability can be a renowned speech impediment resulting in the child being a socially isolated underachiever, something that can be prevented/controlled", says Audiologist, Speech therapist and Author Devangi Dalal, the recipient of Humanitarian Award from the American Academy of Audiology (AAA).

Dalal has dedicated her career to improving the quality of life of hearing impaired children of India for the last two and a half decades, and also provides free hearing services that is new digital hearing aids to hearing impaired children, enabling them to speak and attend normal schools. Dalal believes that "a hearing handicap is no longer a handicap", and is currently working at providing hearing impaired children in India the same privileges as the hearing impaired children in Europe and the United States through her foundation with Dr Jayant Gandhi, Juvenile Organisation of Speech and Hearing (JOSH), whose purpose is to educate and empower hearing impaired children.

Friday 11 May 2018

A star-studded inauguration of Sanjukta Arun's art show at Nehru Centre Art Gallery

Artist Sanjukta Arun  captures the essence of the wild wild waves in her timeless paintings. A management topper,  Sanjukta chose to be an inspiration, spelling artistic freedom for women, bound and shackled by their own thought chains and her muse include the moon and the wild waves. The inaugural ceremony of Sanjukta Arun’s 7th solo show, Thalassa: An Ode To The Spirit Of The Sea, at Nehru Centre AC Art Gallery, Worli, saw veteran composer Bappi Lahiri, philanthropist Dr.Aneel Murarka, singer Mudasir Ali, actress Kavitta Verma, fitness trainer Manoj Burkhe, and artists of the likes of Padmanabh Bendre, Vipta Kapadia, Devyani Pareek, Paramesh Paul, Ami Patel, Gautam Mukherjee, Madhusudan Kumar, among many others. Check out the adjacent pictures!




Monday 9 April 2018

Maharashtra Dinman's 1st anniversary celebrations with Smt. Pankaja Munde, Shri Sanjeev Jaiswal, Shri Sandeep Lele, Raaman Khurana, Shailendra Shirke, Archana Malvi & many others

Maharashtra Dinman celebrated its first anniversary with the Maharashtra Dinman Awards at the Ram Ganesh Gadkari Rangayatan, Thane. Smt. Pankaja Munde – Minister of Rural Development and Women & Children Welfare; Shri Sanjeev Jaiswal – Municipal Commissioner; Shri Sandeep Lele – BJP Thane President; Shri Vivek Bhimanwar, CEO - Thane ZP; Shri Sanjay Kelkar – MLA, Thane; Shri Rajan Vichare – MP; Shri Pratap Sarnaik – MLA and Ameet Palve, Raaman Khurana - Co Chairman, Indian Merchant Chamber, Navi Mumbai; Shailendra Shirke - Editor, Maharashtra Dinman; Archana Malvi - Director - Maharashtra Dinman and Geetanjalee Lele - Psychotherapist among others presided over the event, where eminent citizens were awarded for their contribution to society. Archana Malvi, Publisher and Shailendra Shirke, Editor – Maharashtra Dinman said “when we started the publication a year ago, we had to create a reach in a cluttered media market. We took the citizens into confidence, and focused on giving a ear to their issues and solving their problems. A year later, we have truly arrived. But in many ways than one, this is just the beginning and we will grow from strength to strength." 






Thursday 5 April 2018

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash & Ayaan Ali Bangash perform at the Kommissarzhevskaya Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia


Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan performed along with sons, the Sarod Masters, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, to a full house at the Kommissarzhevskaya Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

Amaan Ali Bangash, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Bangash perform at Komissarzhevskaya Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia

Enthused Amaan-Ayaan, "Russia always holds a special place in our hearts. As musicians, what keeps us going is the audiences. And in Russia, it is not just the Indian expats but the local Russians who share the love for Sarod. It is very touching when you realize that the land that embraced Raj Kapoor, the land of great composers like Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky, has embraced us as much. We feel blessed."

Amaan Ali Bangash performs at Komissarzhevskaya Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia

Monday 2 April 2018


A multi-faceted woman of substance, Devangi Dalal, an audiologist by profession, has been instrumental in empowering the less-abled children and adults... her belief to not classify these children as different; her vision to reach the Government and seek its help to eradicate the illegal practices in her trade and to conduct tests for new born babies in the country to help identify hearing impairment problems at early stages. Devangi believes in imparting positivity to hearing-impaired people, that’ll help them in every walk of life.
Excerpts from an interview....

1.     What inspired you to start JOSH foundation along with Dr. Jayant Gandhi? How does your organization empower the hearing-handicapped children?

In the year 2003, my colleague, a trustee of JOSH Foundation and a renowned ENT surgeon Dr. Jayant Gandhi, happened to visit one of the residential special schools for the deaf in Gujarat. It is being managed by a trust with the help of Government grants. To our surprise, 350 children were managed by only 4 teachers and some care takers. There was no stimulation. Throughout the day, we saw all the children singing national anthem with different gestural languages. These children were not having good quality and technology based hearing aids and were not able to develop their speech in the absence of good hearing. This scene literally brought tears in our eyes and really touched our hearts. On returning to Mumbai, we decide to start a movement to create awareness, educate and empower the hearing impaired children and started activities under the banner of JOSH Foundation.

All the hearing impaired people always have some residual hearing, we have not come across any patient who has no hearing at all or has complete deafness. If we detect the same in the children at the early stages of their lives, with the help of right technology and proper rehabilitation programmes, we can make these children near normal in hearing, speaking as well as education. We can really empower them to be independent and live their lives without anyone’s support.


2.     Being an Audiologist and Speech Therapist, what inspired you to dedicate your life and career to the improvement of the hearing impaired in India?

As a professional, I got the opportunity to work with technology and travel to different countries. What I found that, they are much more advanced in terms of technology and overall awareness with the hearing handicapped. In fact, the most important amongst all is the early detection of hearing loss (almost during the first few weeks of the birth). They have set protocols and the Government also supports them very well. These real life experiences inspired me to make use of my knowledge and experiences to put into practice for my own country and for my own people. I feel blessed that I have a profession where I can do my work and serve the society as well.


3.     You have dealt with a lot of cases right from new born infants to grown up teenagers who have hearing problems... How has the exposure and experience of children with the hearing impaired changed you as a person and as a mother?

Looking at their handicap, I always tell myself that in spite of a few personal shortcomings, we are really blessed to live a healthy and normal life. These not only make you humble but make you appreciate the efforts and hardships of the parents of these children. It motivates you to be a better mother and a good human being and I always try to pass on these values to my children too.

This also makes you realize how important the use of hearing and language is, in our day to day lives. Use of good communication skills is very important for one’s overall growth.


4.     Any notable or emotional experience that you have had with children that you would like to share with us?

I would like to narrate a case of a hearing impaired child who was brought to me when he was 13 years old and in his adolescence phase. He had migrated from Bangalore to Mumbai. He was totally depressed and frustrated as he was not able to adjust himself in the new environment, not able to communicate with other students and make new friends. Since he had a problem with his hearing, he was blaming his parents for his present condition. We counselled him and convinced his parents to provide him a technologically good hearing aid, best suited for his hearing loss. After fitting the new hearing aids he started performing well in his studies and made improvement in his overall performance that boosted his confidence. Today, I can say with full satisfaction and pride that he not only completed his graduation but also went abroad for higher studies, obtained his Master’s degree and has settled there now and living a very happy life. We have many such instances and these experiences really boost our confidence and motivate us to work more and more for the upliftment of these special children.

   
5.     This year's World Hearing Day's theme was 'Hear the Future'. What do you have to say about the current situation of the hearing impaired children in India?

Out of the 120 million population of our country, 6.3% have hearing difficulties and out of that, 60% are kids. Out of that, only 5% of the population are getting correct treatment and eventually become independant.
Instead of treating the rest of the hearing impaired people as a liability to our country, we should work towards creating awareness and with a dedicated approach we should work towards converting them into useful assets of the society.


6.     How can one make listening safe? Any tips on how to deal with children who have a hearing problem or have lost their hearing capacity?

Anyone can have less hearing because of wax or middle ear problem, cough & cold, and sensory neural loss. Wax i.e. outer ear problems and middle ear problems can be treated with medication and surgeries. However, sensory neural losses can only be treated with hearing aids or cochlear implant surgeries. These treatments can be given according to individual requirements and cannot be done across the counter. It is a process one has to go through. With right diagnosis, right technology, proper rehabilitation - and a right mix of this entire process, one can produce wonderful results.
Hearing and listening are very important for communication. We must know how to take care of it and prevent any damage to it. We take utmost care and due diligence in investing in technologies for TV, mobiles and other electronic devices but ignore them while investing in right hearing aids to overcome our hearing disabilities, which can actually change our lives !!!

7.     What role does sign language play in the life of hearing impaired children? What were the challenges that you encountered while interacting with children who have impaired hearing?

Unfortunately, there is no standardized sign language in our country as we have so many languages. It is more of a gestural language what we use here to communicate. As I said before, we have not come across anybody having complete hearing loss, so we train all our children for aural rehabilitation so that they learn to talk like us. Principally, we are against anyone using sign language to communicate with deaf children.

Generally. a normal child starts speaking at the age of nine months. Till then they listen to your voice and we try to teach them about emotions, gestures and feelings. So for deaf kids, when we fit them with hearing aids, it’s like their birth and we feel like parents. We need to talk to this child for at least 6 to 9 months and give them inputs so that he listens and understands and expresses himself/herself. We have never had any difficulties as such to communicate with them as we feel it’s our duty to teach them language first.
Audiologist Speech Therapist Devangi Dalal


8.     How do you plan to take your initiative of making ''impaired children an asset to the society'' forward? 

I feel we have the potential and skills and we have generated results, and with the right support and awareness among others, we can change lives of the hearing-impaired in India and abroad. One needs to have a correct vision and mission and works towards it with a pure heart and honesty. Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I m possible'! 

9.     You have adopted a few schools in Mumbai and Gujarat... How has the Government and school organizations supported you in your noble endeavour? 

We have supported many schools in Mumbai and Gujarat. Earlier, they were reluctant to change methods of working with the hearing impaired children but now having seen the results, we are getting a very good support from the school management. We have started sports education in three deaf schools and now after a few years of seeing results, two schools have started on their own to contribute to this program and adopted it as part of their curriculum. Also, earlier they used to take donations for hearing aids as per the donor’s wish, but now they convince and request the donors to donate as per the child's requirement.

Because of good technology and rehabilitation efforts, students have started hearing well and it has made the teacher’s task easier and they are able to do more and more of creative activities along with the children. They are now more willing to participate in science exhibitions, dance competitions and it has also increased the confidence of kids, teachers and parents.


10.  About one in five people in India have hearing loss. Still many do not know about Audiologists. Why should one choose an audiologist over a General Physician?

In society, every individual has their own tasks. We do specialization in audiology, speech therapy and voice therapy. We have been taught and trained in our field in depth, and that too scientifically. Like in any other field, including medicine, there are specialists for every activity. We are those specialists in the field of audiology and speech therapy and we are more focused in this field and get constant updates by way of medical generals, seminars, conferences and on-the-job experiences. Such an access may not be possible with a general physician.

11.  What's next for you and JOSH Foundation?

We wish to create a professional video on the National Anthem being sung by special children (hearing impaired) and for it to be aired on a national network of cinema halls and multiplexes.
We are also working on plans to organise a reality show on TV/social media on a global platform.
We wish to establish a State of the Art Charitable Institute for hearing impaired children, covering all the solutions under one roof (based on the model at present functional at Mainz, Germany), where we want to train hearing impaired children and integrate them in society as normal children.