Online Admission Made Easier

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi,
May 14, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

During its introduction last year, the online admission process for first year junior college (FYJC) had faced several administrative and technical glitches. This year, in order to improve the process, Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL), the company that handles the process, has implemented certain changes. 

Previously, the state Board issued admission brochures to MKCL which distributed it to the Authorized Training Centre (ATC) and Applied Language Centre (ALC) from where children were made to collect it. But this year, the process has been made simpler with the ATC and ALCs no longer associated with the procedure. 

Jyoti Nikam, administrator of the ATC in Vashi, said, “Last year, we were in charge of the brochures and the online admission system but this time we have been excluded from the process.” Now, the Board has directly issued the required brochures to schools across Maharashtra for the benefit of the students. Along with the brochures, the schools also provide students with their unique login IDs and passwords which have been allotted by the Board. 

An official from St. Lawrence High School, Vashi, Nisha Peter said, “We have distributed the brochures along with the login IDs and passwords to the students a week ago. We had allotted students specific timings as per their division. This new process has proved to be more systematic than before.” Similarly, other schools as well, have arranged particular timings for the distribution process for the convenience of their students. 

Also, MKCL has changed the online admission process by dividing it into two phases — registration and selection. In the registration phase, once the students have been allotted their unique login IDs and passwords, they can fill up the online forms and get themselves registered for admission. The declaration of result begins the second phase. Once the students are aware of their scores, they can opt for colleges accordingly. 

The manager of the MKCL branch in Vashi, Darpan Deoghare said, “The alterations have been made to prevent the server breakdowns which were observed last year due to the last minute rush. This year, the registration process has commenced well in advance. We hope to be successful in avoiding the errors this time.”

Craving for home-cooked food? Check out Mother's Tiffin

Veda Ramaswamy, Airoli,
April 29, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Craving for your mother’s home-made food in her absence? Mother’s Tiffin might just be what you are looking for. Located in Sector 8A, Airoli, Mother’s Tiffin has slowly but steadily gained recognition in a span of just four months. The tiffin service which was launched on January 4 this year delivers simple yet delicious food to various customers in the node. A joint venture of Ashwini Gavaskar and Nilesh Nair, Mother’s Tiffin caters to clients of different age groups, right from children to bachelors to elders.

Gavaskar, a textile designer by profession, who took up catering in the recent months to fulfill her passion for cooking, said, “Since last five years, I have been planning on this endeavour, but my dream turned into a reality four months ago.” The service aims at providing good nutritious food to people who are unable to find time to prepare it for themselves, thus keeping them away from unhealthy junk food. The place was also an eatery joint in the initial months of its run, but due to large crowd and lack of space, the service limited itself to home and office deliveries besides accepting party orders.

The timings of Mother’s Tiffin are divided in two sessions, morning session from 8 am to 2 pm and evening session from 6.30 pm to 10 pm. It is open seven days a week with evening session on Sunday remaining closed. Its menu boasts of variety of dishes which differ as per the session and includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian food as well. The pricing is very affordable and has been decided keeping in mind the comfort of every common man. 

The vegetarian thali comprises of two vegetables, three chapatis and a bowl of dal and rice and costs Rs 35 only. The non-vegetarian thali consists of chicken, three chapatis and a bowl of rice at Rs 50. Majority of the food is prepared by Gavaskar herself, with the help of her employees. During festivals, they voluntarily prepare special dishes like puran polis to interest their clientele. 

On being questioned about any obstacle faced during realization of the project, Gavaskar said, “I did not encounter any difficulty whatsoever. The plan clicked and all the ideas fell into place. My younger sister, Vaishali Gaitonde supported me immensely during the initial period to make this dream come true.” The response of the customers has been extremely positive. 

Savita Pote (37), a regular client at Mother’s Tiffin was all praise for the service. She said, “It is the most convenient option for a working woman like me. One cannot afford to have the rich food of restaurants daily. The simple food catered here gives us a homely feel.” The work staff engaged at this joint is content with their work and admires the culinary as well as business skills of their head. Vinaya Patil (37), an employee said, “We share a great working relationship. There is no inconvenience caused and we are very happy with our work.”

The dishes served at Mother’s Tiffin symbolize the simple food cooked with love by a mother for her family and hence the unique name. After gaining an encouraging response, Gavaskar now plans to open a similar branch in Thane within six months and expand her business across Mumbai.

Special Expo by Special Children

Veda Ramaswamy, Belapur,
April 29, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Articles displayed were made of recycled paper and other waste matter

The Education and Training Centre for Children with Different Abilities (ETC) Institute based in Airoli had organised a two-day art exhibition on April 27 and 28 at NMMC Headquarters in Belapur. The exhibition drew a lot of attention from visitors as students put their best foot forward to bring out beautiful artefacts.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nahata in the presence of Varsha Bhagat, the director of the institute on Tuesday. A wide range of attractive and useful items like showpieces, paper and pen holders, Ganesh idols, envelopes, torans, flower vases, wall hangings, paper roses, bouquets made of artificial flowers, beaded curtains, ornaments, glass and Warli paintings were on display during the exhibition. These items were made by the students themselves.

The ETC Institute has been working diligently towards the welfare of special children and has won the trust of parents and children in a short span of time. The exhibition based on the theme of ‘best out of waste’ comprised articles made of recycled paper and many other waste articles. The main objective of the exhibition was to showcase the ability of special children, who are otherwise sidelined by the society. Bhagat said, “Through this exhibition, we wish to show the world that these children are no less talented. This initiative will help make them independent and develop their social mind set.” The children are taught art, craft and painting by the creative team of ETC comprising eight teachers. Vaishali Patil, one of the teachers said, “Teaching special children is a challenge, which we love to face. We are doing our best to brighten up their future.” The items on display were reasonably priced. No wonder, the exhibition received a positive response from visitors. The exhibition is held every six months.

"I am completely against gym culture"

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi,

May 11, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Good sense and good health are life’s two greatest blessings and Koparkhairane resident Nupur Sinha believes she has effectively used the former to gain the later. Mother of two, Sinha now has ample time to pursue her interests as her children have grown up and are independent.

An active sportsperson during her school and college days, Nupur always laid emphasis on fitness. All through her younger days, she boasted of a lean and athletic figure. The birth of her children, however, proved to be a turning point as she failed to lose the excess weight gained during pregnancy. 

Family commitments remained top priority and Sinha got too engaged in nurturing her children, rather than trying to get back in to shape. In no time, she had put on oodles of weight. Reality struck her only when she could no longer fit in to her swimming costume. An ace swimmer, Sinha spent many years honing her swimming skills before marriage but repented not being able to pursue the sport anymore. 

She realised her folly and again began regularly devoting her time to fitness. That was three years back. She has now successfully lost 22 kg, thanks to her new exercise regime. 

Instead of enrolling in a gym, she opted for conventional forms of weight loss like walking. She said, “I was always against the idea of going to a gym as I found it monotonous. I had promised my husband that I would become fit without losing a penny and I fulfilled it.” 

Since the last three years, she has engaged herself in various activities like brisk walking, yoga and swimming, which helped her regain fitness. She walks for 50 minutes in the morning and evening, covering a distance of 12 km daily. Sinha also learnt water ballet and practices yoga each day. 

Sinha said, “I credit my weight loss to the powerful combination of walking, swimming and pranayam. I practice these sincerely, thoroughly and religiously.” According to her, walking is the best exercise one can do as it not only helps lose weight but also provides an individual with enormous amount of energy and enthusiasm to carry out day-to-day chores.

She also follows a nutritious diet which has helped her a lot. For breakfast, she has one bowl of oats or cornflakes. Her lunch comprises one bowl of rice and dal and dinner comprises two rotis and sabzi. She munches on a few almonds in case of sudden hunger pangs. Her favourite food remains simple dal chaval with ghee. She believes that one must never skip meals or cut down on nutrition. “One should enjoy eating everything in moderate quantities,” she advised. 

Sinha’s journey was not easy though as her efforts failed to show any positive results initially but her determination, hard work and patience saw her through. “It was disappointing initially as there were no immediate results but gradually my efforts showed and that gave me immense motivation,” said Sinha. 

Her foremost source of inspiration has been her friends and family who supported her throughout this journey. She has gained a whole new perspective to life with her new-found personality. Exercise helped her gain confidence and Sinha is much more enthusiastic now than before. Her stamina has increased incredibly. She said, “I receive compliments that I look younger by the day. Such a response makes me happy and inspires me to maintain my fitness regime.”

Even during vacations with family and friends, she makes it a point to follow her fitness regime. In fact, she sees such vacations as an opportunity to exercise and have fun with all of them. “Health is not valued till sickness comes. Many people spend their health gaining wealth and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health. People should devote some time from their hectic work schedule to exercise and enhance their fitness levels,” she advised.

Grandmothers make a Solid Statement on Mother's Day

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi,

May 9, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

What does May 1 mean to you?

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi,
May 1, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

How to make ice-cream at home in a matter of minutes?

Veda Ramaswamy, Belapur,

May 6, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Resident of Belapur, Namrata Saney (35) is a doting mother of two. She took up cooking only after marriage and loves trying newer recipes. Her forte remains preparing ice-creams of different flavours and teaches the same in her locality. By doing so, she has succeeded in unifying her interest in cooking with her zeal for teaching. She refers to books and magazines to draw ideas for newer recipes to please her family. She shares a cool recipe with the readers of DNA Navi Mumbai.

Ice-cream Ingredients: 

Whole milk 1/2 litre, 

GMS powder 1/2 teaspoon, 

Corn flour 1/2 teaspoon, 

Sugar 8 tsp, 

Cream 2 tbsp, 

A pinch of SMS powder, 

Essence/ Pulp (flavour as per preference)

Method: 

Boil the milk. Add sugar to it. Take little quantity of milk in a bowl and mix it well with corn flour, GMS powder and a pinch of SMS powder. Add this mixture to the boiled milk and stir it for five minutes. Switch off the gas and let the mixture cool. Put the mixture in a vessel and close it with a lid. Keep it in the freezer for 8-10 hours. The ice-cream base is ready. Now beat the cream for five minutes. Cut small pieces of the base and add it with the whipped cream in a juicer and mix until a white batter is formed. Add the preferred essence (for example, vanilla, strawberry etc.) or fresh fruit pulp like mango, chikku to the batter and mix. Keep the mixture in the freezer for four hours. Your ice-cream is ready.

What's your mantra to beat the scorching heat this summer?

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi
May 6, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

City's Finest Book Store Shuts Shop

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi

May 6, 2010, DNA Navi Mumbai

A premium lifestyle store in Palm Beach Galleria Mall in Vashi, The Odyssey became an instant hit after its launch. The fantastic collection of books, music, movies, cards, stationery, gifts, toys, multimedia etc. that the store offered appealed to one and all. In no time, it became a popular hub with residents of Navi Mumbai.

The first-of-its-kind store in Navi Mumbai, it offered readers and music fans a vast repertoire to choose from. This was even before Crossword set shop at Inorbit Mall. Since readers had very few options then to pick latest books from across genres, it was but natural that they thronged the store and loved to spend hours here scouting through books and searching for their favourite authors.

That Odyssey has shut shop at the once-popular mall has come as a shock to customers. Blame it on recession or on losing popularity of the mall, but residents rue being denied of a popular book and leisure store. Sheryl Pinto (19), a student residing in sector16, Vashi said, “I was a frequent visitor to the Odyssey store in Galleria mall. It was a paradise for book and movie lovers like me as everything was available under one single roof. Now that it has closed, I don’t find the mall worth visiting anymore.”

Suraj Uchil (20), a student residing in sector 9, Vashi had a different opinion on the matter and said, “Odyssey used to be a major crowd puller for Palm Beach Galleria mall. People would spend hours at the shop here scouting for their favourite authors, toys, gifts and lots more. The news of its shutdown clearly indicates the lack of business here. It is sad. The good thing is people won’t miss the store as there are many other alternatives now available like Crosswords for bookworms and Planet M for music lovers.”

When contacted, one of the officials of the store on condition of anonymity replied, “The management decided to shut the store but whether they plan to start elsewhere is still a question. They may decide to move to another mall or set up an independent store elsewhere.”

Pursue the Career that Interests You

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi

May 5, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

It is vacation time for most of the school-going children, but for students of 10th and 12th standards, the time has arrived to take a vital decision. One of the most difficult questions every youngster has to face in life is which career to opt for? The answer simply lies in what you want to pursue all your life. One can achieve success in work only if he enjoys it. In the past, a child never really had the freedom of choice and had to adhere to his parent’s preference. With the change in time, have the circumstances changed too? Earlier, there were limited career options but now there is an upsurge of alternatives in every field, be it science, commerce or arts. Of late, there has been a swell in the number of career counselling centres as well, who guide your child to the right path. In such a scenario, who should have the final say?

Some students consider parents’ views to be a key factor in decision making. Nerul resident Ananya Dey, who is currently preparing for her CET exam said, “Parents will always think for the benefit of their child. They are much more experienced than us and know what is better for us.” But majority children are of the opinion that they must be given the right to select a profession of their interest. 

Supporting this view, Ayushi Raj, a standard 10 student said, “An individual knows where his interest lies and what his capabilities are. My parents wanted me to pursue engineering but I aspire to become a doctor. I want to do what I believe in and I have my parents’ full support.” 

There is said to be parental pressure on children to conform to career choices as they wish their child to fulfill their dreams. But in today’s scenario, parents have become more liberal and thoughtful of their child’s wish. Anita Hingnekar wanted her daughter to opt for science stream but her (daughter’s) desire was to pursue commerce and she stood by her decision. Anita said, “It’s not us but the children who have to study the subject. So we must be considerate and support them.”

In times of uncertainty, parents also let children consult career counsellors to get a professional take on which field to opt for. Salma Prabhu, a leading counsellor suggests, “Along with personal interests, it is important to get a scientifically proven result that helps highlight the qualities of a child and assists in choosing a suitable career.” Shivangi Thakur, a 12th standard student from Nerul who has had counselling experience said, “Because of the innumerable options available, I was confused in the beginning as to which vocation should I go for. Consulting counsellors surely helped me get a clear idea but it didn’t influence my decision wholly.”

Time is fast changing. Conventional jobs like medical, engineering and civil services are taking a backseat while unconventional jobs like advertising, designing or journalism are becoming more lucrative. Parents should guide their wards but should never try to impose their choices upon them. Career counselling centres prove beneficial to a great extent but nothing can substitute for personal interests and passions, said a school teacher not wishing to be named.

Summer Sears Satellite City

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi
April 24, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

As you step out of your cosy home, be sure to be hit by a sudden change in the air. Hot winds have changed the cityscape as the once bustling roads of Navi Mumbai don an abandoned and isolated look. With mercury touching new highs, summer seems to be at its peak leaving residents panting and sweating. 

On Friday, the temperature soared to a maximum of 35.6 degree celcius and minimum of 27.1 degree celcius with relative humidity of 78 per cent as per Colaba Meteorological Centre while Santacruz Meterological Centre recorded maximum temperature of 36.1 degree celcius and minimum temperature of 25.2 degree celcius with relative humidity of 68 per cent. 

The city is witnessing the season’s hottest days. One of the reasons for the unusually rising temperature is the early onset of strong winds known as Loo which blow from the west over the Indo-Gangetic plains, Dr Sathidevi, Director of IMD, Mumbai said. 

These winds which are very strong in May and June have begun to blow over the city much before its deadline this year, indicating an early onset of monsoon. Sources in the meteorological department said the current heat wave is expected to continue for next couple of days.

Poonam Sriram, a resident of Sanpada said, “The heat is affecting our routine schedule. Even before I can engage myself in work, I feel lethargic and exhausted due to the extreme humidity.” 

The blistering heat has also affected students who are forced to remain indoors. Parama Gupta (18), a student residing in Nerul said, “We hardly get vacations and when we do, the weather plays a spoilsport. We had made elaborate plans of an outing with family and friends during vacations but the scorching sun has made sure that we stay indoors.” 

Meanwhile, the doctors have advised the residents to drink lot of water to keep themselves hydrated and beat the heat.

Is IPL an over-hyped event?

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi

April 21, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai