InfertilityDost: Torchbearer for the cause of Infertility!

Today I am touching upon a very offbeat subject, rather taboo subject of Infertility amongst couples and the trauma they have to undergo from all possible all quarters. Though personally, I don’t relate much to the subject, I have seen couples around me whose life has been devastated because of this, but could not do anything for them besides helplessly watching them through their suffering.

The pain can be best summed up as:

Life is not fair always and when it is not, it is one hell of a life!

Now the time has come to do something for such couples through this blogpost:

Today I am introducing you to my Blogger friend who can be safely termed as Crusader of the sorts for the cause of Infertility and she is none other than – Ms Gitanjali Banerjee of travel by karma fame.

The woman of substance behind the InfertilityDost is very charming and dedicated towards the cause, Gitanjali who got into an arranged marriage at the age of 23 years. After one year of the customary honeymoon, it was time to hit the next milestone – motherhood. And, with this began the 10 long and gruelling years of fighting infertility. Post 5 miscarriages, 3 molar pregnancies, 1 failed IVF, a brush with ovarian cancer and finally successful pregnancy on second IVF attempt- she stands here in front of us to openly talk about her Infertility journey.

Today, she has cute little son to shower her love and enjoy the journey of motherhood but can she forget the pain and suffering, the loneliness, the depression and the desperation, the feeling of being cut-off from society and the turmoil suffered within, during this journey. It has made me who she is today.

It was not easy to open up her extremely personal story and discuss this taboo subject. She had fears – fears of being tagged and judged by the society. Her tryst with infertility over a period of 10 years convinced her that there are a lot of women out there who suffer in silence and one must reach out to them. There is an urgent need to reach up to them and tell them, “You are not alone”. And, eventually, with a lot of strength and support, she managed to overcome all fears and hesitation and, started InfertilityDost last year. The website was officially launched in August 2016 though the idea and preparation had started way before.

Infertility Dost is an integral part of her life, it’s her dream, passion and true calling. Through this platform, she wishes to reach out to as many people as possible. And she has become successful in her mission through InfertilityDost.

InfertilityDost is India’s first website that facilitates couples to brave infertility with support and knowledge. They hold hand, facilitate right guidance so that couples can take good decisions and stay away from misleading advertisements and fraud clinics, answer their queries by connecting them to experts, keep them motivated throughout this tough phase of life, reinforcing their strength and hope, helping them #StandUp and fight society’s stereotypes and prejudices, and simply reassuring them that everything is going to be all right.

The guiding spirit behind this initiative:

#BringChange

There is a need to #BreakTaboos and #BreakSilence around infertility. More than 150 million couples in India suffer infertility in pain and silence. There is a need to give them an understanding social environment so that can deal with the situation better. We must educate the society by #Spreading Awareness and #Talking Openly about infertility

#EmpowerWomen

Often it is seen that it is the woman who bears the brunt of infertility. The social and family pressures play havoc with their life which actually comes to a standstill. They forgo their career, become reticent, and add to it the physical trauma of treatments. Amidst all this, the woman questions their self-worth. They get influenced and take wrong decisions. We want to empower woman by providing support and information to take the right decision and to follow the choice that makes them (and only them) happy.

#Inspire

With real life stories, we inspire and educate. We openly talk about various aspects of this journey so that they don’t feel alone. Couples undergoing infertility treatment just need a sensitive environment to heal their emotional bruises and fight back with grit.

Their impressive line-up of following offerings:

• A one stop solution for all infertility and IVF information.
• Accurate information on various aspects of infertility through blogs– emotional, social, psychological, financial, physical and medical.
• Expert panel to cut through myths and guide couples. We have naturopathy, acupuncture, nutrition, psychologists onboard.
• Collates and shares real life journey of women to provide hope and inspiration.
• Find and review doctors to ensure that couples reach the right doctor and avoid being cheated.
• Discussion forum to find support, create bonds and discuss almost everything related to the subject of infertility
• The comfort of anonymity – On our website, a person can log in and choose a pen name to stay anonymous because the subject of infertility is so personal that a lot of people might not be comfortable being seen especially when everything is linked to social media.
• Conducts talks and workshops at various cities to spread awareness and break social taboo and humiliation around the subject of infertility.
• Organize online campaigns to spread awareness. Our blog contest was well received. See it here – http://writetribe.com/talk-about-infertility/
• Helping women acknowledge that help is available and they are not alone.

Social Media presence:

Website: http://infertilitydost.com/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/InfertilityDost/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/infertilitydostindia/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/infertilitydost

If you want to help any of such couples who are suffering in silence, please guide them to http://infertilitydost.com/

 

 

Anokkhi Diamonds and Jadau launch ‘The enchanted charms’

Anokkhi Diamonds and Jadau, a name to reckon with in the fine jewellery industry recently launched their bridal collection aptly titledd ‘The Enchanted Charms’. 

At Anokkhi Diamonds and Jadau, they keep in mind the Indian heritage, because they understand its relevance in our cultural nobility and aestheticism. Though the new age bride is not the one who is going to be tied by conventions, she is pretty much attached to the regal Indian culture. It takes a precise savoir-faire to permute and merge the old world charm with the leading edge of the current trend, and each day at work, accordingly they make a conscious decision to stand true to our commitment to making this collaboration an enchanting one. There is no doubt that Weddings these days are incomplete without an elegantly layered jadau neckpiece and one from Anokhhi will definitely make many heads turn with its impeccably selected uncut diamonds and karigari!

The Enchanted Charms Bridal collection

The Champagne Bliss rings– Champagne coloured half a carat solitaires surrounded by a halo of round diamonds, these are every bride’s dream wedding rings!

The Classic Parcheli Bangles– Traditional yet elegant, these classic Parcheli bangles studded with flawless round diamonds are an ode to today’s modern bride!

The Emerald green necklace set– With Emeralds in the centre and its ethnic design, the emerald green necklace set will elevate your entire look.

The Enchanted kada– As the name suggests, this kada is an enchanted inhibition of traditions mixed with modern simplicity

The Eternal diamond set- A delicate and exquisite design for the woman of today.

The Magnificent diamond set– This beautiful diamond set with its bold and intricate design will make your audience go in awe.  Marquees, princess and round cut diamonds set together to give an illusion of bigger sized round, oval & drop shaped diamonds. This stunning neck piece is made flexible to effortlessly fit any neck.

The Peacock Kada– Inspired by our national bird, the peacock Kada is a blend of vibrant colours and traditional meenakari work, giving a visual delight of our deep rooted culture

The Raj Gharana pendant set– Inspired by the Mughals, the raj gharana pendant set will make you experience royalty like never before with the perfect amalgamation of diamonds, green emeralds and south sea pearls.

The Royal charm set- Inspired by the artefacts of the royal times, the royal charm with its magnificent appearance is every woman’s dream jewellery set.

Classic diamond single line bangles – These single line diamond bangles are a must in every bride’s trousseau.

See them to believe them…oops buy them!

 

Tourists prefer Varanasi over Taj Mahal…

…Now that is the CHANGE Varanasi has witnessed after becomming  PM’s constituency and UMA BHARTI as Water Resource Minister, responsible for the mammoth task of Ganga Cleaning and YOGI ADITYANATH as CM focussing on developing tourism.

I can across this article in today’s Economic Times ( Dt. June 18, 2017) bringing out the data supporting the claim…thought of sharing it with you.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/travel/uttar-pradesh-government-data-for-2016-domestic-tourists-prefer-varanasi-over-taj-mahal/articleshow/59168569.cms

Article courtesy: Economic Times

Nepal braces for Himalayan Jam at Everest

Around 400 climbers, along with support  workers, to trek this season, according to Tourism Department

Nepalese officials are bracing for a “traffic jam” at Mount Everest this season due to a surge in the number of climbers eyeing to conquer world tallest peak.

This time, there would be around 400 climbers who will embark on the journey to scale the 8848 – meter high Mt. Everest, according to Department of Tourism in Nepal. As climbers are accompanied by high –altitude workers, who usually outnumber climbers, there could be around 1000 individuals on their way to the Summit.

Expedition teams have started arriving at the base camp a month before the start of the season to acclimatize.  “Everyone will be in a hurry to reach the peak when the weather clears, there is no management up there to fix turns for the climbers,” says Sonam Sherpa, who has scaled Mt. Everest five times working as an aid to climbers.”

“So there is the possibility of a traffic jam this year. Returning climbers, in general, have depleted stock of Oxygen with them which means life hangs in balance,” he adds.

Those with 2014 permission are likely to return to scale the peak this year as, in 2015, the Government introduced a new allowing climbers a three years’ window to scale Mt Everest with a single permit and fare. “This is the final year of the three-year period and the climbers a three years window to scale Mount Everest with a single permit and fare. “This is the final year of the three-year period and the climbers who had taken permission earlier have also arrived to ensure that they do not miss the chance,” Durgadatta Dhakal, Information officer quoted.

The year, 267 climbers have already started trekking from Namche to the Everest base camp. Around 290 climbers had arrived at the base camp after acquiring permission to climb Mt. Everest last year when hundreds were able to reach the Summit following two years of disasters on the mountain.

Source: PTI

 

Gigi Hadid in Mumbai as a part of #TogetherTour

Super Model and new age style icon Gigi Hadid making a stop-over here in Mumbai on April 27, 2017.

Hadid, the daughter of a Palestinian – American father and a Dutch – American mother, who made her modeling debut for Baby Guess at the age of two, will be in Mumbai as part of her Global #TogetherTour to celebrate her collective fashion endeavour TommyXGigi’s Spring 2017 Collection. Interestingly, the Tommy Hilfiger brand ambassador will be joined by Home-Grown fashionista and Bollywood Star Sonam Kapoor for a discussion on all things fashion and design. Gigi will also interact with fans and bloggers, and present her favorite looks from the Collection’s latest seasonal offerings. After her recent stopovers in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Milan, London and Paris, the Mumbai visit will conclude Hadid’s Tour for the all – American Fashion Label.

HyperFocal: 0

“Travelling around the world to meet fans and present the TommyXGigi Collections has been an amazing experience…I look forward to visiting Mumbai and celebrating our final #TogetherTour stop this season,” said Hadid in an official release.

UDAN to take UDAAN….

The Government recently said it was close to resolving a dispute with major Indian carriers over levying regional connectivity charges. It also unveiled a list of successful bidders and routes under the scheme, called Udan.

Five operators will operate on 128 routes and connect 70 airports, most of which are not well connected by airlines now. “This is a unique scheme, which is completely market-driven,” Jayant Sinha, minister of state for civil aviation, said. “Through a corpus of only Rs. 205 crore, we will create around 1.3 million seats, which will kick-start the underdeveloped regional aviation market.”

Agra, Shimla, Nanded, Kanpur and Jamshedpur are among the many airports that would see connectivity under Udan. Experts have said the scheme has good business propositions.

Major established players such as Alliance Air (subsidiary of state-owned Air India) and Ajay Singh-owned SpiceJet emerged as successful bidders, along with lesser known players such as Air Odisha and Truejet. G R Gopinath’s (known as Captain Gopinath) Air Deccan, which pioneered low-cost travel in India, made a comeback through the scheme to connect 15 airports.

Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said Udan would leapfrog India’s aviation sector. “From a rate of one airport annually, we have leapfrogged to connecting 33 airports in a single year,” Choubey said, adding the routes have a uniform spread across the country.

The process saw intensive bidding for prime routes. For instance, SpiceJet outbid Alliance Air for the Delhi-Kanpur route, which Air India was operating till today. “It’s a great day for Indian aviation,” said Amber Dubey, India head of aerospace & defence at global consultancy KPMG. “This will give a huge fillip to investments, tourism and job creation in the interiors of India.  Good to see that the regional connectivity scheme routes are spread out across all corners of the country. Operators should try and synchronise their schedules and enter into code-share agreements with larger carriers.”

The Udan scheme offers 50 per cent subsidy to airlines on these routes, route monopoly for three years and a host of other concessions at landing airports. It expects the airlines to cap fares at Rs 2,500 a seat an hour rate on regional flights.

On the tussle with airlines over levying regional connectivity charges, the minister said: “We are very close to a solution over this matter. We had multiple rounds of discussion with the airlines and the issue will be resolved soon.”

The Federation of Indian Airlines — which consists of IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet Airways and GoAir, and has around 80 per cent market share — had moved court contesting that the government had no authority to impose a levy in the nature of tax on air services. Major airlines opposing the government’s move had put a question on the viability of the scheme and the government found it difficult to mop up fund to set up a corpus for Udan.

Successful bidders  

Alliance Air

SpiceJet

Air Deccan

Air Odisha

TruJet (Turbo Megha)

On the flightpath

No. of routes: 128

Total airports: 70

Prime routes: Delhi-Kanpur; Delhi-Shimla; Delhi-Agra; Mumbai-Porbander; Kolkata-Jamshedpur

Courtesy: Business Standard

 

 

The Silk Route: Triveni’s enchanting Art Silk Collection

This season Triveni brings for you the The Silken Valley – a distinct collection of Art Silk sarees in beautifully assorted prints. The collection based on art silk – regenerated and engineered to provide design, comfort and durability. The fine sarees are made keeping in mind the modern feminist – the ever ready woman to take new challenges with utmost grace and dignity.

Worked on enticing color palette of Beige, Mustard, Turquoise Dust and Charcoal Black, the collection boasts of floral and geometric patterns. Combinations of Matte Pink – Beige, Greens, Charcoal Black and Reds, Yellow and Basic Brown impart a minimalist yet sophisticated look. Designs suit to formal wear wardrobe maintenance of the saree is easy with easy to iron fabric with excellent color fastness providing total value to product.

Triveni, promises quality with every woven yarn and stands for its customer value.

Each saree is complemented with beautiful blouse piece which you can style according to your choice. A saree from the collection deserves a place in your wardrobe.

Accessorize with statement ear-rings and neat slick hairdo and let the charm radiate with that elegant fall!

Stock these beautiful art silk sarees for your office!

US ban on carry-on e-gadgets will hit Indian travellers hard

One out of every two passengers who fly from India to the US transit through airports in the Middle East like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and from Saturday they will need to check in all electronic devices sized larger than a smart phone like laptops, tablets, e-readers, cameras, electronic games, DVD players, etc. Apart from not having their personal device for work or entertainment at airport lounges and on board ultra-long haul flights, air travellers will have to worry about the possibility of their e-gadgets getting lost, misplaced or stolen from their checked in bags.

On Friday, the US department of homeland security banned “all personal electronic devices larger than a cell phone or smart phone” from the carryon bags (bags carried on board by the flyer) of passengers who board direct flights to the US from the airports in Amman (Jordan), Cairo (Egypt), Istanbul (Turkey), Jeddah and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait, Doha (Qatar), Dubai and Abu Dhabi (see box). Airlines were notified by the US government at 3am EDT (12.30pm IST, Friday) about the ban and have been given 96 hours within which to comply.

As for the passengers who transit from any of these airports, they will have to pack their electronic goods into their check-in bag at their airport of origin. So a passenger booked on a Mumbai-Dubai-Dallas flight will have to check in the laptop at Mumbai itself. The new security measures don’t apply to passengers booked on Air India. But those booked on Jet Airways will need to check if their flights will transit through any of the above listed airports.

Apart from passengers from the countries that are on the list, it will be those from India who would be the most hit as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are popular transit halts for passengers from India flying to the US.

The US National Travel and Tourism office data on international travellers to the US and the countries they come from has Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, China and European nations in the top ten lists. Passengers from none of these countries would generally transit through any of the 10 listed airports to reach the US. But that’s not the case with India, which stands at the 11th position on the list. According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), in the fiscal year 2016, of the 2.69 million passengers who flew from India to the US, 1.3 million flew on airlines like Emirates, Etihad, Qatar that transit through airports like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

Kapil Kaul of CAPA said that he sees the new security measures as a “serious passenger inconvenience and nothing more”. He added that it might result in some business class traffic moving to carriers that are not affected but given the very high demand and high passenger load factors there won’t be any significant movement. “It’s poorly executed and communicated but we expect it to be a short term measure,” Kaul added.

Anil Punjabi, president of Travel Agents’ Federation of India, said: “The restriction, first by the US and then by the UK, has scared travellers. They feel that if intelligence agencies believe that terror outfits may explode a bomb on a plane that originates from the Gulf, they should avoid it altogether. Even elderly people travelling to their children living abroad want to avoid the flights. Though most of them don’t carry the restricted items, there is fear of delay at airports in the Gulf.”

Source: Times of India

 

 

Sri Harimandir Sahib in all its glory & splendor

My colleague Ms. Manisha Chandwani along with her friends visited Holy Golden Temple Amritsar on Holi Weekend and she clicked some photographs of the Sri Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar in its full glory and splendor for our blog. She along with her group of friends visited Golden Temple on the wee hours ( 7 AM) and in the evening (7 PM) when it was well lit. The Golden Temple Amritsar India (Sri Harmandir Sahib Amritsar) has a unique Sikh architecture. Built at a level lower than the surrounding land level, The Gurudwara teaches the lesson of egalitarianism and humility. The four entrances of this holy shrine from all four directions signify that people belonging to every walk of life are equally welcome.

Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as Sri Darbar Sahib or Golden Temple, (on account of its scenic beauty and golden coating for English speaking world), is named after Hari (God) the temple of God. The Sikhs all over the world, daily wish to pay visit to Sri Amritsar and to pay obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib in their Ardas.

I take pleasure in sharing these photographs with our readers:

The Golden Temple Amritsar India (Sri Harimandir Sahib Amritsar) is not only a central religious place of the Sikhs, but also a symbol of human brotherhood and equality. Everybody, irrespective of cast, creed or race can seek spiritual solace and religious fulfilment without any hindrance. It also represents the distinct identity, glory and heritage of the Sikhs. To pen-down the philosophy, ideology, the inner and outer beauty, as well as the historical legacy of Sri Harimandir Sahib is a momentous task. It is a matter of experience rather than of description.

As advised by Sri Guru Amar Dass Ji (3rd Sikh Guru), Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji (4th Sikh Guru) started the digging of Amrit Sarovar (Holy Tank) of Sri Harmandir Sahib in 1577 A.D., which was later on brick-lined by Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji (5th Sikh Guru) on December 15, 1588 and He also started the construction of Sri Harimandir Sahib. Sri Guru Granth Sahib (scripture of the Sikhs), after its compilation, was first installed at Sri Harimandir Sahib on August 16, 1604 A.D. A devout Sikh, Baba Budha Ji was appointed its first Head Priest.

We arrived in Amritsar at night, and went directly to see the beautifully lit Golden Temple.

Guru Arjan Sahib, the Fifth Nanak, conceived the idea of creating a central place of worship for the Sikhs and he himself designed the architecture of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Earlier the planning to excavate the holy tank (Amritsar or Amrit Sarovar) was chalked out by Guru Amardas Sahib, the Third Nanak, but it was executed by Guru Ramdas Sahib under the supervision of Baba Budha ji. The land for the site was acquired by the earlier Guru Sahibs on payment or free of cost from the Zamindars (landlords) of native villages. The plan to establish a town settlement was also made. Therefore, the construction work on the Sarovar (the tank) and the town started simultaneously in 1570. The work on both projects completed in 1577 A.D.

Tourism to the US faces Squeeze!

I recently received a mail from my brother-in-law Atul, settled in California asking that have we applied for our US Visa. I was quite surprised given the current circumstances in the US regarding VISA ban which is big extensively covered by India rather world media. I asked my husband, is the time right to apply of the US Visa? To this he replied probably not stating so many factors.

The time is really does not seem to be ripe rather risky feel so many tourists across the world.  As reported by Reuters, the US travel sector is bracing for a year in which strong dollar and uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s travel ban could deter visitors, Industry representatives said at the World’s Biggest Tourism Trade Fair in Berlin.

Trump recently signed a revised executive order banning citizens from Six Muslim Majority nations from travelling to the US. Those countries account for a tiny percentage of the US Visitors, but there is growing concern that the order could hurt the image of the US and scare the tourists away.

The dollar has gained more than 5 per cent against Euro over the past six months, making it more expensive for travelers to visit the US. New York City was expecting foreign tourist numbers to remain unchanged at 12.7 million but has cut its forecast for 2017 by 300,000. The City has spent $3 million on a marketing campaign with the Slogan “Welcoming the World”.

Las Vegas, another major tourist destination, hopes business with trade conventions and a wide price range for accommodation will keep growth robust, says Heidi Hayes, Director of Communications for Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

A Survey by the Global Business Travel Association indicated business travel, an important source of income for hotels and airlines, could suffer due to the ban. Some 37 percent of the US business travel professionals said they expect a reduction in their company’s travel because of Trump’s revised executive order, while 17 per cent of European travel professionals said their Company has cancelled business travel to the US.

Dubai based Emirates airline said that at the fair its booking rate for flights to and from the US took a 35 percent hit overnight after the first travel ban and had not yet recovered.

Still I see a huge opportunity here, and my plans of visiting the US are afloat!