Dr Rashmi Poddar, Director, Jnanapravaha, Mumbai, a reknowed scholar of Indian thought, a passionate researcher in Indian Philosophy and Aesthetic concepts, was the speaker for LSG’s programme celebrating Shakti and Womanhood. Dr Poddar spoke about the depiction of Shakti in Indian art and architecture through the ages in a very illuminating talk.

Oindrilla Dutt, led a presentation titled Shakti – the Female Creative Power, through, dance, music and shloka recital in which our members participated with great enthusiasm and delight.

In the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attack, LSG invited three very eminent and significant speakers to share their thoughts and observations with its members: former Director General of Punjab Police, Mr. K P S Gill; Chairman of ABP Limited, Mr. Ashok Ganguly, who was present in the Taj during the seizure, and veteran journalist Mr. M J Akbar. Mr. Akbar  steered the  discussion  through  the first  hand experiences of Mr. Ganguly and Mr. Gill’s reaction to the handling of the events by our country’s defence system. While Mr. Gill expressed his disappointment with the role of the NSG, Mr. Ganguly felt there was a ray of hope in the way the young generation has reacted to the violence around them.

The history of disease is as old as humanity itself. And so is the search for cure. The approach to medicine changed radically through time as man’s quest for cure remains driven by his instinct of self-preservation and care for his loved ones. Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata, is a 325-bed multi-speciality hospital,  which  serves as a  healthcare  hub for  East and  North  East India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. It promises superior healthcare and facilities in adherence to the most stringent world standards. The physicians here are internationally renowned and have received specialised training at the world's most prestigious universities. LSG members visited the Hospital to explore and know more about the medical services provided by this group in the city and also attend a talk on “Ensuring Quality and Patient Safety in Integrated Hospital Care” by Mrs Preetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Group of Hospitals, who has 22 years of experience in healthcare industry.

The Wonder of Mumbai, Inspiration of Management, India's Best-known and Most Efficient Networking …… a few of the many terms used to describe the functions of the dabbawallas of Mumbai.
LSG had the wonderful opportunity to have Shri Gangaram Talekar, Secretary,   of   the   Nutan   Mumbai   Tiffin   Box   Suppliers   Charity Association visit Kolkata and share with LSG members the operations of their organisation. The dabbawalla originated when India was under British rule in 1880: a service was set up to bring home lunch to Indian workers in British firms.
Their mission still remains simple: to serve their customers -- who are mainly office goers -- by delivering their lunch boxes at their work stations at lunch time. Their mission still remains simple: to serve their customers -- who are mainly office goers -- by delivering their lunch boxes at their work stations at lunch time.

Eminent Manipuri dancer of the new generation and choreographer Priti Patel spoke, at our event, about a wide range of dances, their history and how and why they have evolved within their social and historical context.
Recipient of many a national and international awards Priti Patel was initiated  into the  world of  dance at  the age of five. Priti took rigorous training and guidance under Guru Bipin Singh and received guidance in different aspects of Manipuri dance, music and martial-art traditions from such experts as Khetritombi Devi, Khelchandra Singh, Kumar Maibi and Surchand Sharma. She has also taken training in movement therapy at Lesley College, Boston.
She is also the Founder Director of Anjika Centre of Manipuri Dance & Movement Therapy in Kolkata, which teaches Manipuri Dance and also works as a school for Movement Therapy for children suffering from cerebral palsy. Priti has performed and lectured at festivals throughout Asia (???) for nearly 20 years. Her company includes dancers that she has trained, as well as master drummers and martial arts experts.

He is the head of one of India’s oldest companies. His core business lies in manufacturing and selling of utility vehicles and agricultural tractors, a field in which his company is a market leader. He has been judged 2007’s Businessman of the Year by Business India and The Most Inspiring Corporate Leader by NDTV Profit.
Anand G Mahindra, Vice Chairman and  Managing Director of  Mahindra and Mahindra Limited was the perfect personality to lead a discussion with LSG members on “The Art of the Juggler: Defining our priorities”. He had the audience delve into their personal  experiences and  take a new look at  their values and perception. The interaction was thought provoking and stimulating. Members were left discussing points raised by him long after the session ended.

It was the  day of  mothers speaking  about their  relationship with their  daughters.  Politician  Jaya Jaitly and Actress Sushma Seth shared with our audience their experience of bringing up their daughters   Aditi Jadeja  Jaitly  and Divya  Seth,  who  themselves have  grown up to become  celebrities in their own right. Jayaji and Sushmaji  both  spoke  about how  they  managed  their  career, home and children.  Jayaji  put it  best  when she said: “Juggling  work and  home is  not being  a  superwoman, it is just a  part  of being  a  woman.”
While Jaya  Jaitly, greatly involved in traditional art and craft, traveled with her children to the interiors of India,  Sushma Seth  had both her  son and daughters  attend her  theatre workshops  for children. Thus they both  in their own  ways contributed  in their  children’s  growing  up process  by  inter-linking  home  and work.  Today  Sushma ji feels: “It is  a rewarding  feeling  to see  yourself in your  daughter when she becomes  your  protector  with  age.”
Inevitably the  contentious  topic of relationship with daughter-in-law came up, and Sushma ji’s daughter-in-law Geetika Seth joined  the group  on the dais and  said: “She is more a mother than a mother-in-law”. Jaya Jaitly urged: “Stop  playing  roles (obviously  referring to  the tv  serial  examples) and  go with what you feel. You will be able to give and receive much more.”

His undying love affair with excesses remains his signature… “I do what I like. I like classicism. I like luxury.” This is how Tarun Tahiliani described his work.
Today, Tarun is one of the most sought after and successful fashion designers in the country whose clients cover the domestic and international arena. His elegant designing sense truly brings out the beauty of an Indian woman.
At the Ladies Study Group programme, he had his audience mesmerized by his clothes on display  and  listening  in  rapt  attention  to  his discourse on Indian fashion and its history. Grandeur and opulence has been an intrinsic part of Indian clothing for ages. Post Independence, in the Gandhian era of socialist living, We had shut off our own culture,”says Tarun, but that is fast changing.”And his own collection showcases Indian Couture at its brilliant best.

To identify the reason behind communication problems in relationships and to find solutions on how to overcome them, LSG invited Dr Zirak Marker, Consultant Child/Adult Psychiatrist & Psychotherapist, to talk about Understanding Relationships.
Currently a Consultant with Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, Dr Marker after  specializing in Psychiatry,  did an advanced  training in  Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is a Consultant at Lighthouse, a parent and child guidance centre and on the Advisory Board for the Children’s Nook Group of Schools for slow learners and autistic and mentally challenged children. His experience in child and adult relationships is extensive. Most of our relationship problems stem from our inability to ‘listen’. We merely hear, switching off our mind.” He stressed on transparency in a couple’s relationship.
To parents, he said: Be a friend, so that your child can confide in you….Please don’t try to fulfill your own goals through your kids. ”He emphasized developing emotional quotient than intelligence quotient in a child.

Congressman and Member of Parliament, Mr Naveen Jindal is an icon, who the youth of today look up to. This young parliamentarian is also a successful businessman, managing the steel and power businesses of the Jindal Group, one of the largest private sector companies in India. Mr Jindal also excels in sports like polo and skeet shooting. However, he is perhaps best known for winning the right from the Supreme Court to allow private citizens to fly the National Flag with pride.
“India is on the threshold of a great future….” said Mr Jindal while sharing the dynamics of politics and the role of the youth in the changing face of India. “I feel more youngsters should join politics and if those who specialize in a particular field are given a chance to manage that department, it will be a right move.