Making cleaning easy! Cleaning a bathroom is a very boring job, almost everyone wants to escape it. Here are some tips to make this job easy. Before starting to clean the bathroom, cover your hands with disposable gloves and cover your nose with a mask or towel. Unless you are using vinegar and baking soda, other disinfectant cleaners are harsh on nose. Mirror: Easy to clean soon after someone takes a bath, if you have time. Before going to bath, don't run the exhaust fan, the hot water leaves vapor on the mirror, spray a disinfectant also. Wipe off the tooth paste, hair spray smears easily with a newspaper/ paper towel. Use strokes in a single direction, to leave no wipe marks. Showerhead: Twice a month, scrub the spout with a rough brush, an all-purpose cleaner and wipe with a sponge. Every three months, pour enough white vinegar in a plastic bag to cover the shower head with a rubberband, tightly. Let it soak for a few hours, then remove the bag and scrub the nozzle with a brush, run the water to clear any absorbed vinegar. Shower curtain: Easy to clean after a shower. Cleaning it twice a month makes your job easier. Spray a bleach cleaner, work from top down with a rough brush and rinse the residue away. Tub and Tiles: Rub baking soda on the grout using a rough brush, the grout clears easily.Tub is easy to clean after someone takes a shower or bath, as the surface is wet and its easy to loosen dirt. Sink: Spray a disinfectant cleaner on the sink knobs, faucet base, basin and countertops. After 10mins of leaving it, wipe away the spray with a sponge. Use a not-so-smooth brush or an old tooth brush to scrub around the drain and the faucet base. Toilet: Using a disinfectant cleaner serves better. Toilet Brush: After cleaning the toilet and once you flush it clean, pour a generous amount of disinfectant in the toilet bowl, submerge the brush in the cleaner, give it a hard shake and then remove it to dry on a thick paper laid on the floor. Waste Bin: Using a small garbage/plastic bag as a layer helps clear the stuff when full, easily. Once a month, spray disinfectant spray in the bin, wash it and leave it under sun to dry. Ventilation fan: Four times a year, turn off the circuit for the bathroom. Remove the cover of the fan and rinse it with warm water and some dish soap. let dry before replacing the cover. Vaccum the fan blades. Unscrew any bulbs in the bathroom and wipe them with microfiber cloth. Floor: Do it after you have cleaned everything else. If your bathroom has a separate wet-dry area, first sweep the hair and dirt with a vaccum or broom and then spray all-purpose cleaner on the floor and mop it with hot-water, scrubbing it thoroughly.

Correcting Crafting Mistakes     For people who love to do craft/paint work, here are some reminders to help you escape the common mistakes one might end up falling into.  Don't paint directly from a paint can: Keeping the lid of a whole paint can can dry the paint quickly, if the brush is not in proper condition, the brush might spoil the whole paint. Hence, pour some paint into a tray and use it.  Remember to Close the cap of the glue bottle, everytime you open it. An open or loosely closed cap may dry out the glue or force it out of the bottle and your other items might be glued and spoiled.  Never cut  a fabric with rough estimation or imagination: If you are sewing something (curtain/pillow cover/ sofa cover), drape it on the item, take clear estimation/markings, only then mark your cuts and proceed.  Don't store markers with tips facing down or up: If a marker is stored with tip upside, it becomes too dry to write, if stored with tip downside, ink gets over collected at the tip and blots, damaging the items beneath or drying up soon after.  Don't paint any surface on a rainy day: As there is lot of moisture in the air, paints take longer to dry. If you assume they might have dried, they will end up spoiling your stuff.  Don;t cut ribbon straight across: Cutting a ribbon straight pulls threads away, instead cut it at 45-degree angle.  Don't cut a rug with scissors: If you are working on a DIY rug shape, cutting an existing rug, then don't use scissors, instead use a Crafts/Workman's knife, it stops frayed ends.  Wait for the paint to dry: For any paint project-- canvas, wall, decals, furniture-- wait until the first coat of paint dries to start the next coat. Or wait for one color to dry totally to start the next/ contrast color in the remaining area of the surface. Or wait for the paint to dry completely to decorate your flowers in the vase you painted, the pollen or petals of the flowers (natural or artificial) might stick to the wet paint and worsen.     

SALT SPEAKS   Stained Coffee Mug? Pour half a teaspoon of salt into a stained coffee cup or teacup, scrub with a dry paper towel, then rinse. The alkaline in the salt gets rid of discoloration from coffee or tea like magic.  Rusty Surface? Use a paste of six tablespoons salt and two tablespoons lemon or lime juice on a dry cloth to wipe away rust from almost anything metal, like bicycles, outdoor furniture and tools. Rinse and dry thoroughly.  Wine Spills on Fabrics? Don't clean a wine stain with a wet cloth. It will make it worse. Instead, blot the area with a dry cloth or  white paper napkin, then pour on a heaping mound of salt-it will help lift the stain and color off the fabric. Let it sit  for 30 mins, then blot clean with cold water and wash the fabric.  Stinky Kitchen Sink? Kitchen sinks often smell odd, due to food not being drained well, or sticking around. Add a heaped tablespoon of salt to a quart of boiling water, then pour it down the drain to clear away the odor causing grease.  Pests in the Garden? Sprinkle salt where pests lie in gardens. Its easy to sweep when the pests lay weak and then drop  them in a bucket of salty water.  Kosher Salt to clean Cast -Iron skillets: Add a splash of water and a teaspoon of these coarse crystals to a cast-iron skillet, then use a paper towel to wipe off food without causing the pan to lose its seasoning.  Sea-Salt for Body: This salt makes a great exfoliating body scrub. Just mix two parts sea salt and one part grape seed oil. 

కలసి పని చేసుకుంటూ సర్దుకుపోదాం     మొన్న ఆదివారం మా ఫ్రెండ్స్ అందరం కుటుంబాలతో సహా ఓ చిన్న పార్టీలో కలిశాం. ఇక ఏముంది,ఎప్పటిలాగే మీరూ, మేమూ అంటూ శ్రీవార్లు అంతా ఓ పార్టీ, శ్రీమతులంతా ఓ పార్టీలాగా చీలిపోయి కాసేపు వాదించుకున్నాం. ఈసారి వాదనకి టాపిక్ "ఎవరు ఎవరి మీద ఎక్కువగా ఆధారపడుతున్నారు?" అని. ఇలాంటి ఓ ప్రశ్న అడగాలే కానీ మగవాళ్ళని "పరాన్న జీవులు" అని నిరుపించేదాకా ఊరుకోము కదా మనం. అదే ప్రయత్నం చేసాం మేమూ కూడా. కాసేపు ఎంతో సరదాగా, ఆ తర్వాత మరికొంత సీరియస్ గా సాగిన మా వాద ప్రతివాదనల సారాంశం ఏంటో ఒకసారి చూద్దామా...! మీరు మామీద ఆధారపడతారంటే మగవాళ్ళకి పౌరుషం వస్తుంది కానీ, అదెంత నిజమో వాళ్ళకి మాత్రం తెలియదా చెప్పండి ? ఆ నిజాన్ని ఒప్పుకోవటానికి కష్టమనిపించి మాతో వాదనకి దిగారు. మేము స్కూటర్ పై లిఫ్టు ఇస్తే ఆఫీసుకి టైంకి వెళతారు. మేమూ పిల్లలని చూసుకుంటే మీరు ఫ్రెండ్స్ తో పార్టీలకి వెళ్ళగలరు అంటూ ఇలా సాగిపోయింది మగవాళ్ళ వాదన. ఆ మాట అన్నారో లేదో మా సమత ఒక్క ఉదుటున వాళ్ళపై కయ్యిమని లేచింది ."ఏంటీ మేం అన్ని సిద్దం చేస్తే చక్కగా ఆఫీసుకి వెళుతూ, మమ్మల్ని దారిలో దింపటం మేం మీ మీద ఆధారపడ్డట్టా? పిల్లలని చూడటం మాకేదో సహాయపడ్డట్టు చెబుతున్నారేంటీ ? పిల్లలు మీ బాద్యత కాదా ? అన్న మా సమత ఎటాక్ కి కాసేపు కౌంటర్ లేకుండా పోయిందనుకోండి. ఎవరు ఎవరిమీద ఎక్కువ ఆధారపడతారు ? అనగానే ఎవరికీ వారు మీరే మాపై ఆధారపడతారు. మేం లేనిదే మీకు పూట కూడా గడవదు అంటూ తెగ వాదించుకున్నాం. ఇంతలో మా సమత భర్త రమేష్ "ఓ విషయంలో మాత్రం మేం మీపై చాలా ఎక్కువ ఆధార పడతామని చెప్పాలి" అనగానే మేమంతా "హుర్రే "అంటూ అరిచాం. తీరా చూస్తే ఆయన ఏమన్నాడో తెలుసా! ఉదయాన్నే ప్రశాంతంగా పేపర్ చదువుతున్నా, టీవీలో క్రికెట్ మ్యాచ్ చూస్తున్నా బోర్ గా వుంటుంది. ప్రక్కన మీ సణుగుడు ఉందనుకోండి భలే సరదాగా వుంటుంది అని అనేసాడు. అలా అనగానే రమేష్ గారి తలపై ఓ మొట్టికాయ పడిందనుకోండి. చాలాసార్లు ఈ ఆధారపడడం అనేది భార్యాభర్తలని మానసికంగా బలహీనులని చేస్తుందట. అంటే తను ఉంది కదా అన్న భరోసా మగవారిని ఇంటి విషయాల పట్ల నిర్లక్ష్యంగా ఉండేలా చేస్తే, అన్నీ తను చూసుకుంటారులే అని భార్యలు ఎన్నో వ్యవహారాలతో భర్తపై ఆధారపడతారు. సహజంగా ఈ ఆధారపడడం అనేది ఓ అలవాటుగా మారి చివరికి నాకు చేతకాదులే అని ఎవరికివారు ప్రగాడంగా, సమ్మేతంగా మారుతుందట. అంటే ఆధారపడడం అన్నది మన "శక్తియుక్తులని" ఎదగనీయకుండా చేస్తుంది అన్నమాట. అన్ని సవ్యంగా జరిగినప్పుడు పర్వాలేదు కానీ, కదిలే కాలంలో మనం మన భాగస్వామి భాధ్యతలని మోయాల్సి వచ్చినప్పుడు తీవ్రమైన కృంగుబాటుతో నిస్సహాయంగా నిలబడతమాట. ఈ మధ్య చేసిన ఓ అధ్యయనంలో భార్యాభర్తల మధ్య ఈ "ఆధారపడడం" అన్నది ఎంత తీవ్ర ప్రభావాలని చూపిస్తోందని పరిశీలించినప్పుడు... ఒక్కోసారి పక్కన తను లేనిదే జీవితమే లేదు అన్నంత నిస్సహాయ స్థితిలో జారిపోతున్నారట భార్యాభర్తలు. దీనికి పరిష్కారం అన్నింటిని సమర్ధించుకోగల సామర్ధ్యాన్ని భార్యాభర్తలు ఇద్దరు కలిగి ఉండగలగటం. ఆ తర్వాత ఆధారపడటం అన్నది వారి సామర్ధ్యాన్ని ఏమాత్రం దెబ్బతీయదు. అందుకే ఎవరి పనులు వారు కాక, ఎదుట వారి పనులలో కూడా కాస్త పట్టుని సాధించటానికి ప్రయత్నించాలట. ఇదండీ అసలు విషయం. మరి మీరేమంటారు ?    

  With more than 1,30,000 leprosy patients in India, it accounts for 54 per cent of all new leprosy cases reported in the world where lepers are still treated as untouchables and forced to live in isolation. This has been the same state of affairs since the Gandhian era where he tried his best to help remove the stigma about leprosy among Indians.     Kabita Bhattarai is a lone crusader in the battle against leprosy now in India. She has an ashram in a remote corner near the Bihar-Nepal border, where she has treated nearly half a million patients for free in her 240-bed leprosy hospital. Kabita manages 21 leprosy colonies, provides free education to over 1,000 children. The model she has evolved is quite innovative. Patients get admitted for free treatment of their disease and in turn, their family members work voluntarily at the fields, hospital, school and dairy farms owned by her organization called 'Little Flower'. The peripheral activities that 'Little Flower' generate enough income to sustain its core activity of treating leprosy patients.     Kabita is akin to a modern day Mother Teresa and Teluguone salutes her.      

CORRECTING DESIGN MISTAKES   Mistake 1: Wrong-Size Curtains     We often mess up with the curtain lengths. Choosing tab-top or grommet styles enables us to increase the height if we find them short after bringing the curtains home, these styles slide easily onto the rod. To find the right panel length, measure from the floor to just above the window casing. Mount the rod to match panel length, rather than the other way around, as you would for custom-made curtains. Panels should be as wide as the window and rod brackets mounted six inches outside the frame so panels can be pushed away from the glass easily.  Mistake 2:High Art   Hanging stuff can be tricky. The first step is to figure out the correct hanging height. Hang your art at the average person’s height -- roughly 57 inches from the floor -- so that most eyes can look straight and see it comfortably. Mistake 3:Disjointed Frames Unless you're really good with mix-and-match looks, keep it simple and pick frames with a common style or frame color for all. A streamlined look takes the guesswork out of the design and allows the viewer to focus on the art itself. Mistake 4:Too Studied May be you browsed so many Design magazines and decorated a room which is technically stunning -- but, what’s missing? A little bit of you. Add a few pieces that have a warm backstory, stack beloved books on the coffee table, or layer in some photos of the people you love. It’s possible to make a room look too slick, more like a furniture shop than a home. Think about what speaks to your heart, even if its a little pop of the Orange or Terracota color you love, and add that personal touch. Mistake 5:Ignoring Scale and Proportion Does your room feel sort of underwhelming? Or way too crowded? You may have an issue with scale, which means the visual size of things, and how they look in relation to each other and the space. For your pieces to stand out, rooms need big things and little things, tall things and short things. It’ll make things look a lot more interesting Mistake 6:Lack of Storage No matter how beautiful you want your room to look, when you start using it, you will need a place to keep the magazines, newspapers you read daily, you need a place to keep the throw or the multiple remotes we use. Take a look around your room and see where you can comfortably add more places to put things away -- the easier to reach the better. Consider bare wall space first -- anywhere to mount shelving or cabinetry? Can you add side tables with drawers? Any missed opportunities for built-ins? In bedrooms, consider building shelving around the headboard, and adding storage boxes beneath the bed. Mistake 7:Cluttered Decor It's easy to pack your rooms with way too much stuff, but that look can easily become clutter. Solve the issue by clearing off every surface in a room, one by one, and returning only half the things on it. If you have 4 pillows on a sofa, too many picture frames on walls, too many flower vases, or too many flowers in the vases, be your own tough editor and store the objects that didn't make the cut this time. You can bring them out next season -- or make a donation trip to the secondhand store.

JUTE ROPE VASES     You forget sometimes to return the drink or soda bottles to the shop and then think twice to dispose those glassware. Here is a very inexpensive idea to turn them into beautiful vases, and they are climate friendly.  Wash and dry glass bottles that you like to decorate. Buy more than enough jute rope, thin is proportion for easy and slimmer look. Keep a few acrylic or oil paints of your choice, handy with a few paint brushes. Strong glue. Once the bottles are dry, start applying a nice coat of glue circle by circle as you start winding the jute rope around the bottle, inorder to avoid drying the glue even before you wind the rope.  Once the rope dries well, start painting with the choice of your colors, or you can even leave the jute color as is. You beautiful jute glass vases are ready.    Suggestion: If the rim is wide, use them to hold pencils even. a bottle with an amazing shape can even be used as a gift. And who says you should empty the bottle, let the drink still be in the bottle and you decorate the bottle and use them in parties, ofcourse, smaller group parties so that you can decorate without getting too tired. You can paint the name of the person or the occasion on the bottle too.

How To Make Paper Bags TeluguOne presents an easy do-it-yourself return- gift paper bag which can be made out of simple scrapbook paper or colourful chart paper and nylon ribbon handles along with the help of a box to give your bag a shape. Try this at home along with your kids for a fun-filled craft project on a Sunday afternoon!  

Benefits of  Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)   Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a novel approach  to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy which was created by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the United States in the 1970s. NLP, off late has fast picked up as a rational concept which explores how we think and feel, and examines the “inner” language we use to represent our experiences in human interaction and human achievement, and uses that knowledge to create an excellence in every walk of life. The approach gives you a conscious choice over what you do, and the way you act, increasing your ability to reach your goals and objectives. NLP techniques are easy to understand and easy to use and helps you see life differently and in turn experience life differently. Life involves an interwoven system of people and events, thoughts, feelings, actions and interactions. With NLP, you’ll begin to see the different elements in each situation that make up the system. You’ll be able to know which of the elements are working for you, and which ones are not. And most importantly, you’ll be able to take action to change the elements that aren’t working for you.  The benefits of NLP in brief are:   ->Everything you need to begin right now is already within you   ->You will be able to control your future differently.   ->You will be able to set your goal precisely   ->You will  be able to take action to achieve your goal   ->You can evaluate the changes produced by your actions   ->You can change your action plan if necessary to achieve better results   ->You can improve every aspect of your life You’ll find that NLP techniques can produce powerful results in both your personal and professional life.  As women we multi-task , bear and raise children, juggle work and home and this leaves us in a flux if there is any slight imbalance of wither of these things.For whatever that you want to do in life, you can do it better with the skills and knowledge that you get from NLP. The result is a life that is richer, more content, more productive , efficient and more abundant And that’s just the beginning!

HANGING CLOTHES   Prathyusha   Wire hangers may be cheap and space saving but not a good option to hang clothes. They can actually damage your clothes. The T-Shirt and shirts can hang better on wire hangers but the knits that are heavy tend to sag down due to their weight and the wire can't give enough support to hold them well, result, the neck line or shoulders become shapeless after a while.  There is all danger that the wire hanger catches rust if used to hang wet clothes to dry and that rust a damage a dress/shirt when hung later.    The also pose hazards to children because of the sharp and metal edges.  One metal hanger here and there, stored away from children is useful to open door knobs when locked, when a baby is caught inside the room and locks himself/herself, wire hangers are there for rescue. If you have too many wire hangers, and are not interested in using them after reading this article, think of taking them to a recycling plant. And splurge in wooden hangers or if you think they are expensive or that clothes don't need such an expense, then plastic hangers are better. However, when choosing plastic hangers, buy the stronger ones, some cheap versions can't hold even an average dress weight and break easily.   

Sarojini Naidu - The Nightingale of India Today is Sarojini Naidu’s 135th birthday and we had the Google doodle in its homepage to remind us of this exemplary lady who was freedom fighter, women’s activist , poet, first Lady Governor of a state after Independence, First Woman President of Indian National Congress. And more details you check the Wikipedia .We could like to share a few excerpts from a letter written to her daughter when she was in Europe which gives an insight into this lady’s mindset which every progressive Indian mother would feel towards her daughter. A very relevant letter to every Indian girl child and woman even today! 'My temperament and ideas are different --from what the world accepts and understands' Le Grand Hotel Marseille 4 March 1921   My beloved little child,   This is my last night in Europe, in this great foreign, arrogant continent where through my song and speech and struggle I have won a place for India. Now I am glad to set my face homewards once more to serve India with speech and song and struggle: the one poignant regret I have is that I leave you behind - alone. You - with your brave, beautiful, rebellious, ignorant youth; you - with your passionate, implacable temperament, so audaciously sure of itself, its aims, its innocence, its lofty ideals and lively desires and dreams, and yet so threatened with perils and pitfalls, all the more to be feared because you are so fearless, so impatient to tender counsel born of bitter experience... My little girl, how I have tried to shield and guard you, to save you from the suffering and disillusion arising out of your own too eager, too exacting demands upon friendships and affections and understandings, unused and unable to endure the strain of such fury and insistent demands... When you have resented what you thought was an attempt to curb and control and hamper you, I assure you my darling there was nothing but the purest, most deepest comprehending mother-love, trying to safeguard you from the results of your own impetuous and vivid nature and impulses - so harshly misjudged and misconstrued by even those who seemed to you most of necessity to understand an appreciate... It is because I want to protect you from suffering such as I had to endure in my youth because my temperament and ideas were different - they are different - from what the world accepts and understands - that I tried to guide you... But as the French poet said, "A chacun son infini" - and you must find and realise your own soul in the infinity of its own loneliness, my child. Only remember that you are an Indian girl and that puts upon you a heavier burden than if you were an English girl born to a heritage of freedom. Remember that you have to help India to be free and the children of tomorrow to be free-born citizens of a free land therefore - if you are true to your country's need you must recognise the responsibility of your Indian womanhood. Nothing in your speech or action should cause the progress of Indian women to suffer, nothing in yourself should give room for wretched reactionary slave - minds to say "This comes of giving too much education and freedom to our women." Think over it my darling. You are not free - one is - in the sense of being a law unto yourself in defiance of all existing tradition in our country - for freedom is the heaviest bondage in one sense - since it entails duties, responsibilities and opportunities from which slaves are immune... Noblesse oblige! and the ampler the liberty the narrower the right to do as one pleases. And you my friend of delight... you must shine as a foremost gem in the crown of India's freedom... You have in you all the seeds of true greatness: be great my little child, fulfill yourself nobly in accordance with all the profound and beautiful impulses and ideals of your nature... but always remembering that you are the symbol of India. And may God prosper you in all things. I love you my baby. You will never know how dearly, and with what anxious and yearning tenderness... Such a carnival is impossible in sombre and splendid London! Paris is the source of gaiety, something in the air makes one young and adventurous and full of joie de vivre. How you would have loved the Mt Carmel and how glad I am to have had that brief, happy interlude before I take upon myself the grave problems and perplexities that await me in India. Well, goodnight my little Papi and good bye! You are the guardian of my Jewel of Delight... Beware! Be faithful to your trust and keep the treasure of your soul incorruptible. Your, Mother My boat sails at noon tomorrow. This letter was written to Leelaamani Naidu, her daughter

TECH CLEANING   The regular glass cleaner spray is good for Windows, Glass Tabletops but definitely not for Computer screens. Many computers have monitors covered in plastic, not glass, which can become damaged or dulled if repeatedly cleaned with glass cleaner sprays. The ammonia in these sprays have a damaging affect on plastic and leave behind traces of minerals which may not show up on window glass but look like residue on computer screens.  Instead clean your computer screens with Isopropyl Alcohol. mix it with equal amount of water--distilled water ideally., spray it on a microfiber cloth, and wipe your screen in small circular motions. Its cheap and easy and it will help us get rid of most gunk on the screens.  Coming  to Keyboards and Mouse, they are the most unclean areas. Please remember to wash your hands after you type on your keyboard or use a mouse, or when you re eating while working at the computer. You may neglect it, but notice the gunk that attaches to the cleaning cloth or a paper towel and you will realise. its so alarmingly worse.      -Prathyusha

India’s example for Today’s Woman     Chanda Kochhar who made it to the top 18th  rank of the FORTUNE Global 50 Most Powerful Women In Business -2014 and being the only Indian lady in the list apart from  U.S based Pepsico’s Indra Nooyi, is a matter of pride for the country and an inspiration to all the women who aspire for greater success in the Corporate leadership. Born on November 17, 1961 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan , her life and career is a wonderful example for today’s woman being the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank, India’s largest private and overall second largest bank in the country. And also awarded with the Padma Bhushan in 2011  and a host of other awards for her contribution in the banking industry. At work: Starting her  career as a Management trainee with ICICI in the year 1984 and has thereon successfully risen through the ranks by efficiently handling multi-dimensional assignments and heading all the major functions in the Bank at various points in her life. The turmoil in the global and domestic financial markets saw Kochhar at the helm of banking operations of ICICI where she  revived the sagging fortunes of the banks  with the strategy of four C’s- capital conservation, cost efficiency, CASA (Current Account Savings Account) and credit quality.  Within a year the bank became India's largest privately owned bank with assets of nearly USD 80 billion and an expanding global reach.  Woman are powerful :A firm believer that the woman force in an organization can grow only through merit, Kochhar leads by example by not expecting any special privileges for the fairer sex .  Optimist :An eternal optimist she does not shriek away from challenges. She believes that new entrants cannot disrupt large banks and that competition provides the best value to consumers.  She has also handled criticism from the predominantly male bastions of the Banking sector for her radical reforms with quiet dignity and only let her work speak for itself. Work Life Balance :A mother of two, Kochhar efficiently juggles her career with family. She never slacks in her 24-hour schedule and utilises her breathing time to go through mails, telephonic conferences or to catch up on sleep.  For decades now, women in our country have been struggling to balance their evolution as mothers, homemakers, dedicated professionals and nation-builders. Chanda Kochhar who is perceived as top corporate honcho, as MD & CEO of India’s largest Private sector bank, ICICI, few would guess that side-by-side; she has also been the most hands-on mother where she has raised two children and her banking responsibilities with ease.  Spending quality time with her family: Her awards make her no different and when it comes to managing her family and children. She continues to manage their routines, even though they are quite grown up. She also supervises what is happening at home. She is tough at work, but she never discusses her work or her problems at home. She has gone through the routines of handling the kids homework and completed their  cut-paste projects till late in the nights and attending their PTA meets. She has also taught her children to be independent and manage their lives on their own to an extant which is a very important for children who have working parents. Loves the Indian way of Life: Indian values and culture have always been deep rooted in Chand Kochhar. She is fond of Indian meals  and you always see her well groomed and immaculately dressed in the sari . Husband Support : She wouldn’t have been where she was without her husband  Deepak Kochhar’s, (a wind energy entrepreneur) support. Growing up in an environment of simplicity and respect for each other has kept them grounded which continues till this day.  Importance for family time: Chanda Says” As a family, we try to spend as much time together as we can, within the constraints of our respective schedules. We travel together on holidays; we do a lot of fun things at home, chat over dinners and coffee and bond over movies. During Aarti’s  and Arjun’s childhood (her son and daughter ), I was doing more of parental duty of supervising them, but today they have grown to be  independent individuals who are capable of taking care of themselves and making choices and decisions  by themselves. She has beautifully combined the conventional act of being a mother at home, and a professional at work -a very important attribute to learn and imbibe for working women in India…          

EARNING HAND Should a Woman work? The answer only they know, only they have the right to answer....why should someone else answer on her behalf? If she wants to work and earn a living, its her decision. There are families that need both wife and husband to earn, but there are also families that can survive on a single earning, still the wife works to earn. If she works by interest, the life is happy. However, if she is forced to earn, the family might be happy, what about her? Is anyone thinking of her happiness? She is tired, she is missing her children, if there are no children yet, then she is working with no interest. Once women have children, it becomes very difficult to handle children and job. However, if there is someone to help, she can handle but if there is no one to care for the kids during the day, and mom has to go to job, then both mom and kids suffer. It is a common thing in the society but there is lot of suffering involved. They are the growing years of the children and Dad will anyways miss, Dads may not feel so bad, but for a Mom to miss watching the children grow up, achieve the initial milestones is so tough. Due to better salaries, if they are forced to take up any other jobs than their interested ones, it is so difficult and demotivating to continue. Can't they do something they excel or interested in, if it pays less? As the society shouts, there is a Man to run the family anyways, who holds a higher paying job anyways!!! I feel women should be allowed to make decisions about their career on their own. Whether they want to continue working, take a break when kids are born and when they are growing up, and get back to job if still interested, or pursue a career of interest should be some decisions to be made on their own, instead of the husband or parents deciding or manipulating.   - Prathyusha

FASHION FOR HOMES Who says Fashion is only for Humans....even Houses deserve the tag..."Fashionable" and the best Brands, Designer names. Some people like to buy the La-z-Boy Sofas, some buy furniture from the name brand stores. Some like to flaunt drapery from a famous store and a few love to show off the expensive decor. In India, home owners are more interested in showcasing their collections in their craftmen made wooden cabinets, or in the current times, the custom ordered cabinets too. Discussions on who crafted them, how long it took, how much they spent are common when guests arrive, and the next time you see the same craftmen making another whole house's wood work on recommendation. People spend their money and interest in building and buying homes, they dream of decorating them so well that their homes shape into the fashionable ones.   - Prathyusha

Tips to remove stains from cotton fabric As summers are already here and everyone would love to wear cotton so I decided to first compile few stain removal tips for cotton fabric: 1) To remove coffee or tea stains from the fabric sponge the stain with water as soon as possible and then apply salt over it. Once the stain has dried soak the fabric in cold water for atleast 30 minutes and then wash it as usual. 2) In case of sweat stains rub table salt over it and then let it dry out in the sun. Wash as usual. 3) Ink stains can be removed by applying hairspray or alcohol on it. 4) To remove oil stain rub cornstarch or talcum powder over the stain and let it sit for 20 minutes then brush it off with a soft cloth or brush. 5) Dilute the dishwashing liquid with water and dab the makeup of lipstick stains with this solution. 6) To remove chewing gum from clothes apply ice over it and then scrape it off from the garment. 7) Tea and coffee stains can also be removed by applying glycerine over it. 8) To remove curry stains mix the equal amounts of water and glycerine together and then apply it on the stain from the reverse side. Wash as usual. 9) Apply alcohol with a soft cotton cloth over the grass stains and then wash as usual. 10) To remove wine or fruit stains rub the fresh stains with a mixture of salt and lemon juice. 11) To remove tannin stains wash the garment in hot water but do not use bar soaps as they can make the stains permanent. 12) Rust stains can be removed by applying salt and lemon juice on it. Sprinkle salt and squeeze lemon juice on it. Allow it to dry in the sun and then wash it as usual.

EXPAND THE BATHROOM SOFT COLORS Pale colors on the walls and floor tend to give the illusion of space. Avoid using strong colors except on accessories, towels and decorations. BRING IN GLASS Get rid of the shower curtain or frosted-glass shower doors and replace them with clear glass. It will open up the shower area, making it a part of the entire room and giving the appearance of more space. FLOAT THE SINK: Use a pedestal or wall-mount sink. While the additional floor space won't exactly be usable, it will trick the eye into believing the room is larger. LIGHT UP If the bathroom doesn't have natural light, try recessed lighting. It is unobtrusive and won't "bring the ceiling down" and make the room feel shorter, plus it can be placed anywhere and focused onto any task area. RAISE HIGH To expand a small room, add to the ceiling. A light fixture with a ceiling medallion will draw the eye up, as will crown molding. Just make sure the molding is not too large for the space. Other architectural features like chair rail and wainscoting can also help visually expand a small space.   - Prathyusha

UPPER HAND - Prathyusha Talluri   GOD gave us 2 hands, not Upper hand and lower hand...Marriage is a balance, any imbalance would definitely cause problems. In a dominant relationship, either the wife or the Husband might stay calm, but they know they are not happy with the dominant partner. Ofcourse, there are people who dont mind being dominated, their love for the other person is such. It doesnot mean, a partner who dislikes to be dominated is not loving the wife/ husband perfectly.  Times were such in past generations where wives never bothered much if her husband ddn't care for her. There were even wives who dominated badly. I wonder who started it, but there is a fear of being dominated in marriage. Arranged marriages tend to initiate this fear as the partners don't know eachother well. We never know, some Love-marriages change too. But my question is...Why should one dominate, can't there be love and trust ?...We see so many wives complaining even in these times, so many husbands frustrated...their partners don't spare them even in parties and public places, they think it adds weight to their power but that behaviour kills the persons public respect, and the whole family's image.   It is so inconvenient for the friends to continue being with them, for new families to make friends with them, either one should be friends with the pitiful wife or husband, and indirectly the dominant character tries to influence the friends of the wife/husband...and they are left isolated....where are we ending finally? The families ruined, no friendly relationships, no happy discussions, no good memories.......who taught that person to be dominant, where did she/he learn that trait from??!!