Learning…the ‘gyaanexchange’ Way
As the name suggests, Gyaanexchange.com is the first product of Noesis369 a start up educational technology venture. Its mission is to empower anyone to create, share and monetize knowledge. In addition to gyaanexchange, Noesis369 is also involved in the academic education space developing products and services for schools and colleges. Noesis369 was started in December 2010 by Siddharth Bhansali who is a...
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Akshar: A Word That Makes a Difference
This week we talk to the team behind an ambitious project called Akshar (Word), which has been launched by Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). It is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. The Sip...
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Music for ears…& hearts too
There are here not just to play music but to make it sure that it’s not only for ears but for hearts too. Menwhopause is a popular Delhi-based band who was recently seen performing in Tihar jail, leaving its inmates touched and inspired. On a makeshift stage at Tihar, this band won applause of over a thousand prisoners who danced to their songs, during a unique initiative of 20-day workshop for inmates...
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Chakraborty’s World Peace Mission
I was walking down 80 feet Road in Indiranagar Bangalore, when I saw this man. His yellow pants and rainbow colored shirt of course made sure no one missed him on the road, indeed even a Macaw was a poor cousin! Besides if you needed any more inspiration he had a hat to boast for. Of course we see the likes of him from time to time, running or cycling for world peace, etc. But curiosity got the better of...
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The ‘Incredible India’ Odyssey
Every week we have one newsmaker for you, but this time we have four of them. Their story is extraordinary for a simple reason that they went out for a cause braving all odds. ‘Incredible India’ initiative of theirs was not a tourism promotion exercise but an incredible odyssey. The story behind is a tough one, made purposeful with this three-month journey that ended last week on December 20 in...
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Women, Fight Back! You Are Not Alone
He is the man behind a Delhi-based voluntary organisation which is working towards curbing crime against women. The organisation has come up with a unique mobile application, which has been developed in partnership with a software firm. The Sip of Life Moderator, Amit Roy talks to Hindol Sengupta, who happens to be one of the two journalists who started the organisation, which will be launching this...
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Tweeter-A-Day-365@Roycin D’souza
Roycin D’ souza is just 20 and into Professional Photography and works around Music & Digital Media Projects for a living. These days he is clicking creative pictures of people from twitter. Under a new project Tweeter-A-Day-365 ( #TAD365) he has taken up, he would be putting up a picture of one person from twitter, a day. He says, this will give him a chance to put a face on those who he has been...
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United Flavours of Kolkata
He carries in his van the flavours of Kolkata’s streets! The Sip of Life today brings you a trained haute cuisine chef, Angus Denoon who is now better known as London’s Jhal Muri Man, carrying in his van, which was set up in a market for filming a movie on street food in Kolkata. The van became so famous that his Jhal Muri began to travel on tubes and buses all over London. It’s an interesting story...
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Spring in Banff
The blossoming of flowers during the Spring Season and the colours they add bring in life into the otherwise frozen landscapes of Banff , Canada .While the vibrant reds are eye catching ,the sunny yellows give a feel of warmth to the frame. Capturing these hues in the foreground gives an interesting depth to the landscapes. Navneet Saxena is our columnist for Pic(k) of the week to share some exciting...
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“I Want to Keep Telling Stories”
Madeline Miller was born in Boston, MA, and raised in New York City and Philadelphia. This 33 year old’s debut novel is a retelling of the myths surrounding the Greek hero Achilles, as narrated by his closest companion and lover Patroclus. She attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics and has also studied at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought, and in...
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Changing Lives with Motivation
The Sip of Life this week talks to a glamorous multifaceted personality. Mona Jagga, our newsmaker this week, is a Life Coach, Law of Attraction Expert, Keynote Motivational Speaker, Business Coach and Corporate Trainer. She has authored a book (Foreword by Bob Proctor from the movie – The Secret) titled The Real Estate Book and is presently writing another one based on her study and application of...
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In Love with NYC Dosa Man
“If I was rich, I would buy Thiru a house close to mine so that we could be neighbors and he could make me dosas all the time. That’s how much I love this food. I literally lay in bed and crave this stuff. Thank you, Thiru, for making it a little easier to be a new vegetarian. And for doing it with a smile”, says Krystal L. Of Brooklyn, New York in her comment about Thiru Kumar, better known as...
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Donate Now! e-Daan Shows you How?
The Sip of Life brings an inspiring story of three friends who are making an effort to bring a difference in lives of those who are deprived of many things in life. It’s the story about a website started by three youngsters that focuses on social change and aims to ensure efficient resource mobilisation. Welcome to e-Daan: A Quick and Easy way to Donate in Kind! It was launched about six months back...
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Why can’t Sunshine be Mine?
We never knew sunshine could be so bright, till we came across Minakshi Chaudhry, our newsmaker this week. First we thought of featuring her in our Sunday column, The Sunday Sip, and it took us time to decide why and where Minakshi could figure, because she is an inspiration herself and her story is inspiring too, but with breast cancer awareness month coming to a close on Monday, we thought of waiting...
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Hues of Harmony
Our columnist Navneet Saxena this week has another delightful collection of shots. Mother nature, yet again proves to be the master painter! The unlimited colour palette and the skill to mix the right colors by nature itself creates unmatched scenic beauty . These colorful frames were captured in Mauritius where the unique seven colors of the earth created as much drama as the aqua colors of...
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Jodie, The Garbage Girl!
This British national is a real crusader who had arrived in India in 2009 and it was by chance that she became what she is today. She had just come to visit two Tibetan children she sponsors at the Children’s Village in McLeodganj and that’s when she fell in love with this place and decided to settle down in the neighbouring Bhagsu region. That’s from where her story starts. When she saw...
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Joining Hands & Mending Hearts
We bring you someone who has gifted smiles to orphans in Kashmir. Amit Roy, Moderator, The Sip of Life talks to Adhik Kadam whose undying spirit is worth appreciating as till date he has been kidnapped by militants in Kashmir 19 times, survived a bomb blast and faced guns on a number of occasions. Setting up an NGO is not easy there but despite all odds he carries on with his endeavour to make a...
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At Eight She Baked Her Fate!
If you are in Mumbai, you can’t resist being here to taste the irresistible macroons! This week the story is not just about the macroons but the 25 year old behind it. She has a degree in business and hospitality management from Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland and a Diploma in French Pastry from Le Cordon Bleu Paris. She is today famous for her macroons in Mumbai which she sells in her bakery....
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Bhagwati: Unstoppable at 75!
The Sip of Life this week talks to a 75 year old medical practitioner who is not an ordinary septuagenarian. She is someone who scales peaks, has won swimming competitions and bicycles across the country. She has set an example for all of us and counts her feats not wrinkles for living an adventurous life of a youngster. This Vadodara resident Bhagwati Oza is our newsmaker, sharing with The Sip of Life...
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The $100,000 Top Chef!
He is not just an ordinary chef but someone who has made a mark in the profession abroad. The Sip of Life this week talks to Floyd Cardoz, a Mumbai-born who had trained to be a biochemist, but a few months back it was the humble upma that got him to walk home with the top honour of Top Chefs Masters Season 3, a US TV show that fetched him $100,000. Cardoz has many other achievements to his credit. He...
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Mime Time with Partha!
Partha Pratim Majumder who was recently awarded the highest honour of Bangladesh “Ekushe Padak 2010” is our newsmaker this week! Majumder, world famous mime artist talks to The Sip of Life moderator, Amit Roy, in a telephonic interview from Paris where he is based with his family. Partha Pratim Majumder was conferred the “Master of Mime” Award by the only mime academy of India “Jogesh...
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Mother India: A Lingering Taste in Norway
Here’s a success story of an Indian-origin restaurateur, Sarita Sehjpal who makes it to the Newsmaker of the Week! She runs an Indian restaurant in Kristiansand, which is a coastal town on the southern tip of Norway with a total population of 82,562 and is today a reputed eating place in the town. Sehjpal talks to The Sip of Life moderator, Amit Roy on how a Punjab born made it big outside her...
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A Perfect Day
“They make those buildings so darn tall something’s bound to crash into ‘em”, the owner of Sweetheart Bakery mutters as I grab my coconut-blueberry muffin and 12 oz coffee, glancing at the 12 inch B&W TV atop the counter, set to NY1 with a live feed of the World Trade Center’s North Tower on fire. It was 8:45 am and I was running late for my client meeting in the Flatiron. I descend into the...
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Let’s Party
Weekends are party time! Friends getting together, bonding through a sway to the beat of the drums, sharing a makeover and a simple hug or chilling out while watching others in action. Everyone is rejoicing and having fun.This is true comraderie! This time we have three ‘happening’ images from the Drum Circle on the Venice Beach Los Angeles. (Lens nikkor 14-24 mm f 2.8 & 70-200 mm f...
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A ‘Close Shave’ with Man Booker!
The Sip of Life Newsmaker this Week is Robert Davidson, Managing Director of Sandstone Press in Scotland, UK. The Press has got a global acclaim after one of its titles, The Testament of Jessie Lamb, by Jane Rogers, was named on the long list of the prestigious Man Booker Prize. Rogers, professor on the university creative writing MA course, has made the last 13 for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction with...
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Inspite Of…
All my life, I have been a stupid common man. I been a man with unusual and idealistic dreams, weird ideas, on the edge lifestyle and zeal to change the world, shared by millions around me. I crib about my job, the unorganized nature of the development sector, the lack of professional manpower and so on. In totality, I can be easily lost in the crowd but I still continue to do the same so called...
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Tune in to Priyanka @ 90.4
The Sip of Life Newsmaker of the Week is Priyanka R, a 26 year old Radio Jockey with 90.4 Radio Active, a community Radio Station, in Bangalore. A Transsexual, she was disowned by her parents, at the age of 14. She not only fended for herself but also earned enough money for the sex change operation. In the process, she gained the confidence to make a decent living for herself, reinstalling the faith of...
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Forgiveness…
When someone hurts us, we’re expected to forgive and forget. But forgiveness puts the entire onus on the injured party, and forgetting is nearly impossible – neither of which does any justice to our emotions. Yet, even though we’ve all experienced that firsthand, when someone shares their pain with us, we suggest the unimaginable – perhaps since it lets us off the hook for seeing them through...
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She Leaves An (Im)Print!
The Sip of Life this week profiles an interesting personality. It is Soghra Khurasan from Gujarat who is a known name in printmaking. This young achiever who makes it to the Newsmaker of the Week, is a recipient of several awards and has participated in several exhibitions across the country. Soghra’s works have also been selected for the group show at the 22nd All India Art Contest at Nagpur held...
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Rhythm of Life
Clad in passionate red, virginal ivory and glittering golden trinkets sashaying around her waist, this vivacious lady had me wondering about her. The fine touch of Indian jewellery to her makeover was enough for me to capture her as the women of the world in my frame. For her, being oblivious of her own persona, more vibrant than the beat of the drums she swayed to and for me capturing her life style...
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Man on the Road: The Green Cyclist
While out on my evening walk, I met an interesting man today, on the streets of Bangalore. What intrigued me at first sight was his cycle. A cyclist myself, have always had an affinity with fellow cyclists, but this cycle all decked in green leaves was something else. I stopped and curiously looked at the it while the owner, happily peed around. It was of course like any other cycle but for the fact...
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He is ‘Gay’ & Happy…He is Vidur Kapur
He was nominated in 2008 for a “NewNowNext” Award by MTV Network’s Logo as “Brink of Fame: Comic”. He performed as part of the famous New York Comedy Festival where he was described as “a comedian to remember”. He has toured internationally but he has battled all his life just because he is a homosexual. Vidur Kapur, a renowned comedian who is an Indian by birth...
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Luminescent Splendour
The signature skylines of the mega cities around the world beckon me to them and these photographs are from my collection. Be it the colourful myriad of reflections created in the deep waters of the ocean or the star studded skyscrapers, the panoramic view is enticing and exciting enough for photographers to capture this shine and glitter in a frame. The contrast between the deep blue sky and the...
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Celia’s Diary: Does Teen Rage Worry You?
Hi everyone, it’s Celia again. I hope that most of the time I will have something lighthearted to write about, but last week I read something that creeped me out so much that I have to tell you about it. On July 16 a seventeen-year-old boy in Florida killed both of his parents with a hammer and then had a big party at his house. At first I couldn’t believe it, but it really happened. News...
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Want A Designer Wardrobe? It’s No More A Secret!
What’s so secret about this week’s Newsmaker of the Week? Well, this week we profile a person behind an interesting concept, which offers rental service of designer wear for all your special occasions! And what brings it here on The Sip of Life is that it happens to be India’s first online rental service for designer wear. We talk to Jessica G. Nagpal, Managing Director, Secret Wardrobe, which is...
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Splash of Passion
The intensity of the embrace has been captured dramatically in this frame as the waves splash onto the rocks and break into millions of droplets filling in to create a passionate backdrop. The couple however continue to be oblivious to the surroundings while being drawn into each others world. I captured this moment one afternoon, while exploring Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, USA. We were all in...
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I Am Kalam…Harsh Mayar
With a dream in his eyes, this 13-year-old boy is excited. I Am Kalam released on August 5 and Harsh Mayar is the boy who plays lead role in this movie with Gulshan Grover, which has already fetched him a national film award for best child artist 2011! The Sip of Life caught up with this little boy who had lost hope when he was rejected in auditions for the movie Chillar Party. And today he dreams to make...
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Hundreds Join India’s First Ever ‘Slut Walk’
What is the reaction when a man sees a woman dressed ‘provocatively’? She is considered to be one with a loose character and definitely inviting trouble. Is it is the girl who is to be blamed for her conduct or is it the misconduct of men? It also raises a pertinent question that is it only those girls who are dressed like who are raped or sexually abused? Women took to the streets of New Delhi this...
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Sabrina’s Impression…to Last a Lifetime
Tattooing, which dates back to centuries is now a fad among the youngsters and is gaining popularity. We still remember how in the yesteryears we would often see men having etched the name of their lover on their arms, but the concept has come a long way, and is now a fashion statement. The Sip of Life this week meets a 28 year old girl who completes one year of her expertise in tattooing in August....
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Meet Suhaib Ilyasi of ‘India’s Most Wanted’ Fame
His ‘India’s Most Wanted’ was a pioneering step in the reality television. Meet Suhaib Ilyasi, who became the most sought-after man more than 10 years ago for his path-breaking initiative in criminal programming. However, amidst this success, came a blow. His wife committed suicide in 2000 and he went into oblivion. He was held responsible for the death with accusations of cruelty and...
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Bewitched! – Pic (k) of the Week
Navneet Saxena will be our columnist for Pic(k) of the week to share some exciting shots by him, who has been into photography for over 25 years. A multifaceted personality he teaches the students of Vivek High School Chandigarh, Northern Indian Institute of Fashion Technology SAS Nagar, and is the External Examiner for Photography of Chandigarh College of Architecture. He is also the President...
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Canadian Cafe: Forgiveness
Rebecca Rosenblat has been with us ever since The Sip of Life was born 20 months back. An excellent writer Rebecca has been always a big support to us. She makes it sure that her content is there in our inbox well in time and asks for any changes if required. But there has never been any change so far, just because whatever Rebecca writes, is a treat for the heart. Her captivating pieces bring us...
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Elena’s Sip: Procrastination
Elena Da Friuli has been writing for The Sip of Life since last more than a year now. An prolific writer who also writes for reputed websites every month through her poems bring out the spirit of life and its myriad ways, which she puts across so well. Her writings are not only short, but understandable and also relate to each one of us. Through her poetry she takes us to a versatile world of her verses,...
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Vision Without Sight: The Other Side
Dr Rajat Chabba has been writing for us since about one year now. He is not only sincere in writing providing us the visual support as well, but makes it sure to make his column interesting. We hope with the new layout, Dr Chabba will make an impact with our new readers as well. He has been a popular writer and in December got married, but despite his hectic routine he continues to be associated...
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The Man on the Road: Exploring the Unexplored
The idea of writing about ‘The man on the road’ came naturally, says Maitreyee, who joins The Sip of Life as our new columnist. She says, “Some of the most compelling, beautiful and bizarre stories unfold on the road. The everyday man’s struggle for existence, his tenacity and the beauty of the stark is what is absolutely fascinating”. She will be writing for us every...
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Celia’s Diary: An American Teenager’s Blog
Welcome to the all new column “Celia’s Diary”, a 17 year old American girl who would be sharing with you what a teenager goes through, how a girl of her age takes life, her emotions and her moments of tribulation and jubilation… Hello everyone. For better or for worse, I am an American teenager. I’m seventeen years old and from Charleston, South Carolina, which is in the...
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Bindaas or Crass?
BY AVANTI NIODING When promos of Delhi Belly came out, everyone loved what they saw and what they heard. All my friends waited with crossed fingers for the film release. Aren’t we all always waiting to watch a good made-in-bollywood film. ‘What a breath of fresh air it is’ is what everyone had exclaimed when the Amir Khan production and Imran Khan starrer ‘Jaane Tu ya Jaane Na’ had come...
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OUR COLUMNISTS
REBECCA ROSENBLAT
NAVNEET SAXENA
CECELIA COOKE
DR RAJAT CHABBA
AKANKSHA BANSAL
ELENA DAL FRIULI
ALAN C. GEOGHEGAN
MAITREYEE CHOWDHURY
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Kalli Purie has struggled with her weight since childhood and has finally found a weight she is happy with. Mostly. The diets featured here are structured rather like episodes in her life, full of characters, anecdotes and juicy nuggets of weight wisdom – from surya namaskars set to Bollywood beats to drastic coconut water diets, from a dark experiment with bulimia to a love affair with the self-concocted champagne diet.
Kalli looks at weight related complexes, myths and dilemmas straight in the eye and tells us not just what to do but how to do it. Kilo by kilo. Confessions of a Serial Dieter will make you believe you can do it, whether it’s losing those stubborn last three kilos or chasing your dream!
COURTESY: CAPITAL BOOK DEPOT
SECTOR 17 - E, CHANDIGARH
A CLEAN SWEEP FOR ‘THE DIRTY PICTURE’
The rise and fall of Silk Smitha is what this film is all about. But in an attempt to chronicle Silk’s lustrous career and thereafter unceremonious downfall the makers of the film have also been able to capture the machinery responsible for churning out ‘Silks’ in Film industry.
Handling a subject like this was definitely tough considering the multifaceted plot centred on a single subject. Also, while taking up the subject of film industry’s penchant for ‘the sexy’ and ‘the vulgar’, this film itself had to deal with a lot of sex and sleaze. And one had to be careful about not making a fool of oneself while satirising someone on the same subject.
Our new columnist for movie reviews every month, Akanksha Bansal writes...
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THE SIP OF LIFE, WHYPOLL JOIN HANDS
Welcome to Fight Back, India’s first mobile application which has been launched recently for women safety created by CanvasM in association with Whypoll, India's first citizen networking platform, which is fighting for the safety of women and The Sip of Life has joined hands with Whypoll. This unique mobile app sends SOS alert using the mobile device. The Mobile Solution for Women Safety uses mobile capabilities like GPS, SMS, Location maps, GPRS and integration with Social Networking Site (Facebook), email to bring in maximum participation in the Women Safety drive.
While you can join the initiative of whypoll by visiting the website at Whypoll you can directly download the mobile application at FB. Be a part of the movement by sharing the download link and help in spreading the word.
Most Recent Articles
Birds in Flight:The Seeker and the Gratified
This time we have pictures from Christchurch, New Zealand. The grace and...
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Sensing Self or God?
The religious élan and fervor touches the zenith during the Navratras and I...
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Face to Face with Melody
The Sip of Life Moderator, Amit Roy remembers… This time writing...
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The Bohemian Gardener
I call him the ‘bohemian gardener’. This man is often seen in the...
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It’s Not About How You Begin, But How You Finish!
The Sunday Sip this time is an inspiring story of a teenager ballerina from...
Read MoreAGAINST ALL ODDS
An adventurous white woman paddle-boarding on the Ganga is bound to attract curious onlookers . But for Michelle Baldwin, who paddle-boarded 500 km from Rishikesh to Varanasi, it was no adventure . It was actually her pilgrimage to the City of Ghats, and a mission to raise $100,000 for a global campaign against cervical cancer.
Above all, she had come all the way from the US looking for some answers because, being a Buddhist, "it's important at the time of death to reflect on death." That's because Michelle, 44 and a single mother of three, has terminal cervical cancer.
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