We are glad to have kicked off our Event calendar for 2018 with the successful conduct of our first event for the year ‘SIS Health & Happiness’ at Church of Ascension Hall, Beaufort on 24Feb. The event started with a brief welcome address by Gayathri Subramanian followed by an invocation song by Ms. Shruti.

The Health event started with a talk show with Dr.Geeta Venkat, MBBS, DGO, MD, FRCOG Director at Harley Street Fertility Clinic. This was an interactive talk show that was very deftly moderated by Mrs Latha Aiyer . Dr. Venkat covered a range of Gynecological health issues in a very structured manner; starting from puberty, reproductive stage , Menopause and ending with issues faced the elderly. She also explained in detail about prevalence of medical conditions like PCOS in South Asian population and its potential linkages with diabetes. Dr Venkat also touched upon social and cultural taboos, approach to overcome them in a subtle manner in a changing world and stressed the importance of family and societal support to manage potential issues. Last but not the least, she stressed the importance of remaining active through regular walk and exercise which not only helps us remain fit but also helps release 'happy' harmones (cortisol) in our body. The interactive session provided the audience ample opportunities to raise questions and seek clarification.

This was followed by a spiritual discourse by M Mita Samani on Happiness and the need to continually look ‘inward’ for our happiness. Ms Mita shared her personal experiences where the wise words of her masters from Chinmiya Mission helped her seek answers to her self doubts from within and helped overcome significant challenges to balance her priorities and also be happy. Mita concluded by suggesting that when we realise that when we are already “complete” and learn to be in the present, taking things as they come all our fears & doubts disappear and happiness prevails.

The concluding event was a short inspiring talk by Ms.Sahitya Natrajan who enthralled the audience with her wisdom at a young age by explaining how we should seek happiness by celebrating every small achievement and the joy of giving; making others happy always makes us feel happy and is more lasting. She also encouraged youngsters to believe in oneself and confidently proceed towards their goals.

The evening drew to a close with the members taking the opportunity to socialize while enjoying some light snacks before the curtains were drawn. The positive feedback from the attendees can be best summarised in the words of one of them “an afternoon usefully spent”.

We thank the SIS members for their support and participation.

SIS Health and Happiness